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HTC Rolls Out Lollipop for One M8 Users in Europe

Good news has arrived for HTC owners; the company has started rolling out Android 5.0 Lollipop for its M8 users. The confirmation has come from many reliable sources including HTC Senior Communications Manager Jeff Gordon and prominent ROM Developer LlabTooFer, who took to Twitter stating –

HTC One (M8) owners in Europe, have a sweet tooth this morning? Check your software updates!

— Jeff Gordon (@urbanstrata) January 28, 2015

Users can check for the same on their devices. Finding the update is very easy. Just go to Settings > About Phone > System Update and download the update.

Lollipop is the latest operating system released by Google. It offers added fluidity through a new user interface (UI) and users will experience improved natural touch screen interactions. The Material Design adds bold colours to the screen. Along with that, the new Android update lets you have a look at the notifications on the lock screen itself and facilitates dismissing them without unlocking it. In all, it offers users a pure, bloatware-free and seamless Android experience.

Lollipop was released in November last year. We hope that India, as well as other nations, get the soon.

January 29, 2015
Top 5 Smartphones Which Have Style, But No Substance

In this over-crowded smartphone market, there are many low and high-end phones that complement their price. Spending money on such phones is never an issue as they perform the tasks well. But some manufacturers believe in style, no matter if the phones have the required features or not.

Here’s a list of some handsets that do not stand up to the true definition of a smartphone and bear style with no or little features.

Vertu Signature Cobra

This extravagant device is a limited edition phone designed by French jeweller Boucheron. The Vertu Signature Cobra is adorned with two diamonds, two emeralds and 439 rubies and is priced at $310,000. The phone, unlike today’s smartphones, doesn’t pack top-notch features and provides only basic functionality of calling, texting, etc. Released in October 2011, only eight of these phones were produced.

Heart 401AB

Next in the list is the stylish heart-shaped mobile that was announced recently. This weird piece is made for women who want something really extraordinary. But we are a little dubious about its market value in India as it is more of a toy with no camera, a monochrome screen of 0.9-inch, 128x36p resolution and no messaging feature.

Ancord Diamond Crypto

Ancord Diamond Crypto is a massive bling accessory for tech lovers. Designed by Peter Aloisson, this luxury smartphone is one of the most expensive phones out there and is studded with 50 diamonds. The navigation key is made of 18k rose gold, and this piece of jewellery/phone comes at a whopping price of $1.3 million. The phone has a TFT display and features SMS, MMS, E-mail, Internet capability, WAP, JAVA support and a media player, which you can find on any phone of sub-Rs. 5000 range. However, we agree that it was released in 2006 when Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi Hotspot and 4G capability were not common, but still, it is not worthy of spending $1.3 million on a phone/accessory.

Sony Ericsson Black Diamond

Sony Ericsson has earned a name for good but slightly expensive phones, but this smartphone has broken all price records by the company till date. Costing $300,000, the phone cannot stand next to the devices in sub-Rs. 8000 category. It has an unimpressive 2-inch OLED display, 4 MP camera, 128 MB internal memory and regular connectivity features. The phone was released in 2006 so nothing much to expect in terms of feature.

Buddha Phone 268

Another device that may be impressive through its concept, but will fail to dazzle tech geeks, is the Buddha Phone 268. It’s a gold luxury round mobile and is inspired by the Buddhist design. With a 2-inch LCD display, 1.3 MP camera, and other standard capacities, the phone is below basic.

January 29, 2015
Apple Ties With Samsung For the Top Spot in the Global Smartphone Market

Apple is celebrating one of its biggest victory in its history. The Cupertino, California based iPhone maker has noted a $18 billion of net profit in last quarter, making it the most profitable quarter ever, not just for Apple, but for any company.

Now, new statistics have drawn in, putting both Apple and its arch-rival Samsung on the top slot in the last quarter of 2014. According to research firm Strategy Analytics, the iPhone maker’s global market share has grown to 20 percent, from 18 percent last year, while Samsung’s fortune headed the opposite direction dropping the firm to that same 20 percent figure from 30 percent in the year-ago period.

With Apple’s big screen iPhone, a bigger display is no longer a reason to buy Samsung’s devices

While Samsung still remains number one when it comes total shipments of the year 2014, Apple has matched Samsung’s fourth-quarter shipments of 74.5 million smartphones. The major reason of these interesting figures in Apple’s sixth generation iPhones which embraced larger screens and LTE trends to excite Asian consumers.

Samsung has been struggling to keep up with Apple in the high-end smartphone market and likes of Xiaomi and Micromax in the low-end market. With Apple’s big screen iPhone, a bigger display is no longer a reason to buy Samsung’s devices, and its smartphones can’t reach the low prices of those from Chinese and Indian vendors.

Apple took three year to comeback as a top dog in the tech industry, after Samsung replaced it in 2012. There has been a drastic shift in the global smartphone shipments which grew by 31 percent, to a record of 380.1 million units, in the fourth quarter of 2014. And it seems Apple is not having trouble holding a large chunk of the global market. Good Luck, Samsung.

January 29, 2015
Xiaomi to Setup its First Ever R&D Base in India

Xiaomi, who recently boomed the Indian Market with the MI handsets, is ready to establish its research and development base in Bangalore, India. It will be the first such facility outside China.

India is one of the largest market for Xiaomi. All the three devices by the company, Mi 3, Redmi 1S and Redmi Note, cumulatively sold more than a million devices since it was first launched in 2014.

Xiaomi India Head Manu Jain said-

We have always stated that India is one of our most important markets. We are in process of signing the lease on a facility in Bangalore, which will be our R&D unit. This is the first one outside China, the R&D unit will focus on India-specific products to begin with. We will focus on localization, themes and then India specific features to cater to local requirements here.

He, however, refused to disclose the investment details and the number of people who would employed at the centre.

The company expects the centre to be fully operational in the next few months.

This could be a big step to boost their sales even further espcially with the launch today of the Xiaomi Mi4, which will be available on Flipkart on 19th February, 2015.

January 28, 2015
New ZTE Blade S6 Comes With Snapdragon 615 Processor and Android Lollipop

Today ZTE unveiled the Blade S6 4G LTE smartphone. The device falls under the budget category and is targeted at the young online generation. It will cost $249.99 (translating to something above Rs. 15,000). The Blade S6 will be available on global online retail stores like AliExpress, Amazon and eBay, with the latter two offering phone services in selected markets only.

The device packs some interesting specifications and features. The most amazing of them is ZTE’s Smart Sense gesture motion control which, the company says, allows users to shine the Blade S6’s flashlight, activate its built-in mirror application, take rapid succession of photographs, play music, and do much more.

The Blade S6 boasts a 5-inch display made from In-Cell technology and is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 octa-core chipset paired with 2 GB of RAM. With company’s MiFavor 3.0 UI on top, the phone runs on the latest Android 5.0 Lollipop. It has 16 GB of internal memory that can be expanded via a MicroSD card.

Talking about the camera quality, then 13MP rear snapper with auto focus and the 5MP front shooter captures pictures of good quality. The phone is dual SIM and gets its juice from 2,400 mAh battery. Connectivity options include Wi-Fi, GPS and Bluetooth 4.0.

The device will be available in two colour options – silver or pink matte finish. There is no announcements about its India launch, but buyers should expect it to be available soon.

January 28, 2015
Xiaomi Mi4 vs OnePlus One : Who Will Lead The Indian Race?

Xiaomi, the world’s third largest smartphone manufacturer, has launched its much awaited Mi4 handset in India. By tripling its sales last year, Xiaomi has shown its might and recently has launched two new devices MI Note and Note Pro. While there is some time for these handset to come to the Indian shores, Xiaomi’s Mi4 will go on sale on February 10 via company’s exclusive e-commerce partner Flipkart. Meanwhile, another blockbuster Chinese manufacturer, OnePlus has been embraced by Indian consumers with phenomenal response.

Both these Chinese manufacturers are fighting a battle for supremacy in the Indian market. While both smartphone continue to remain scarce in the Indian market, Xiaomi have still managed storm ahead via flash sales from Flipkart.

Lets have a quick comparison with both these devices to see which one marched ahead

Design

The look and the feel of the Mi4 is very similar to iPhone 5S. On the other hand, OnePlus sports a rugged feel with its sandstone back cover. The OnePlus One is bulkier than the Mi 4, although but both feature the same thickness of 8.9mm. The Mi 4 is lighter than the One weighing at 149 grams, compared to the One’s 162 grams.

Both the handsets pack in full HD display, but the clarity on the screen will differ slightly because of the different screen size. The OnePlus One features a 5.5-inch display, while the Mi 4 features a 5-inch display. This difference in size affects the pixel density. The One’s display has a pixel density of 401ppi, while the Mi 4 has a pixel density of 441ppi.

Hardware

Both handsets, being flagships, ensure top notch performance when we talk about the hardwares. Both Mi4 and OnePlus One sport a quad-core Snapdragon 801 processor clocked at 2.5GHz along with 3GB of RAM. Neither of the flagships support external SDcard for expanding the memory. One feature that stands out in OnePlus One is 64GB of internal memory while Mi4 comes with only 16 GB. Only time will tell whether the Mi4 will be able to compete with the OnePlus One on the hardware end.

Camera and Battery

The One and the Mi 4 both feature 13-megapixel rear cameras with auto-focus, and LED flash. Sefie lovers won’t be disappointed either. OnePlus One packs in a 5-megapixel front-facing camera while the Mi 4 leads the race with an 8-megapixel selfie snapper upfront.

Both the handsets pack impressive battery. The One has a 3,100mAh battery, while the Mi 4 has a 3,080mAh unit.

Software

While both the handsets run on Android KitKat, their custom skins and features make a lot of difference. The Mi 4 runs on Android 4.4.3 KitKat wrapped under the company’s MIUI. The OnePlus One, on the other hand, runs on CyanogenMod 11S OS based on Android KitKat. Though CyanogenMod known to be highly cutomizable and very user-friendly; however Xiaomi has launched the MIUI6 and it will be interesting to observe the battle of the Os’s

Availability

Xiaomi’s social media campaigns are funded by their massive reserves of cash due to their position as China’s top smartphone seller and their most recent round of funding. While OnePlus uses a combination of viral marketing, coupled with special events and CyanogenMod to try and thrust themselves into the spotlight. Both the companies have employed the flash sale model to sell their products. Xiaomi has partnered with Flipkart while OnePlus with Amazon. Amazon has been criticized for a price glitch in the Yu Yureka flash sale earlier this month. Both phones however, continue to be in demand without enough supply from either Chinese manufacturer.

Battle of the Patents

Both these Chinese Superpowers seem to be involved in legal turmoil regarding patent infringement. While Xiaomi was sued last month by Erricson for patent infringement in relation to LTE; OnePlus was sued by Micromax for patent infringement regarding use of the CyanogenMod. However both companies seemed to be unhindered by these legal issues and continue to push on stronger than ever.

Conclusion

While neither company is very old, they have managed to attract quite a bit of attention, even if they are far from household names globally. In India, both of these chinese companies have done quite some trade, despite being surrounded with controversies regarding patent infringement. The Mi 4, however, lags behind the One in important parameters, less internal storage and lack of 4G network support.

January 28, 2015

HTC Brings Out Two Affordable Variants of Desire 526G+ in India

At a time when major smartphone companies are showing off new devices every day, HTC had been missing from the picture. Getting back in the game, Taiwanese manufacturer has today introduced a budget device called Desire 526G+ in India. The phone is available in two variants – 8 GB and 16 GB.

Both the variants hold a similar set of specs and differ only in internal memory storage. The 8 GB variant is available on the e-commerce website Snapdeal and comes at a price of Rs. 10,400. The 16 GB, on the other hand, is available offline at a price of Rs. 11,400.

With a 4.7-inch QHD 960×540p display, the Desire 526G+ is powered by a 1.7GHz octa-core processor paired with 1 GB RAM. The device runs on Android 4.4 KitKat with HTC Sense UI skin on top. The 8MP rear camera and 2MP secondary snapper click quite good pictures.

The HTC Desire 526G+ will lock horns with other high-end phones like Yu Yureka and Redmi Note. Check out the specs battle below:

Specs	HTC Desire 526G+	Yu Yureka	Xiaomi Redmi Note
Display	4.7-inch qHD	5.5-inch HD	5.5-inch IPS LCD
Processor	1.7 GHz octa-core	64-bit Snapdragon 615 octa-core	1.7 GHz MediaTek octa-core processor
RAM	1 GB	2 GB	2 GB
Storage	8 GB/16 GB expandable	16 GB expandable	8 GB expandable
Camera	8 MP rear /2 MP front	13 MP rear/5 MP front	13 MP rear/5 MP front
Battery	2,000mAh	2,500mAh	3,100mAh
OS	4.4 KitKat	Cyanogen OS 11	4.2 Jelly Bean
Price	Rs. 10,400/11,400	Rs. 8,999	Rs. 9,999

With budget phones flooding the market, it would be unfair to say that HTC will knock down other devices. But you never know.

January 28, 2015

Battle of the Fittest : Xiaomi Mi4 vs OnePlus One vs Mi3 vs Honor 6

Xiaomi’s much awaited Mi4 handset has been launched in India. The popular smartphone was unveiled in July last year, and has been widely appreciated for its high end features and specification in the budget segment. The Xiaomi Mi4 will go up against likes of OnePlus One and Huawei Honor 6. Lets see how the Mi4 matches with its opponents in our Spec Battle.

Specs	Xiaomi Mi4	Xiaomi Mi3	OnePlus One	Huawei Honor 6
Display	5.0 inches, 1080 x 1920 pixels	5.0 inches, 1080 x 1920 pixels	5.5 inches, 1080 x 1920 pixels	5.0 inches, 1080 x 1920 pixels
Processor	Quad-core 2.5 GHz, Snapdragon 801	Quad-core 2.3 GHz, Snapdragon 800	Quad-core 2.5 GHz , Snapdragon 801	Quad-core 1.7 GHz + quad-core 1.3 GHz, Kirin 920
RAM	3GB	2 GB	3 GB	3 GB
Storage	16GB, non expandable	16/64 GB, non expandable	64 GB, non expandable	16/32GB, non expandable
Camera	13MP Rear and 8MP Front	13MP Rear and 2MP Front	13MP Rear and 5MP Front	13MP Rear and 5MP Front
Battery	3080 mAh	3050 mAh	3100 mAh	3100 mAh
OS	Android 4.4.3 KitKat With MiUi 6	Android OS, v4.3 (Jelly Bean), upgradable to v4.4.2 (KitKat)	CyanogenMod 11S	Android OS, v4.4.2 (KitKat)
Price	Rs. 19,999	Rs. 13,999	Rs. 21,999	Rs 17,999

Xiaomi has enjoyed lot of success lately with its pocket friendly devices, Mi4 seems to be directly competing with OnePlus One in terms of Specs. With the company’s improved and smoother MiUi 6, the device’s look and feel is expected to be phenomenal too. The Mi 4, however, lags behind the One in important parameters, less internal storage and lack of 4G network support.How will the device do in the Indian market? Stay tuned for the follow up news, unboxing and full review of Xiaomi Mi4 on iGyaan.in.

January 28, 2015

Xiaomi Finally Launches the Mi4 in India Along With MIUI6

Xiaomi has enjoyed quite some success in the Indian smartphone market with its flash sales and aggressive pricing despite being surrounded with various controversies regarding patent disputes and privacy concerns. Now, the world’s third largest smartphone maker has launched its much awaited Mi4 handset in India at a price of Rs.19,999.

Launched back in July 2014, the Mi4 flaunts a 5 inch 1920 x 1080 pixels IPS display and is powered by a 2.5 GHz Quad-core Snapdragon 801 processor paired with 3 GB of RAM. The handset gets in juice from a 3,080mAh battery. The Mi 4, however, lags behind it competitors in two important parameters, less internal storage and lack of 4G network support.

Post by Mi India.

On the camera front, the Mi4 has a power packed 13MP rear snapper with LED Flash, Sony IMX214 BSI sensor and 4K video recording, along with a whopping 8MP front shooter with Sony Exmor R sensor. The phone runs on Android 4.4.3 KitKat and includes connectivity options like 4G LTE, 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS and Wi-Fi Direct.

Along with Mi4, Xiaomi has announced its latest OS – MIUI 6 bringing a design overhaul with more colorful, minimalist looks, enhanced security and new phone features. MIUI 6 brings a less-distracting, simpler UI and Xiaomi claims it will be a dive-in-and-use affair without the need to familiarize yourself with it. Colors play a big part of MIUI 6, while many apps appear white or grey key accents are coloured in red, orange and a spectrum of other colours, making MIUI 6 look a little like iOS 7 and 8. Some apps even appear to have an immersive parallax effect – the Clock for one.

If the sale of any of its previous models is anything to go by, the Mi4 is going to have an epic response. All of Xiaomi’s phones have been ultra-coveted and ultra-successful because they offer a combination of specs and price that is virtually unbeatable. This is what also makes the Mi4 such a potential sensation.

Sale of this device will take place in the traditional ‘Flash Sales’ stratergy on Flipkart on 19th February, 2015. Registrations for this device will be open today at 6 PM.

Specs	Xiaomi Mi4
Display	5.0 inches, 1080 x 1920 pixels
Processor	Quad-core 2.5 GHz, Snapdragon 801
RAM	3GB
Storage	16GB, non expandable
Camera	13MP Rear and 8MP Front
Battery	3080 mAh
OS	Android 4.4.3 KitKat With MiUi 6
Price	Rs. 19,999

January 28, 2015

iOS 8.1.3 Update Now Available, Demands Less Storage Space

Finally the Cupertino giant rolls out the iOS 8.1.3, a new update for its mobile devices that fixes a variety of bugs, and doesn’t even rob users of a major chunk of their phone’s storage, as the update is just about 247 MB. Users have been cribbing about free space with the launch of the iOS 8, as they had issues updating because of the massive size of the download. Other major fixes include zapping a bug that prevented app results from popping up in Spotlight search.

In addition, it also fixes a bug that prevented users from using their Apple ID password for use with Messages and FaceTime. It also fixes a bug that did not allow multitasking gestures from working properly. Also added is a configuration option for education standardized testing via Apple’s devices.

These issues might have resolved some of the more common users concerns about iOS 8, especially the amount of storage space the update demanded. To update the device, go to the Settings menu, select General and choose software update. For more information, you can head over to Apple support.

Do let us know your thoughts about the new update.

January 28, 2015
Apple Records The Most Profitable Quarter in Corporate History

Apple has released its fiscal Q1 2015 earnings and the result is pretty staggering. Well, the Cupertino, California-based iPhone maker has broken all the records with most profitable quarter ever not just in Apple history but in corporate history.

The company reported $74.6 billion in revenue, $18 billion in net profit representing $3.06 per share. The $18 billion net profit put it in the top spot. Russia’s Gazprom (the largest natural gas extractor in the world) previously held the record at $16.2 billion in a quarter.

Apple’s own guidance from its last earnings release predicted between $63.5 billion and $66.5 billion in revenue, with gross margin between 37.5 percent and 38.5 percent. Apple’s guidance has been accurate for the past year and a half, with the upper end of the forecast very close to what it actually reported. But this time, Apple was conservative and easily surpassed its own guidance.

Apple’s Q1 2015 International Revenue

Tim Cook talking to the press said that the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Pus’s soaring sales are the main reason of this outstanding success. According to recent market analysis, this quarter saw largest number of consumers using iPhones and well as the largest number switches from Android to iOS.

This quarter also saw Apple becoming the biggest smartphone manufacturer in China in term of shipments with staggering $16.1 billion in revenue. The company didn’t reveal the detailed region specific numbers, however, the total international sales represented 65 percent of Apple’s revenue.

Apple’s soaring international revenue points towards very bright future of the company not just in terms of hardware but also it’s iOS ecosystem. Sixth generation iPhones have played a major role in this staggering success which embraced large screen and LTE to swell its sales exponentially in the global market.

January 28, 2015
Tim Cook Confirms Apple Watch to Debut in April

The smartwatch by Apple is the next big awaited announcement from the Cupertino-based giant. The Apple Watch will make a debut in April this year, confirmed the CEO of Apple, Tim Cook.

Tim stated that the Apple Watch is under development, and that he has high expectations from its upcoming debut-

My expectations are very high on it. I use it every day. I love it and can’t live without it.

This statement condemns the earlier rumours which assured that the Apple Watch would launch in the first quarter of 2015.

The revelation has come at the time when Apple is riding high on success. Recently, Apple witnessed a record-breaking sale of over 74 million iPhones.

Users will see three variants of the Apple Watch: first is the regular Apple Watch that would have a case of stainless steel, second variant is the Apple Watch Sport that will hold a fluoroelastomer band and anodised aluminium case, and the last one is the Apple Watch Edition with an 18-karat gold case. The device will be compatible with the latest iPhone models – iPhone 5, 5S, 5C, 6 and 6 Plus.

Apple Watch has a personalised interface and a Digital Crown that sits at the right side of the watch to help navigate better. The Apple Watch will be available in six designs with interchangeable straps. The built-in speaker phone and microphone can be used to receive calls.

January 28, 2015
Apple Takes The Top Spot in China, Dethrones Xiaomi and Samsung

We are all familiar with Apple’s soaring sales of iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. Apple recently revealed its record Q1 sales, surpassing even the highest analyst iPhone sales expectations as it set new iPhone sale records and new company record, too.

Now, a Chinese data firm Canalys has released its latest report that the Cupertino based manufacturer has risen to the top spot in the highly competitive Chinese market for the first time. The report also mentioned that it is highly surprising considering the price of its devices is ‘nearly double those of its nearest competitors’.

While the home grown smartphone giants of China are aiming for global expansion, the iPhone maker has turned the table towards the domestic market. The report highlights that the major reason of the success is the that Apple is finally embracing the LTE and large screen trends which are the most vital parameters in Chinese market.

Apple captured a record 33 percent market share in South Korea in November 2014, according to Hong Kong-based market research company Counterpoint. Samsung, arch-rival of Apple has been shunned to the third place, tailing behind Apple is China’s Xiaomi.

Apple will be reporting it last quarter earning next Tuesday in detail.

January 28, 2015
Check Out Vivaldi, a New Browser Aimed at Power Users

Former CEO and Co-Founder of Opera, Jon von Tetzchner has announced the first preview of ‘Vivaldi’, a new Chromium based browser built primarily for power users. The new browser is still in its Beta phase, and is available for Windows, Mac and Linux.

It features utilities like Quick Commands, the familiar Speed dial that shows your favourite tabs on the new tabs page along with gesture-based mouse controls. In addition, it gets some new nifty tricks like organising multiple tabs into one stack for easy and clutter free browsing. Another new feature allows users to take notes right in the browser along with taking screenshots.

The new browser takes a lot of inspiration from Opera, and von Tetzchner duly acknowledges that. Vivaldi uses the Chromium (Blink) rendering engine found in Chrome and is built entirely using the latest web technologies including React, Node.js along with a number of node modules.

As of now, only the technical preview for the browser is available. Though in the coming months, it is likely to add sync, mail support, improved performance and extensions. In addition, the browser will be shaped by the community; hence it will be driven by user demands.

You can download a technical preview of the Vivaldi browser here. We tried it out for a while, and it seems to be a rather snappy browser that pays homage to Opera. The browser’s interface subtly changes colors as you navigate from one site to another to match the dominant color on the page. It’s certainly got a potential for power users, with nifty features like ‘quick commands’ that helps you search or run commands, identical to OS X’s Spotlight.

January 27, 2015
TRAI’s Android App Allows Users to Provide Instant Feedback on Operators

Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) is perhaps tightening the noose on service providers in India, as mobile phone subscribers from now on can give instant feedback to TRAI about the quality of services provided by operators via an Android based app. Operators will be penalised if they fail to meet minimum service quality benchmarks set up by the regulatory authority.

[quote text_size=”small” author=”Sudhi Gupta” author_title=”TRAI Secretary”]

Considering the growing penetration of Internet and smartphones, Trai has introduced a Web-based application as well as an Android-based app for assessing customer perception of cellular services.

[/quote]

Under current regulations, TRAI can levy a penalty of upto Rs.50,000 on mobile service providers in an event when they fail to comply to a service parameter, the amount is doubled if they repeat the same shortcomings again.

Earlier today, TRAI also issued draft regulations to facilitate full mobile number portability that is set to start from May 3.

January 27, 2015