Category: Tech

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

Moto E Dual Sim : Unboxing and Hands On
This is the Moto E box, its a simple box and a modern style of minimal packaging. Following along the lines of the Moto G, the box and the in box accessories are good quality, barring the earphones. Inside the box you will get the following:
- The Moto E
- Handsfree Kit
- English + Hindi Documentation
- USB Wall Charger
The Moto E is surprisingly well built and costs really less for that price, it runs Android 4.4.2 Kitkat out of the Box and has a decent set of specifications.
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 200 Chipset
- Dual Core CPU
- 1 GB of RAM
- 4 GB of Storage
- 4.3 inch 960 x 540px Display
- Gorilla Glass 3
- Smudge proof coating
- 1980 mAh Battery
- 5 MP Camera
The new Motorola Moto E is sold via online ECommerce website Flipkart and they are the only place you will be able to buy this handset. Flipkart is also responsible for support and warranties on this new handset. The Moto E may single handedly be the reason to switch from a feature phone to a smartphone. Check out our Unboxing above and Hands on below. You can also Buy the Moto E starting today using the link below.

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May 14, 2014
5 Reasons to buy the Moto E

Motorola broke the Indian mobile market yesterday when they launched a dual sim smartphone that runs Android 4.4.2 KitKat out the box for a competition mind numbing price of Rs 6999. But a lot of people are still struggling with why and if they should but the newly launched Moto E.

While reasons can be many, iGyaan Breaks it down to the top 5.

Reason Number 1 : It’s Cheap

The most logical explanation is the fact that the Moto E is super cheap. Everyone was hoping for a price under the Rs. 10000 mark, but we got something that is way lower. For Rs. 6999, roughly US $ 120 and Euro 89 you get an impressive device that is carrier unlocked and has excellent build quality and display.

Reason Number 2 : Specs and Front Speakers

The Moto E has the best specifications in this price bracket, A dual core Qualcomm Snapdragon 200 chipset, 1 GB of RAM, 4 GB Storage and 32 GB expandability, a 4.3 inch display with qhd resolution and a 5 MP camera at back, it has all the makings of a powerful budget device including a 1980 mAh battery. The Moto E also has front facing speakers a first after the HTC Boomsound and Xperia Z2, a first for any budget phone. It makes sense doesn’t it?

Reason Number 3: Build

Possible the best built phone you can get for this price (smartphone at least), the Moto E has super rugged shells and Gorilla Glass 3 in the front, it also has a IP coating that makes it splash proof and sort of water resistant. The front also has a smudge free coating on the gorilla glass, and the back panels just like the Moto X and G are soft to touch, very durable and scratch and fingerprint resistant.

Reason Number 4 : Dual Sim

Sure you get lots of dual sim devices in this price, well in India and other such markets, the Moto E is the best in this price to offer the said feature. Comparing it to similar phones from companies like the Galaxy Trend, the Moto E just stands out on top in various occasions.

Reason Number 5 : Kitkat and More

The Moto E runs Android 4.4.2 out of the box and Motorola is promising updates, heck they are guaranteeing updates to the next version of Android, the next supported version at least.

Bonus reason : Did we mention its cheap?

The Moto E is horrendously cheap, not to touch, not to look at but in price. You should get one even if you don’t need it. Its a great carry along phone and will work wonders as a spare device. Will work as a backup phone incase your battery runs out, and for the outdoorsy people, its just a phone that will withstand the elements incase you are worried about damaging your fancy flagship. The Moto E also offers a replaceable “shell” back so change the colours and match your style. If you are using a feature phone, this might be the easiest phone to switch to, and you should switch if you are on a feature phone. (Some Blackberry phones included)

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May 14, 2014
Hands On : Newly launched Moto E for Rs. 6999

The budget smartphone market is ready to be disrupted, Motorola in collaboration with Flipkart in India has launched the new Moto E, a smaller brother to the Moto G smartphone from the company. The Moto E has been priced at Rs. 6999 and it may as be responsible for bringing a real smartphone to the masses.

Next to Moto G

The Moto E goes on sale at Midnight tonight (13th May 2014), for Rs. 6999 with same day delivery in some cities. Specs wise the Moto E is quite impressive too the front has a 4.3 inch display that has a resolution of 540 x 960 qHD resolution and a pixel density of 256 ppi. The display is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 3 and also is splash proof. A 1980 mAh battery is inbuilt and is non removable, the Moto E comes with Android KitKat 4.4 out of the box and promises “Guaranteed updates” to the next version of Android.

Powering it is a Qualcomm Snapdragon 200 A7 processor that is clocked at 1.2 GHz and is supported by 1 GB of RAM. On the back is a 5 MP camera that captures FVWGA video and the Moto E can playback 720p video.

The build quality is actually comparable to the Moto X and Moto G so the three devices are quite identical only to be disturbed by difference in specs. The back panel is exceptionally well built and the buttons seem very tactile to use. The device mostly feels much more premium in the hand and performs better than one can expect.

The Moto E makes a lot of sense for a market like India, and where major manufacturers have been reluctant to bring their devices in this price bracket Motorola has been brave enough to deliver a device with a promise of instant updates along with features and customizability that most fail to offer.

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May 13, 2014
New iPhone 6 Leaks Show Rounded Sides and Flatter All Metal Back

We saw leaked images of Apple’s next jesus phone appear a couple of days back, but they failed to show us the front and the back of the device. This time around Inner Exile a China based case manufacturer shows off how the phone will look from the front as well as the back. The power button has a new location and it resides next to the sim card tray on the right of the new iPhone 6, or so claim the images.

Apple will kick of WWDC 2014 in June and will possibly announce the new version of iOS aka iOS 8, with the expected launch of the iPhone 6 somewhere at the end of August.

Several Chinese companies have made mock dummies of the iPhone 6 based on the leaked schematics. Heck you can buy a dummy of your own and make your own rumors. But if anything is to be confirmed, till we do see an actual iPhone running the new iOS that looks like this, we will have to take each story with a pinch of salt and lime. Honestly these images look far from what Apple could possibly have in stock for us.

May 9, 2014

Sony Xperia Z2 Unboxing and Hands On Review

Sony has just launched the new Sony Xperia Z2 in the Indian Market for a price of Rs. 49900, which is along the lines of major flagship smartphones available in the market, including the S5 and the HTC One M8.

The Xperia Z2 is a revision to the Xperia Z1 launched last year and sports mostly the same design elements and aesthetics. On the Inside is where all the magic is with the new Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 chipset which enables the large 20.7 MP sensor to capture 4K video.

Phone	Sony Xperia Z2
Dimensions	142 x 72.5 x 8.1 mm
Weight	163 g
Display	1920 x 1080 pixels, 5.2 inches (~424 ppi pixel density), IPS LCD
Memory	16 GB , microSD up to 128 GB
Ram	3 GB Ram
Camera	20.7 MP Camera, front 2.2 megapixels
OS	Android OS, v4.4.2 (KitKat)
Processor	Snapdragon 801, 2.3 GHz Quad Core, Adreno 330
Battery	Non-removable Li-Ion 3200 mAh battery
Build Quality	Glass and Metal Frame without removable back
Ruggedness	IP58 certified – dust proof and water resistant over 1 meter and 30 minutes
Price	Rs. 50,000

The build quality is more or less identical to the previous generation of Xperia devices. The Xperia Z2 is IP55/58 certified to make it extremely resistant to dust and water.

The Box is pretty bare bones especially considering that we were given the demo box. The phone has Android 4.4 KitKat out of the box and comes with a fast and responsive UI, along with a 5.2 inch 1920 x 1080p display that is a huge improvement over the Xperia Z1. Check out the unboxing up top and stay tuned for more.

May 8, 2014

The Gold Galaxy S5 Launched : Return of the Gold Rush?

It seems as if Apple just started a whole new revolution in consumer electronics. After the release of the Gold variant of the iPhone 5S, it seems like every major company is experimenting with adding some glitter to their gizmos.

On Monday Samsung announced the release of the Galaxy S5 with a Copper-Gold(officially listed as “Golden”) back panel in India. Priced at 51,500, the flagship Gold Galaxy S5 also features the latest Android 4.4 Kitkat. It also features a fingerprint scanner on the home button, a heart rate sensor placed near the 16-megapixel camera, and the IP67 certification that makes it dust and water-resistant. We have already reviewed the white Galaxy S5 here.

On the other hand Samsung introduced the gold clasp in the Samsung Galaxy Gear 2, giving it an opulent branded watch feel accompanied with the leather strap. The Gear 2 is a considerable enhancement on its predecessor, which looked like an overpriced toy watch.

Gold has captured the human imagination ever since its discovery. The obsession is evident in the fact that most our global economy is backed by gold. Gold in itself is a useless element, its rarity is its alibi for its exorbitant price. But its glitter is just too enticing for us to ever get over it.

It’s not just the two mobile giants who are incorporating the golden hue in their design elements. Even HTC released the gold version of the M8 which is readily available in various markets. Seems like HTC has some serious gold fever, as they also launched a 24k limited edition HTC One M8.

The Rose Gold Nike+ FuelBand SE is a great example of this. The gold in this limited edition band also fueled the gadget’s luxurious appeal.

It seems now that a lot more companies will introduce gold in their design elements to quench the hunger for the golden glitz.

May 8, 2014
Watch the Xperia Z2 Launch in India Live

If you are interested in getting the action of the Xperia Z2 launch happening today, then you are at the right place. We saw the Xperia Z2 back at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. The new variant of the Z series comes with a IP58 Rating making it dust tight and water resistant just like its predecessor, so as long as the doors are all closed.

The new Z2 is expected to hit the Indian market for a price of around 50 thousand, so check out the live feed up top for more info. The event will start at about 1 PM IST.

May 8, 2014
Up Your Instagram Game: Top Apps for the Power User
There isn’t a dearth of third party apps which support Instagram. Just to name a few, we have – Insta Frame, Insta Greeting Card, Insta Collage Effect, Insta Photo Fx, Insta Editor, and Insta Split Cam – the list goes on.

We sort through the mess and round up the top apps you should download. They will definitely make you the most Insta-saavy person around.
1. Pixsta
  
  Sometimes we feel that the creators of Instagram purposely made the app with certain restrictions. We can’t think of a reason why they’d only allow us to access our accounts via mobile devices. The desktop version is only useful if you want to scroll through your newsfeed. You can download Pixsta to access it better. Drawbacks? Compared to Instagram, the interface is quite cluttered and they still haven’t figured out a way for us to post pictures.
2. Instasize
  
  We get it, the sole idea of Instagram was to click and share instantly – the style and idea reminiscent of the Polaroid Kodak. But what about all the pictures that have already been clicked in the 4:3 aspect ratio. The kinds we need for Throwback Thursday, Flashback Friday or Way Back Wednesday? This distinctive feature, which restraints us to the square shape, has annoyed us on several occasions. We refuse to stay within the box! Insta Size helps beat the crop box, by re-sizing images.
3. Flipagram
  
  You threw a party and can’t wait to share what an amazing time you had. Instead of boring your followers by posting all the pictures separately, use this app to create a quick video slideshow. You have an option of choosing the speed of the pictures and titles can also be included. It’s the easiest way to tell your story, without the countless posts. Depending on the feel of your party, you can even select your soundtrack.
4. Afterlight
  
  Instagram filters are great and have a knack for making everything more beautiful. But you have to see the adjustment and options that Afterlight has to offer – it gives you further options which make your images look more artistic. You have a varied choice between filters, textures, frames, cropping and transforming tools. A paid app, but worth every penny spent.
May 7, 2014
Back With a Vengence: Sony Unveils 185 TB Cassette Tapes

CD’s and iPods made you stuff your old Michael Jackson, Enigma and Celine Dion cassettes in your attic. But remember a time when the cassette tapes dominated the sales market? In 1990 alone, a overwhelming 442 million tapes were sold. However, with the rise of the CD, the birth of the MP3, and the ultimate restoration of vinyl, sales of cassettes dwindled. By 2007 only a mere 274,000 individual cassettes were sold.

Now, though, Sony has brought the cassette back from the dead by unveiling a tape that can hold a massive 148 gigabytes per square inch. If you can’t do the math, that’s 185 terabytes of total data. Well I guess, we will soon be tossing our iPods into the trashcans.

185 Tb actually is huge data size; if calculated the super tape can hold 3,700 Blue-ray’s or a total of 64,750,000 average 3 min. songs

The tapes were unveiled in International magnetic conference. These Sony cassettes can hold data 74 times more than the standard cassettes. According to Gizmodo:

[quote text_size=”medium”]

“The tape uses a vacuum-forming technique called sputter deposition to create a layer of magnetic crystals by shooting argon ions at a polymer film substrate. The crystals, measuring just 7.7 nanometers on average, pack together more densely than any other previous method.”

[/quote]

The tape will be accessible for commercial sale, but no word yet on a release date. However, as Gizmodo points out, the super tape was formerly developed for “long-term, industrial-sized data backup” and not essentially for music, game, and video storage and playback.

May 7, 2014
iPhone 6 leaked: 4.7 inch screen, New Design with an All Metal Back

If you were waiting to get your eyes on the new Apple iPhone 6 before its launch, this is your best bet right now on what its going to look like. This latest leak comes courtesy Macitynet.it, who showed off photos of a phone that resembles the 1st generation iPhone, but is actually bigger and slimmer than the iPhone 5s.

Previous rumors have always mentioned a 4.7 inch iPhone 6 from Apple, along side other upgrades like a faster processor and NFC capabilities. Till now we have mostly seen mockups of the alleged iPhone 6 (see top), which have sort of been confined to a slightly bigger size and lesser bezel.

Reports also mention a 5.5 inch Apple Phablet headed for launch somewhere in the latter part of the year, which some how seems unlikely.

Apple’s strong change in design is expected as the company changes the appearance every second year since the launch of the iPhone 3G. Whether this will or won’t be the next iPhone is surely unknown at the moment, and Apple is hell bent on keeping it that way especially since the iPhone 5s’ Touch ID sensor was heavily leaked prior to launch.

Apple has also closed down their leaks from accessory manufacturers, that we have seen in the past years, hinting towards a more secretive launch than we have seen in the past. However the next iPhone aka the iPhone 6 is a few months from being launched and we might have a lot happen in this time frame.

Stay tuned for more updates.

May 6, 2014
The Z-2: Next Generation Space Suits by NASA

Ever since Yuri Gagarin set a milestone for the human race in 1961, the quest for leaving the gravitational restrictions of planet earth and floating in the mammoth void of space has gained momentum. Over the last 50 years human space flight technology has taken a giant leap. Space suits are required to provide astronauts with: Protection from extreme pressure variations, protection from the Sun’s and cosmic radiation, mobility, breathable air, regulation, communication systems and the ability to collect both solid and liquid wastes of the human body.

Clearly, space suits have to perform exceptionally in all the above aspects as they are to be entrusted with a highly trained human life. As NASA plans to set a human base on Mars in 2030, there is a race to get the technology for interplanetary travel up to speed.

NASA’s Z-2 Spacesuit is a project under the Advanced Exploration Systems Division which pioneers the development and demonstration of new technologies for future human missions beyond Earth orbit as part of the Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate.

They asked the general public to vote on three options dubbed Technology, Bio mimicry and Trends in Public. The Technology option won easily, with almost 60% votes, most likely because of its Tron-like appearance. But the picture released by NASA seems to resemble more like Gru’s(Despicable Me) Suit.

The Z-2 will go under extensive testing sessions. Engineers will conduct multiple vacuum chamber tests, including one series at full vacuum, mimicking the lack of atmosphere found in space. The tests will take place at the Neutral Buoyancy Lab – the huge indoor pool used to train astronauts to spacewalk. Also, the rocky Martian surface tests will help evaluate the suit’s mobility, comfort and performance for the Red planet. Ultimately, all of these tests will guide engineers in designing the Z-3.

Engineers and scientists around the world are working hard to develop super technologies. They’re hoping that astronauts will, one day, use them to live and work on Mars and return safely home after taking a giant leap for humanity.

May 5, 2014
LG G Pro 2 Launched in India for Rs 51,500, won’t have 4G
LG continues to bring handsets to the Indian market quicker than before, and the recently released LG G Pro 2 is next on the list. Priced at a whopping Rs. 51,500 the LG G Pro still houses the dated Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 chipset, while many now use the 801.

The front has a large 5.9 inch 1920 x 1080p IPS display along with the usual knocking capabilities. The front design follows up on the G2 and has a 3.3 mm narrow bezel, making it very close to edge-to-edge in appearance.

The 13 Mp camera at the back is capable of 4K video and has inbuilt Optical Image Stabilization carried again from younger brother the G2. While others are using many ways to promote selfies, the G Pro 2 has a flash for selfie mode, often seen on phones a couple of years back, also a prevalent Mac feature when using photo booth.

Funnily enough the phone will not sport 4G capabilities and will only have 3G/HSPA+ Network capability. Other specs include
- A Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 (2.26 GHz Quad-Core) GPU: Qualcomm Technologies Chipset
- 16 GB/32 GB e MMC ROM, 3GB LPDDR3 RAM
- 5.9 inch Full HD IPS(1920×1080), Slim Bezel
- 13 MP OIS+ (Rear), 2.1 MP (Front) Camera
- 3,200 mAh removable Battery
- Bluetooth Smart Ready (BT4.0) USB, Wi-Fi, NFC and SlimPort
- Android 4.4 KitKat OS
- 157.9×81.9×8.3 mm Size
- White and Titan Black colours available
- A microSD Slot expandable upto 64GB
LG had announced the G Pro 2 at the MWC 2014 held in Barcelona earlier this year, the handset meant to be a bigger brother of the G2, has added a few features like 4K video capture Android 4.4. KitKat out of the box and more.

Stay tuned for a full review.
May 5, 2014
Snapchat Update: Video Chat and Texting Features Added

Snapchat claims that over 700 million pictures are shared everyday on their service, which would make it the most-used photo-sharing app — compared to Facebook, WhatsApp, and others. And now they have come up with new feature by which you can text and video chat as well. Staying true to their philosophy the text messages disappear as soon as the conversation is over. They hope to make video chats feel unforeseen, attempting to reproduce momentary meets on a street corner. Unlike Skype calls, which always prove to be tedious to plan out with friends.

23-year-old CEO, Evan Spiegel in an interview with ‘The Verge’ said that the reason none of his friends video call each other on a daily basis is because “calling” was born of an era where software needed to imitate real-world tools. “What does a phone look like without a ringer?” he asks. He sums up his idea more neatly. “For Snapchat, the closer we can get to ‘I want to talk to you’ — that emotion of wanting to see you and then seeing you — the better and better our product and our view of the world will be.” To Spiegel, the future of communication isn’t about rethinking or upgrading phone calls as Skype, FaceTime, and Hangouts have done. It’s about imagining a future that leaves the phone metaphor behind entirely.

Snapchat stripped out conventional texting-app features like read receipts, typing indicators, online statuses, and photo attachments. “Typing and read receipts make a lot of sense for messaging,” says Spiegel. “You write a letter, you put it in an envelope, you send it to a friend, and you want to know when they get it.” According to Spiegel, a modern chat app should feel like you’re really in the same room as the person you’re talking to.

It started with sharing short-lived pictures, but Spiegel’s vision is faraway from just photos. You can call it anything — social network, utility, future-phone — Snapchat has managed to stick around, though it’s addictive features are still not so easy to classify. He’s trying to produce digital spaces with the identical closeness and immediateness we get in actual world conversations. Smartphones have altered the way we all commune with one another. But if Spiegel can achieve his vision, Snapchat could be the app that changes it back.

May 3, 2014
Paperfold is prototype for a Foldable Smartphone

The Human Media Lab at Canada’s Queen’s University has designed a prototype of a smartphone, that can not only fold, but transform from one form factor to another. The future of unified devices may simply lie in a design like this. The “Paperfold” uses three snap – E-Ink displays to create one large display.

The Human media lab claims that the inspiration came from paper, and that the device will have a lot of possible future uses. The hinges also act as buttons allowing you to switch between modes and tasks depending on your usage and application.

Although we are notoriously far from the project reaching commercial availability, it seems that the next logical step in transformation of devices could and may as well be devices like the Paperfold. Watch the video below for more.

May 2, 2014
Print Goes Pocket Size

Some people say print is dead. With pendrives and cloud sharing, printing documents and pictures seems unnecessary. But what if you could carry a printer in your pocket or you bag. Wouldn’t that be awesome?

ZUtA Pocket Printer is a simple, softball sized and is compatible with any electronic device and can be used anywhere, anytime. The idea was born when a team of students in Jerusalem College of Technology got together to add some innovation to the printing industry. As students they finishes assignments in library’s, trains, parks, and cafes. Once their work was done, they always had a hard time finding a place to print. Hence, they came up with the idea of this portable printer.

Since it doesn’t necessitate any special drivers, it can be accessed via computers, smart phones or tablets, by using the traditional print function or an app. It will work with paper of any size and will print roughly 1,000 sheets of paper on a standard, disposable ink cartridge. The printer will last for up to an hour on full battery and can be recharged via a USB cable.

Its teardrop design allow users to line it up with the angle of the paper to make sure their documents come out straight. It then rolls athwart the blank sheet on small, multi-directional wheels while ejecting ink. The printer is intended not only for smaller documents, such as tickets or notes from a meeting, but also for larger documents with multiple pages. It will be designed to wait for the user to place it on a new sheet of paper before continuing the job. An average page of text will be able to print in approximately 40-45 second.

The design for the ZUtA Pocket Printer was stimulated by private inevitability. Elbaum, co-founder of ZUtA Labs, said that as an entrepreneur he has often found himself functioning on the go and it befuddled him that, given everything else we can do, we still can’t print from mobile devices. Other devices advertised as portable are constrained to the size of the paper they use, which means that they can’t be nearly as mobile as the ZUtA product.

The Kickstarter campaign for the ZUtA Pocket Printer has been widely successful. It has raised more than $450,000 out of a $400,000 goal with 12 days still on the clock. The device, which will retail for about $240, is expected to go to production in September and be shipped to Kickstarter backers in January.

May 2, 2014