Category: Tech

Latest Technology News, Alternative, Bio-Tech, Medical, R&D and Innovations

Hands on with the Xperia XZ

The minute you put your hands on the Sony Xperia XZ you are reminded of the premium feel of the Xperia Z series phones. The Xperia XZ is a flagship in the true sense and Sony has launched it as a replacement of the Xperia Z5 which is a good thing.

The in-hand feel of the handset is brilliant thanks to the use of the new material called Alkaleido, which allows the phone to be a lot more robust than traditional aluminium chassis’ and is less prone to damage.

The premium build handset from Sony also features IP68 water resistance much like the Samsung Galaxy S7 or Note 7 and is also completely sand proof. The Sony Xperia XZ is the only smartphone from the company launched this year with that certification.

The display on the Sony Xperia XZ is just a Full HD 1920 x 1080px resolution display but has great colour and brightness and is easily viewable indoors and outdoors. The viewing angles on the screen are great too.

The phone runs Android 6.0.1 with a beta software at the moment so we did see some glitches and issues with the software builds. Sony has assured that the final retail units will come with a finished user interface.

The camera which is the hero features 5 axis image stabalization and 4k video recording. You also get subject tracking and predictive autofocus, which works great. However, getting around the camera menu and UI is a little mind boggling and to shoot 4k video you need to jump into a specific app.

Hopefully Sony updates the camera software in a coming update, because it needs much work to leverage the many features that this great camera hardware has. Sony has cleaned up the UI to quite an extent and you can disable the non wanted apps from the UI. The overall software seems snappy.

Battery is a low 2900 mAh, however bundled with quick charge 3.0 so that you can easily get a few hours of talk time in 10-15 minutes of charging via the USB Type-C port. The phone works over 4G on both SIM-cards and has VoLTE, we however were not able to test it just as yet.

All three colours of the Xperia XZ look great and feel great in the hand, the back is easy to wipe clean and the front houses a curved Gorilla Glass 4 which will deliver the needed frontal protection.

September 29, 2016
Sony Xperia XZ Launched in India For Rs. 49990

Sony has launched their flagship Xperia XZ in India for a price of Rs. 49,990. The phone was globally launched at IFA in Berlin last month and will go on sale in India on 10th of October.

The Sony Xperia XZ is designed using a new metal finish called Alkaleido, This material is extremely smooth and premium to touch, and even more easier to wipe clean. The Sony Xperia XZ is also IP65/68 certified which means that you can get back in the pool.

The XZ comes after the XA which was launched earlier this year with somewhat mediocre specs, however the Xperia XZ changes that with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 chipset, 3 GB of RAM and 64 GB of Storage. The Sony handset does get Dual SIM capability using a hybrid sim slot which will accept a 256GB microSD.

The hero for Sony however in the Sony Xperia XZ is the new 23 MP Exmor RS sensor which has three focus modes, including on sensor, Laser autofocus and RGB-IC focus. The camera also shoots 4k Video and slo-mo video.

September 29, 2016
iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus Pre-Orders Start Tonight on Flipkart

Flipkart is the official India partner for the sale of the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus in India and pre-orders start tonight, 29th Sept just a minute short of midnight at 23:59 hours .

The iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus will be sold on Flipkart’s special page here and will be available in limited quantities. You can check out the full list of specifications and options for pricing by clicking here.

The iPhone 7 will go on sale with a starting price of Rs. 60,000 for the 32 GB variant, while the iPhone 7 plus begins at Rs. 72000. Officially the iPhone 7 series hits the stores on October 7, pre-ordering will secure a spot.

The most coveted jet-black colour will have very limited quantities and reports say, that it may not appear for pre-order at all.

September 29, 2016
DJI Mavic, One Ups The GoPro Karma in Size and Portability

DJI has just launched the Mavic, a personal drone with 4k video capabilities. The drone folds down into a very compact size and can be flown for as long as 27 minutes, The DJI Mavic also has some of the features we saw with the DJI Phantom 4, including follow mode and obstacle avoidance.

What DJI has managed to achieve with the Mavic is pretty interesting, a stabilized 4K camera and a visual navigation system, with a 4.3 mile (7 km) range and 27 minute flight time.

Mavic Pro can be switched to Sport Mode, which allows speeds of up to 40 mph (64.8 kph),which is crazy fast for what aims to be a personal drone.

You also get, auto takeoff and land features along with return to home system based on GPS, similar to previous drones from DJI.

The DJI Mavic Pro can be flown with it’s time remote, which can operate with or without an attached phone as a display or simply using a phone and or tablet over WiFi.

The new Terrain Follow mode on the DJI Mavic Pro allows you to race up a slope behind a subject while remaining at a constant height between 1 ft (0.3 m) and 33 ft (10 m). The new Tripod Mode is designed for indoor use, slowing and fine-tuning Mavic Pro’s position and angle based on controller movement inputs.

The Mavic will be sold for US $ 999 for the Drone and Remote, if you want you can purchase just the Mavic Pro, without a remote, for $749. DJI Mavic Pro Fly More Combo, which includes a Mavic Pro, two extra Intelligent Flight Batteries, extra propellers, a charging hub, an adapter, a car charger and a shoulder bag, will be available for $1,299. The DJI Mavic Pro goes on Sale Oct 15th, and you can pre-order it on DJI’s website today

September 28, 2016
Apple iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus Unboxing
The Apple iPhone 7 went on sale in many countries on the 16th of September, and will launch in India on Oct 7th with prices starting Rs. 60,000 for the iPhone 7 in 32GB .

The iPhone 7 and 7 Plus offer up many changes for the yearly refresh, and even though the basic design of the phones is identical to previous generation iPhones, there are many new things on the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus.

The new iPhones are water proof with a iP67 rating, by removing the headphone jack apple has managed to improve the water resistivity of the new iPhones considerably. Another change is the home button, instead of a physical button, it is a pressure sensitive glass, allowing the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 plus to eliminate one more point of water ingress

Inside the boxes of the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus you get :
- iPhone Unit
- Basic Documentation
- Lightning to USB Cable
- Lightning EarPods
- Lightning to analogue Audio adapter (3.5mm)
- Apple Stickers
- SIM tool (country specific)
The Apple iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 plus come without a 3.5mm headphone jack, so if you do have old headphone that you would like to use, you will need the included adapter. In case you lose the tiny adapter Apple is selling it for US$ 8. The adapter will sell in India for Rs. 599.

While the iPhone is available in five colours the Matte Black or just “black” is our favourite, although the new “Jet Black” colour which is an extremely glossy polished black finish seems to be a crowd pleaser, and Apple may not launch it in India due to stock limitations.

The home button takes some getting used to on the new iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus. However, you get to set this to your liking during initial setup from three levels of pressure sensitivity.
September 26, 2016
Pixel and Pixel XL Leaked by Case Makers

Ahead of the 4th Oct official release for Google Pixel and Pixel XL set to replace the Nexus brand, Case makers are outing accessories for the phones, and renders show us an up-close look at the two phones. The phones which are very identical to the HTC One or iPhone in terms of design language will be available in two sizes. According to leaks the phones will also have a dual material design ; a unibody Aluminium shell with a glass half insert.

Large fingerprint scanners sit in the back of the phones along with a G from the Google Logo. Specs wise both phones are expected to have Snapdragon 820 chipsets, 4 GB of RAM and 12 MP main + 8 MP front cameras. The Pixel XL will offer up a large screen 5.5 inch display with QHD resolution (whereas the Pixel will show up in a 5 inch 1920 x 1080 px size ) and a large battery according to reports. The mindset that Nexus phones are cheap, will also be removed as the Google Pixel phones will not be cheap, but will offer a clean Android experience. The phones are expected to start at a $649 price tag and come in 32 GB and 128 GB storage options.

The Pixel phones were earlier also spotted in the Nest Outdoor camera commercial in the Netherlands.

September 24, 2016
Samsung Galaxy Note 2 Emits Smoke On Indigo Flight, No Damage

Looks like that break Samsung needs, is still a far distance away. Aboard an Indigo flight, a Samsung Note 2, started to emit smoke while in the overhead baggage bin. A passenger spotted the smoke and alerted the cabin crew, who then took remedial action. Although, no harm was done and the flight reached it’s destination safely, Samsung phones seem to be under scrutiny.

Samsung has already faced a global down play with the Galaxy Note 7 Recall, the company has lost billion on the market value and bad news continues to pour in.

The DGCA (Directorate General of Civil Aviation) has called in the Samsung top brass in for a meeting on Monday. If the DGCA decides to ban Samsung phone aboard airlines, it may set the fate of Samsung phones permanently in India.

Samsung in their typical “no responsibility” manner have issued a statement :

We are aware of an incident involving one of our devices. At Samsung, customer safety is our highest priority. We are in touch with relevant authorities to gather more information, and are looking into the matter.

The statement comes from a “Samsung Spokesperson” at a time when no employee is ready to put a face to the fiasco and step up. Samsung has handled the whole Note 7 recall poorly, and more bad news seems to continue. DGCA made a statement :

We advise flyers to exercise caution while flying with Samsung Note devices . They should either keep these devices switched off or not travel with them”

So did Indigo Airlines:

IndiGo confirms that a few passengers travelling on 6E-054 flight from Singapore to Chennai noticed the smoke smell in the cabin this morning (September 23, 2016) and immediately alerted the cabin crew on board. The crew quickly identified minor smoke coming from the hat-rack of seat 23 C and simultaneously informed the pilot-in-command who further alerted the ATC of the situation on board.Taking precautionary measure, the cabin crew on priority relocated all passengers on other seats, and further observed smoke being emitted from a Samsung note 2 which was placed in the baggage (of a passenger) in the overhead bin. The crew discharged the fire extinguisher which is as per the standard operating procedures prescribed by the aircraft manufacturer, and quickly transferred the Samsung note 2 into a container filled with water in lavatory.

Samsung India Service centres are refusing to replace the Note 7 handsets bought oversees, despite them being flagged as hazardous on Samsung’s own website. As a rule of a Global recall Samsung should recall all phones, whether sold through official or unofficial channels as they pose threat to the well being of human life at this moment.

September 23, 2016
Moto Z and Moto Z Play Coming to India On 4th October

Lenovo brand Moto is launching Moto Z and Moto Z plus in India on the 4th of October. Hopefully the smartphone should reach the country with all its Mods including the awesome Hasselblad Camera attachment.

The Moto Z is a first foray into the “Z” segment on a global level. Lenovo had launched the phone at their global event two months back. The company promised that the Moto Z would be made available outside the US end of September, and October 4 is just a few days off.

The Moto Z has a 5.5-inch Quad HD AMOLED display and runs on Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor with 4GB of RAM. You get 32 or 64GB of storage with SD card expansion, 13-megapixel camera with f/1.8 lens and optical image stabilization and the new fingerprint scanner that we saw in the G4 Plus. The Moto Z also gets a 2600mAh battery. The phone is super slim at just 5.2mm and light at just 136g.

The best part about the Moto Z phones is the modular capability, which allows you to snap on mods on the back of the phone and instantly shifting the purpose of the phone. Covers that snap can be had in a variety of materials or finishes, such as nylon, wood, or leather.

The SoundBoost Mod, built in partnership with JBL, is a speaker with upgraded two three-watt drivers and adds an extra 1,000mAh of battery capacity. The Power Pack Mod adds a 2,220mAh cell to the Moto Z. Of-course the Hasselblad camera mod adds the pro-camera capabilities of Hasselblad and a 10x zoom. You also get a projector mod that allows a 70″ screen from the back of the phone.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BJ0Gp45Dd9W/?taken-by=igyaan

Moto Z Play will be a more affordable version of the Moto Z and will come with a Snapdragon 625. The Moto Z Force which has the shatter-sheild display remains a Verizon exclusive and will not launch in India, which is a pity.

Price wise no clear indication of what the phones will be priced in India. However in the US the phone is priced for $ 699, in India we expect it to be priced similarly between the 45k-50k price. The Moto Z play on the other hand will be the more affordable and more sought after product, seemingly around the Rs. 25,000 – 30,000 price bracket in India.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pl2Tr5i41rQ

September 23, 2016
Lenovo Z2 Plus Launched in India For Rs. 17999

Lenovo has launched the Z2 Plus in India, dropping the “Zuk” branding considering that the phones will be sold online as well as in traditional brick and mortar stores.

Lenovo Z2 Plus runs on a 2.15GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor and it comes with 4GB of RAM. The phone packs 64GB of fixed internal storage. However, India gets a 3GB of RAM variant with 32 GB storage too.

The Lenovo Z2 Plus accepts two SIM cards and works on LTE with support for VoLTE. Lenovo will also shed the Cyanogen launcher from the Lenovo Z2 Plus and instead launch with a more pure Android Experience, with the Google Now launcher.

The Lenovo Z2 Plus has a 5 Inch 1920 x 1080p display and 414 ppi pixel density.

The phone goes on open sale 25th of September mid night (26th september), for a starting price of Rs.17999 for the 3 GB variant and will be sold on Amazon.in

The Lenovo Z2 Plus with a 4GB RAM is priced at Rs. 19,999 and will also be available exclusive to Amazon.

September 22, 2016
HTC Desire 10 Pro and Lifestyle Headed for India in October

HTC announced the Desire 10 series phones, a mid-rage variant of the HTC 10 flagship. The new HTC Desire 10 however is a brand new take on the mid-range and it looks fantastic. It derives its design hues from the HTC 10 with the bold lines and chamfers and adds the Desire design on top of it with the Large camera lenses and antenna lines.

The HTC Desire 10 pro, as the name suggests, is the more powerful of the lot with a Helio P10 chip , 64 GB storage and 4 GB RAM. You can still use a MicroSD card upto 256GB.

The main camera is a 20 MP shooter with an f/2.2 aperture and a 28mm lens whereas the secondary camera is a 13 MP shooter. Both cameras shoot 1080p video. The HTC 10 Desire Pro has a 3000 mAh battery and has a 5.5 inch 1920 x 1080p display.

The HTC Desire 10 Lifestyle has meanwhile, has a 5.5-inch 720p display, and uses a Snapdragon 400 chip, 2GB or 3GB of RAM, 16GB or 32GB of expandable storage, and a 2,700mAh battery. The Cameras also get reduced to 13 MP and 5 MP shooters on the Desire 10 Lifestyle. The HTC 10 Desire Lifestyle does have higher-res, 24-bit audio file support which lacks in the Pro variant.

Both phones run on Android 6.0 to start, underneath HTC’s Sense UI skin. Both the phones have a polycarbonate construction (with matte finish) alone with solid metal lines and frame.

HTC has launched the HTC Desire 10 Lifestyle in Europe for a price of £249. However, HTC will launch the HTC Desire 10 Lifestyle in India in October with pricing set around the Rs. 20,000 price for the HTC 10 Lifestyle. India might get the CDMA equipped variant of the phones which means that apart from supporting LTE and VoLTE the phone ill also work on CDMA networks of Tata and Reliance. The HTC Desire 10 Pro will be launched in November.

September 22, 2016
LeEco Le Pro 3 Launched with 128 GB Storage and 6 GB RAM
LeEco’s Le Pro 2 successor has been launched running the Snapdragon 821 chipset. The LeEco Le Pro 3 features a 5.5 inch 1920 x 1080 p display with a 2.5 d curved glass. The display has a brightness of 500 nits.

Design wise the phone is reminiscent of the the Le 2 and Le Max 2 unibody construction. There are several options for buyers to choose from 4GB RAM option with 32 or 64GB storage and 6GB RAM variant with 64GB or 128GB.

Also like it’s predecessors, the Le Pro 3 will not have a 3.5 mm headphone jack and utilizes the USB Type-C port for CDLA audio.

The phone runs EUI 5.8 based on Android 6.0 Marshmallow.The LeEco Le Pro 3 has a 4,070mAh battery and dual sim capabilities.
- 4GB RAM, 32GB storage: 1799 Yuan ( Rs 18,000)
- 6GB RAM, 64GB storage: 1999 Yuan (Rs 20,000)
- 4GB RAM, 32GB storage special edition: 2499 Yuan ( Rs 25,100)
- 6GB RAM, 128GB storage special edition: 2999 Yuan (Rs 30,100)
September 22, 2016
100,000 Moto E3 Power Sold on Day 1

In what is claimed to be the largest ever sale, Flipkart sold over 100,000 Moto E3 power handsets. Lenovo launched the Moto E3 Power with a large 3500 mAh battery for Rs. 7999 earlier this week.

The Moto E3 Power is a revision to the Moto E Gen 2 which was a highly successful device from the company. The Moto E3 is just Rs. 1000 cheaper than the Moto G4 Play launched last week.

In case you are wondering which phone will be better for you, check our comparison below.

September 21, 2016
HTC Ocean Spotted On HTC Designers Website

Leakster @evleaks has managed to find the video of the HTC Ocean, a presume concept phone with a Touch Sense UI, based on a touch sensitive outer frame of the device.

The leaked video shows a phone with dual cameras and a new type of Android Experience. This could possibly be the Google Pixel phone, but at this moment it seems unlikely. The video was found on the personal site of HTC Motion designer Danelle Vermeulen, and has since been taken down.

The designer has come forward to say that the video was just a concept and not any real product from HTC. However, who knows what the reality truly is.

The Video shows the phone as the “HTC Ocean with Sense Touch,” demonstrating how a touch or swipe on the outer frame can activate certain features.

The phone in the video has HTC 10 style chamfers, however, lacks the branding or Volume rockers suggesting that this indeed is a mockup stand in to demonstrate the Touch Sense, or may be a potential future product.

Will HTC possibly launch a phone with a similar touch frame design? Only Time will tell! For now watch the video below.

More cool HTC stuff here (including the tablet that launched @evleaks): https://t.co/S3WaZkeog9
Check it out before it gets pulled! pic.twitter.com/YJwmZb0Sje

— Evan Blass (@evleaks) September 20, 2016

September 21, 2016
GoPro Launches Hero 5 and Karma Drone

GoPro may have led the action camera market since the inception of the brand, but the launch of their new Karma drone has had the whole world excited for a long time.

The Hero 5 Black is the latest camera to be added to GoPro’s Lineup. The new action camera comes with a  2-inch Touch Display will capture  Video Resolutions up to 4K at 30 Frames per Second. You also get still images with a resolution of  12MP. A new feature will enable auto-upload of photos and video to cloud when camera is charging

GoPro Hero 5 includes voice control with support for 7 Languages . This is also the first GoPro camera to be waterproof without an additional housing, and it does that till 33 Feet (10m)

The Gopro Hero 5 works with existing GoPro mounts and the new Karma drone. Stereo Audio Recording and Advanced Wind Noise Reduction is added for better video sound capture. Electronic Video Stabilization and a Distortion-Free Wide Angle Video and Photos with New Linear-View Setting

The GoPro Hero 5 will capture RAW and WDR Photo Modes and has inbuilt GPS.

GoPro

The Karma Drone is something the company has been teasing for a while, the drone comes with a stabalization handle and the company is calling it a complete system. The drone comes in a backpack case and travels with its propellors and landing gear folded. You can remove the camera and Gimbal from the Karma Drone and install it on the Karma handle for a stabilised hand held video experience.

The Karma handle can then be mounted using GoPro mounting attachments on various things like helmets, bikes and cars.

Features include :

A game-style controller features an integrated touch display, making it fun, fast and easy to fly without the need for a separate phone or tablet to see what your drone sees.

The 3-axis camera stabilizer can be removed from the drone and attached to the included Karma Grip for capturing ultra-smooth handheld and gear-mounted footage.

Karma will be available October 23rd in the following bundles:

·      Karma without a GoPro camera for $799.99 MSRP

·      Karma bundled with HERO5 Black for $1099.99 MSRP

·      Karma bundled with HERO5 Session for $999.99 MSRP (available in early 2017)

September 20, 2016
Google to Launch Pixel on Oct. 4 , Phone Leaked Ahead of Launch

The revision to the Google Nexus Phones, the Pixel, is set to launch on Oct 4th 2016, and Alphabet has shared the invite for the same. An interesting taser video of the launch has been put by Google and it shows silhouettes of the handset transforming from a flat line to a smartphone shell.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNnCtmyujLA

The event will begin at 9AM in San Francisco according to the company invites. The Pixel and Pixel XL are the two phones that the company is working on launching.

According to rumours the 5-inch model of Pixel smartphone will start from $649, while the Pixel XL will be priced higher. New leaked pictures show that the phones will have a fused metal and plastic chassis, with an aluminium part covering the bottom back. The phones will apparently be made by HTC, but no clear information has leaked on that.

September 20, 2016