Category: Tech

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

According to Survey, India Has Second Highest Number of Google Glass Owners Globally

According to a recently conducted research, India has the second highest number of Google Glass owners at six percent, South Korea being the number one with eight per cent. Google Glass is a type of wearable technology with an optical head-mounted display (OHMD). It displays information in a smartphone-like hands-free format.

That’s not all. India is also said to have emerged as one of the most tech-savvy nation with 95 per cent of Indians find smartphones critically important, while 75 percent use their smartphone or tablet for online bookings, according to a survey by Expedia.

“The findings clearly suggest an increasing dependency on the mobile platform. Ninety five per cent Indian respondents feel that their smartphone is very or of critical importance to their daily life,” said Vikram Malhi, MD, Asia, Expedia . Further adding that Indians lead in app booking and data roaming plans globally.

And that’s not it, the survey also revealed that India has the highest number of smartwatch owners globally, with 18 per cent owning and using the device. It was also reported that 85 percent of Indians own a laptop, ranking fourth in the world after Denmark (89 per cent), Austria (86 per cent) and Norway (86 per cent).

October 20, 2014
Now it’s Microsoft’s Turn to Bring Out a New Smartwatch!

After the main forces in the mobility business, Google and Apple unveiled their smartwatches, Microsoft is readying itself to get into the fight. The desktop mega-power has been unsuccessful in making a solid mark in the mobility market. But the company has kept its pursuits in the business strong and with an edition of wearables’ segment, the company can make a claim in the market.

The company plans to unveil the devices in the near future. The devices will have features like health-tracking capabilities, including a heart-rate monitor. What will make it really attractive is its ability to work with competitive devices such as iOS and Android. The device is expected to hold on to its battery juices for up to two days, which might help it find many takers.

Microsoft had previously made efforts into the field when it partnered with Fossil, Suunto, and Swatch on high-end, touch-screen models that cost as much as $800. It was part of its Smart Personal Objects Technology (SPOT) initiative. The project shut down in 2008.

Overall, the device does sound competent, and it tries to bring in the best of all devices in the market into one device. There is no talk of a solid release date but most probably the company will try to make hay while the festive sun shines so expect an announcement soon. Microsoft’s Windows 10 OS seems really promising, and if the wearable works on this operating ecosystem, it might shine out too. Now we have to wait for the device to come out to know for sure if it can live up to the hype.

October 20, 2014
Vertu Introduces the Aster, a Luxury Android Smartphone Priced at Rs. 4,75,000

Just when people were raising a hue and cry about how pricey the new generation flagships are, Vertu the king of luxury phones has brought its Aster to India. Vertu, which was formed by Nokia (hope you still remember that name,) is known for its premier hand-crafted and ornamented phones. The Aster too comes from this family of opulence.

The phone comes in multiple color options that are made of elegant materials.

Vertu had for long stayed with the Symbian operating system but now it has made a shift to the Android OS. The device runs Android KitKat. It comes with a 4.7 inch Full HD display protected by Sapphire Crystal display.

The Aster is powered by a 2.3GHz Quad-core Snapdragon 801 processor. It comes with 2 GB RAM and 64 GB internal storage. It is juiced up (or rather champagned up) by a 2275 mAh battery. The phone is Qi Wireless Charging Compatible.

Vertu also offers multiple phone case options

It comes with a 13 MP camera on the back and a 2.1 MP camera on the front provided to have a skype chat about your new multi-million acquisition.

But with Vertu, it’s not about what lies inside the device, but what’s on the outside. The materials used in the production of this device include carefully selected leathers and skins and space age hardened titanium for the side rails, back plate, pillow and sound bar. There isn’t anything as ostentatious as this one.

The Conceirge service is a really attractive feature for the elites who buy this phone.

The main service feature offered by the phone is the concierge service. Aster comes with six-month concierge service that can be extended. Using the service you can get in touch with a personal concierge who can assist you with recommendations and priority bookings. They facilitate your every request, from finding the perfect gift to accessing exclusive events. The service is accessible 24-hour from anywhere in the world.

So if you have half a million rupees to spare for a communication device, this must be it.

October 18, 2014
HTC Finally Brings Desire 820 and 820q to Indian Shores Along with the Budget-Friendly 516C

Having unveiled the new Desire 820 and 820q in India last month, Taiwanese tech giant HTC has now released them for the market. This is part of a mass release by HTC, who also brought the recently launched Eye series to India. The phones are competitively priced and will find a lot of takers in the market.

HTC Desire 820

The HTC Desire 820 comes with an Octa-Core processor (4 x 1.5 GHz + 4 x 1.0 GHz,) which will give it a good boost in performance. The RAM on the device is 2GB. It has 16 GB of internal storage that is expandable up to 128 GB. Add this with a 5.5 inch 720p HD display and HTC’s Boomsound, this device becomes a multimedia delight.

The main camera on the Desire 820 is a 13 MP shooter with a F/2.2 iris. The selfie camera on the front is a good 8 megapixels. The device is juiced up by a 2600 mAh battery.

The phones multicolor design option makes it look youthful and as it is priced at Rs. 24,990.

The dual tone color options will entice a lot of people to buy the 820’s.

HTC Desire 820q

HTC Desire 820q comes with pretty much the same features as the Desire 820, but with some miniscule tweaks. The device is powered by a `1.2 GHz, quad-core processor along with 1 GB RAM. That’s about the difference between the two models.

The Desire 820q is priced at Rs. 22,500. Both Desire variants run Android KitKat 4.4 out of the box and will get a Lollipop update soon.

HTC Desire 516C

The last offering by HTC is going to play in the category of the Moto G and Xiaomi Mi3. The HTC Desire 516C is a budget offering from the company.

It comes with a 5-inch qHD display. It processing capabilities are overseen by a 1.2 GHz, Quad-Core Snapdragon 200 processor. It has 1 GB RAM and has an internal storage of 4 GB that is expandable up to 32 GB.

The 516C has a 5 MP main camera and has a measly 0.3 MP selfie camera. It is powered by a 1950 mAh battery. It will be available exclusively on Snapdeal.com for Rs. 12,990. For what it offers, this price is extortion. HTC should reconsider the price of this device.

Overall, the Desire 820 and 820q seem like great devices to own, and their funky exteriors make them extremely ‘desire’-able.

Do check out our hands-on of the devices:

October 18, 2014
HTC Launched the RE Camera for Rs. 9,990 in India

Along with One (M8 Eye), Desire Eye, the Desire 516c, Desire 820 and Desire 820Q smartphones, HTC on Friday launched the Re Camera in the Indian market. We spent a whole day testing out this new camera, read more about it here.

“HTC has continually set the standards in mobile technology since 1997, and once more, we are redefining the concept of imaging forever,” said Chia-Lin Chang, President of Global Sales and Chief Financial Officer, HTC. “As a company we are devoted to innovation, as we endeavor to combine the best experiences with the best hardware design as possible. Today HTC has taken a bold step to introduce a new product category, with a remarkable little camera called, RE. A product that you once pick up, you will not want to put it down. RE, will allow our users to get out from behind the lens and live and experience moments.”

HTC Re is essentially a small handheld camera, which features a 16MP sensor with a 146-degree wide-angle lens. Packed in a waterproof shell, HTC RE camera is capable of recording full HD videos, 120 fps slow-motion videos, time-lapse videos as well as Zoes.

Inbuilt is an HD microphone and speaker along with rating for durability – IP57 Dust & Water Resistant IPx7 (body), IPx8 (with cap). The camera houses a 820 mAh battery which is rated for 1,200 16MP photos; 1 hour 40 min of continuous FHD video recording. It comes with an 8GB card loaded and supports upto 128 GB cards offering good storage capacities.

The camera works over Bluetooth 4.0 and Wifi. RE Camera supports iOS 7 and along with all KitKat equipped Android phones. HTC is hoping that RE camera will help the users in stepping out from behind the camera and enjoying the life as it happens. The camera includes just two buttons, one for image/video capture and other for slow motion video. There is not even a power button present on the device and it utilizes the integrated grip sensor to detect whether someone is holding and it switches itself on.

RE will be available exclusively on Snapdeal.com in India at an introductory promotional offer for a limited period, Rs. 9990/-

October 18, 2014
India is Readying its Own GPS System

The Global Positioning System or GPS has made our life extremely convenient. If you have access to a GPS device, you are never going to get lost on this planet. The GPS system is currently in control of the United States government. Now the Indian government’s plan to have its own navigation system is underway and got its 3rd satellite today.

ISRO successfully launched the PSLV-C26 rocket that sent the third satellite in the Indian System. The rocket lifted off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota at 1.32 am and injected the satellite into the orbit about 20 minutes later.

The Kargil war of 1999 had incited a need for an in-country navigation system. The US government back then had refused the request of the Indian government to use the navigation system to keep track of enemy movement. This led to the inception of the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS.)

The 3rd Satellite of IRNSS Constellation was launched through PSLV-C26

The IRNSS will be a network of 7 satellites out of which 3 are already in orbit. The system is expected to be ready by its deadline of 2015, which is next year. Once fully functional, it will provide navigation support for terrestrial, aerial and marine navigation. Like the GPS and Russian GLONASS, it can also be integrated into mobile phones. But they should really think of a cool new name integrating with mobiles; it might be cool to have a navigation feature named in Hindi.

IRNSS is expected to have an accuracy of less than 20 m over the Indian Ocean region and less than 10 m accuracy over mainland India, which sounds awesome. It will have a coverage of 1,500–2,000 kilometres. It will provide two chief functions: Standard Positioning Service (SPS) which is accessible by all users and Restricted Service (RS), which will be encrypted for military use.

With the IRNSS becoming functional, India will join an elite league of countries with their own navigation systems. Currently, there are two functional systems of navigation: GPS and GLONASS. Apart from these there’s the planned European Union’s Galileo positioning system, China’s Beidou Navigation Satellite System and India’s IRNSS. This technological initiative taken by the country is appreciated, and its credit goes to the scientists at ISRO.

October 18, 2014
Apple Event Round Up : The 8 Most Important Things Apple Announced

On Thursday, Apple held its second product release event in six weeks. The 90-minute event at Apple’s headquarters here was a sombre affair compared to the mega-launch of the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, Apple Watch and Apple Pay. This time the news was expected, however, Apple plenty of new hardware and software during the event.

The company added to its product line the two new iPads, a 27-inch iMac with eye-popping Retina display, and OS X Yosemite, Apple’s latest desktop operating system. The iPad Air 2, iPad mini 3 and the devices will go on sale later next week in 29 countries (India is not on the list) while pre-orders open online today.

We are listing the important highlights of the event that will take considerably less time than it will take you to re-watch the event:

1. The New iPad Air is Skinnier Than Ever

Apple has relied on its time-tested strategy for updating a offering – make them thinner. The new device is only 6.1 mm thick, thinner than the new iPhones by almost 1mm. As expected, it is powered by the new Intel A8x Chip, a 2nd gen 64 bit architecture, which is 12 times faster than the current one. Apple claims that graphics performance of the new iPad Air 2 is 180 times faster, which gives console like gaming experience on the iPad Air 2. The tablets will feature a fingerprint scanner similar to the one found in the latest iPhones. The sensor enables people to use a fingerprint instead of a passcode to unlock the device, also can be used to make purchases using Apple Pay.

The new iPad Air 2 houses the 8MP iSight camera on the back with a f/2.4 aperture and supports HD video recording. Along with that, there is a front camera which features a new face time HD camera, burst selfie, slo-mo and more. The iPad Air 2 runs on the latest iOS 8.1 and features a LCD layer on the display and an anti reflective coating, reducing reflection by upto 56 per cent. The iPads are priced starting $499 (16GB). The 64GB version is available for $599 and the 128GB for $699.

2. There added a iPad Mini too, with Touch ID

Apple confirmed the third generation iPad Mini featuring the new Touch ID fingerprint sensor during the event. iPad mini 3’s screen is at 7.9-inches with a 2048×1536 resolution at 326 pixels per inch (ppi). Apart from the Touch ID, it has the same Retina display with an aluminum coating at the back. It will be available in gold, gray and silver colour variants.

It features a 5 megapixel iSight camera and a FaceTime HD camera. The camera carries the iOS8 features such as time-lapse and panorama. This iPad features dual microphones, on the front and back. Instinctively, when you switch cameras from front to back (or vice versa), the microphones switch, too. The price starts at $399 (Rs. 24,574 approx.) for 16GB in Wi-Fi only, while the 128GB + LTE model will cost $729. Pre-orders start tomorrow and shipping starts by the end of next week.

3. Apple Pay Will go Live on Monday (Only in the USA)

Apple confirmed it will begin rolling out the service next week on 20th October i.e. on Monday. Apple’s payment system allows people to bump their phones to pay for items in the 220,000 stores that have NFC (near-field communication) readers, as well as pay for items in apps by using the fingerprint scanner on Apple’s newest mobile devices.

Once third-party apps also use the Touch ID features, you can use this feature on other apps as well. As far as Apple Pay is concerned, it will be available only in the US and essentially allow users to replace their credit card with their device to make actual payments.

4. New iMacs come with the ‘World’s Highest Resolution Displays’

Along with Yosemite, Apple is bringing out the updated version of iOS. They’ve spent time and effort taking in user feedback and have updated the problem-prone update. iOS 8.1 brings the Camera Roll and iCloud Photo Library in beta, a feature that allows you to store all of your photos from all your devices in the cloud. The new iMac features a 27-inch display with 5210×2880 pixels resolution, which is 14.7 million pixels, which according to Apple, “is the world’s highest-resolution display”. Seven times more pixels than a Full HD TV, 67 per cent more pixels than 4k. The display is only 5mm thin at the edge.

The Oxide TF and a new low-power backlight helps it use 30% less energy despite the large display and heavy resolution. The base model runs on a 3.5GHz quad-core Intel Core i5 processor, AMD Radeon R9 M290X graphics card, has 8GB of RAM, and a 1TB Fusion drive. The iMacs are priced starting $2499 (Rs. 1,53,913 approx).

5. Developers can Start Working on Apple Watch Apps Next Month.

Apple Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook remained vague about when the company’s smartwatch will go on sale, saying only that it will be early next year. But the company is releasing WatchKit, software that will let developers start working on apps for the devices.

6. Yosemite is already available

Taking continuity to the next level. Apple definitely is the first company to benefit from this because of its enormous hardware ecosystem. OS X Yosemite is the upcoming eleventh major release of OS X, Apple Inc.’s desktop and server operating system for Macintosh computers and it will be available from today. It can be downloaded from the Mac App Store for Free.

Yosemite gives you mirrored access across all Apple platforms for instant access. For example, the iPad recognizes what you’ve been working on and prompts you about it. You can stop working on the Mac, pick up your iPad and start working on your project right way without a second of lag. There is no need for third party apps. There is no need to open a cloud app and download the file, it’s always there.

7. iOS 8.1 Will Roll Out on Monday

Along with Yosemite, Apple is bring out the updated version of iOS. They’ve spent time and effort taking in user feedback and have updated the problem-prone update. iOS 8.1 brings the Camera Roll and iCloud Photo Library in beta, a feature that allows you to store all of your photos from all your devices in the cloud.

8. Apple SIM is a new iPad Air 2 hidden feature

Perhaps the most interesting news about Apple’s new iPad Air 2 tablet is buried at the bottom of one of its marketing pages: It will come pre-installed with a new “Apple SIM” card instead of one from a specific mobile operator.

Apple explains, “The Apple SIM gives you the flexibility to choose from a variety of short-term plans from select carriers in the U.S. and UK right on your iPad. So whenever you need it, you can choose the plan that works best for you—with no long-term commitments. And when you travel, you may also be able to choose a data plan from a local carrier for the duration of your trip.” So far, Apple lists three of the top four US operators—AT&T, Sprint, and T-Mobile—as partners. In the UK, there’s EE, a joint venture between T-Mobile and Orange. Apple says participating carriers may change.

October 17, 2014

Nexus 9 vs iPad Mini 3: Which One Got it Right?

Apple has finally unveiled the new generation iPads and iMacs. The company had earlier “accidentally” released some information about the new generation products from its stable. Seems like Apple has put some real challenge for Nexus. Both the iPad Mini 3 and the Nexus 9 are priced close to Rs. 24,000 ($400).

Now that we have the knowledge of the juicy bits of these devices that make them tick, we’d like to take them for a spec comparison.

Specs	Nexus 9	iPad Mini Retina
Display	8.9-inch QXGA	7.9?inch Retina display
Processor	2.3GHz, 64-bit NVIDIA Tegra K1 Dual Denver	A7 Chip
RAM	2 GB	1 GB
Storage	16/32GB	16/64/128 GB
Expandable Upto	–	–
Main Camera	8 MP	5 MP
Front Camera	1.6 MP	1.2 MP
Battery	6700 mAh	–
Operating System	Android 5.0	iOS 8.0.1

Overall, on the spec sheet, it looks like the Nexus 9 is beating Apple’s latest offering quite easily; Google and HTC together have formed a good device. Apple’s Handoff features though will be truly appreciated by the fans, and thus the device will find many takers. The features can still be up for debate, and we’ll get you the full story once these devices are available.

October 17, 2014

Dual Screen YotaPhone Comes to India Exclusively on Flipkart

YotaPhone is a one of a kind device. It features two back to back displays. The phone is developed by Russian company Yota, which makes some really cool products. The phone has now arrived in India and will be available exclusively on Flipkart for a price of Rs 23,499.

The YotaPhone comes with two 4.3 inch displays. One display is a 720p HD LCD screen with a pixel resolution of 342 ppi. The second screen is an ‘always-on’, 640×360 pixels E-Ink display with a resolution of 170 ppi.

It’s a perfect device for those who want to have a good e-reader along with the functionality of a normal smartphone in one device. The 4.3 inch screen is equivalent to the Moto E, which is a decent size for a multimedia device.

Yotaphone runs on Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean. It is powered by a 1.7 GHz Snapdragon dual-core processor with 2GB of RAM. It has 32GB internal storage. The device gets its juice from 1,800mAh battery. It has a 13 MP rear camera with LED flash along with a 1MP front camera.

Abdul Karim Sawan, Vice President for Yota Devices, said on the launch, “Yota Devices combines a smartphone and e-reader into one device for those who enjoy reading on-the-go even in the brightest sunlight. You can save images and information on the second screen, and it stays there, even if you lose battery power. You can save anything on the always-on display from a map to a boarding pass. Information, like a missed call or meeting reminder, stays on the always-on screen until it is no longer needed.”

The device is brought to India in a tie-up with Jumbo Electronics. It is a leading IT, telecom and consumer electronics retailer and distributor from the UAE. The phone will go on sale on Flipkart on October 17.

October 16, 2014
Lenovo Brings Out Yoga Tablet 2 Series in India

With the big dogs Apple and Google releasing their tablets, Lenovo has also decided to join the bandwagon. The company has brought their Yoga Tablet 2 Series to India. In total, the company has released four new tablets. These tablets are Yoga Tablet 2, Yoga Tablet 2, Yoga Tablet 2 (Windows) and the Yoga Tablet 2 Pro.

The Yoga tablets are quite innovative and come in two operating system options. They will all be available exclusively on Flipkart. The Yoga Tablet 2 (8-inch, Android) and Yoga Tablet 2 (10-inch, Android) will come to Flipkart from Friday, October 17th. Yoga Tablet 2 (10-inch, Windows) and the Yoga Tablet 2 Pro will be available around November-end.

The tablets have been made in collaboration with Product Engineer Ashton Kutcher.

All Android tablet are working on Android 4.4.4 whereas the Windows tablets are working on Windows 8.1 with Bing 32-bit. All tablets in the Yoga Tablet 2 series feature 1920×1200 display resolution. The Yoga 2 Tablets come with an Accutype keyboard dock that is powered by Bluetooth. It also doubles up as a cover for the device.

The devices have identical specifications; they are powered by a 1.3GHz intel Atom Z3745 Processor and come with a 2GB of RAM. They come in 16GB or 32GB storage options which are expandable up to 64 GB.

Camera wise the devices have an 8-megapixel rear camera and a 1.6-megapixel front-facing selfie shooter. The 8 inch tablets have a battery capacity of 6400mAh whereas the 10 inch models come with a 3-cell 9600mAh battery.

With a 13 inch display the Yoga Tablet 2 Pro is a monster of a portable device.

The tablet that will be a multimedia maniac’s dream come true is the Yoga Tablet 2 Pro. The tablet has an in-built Pico projector that can project an image of up to 50-inches. It also has an 8-watt sound system with a subwoofer.

The tablet has been developed with Ashton Kutcher. No wonder the specifications on the device simply rock. The device has a 13-inch QHD (2560×1440 pixels) display. It is powered by the same 1.3 GHz Intel Atom Z3745 Processor like its younger siblings, which seems less for the massive display on the device.

The projector on the device sets it apart from all other tablets.

Yoga Tablet 2 Pro comes with 32GB internal storage with microSD card which is expandable up to 64GB, It gets its juice from a 3-cell 9600mAh Li-Cylindrical battery. This seems like a device meant for the professionals, and hence has a steep price tag of Rs. 47,990.

The price of the other devices are: the Yoga Tablet 2 (8-inch, Android) for Rs. 20,990, Yoga Tablet 2 (10-inch, Android) for Rs. 28,990 and the Yoga Tablet 2 (10-inch, Windows) for Rs. 34,990.

October 16, 2014

Nexus 6 vs iPhone 6 Plus vs Note 4 vs Xperia Z3 vs LG G3

With the launch of Google’s Nexus 9, the world has seen the crème de la crème of what the smartphone industry has to offer. This year turned out to be the best year in technology. Not only did we reach the highest specifications yet but were even able to bring those specs to lower-priced devices. Now that the biggest giants have unveiled their flagship competitors, it is time to test their spec-sheet might in comparison to each other.

This is a purely spec based battle and will not take in consideration the optimization and other software features. So let’s get ahead to check out how the innards of these legendary devices score in a face off against each other.

Specs	Nexus 6	Samsung Note 4	iPhone 6 Plus	Sony Xperia Z3	LG G3
Display	5.96 inch QHD	5.7 inch QHD	5.5 inch Full HD	5.2 inch Full HD	5.5 inch QHD
Processor	2.7GHz Quad-core Snapdragon 805	2.7GHz Quad-core Snapdragon 805	1.4 GHz Dual-core A8 chipset	2.5 GHz Quad-core Snapdragon 801	2.26 GHz Quad-core Snapdragon 801
RAM	3 GB	3 GB	1 GB	3 GB RAM	3 GB
Storage	32GB & 64GB	32 GB	16/64/128 GB	16/32 GB	16/32GB
Expandable Upto	–	64 GB	–	128 GB	128 GB
Main Camera	13MP	16 MP	8 MP	20.7 MP	13 MP sensor
Front Camera	2MP	3.7 MP	1.2 MP	2.2	2.2MP sensor
Battery	3220mAh	Removable 3220 mAh	Non-removable 2915 mAh	Non-removable 3100 mAh	3,000mAh
Operating System	Android 5.0	Android 4.4.4	iOS 8	Android 4.4.4	Android 4.4.2
Miscellanous	Ring Flash	S-Pen	Reachability	Water-Proof	Knock Code

With this table, one can easily see the Nexus throwing a heavy claim to the throne. Not only does it come with great specifications, it also comes with the Android Lollipop which is the most efficient Android OS yet. The phone also sports Motorola’s unique ring flash which sets it apart from the rest. For a multimedia enthusiast, the Nexus 6 makes complete sense with its front facing speakers and gigantic display. However it misses out on expandable storage and added features like timelapse and slow motion camera which irks because those features could have been easily incorporated.

Nexus 6 faces its most toughest challenge from its own cousin. The rumored Moto X Plus will take the features from this device and add more features to the device. There is still a lot to look forward to in the future.

October 16, 2014

Apple Leaks the iPad Air 2 and iPad Mini 3 just ahead of Tomorrows Launch

Call it a co-incidence, a mistake or a planned move, but just after Google’s hot Nexus 9 announcement, Apple’s updated User Guide for iOS 8.1 has leaked and in it are details of the next iPads. Yes the new iPad Air 2 and the iPad Mini 3, but no, you do not get any juicy information except the fact that both the new tablets will get a tTouchID sensor in place of the home button and thats about all the information you get in this leak.

Everything else is just a bunch of screenshots showing of the OS, and the new improved features. However you put it, in an attempt to out do each other, Google announced the Nexus line up a day earlier to the big Apple announcement, and Apple leaked the documents right after the launches. The tech giants need to curb their enthusiasm if they want our brains to rest easy.

The Book has been pulled from the App Store (See source link), but not before some folks downloaded it, and the website link below still has the screens.

October 15, 2014
Exclusive: Google Nexus 6 Will Launch in India End 2014 for Rs. 42,999

This will be a shocker of mammoth proportions, especially for those waiting for this handset. Agreed that on paper, and mostly in reality, the Nexus 6 is expected to be a monster, but this will be Google’s most expensive handset yet.

According to our source at Motorola, the Google Nexus branded Moto phone will be available later this year for a whopping price of Rs 42999 for the 32 GB variant. The Nexus 6 is also expected to go on sale by the 11th of December, however with the past track record of Nexus devices in India we can’t be too sure. Granted that for a QuadHD display and Snapdragon 805 one would be willing to shed out that much, the Nexus 6 however has not been Google’s best attempt at making a budget flagship. Which was the case with devices like the Nexus 4 and the Nexus 5, which were essentially cheaper variants of their expensive counterparts, i.e. the LG Optimus G and the LG G2.

This is the first time the Nexus device is actually more expensive than the device it is based on, and that due to mostly the bumped up specs, and Motorola’s already tight margins.

Motorola in India may not have the right alignment for the Nexus 6, however it may be a great opportunity for the company to initiate tie-ups or payment schemes to help users buy this device. This could also be a great opportunity to talk network tie-ups and contracts in India, which might become a big thing starting 2015.

Either way you look at it, the Nexus 6 will miss out most of its prospective buyers in India, and Google may need to work really hard to sell the one the the very price conscious Indian audience.

The Nexus 6 was announced along side the Nexus 9 and Android 5.0 Lollipop and features a 5.96” 1440×2560 display (493 ppi) a 3220 mAh battery. Camera is a 13MP rear-facing with optical image stabilization and a 2MP front-facing. The Nexus 6 runs a CPU: Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 – Quad Core 2.7 GHz processor along with GPU: Adreno 420 and the storage options are 32 GB and 64 GB.

October 15, 2014
Google’s Nexus Player , Plays Games and Runs Apps for US $99

Google has announced the Nexus player along with its launch of the Nexus 6, the Nexus 9 and Android 5.0 Lollipop. The Apple TV-esque box is a lot more. It handles streaming, games and run Android apps all for US $99 as the price tag.

The gaming controller however, is an extra $39 at the time of purchase, and a must for any and all gaming fans. Just like the chrome cast , the Nexus Player can stream and function with Android devices, however you can also load apps and the player will natively work with Google’s Android TV. For options you get Netflix, Hulu, Food Network, Travel Channel and few more, however Sports Packages and HBO Go have been left out. What this also means is that most con tries apart from the US and UK may not get the Android Player.

The device goes for pre-order on the 17th of OCT, however will not be available until November 3rd. Stay tuned for India bound news.

October 15, 2014
Nexus 9 Goes Live, HTC Made, Steel Frame Tegra K1 Tablet

Google and HTC have finally announced the new Nexus 9 tablet. Just like the rumors, it is a 8.9 inch tablet with a Nvidia Tegra K1 chip on the inside. The Nexus 9 is superbly well made, which became evident with a few minutes of hands on time wis had with the device.

It features a stainless steel frame and robust finish, a beautiful example of HTC’s craftsmanship and also their welcome back into the tablet world. You get a 16 and 32 GB variant along with a LTE based 32 Gb variant, along with 2 GB RAM in all units.

The camera at the rear will not do 4K video because it is just an 8 MP snapper, but its a wide lens and a great module and clicks great pictures. The aperture is f 2.4 and the sensor is a BSI sensor.

For power you get a 6700 mAh battery that should last you through the day and then some. The Tegra K1 chipset has 2 x 2.4 GHz cores on 64 bit architecture. The front has a 8.9 inch display with a resolution of 2048 x 1536 px giving it a 4:3 aspect ratio.

It weighs only 425 gm for the Wifi only and 436 for the LTE variant, keeping it light and extremely portable. The tablet is easily held with one hand and the back panel feels great as well.

October 15, 2014