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IFA Berlin 2015 : Lenovo Unveils its ‘Smart Connected Device Collection’

Lenovo today announced its ‘smart connected device collection’ with almost 40 devices, that includes smartphones, wearables, tablets and PCs. Here’s a list of some of the upgraded and new devices that have featured this year:

Ideacentre AIO 700

The Moto 360: Now comes with more features and an extended battery life. It includes a refined case design with extended lugs, a new women’s line designed “by women and for women”, a new Moto 360 Sport for fitness enthusiasts with GPS and heart rate sensors. Along with all this, Lenovo has also included an AnyLight Display so that things can be read even in the sunlight, and an extended battery life than the first gen tech wear.

VIBE P1 Smartphone: Comes with a 5000mAh battery, OneKey Power Saver and Rocket Charge. It also supports the 5G WiFi with its very own WiFi Boost and is run by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 64-bit Octa-Core processor. It comes with a Near Field technology and fingerprint reader and a starting price of $159 which is Rs.10,532. Lenovo has also unveiled the VIBE S1 which comes with an 8 MP primary and a 2MP front camera.

iDeaPad : Lenovo has also announced seven new desktops, laptops and tablets from its ideacentre. It has paired with Intel RealSense cameras and Windows 10 for this. The new ideapad MIIX 700 12 inch, 2-in-1 tablet comes with a dual watchband hinge kickstand. The AIO 700 desktop has doubled up its CPU performance, screen resolution and memory capacity. Last but not the least, the ideapad 300 and 500 laptops are thinner and lighter and have even thinner versions called the ideapad 100S, 300S and 500S.

Lenovo PHAB Plus: This comes with a 6.8-inch full HD display and a battery that promises to last you an entire day along with fast internet. The Phab Plus will be priced at $299 which is approximately Rs.19,795; it will be available September onwards in select countries.

YOGA Tab 3 Pro and YOGA Tab 3: With a 70 inch projector, this tablet is perfect for Netflix. It also features four front-facing JBL speakers and a virtualized Dolby Atmos 1 experience over built-in speakers. The tab comes with the Netflix app in full HD display along with Dolby Digital Plus.

The Yoga Tab 3 comes in two variants – an 8 inch and a 10 inch display. Both come with a rotating camera and a great battery capacity with LTE support.

Keep watching this space for more live updates, straight from IFA Berlin 2015.

September 2, 2015
Report: ZenWatch 2 Price and Availability Revealed

New reports tell us details about the price and availability of the ASUS Zenwatch 2. The larger of the two – 49mm version will cost around $170 which is Rs.11,256 and the smaller 45mm version will be around $190 which is around Rs.12,580.

The Zenwatch 2 is said to hit the worldwide in october. Some other features of this tech wear are – a new metal crown, AMOLED screens,Snapdragon 400 processor, magnetic charger cable, dust-and water-resistance and will come in three colour variants of silver, gunmetal and rose gold. The watch will also come with rubber, leather and stainless steel straps for the fashion conscious user.

Watch the video below for the full design:

https://youtu.be/dw5KKD0bdoo

September 2, 2015
Attention Book Worms: Amazon Introduces Kindle Unlimited in India

Today Amazon launched Kindle Unlimited in India. It’s a subscription which allows Kindle users to have access to a plethora of books at a low price. A monthly fee of Rs.199 allows the reader to have access to about one million books across various genres. The Kindle Unlimited logo is a must for the titles to be eligible for this subscription. After that, only a click on ‘Read for Free’ on any Kindle device, or the free Kindle app for Android or iOS, is required.

Amazon boasts of a library including names like Chetan Bhagat, J.K. Rowling, Robin Sharma, Amish, among others, as part of the titles offered to its audience. The six month subscription costs Rs.999, while the twelve month one is for Rs.1799. Also, from today till September 30th, readers can get their first month of subscription for only Rs.99. Potential customers can log on to www.amazon.in/kindleunlimited to subscribe.

We suggest you don’t waste your time lugging heavy books around because the kindle is here to take you to a different world by bringing you millions of books, in one device, in just 60 seconds.

September 2, 2015
Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 Finally Arrives In India

Samsung’s ultra-slim Galaxy Tab S2 tablet announced in July this year has been launched in India today. Priced at 39,400, the tablet is available for sale across the country now. The gadget is 5.6 mm thick and weighs only 392 grams for its 9.7 inches. The 8-inch variant of the tab has not been released in the country.

With a thickness of 5.6 mm, Galaxy S2 is not only slimmer than the Apple iPad Air 2, but it also boasts of a finger-print scanner integrated in the physical home button. Equipped with 4G LTE support, the tab offers 32GB internal memory, expandable up to 128GB using a microSD card. A bundled storage of 100GB for two years in the form of a OneDrive has also been provided by Samsung.

Other features include 8-megapixel rear camera, 2.1-megapixel front camera and a 5,870mAh battery. Connectivity is offered by 4G LTE support, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 4.1, GPS, and it runs on Android 5.0 Lollipop. Samsung is giving 2GB of 4G data free per month for a period of two months to customers with an Airtel subscription. Additionally, the company also promises a bunch of paid apps pre-loaded on the tablet, among other attractive features all worth about Rs 31,000.

September 2, 2015
Rumour: Xiaomi and Samsung Are Working Together on a New Laptop

Xiaomi, the fourth-largest smartphone vendor, has decided to enter the world of PC manufacturing if Jungah Lee’s report in Bloomberg is to be believed. Xiaomi is working on the launch of a laptop early next year. There have been talks with Samsung to provide memory chips, which could further lead to Samsung also taking care of the display of the new product. The two companies refused to make any comments on this.

Samsung too has been struggling to maintain a stable hold over the Chinese as well as markets all over the world. However, after impressing the market with its smartphones which use a highly customised Android version called MIUI, this venture could turn out to be a wise move for Xiaomi.

September 2, 2015
Moto 360 (2nd Generation)- Leaks, Rumours and Speculation

Motorola recently Tweeted a video hinting at the potential successor of the Moto 360 smartwatch that had hit the markets last year. Poised for a tentative release next week, expectations and hopes are high to see the Moto 360 (2nd Generation) at IFA Berlin this year.

This new model of the smart watch is marked by a change in the position of the crown. From the previous three o’clock of Moto 360 it has moved to two o’clock.

The three o’clock position of the crown of Moto 360

The two o’clock position of the crown.

This video however is not the first bit of leaked information regarding Moto 360 (2nd Gen). Speculations have been thriving from as early as March when a picture was posted on HelloMotoHK page on Facebook.

A travel case showing components of a round watch with multiple straps.

The new smart watch is expect to have better display than its predecessor. The numbers being thrown around are that of a 360 x 360 display.

Droid Life discovered that a Motorola filing for a smartwatch-like wireless charging device has passed through the FCC (Federal Communications Commission). This filing could be for the upcoming Moto 360. The last time a Motorola smartwatch product was submitted to the FCC, it was shortly before the Moto 360 was released. All eyes are now set on IFA Berlin this year. Will they, won’t they?

September 2, 2015
Instagram Begins Rolling Out Ads on its Photo Feed

This is the day we had hoped would never come – after cluttering our newsfeed on Facebook with “suggested posts”, it’s now Instagram’s turn to push sponsored pictures.

The first ad which appeared is by Instagram itself, announcing that within the next few weeks we’re going to see multiple unwanted posts on our homepage. These ads will come with a sponsored label and you can tap it and hide the ad if it doesn’t interest you. According to the company, even if you opt out of seeing a certain type of ads, you will still see ads based on your activity on Instagram

To show the sponsored posts that would be relevant to a particular person, Instagram will use the information about they do on Instagram as well as Facebook (its parent company) as well as information from third-party sites and apps used.

Ask anyone who is a regular Instagram user, what they like most about the app, they will tell you it’s the clutter-free interface. Instagram is not too worried about losing its followers, though. This may be good news for retailers and Instagram as they will see their fortunes rising. However, we don’t know if this is a positive or negative development for its users.

September 2, 2015
Seagate Announces Hard Drive With 2TB Capacity In a 7MM Package

Seagate Technology, has announced a new hard disk that can offer 2TB of storage capacity in a 7mm package. This new development will help in the production of mobile products that can cater to the modern stylus. This can be fitted into a thin, light-weight, fast, power-efficient and cost-effective handset.

This new hard drive weighs 3.17 oz which is said to be 25% lighter than its predecessors and further makes itself practical and useful by being able to free up valuable space in a mobile device to accommodate additional designed-in features like – bigger batteries, more memory and better air circulation.

“In an industry first, our engineers have been able to boost areal density to 1TB per platter in a 2.5-inch form factor, which will give OEMs the flexibility to design and build virtually any kind of mobile device they can envision, with plenty of storage to boot,” said Mark Re, Seagate’s chief technology officer.

This 2TB hard drive is capable of storing more than ” 500,000 songs, 320,000 photos, and 240 hours of high definition videos or 26 hours of 4K ultra-high definition content.” The hard drive comes in an HDD format, however, Seagate is currently said to be examining a Hybrid version that could come with a NAND flash.

September 2, 2015
IFA Berlin ’15: What to Expect

IFA Berlin, originally a radio exhibition, has now become a red-letter event in the tech world. One of the oldest industrial exhibitions, it is a consumer electronics trade fair which holds a record of 2.4 billion euro of placed orders.

What you can expect from the event is a myriad of smart-phones, smart-watches, tablets and laptops up for display for potential customers and the international media. About 7000 journalists from over 75 countries have attended and covered this event in the past. IFA has previously been the launch platform of various fancy gadgets, Samsung Galaxy Note series being an example.

The first week of September thus marks Europe’s biggest exhibition of new consumer electronics, and therefore the most perfectly prepared market for the gizmo connoisseur. With all eyes glued on one of the most important events of the tech calendar, here’s a quick look at the many ways we can expect our minds to be blown away over the course of the next three days.

Samsung

Starting with a consistent flag-bearer of the event – the brand is expected to launch its new smart-watch, the Gear S2 at the event. Although Samsung has already revealed most of the details about its upcoming smartwatch, the company promised to give a more in-depth presentation at IFA.

Asus

Closely followed by Samsung is Asus’s ZenWatch2 whose price and release date is likely to be announced at the event. The company has promised “dramatically improved” features which include better recharging times with a magnetic connector. Knowing its track record, it is highly unlikely Asus would make an appearance with only one gadget. Hold tight for more updates on what Asus have to offer this year.

Motorola

Motorola is in toe of these major brands with its launch of the 2nd generation of Moto 360, another gizmo falling in the smartwatch category. This one will be available in two different sizes.

Sony

Sony has been fairly quiet about its presence in IFA this year, however it won’t be wrong to expect a slice from its growing range of wearable devices and an expanding set of 4K cameras and TVs. Sony is also expected to release its Xperia Z5, Z5 Compact, and Z5 Premium at the IFA Berlin event today.

Click here to read more about the upcoming Sony smartphones.

LG

The stage is set for the LG Rolly portable keyboard. This full-sized QWERTY keyboard for smartphones and tablets rolls up into a stick and therefore is convenient to carry around. Backed by a AAA battery, it is bluetooth enabled and is expected to last three months before running out of power. It would be interesting to note the response to this little gadget –if it’s worth the hoopla or will it be too fancy for any practical purpose. LG has declared September as the tentative time when it will be available for sale in the US.

Huawei

If rumours are to be believed, Huawei is expected to bring into action its own version of Force Touch technology, present in the Apple watch and speculated to be part of the next iPhone. Apple has described Force Touch as the “most significant new sensing capability” for it included Multi?Touch in older MacBook laptops. A Force Touch includes the usual gestures like scrolling and swiping along with a customisable feature in the trackpad called Force Touch. The users can adjust the feature’s sensitivity enabling them to determine the pressure required to determine a click.

Additionally, updates on the price and release date of the Android Wear-running Huawei Watch are also expected to be announced this IFA.

Lenovo

The company has kept its plans carefully and deliberately under wraps this year. However the air is rife with rumours of a 5.5-inch Vibe P1 Android handset that would perhaps be coupled with a 5,000mAh battery.

Microsoft

If Intel manages to market its Skylake range quickly enough, there is much to look forward to in terms of the Wintel combination. Intel’s Kirk Skaugen has already said, “Windows 10 and Skylake processors were ‘designed together.” Today at IFA, the entire Skylake range is going to be released, covering perhaps the broadest range of devices in the company’s history. With Windows 10 now out, PC makers everywhere should expect all sorts of new things and updates since the processor and Windows updates have already lined up quite conveniently for some big news this year.

There are a whole bunch of other brands to watch out for. Not being mentioned separately does not reduce their importance and contribution at IFA ’15. If we would have it the Arthur C. Clarke way when he said, “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic”, it’s time to sit back and let the magic begin!

September 2, 2015
New Xperia Z5 Leak Shows Detailed Design and Specifications

Sony is expected to release its Xperia Z5, Z5 Compact, and Z5 Premium at the IFA Berlin event today. However, a new leak shows us detailed images of all the devices – the Xperia logo is engraved on one side, while the volume, camera, and power buttons are on the other side. The power button is said to also function as a fingerprint reader, while on the design front we can see the SONY name in the middle of the back with a small NFC logo above it.

The very anticipated 23MP camera can also be seen on the top-left corner. The device is said to be powered by the Snapdragon 810 SoC, and will have 3GB of RAM, 32GB storage, and an 8MP front facing camera, while the very anticipated 23MP camera can also be seen on the top-left corner.

Further reports suggest that the Z5 premium might come with a 5.5-inch 4K UHD display, the Z5 will have a 5.2-inch 1080p display, while the Z5 Compact is expected to have a 4 inch 720p display. All three devices will come with batteries that are said to last for up to 2 days. Watch this space for more.

Source: [tw-button size=”medium” background=”#07ABE2″ color=”” target=”_blank” link=”http://www.xperiablog.net/2015/09/01/see-new-hands-on-pictures-of-the-xperia-z5-z5-compact-and-z5-premium/”]Xperia Blog[/tw-button]

September 2, 2015
Leak: iPhone 6s Plus Front Panel Shows Larger Front Camera and Force Touch

According to recent reports, the iPhone 6S Plus’ front panel has been leaked, with images showing a larger front camera. Apparently an Apple component store got early replacement units which shows a similar design but with a Force Touch controller.

The changes for the 6S is expected to be mostly internal – better cameras, selfie camera on the front will be above the earpiece and will go up to 5MP with 1080p video capture.

The newly leaked panel is in white, thereby not confirming the rumoured Rose Gold variant. Stay tuned, the Apple event will be held on the 9th of September, and we will bring you all the updates.

Source: [tw-button size=”medium” background=”#07ABE2″ color=”” target=”_self” link=”http://www.gsmarena.com/front_panel_of_iphone_6s_plus_pictured_force_touch_controller_in_tow-news-13783.php”]GSMArena[/tw-button]

September 2, 2015
Google Gets a Brand New Logo

Looks like Google is working itself through some major changes. Barely a month back, the company’s organizational structure went through a major overhaul. The internet-based tech company announced that it had renamed itself as Alphabet. Making Alphabet the umbrella company that owns Google and the other companies that Google owned. With Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin running Alphabet as CEO and President, respectively, while Sundar Pichai became the new CEO of Google under Alphabet.

To go with the new grown-up company, it now has a new look.

Google has already updated it on its homepage and it posted this animated video to showcase how it has changed over the past 17 years:

In a blog post the company explains that it has evolved over the year. From being a single search engine website, to now working on a variety of platforms – Search, Maps, Gmail, Chrome and more. The company will be rolling out the update on other platforms soon.

Any thoughts on Google’s new look?

September 1, 2015
Karbonn Gives India the Titanium S200 HD at Just Rs. 4999

Doing a big favour to tiny Indian pockets is Karbonn’s newest smartphone, the Titanium S200 HD priced at a heart-warming Rs. 4999. The gadget comes equipped with an 8-megapixel autofocus rear camera with dual-LED flash, and a 3.2-megapixel front-facing camera. In addition to this, the smartphone is powered by a 1.2GHz quad-core Speadtrum SPC7731 processor combined with 1GB of RAM.

The dual-SIM Karbonn Titanium S200 HD has Android 4.4 KitKat out-of-the-box and features a 5-inch HD (720×1280 pixels) IPS display. The gadget also boasts of a handset of 8GB of built-in storage which is further expandable via a microSD card (up to 32GB).

Connectivity options include 3G, Wi-Fi, FM Radio, GPRS/ EDGE, Bluetooth, and Micro-USB. The smartphone is backed by a battery rated to deliver up to 9 hours of talk time on 3G and 650 hours of standby time. Launched in an exclusive partnership with Snapdeal, the smartphone is available at a price of Rs.4999 on the website along with a free protective case.

September 1, 2015
Leaked: Motorola Bounce, The Newest Moto On the Block

Motorola has taken its previous Moto X Style a step ahead with its latest addition to the tech industry. Codenamed Moto Bounce, this new gadget offers a 5.43-inch QHD (1440×2560 pixels) resolution display, Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 SoC, 3GB of RAM and Adreno 430 GPU are some of its other interesting features.

If this wasn’t enough, a 5-megapixel front-camera is coupled with a 21 megapixel rear camera. The Bounce further blows away your mind with an in-built storage of 32GB and 64GB.The gadget is swanky enough to also boast of a 3,760mAh battery capacity. If speculations are to be believed, this would make it one of the´high capacity smartphone batteries in the market.

The tweet which shared the image @upleaks on Twitter also tagged Bounce as “shatterproof”, indicating an MIL-STD rating. Slated for release in December this year, this little gizmo is inarguably one of the most anticipated releases of the year.

Source:[tw-button size=”medium” background=”#07ABE2″ color=”” target=”_self” link=”http://phandroid.com/2015/08/31/motorola-droid-turbo-2-bounce-leaked-render-hardware-specs/”]UP Leaks[/tw-button]

September 1, 2015
Xiaomi Set to Rip Off Samsung’s Smartphone Design

Xiaomi has made it no secret that it is ‘inspired’ by Apple’s design language. Across the Chinese company’s massive product range – there are plenty of uses of white, mixed with the smooth silver aluminium finish. Now according to reports surfacing in China, Xiaomi is working on a smartphone with a dual curved edge display. Sounds familiar?

Samsung’s unique ‘edge’ design was first unveiled last year at IFA on the Note 4. The company introduced a one-of-a-kind design which stands out in the crowd for its unique screen, which extends and runs over onto the right side of the device. And if you’re thinking the curved panel is simply a marketing gimmick, you’re wrong.

The extended side screen is super functional as well – it has 7 scrollable panels which are customisable. When the smartphone is locked, the side-panel can be used to have a quick look at notifications and get faster access to certain features such as time and date display, flashlight, camera, messages and even a ruler. Preferred apps can also be shifted to the side panel, frequent use of which will help users conserve battery life.

After the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 Edge, S6 Edge and S6 Edge+ have also utilised this design.

According to the rumour, the upcoming ‘edgy’ Xiaomi smartphone features a 5.2-inch display with a 1440×2560 QHD resolution (565ppi). It is expected to be powered by a Snapdragon 808, hexa-core CPU and Adreno 418 GPU. With respect to availability and pricing – it may arrive in October priced around Rs. 26,000 (approx.) Xiaomi is not the only one, it has been reported that LG is also working on a similar design.

Xiaomi has made it its business to bring high-end products at affordable pricing. The effort is appreciable by millions using their products, we’re just not sure if Samsung will be too happy to hear about this.

September 1, 2015