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.

iPhone 6 Release Date Officially Confirmed!

Finally we have a number, a date that will put an end to months’ worth of speculations and rumors. The next edition of Apple’s famed iPhone series will be unveiled on the 9th of September this year. The news was shared by John Paczkowski of re/code.

The new phone will see a major departure from Apple’s usual phone design philosophy that has remained constant ever since the first iPhone was released. The next generation iPhone 6 is expected to come in two variants, a 4.7 inch model and a 5.5 inch phablet.

Historically Apple has brought out its flagship phones in the month of September and the phones are released in the market 10 days after the launch. This year is expected to be in line with that, because Apple is all about continuity.

Apart from the iPhone 6 launch, Apple is also expected to bring out its own Smartwatch to enter into a growing market of wearables. Tech industry is impatiently waiting for what could be Apple’s take of a Smartwatch and it is getting a full Apple rumor mill treatment with regular leaks about specs and designs. But nothing is sure of as yet and there has been no official word from the Cupertino based tech giant as yet.

After a long wait, and getting entertained with leaks and rumors, it will be a big relief to finally have a date to set on their calendars. With the smartphone market having radically evolved since the first iPhone release back in 2007, Apple needs to have something phenomenal in store to impress the enthusiast and the market. What is interesting is the Apple’s arch rival Samsung will release its Flagship phablet, the Note 4 at IFA Berlin on September 3. The battle of giants will always be good for the consumers. So Apple, Samsung, Fight !

August 6, 2014
Console Hit ‘Bioshock’ Comes to the iOS App Store Soon

Game Publishers 2K Games today announced that they would be releasing the original BioShock game in the iOS App Store before the end of this summer. The franchise has gained worldwide acclaim on its console version ever since video game developers Irrational Games released it for the PlayStation and Xbox platforms way back in 2007.

Bioshock will be available on select iOS devices

Irrational and 2K confirmed that this mobile version will feature all of the first-person shooter action found in the original title. Gamers will play through the game in the underwater city of Rapture, and the story will be the same as the original. BioShock’s mobile implementation will sport an iOS-tuned control scheme, and the graphics have been tweaked to run smoothly on iOS devices, according to Polygon.

BioShock isn’t the first video game franchise that is porting their game to mobile devices. The likes of EA Sports, Rockstar Games and other famed developers have also released mobile version of their popular titles like FIFA, Madden, GTA and others.

As with other recent console ports, the shooter will ship with support for iOS-connected game controllers that support Apple’s “Made for iPhone” scheme.

BioShock will be available in Apple’s App Store this summer. 2K Games did not give an exact price for the title but said it will be a “premium priced mobile game.” It will be compatible with the iPad Air, iPad Mini with Retina Display, iPad 4th generation, iPhone 5C, iPhone 5S, and iPhone 5. The game will not work on earlier Apple devices.

By Pranav Arora

August 6, 2014
Samsung Sends Out Press Invites For Galaxy Note 4 Unpacked Event

It’s that time of the year again. September is fast approaching, and it is bringing with it Samsung’s latest flagship phablet. Yes, Samsung is once again ready to release the next-generation Galaxy Note, and they have sent out invites for the launch event scheduled to take place on the 3rd of September.

Although Samsung hasn’t officially mentioned that the event will feature the launch of the Galaxy Note 4, it’s a pretty safe bet, considering how it’s been Samsung’s tradition to release their latest Note flagship at IFA in Berlin every September.

The Galaxy Alpha, Samsung’s supposed ‘premium built’ phone, may also feature in the event seeing that it’s been making rounds at the rumour mill since a long time. Along with the above two phones, it is also possible that Samsung may also announce some smartwatches which have also had their fair share of rumours and leaks. Another wearable that may be announced is a Samsung virtual reality headset, which will be very similar to the uber-cool Oculus Rift.

Samsung will have to catch up to competition with the next edition of the Note phablet

However, it is very likely that none of these devices are announced at that event, as Samsung would want to keep the spotlight towards the Galaxy Note 4 and nothing else.

If you haven’t heard the rumours, the Note 4 is believed to revolve around the following specs – a 5.7” Quad HD (2560×1440) display, a Snapdragon 805 (Exynos 5433 for some markets, including India) chipset, 3GB of RAM, a 16-megapixel camera with Optical Image Stabilization, a so-called ‘ultraviolet’ sensor, and Android 4.4 KitKat. The remaining specs should be similar to the Note’s smaller sized sibling, the Galaxy S5. The phone might also come with a biometric sensor in the form of an eye sensor

The event will take place on September 3 at 2 p.m. Berlin time. That’s almost a month away, and we should see many more rumours and leaks confirming those specifications. As has been with every flagship these days, we’ll probably know each and every detail about the phablet before the announcement actually takes place. Boy, August is going to be an exciting month.

By Pranav Arora

August 5, 2014
Xiaomi Mi3 Sold Out Within Seconds; Flipkart Crashes

Chinese handset maker Xiaomi sold all its 15,000 Mi3 devices in its third flash sale online within a matter of seconds. The company made available 15,000 units of the Mi3 smartphone today, as against 1,50,000 registrations for the device. With these units, Xiaomi through Flipkart has sold 35,000 Mi3 smartphones till date in the country.

The Flipkart website crashed seconds after Xiaomi’s Mi3 went on sale today. At 2 pm, when sales began, the site showed a server related 502 error. A few minutes later it showed an out-of-stock message on the page promoting the device. The website had also crashed temporarily on July 22, minutes after the Mi3 first went on sale on Flipkart. In the second flash sale, on July 29 the Xiaomi sold out the entire stock in five seconds.

Today, it has been four hours and Flipkart is still dead..

Now, the Flipkart site says that registrations for the phone will restart at 6pm today with the next sale on August 12.

The price of Rs 13,999 pits Mi 3 against mid-segment devices such as the Moto G and BlackBerry’s new Z3 device. With the latest software and immaculate specifications at its price it will be interesting to observe whether Xiaomi can match the hype with a robust supply chain and service network.

August 5, 2014
Motorola Climbs Over Nokia in Q2 Market Standings

With its mighty good year in the Indian market and a new-found loyal fan following, Motorola has risen again. After a few years of moving around and working with multiple owners such as Google, the brand is currently settling with Lenovo. Analyst group Canalys has brought out a report that shows Motorola taking Nokia’s spot on the market standings.

The Canalys report states that in the Q2 of 2014, Motorola sent out 955,650 smartphones for the period while Nokia did 633,720. In just the previous quarter, the situation was almost the opposite with Nokia leading with 583,160 smartphones, compared to Motorola’s 379,310.

With the power of Moto G and E, Motorola took over Nokia

This is a remarkable jump for the Motorola. The credit of course goes out to Motorola’s two stars that changed the way the market viewed its products. First came the Moto G, which created a new power center at the Rs 10,000 – 15,000 range. Then came the younger sibling, Moto E, which challenged the dominance of Indian smartphone companies on their home turf. The phones got the companies to reorganize their strategy and forced them to bring out a number of Moto Killer devices.

But it seems now that Motorola has some series competition from the Chinese infiltrators in the Indian mobile market. Xiaomi and Asus have caused some major upheaval in the mobile markets. Their high speced – low priced products have taken the market by storm and even caused Motorola to slash its price of the Moto G by Rs. 2000.

In the current standings, Motorola currently holds on its own behind Samsung, Micromax and Karbonn with their shipments of 4.4 million, 3.1 million and 1.07 million smartphones respectively. The Indian Smartphone market grew by 9% quarter on quarter. The figures might look even better in the coming holiday seasons and with fierce competition in the market. Overall it is turning out to be a good year for the phone makers and the buyers.

August 4, 2014
#LetsTalkShop with LG’s Amit Gujral

LG has put them selves on the map in the past couple of years. Taken as a company known for “cheap” products, LG has managed to quickly change their public image and their product lineup to match their image.

Amit Gujral, who has spent well over a decade and a half with the company, heads the marketing for the Mobile division of LG and sits out of the large and lavish Greater Noida HQ which also doubles up as a factory for home appliances.

The LG G3 is being pushed by Mr. Amitabh Bachchan as an “Endorser”, Amit Gujral claims the campaign is simply to push a “legend by a legend”. The company is not interested in playing a catch up game, and wants to go beyond the thinking of its competition.

[quote text_size=”small” author=”Amit Gujral” author_title=”Marketing Head – LG Mobile India”]

We don’t want to play catch up!

[/quote]

LG is also working on a tablet that they will launch shortly, said Amit coyly. Giving us another opportunity to sit with him to discuss details. The company has understood that there is very little need between a large phone and a tablet for consumption of content.

Amit claims that Social Media availability for a brand is a must, and the trend in the market is more “we” than “me”. LG is available for the consumers on Social Media and is arming up operations to be available in a better fashion.

Software is key and mostly all our phones are running KitKat, from mid to High segment , said Amit. Going forward LG will continue supporting updates for products.

Watch the full video below for the juicy bits.

August 4, 2014
Android Released the Google Now Launcher for Everyone

If you were one of them who were waiting for Google Nexus device like ability to have a Google Now Launcher on your Android phones, you’re going to be really happy today. Google has released the Google Now launcher for all Android 4.1 devices and above. Though some phones might not support it yet.

This update allows Android users to access a left panel which opens into Google Now. It also allows you to use the “OK Google” hot word on the main screen. This option is currently compatible with HTC One M8, One E8, One Mini 2, Desire 816, Huawei Ascend P7 and LG G3, among others.

Proprietary systems like HTC’s Blinkfeed get replaced after installing this update and instead you have the Google Now panel which is customizable to your liking. This will be a good addition for folks with stock Android devices who want a customizable information panel easily accessible with one swipe.

This is one more offering from Google that is now finding a wider user base. Google’s minimalistic looking apps also provide great functionality and that’s why they are preferred.

You can download the app from the Play store: [button link=”https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.launcher” size=”small” text_size=”gamma” newtab=”on”]Google Now LAuncher[/button]

August 2, 2014
President Obama Signs the Law for Legal Phone Unlocking

Remember when the first generation iPhones arrived in India, they had to be jailbroken (unlocked) to make them accessible to the networks here. Till recently this process was illegal. But yesterday President Obama made it legal by signing the “Unlocking Consumer Choice and Wireless Competition Act” (S.517) into law.

This will make it a lot easier for consumers who want to change their service providers while keeping their own phones. It will also be beneficial for folks who travel abroad and would want to switch to local services. Wireless providers install software barriers to prevent users from using the phones on other network.

President Obama Signed the Consumer centric law on Friday.

Usually the users in America buy their phones under a contract program which usually extends to 2 years or more and after which they have the option for changing operators or upgrading to a better plan. With this law people who want to change their plans while still keeping their phones can do as they please.

The Law also passed because the wireless providers association CTIA supported the decision. They have stated that they laud the decision. CTIA affiliated service providers had agreed in a deal brokered by FCC last December to allow users to unlock phones.

FCC’s chairman Tom Wheeler welcomed the decision in a statement saying “This new law is a positive development that addresses the issues that triggered unlocking concerns in the first place. When the wireless industry worked with the FCC on a voluntary agreement to unlock devices when consumers’ contracts have been fulfilled, they took an important step forward. The president’s signature today makes greater consumer choice the law of the land.”

The US legislation is currently infamous for severe partisanship which has caused a severe gridlock which has prevented them from passing any law. So it is rather welcome to see that some new law, especially a consumer oriented law getting the presidential accord. It can also be seen as a signal that laws supported by corporate interest will be the only ones that will surely pass in America.

August 2, 2014
Xiaomi Becomes the Fifth-Largest Smartphone Vendor in the World

The year 2014 is definitely proving to be a great year for the “Apple of China”. Yes, Xiaomi Inc has overtaken LG to claim the fifth spot in overall smartphones shipped in the second quarter of 2014. The company, barely four years old, was labeled as the ‘star performer’ for the quarter by Strategy Analytics.

The market research firm today reported that Xiaomi captured a record 5.1% market share, up from a meagre 1.8% it captured last year. In physical numbers, the company showed a sharp growth. Xiaomi shipped an incredible 15.1 million units in the second quarter of 2014, as compared to only 4.1 million units shipped in the same quarter in the previous year. This incredible growth now puts it above LG and into the top five smartphone vendors for the first time in the company’s history.

This is largely due to its very competitively priced and high specs laden smartphones selling like hot cakes in developing markets. We recently published news of their Mi3 flagship phone selling out on Flipkart in less than 5 minutes. Even their latest smartphone, the Mi4, is being sold in China for only 1999 yuan (about Rs. 20,000), less than half the price of Apple’s iPhone 5s.

“Xiaomi’s Android smartphone models are wildly popular in the Chinese market and it shifts millions of them every quarter through its extensive online and operator channels,” says Strategy Analytics. “Their next step is to target the international market in Asia and Europe, where it will have to invest big money to familiarize western consumers with its unfamiliar brand name.”

Overall, the market continues to be dominated by Samsung and Apple, although their lead keeps on diminishing. Total smartphones shipped for the quarter stood at 295.2 million units, up from the 233 million units in 2013. Out of these, Samsung accounted for 74.5 million units, which surprisingly, was a fall from 76 million units it shipped in the same quarter in the previous year. Their market share also declined sharply from 32.6% last year to 25.2% this year. Samsung in a recent statement blamed cheaper Chinese competitors for this decline.

Apple continued to hold the distant second position with 11.9% market share, again a decline from the 13.4% share it held last year. Physical units shipped by them however, rose from 31.2 million units to 35.2 million units.

Korean giants LG, despite an increase in shipments, saw a decline in market share from 5.2% to 4.9%. “LG is performing relatively well in the United States and Europe, but it continues to lag in the huge China and India markets,” Strategy Analytics said. The third and fourth positions continued to be held by Chinese manufacturers Huawei and Lenovo, both of which saw an increase in units shipped and market share.

August 1, 2014
Samsung Launches Affordable India-Centric phones

Samsung today released three phones which are targeted for the lower range. All three are based on Android Kitkat with Samsung’s TouchWiz UI. These new devices will also come with Vodafone internet plans for the first six months to help the users with their beginning months with the phone.

The phones are priced under the 10K segment which is dominated by Indian manufacturers like Micromax and Lava. Recently Big chinese brands have also entered this market to compete. Seems like it’s about time Samsung heated up this market segment. The phones are called Samsung Galaxy Star 2, Galaxy Star Advance and Galaxy Ace NXT.

Samsung Galaxy Star 2comes with a 3.5” display. It has a 2MP camera with advanced camera modes. It also comes with free access to premium games from Gameloft. Galaxy Star Advance comes with a powerful 3MP camera with flash. It has 4.3” display. Galaxy Ace NXT is Samsung’s entry-level 3G phone. With a 4” display and a 3MP camera with flash, this device is optimized for Internet and multi-tasking experience.

Pricing wise the Samsung Galaxy Star 2 is priced at INR 5,100 and is available in White and Grey colours. Both Galaxy Star Advance and Galaxy Ace NXT are priced at INR 7,400 respectively and are available in Black and White. Star 2 and Star Advanced come with a leather finish back panel.

All three phones provide support for 12 Indian languages including Hindi, Bengali, Marathi, Guajarati, Punjabi, Urdu, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Oriya, and Assamese. Consumers have a choice of accessing these language apps from the Google Play Store. They also have access to the Samsung Galaxy Apps store.

In a saturated market like India, Samsung has to do a lot more to take on the competition. If the decrease in profits of the company is any indication, they need to rethink their entire strategy soon. With their prices, these phones will have a tough time surviving in the market.

July 31, 2014
Pd.id : Portable Silent Guardian That Drug Tests Your Drink

If you are a lady or have lady friends you understand the constant vigilance that needs to be maintained while going out. Does that taxi driver look trustworthy or is this drink I’m holding safe for consumption? Some of the constant questions going through a girl’s mind while out at night. Date Rapes are also one of the leading sexual assault cases against women. It seems like Toronto based, former IT consultant David Wilson might have found a perfect solution for this epidemic of date rapes, a tiny USB sized gizmo called Pd.id.

Pd.id uses three different tests to identify if the drink has been drugged. The device uses light, conductivity and temperature to determine if the drink has been sabotaged. The two Red and Green indicators tell you if the drink you are holding is tainted or not. The best part is that the device can be used multiple times so it will be one of the essentials to pack before a night-out. Pd.id also has a companion mobile app which lets you access the drink database from the company and visually confirm the purity of the drink.

The indicators help you figure out if the drink is safe for consumption

The company claims that the drug recognition technology has been with the drug enforcement agencies for quite some time. They learned from them and created this miniaturized, consumer friendly version of the technology that can go in women’s purse.

This is a phenomenal invention and should really be encouraged. This is how a real moral invention looks like; one of the several instances when technology can come to change the world and make it a better place. If you can’t donate to the device, you can atleast spread the word. But no amount of gizmos can take the spot of a sex educated and gender sensitive mind.

Of course the best part of this invention is that all the single ladies will have a good time going out without any worries. Pd.id sure is an awesome innovation. Also you don’t to worry about sanitizing the gizmo, the alcohol you are dipping it in will do the needful.

July 31, 2014
Chinese Vendors Trouble Samsung and Apple for Smartphone Market Share

We all know that Samsung is losing market internationally as well as in India, now we have exact numbers to believe it. Over the past years, Apple and Samsung slugging it out at the top of the phone and tablet markets. But it seems that the recent boom in Chinese smartphone market has taken a toll on both companies.

IDC (International Data Corporation) estimates that Samsung’s smartphone shipments saw a rare year-over-year drop in the second quarter, taking it from a lofty 32.3 percent market share down to 25.2 percent. This week’s news that Apple suffered a slump in iPad sales would normally be accompanied by news of Samsung taking customers from Apple as it has done in the past. But not this time round.

The cause, analysts say, is the rapid rise of Chinese brands that cuts directly into Samsung’s low-end business. Huawei claimed 6.9 percent of the smartphone space after doubling its shipments, thanks in part to heavy discounts on phones; Lenovo too jumped to 5.4 percent on the back of both budget phones at home as well as rapid expansion abroad.

The worldwide smartphone market grew 23.1% year-over-year in 2014 setting a record of 295.3 million shipments, reported IDC. The market grew 2.6% sequentially due to strong demand and low-cost smartphones. Next quarter is forecasted to be the first to surpass shipments of 300 million smartphone units worldwide.

[quote text_size=”medium” author=”Melissa Chau” author_title=”Senior Research Manager with IDC’s Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker.”]

As the death of the feature phone approaches more rapidly than ever before, it is the Chinese vendors that are ready to usher emerging market consumers into smartphones. The offer of smartphones at a much better value than the top global players but with a stronger build quality and larger scale than local competitors gives these vendors a precarious competitive advantage,

[/quote]

Samsung’s fall is especially troubling given that the measured quarter included the release of the company’s new flagship Galaxy S5. Despite the high-profile launch, Samsung shipped 3 million fewer handsets this year than last year. Chinese brands were the big winners in the second quarter, helped along by the still-significant growth from the domestic market. By far the most impressive was Huawei, nearly doubling its shipments from a year ago, followed by another strong performance from Lenovo.

iCharts

July 31, 2014
The Xiaomi Effect : Moto G Prices Slashed by Rs. 2000

It’s only been a week and a few days since the Xiaomi Mi3 went on sale in India for a impressive price of Rs. 13999/-, and it looks like major brands are taking a major beating. Motorola who basically ruled this price segment from Rs. 12,000 to 15,000 has been feeling the major grunt of the Xiaomi fever.

Motorola hopes to change that by dropping their Moto G prices by a whopping Rs. 2000. If you don’t already know the Moto G sports a 4.5-inch HD display with a 1,280×720-pixel resolution and 329ppi. Powering its insides is a quad-core, 1.2GHz Snapdragon 400 processor, Adreno 305 graphics, and 1GB of RAM.

There is a 2070 mAH battery inside, but unfortunately there is no expandable storage. At the back of the Moto G there is a 5 MP camera and a 1.3 MP camera at the front.

Incase you are sick of the Xiaomi selling out before you click the buy button, you can find the new dropped prices of the Moto G below.

Moto G Review

July 31, 2014
Cortana Humiliates Siri in a New Commercial

Microsoft today launched a new commercial flaunting the power of their new virtual assistant Cortana by pitching it against Apple’s renowned Siri. The commercial cleverly demonstrates Cortana’s functionality while taking advantage of Siri’s shortcomings.

Titled ‘Happy Anniversary’, it shows a narrator giving certain commands to a Nokia 635 (with Windows Phone 8.1) running Cortana, and an Apple iPhone 5S running Siri. The narrator first asks the phones to remind him to wish his wife a happy anniversary the next time she calls, for which Cortana schedules an event-based reminder. He then asks both virtual assistants to remind him to buy roses the next time he comes near a flower shop, for which Cortana again schedules a reminder. Siri is unable to complete either of these tasks, as event-based reminders are still not part of Siri’s vast feature list.

Cortana’s voice interations are better than Siri and Google Now

Lastly, Cortana automatically provides the narrator with a traffic update, prompting him to leave if he wants to reach his destination on time. Again, Siri lacks this kind of functionality.

Siri ends the video by saying “Now that’s a real smartphone”. Ouch.

Microsoft will be introducing Cortana along with their Windows Phone 8.1 update. While it has been years since Apple and Google introduced their Siri and Google Now offerings respectively, Microsoft believes Cortana has some major advantages over the two. Microsoft also said this when they were releasing the Zune, hopefully Cortana would help Microsoft correct that error.

Microsoft says it has designed Cortana to feel more human-like than Google Now or Siri. It is currently the only virtual assistant that allows you to set reminders based on phone calls. A real human like interaction is possible with Cortana and Microsoft believes it is their biggest advantage over the two rivals.

Microsoft is clearly doing a good job building hype around the release of their latest Windows Phone 8.1 update. But is Cortana really better than Siri? Well, you be the judge of that.

By Pranav Arora

July 29, 2014
Panasonic Set to Launch the Eluga Series in India

Panasonic India are all set to launch their Eluga series of smartphones in the country. After a lot of teasing, the company has finally sent out invites for the launch event scheduled to take place on Wednesday, the 30th of July.

It is unclear whether the launch will include any new set of smartphones, or if Panasonic are only reviving the Eluga series that they launched in the European market in 2012. That series included the Eluga DL1 and the Eluga Power. It was later discontinued due to poor response. It is rumoured that this series will include a better chipset (SoC), and a higher quality display.

The company is currently promoting their latest P and T series of smartphones in India. Only last week, the company unleashed a trio of dual-sim smartphones – Panasonic T41, P41 and P61, priced at Rs. 7,990, Rs. 11,990 and Rs. 14,990 respectively.

The T41 features a 4.5” IPS display, with 512MB ram and 4GB inbuilt storage. The P41 features a 5” IPS display, 1GB ram, and 8GB inbuilt storage. Lastly, the P61 features a 6” IPS display, 1GB ram, and 16GB inbuilt storage. All three run on a quad core processor clocked at 1.3GHz.

The invite describes the Eluga series as “Elegance for a new generation”, which doesn’t give us any hint as to what segment Panasonic will be targeting with it. However, if the smartphones are decently specced and reasonably priced, Panasonic could have a winner on its hands. They could steal some valuable market share from renowned competitors at the reasonably priced range. We expect more than one smartphone to be revealed, so they may even target different sections with different markets.

By Pranav Arora

July 29, 2014