Category: Tech

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

Samsung to Manufacture Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 820 Chipset

Qualcomm has struck a deal with Samsung which will see the latter manufacturing the former’s newest Snapdragon 820 chipsets. In a news that is surely going to make the tech world take notice, Qualcomm’s deal could see the two companies handle the chip manufacturing for a majority of flagship devices for the first half of 2016.

We’ve been hearing a lot of rumors and speculations regarding Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy S7 flagship devices. The general word going around is that at least one variant will be featuring the Snapdragon 820 chip while the others will sport Samsung’s Exynos chipset.

Samsung today announced that it has begin mass production of chips using 2nd generation of its 14-nanometer LPP (Low-Power Plus) process – a technology that will power both Samsung’s Exynos 8 octa processor and Qualcomm’s Snapdragon processor.

Here’s why the Qualcomm-Samsung deal is likely to be a win-win for both companies. Using Samsung’s 14nm process will not only help produce cheaper chipsets that consume less power, but will also help Qualcomm emerge once again as a leader in performance processors, especially after the pubic’s anger over the Snapdragon 810’s heating issues and power consumption. Since the new SD820 is supported by 14nm chips (down from 20nm for the S810), it’s only fitting for Qualcomm to seek Samsung’s technology.

Secondly, the move will benefit Samsung as well because the 820 offers better performance than the Exynos. “I do believe Samsung must use the 820 to be more competitive with Apple. 820 hits performance per watt levels Exynos just can’t hit,” said Patrick Moorhead, president and principal analyst at Moor Insights & Strategy.

Together, Samsung and Qualcomm are likely to produce the bulk of processors for major flagship devices this year. Samsung has claimed that the new 14nm LPP process delivers up to 15 percent higher speed and 15 percent less power consumption over the previous 14nm LPE (Low-Power Early) process.

This news, however, still doesn’t confirm whether Samsung will use the Snapdragon chip for its own S7 flagship devices, and the Korean giant has yet comment on the same. Looks like the two companies are ready to renew their friendship, and we’ll just have to wait and see how the Qualcomm’s new chip in the hands of Samsung will turn out.

January 14, 2016
Apple Watch 2 Trial Production to Begin This Month

Apple’s second run at striking gold is expected to start sooner than expected. If leaks coming out of China are anything to go by, Apple has decided to start trial productions of the Apple Watch 2 before this month’s end.

The manufacturing of this much awaited second generation smartwatch will be handled by Quanta, the same company which manufactured the Apple Watch last year, but the Cupertino based company is looking at new partners for handling the manufacturing of Apple Watch 2.

Not much is known about the specs of the Apple Watch 2, but rumours suggest the second generation watch could come equipped with a Face Time Camera, different display, and an improved processor. Addition health related features are also being rumoured for the Apple Watch 2.

The product is expected to launch alongside the 4-inch iPhone 5e that has been doing rounds on the Internet sometime in March. Watch this space for latest updates.

January 14, 2016
Xiaomi Mi 5 Listed on Retailer’s Website with Specs

Xiaomi’s Mi 5 flagship smartphone is set to take on Samsung’s Galaxy S7. The war has already begun even though the devices haven’t been officially launched yet. Fans on both sides have been closely following the many ruers and speculations surrounding the flagships. Xiaomi is set to unveil the Mi 5 on the 21st of February, and it looks like online retailers are already eager to out the device up on their site.

GearBest put up a page of the Mi 5 and listed some juicy specs before it was taken down. The 5.2-inch QHD screen (565ppi) will be powered by a Snapdragon 820 chipset with 4GB of RAM. The storage on this one was 16GB, though a 64GB option is very likely. 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.

GearBest did not reveal the price of the device, but the specs are in line with what we have already come to know so far.

January 14, 2016
LG G5 Could Feature a Modular Design

LG’s next flagship smartphone is just around the corner. The company will be unveiling the device at the MWC on the 21st of February. As it happens with every major flagship (and non-flagship) devices, rumors and speculations are always at its highest when nearing the launch date. We already know a lot about the G5, which we’ll get to in a bit. But this new rumor is sure to take your fancy.

A rumor straight out of Korea suggests that the LG G5 may come with a ‘modular’ design. Now before you thing of Google’s Proje ARA here, the G5 is going full modular, and you won’t be able to replace parts as you please. The G5’s modular nature is more to do with design rather than anything else. The design and the ability to still preserve the removable battery is LG’s top priority.

The G5’s modular design, according to rumors, involves a detachable bottom, which will reveal the battery and allow it to simply slide in and out. Not only does this design help in making a thinner looking device, but it also gives easy access to the removable battery. This would put some of the hardware to be mounted on detachable connectors as well, like the speaker, USB port, microphone, among other things.

Other than this latest rumor, what we know about the flagship is that it is rumoured to come equipped with a 5.3-inch QHD display, sporting a Snapdragon 820 processor and 3GB of RAM with 32GB of internal storage. It’s also suggested that LG G5 might include an eye scanner, USB-C connectivity and a fingerprint sensor. Speculation also points to a 21-megapixel rear camera and an 8-megapixel front-facing sensor.

January 13, 2016
LG K7 Specifications Revealed

The younger sibling of the LG K10 will hit stores this week. The K7, or LG Tribute 5 depending on the region you buy it from will honour LG’s signature phone design, and will be available to buy starting tomorrow. It will cater to budget concious customers looking for a phone under the Rs 10,000 mark.

This Android phone which will come with Lolipop 5.1 out of the box has a 5-inch 480p display. The phone has a matte peblle curved design, and also features the new 2.5D Arc Glass design. It comes in Titan carbon gray color, and is smaller than the K10 at 143.6 x 72.5 x 8.9mm.

The phone is expected to feature a 1.3Ghz Quad Core Chip in the model that makes it to India. It has 16GB of internal storage onboard with 1.5GB of RAM, another option could also be made available with 8GB of storage and 1GB of RAM.

The K7 will feature a 8MP rear camera and 5MP front-facing camera and will come equipped with software features like gesture shot, gesture interval shot and a screen-lit “flash” for front-facing selfies.

January 13, 2016
Researchers Develop a Lithium Battery That Won’t Explode

Battery is one of the major concerns of the tech world these days. Developers have to ensure that batteries are not only efficient and capable of providing sufficient support to gadgets, but most important of all, they can withstand high temperatures without exploding.

The explosion-scare in batteries is even though not very high when it comes to phones, but exploding hoverboard batteries have made everyone sit up and listen. Fires caused by malfunctioning hoverboards actually forced retailer websites to take the product off and stop selling them for a while.

An exploded hoverboard.

But it looks like a team of scientists at Stanford University have found a cure for these lithium-ion batteries in hoverboards that are the culprit behind all these fires. The team of researchers have developed a lithium battery that has a plastic over-lay filled with nickel particles. If this battery gets over-heated, it shuts down and cuts all power-supply. The supply is resumed only once the temperature has dropped to a safe level. This will ensure that the battery’s electrolyte never catches fire.

The same tech of self-shut down has been seen in batteries previously as well if they sense an explosion threat. However once they shut down, the battery is not functional again. This is primarily what this new battery will be able to take care of, among other things. Though these explosion-proof lithium batteries seem to hold great potential, there are still several years before they can be produced and used in smartphones and other gadgets on a mass scale. We wouldn’t advise you to get your hopes high about them hoverboards just yet.

January 13, 2016
This Wearable Will Track Your Emotions and Stress Levels

Taking mood-rings to the next level is this new awesome wristband by Sentio Solutions. It’s called Feel and it helps the user stay updated about their emotional state. It may not change colours, but hey, it has so much more to offer.

With the help of sensors on its inner-side, Feel tracks and meaures your pulse rate, body temperature and galvanic response using sweat glands on the skin and their behaviour under different conditions. It gets connected to the user’s phone via Bluetooth and provides real-time information about your moods.

This information can also be presented in the form of graphs, suggesting patterns of the mood during the course of a day. The graphs, in turn, lets the user determine what are the most stressful periods of the day and so on and so forth.

Feel also gives tips and pointers on how to reduce stress through Yoga, meditation or breathing exercises. The user is reminded to take deep long breaths during moments of high stress. In some cases, like moments of anger during anger, Feel would give a real-time alert in the form of a vibration which according to George Eleftheriou, the co-founder and CEO, is enough to calm the user down.

The flexible wrist-bank comes in a sleek, inconspicuous design which fits well with all kinds of individual stylistic preferences. It is priced at $199 (about Rs.13,000) and will be available for $149 (about Rs.10,000) on pre-order. Feel will be up for pre-order this spring and is expected to arrive in December. Log on to the official website for more details.

January 13, 2016
Samsung Galaxy J1 Launched in Dubai

Just until yesterday, the Samsung Galaxy J1 2016 edition was merely a device with a few rumors and speculations attached to it. Today, Samsung quietly launched the budget handset in Dubai without any major show or noise. Indeed, it looks like Samsung did not want to wait for its launches and is perhaps saving the big events for its upcoming flagship devices.

The launch of the new Galaxy J1 smartphone comes with confirmed specs and price tag. The device sports a 4.5-inch display with a resolution of only 480 x 800 pixels, but still using Super AMOLED technology. Powering the handset is a quad-core chipset, clocked at 1.3 GHz, possibly Samsung’s Exynos 3475 SoC.

Other specifications include 1GB of RAM and 8 GB of internal storage. The rear camera is of 5 MP while the front houses a 2 MP shooter. Like its predecessor, the J1 comes with a 2,050 man battery. The device is 4G-enabled and runs on Android 5.1 Lollipop. It will be available in three colour variants -black, white and gold. The Dubai pricing of the J1 is at 499 AED (approximately Rs. 9000).

January 13, 2016

Lenovo Lemon 3 Launched with Snapdragon 615 SoC

Looks like Lenovo has a launched a direct competition to Xiaomi’s Redmi 3. The Lenovo Lemon 3 budget smartphone has been launched in China. The device sports a 5-inch Full HD (1080×1920 pixels) resolution IPS display with pixel density of 441ppi and is powered by a Snapdragon 616 chipset and Adreno 405 GPU.

Other specifications include 2GB of RAM and 16GB internal storage which is expandable via MicroSD card slot. On the camera front, the handset sports a 13 MP rear camera with LED flash and a 5 MP front. The device comes packed with a 2,750mAh battery, which is much smaller than the 4,100mAh battery found inside the Redmi 3. Connectivity options include 4G LTE, WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS and Micro USB. The device also features dual audio speakers.

The specifications are similar to the Redmi 3 except for battery and display (the Redmi 3 sports a 720p display). The Lenovo Lemon 3 is available for RMB 699 (approximately Rs 7000). No word yet on when the device will reach international markets.

Specs	Lenovo Lemon 3
Display	5-inch Full HD IPS
Resolution	1080×1920 (441 ppi)
Processor	octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 616
GPU	Adreno 405
Storage	16 GB
Rear Camera	13 MP with LED flash
Front Camera	5 MP
Expandability	Yes
Battery	2,750mAh battery
Connectivity	4G LTE, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, hotspot, Bluetooth v4.0, GPS with A-GPS, GLONASS, BDS, microUSB v2.0
OS	Android 5.0 Lollipop
Price	CNY 699 (about Rs. 7,000), Price in India unannounced

January 13, 2016

iPhone 7 To Include Improved Speaker System

Today’s dose of iPhone leaks and rumours brings to us news which will be music to curious ears. After angering audiophiles world over with its alleged decision to do away with the headphone jack, the Cupertino based company is now is looking to atone for its sins by planning to equip the next iPhone with a new and improved speaker system.

Latest set of patents doing rounds on the internet reveal Apple is looking at ways to boost the audio for the iPhone 7. As suggested by the patents, the next iteration of the iPhone could have significantly improved sound output.

Apple is to create a new sound system for the iPhone 7 which will use the entire phone as an audio chamber. The idea is to use the phone’s interiors to improve the amount of air that can pass through the speaker system, thus resulting in better volume output as well as audio quality. This new system adopted by Apple would also see the phone keeping up with the rumoured sleeker form of the phone.

The patent reads,

“As portable electronic devices get smaller and thinner, there are increased difficulties in providing the same or greater functionality in a smaller area.The one or more speakers of the system can produce audio sound that can be directed to one or more audio output openings.”

The interpretation of this patent information also hints at a better system for audio input which would essentially mean an upgrade to the phone’s microphone too! Nice try Apple, but the loss of the 3.5mm jack still hurts.

January 13, 2016
Report: Apple Watch Constitutes 50% Smartwatch Shipments in 2015

According to latest data by Juniper Research, the Apple Watch constitutes for 50% of smartwatch shipment in 2015. The Watch, which was globally released in April 2015, has overtaken Samsung’s Tizen powered Gear S2 which was launched in November last year.

Gear S2

Android Wear-powered smartwatches constitute only a total 10% of total smartwatch shipment from last year. However, the research also added that keeping Apple aside, the market is dominated by cheaper, products like those by Martian and Razer.

Apple Watch

Things look good for Apple, which is important for the company which is all set to hold an official event in March. We expect to see the second-gen version of the Apple Watch there. Even though Gear S2 and Moto 260 Second Gen seemed like they could offer some strong competition to the Apple Watch, Apple has managed to maintain its dominance in the realm of wearable tech.

January 13, 2016
Possible LG G5 Launch Round the Corner after MWC Event Tease

Mobile World Congress, 2016 is just round the corner and big name brands have already started gearing up to showcase the best they have to eager customers around the globe. Surprisingly, first out of the blocks is South Korean tech giant, LG.

The G5 which has been rumoured to get an earlier than usual launch date is being tipped to be unveiled next month in Barcelona. LG for its part has today only added fuel to fire by sending out invites to the media for an event on February, 21. The invite does not reveal much, but only states, “Play Begins” with a mysterious jack-in-the-box music player in the background. What this could possibly point to is a music focused flagship for this year.

LG on its part has usually unveiled its G series flagship phones later than its competitors Samsung, and HTC, and has lost out in sales numbers because of it. This switch in strategy could well see it substantially increase sales in important markets.

The G5 is rumoured to come equipped with a 5.3-inch QHD display, sporting a Snapdragon 820 processor and 3GB of RAM with 32GB of internal storage. It’s also suggested that LG G5 might include an eye scanner, USB-C connectivity and a fingerprint sensor. Speculation also points to a 21-megapixel rear camera and an 8-megapixel front-facing sensor.

There are also whispers suggesting that the device might come with some sort of modular attachment. Well, what that attachment could be is anybody’s guess right now. The stylish addition of leather to the back of the handset could also be seen in the new flagship.

January 13, 2016
iPhone 7 Rumored to Sport OLED Displays

There’s no denying that when it comes to design and looks, Apple does incredibly well to draw the publics gaze. But if there is an area that is still left wanting, it’s to do with the display. Apple has rarely made any dramatic changes to its iPhones, both in design and hardware. But the little that the company does do tends to leave out the display that is still using LCD screens with 750 x 1334 pixel resolution, while other have moved on to bigger and brighter things.

Back in November, fresh rumors surrounding the upcoming iPhone 7 suggested the Apple may be changing quite a few things this time around, one of which is the display. The iPhone 7 is rumoured sport an OLED display thereby giving up on LCD display that it has relied on so far. Apple followers will know that the Apple Watch is the only Apple device to sport an OLED display currently. In 2013, Tim Cook has expressed his distaste for the OLED displays calling them “awful” when it came to colour saturation.

iPhone 6

Furthermore, Samsung and LG are pegged as the two companies that will be providing the bulk of the OLED panels to Apple. Another new report also suggests that Apple is ready to invest in this particular screen technology by working with AU Optronics. According to Focus Taiwan, Apple wants to transform AUO into an AMOLED screen supplier for the iPhone.

if the rumors do turn out to be true, this could be quite a catch for AUO who has currently been supplying OLED displays for Huawei and other Chinese handset makers.

But that’s not all. Another set of rumors also suggest that Apple has a secret lab in Taiwan where where former Qualcomm and AUO employees are working on developing micro-LED screen tech for thinner, lighter, and brighter displays for the iPhone. We’ll just leave you here for now to let all of that sink in.

January 13, 2016
Leak Suggests Confirmed Names for Samsung Galaxy S7 Devices

Samsung is all set to host an Unpacked event on 21st February at the Mobile World Congress, and we expect it to unveil the Galaxy S7 devices there. Rumours about the S7 phones are doing the rounds to no end and here’s the latest update from that front.

According to @evleaks, the names of the three S7 devices have been confirmed thus.

Honestly surprised by this (though it does explain a lot). pic.twitter.com/B7fL41qShm
— Evan Blass (@evleaks) January 12, 2016

Galaxy S7, S7 Edge and S7 Edge+ will be the three devices expected to be unveiled on the 21st of February. The tweeted image shows the three names written against a background with water-droplets on it. This image only seems fitting since the Galaxy S7 phones are expected to be waterproof like the Galaxy S5 from 2014.

However, because Samsung hasn’t officially confirmed these names, we still cannot be sure. There could also be a Galaxy S7+ but there isn’t much to go on with for this device.

AnTuTu posted on Weibo the specs of a 5.1-inch Galaxy S7 device. It is already confirmed that the flagship device will sport Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 820 chipset, and AnTuTu confirms the same. Other specs listed include 4 GB of RAM, 64 GB internal storage, Adreno 530 GPU. The device will run of Android 6.0 Marshmallow ( no surprises there).

We have done a complete round-up of all the rumours regarding Samsung’s S7 family of phones which you can check out here.

January 13, 2016
Flipkart Deals of the Day

Good morning readers, iGyaan comes bearing good news. Flipkart today is running a sales promotion campaign under the name “Brand Days Store Online”. Under this promotion campaign Flipkart is offering some really cool handsets at great discounts and exchange offers.

The catalogue brings to you a variety of handsets from the house of Motorola, and the much wanted Nexus 6. If you’re not the one for exchange offers, Flipkart gives you a Flat discount of Rs 2000 on devices such as Moto X Play, Moto G Turbo, and Moto G( 3rd Gen). These come with exchange offers also which depend on the handset.

Moto Turbo, Moto X Style, and Nexus 6 are also up for grabs at great exchange deals. All three of them are available for upgrade with exchange amount upto Rs 15,000 for your old phone. Moto E2, and Moto 4G are also available for exchange offers of upto Rs 3000.

Moto X Play/ Moto X Style

The Moto X Play boasts of features that are sure to excite the masses. With a 21 MP camera, 3630 mAh battery, and expandable memory up to 128 GB. Other features include a 5.5 inch screen with Corning Gorilla Glass 3, Snapdragon 615, and an Octa-core 1.7 GHz Cortex-A53 CPU. The Moto X Play is currently available at a price of Rs. 16,499.

The Moto X Style has a 5.7 inch, 2K display, 3 GB of RAM and Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 chipset. The cameras are marked at 21 MP for the main camera and 5 MP for the front camera. Both cameras are equipped with flash. The phone has a 3,000 mAh battery and runs on Android 5.1 Lollipop. The device is available on Flipkart for Rs. 29,999, but there’s an exchange offer up to Rs. 15,000 on the device.

Nexus 6

The Nexus 6 boasts a 5.96-inch QHD (2560×1440p) AMOLED display. It is powered by 2.7 GHz Snapdragon 805 quad-core processor coupled with 3 GB of RAM. It runs on Android 5.0 Lollipop out of the box. The screen of the device is shielded by Corning Glass 3, which means users need not have to worry about scratches.

On the camera front, it sports a 13MP rear and 2MP front snapper. The device gets its juice from a 3,220mAh battery, which the company claims to last for six hours on a 15-minute charge as it comes along with Motorola’s Turbo Charger. Nexus 6 offers wireless charging. The device is up for grabs with great exchange offer as well.

Moto Turbo

Comes equipped with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 chipset with a Quad Core CPU clocked at 2.7 GHz (Krait 450). The GPU is the new ADRENO 420 and all of this is managed with 3 GB of RAM and a fixed 64 GB of storage. On the outside is a brilliant 5.2 inch Quad-HD Super-AMOLED type with a 2560 X 1440 Pixel resolution giving it 565 ppi. Priced at Rs 31,999, the device has an exchange offer available through the Flipkart app.

Moto G Turbo

The Moto G Turbo comes with a Qualcomm MSM8939 Snapdragon 615 chipset, with Adreno 405 and a quick charge capability that Motorola calls a turbo charge with 2GB RAM. 13 MP Camera, and HD 1280*720p display. The device is available at a price of Rs. 12,499.

Moto G (3rd Gen)

The device boasts of a 5-inch 720p display with 1280×720-pixel resolution and 294ppi. It is powered by a 1.4GHz Quad core Qualcomm Snapdragon 410, along with an Adreno306 GPU. It is juiced by a 2,470 mAh battery that can last roughly up to a day. The handset is available in two variants- 8GB storage with 1GB RAM and 16GB storage with 2GB RAM. The discounted handset for the 8GB variant now falls just under the 10K bracket at Rs. 9,999, while the 16 GB device is available for Rs. 10,999.

January 13, 2016