Category: Mobile

Smartphone News and Reviews, Latest Cellphones, Accessories, New Launches, Specifications, Details with Image and Video from Apple, Samsung, Lenovo, Moto, HTC, Xiaomi, Oneplus, Meizu, Sony, Lava, Micromax Yu Mobile and More.

Giveaway : 5 OnePlus One Invites
We recently unboxed the OnePlus One Smartphone, and everyone has been asking us for invites to this mammoth spec’d phone. It’s that time of the month, and we are giving away 5 invites to purchase the OnePlus One Smartphone in the first of our two part giveaway. Simply enter the sweepstakes below and you stand a chance to win.

Follow the Instructions carefully and read the terms and conditions on the form as well as here. This Giveaway is open globally, so no matter where you are you can take part by entering below.

To be clear we are giving away 5 invites in this lot and we will giveaway 5 invites in the next one.

To Order this phone you will need to be in or be able to order to one of the following countries :
- United States
- Sweden
- Denmark
- Netherlands
- United Kingdom
- Spain
- Germany
- France
- Italy
- Finland
- Belgium
- Austria
- Canada
- Hong Kong
- Taiwan
- Portugal
The Contest is Over : Winner Make Sure you register on Oneplus.net with the Same Email.

Second Giveaway will Start Shortly
August 24, 2014
Apple to Replace Selected iPhone 5 Batteries for Free

Apple iPhones are beautiful products. They have been beautifully designed but lack strength in one major arena, the battery. Considering the increased screen size that Apple is planning to bring in the next member of the iPhone family, we might expect a better battery. For now, Apple found that some of its existing iPhone 5 batteries have not been performing up to standard and they needed to be charged more often.

Apple has recognized a certain batch of devices with the defect and is offering free replacement of the batteries. Users can go to Apple’s website and check if their device is listed there. Apple will replace those batteries for free.

The users whose devices are listed on the website have to backup their data and wipe out the device before taking it to an Apple Store or Apple-approved retailer. There is though a tiny hiccup in the process, Apple requires you to get damages on screen and others before accepting the device. The cost of damage repair will come from the user’s pockets, so if you have a busted screen, a bad battery and not enough cash, you might as well throw the phone away and get a new one.

The program has begun in US and China and it will be expanded to other countries from August 29th.

August 23, 2014
OnePlus One Unboxing : Redefining The Market
China is stirring up a storm, but it’s right here in India. Company after company is parading the smartphone market scene and everybody wants a piece of the pie. Earlier this year, Gionee set a precedent in bringing great build quality and a higher spec set into India by launching phones like the Gionee Elife E7. Later Xiaomi broke the market pricing scheme by launching the Xiaomi Mi3 in India. But is everyone really happy?

The lack of availability in both cases made it really difficult to own these products, while the E7 was fantastic for its time, it arrived almost 3 months too late and with the Xiaomi and its #FailSale strategy, people are essentially looking for a better outcome.

That answer may as well be here, sooner than you imagined. OnePlus is looking to launch their marvelous One in India as early as next month, and the company may bring a simple strategy to the market. The OnePlus One has been sold on an invite system from the get go. In doing so, the company continued to receive the orders, yet restricted orders enough to ramp up production.

The same system applies for India, however, the company has already reached up to required production standards with its current orders and invites are being fulfilled as and when you get them, so when it finally arrives in India, all you’ll need is a friend with an invite to share with you.

Inside the packaging, which is exceptionally high quality, all you get are three things; the OnePlus One unit, the charger and cable and a sim removal tool.

The inbox accessories tell you a great deal of what the end product quality is going to be, and you will be might impressed. not only is it high quality, a great amount of detail has gone into designing each item inside the box and customising the feel of the product.

The phone itself is pretty impressive, for a price of US$ 299 (16Gb) or US $ 349 for the 64 GB seen here (roughly INR 21500) which basically compares with the current flagships of the world.

Specs wise you will get :
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 801
- Adreno 330 GPU
- 3GB of RAM
- 16/64 GB storage
- 5.5 Inch 1920 x 1080p Display
- 13 Mp primary camera with 4K video
- 5 MP front camera 1080p video
- 3100 mAh – Non Removable battery
- Gorilla Glass 3
The software and user interface is familiar and responsive, you will get Android 4.4.2 out of the box with a promised update to 4.4.4 and Cyanogen Mod 11s to get you happy. CyanogenMod will also ensure that you are getting the maximum output from your hardware and customization options are almost endless. Thanks to CyanogenMod you can also expect quick roll-outs of the latest relevant updates on Android, especially the upcoming Android L.

Watch our unboxing Video Below and stay tuned for a flurry of comparisons after the break. Also leave your review requests in the comments for us.
August 20, 2014
The Windows Phone Everyone Wanted : HTC One M8 for Windows Out

Talk about an unfortunate day for companies who wanted to keep their products a surprise till the release date. After Samsung had a major boo boo with the AnTuTu specs leaks, its HTC’s time to face some leak music. The worst part of the HTC leak is that it was done not through some leakster sitting in his bedroom but by telecom giant Verizon.

The HTC One M8 for Windows was officially supposed to release at a function later today in New York but its just too hard for some folks to wait that long. It seems like one of the posters for the One M8 which was supposed to be put up after the release, went up at one Verizon store, where the internet got hold of it.

The Poster that spoilt everything

The poster has a huge photo of the One M8 exteriors along with the Windows 8.1 tiles view on the UI. It uses the tagline “built to inspire envy” has one important line that blows up the entire surprise that HTC had in store for its fans. The bottom half of the poster says available in Android and Windows.

What was really a good move on the part of HTC is not bring the phone under the name HTC One W8 as was previously speculated. Keeping the name common keeps the focus on the features of the phone instead of the user interface used to access those features.

On the specifications front, there aren’t going to be a lot many changes in the two variants. The HTC One M8 for Windows Phone version will hold the dual camera setup with a 4-UltraPixel rear camera with a depth-sensing camera, apart from a 5-megapixel front-facing camera. It’s processing might is expected to come from a 2.5GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor coupled with 2GB of RAM. It is expected to retain the 2600mAh battery along with its a 5-inch full-HD display.

It seems like with this release HTC wants to compete on both the two prominent, non iOS operating systems. It is also beneficial for Windows to have the support of a recognized, premium product running their OS, thereby making their OS more visible. For the consumers, it gives a real alternative for folks who want a Windows device from a prominent brand. This release seems like a win-win for all.

August 19, 2014
Note 4 Specs Leaked Just Weeks Before Release

Misery strikes at the worst possible time. Samsung executives responsible for Note 4 release are going to have a terrible day. All the prominent specs for the upcoming Samsung Galaxy Note 4 have been leaked online and boy, are they impressive!

The leak happened on benchmarks app AnTuTu. First of all, the biggest expectation from Samsung was the introduction of a 2K screen on the Note 4 and Samsung didn’t disappoint. The phablet will sport a massive 5.7 inch, 1440 x 2560 QHD Super AMOLED display.

The device is expected to run Android KitKat 4.4.4 right out of the box. The leaked Antutu device has an Exynos 5433 octa core processor which comes with an updated Mali GPU. If Samsung follows its usual plan of action, one can expect a Snapdragon 805 variant to come in select markets.

The Device is also expected to take a departure from the faux leather back panel.

The camera on the device is a 16 MP shooter with optical image stabilization. It also has features like dual shot and simultaneous HD video and image recording. The front camera on the device is 2 MP selfie camera capable of shooting 1080p at 30 FPS.

Considering the massive price point of the Note 4, the company can easily provide a 32 GB and 64 GB variants and the icing on the cake will be expandable storage upto 128 GB, as per the specifications from GSMArena, this seems to be true.

The Note 4, officially will be unveiled September 3rd at an event scheduled to take place simultaneously in Berlin, Beijing, and New York.

August 19, 2014
Happn: An App That Makes Love at First Sight Easy

If you are a romantic then you can imagine a scenario where you come across that perfect mate like in the movies. Things in real life though don’t work that way, most of the time its awkward smiles or just a struggle to avoid eye contact. To make life simpler to folks who are looking for a person with similar tastes but just don’t have the time to swipe through countless profiles, here comes Happn.

But how in a world of online dating dominated by Tinder, what can this app do that the rest can’t? Well, instead of using many parameters to judge the suitability, Happn simply uses a phone’s GPS to bring you extremely localized lists of potential companions. The catch, of course is that both sides need to have the app on their ends.

Distance is the prominent parameter used by Happn. The app scans an area of 250 meters to find an ideal mate for you. This is also a great way of just meeting new friends too.

Privacy and safety issues maybe a concern in people’s mind that might dissuade them from trying the app. The creators make it clear that none of the personal information is stored or saved. It basically tries to create a database of folks you randomly meet in the course of the day that you can scroll through at the end of the day to find the ones who interest you. Once you have found the right person, you can send them messages through the app.

Apps like Tinder gives you a huge list of folks to swipe through. A Facebook profile is not an ideal judgment of a person. Happn clears all that mess and lets you meet people who are or have been in your vicinity and make it easy to find them.

The app is rapidly broadening its user base and has a good number of users in the creators home country of France. The app is available for iOS as well as Android. So if you are lonely and ready to mingle, your perfect wingman, your smartphone, now has an extra trick up its sleeve. So what are you waiting for, go out and make things Happn.

August 19, 2014
HP and Google had Planned for an Enterprise Nexus Device

Just when we got to know that Motorola might bring out the next Nexus smartphone, it is now being reported that HP and Google were to partner together for an enterprise Nexus device.

The Information reports that the two tech giants have been having talks to bring enterprise specific devices and were planning to expand Google Now for enterprise needs.

Google and Apple had previously made the decision to quell all the lawsuits they had been hurling at each other in the past. The companies had decided to compete in the market instead of the courthouse, and this seems to be the beginning of the market wars. Just a few weeks back Apple had partnered with IBM to bring enterprise solutions through its iOS ecosystem.

The proposition that was being examined between the two companies was the prospect of bringing Google Now to the corporate environment. Google would try to simplify data gathering and access through Google’s personal assistant.

Being an enterprise device, the hardware had high-end encryption. It is said that Google wasn’t appreciative of the hardware that HP brought into the deal, and hence, the talks have apparently failed.

This surely doesn’t seem like the end of Google’s pursuit to bring convenience in enterprise mobility. The mobile environment in the corporate arena is up for grabs, and the monetary rewards will be massive. There is a massive opportunity here, and the company that gives the perfect enterprise mobility solution will be rewarded the way Microsoft was rewarded with its desktop computer business. This war will sure be fun to watch and follow.

August 14, 2014
Specs of Motorola Made Nexus 6 ‘Shamu’ Leaked

Amidst all the confusion about the future of the Nexus line of products, comes a fresh new rumor about the next Nexus smartphone. This time it seems that Motorola is going to be taking the responsibility of crafting the next Nexus, after successful attempts from HTC, Samsung, and LG. A mysterious Motorola device, codenamed ‘Shamu’ (the killer whale), is believed to be at the head of the pack when it comes to potential candidates for the next Nexus. And thanks to benchmarking application AnTuTu, we now have a preliminary spec sheet for Shamu. Prior warning, it’s pretty darn impressive.

So, starting off with the display, the Shamu will indeed go the Quad HD way, boasting of a 2560×1440 pixel display that should provide amazing detail and sharpness.

The Motorola Shamu sure has some impressive specs.

Moving on to the internals, the device will be powered by the next big thing cooked by Qualcomm, the Snapdragon 805, with a quad-core Krait 450 processor clocked at 2.65GHz. This will be coupled with the Adreno 420 GPU and 3GB of RAM.In the camera department, it will have a 13MP lens on the rear, along with a modest 2.1MP selfie camera on the front.

Lastly, the Shamu will be running the latest Android L, adding more credibility to the rumors pointing towards it being the next Nexus. Specs like these surpass even the greatest of flagships currently offered by HTC, Samsung, Sony, and LG. All of this at the Nexus price point? It sure sounds too good to be true.

One final thing, the AnTuTu database lists this smartphone as the ‘Google Shamu’, which all but confirms that this is going to be the search giant’s next flagship, the Nexus 6.

Hopefully, we’ll see an announcement in the near future. Early rumors also suggest that the Nexus 6 will be announced along the with the long-rumored HTC Nexus 8 tablet at an event in September itself.

The next iPhone, the next Galaxy Note, and now the next Nexus too? With all this excitement waiting for us in the coming month, we are very close to taking a recluse till September comes.

By Pranav Arora

August 14, 2014
Huawei Teases to Reveal a New Device

Huawei has sent out press invites for an event to be held on the 4th of September. The invite features a huge number 7, hinting that the device to be released will either be the Ascend Mate 7 or the Ascend D7.

While the model name might not be known, a few specs are believed to feature in this soon-to-be-released device. The star of the show is believed to be a 6” Quad HD (2560×1440) display. The device might be powered by the company’s own Kirin 920 octa-core chipset and a healthy 3GB of RAM.

The minimalistic Invite doesn’t reveal much.

Huawei also believes that this device will be better than both the iPhone 6 and the Galaxy S6. Now, those are some hefty claims. If Samsung doesn’t manage to bring in a Quad HD screen soon, Huawei’s claim may become true.

The rumours don’t stop here, however. If leaksters are to be believed, the company is also going to release a second device with a Full HD 1080p display and 2GB of RAM. This by no way is a mid-ranger, but will only be the lower speced sibling of the Quad HD monster to be released by Huawei.

Seems like September is going to be a busy season for the Smartphone moguls. The battle lines are drawn with Samsung set to release the Note 4, which will be followed by Apple’s iPhone 6 release. With Huawei also staking a claim to gadget greatness, things will surely get interesting for the consumers. Now we really can’t wait for September to come.

By Pranav Arora

August 13, 2014
Moto X+1 and Moto G2 Might Launch On 10th September

We have been waiting to get our hands of Motorola’s two new devices Moto X+1 (X2) and Moto G2. Now it looks like we can expect the devices to hit the market in September. Over the course of the last few months many rumors have pointed out that a successor to the popular Moto X called the Moto X+1 was expected and now we have a release date.

Motorola had released the Moto X full of customization options for buyers. Those included 18 different colors, accent colors, engravings, and even wood backs made from Bamboo or Walnut. However, the new Moto X2 will have all that and more, with talks of a bigger display and leather options.

According to reports, the next generation phone will feature quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor, which will facilitate better multitasking and improve user experience. Motorola plans to use Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor for X+1, which currently features in HTC One M8, Samsung Galaxy S5 and LG G3.

The phone is also expected to feature 32GB storage and a 5.2-inch display, which is bigger than the Moto X, which features a 4.7-inch display. Also, it is expected to fashion a 12MP rear camera with dual-LED flash and 5MP front camera.

While most the rumors have been regarding the new Moto X+1, a new exclusive report surfaced today suggesting Motorola will actually have two smartphones launching next month. The Moto X2 and a successor to Motorola’s most popular smartphone of 2013, that being the Moto G.

According to one retailer, as reported by Gottabemobile, that received details directly from a Motorola representative, the company plans to announce, and then release both the Moto X+1 as well as the Moto G2 on September 10th. This means we can expect more details and an event in which they’ll be revealed sometime in August, followed by a global launch date on September 10th.

At this point these are only rumours. However, last year the original Moto X was announced in August and arrived shortly thereafter, and we can expect the same type of announcement and rollout for this new lineup of smartphones.

August 12, 2014
Buy a Xiaomi Mi3 In The Next Sale Using These Tips to Better Your Chances

The Xiaomi Mi3 has been a drop of evil for a lot of people, some have waited through the three sales patiently trying to get one of these chinese “wonder phones”. On August 12th 2014, at 2:00 pm the Xiaomi Mi3 will go on sale yet again, this time with a proported 20,000 handsets, says online shopping website Flipkart.

If you really want to buy a Xiaomi Mi3 this time around, here are a few tips to better your chances of scoring one of these budget bad boys.

1. Pre Register

Possibly the most obvious tip, you need to pre register to buy the phone, so go ahead and do it by : Clicking Here

2. Know the Time

The Xiaomi Mi3 will go on sale at precisely 2:00 pm IST on the 12th of August, so try and reach the buying page at least an hour earlier, even though it seems like overkill.

3. Multiple device logins

Try being online from multiple devices, preferably on different internet connections; in order to have different I.P. addresses accessing the site, this will improve your chances and bring to one step closer to buying a Xiaomi Mi3.

4. Flipkart App

The Flipkart app uses a separate server and has a higher chance of “not failing” at the time of sale. If you want to buy a Xiaomi Mi3 the app might prove to be easier, “might being the key word.

5. Super Refresh times 40,000

When the sale starts, most people are struggling to open the webpage, ctrl+R / f5 (refresh) is your best friend, hit it till you get a page to buy a Xiaomi Mi3. (cmd+R on a mac). Other people have reported opening several tabs being helpful.

6. Cart it!

If you do get a page loaded, add that phone to the cart like there is no tomorrow, once you have the handset in your cart, your chances have just gone up from 1 in a million to 50:50 in order to buy a Xiaomi Mi3.

7. Patience

Once you have it in your cart, attempt payment by refreshing several times, in most cases you won’t be able to make payments due to overloads on the server so keep trying.Here the app helps too.

Also, if the website fails completely, there is a very high chance that the phone is in your cart when Flipkart comes back online, thats the perfect moment for you to buy a Xiaomi Mi3.

Once you do get through to the payment section and make your payments in whatever the mode you select, pat yourself on the back sir, you my friend are a lucky owner of the coveted Xiaomi Mi3.

Yay!

Now watch our Review Here:

August 11, 2014
Image of HTC One M8 Running Windows 8.1 Leaked

It was reported a few days ago that HTC is intending to bring Windows Phone OS back to its stable with a One M8 windows variant. The company which was at the forefront of smartphone technology during its beginning days had begun its operations with the Windows Mobile OS. HTC had quit the Windows game for a while and had concentrated on bringing awesome Android devices to its consumers.

WPCentral managed to screen grab a blunder by the Dutch Telecom company, Telfort. In one of its advertising visuals, the company accidently posted what looked like a HTC One M8 running Windows Phone OS. Telfort took down the image as soon as it realized its folly.

The phone as shown in the promotional image also shows a Cortana tile which further confirms the phone running the Windows Phone 8.1. Apparently according to WPCentral the phone might be just around the corner and might release on August 19 at a press event in New York City. That will be a pleasant surprise for all Windows and HTC enthusiasts. The Windows sibling of the phone might be called One W8.

HTC might also use some of the lessons it learned with its Android smartphones to give a better Windows Phone experience than it did in the past, when it released HTC 8S, 8X and 8XT.

HTC has made some of the most beautiful phones in the Android ecosystem and so it will be real fun to see its take on a revamped Windows release.

August 9, 2014
Canword: All Your Information in One Place, Instantly

“Wow, that was fast,” that was our first reaction when Canword installed on our smartphone, almost instantly. The company flaunts the fact that it takes 10 seconds to install and only 10 more to set up.

Canword is a feature-laden compilation app for browsing feeds that you prefer. The app tailors the content according to your interests. You can select from a wide assortment of genres such as art, technology, breaking news, fun, food, etc.

Canword is rather easy to set up; the home screen gives you the option to choose your interests from which it tailors a personalized feed. How is it different from the likes of LinkedIn Pulse or Google Currants? It has more functionalities in terms of saving the articles, seamless assimilation with social media and best of all, it’s Made in India. Also, it lets you get feeds from your social media accounts at one place to give you further convenience. Through Canword, you can share the stories you like to your Facebook and Twitter simultaneously.

The features provided by this app are great for folks who want the information they need, consolidated in one place for a quick skim. Quite like the other readers, Canword lets you read the entire story in the app itself but some links do get directed to the original webpages. The app stitches the feed together using geographical locations. If you want a wider reading space and don’t want to be geographically restricted, it can easily be circumvented if you link the app to your Facebook account.

The journal feature of Canword allows you to bookmark stories for later read.

It has a personalisation feature, through which you can change the appearance of the stories on the app. The option for increasing or decreasing text size will also come handy for folks with visual issues or people who prefer a bigger font size. The app is created by Harscelle Goenka and his team at Valvirt Technologies Pvt. Ltd. The team took three months from conception to launch this app. It was designed and developed right here in India. Being a startup themselves, the makers have a special category for start-ups, found only on Canword. The young team seems confident about their app and have received predominantly positive reviews on the Play Store.

You can download the app for Android phones here, and for iOS devices here.

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August 8, 2014
Samsung Dealers Unhappy About E-Pricing, Threaten Boycott

As if Samsung wasn’t facing enough heat from the market and the users, the dealers of Samsung are taking them on the retail and e-tail price gap. The representatives of Samsung Retail dealers have told Samsung if the massive discrepancies in prices are not stabilized, they may have to boycott the brand.

Samsung has not had a good time against the competition in the past couple years. The phones are seen as identical replicas of each other and their features are unable to compete with the likes of Motorola, LG and the latest entrants, Xiaomi and Asus. In fact, Samsung, which boasted of holding the throne of the biggest smartphone company in the top two populous countries in the world saw itself dip to 2^nd spot. Micromax toppled Samsung’s majority in India and Xiaomi stole its spot in China.

The center issue is that Samsung offers its dealers a margin of 5.5% while the phones can be bought online for 20-25% discounts. The dealers say that they are not able to meet their sales targets as consumers are scared the prices might keep dropping. Times of India reports that some of the dealers have been selling the phones in wholesale markets to achieve their sales goals. These phones too make their way on the internet and are sold at discounted rates.

The dealers have threatened the company with a boycott that includes blacking out Samsung’s branding. Samsung executives have asked the dealers to not take any drastic steps as of yet. The dealer body has given the South Korean electronics giant time till the 15^th of August to resolve the pricing issue. Samsung needs a strategy reanalysis if it wants to prevent a certain dip in sales numbers which includes focus on mobile innovation. Or else it won’t be long before they follow Nokia’s path.

August 6, 2014
The Next Moto G Might Go Big with a 5-Inch Screen

Motorola has gathered a lot of goodwill this year. The company has been a star in the developing markets where its low-priced-high-speced products have found a massive fan following. Motorola’s upcoming products are their flagship Moto X+1 and their much awaited smartwatch, the Moto 360. Both their products have found takers in the rumor mills and they are generating a good amount of steam. Now it is being reported that one of their super hits, Moto G is apparently going to get a makeover too.

The specifications of what is touted to be the next Moto G offering is listed under the model no. XT1063 on GFXBench. One spec that catches the eyes is the 1280x720p, 4.5 inch screen of the Moto G has expanded to a 5-inch screen. This maybe an issue with some enthusiast who appreciated the size neutral 4.5 inch screen of the Moto G, but for multimedia enthusiast, this is welcoming news.

The rest of the features in terms of hardware appear to be constant. The phone’s processing power comes from a Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 SOC with an Adreno 305 GPU. The RAM listed is at 0.8 GB and internal storage is 4 GB, these maybe rudimentary figures to keep sniffers away or maybe Motorola will finally offer expandable storage. The only prominent complaint users had with the phone was the lack of expandable storage.

The camera department might see some upgrades too. The main camera will supposedly feature a 7 MP which might be bumped to 8MP and the front camera goes from 1.3MP to 2MP.

We will keep an eye on the happenings in the Moto department and will bring you the latest. Keep checking this spot.

August 6, 2014