Category: Tech

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Lenovo Vibe X3 Launched in India

The successor to last year’s Vibe X2 will make its way to Indian markets today. Lenovo has launched the X3 flagship in India at a price of Rs 19,999. With this, the company has now launched three products in India this year – the first and second being the Lenovo K4 Note and A7000 Turbo, respectively.

The Vibe X3 was first unveiled in China last year. At the time Lenovo had introduced three variants of the Vibe X3 including two Qualcomm-based models and one MediaTek powered versions called the Vibe X3 Lite.

The smartphone that makes its way to India comes with a 5.5-inch full HD 1080p IPS display with Gorilla Glass 3 protection. It will be powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 processor, Adreno 418 GPU and 3GB of RAM. Internal storage is at 32GB which is expandable up to 128GB via microSD.

On the photography front, the Vibe X3 will come equipped a 21-megapixel PDAF rear camera featuring Sony IMX230 sensor with 6P lens and f/2.0 aperture, phase detection autofocus and 4K video recording. The device also has a Pro Mode and Smart Assist feature which suggests best framing angle for a picture. On the front is an 8-megapixel camera. The Vibe X3 will also feature dual-sim technology and have LTE, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi among others connectivity options. It gets a massive 3,600mAh battery with Quick Charge 2.0 to keep it going through the day.

The device also includes an IR Blaster with Intelligent EPG that gives you the best programmable content. The TheatreMax feature implements VR technology and stereoscopic rendering that takes the content already present in your device and allows the Ant VR headset to focus on the content to give a large screen experience.

The smartphone also comes with Dolby ATMOS integration for sound and fingerprint scanner at the back as well as NFC. Dual front-facing speakers promises the best sound output with less distortion. From UI perspective, the Vibe UI starts fro stock Android perspective. There is enough customizability and is the fastest Vibe UI ever, according to Lenovo.

The Lenovo X3 is available for Rs 19,999 and will be available on Amazon India starting at 2pm tomorrow.

Specs	Lenovo Vibe X3
Display	5.5-inch Full HD, Gorilla Glass 3
Resolution	1080 x 1920 pixels
Processor	Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 processor
GPU	Adreno 418
RAM	3GB
Storage	32GB
Rear Camera	21-megapixel PDAF, Sony IMX230 sensor with 6P lens and f/2.0 aperture
Front Camera	8MP
Expandability	Up to 128 GB via MicroSD
Battery	3500mAh battery
Connectivity	Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Wi-Fi Direct, hotspot, Bluetooth v4.1, A-GPS, GLONASS, NFC, microUSB v2.0
OS	Android 5.0 Lollipop
Price	Rs 19,999

January 27, 2016

Samsung Galaxy S7 Phones to be Launched Alongside an Upgrade Program

If Korean sources are to be believed, Samsung is expected to launch a new upgrade program for its devices. This upgrade would go hand in hand with the sale of the new Galaxy S7 devices in March, reports Korea’s ET News.

The S7 family of smartphones would be the first devices to benefit from this upgrade. It will initially be available only in South Korea and soon the upgrade would be rolled out to other markets as well.

The upgrade is a direct reminder of the same move by Apple which allowed customers to get the iPhone 6s for a monthly rent, and allows them to trade it in for a new device every year. Now, Samsung is going to do something similar. The program would involve a fixed amount of payment to be made by customers on their Galaxy devices. In return, they would be able to upgrade them year after year.

The latest additions to Samsung’s Galaxy line-up -the S7 and S7 Edge – are expected to be unveiled at the company’s Unpacked event prior to the Mobile World Congress next month. Watch this space for all the latest developments on the Galaxy S7 front.

January 27, 2016
Mediatek to Launch Three LTE Ready SoCs for Affordable Handsets

The mobile phone market over the years has grown by leaps and bounds. The evolution of the industry has been so staggering that it has seen hardware once thought only for the elite rich make its way to the pockets of the masses, and this evolution in no way looks to be coming to a halt.

Mediatek which has been at the forefront of this evolution looks set to do more in its aim of giving the masses access to phones with high-end specifications by equipping its low budget processor chips with LTE capability. Mediatek will be bringing to the phone makers three new chipsets, all affordable, and each one of them LTE ready for low budget handsets of the future.

The MT6738 is the least expensive of the three chipsets on offer. It comes with four ARM Cortex-A53 chips running at 1.5 GHz and a Mali T860 MP1 GPU. On the downside, screen resolution support is capped at 720P, but the MT6738 will support up to 4GB of RAM and a 13MP camera along with the Cat.6 LTE support.

The MT6750 is the second offering, and sits above the MT6738 in the hierarchy order. It houses a total of eight Cortex-A53 cores, four clocked at 1.5 GHz and the other four at 1.0 Ghz. The GPU on the chipset is the more powerful Mali T860 MP2, but like the MT6738 resolution support is capped at 720p. The camera support, however, is bumped up to 16MP.

Finally, the big daddy of the list, the MT6750T, is a beefed up version of the MT6750. It comes with the same octa-core configuration and support for 4 GB of RAM. Camera support is also 16MP for this chipset, and it will also come equipped with the same Mali-T860 Mp2 GPU.This processor will support 1080p displays.

These chipsets are expected to be available to handset makers sometime in the second half of February.

January 27, 2016
Asus Announces Zenfone 2 Deluxe

Asus has announced a new phone for its much Zenfone lineup. This new phone will be the top of the line variant and will be called Asus Zenfone Deluxe. This new variant will come equipped with an Intel Z3590 chipset which boasts of four processor cores running at 2.5 GHz.

The Zenfone 2 Deluxe will come packing 4GB of low power DDR3 RAM and 256 GB of internal storage. Option to further expand this using a memory card will also be available.

Other than these the variant comes with the same specs as its siblings. There’s a 5.5 -Inch Full HD display with Gorilla Glass 3 protection shielding it from the outside. A 5-Megapixel camera will also be housed at the front with the beautiful display.

At the back will be a 13-Megapixel PixelMaster snapper,and all this sophisticated hardware will be juiced by a decent 3000mAh battery pack.

The Zenfone 2 Deluxe will be available in two designs, Silver Polygon and Night Carbon. No launch date or price has been revealed, but expect it to start retailing for around the Rs 25,000 mark in India.

January 27, 2016

Hands On With The Le 1s

LeEco (formerly known as LeTV) unveiled to eager audiences last week the Le 1s. This budget phone from the Chinese phone maker has finally arrived in India, and will be sold exclusively through Flipkart.

The device is marked for a price of Rs 10,999, and will start retail via flash sales on the 2nd of February. Registration for the device is already open.

The Phone will be available in one variant, with pretty impressive specs for the price. The Le 1s will come equipped with a MediaTek X10 Turbo running at 2.2 GHz. It will house a VR6200 GPU, 3GB RAM with 32GB storage.

The ‘SuperPhone’ will also support Dual Sim 4G connectivity, backed by a 3000mAh battery pack in only one color option. It’s slimmer than the Le Max at 7.5 mm, and will boast of a 5.5-Inch Full HD Display, with a clarity of 403 ppi.

The Le 1s has a couple of other fancy tricks up its sleeve. It comes with the LeTouch Mirror Faced fingerprint scanner which will be the first finger scanner in the world with mirror surface. It will also come equipped with USB Type- C charging, and fast charging which will enable it to be used for 3.5 hours on a 5-minute charge.

The design is a full metal double chamber unibody design. It will be made completely out of Aircraft grade aluminium, and just like the Le Max will be bezel-less.

Our initial response towards the Le 1s is favourable. Design and build wise, the Le 1s looks premium and has a solid frame. The metallic body is smooth and feels great in the hand. The device is on the heavier side at around 160 grams, which is 30 grams more than the iPhone 6. The mirror faced fingerprint sensor on the back looks great as well, although the LeTV sticker gives it a rather cheap look.

The display is bright and the colours are sharp especially the blacks. The bezel-less screen makes the display look big although there is a black frame within the display, but you won’t be complaining about that when the screen is turned off.

Coming to the camera, the phone comes loaded with a front 5 MP shooter, and a rear 13 MP high definition rear shooter. It will have a ‘Blue Glass Infrared Filter’ F2.0 aperture and High CSR Flash for great looking pictures. The camera is pretty good and the quality is sharp, especially in outdoor conditions.

We’ll have an unboxing and hands-on video up soon so stay tuned for that, Meanwhile, have a look at the spec table for everything you need to know.

Specification	LeEco 1s
Display	5.5-Inch Full HD Besel Less Floating Glass Display
Resolution	1080 x 1920 pixels (~403 ppi pixel density)
Chipset	2.2 GHz MediaTek X10 Turbo
CPU	Octa-Core Helio X10
GPU	VR 6200
RAM	3GB DDR3
Front Camera	5 MP
Rear Camera	13 MP with F 2.0 aperture
Storage	32 GB ROM
Expandability	NA
Battery	3000 mAh (embedded)
Connectivity	Wi-Fi 802.11 a, b, g, n, ac / Bluetooth 4.2 / NFC / Type-C USB
Operating System	Android OS 5.1 Lolipop with EUI Skin
Price	Rs 10,999

January 26, 2016

Patent Reveals Smaller, High Resolution Camera for iPhone 7

As revealed by reports, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has granted Apple a Patent for a “Small form factor high-resolution camera” that will see the amalgamation of cutting edge sensor technology with similarly complex optics to create a compact, high-performance camera suitable for use in there future ultra slim iPhones.

The application, aptly titled “Small form factor high-resolution camera,” reveals a spherically curved sensor that would work with three different lenses to focus light onto a sensing surface.

This would be in line with the already strong rumours of a new iPhone for the next year which will be thinnner than anything that we’ve seen before. Apple has also been looking for ways to make the iPhone thinner and add a higher capacity battery, and this particular switch in camera tech will help in achieving this.

But this move will not come without its drawbacks, the biggest being native barrel distortion, or a bubble-like warping of photos. But if reports are to be beileved then Apple plans to fix this with a software solution for this.

Other than this, the next iteration of the iPhone is expected to come with an OLED diplay, with a full body speaker grill, and could even support Li-Fi. It is also expected to skip on the 3.5mm jack in favour of a system that will see audio accesories being connected to it via the lightning port.

January 26, 2016
Xiaomi Mi 5 Teased Ahead of Launch

The long wait and all the speculation has finally come to an end. There is at last official word on the launch date of the much awaited Xiaomi Mi 5. The company Global VP, Hugo Barra has joined in the fun and teased users around the globe with a tweet

#Mi5 is almost here! Xiaomi’s first product launch in 2016, on February 24. It’s everything you imagined, and more.- https://twitter.com/hbarra/status/691934558758031360

Internet has been buzzing with leaks and rumours about the Xiaomi Mi 5, and it looks set to grow in the coming days given the kind of hype that Xiaomi is creating for its upcoming handset.

On the specifications front, not much is known apart from the processor that was earlier disclosed by the manufacturer. But according to reports, the device will be equipped with impressive under the hood specs that should be a match for flagships from other brands

The Mi 5 is expected to boast of a 5.2-inch Quad HD display coated in 2.5D Corning Gorilla Glass 4. It also suggested the phone will have a 6-element 16MP camera on the back with f/2.2 aperture and 4K video recording.

January 26, 2016
LeEco to Open 555 Service Centres in India

Last week, LeEco entered the Indian market with the launch of its smartphones – Le 1s, Le Max, Le Max Sapphire. The launch happened after the company explained its rebranding from LeTV to LeEco as an effort to expand and enter a number of businesses. We wondered whether LeEco can make good on the many promises it made during the launch event, one of which was the plan to hold a flash sale on the 2nd for the smartphones, which can be damaging to the company’s image if it fails to deliver.

Well, it looks like LeEco is serious about establishing its place in India and wants to assure customers that it is here to stay. The company has announced plans to open at least 555 service centres across India to offer after-sales support for customers. LeEco says these centres will spread across 300 cities in India and will have a 24/7 toll-free helpline with support in 10 languages, which includes English, Hindi, Bengali, Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Punjabi, Tamil, and Telugu.

Furthermore, LeEco is offering an excellent warranty on its devices. If the phone breaks or stops working within the warranty period, customer’s will receive a brand new handset. LeEco is also offering free pick-up and drop-off service for the LeMax smartphone.

“At LeEco, it is our constant endeavour to provide our users with superior products and content integrated ecosystem which ensure that their user experience on all our devices is unified and exceptional. We are very excited about our launch in India and look forward to a long-term association with consumers in this market. We are confident to disrupt the market with our innovative products at sustainable prices,” said Atul Jain, LeEco, India CEO in a press release.

Le Max

The Le Max features a 6.3-inch screen with 2K display and sports a metal body design with slim bezels. The device is powered by a Qualcomm 64-bit 2GHz octa-core Snapdragon 810 SoC coupled with 4GB of RAM. It is available in 64GB and 128GB storage variants.

On the camera front, the Le Max comes with 21-megapixel and runs on Android 5.1 with custom EUI running on top. The device comes equipped with multiple desktops – Application Desktop, LeView Desktop, Live Desktop -different screens for the phone that makes different applications, live streaming of events and multimedia available to the user conveniently and smoothly.

The Le 1s sports a 5.5-inch Full HD display and is powered by a MediaTek’s Helio X10 processor. It features a 13MP rear camera and a 5MP front camera. The smartphone will run on Android 5.1 with custom EUI on top. It is a Dual-SIM device with an AnTuTu score of 55844, beating HTC One M9.

It has a type-C USB port which ensures 3.5 hours of usage in 5 minutes of charging, along with a double chamber, symmetrical design, and super-slim, full-metal body with 7.5 mm of thickness. The finger-print scanner of the device called LeTouch, is mirror-surfaced with 99.3% accuracy and .15 seconds flash recognization.

January 26, 2016
Apple iPad Air 3 Schematics Reveal Design Changes

Instead of an iPad Air 3 release a couple of months back, we saw the launch of the iPad Pro instead. However, recent rumours point to the possibility of the iPad Air 3 arriving early this year. And from what leaked schematics of the iPad Air 3 reveal, it could very well be worth the wait.

On the outside, the shape of the tablet appears to be similar in dimensions to its predecessors. The schematics also reveal the iPad Air 3 could be equipped with additional speakers around the tablet, similar to the ones found on the iPad Pro. The schematic shows speakers on the bottom and on the top of the device.

What will also be interesting news is that a cut out below the camera is seen which could well house a flash to complement the shooter. The schematic also shows the survival of the 3.5mm jack on the iPad 3 Air.

January 26, 2016
Samsung to Launch its Apps for iOS

Looks like Samsung is going by the “if you can’t beat them, join them” philosophy. The Korean giant is reportedly planning to launch its apps for iOS devices. Though the love-hate relationship between Samsung and Apple continues, it doesn’t mean the former can’t make some cash off of the latter’s user base.

Gear Manager, S Health, Smart Camera and Remote Control are some of the apps that Samsung is planning to launch on iOS. These utility apps are meant to work for Samsung’s smart devices like smart TVs, smartwatches and smart cameras.

Samsung’s idea accepts that there is a huge iOS user base who are being shunned from buying Samsung’s other smart devices for compatibility reasons, and it wishes to change that. Samsung’s smart TVs, for example, have a number of neat features that iPhone users cannot use through their phones. The company wants to make money where it can, and including iOS users is just a smart way to do that.

Google and HTC have already embraced the idea of having as many users using their products as they can no matter which platform they use. It doesn’t look like Apple would have any problem with Samsung’s app on its App Store if it means more users buying iOS devices as well. It looks like a win-win situation from where we see it.

January 26, 2016
LG G5 Leaked Images Reveal Dual Camera Design

If reports are to be believed the much awaited flagship the G5 from the South Korean tech giant, LG will be unveiled next month at the Mobile World Congress. As the launch date nears, more information through secondary sources is making its way to the media.

The G5 which was already speculated to come with market disrupting feature of a modular attachment such as removable battery pack at the bottom will also house dual cameras at the back, amongst other changes.

A new set of leaked images of a LG G5 unit wearing a sturdy case have surfaced on the internet which provides some valuable insight into the upcoming flagship. The leaked images reveal a pair of 16-megapixel and 8-megapixel cameras on the back. There’s also a flash and what looks like a fingerprint sensor below.which is also expected to double up as the power button.

Cutouts on both sides of the device for the volume rocker and SIM card slot are also visible in the pictures. A single speaker grill is also visible on the bottom of the phone. All this will be housed on a body with dimensions of 149.4 x 73.9 x 8.2 mm.

Other rumors suggest it featuring a 5.6-inch QHD display along with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 SoC and an 8 MP selfie snapper.

January 26, 2016
Apple 5SE First Images Leaked

BIt by bit, picture by picture, more and more clues regarding what could be Apple’s next phone are making their way out of Apple’s manufacturing plants and on to the Internet helping us get a fair idea of what exactly the final 5se puzzle is going to look like.

But now what has emerged courtesy of latest leaks pieces it all together. Latest leaked images show The new 4-inch handset from the stables of Apple. With Apple’s iPhone sales slowing down in the past two-quarters, there’s no doubt that Apple is going to see a boost in interest and sales with the 4-inch iPhone 5se if and when it comes to the markets.

iPhone 5 (left), iPhone 5se (right)

Leaked picture that have surfaced show the 4-inch iPhone 5se on the right-hand side and the iPhone 5 on the left. The images fail to hide much, and its easy to observe that the iPhone 5se will come with a TouchID fingerprint scanner embedded in its home button and thinner bezels as compared to the iPhone 5. The phone’s power button will be on the side, and a FaceTime camera also housed left of the earpiece.

Hardware-wise, the latest rumours suggest that the iPhone 5se will come equipped with an A8 chipset, Bluetooth 4.2, Wi-Fi 802.11ac, an 8 MP rear camera, and a 1.2 MP front snapper. A march Release date is expected for the phone.

January 26, 2016
Xiaomi Mi 5 Leaks Reveal Four Variants and Pricing Details

More leaks have surfaced regarding Xiaomi’s next flagship smartphone the Mi 5. Latest set of leaks suggest we could see more variants than It was previously rumored to come with. According to reports, there could be as many as 4 different variants of the much-awaited flagship.

These rumors outline the different design and memory options of the phone for buyers. To start things off for Xiaomi on 24th Feb, it’s claimed that the phone will be offered in two designs, one with a metallic build and another with 2.5D curved glass for the front and back.

The Xiaomi Mi 5 with the metallic build first variant will have 3GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage and the price of this one is expected to be CNY 2,199 (approx Rs 22,650) according to the leak. The other variant has 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage with a price of CNY 2,599 (approx Rs 26,500).

The report also states that a 2.5D curved glass Xiaomi Mi 5 will also be unveiled with a Quad HD display and 4GB of RAM.This variant is expected to ship in two variants of internal storage, a 32GB model priced at CNY 2,799 (approx Rs 29,000 ) and a 64GB variant priced at CNY 3,099 (approx Rs 32,000 ).

Other than this the Xiaomi Mi 5 will come equipped with impressive under the hood specs. The phone will come on board with a Snapdragon 820 chipset. The device will run MIUI 7 (based on Android 5.1).

On the camera front, the Mi 5 is set to sport a 16MP camera on the back with dual-LED flash and an 8MP selfie camera. The device is complete with a 3,600mAh battery. The Mi 5 is also a dual-SIM handset, both 4G LTE-enabled.

January 25, 2016
Lenovo K5 Note Launched with Helio P10 SoC

It hasn’t even been a month since Lenovo launched the K4 Note in the Indian Market and it looks like its successor is already here for China. The company has just made the K5 Note official, and the handset comes with an all-metal body.

The K5 Note sports a 5.5-inch Full HD LTPS display and is powered by a Mediatek Helio P10 SoC with 64-bit octa-core processor and Mali-T860 GPU. It has 2GB RAM and 16GB internal storage. On the camera front, the handset features a 13MP unit in the front and an 8MP shooter at the back. It packs in a 3,500mAh battery that supports fast charging and runs Android 5.1 Lollipop with Vibe UI on top.

Other features include a fingerprint scanner on the back that can be used to make payments as well as capture photos. The K5 Note offers support for dual-SIM, 4G LTE, as well as VoLTE. It also features a 1.5W speaker on the rear with Dolby Atmos surround sound effect.

The design of the K5 Note looks completely different when compared with the K4 Note. There are no front-facing dual speakers here. Furthermore, the K5 Note sports an all-metal body while the K4 Note had a plastic back. The specs are slightly different as well. The new K5 Note comes with the newly launched Mediatek Helio P10 SoC. However, the RAM here is at 2GB whereas the K4 Note had 3GB.

It is possible that the K5 Note will be exclusive to China much like the K4 Note is to India. The handset is available in Gold and Silver color options and comes with a price tag of RMB 1,099 (Rs 11,500) in China, which is around the same price as the K4 Note. Registrations are already open and it will have its first flash sale this week in China.

January 25, 2016
2016 MacBook Range Set for a Possible June 13 Unveiling

Apple updated its MacBook range during this time last year, and fans and industry experts expect the tech giant to do the same this year too. Unlike how things have gone for the iPhone, Apple has managed to keep a tight lid on the information leaking out of Cupertino for its range of MacBooks.

But from whatever little is known courtesy of reports circulating on the Internet, one big upgrade that the 2016 MacBook range will see the inclusion of newer Skylake processors up from the present fifth-generation Broadwell chipsets. This upgrade could be significant in the sense that it will bring to the new lineup better performance with its improved hyperthreading architecture.

Additionally, for devices such as the MacBook Pro range the Skylake mobile CPUs are expected to deliver up to 2.5 times faster processing performance, 30 times better graphics performance, and three times the battery life of earlier generation processors owing to the 14nm chips used for manufacturing them.

To top it off Integrating Skylake will also allow the company’s complete lineup to run on the same core hardware from end to end, thus making life a lot easier for prospective customers around the globe.

Though there were rumors earlier of major design change, but such chatter has quietened a bit off late, and it is expected when it comes to aesthetic design no remodeling to the upcoming MacBooks will be seen.

Reports peg Apple to introduce the revamped MacBook lineup at its Worldwide Developers Conference in June, and possibly a larger 15-inch version could also be unveiled sometime in March which would be some surprise.

January 25, 2016