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Xiaomi’s Redmi Note to Go on Sale on 30th December

Xiaomi returned back today with fresh stocks of the Redmi 1S, its blockbuster low-cost smartphone. The sale went on longer than the usual Xiaomi flash sales, but the company did end up selling all of its stock as usual. The company has now revealed the date of the flash sale of the Redmi Note.

Xiaomi will hold a flash sale for the 4G variant of the Redmi Note 0n Tuesday 30th December at 2pm. The device has a price tag of Rs. 9,999. It is powered by a Snapdragon 400 processor clocked at 1.6 GHz. The 5.5-inch 720p HD display will also be appreciated by multimedia enthusiasts.

A 3G variant was also launched by the company and it was priced at Rs. 8,999. This variant of the phone has been banned from sale by Delhi high court following an infringement accusation from Ericsson India.

So if you want to enjoy the big screen goodness of the Redmi Note, make sure you register for the sale on Flipkart by the 29th of December.

December 23, 2014
Xiaomi Redmi 1S Has a Slow Sales Day in its Comeback Flash Sale

Xiaomi fans, who were dejected after the ban on the company’s devices, have a reason to smile today. The Xiaomi Redmi 1S went on sale after a gap of nearly a month. The devices were selling faster than hot cakes before the ban was imposed. At 2pm today, the devices were up again for purchase on Flipkart but the virtual stampede by fans to buy the device was missing. The sale went on for over thirty minutes before going out of stock.

Xiaomi’s VP, Hugo Barra had announced the sale through a Facebook post on 16th December:

The Delhi High court had banned the devices after a patent infringement accusation by Ericcson. Ericcson claimed that Xiaomi infringed on eight of its patents that include features like AMR, EDGE and 3G technologies. Xiaomi later appealed to the court saying that it sold Qualcomm chipset based devices, and Qualcomm had obtained the required licenses from Ericsson. This meant that the Xiaomi phones running on Qualcomm chipset did not infringe on the patents of Ericsson. Thus the Delhi High Court raised the ban on the company allowing them to sell Qualcomm chipset based devices. And hence the Redmi 1S with its Snapdragon 400 chipset went on sale today.

Xiaomi had brought up to 50,000 devices for sale today, which is one of the biggest stocks from the company for a single flash sale. It was a slow sales day at Mi India’s page at Flipkart. During previous sales we saw the devices disappear within seconds but this time around, the window of purchase was open for several minutes before the devices went out of stock.

Xiaomi also said that it will be bringing the 4G variant of the Redmi Note, which runs on a Snapdragon processor to the market. However the date of sale is yet to be specified. We would like to assume that the folks have been saving for the Redmi Note, which carries a bigger display with almost the same specs as the Redmi 1S. The Note also supports 4G so it surely has that advantage over the 1S. But even with a slow sales day, Xiaomi still managed to clear all its stocks which means the love for the company hasn’t ended yet.

If you are one of the many who scored the device, share your joy with us in the comments. We will also keep you updated on the date of sale of the Redmi Note. Keep checking iGyaan for more.

December 23, 2014
OnePlus Argues One Devices Running on a Different Cyanogen Version

Finally, the Shenzhen-based smartphone manufacturer OnePlus has retaliated; taking on the allegation made by Micromax saying that they are not infringing any rights exclusive to the India consumer electronics firm, Micromax. It argued that the Cyanogen operating system (OS) version used by them is different from that used by Micromax.

Last week a complaint was lodged by Micromax to the Delhi High Court saying that the company has acquired exclusive right to use CyanogenMod trademark all across South Asia. This led to the temporary ban of OnePlus devices from selling, promoting or for that matter, even importing its devices to the Indian soil.

OnePlus argued before a bench headed by Justice Pradeep Nandrajog, commenting that the version embedded in their OnePlus One devices is Cynogen CM11S, while Micromax handsets run on a completely different version of the new software. As per the agreement between Micromax and US-based software firm, an exclusive clause states that Cyanogen cannot collaborate with any another smartphone maker in the Indian subcontinent. However, it did not extend to the fact that a different version could not be used in other devices. The Chinese company also added to its statement that the version point was not mentioned by any judge who has passed the restraining order.

Senior advocate Kapil Sibal representing OnePlus said,

It does not mean that we cannot do business.

He also suggested that his client should be given three months time to substitute Cyanogen with another software based on Android operating system and sell its already manufactured devices. It was also observed by the bench that the US-based firm Cyanogen had not been fair to the Chinese manufacturer stating that Micromax didn’t give time to the Chinese firm to make any changes to its device.

“Your client (Cyanogen) did not show fairness to either Micromax or Shenzhen. If this is how you want to proceed, that is wrong,” said the bench to the US firm counsel. Further hearing of the case will be held tomorrow.

Although it certainly seems that OnePlus has been wronged, it will be interesting to observe which way the decision goes. In the meantime OnePlus fans can patiently hope and pray that their beloved phone stays in the Indian market.

December 23, 2014
Sony Xperia Z4 Teased With an Abstract New Video

January is the month when CES, one of the biggest consumer electronics trade show comes to town. CES 2015 is just a few weeks away, but the buzz around it is already heating up in this excruciating winter. Sony has put its foot forward and posted a new video which might be a teaser for the upcoming Sony Xperia Z4.

Sony hasn’t had a good time with the market in the past couple of years, and they have seen their profits shrink year by year. The company is in a major re-invention period, and it is currently focusing on bringing itself back to profitability even if that means losing 25-30% of their market share in the smartphone business.

The video posted by the company is titled ” Welcome to the New World”. It shows a girl licking a lollipop that seems to signify that the device will run on Android Lollipop. There have also been rumours that the new flagship device from Sony will feature a Snapdragon 810 processor which would make it one of the first devices to feature this latest chipset. The company had previously launched the Xperia Z3 at IFA Berlin last September and keeping with its six months update schedule; the new flagship is ready for the world. The Xperia Z3 was appreciated for its design and features but was berated for being too pricey.

Have a look at the video right here:

December 23, 2014

Review : Micromax Canvas 4 Plus

Some would say that Micromax is on a roll, touted as one of the dominant force in the Indian smartphone industry. The domestic manufacturer is closing down on Samsung to claim the No.1 spot for the largest smartphone vendor in the Indian subcontinent. There’s no denying that company’s recent products have significantly improved when it comes to build quality.

Micromax’s latest addition to its lineup is the Micromax Canvas 4 Plus, which surprisingly was launched in a subtle way without creating all the hype the company is known for.

OVERVIEW

Since the launch of the Canvas Knight earlier this year along with the recently launched Yu Yureka, Micormax is constantly striving to offer high-end specs at mid-range prices. The recently launched Micromax Canvas 4 Plus does boast off a fairly appealing outer demeanor along with a decent set of specs. This device is priced on major e-commerce websites at approximately Rs. 14,000.

The smartphone arrived in our test lab, hence without any more delay, let’s check out how the Micromax Canvas 4 Plus performs in our grilling review.

HARDWARE

The Micromax Canvas 4 Plus is by no means a slouch when it comes to specs. It sports a MediaTek Octa core chipset, 1 GB of RAM with 16GB expandable storage. The Canvas 4 Plus runs on a 2000 mAh battery with Android Kitkat OS on board.

Check out the key specs below:

Specifications	Micromax Canvas 4 Plus
Display	5 inch AMOLED HD screen
Processor	1.7 GHz Octa-core MediaTek
Storage	16GB Internal Storage expandable upto 32GB
RAM	1GB
CAMERA	13 MP rear camera with flash, 5MP front selfie cam
BATTERY	2000mAh
Operating System	Android 4.4.2

BUILD QUALITY AND DESIGN

There no denying that the Canvas 4 Plus appears to be a makeshift version of the iPhone, with a similar slim form factor, rounded edges and also bendable. Yes! You read that right; we were fiddling around with the phone to test its durability and it led to some awkward moments in our test lab. The phone did bend and the golden bezel running across the sides are now slightly off their normal position.

Moving on, there’s a gold a backplate that covers most of the back. The front houses the display along with the three physical capacitive buttons rearranged right below the display. Meanwhile, the back houses the primary camera on the top right while the phone’s loudspeaker is placed bang in the center below the metallic strip.

Placed on top of the phone, are the micro-USB port along with the 3.5mm jack. The right edge houses the power button and a tray for the micro-SIM card, while the left side houses the volume rockers along with a flap for a regular sized SIM card. Opening the rear is quite task, as one needs to be dexterous to pull out the flap and then get a hold of it with a fingernail. In addition, the tray on the right also makes it mandatory to use a pin to pop it up.

That being said; the overall design of the phone is quite ergonomic, it feels pretty light and provides a really good grip. The slim form factor of the phone fits in the hand rather well making it rather good for one handed usage.

The Canvas 4 Plus is not quite robust as one would like though the overall build quality and design of the Canvas Plus are rather satisfactory, unless you have a problem carrying an iPhone look alike.

CAMERA

The phone comes equipped with a 13 MP primary camera bundled with LED flash along with a 5 MP front camera for selfies, which is pretty decent, though does not justify the megapixel count.

The rear snapper can take some fairly good shots in well lit conditions. Colour reproduction is pretty decent though images don’t come across quite as sharp given 13 MP camera, especially while taking macro shots. While taking long shots, the camera again had issues getting the exposure right. In addition, the camera couldn’t take quality shots in low light as they appeared a tad grainy.

Here are a few samples taken from the primary camera-

Meanwhile, the front 5MP cam can take pretty decent selfies, though going by the number of megapixel count, it does not justify the image quality. Hence, it’s safe to say the overall camera performance is just about average, given the specs of the camera unit.

PERFORMANCE AND OS

The Micromax Canvas 4 Plus is quite a beast in terms of performance; it just zips through day to day tasks without a twitch. The phone’s benchmark scores say it all, scoring a whopping 31,649 in Antutu, a Quadrant score of 16,122 while it racked a Nena Mark II score of 68.3 FPS. The phone can handle anything thrown at it, from high-end games to HD videos. It won’t fetter while multitasking, perfect for heavy users.

DEVICE NAME	Antutu Benchmark	Nena Mark II	Quadrant Standard
Micromax Canvas 4 Plus	31,649	68.3 fps	16,122
Huawei Honor 6	41900	59.1 fps	10,939

Coming to the OS, the Micromax Canvas 4 Plus runs the Android 4.4.2 (KitKat) apart from a few minor functional tweaks. The UI is very similar to the Canvas Nitro. The pitch black screen displays only notifications on multi coloured strips which is rather refreshing. It displays quick notifications and updates and works well with QuickLook (aka Blinkfeed for non HTC devices).

Micromax has also added Air-shuffle which enables users to wave their hands over the ambient light sensor to shuffle music and radio stations, along with taking pictures via the camera app. Something we saw in Samsung’s pricier smartphones and also works seamlessly on the Canvas 4 Plus. In addition, Micromax has also bundled the Swift Key keyboard which is rather delightful. Also crammed in are quite a few apps which cannot be uninstalled, while the OS also comes pre-loaded with a few trial games including Smash It.

Overall, the UI is rather swift and responsive and works really well with the set of pre-loaded apps.

DISPLAY AND MULTIMEDIA

The Canvas 4 Plus sports a 5 inch HD AMOLED display, which is pretty satisfactory, it works well indoors and outdoors. Texts appear nice and sharp, though viewing angles aren’t that great. In addition, colours do appear quite over saturated and overblown. That being said, the overall display is rather satisfactory. You will totally appreciate media consumption on the display, despite the 720p screen.

The audio quality is pretty good, there’s an Audio enhancer when you plug in the headset, along with a feature called ‘BestLoudness’ to further bolster the volume.

PHONES, NETWORKS, AND BATTERY

The call quality of the phone is pretty top notch, both indoors as well as outdoors and we didn’t experience any call drops either. Meanwhile, Wi-Fi connectivity is pretty good as the phone latches onto available networks at ease.

In terms of battery performance, the phone is better than many of the phones in the given price range. It can easily last a day of usage, with an average 4-5 hours of talktime.

CONCLUSION

The Canvas 4 Plus is a great phone for its price but has its own limitations. As we already mentioned, if you don’t have any qualms over flaunting this iPhone look alike infront of your peers, the Canvas 4 Plus is a good all round performer.

Sporting an octa-core chipset, the phone does not compromise on its performance. Notably, its performance is at par with the cheaper Micromax Canvas Nitro (A310). There are however, other worthy alternatives in a similar price bracket, the evergreen and dependable Moto G (IInd Gen) or for that matter the Huawei Honor 6, which have more to offer than the Canvas 4 Plus, if you’re willing to spend an extra couple of thousand.

December 23, 2014

Android Lollipop Captured in a Leaked Screenshot on LG G2

Mere weeks have passed since the roll out of Google’s Android 5.0 Lollipop, and all the smartphone manufacturers are doing everything to upgrade their devices with Google’s new OS. Countable number of devices have received the update so far and Nexus devices top the list for obvious reasons. The South Korean giant LG’s flagship, LG G2 has been recently caught with Lollipop on it.

An authentic Italian technology web portal unveiled a screenshot that shows Android 5.0.1 on the LG G2 with a build number LRX21Y. However, the leaked pictures of the update was of the LTE-Advanced version bound to South Africa only. It is believed that the global LG G2 users will soon witness the update on their devices. The leaked image itself is a pretty good sign that the company is working on it.

It is an impressive step by the firm to upgrade their 2013 released smartphone with Lollipop. Meanwhile, all G2 users can check out their devices for an OTA update.

The LG G2 features a 5.2-inch IPS display with 1080×1920 pixels along with Corning Glass 2 protection. Initially, the device ran on Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean OS out of the box; but later it was upgraded to KitKat. Now it is said to support Lollipop as well. The phone is powered by quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor and comes with 2 GB of RAM. It packs a 13MP primary camera and a 2.1MP secondary snapper that can take amazing selfies. The phone has 16 GB of internal storage capacity and comes with connectivity options like 4G LTE, 3G, Bluetooth 4.0, Wi-Fi and microUSB. The 3000 mAh Lithium-Polymer battery powers the device for a complete day usage.

With the incredible interface of Lollipop, the old G2 models will come to life. However, till the time LG makes an official announcement, global users will have to wait.

December 23, 2014
Survey : Indian 4G User Base to Hit Close to 15 Million by December 2015

Even though 3G is still taking its time to adjust in India, it seems like 4G might catch up soon and win the race. A recent report by PwC forecasted that the 4G subscriber base in the subcontinent will touch 10-15 million by December 2015.

In a statement by PwC for Indian telecom sector, “We expect 4G LTE subscribers to reach 10-15 million by December 2015 driven by competitive pricing, superior network experience and affordable smartphones.”

Arpita Pal, PwC Leader Telecom, added, “In 2015, we will witness multiple Indian players launching 4G on a more efficient 1800MHz spectrum and Indians subscribers will adopt 4G wholeheartedly to satiate their needs for mobile data.” Adding the fact that LTE will be accessible in India as well.

Aircel and Bharti Airtel are the first to bring the 4G service in India, although it is present in select states only. Reliance Jio Infocomm, BSNL and Tikona are amongst others to launch the same in the coming year.

The consultancy firm stated, “India will see a significant spurt in Wi-Fi hotspots driven by both government smart cities and ‘Digital India’ and private sector initiatives.”

For us, the result of the survey seems far-fetched. Although network providers might give the service, it will take some time before users switch up and invest in 4G capable devices.

December 22, 2014
Motorola Slashes the Price of Moto X (gen 2) in India

Motorola fans’ holidays just got merrier. The company has given a price cut to the second-generation Moto X and has also started an exchange offer on the smartphone.

The Moto X’s Flipkart listing has been refreshed by the company and the price has gone down to Rs.29,999 from Rs. 31,999. The models with wood and leather backs are also Rs 2,000 cheaper, now priced at Rs 31,999.

Along with this, the exchange offer lets you exchange your phones from various companies and offers price cut upto Rs 23,999 for the standard model and Rs 25,999 for the wood and leather variants. These discounts come the same day Motorola is scheduled to launch the 32GB variant of the new Moto X.

The new Moto X is not much bigger than the previous one, with a 5.2 inch AMOLED display. It is still protected by Gorilla Glass. The device runs on a Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor with a 2.5GHz quad-core CPU, an Adreno 330 578MHz GPU and 2GB of RAM. It is powered by 2,300 mAh battery which Motorola claims will last a full day.

The Moto X (gen 2) has four microphones to help reduce background noise, and comes in a “splash guard” water repellent coating and will be available in both 16GB and 32GB variants. At the back, it has an updated 13-megapixel camera lens with 4x zoom and a ring flash. The camera has the ability to capture 4K video instead of just 1080p.

December 22, 2014
5 Weather Apps That Offer Much More Than Just a Climate Update

Gone are those days when weather apps were used just to forecast climatic conditions. With the technological advancements today, we can fetch much more information than finding out if it would be cloudy today or it’s going to rain.

We are listing top 5 weather apps that are worth some space in your clustered app collection.

1. Swackett

This is a fun new app that puts to use the general weather data into information that is specific and useful if you are planning for outdoor games. It rates the climate from excellent to poor for activities like golf, ski, tennis, etc. Also, it facilitates a visual weather reporter suggesting you how to dress in accordance with the environment through crafted people symbols called peeps. These swackett peeps sometimes carry an umbrella and the other times a jacket, depending upon the weather outside.

Platform: Swackett is compatible with both iOS and Android devices.

2. Weather and Clock Widget

Weather and Clock Widget is a must-have app in our collection. Like other weather apps, it keeps users updated with the climate outside along with informative sunrise and sunset timings. Additionally, it supplements operators with other important facts like humidity, pressure, wind speed and direction. Along with the recorded temperature, the app gives precise weather notification with ‘feel like’ temperature. Besides that, the app assists users locate the exact position that they are presently at. That means, it acts like a map as well.

Platform: The app is supported by Android phones only and is absolutely free.

3. WeatherBug

WeatherBug is an easy-to-use application to keep a check on weather. Together with basic temperature notifications, the app comes with build-in alert system to warn operators if any significant change in weather can be felt in next few hours. It informs users about hurricanes, floods and other severe weather conditions. The USP of the application is that it displays a playable radar image of the forecast. This enables one to see from where the weather is coming from and in which direction it is moving. This app has one of the best radar features. Also, the warning system will alert you if you’re actively tracking that region.

Platform: It goes with both iOS and Android platforms.

4. The Weather Channel

The Weather Channel is among the highly downloaded weather apps. It provides accurate and up-to-date information about the temperature outside. Its features include usual gamut of weather conditions like wind speed, dew point, pressure, humility and more along with 36 hours and 10 days forecast options. Other features include options like Radar, Now, Videos, Forecast and News.

Platform: It is compatible with iOS and Android devices.

5. Yahoo! Weather

The winner of 2013 Design Awards by Apple, Yahoo! Weather is an app that will make your home screen gorgeous. It displays the image of users’ location along with weather notification, time and other specifications. It exhibits interactive radar, heat and satellite maps, which are neat. Also, one can get detailed weather forecast of up to 5 days to plan things accordingly.

Platform:Both iPhone and Android devices support the app.

December 22, 2014
Second Wave of the Android One Initiative to Include Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka

Even though Google’s Android One initiative in India did not surpass expectations, the company has announced to take this endeavor to other emerging markets. The internet search giant announced on its official blog that it is expanding its reach, and will be soon launching the initiative in Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

The initiative was launched in India in September as a test pilot. Google partnered with local manufactures namely Micromax, Karbonn and Spice and released three Android One smartphones in the country.

Recently, Spice launched their second Android One handset called the Dream Uno H which was targeted at the Hindi speaking audience. Karbonn has also confirmed a new Android One handset which will debut during the first quarter of 2015. Additionally, it was also reported that all Android One smartphones will receive a Lollipop update sometime this month.

For the second wave of the Android One units, Google has partnered with a wide range of manufacturers and network partners such as Bangalink to sell Android One smartphones in Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka.

Along with India manufactures, Bangladesh’s own Symphony will launch their first Android One smartphone with Symphony Roar A50. The exact timeline for the launch in these countries is not mentioned, Google stated that the smartphones will go on sale ‘in the coming weeks.’

December 22, 2014
Snap 360 Degree Pictures on Your iPhone with 3DAround

Well are you tired of clicking pictures from every angle to get better perspective. What if you could click a picture which can swivel around same as you see in those e-commerce websites? Well, it is now possible with your iPhones.

A new iOS app, 3DAround allows iPhone 6 users to take 360 degree pictures of objects and then show them as 3D photographs. Made by Swiss software company Dacuda, this app takes pictures that are not just 3-dimensional, but interactive too.

All you have to do is revolve your camera phone around an object and 3DAround stitches together all the photos into a 3D image which the viewer can spin at will. Free to download, this app primarily targets food photography but it works just as well with any similarly sized object.

The 3DAround app extracts depth and structure information from a success of rapid-fire photos to create the 360-degree views. You’ll be able to interactively view the swivel-able photo through the 3DAround app or WebGL-equipped browsers like Chrome, and share some version of the images to Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.

By tilting the phone, the image shifts and pans around the object with movements.

With the recent launch of devices like HTC EVO sporting stereoscopic double cameras that can take slightly “3D” photos, 3DAround for iOS gives iPhone users an edge. Apple’s iOS8 camera is a key component of 3DAround functionality, according to the company. The phone’s integrated gyro sensor lets the app capture in holographic detail, the presentation of all types of food.

December 22, 2014
Editor’s Pick : The Week in a Video

This week we saw a lot of excitement along with many highs and lows. Here are the past seven days summed up in a video:

The biggest news of the week was the launch of the new brand by Micromax called YU. The brand is a result of a collaboration between Micromax’s founder Rahul Sharma and custom ROM maker Cyanogen. The first phone from the brand is called Yureka and it has an impressive spec sheet and comes at a mind-blowing price.

Micromax was also in news for its infringement case against the Chinese phone manufacturer, OnePlus. This led to a temporary ban on the sale of OnePlus devices in India.

OnePlus also launched a powerbank this week. Known as the OnePlus Power Bank, it supplies 10,000 mAh of power, enough to provide three full charges for your smartphone.

The other major Chinese smartphone maker, Xiaomi had a better week than the last month. After banning the company from selling its devices in India, the court gave respite to the company to sell its Qualcomm chipset based devices. The first flash sale is scheduled for 23^rd December.

Xiaomi also had a good week globally as it reached the fourth spot on the points tally of phone makers and ended up kicking out LG from the fifth spot. In just a span of one year the company has raised its market share from 1.5 percent to 5.2 percent. It stands just 0.1 percent behind No.3 spot holder Huawei. Samsung managed to hold on to the first spot with 24.4 percent market share while Apple managed to keep a steady hold on the market with 12.7 percent share.

Yet another Chinese manufacturer was in news. Gionee India head said that his company is ready to set up a manufacturing unit in India subjected to government clearance.

World’s thinnest phone also arrived in India this week. With only 4.75 mm thickness, the Vivo X5 Max is priced at Rs. 32,980.

Skype also brought good news for Indians when it offered free calling to US and Canada. Although this facility will last till 1st March 2015.

It was reported that WhatsApp may soon be available online. A leaked screen shot shows the HTML coding for a potential online avatar of the popular messaging app.

December 21, 2014
Motorola Rolls Out Android Lollipop Update for Moto X (Gen 2) in India
Here’s an announcement for which all Moto X (Gen 2) owners in India were eagerly waiting for. Motorola revealed that it has started rolling out the Android 5.0 Lollipop for the Moto X (second generation) users in India. The company says that other Motorola devices will also be getting the update soon.

Lollipop, the latest version of the Android mobile operating system, was first released for Nexus 6. The update for the Moto X (2nd Gen) was first rolled out in Brazil, Mexico and the US.

Here are the steps to update the Moto X (Gen 2) to Lollipop:
1. Go to the app menu and select ‘Settings’ icon.
2. Select ‘About Phone’.
3. Select ‘System updates’.
4. Select ‘Download’.
5. Select ‘Install’ once the download is done.
6. Restart your phone once you have installed it.
With added fluidity through UI of the new Lollipop, users will now experience improved natural touch screen interactions. 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.

With this announcement, the Schaumburg-based firm has fulfilled its commitment to offering its users a pure, bloatware-free and seamless Android experience.
December 20, 2014

YU Yureka vs The Rest : Quick Comparison

Newly launched brand YU unveiled its first smartphone, Yureka, a few days back. The new company has been born from a collaboration between Micromax’s Founder Rahul Sharma and custom ROM maker CyanogenMod. The arrival of the high-speced low-budget smartphone has created quite a stir. From day one it was off to a rocky start; it began by banning OnePlus from selling their popular handset in India.

Hence, we decided to check out how the Yureka fares when compared with the rest of the competition. So, away from the court, let the real battle begin.

Specs	Micromax Yu Yureka	Xiaomi Redmi Note	XOLO Omega 5.0	Asus ZenPhone 5	Moto-G (2nd Gen)
Display	5.5-inch HD	5.5-inch HD	5.0-inch HD	5-inch HD	5-inch HD
Processor	1.5GHz Octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 615	1.7GHz Octa-core MediaTek MT6592	Octa-core 1.4 GHz Cortex-A7	Intel Atom Dual-core 2.0 GHz	Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 at 1.2 GHz
RAM	2 GB	2 GB	1 GB	2 GB	1 GB
Storage	16 GB internal microSD upto 32 GB	8GB internal, microSD upto 32 GB	8 GB internal memory, microSD upto 32 GB	8 GB internal, expandable upto 64GB	8GB internal, expandable upto 32GB
Primary Camera	13MP	13MP	8MP	8MP	8MP
Front Camera	5MP	5MP	2MP	2 MP	2MP
Battery	2,500 mAh	3,100 mAh	2,100 mAh	Non-removable Li-Po 2110 mAh battery	Non-removable Li-Ion 2070 mAh battery
Operating System	Cyanogen OS 11 based on Android v4.4.4	Android OS, v4.3 (Jelly Bean), upgradable to v4.4.2 (KitKat)	Android v4.4 KitKat OS with Hive UI	Android OS, v4.3 (Jelly Bean), upgradable to v4.4.2 (KitKat)	Android v4.4.4 (KitKat)
Price	Rs. 8,999	Rs. 8,999	Rs. 8,499	Rs. 9,999	Rs. 12,999

Barring the hype about Yureka’s deal with Cyanogen, it seems like it even packs some punch under the hood. The smartphone is going to be available via the infamous flash sale system popularized by Xiaomi, the registrations for which have already begun.

We’d advise you not to get too carried away by the hype. Wait for our full review before investing in the handset!

December 20, 2014

How Micromax Might Be Using YU to Rebrand its Public Image

With the introduction of the YU brand, Micromax has shown that it has the potential to rise in the brutal global mobile market. The first phone from the brand, ‘Yureka,’ is packed with amazing specs and comes for a price that can induce goosebumps. YU televentures is a brand formed by a collaboration between Micromax’s founders and famed custom ROM maker, CyanogenMod. Cyanogen’s active support might help YU create a mass fan following for itself.

The first offspring of the collaboration is the ‘Yureka’. It flaunts a 1.5 GHz, 64-bit Snapdragon 615 processor, 2 GB DDR3, 16 GB internal storage and CAT-4 LTE. Yureka’s spec sheet looks better than any other release from Micromax’s stable.

Let’s look into why Micromax failed to be a brand that Indians could proudly call their own. Firstly, Micromax is not into the manufacturing business (if you didn’t already know), it rebrands handsets that it buys from China. This leads to a frequent disappearance or shortage of the devices from the market. Another adverse effect of this business strategy is the lack of spares for the devices. The company buys a limited quantity of devices by an estimation of sales numbers and if the Chinese manufacturer stops producing the model, the access to spares of that particular model also starts to dry up. This is the reason why sometimes phones with defects are stuck at their service center for weeks or even months.

Secondly, as the devices are bought from foreign manufacturers, there isn’t software support for them. The bootloader is locked, so advanced users find it tough to tweak around the device, unless someone takes the effort to unlock it. The lack of software updates is also a major bone of contention between the company and its customers. While products like the Motorola Moto G and E, which exist in Micromax’s home market, get almost instant updates; Micromax users are left fending for themselves.

Motorola, one of Micromax’s competitors, managed to deliver regular software updates whereas Micromax fell behind.

It isn’t like Micromax is short on cash. If we would have to bet our money on one company that could have become a stalwart of phone manufacturers in India, we would bet on Micromax. But instead, they took the easier approach by simply rebranding devices made by foreign manufacturers. The company has the resources and potential to become a respectable brand around the world, but it chooses to be an amateurish brand with no real long term strategy. It could have been India’s Xiaomi, but its choice of mediocrity and the lack of real effort is holding it back.

With YU televentures, Micromax hopes to take on the issues that have blown up its public perception. The new brand though is not setting up a manufacturing unit as of yet, which should be one of its top priorities. But at least Micromax has taken the first baby steps to answer its critics.

YU’s biggest strength, of course, is Cyanogenmod, the custom ROM brings improved functionality and provides immense convenience to the consumers. Running on CM OS 11 which is based on Android 4.4.4, the YU Yureka offers an immense amount of customizability. It provides themes, ability to manipulate the functions of the buttons, improved hardware performance and everything in between. Not just that, it adds features like Baton from Nexbit (a Silicon Valley partner of Cyanogen) that would make the transfer of data and apps from one device to another feel like a natural limb movement.

At the press event, the term ecosystem was used multiple times. The presenter spoke about establishing a common forum where customers and developers can interact with each other to improve the functionalities of the devices. This is also something Micromax could have created by itself in the past four years. But better late than never. With their new forum page, YU will be a collaborative effort between consumers and the company. Customers can discuss the issues that they have with their devices and the developers will try to address them. There will also be regular OTA updates every month which will keep these devices in sync with the latest developments.

Micromax’s collaboration with Cyanogenmod gives it an edge above others

For Micromax, the success of YU televentures can work as a great PR boost. For the business aspect of YU, the company is taking the approach of reducing distribution, advertising and retail end costs by releasing the device online. According to earlier reports the unit price of the imported device stood at Rs. 8301 and it is being sold at Rs.8999 so the margin for the company is minuscule. This is an effort to create a buzz for the device.

The service aspect of the Yu also garnered massive applause at the presentation. The company plans to begin a door-to-door service initiative by which professionals would come to the house of the buyer to service the device. This sounds like a far fetched plan for a device worth Rs. 9,000. To see if this initiative actually succeeds, we have to wait for it to arrive. But if it does succeed, we would be the first to applaud as it would raise the standard of customer support for mobiles in India.

The company also plans to get into the accessories segment (as it should). At present, it is only offering leather cases and a tempered glass screen protector but they plan to expand it further. They also plan to delve into producing devices like wearables and power banks. This would be an important step towards improving and expanding the ecosystem that the founders of YU wish to achieve.

YU’s grand plans sound amazing on paper, but we will still hold on to our skepticism. Micromax has always promised us grand things, but when it came to delivering, its past promises were found to be mostly empty. We do think that YU has the potential to revolutionize the mobile sphere in India, but bits like providing door-to-door services, still sound audacious for the company. We will keep a vigilant eye on the YU televentures in action to see if it stands true to the promises it has made. In the meanwhile, as a parent brand, Micromax should work towards fixing its follies to become a world-class brand that Indians could feel proud enough to flaunt. We are excited Micromax, don’t let us down.

December 19, 2014

Blog

OVERVIEW

HARDWARE

BUILD QUALITY AND DESIGN

CAMERA

PERFORMANCE AND OS

DISPLAY AND MULTIMEDIA

PHONES, NETWORKS, AND BATTERY

CONCLUSION

1. Swackett

2. Weather and Clock Widget

3. WeatherBug

4. The Weather Channel

5. Yahoo! Weather

Specs

Micromax Yu Yureka

Xiaomi Redmi Note

XOLO Omega 5.0

Asus ZenPhone 5

Moto-G (2nd Gen)