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Timex Launches Metropolitan+ Analog Activity Tracker

In a bid to join the ever growing market of fitness trackers, Timex today launched its very own fitness tracker housed in a traditional analog watch at a price of Rs 9,995 and is exclusively available at Amazon.in. In what is the first ever analogue activity tracker, Timex looks to keep up with modern technology and health wear and yet still maintain its traditional roots.

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The Metropolitan+ uses Bluetooth technology to connect to your phone to track your everyday activity. What’s more, unlike other fitness trackers out there, the Metropolitan+ will last you up to 18 months on a single charge. You can view your stats on the watch dial without having to push any button to do so.

Anupam Mathur, Head – Sales and Marketing, Timex Group India Limited said, “An active lifestyle often makes you give up on important things in life. Timex wants its consumers to not give up on their style for functionality or vice versa. Metropolitan+ is for the modern day men who demand a fit and active lifestyle and are always connected on the go. It is a perfect fit for the men who are interested in tracking their daily progress but wouldn’t want to sacrifice the beauty of a traditional watch on their wrist, a best of both worlds. With Metropolitan+, the daily lifestyles of our male consumers will become effortless, convenient and dynamic.”

The Metropolitan+ comes in two styles – one with a silver case, a black dial and a textured leather strap while the other features a black case with a black dial and comes with interchangeable black silicone and orange nylon straps. The app to sync the watch to your phone is available on both Android and iOS.

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February 23, 2016
Apple vs FBI : Bill Gates Ditches Apple in the iPhone Encryption Case

As the plot thickens in this complex saga of privacy vs security, Apple has seen a lot of big names put their weight behind its argument but today in a change of trends, one of the biggest names that the tech industry has ever seen has come out surprisingly in open support of the FBI.

Microsoft co-founder and billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates has backed the Federal Bureau of Investigation in its legal battle against Apple over encryption in an iPhone used by one of the shooters in December’s San Bernardino attacks.

In an interview with the Financial Times, Gates dismissed the notion that Aple’s CEO Tim Cook is propagating that granting the FBI access would set a legal precedent for future cases such as this one. Bill Gates argued that the FBI is “not asking for some general thing, and is asking for a particular case.”

Adding to this, the Co-Founder of Microsoft goes on,

“It is no different than [the question of] should anybody ever have been able to tell the phone company to get information, should anybody be able to get at bank records. Let’s say the bank had tied a ribbon round the disk drive and said ‘don’t make me cut this ribbon, because you’ll make me cut it many times.’”

As it stands, Microsoft communications chief Frank X. Shaw declined to comment on Bill Gates’ comments which sees him alienating himself from other Silicon Valley top executives, such as Facebook Inc chief Mark Zuckerberg, Twitter Inc founder Jack Dorsey and Google head Sundar Pichai, who have all backed Cook’s decision, the newspaper added.

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February 23, 2016
Vivo XPlay 5 with 6GB RAM Leaked in Renders

Vivo had earlier announced a March1 launch of the XPlay 5 – the first smartphone to sport a 6GB RAM. It was only a matter of time before leaked images were leaked showing off the design of the phone before the launch event.

Apart from 6GB of RAM, the XPlay 5 will come with a Snapdragon 820 processor and will sport a dual curved display, which brings a certain Samsung model to mind. The renders show a beautiful design of the XPlay 5 with a metal body and the curved sides. You also see a square-shaped fingerprint scanner at the back just below the camera module.

Not much has been revealed about the phone as Vivo has kept it under wraps. The handset is expected sport 6.0-inch QHD with 1440×2560 pixel resolution. Other likely features are a 6MP primary camera on the rear side, 8MP snapper on the front and a massive 4300mAh battery.

Source

February 23, 2016
Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge to Launch on March 11

Samsung unveiled its much-awaited flagship Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge smartphones at the MWC on Sunday. The Korean giant has confirmed a March 11 launch of the devices while pre-orders begin starting tomorrow. The devices will be made available in 60 countries initially.

Samsung is hoping to rake in a lot of numbers in the first month which is why it is offering the Gear VR headset free for those who pre-order or buy the S7 between February 23 to March 18. Samsung is expecting to sell over 40 million units of the S7 by the end of the year.

The 5.1-inch S7 Super AMOLED display with quad HD resolution. Two SoC configurations are offered – one being the new Exynos 8890 and the other being Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 820. The device comes with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage as well as a MicroSD card slot this time around and the battery is 3000mAh. A fingerprint sensor is housed in the home button.

The S7 Edge comes with a 5.5-inch Super AMOLED display with quad HD resolution. A Snapdragon 820 processor powers the device along with 4GB RAM and 64GB storage and 3600mAh battery pack.

The Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge Plus had incredible cameras that won last year. This year, Samsung wants to take its camera up a notch which is why it’s using a new Britecell technology for the Galaxy S7 for better low-light photography. Both the S7 and S7 Edge feature ‘Dual Pixel’ cameras with a 12MP with f/1.7 aperture rear camera and a 5MP front. Samsung has boasted of exceptional low-light captures with the Galaxy S7 devices and it may just dominate the camera department once again this year.

February 23, 2016
MediaTek Unveils Helio P20 SoC at MWC, 2016

MediaTek has announced its latest SoC for budget smartphones called the Helio P20. It will be the direct successor to the company’s Mediatek Helio P10. The new chip is built using SMC’s latest 16nm FinFET Plus (16FF+) process and the company claims, as a result, the Helio P20 will be 25% more energy efficient than its predecessor. It’s also the industry’s first SoC to support LPDDR4X, which is Samsung’s more efficient LPDDR4 RAM.

“MediaTek designed the MediaTek helio P20 to meet today’s consumer demand for sleek, powerful yet highly power efficient mobile devices,” said Jeffrey Ju, Executive Vice President and Co-Chief Operating Officer at MediaTek. “Consumers place increasing importance on the battery life and multimedia capabilities of their smartphones. MediaTek has risen to this challenge with a leading solution,” he added.

The Helio P20 is structured to come with eight Cortex-A53 cores which are the same number of cores as the last generation, but the new SoC is clocked higher at 2.3GHz owing to the move to the new manufacturing process. It also has ARM’s latest Mali-T880 GPU, but unlike the GPUs found on high-end mobiles, the GPU on the particular SoC comes with only two cores which are clocked at 900MHz, quite high for mobile GPUs.

The Helio P20 SoC is also the first SoC to support Samsung’s LPDDR4X, which according to the company provides 70 percent more bandwidth and 50 percent higher efficiency compared to LPDDR3. This is achieved by lowering the supply voltage to a low 0.6v.

The SoC uses MediaTek’s latest Image Signal Processor (ISP) which adds support for dual-phase detection autofocus significantly improving autofocus performance by upto four times compared to conventional autofocus systems.The company has revealed that phones using the Mediatek P20 could be seen as early as second half of 2016.

February 23, 2016
Acer Launches new Liquid Series Phones at MWC 2016

Acer has unveiled two new handsets at the ongoing Mobile World Congress,2016 that the company will soon be bringing to markets across the globe. Let’s take a look at what Acer has in store for us.

Acer Liquid Jade

The Acer Liquid Jade 2 comes equipped with a 5.5-inch 1080p AMOLED screen. The phone also features a mammoth 21MP camera with fast autofocus and 4K video recording support at 30fps. The front-facing camera is 8MP and has 84-degree wide-angle lens

It is powered by a Snapdragon 808 chipset with hexa-core CPU and 3GB of RAM. The internal storage is 32GB and is expandable via the microSD card slot.

Acer Liquid Zest

The Liquid Zest comes in two variants 3G, and 4G. The 3G variant houses a Mediatek MT6580 chipset with a quad-core 1.3GHz CPU and comes equipped with DTS Sound Studio while the Zest 4G comes on board with a MediaTek MT6735 with a quad-core processor clocked at 1,3 GHz and upgraded DTS-HD Premium Sound.Both the variants come with the same 8MP f/2.0 main camera with autofocus and a 5MP selfie unit.

February 23, 2016
MWC 2016 Day 1: 360-Degree Camera, VR, and More

The Mobile World Congress is already underway and has wrapped up with the first day today. The conference actually began yesterday with the Unpacked event where LG, Huawei and Samsung kicked off the show with their products. Flagship mobiles aside, the MWC attention being given to new technology as well. 360 cameras and virtual reality were big at the MWC. Here are the products that grabbed our attention the most.

Gear 360 Camera

The MWC has always been the grandest stage for Samsung as it is where the Korean giant always unveils its flagship smartphones. That being said, yesterday’s Unpacked event for Samsung seemed a lot less about its flagship S7 devices and a lot more VR-centric. Indeed, the event opened with a virtual reality presentation, having the audience wear the Gear VR headset to experience the arrival of the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge with a VR presentation.

Along with the flagship devices, Samsung also unveiled the Gear 360 camera that can capture 360-degree videos that can capture and share 360-degree images and videos thanks to its double-lense spherical shape. The eyeball-shaped camera has a flat bottom that allows it to rest on any surface, a MicroSD card slot (up to 128GB) and swappable battery, hidden within.

Each of the opposing f/2.0 lenses have a 195-degree field view and the resulting 15 degrees of overlaps helps the software stitch the two images together. The camera shoots 30-megapixel spherical photos and 3840 x 1920 video that offers a great experience, especially inside the Gear VR.

LG 360 Cam

The LG 360 Cam is a low-cost, and easy way to record 360-degrees video. The camera uses two 13MP lenses on either side with a 200-degree field of view. The camera carries a 1,200mAh battery pack inside and can record up to 70 minutes on a single charge. The camera also records 2k videos.

This is one of the major modular attachments announced by LG at the launch event and the company has high hopes from the LG 360 Cam for helping increase sales for the LG G5

LG 360 VR

Apart from its revolutionary modular flagship G5 smartphone, LG also displayed its 360 VR headset that is designed to work as a standalone display, without the need to attach a smartphone like the Google Cardboard and Samsung Gear VR.

The LG 360 VR has a pixel density of 639ppi, which is pretty high. The headset connects to the G5 using a USB Type-C cable.

Nokia Ozo VR Camera

One very interesting device here is the Nokia Ozo VR camera which will in all probability be the first cinema grade virtual reality recorder. The device comes with the capability to record and store up to 45 minutes of audio and video. we checked out the results first hand and the VR quality is really high standard.

Nokia thinks the Ozo VR will be able to revolutionise the movie-making industry with this new offering, and as such will look to make a big push for the Ozo VR Camera in the coming days. How it fares in the market though only the future knows.

February 22, 2016
Samsung S7 Edge vs S6 Edge : What’s Changed

The Samsung Galaxy S7 edge is here, and it’s come to the party with a high-end smartphone featuring great design, premium materials and impressive under-the-hood specs. Samsung with the S7 edge has done well to listen to its user base and improve on the flaws of the last year’s S6 edge. Today we put these two up against each other, and do a quick comparison to show how much really has changed in this new handset.

Display and Design

The S7 edge has a bigger 5.5-inch form factor and comes with a QHD Super AMOLED display with a pixel density of 534 ppi compared to the 5.1-inch QHD 577 ppi screen that we saw on the S6 edge. The display though not an upgrade in terms of resolution does come as a welcome upgrade when it comes to size. To Samsung’s credit, it has managed to cut down on the screen-to-body ratio and bring a bigger display to the S7 edge without adding significantly to the phone’s dimensions.

To Samsung’s credit, it has managed to cut down on the screen-to-body ratio and bring a bigger display to the S7 edge without adding significantly to the phone’s dimensions. The phone’s display also comes with an intelligent “Always-On” feature which figures out when the phone’s display is not face down on a surface or kept in a pocket and stays lit up to show important notifications and time.

The phone also comes with more rounded edges which combined with the rounded edges at the back provides for a far better grip to the user. Samsung claims it has “made the camera nearly level in the S7 edge which carries forward the premium glass and metal design scheme of the S6 edge while incorporating IP68 waterproofing, and dust resistance, capabilities which provides safety up to 30 minutes while submerged under 1.5 metres of water to this latest iteration by sealing the metal chassis of the phone from the inside.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0epWiMGAkc

Under-the-hood Specifications

The S7 edge is available in two versions with two different processors. The first will see a 64-bit octa-core (2.3GHz Quad + 1.6GHz Quad) processor, the other will come with a 64-bit quad-core (2.15GHz Dual + 1.6GHz Dual) processor. The device that makes it to India is expected to carry the Octa-Core Exynos 8890 SoC. This will be an upgrade over last year’s 1.5 Ghz Exynos 7420 Octa-core SoC present on the S6 edge.

The S7 edge also gets one up over the S6 edge when it comes to RAM on board. The S7 edge comes equipped with 4GB of RAM while, the S6 edge came only with 3GB on board. In terms of inbuilt memory, the S7 edge comes in only 32GB and 64GB options as compared to the S6 edge which had a 128GB variant too in its arsenal, but what makes the S7 edge a clear upgrade over the S6 edge is the fact that the former houses a microSD card slot for memory expansion.

Camera

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rEblmHmKz3c

Samsung pulling out of the Megapixel race has decided to jump into the fray with a ‘Dual-Pixel’ 12-megapixel camera at the back, and a 5-Megapixel front camera both with F1.7 aperture. Galaxy S6 edge on the other hand, came with a 16-megapixel rear camera with OIS and a 5-Megapixel front camera.

Samsung claims this is the most advanced camera to date that it has used on its phones and that the pixels in its camera are around 30 percent bigger than the competing phones such as the iPhone 6s Plus and thus allow for sharper, clearer pictures, even in low-light surroundings.

The company claims that the dual-pixel technology which it has incorporated works like a human eye and results into 100 percent of the pixels being used to focus allowing for a faster focus while taking a picture.

Battery & Gaming

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dnzQP8MJTCk

Samsung S6 edge was notorious for it’s short battery life, and Samsung has looked to correct this basic flaw with a significantly bumped up battery pack in the S7 edge. The new phone features a 3600mAh battery pack, which is a cool 1000mAh over its predecessor.

The S7 edge also comes with new Air-Cooling tech to help keep the temperature of the phone down, and also adds to the mix wireless and fast charging capabilities. One thing that Samsung did miss out on was the widely expected USB Type-C port.

The mobile phone gaming market is emerging as an important space and Samsung is making a very strong push for it with the S7 edge. The S7 edge will be the first device to use the Vulkan API which Samsung claims will provide users the ability to experience PC-quality gaming on the S7 series devices with lower battery consumption. The company has also added a new ‘Game Launcher,’ to enable users to better manage battery consumption, and block notifications for immersive gaming sessions.

February 22, 2016
HP Unveils the Windows 10-Powered Elite X3

HP has unveiled its Windows 10-powered Elite X3 smartphone at the ongoing Mobile World Congress. HP claims that this smartphone can be used as a laptop as well as a desktop. The Elite X3 bears some high-end specifications.

The phone comes with a 5.96-inch QHD touchscreen, a 16-megapixel camera at the back, an 8-megapixel camera at the front for clicking selfies. It will be powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 820 SoC paired with 4GB of RAM, 64GB storage and up to 2TB of expandable storage via MicroSD card slot. The device packs a large 4,100mAh battery and comes with support for USB Type-C and will also support USB 3.0, Qi wireless charging.

The Elite x3 also houses a fingerprint scanner, a fancy iris sensor, a special docking connection, IP67 certification for water and dust resistance, as well as MIL-STD-810G rating for withstanding drops from 1 meter or less. It will also support Microsoft’s Continuum feature. Pretty impressive we say.

HP confirmed the Elite X3 will be available this summer although the company did not specify the exact date or pricing of the device. We’ll know more in the weeks to come.

February 22, 2016
The LG G5 Just Made Smartphones Interesting Again

As a chunk of the world awaited Samsung’s release of their yearly flagship revision, LG got on stage and announced the G5. The Korean company which has remained an underdog in comparison to Samsung massive fan appeal may finally bring back its glory of the Nexus 5.

With a first look the all aluminum design is a stark reminder of the Nexus inspired design and while the LG G5 resembles the Nexus 6p it is much smaller and more rounded. Which the location of the fingerprint scanner and the bump of the camera module almost falling exactly in place.

The LG G5 has a 5.3 inch 2560 x 1440 pixel display which also features a new always-on technology which consumes a fraction of a single percent of battery power per hour.

Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon 820 chipset, 4GB of RAM inside the G5. LG now actually offers two camera module on the back: a regular 16-megapixel image and a 135-degree wide angle 8-megapixel camera. with both offering different features and capability.

But with all of the above, the G5 is a mere upgrade with beefy specs and power to boot. Where it radically changes the perception of a flagship smartphone, is by offering a modular 3 tier design.

The LG G5’s bottom compartment slides out, and along with it the 2800 mAh battery. Once removed the module can be interchanged, presently LG offers two, and with third party manufacturers getting access the possibilities are vast. The ones on offer include a camera grip that adds advanced hardware controls for use with the main camera on the device and a beefier stack for a better grip in the hand. The module also doubles up as a battery pack, offering 1200 mAh of additional juice in today’s battery hungry age.

Of course, the personal preference and the more interesting module is the LG Hi-Fi Plus, an external 32-bit DAC and amplifier combo unit, manufactured in collaboration with Bang & Olufsen. It supports native DSD playback and will come with a pair of H3 B&O Play earphones.

Audiophiles have been long carrying portable amps and DACs and LG aims to remove that additional problem and this may work out really well for a lot of people.

LG has basically taken one step forward towards making a truly modular phone a reality. Now if we could just replace out the chipset and the camera we are golden.

LG has dropped a panic bombshell on the audience and the tech industry, and the world should take notice. This is the evolution of smartphone design, and with the future only closer to what modular requirements each customer would have.

Samsung has done little with the Galaxy S7 and the Galaxy S7 Edge, a safer play, giving the consumer what they wanted. Hybrid sim-slot and waterproofing, are majority changes in the Galaxy S7 in comparison.

February 22, 2016
HTC Desire 825,630,530 Budget Phones Unveiled

HTC at the Mobile World Congress has unleashed a new lineup of mid-range smartphones with great designer looks but modest hardware. The lineup includes three new phones the HTC Desire 530, 630, and 825.

Of the three, the 530 and 630 are quite similar and come in a 5-inch form factor. Both come packing a 720p Super HD display. The Desire 530 is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 200 1.0GHz processor which is paired with 1.5GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage.

The Desire 630, on the other hand isn’t too great on specs either and comes with a Snapdragon 400 1.6GHz processor paired with 2GB of RAM, and 32GB of internal storage.On the camera front, the desire 530 comes packing a 8-Megapixel camera while the Desire 630 comes with a 13-Megamixel camera on board.

The Desire 825 is the bigger sibling, and features a 5.5-inch form factor but disappointingly, the Desire 825 also has just a 720p HD display which is sure to be a turn-off for a lot of users.On the specifications front, it is equipped with a Snapdragon 400 1.6GHz processor and is matched with 2GB of RAM and 32GB of storage. There’s also a large 2,700mAh battery, which coupled with a low-resolution display promises good battery performance.

The standout feature of these phones is their design which includes the “micro splash” paint design that HTC claims is unique to each and every of these new phones built which will be designed with special nozzles that sprays colorful dots on the phone’s rear plastic casing. No pricing details have been revealed so watch this space for further details.

February 22, 2016
Sony Unveils New Xperia X Phones at MWC 2016

Sony just held its press conference at the MWC 2016 in Barcelona. The company today unveiled its new Xperia X lineup of device that consists of the Xperia Performance. X and XA. Sony launched the devices stressing on a more connected world, with improved and smart technology. Along with this, Sony also launched the Xperia Ear, Eye, and Projector as smart accessories that allow for a more hands-free way to connect with your smartphone.

Sony didn’t reveal too much about the specs of the devices. The X Performance sports a 5-inch 1080p Full HD display and is powered by Snapdragon 820. The device, which is the bigger of the three has a premiu metal finish with a rectangular chasis and rounded edges and a 2.5D curved glass on top. The X Performance comes with a 23MP rear camera with a Predictive Hybrid Autofocus, 5x Clear Image Zoom and ISO 12800 sensitivity, and a 13MP selfie shooter.

The Xperia X and XA also feature Predictive Hybrid Autofocus tech that offers motion tracking. The mid-range devices are powered by the Snapdragon 650 hexa-core processor, run on Android 5.0 Lollipop and come with a 2.5D curved glass on the front and a metallic rear for a premium feel.

The device looks really slim and you can see the Xperia logo at the back with the camera on the top left and the LED flash just below. Along the right side, you have the power button, volume controls and a dedicated camera button as well. Up in front, you have a large display with exceptionally thin side bezels and a 2.5D curved glass.

Sony also showed off the Xperia Ear, a earpiece that informs you of your schedule, news and weather. It responds to voice commands, and can make calls, search the internet, read and respond to emails and messages or navigate to a location. Pricing has not been revealed as of yet. Sony confirmed that the devices will start shipping in Summer this year. We’ll know more about the devices and new connected products in the weeks to come.

February 22, 2016
Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 to Launch in India Next Week

Xiaomi today has announced that the Chinese smartphone maker will bring the Redmi Note 3 to India sooner than expected. The company through its official forum has invited fans to the launch event of the phablet at the Talkatora Stadium in Delhi on 3rd March 2016.

This device which has already been launched in China has been highly awaited in India for some time now. The Redmi Note 3 comes with a full-metal unibody design, as well as a fingerprint scanner, and sports a 5.5-inch 1080p display which is going to be powered by a Snapdragon 650 SoC.

The phablet is expected in two variants of 16GB storage with 2GB of RAM, and 32GB storage with 3GB of RAM. Both variants come with 4,050mAh battery packs.The camera on the two variants of the phablet will be a 16MP rear unit and a 5MP front shooter. The Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 will run Android 5.0.2 Lolipop out of the box. Pricing details are still awaited.

Users who want to register for the event can find the link here.

February 22, 2016
Lenovo Launches Vibe K5 and K5 Plus

In the midst of the hustle and bustle of the MWC 2016 taking place in Barcelona, Lenovo quietly unveiled two new budget handsets for consumers around the world.The new handsets Vibe K5 and K5 Plus whose launch went under the radar amongst the other high profile launches, come to the market with almost similar specs.

Both sport 5-inch displays, with the difference in display resolution and on-board SoC setting them apart. The Vibe K5 comes with a 720p display and a Snapdragon 415 SoC while its bigger sibling comes with a 1080p display and Snapdragon 616 SoC.

Both the handsets share specs when it comes to the 2GB LPDDR3 RAM, 16GB inbuilt storage and microSD expansion slot for expandable memory. Both phones also come packing a 2750mAh battery pack to keep them powered on.

Both the handsets are LTE enabled, and come with 13-MP unit at the back, and an 8-MP unit at the front. Further, both these handsets boast Dual-Sim connectivity and come with Android 5.1 Lolipop, and house Dolby Atmos-powered stereo speakers in their chassis.

These budget offerings will be launched in select markets, and India is expected to be one of them. The pricing details reveal the Vibe K5 to come for $129 ( Approx Rs 8800), while theVibe K5 Plus will retail for $149( Approx Rs 10200).

February 22, 2016
New Sony Xperia Model Surfaces Ahead of Today’s Event

MWC 2016 kicked off in a grand way with LG and Samsung having unveiled their flagship smartphones. Now, it’s Sony’s turn to unveils some of its products. While it may not be a flagship device in the form of the Xperia Z6, Sony will still look to bring out something great. Popular leakster @evleaks, who is no doubt in Barcelona trying to get an exclusive look at new phones before everyone else does, has posted an image of a new unnamed Xperia phone that may just be unveiled later today.

*drops the other shoe* pic.twitter.com/v611vo0bAv

— Evan Blass (@evleaks) February 21, 2016

The image posted shows off a great looking phone. The device looks really slim and you can see the Xperia logo at the back with the camera on the top left and the LED flash just below. Along the side, you have the rounded power button, volume controls and a dedicated camera button as well. up in front, you have a large display with exceptionally thin side bezels and hints of a 2.5D curved glass. Sony’s event will take place later today starting

Sony is also expected to launch the Xperia PP10, so we’re possibly looking at least two phone launches from the company today along with some smart accessories. The event will take place later today starting 1pm IST. Follow this space for more on Sony’s launch event.

February 22, 2016