This week we got our hands on the Acer Liquid E700. It runs on the Android operating system and comes with a huge 3500 mAh battery. It is a one of a kind triple sim phone at a mere price of Rs. 11,900. It comes inbuilt with a 8MP led flash camera and a 1.2 Gz Quad Core Mediatek processor. It also comes with a 2 GB ram and 16 GB Internal memory.
Here is our opinion of this device:
The wait is finally over! The device teased by OnePlus is finally revealed. OnePlus launches the OnePlus Power Bank available soon for a mere $ 14.99 in both Sandstone Black and Silk White.
The OnePlus Power Bank supplies 10,000 mAh of power, enough to provide three full charges for your OnePlus One. The device features lithium-polymer technology, which will make the device incredibly light and portable.
The company promises sleek lines, gentle curves with a soft glow LED indicator. Additionally it is said to have safety features preventing overcharging and overheating.
Detailed specifications include-
| Colour variants | Sandstorm Black or Silk White |
| Battery type | LiPo |
| Capacity | 10,000 mAh |
| Charging Time | 5.5 hours (approx) |
| Dimensions | 142.8 × 72.6 × 16.2 mm |
| Weight | 220g |
| Safety features | Electrostatic, short-circuit, overcharging, overheating protection |
| Price | $14.99 |
The advertisement logo “We’ve got 10,000” and the four dots on the poster (similar to that of Xiaomi) made it quite evident that the device was going to be a power bank.The Portable Powerhouse from China promises no more sitting next to an electric outlet at the airport ever again!
Earlier today OnePlus was sued by Micromax for infringement of patents; as a result they may face a sales ban in India.
Lava’s latest device, the Iris Win 1 has landed in our hands. Check out the unboxing of the new Lava Iris Win1. It runs on a Windows 8.1 operating system and was launched for a mere Rs. 4,999. It comes packed with a Quad Core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, a 5 MP primary camera, 1 GB RAM and 8 GB ROM.
Here are our first impressions about the handset:
UPDATE: Micromax released the device by the name Yureka on the 18th of December and the price was listed as Rs. 8999.
Micromax is all set to unveil its new brand ‘Yu’ tomorrow. The brand will be based on CyanogenMod and will provide immense customization options and regular updates for the customers. The exclusive partnership with Cyanogen will help Micromax battle some of the long-standing grievances against the company. The device under the new brand has been spotted on import/export website Zauba.
According to the listing on the website, the Yu device is imported from China with a unit price of Rs. 8,301. The device has a 5.5-inch display and supports Micro SD cards. It is a dual SIM device with 4G LTE support.
You can expect the price to be around Rs. 12,999 which seems okay for an LTE device. Considering the available data, we can expect a decent spec sheet. But does it have enough to take on the global leader of Cyanogen device, the OnePlus One? Well, today Micromax was in news for filing a case against OnePlus in India to preserve its exclusive rights on Cyanogen, so it doesn’t have to fear any challenges in that sphere. We are still hoping for a good act by Micromax for its new brand and hope the company provides a better quality of service than in the past.
Thanks Pritpal for the tip!
After the dejection that set on Indian smartphone consumers after the ban on Xiaomi, a new development might infuriate them further. Micromax has filed an infringement complaint calling for a ban on sales of OnePlus devices as it now owns exclusive rights to sell Cyanogen devices in India. The fans of the flagship killer have waited for a long time to get their hands on the exclusive device, and this development might backfire on Micromax.
Micromax is going to launch its own brand of CyanogenMod powered devices called ‘YU’. The company states that it incurred massive costs to create an exclusive brand for selling Cyanogen powered devices in India. The devices are up for launch tomorrow, 18th of December.
According to Livemint, the complaint was registered at Delhi High court and Micromax secured a temporary injunction in the case. The court has ordered OnePlus to refrain from marketing, selling and shipping its popular handsets in India. But to give the Chinese company some relief, the judge allowed them to sell all the remaining stocks they have on hand. OnePlus began selling the handsets on 2nd of December.
OnePlus has a non-exclusive right to use CyanogenMod‘s trademark and software all across the world except China. While Micromax has an exclusive license for South Asia, this might become a major hindrance in the growth path of the OnePlus. The company had major plans for India, including bringing the next generation OnePlus Two in India, but it is yet to be seen what this development leads to. OnePlus also informed the court that Cyanogen intimated them about the exclusive agreement with Micromax just a fortnight before its India launch. The court told OnePlus that it could sue Cyanogen but that can only be governed by the laws of California where the agreement was signed.
It might not actually mean the end of the Chinese company’s India journey. OnePlus is already planning a new OS based on the latest Android L update, but this will lead to the demise of its most appreciated feature, the CyanogenMod.
Micromax on the other hand can gather a bad public reputation following this development. Though they are right in the technical and legal aspects of things, but the public opinion might shift against them and that too just a day before their brand launch. The company will have to bring something exceptional to take on the massive popularity of the OnePlus One.
Micromax if you don’t want to face immense public ire, you better bring something that blows our minds or else you’ll be seen as the killer of the flagship killer in India, and you really don’t want to be that company.
In other (OnePlus) news, they’re launching a secret device today, any guesses what it might be?
Update : The company has updated Redmi Note’s Flipkart page and now the popular phablet is up for registeration. The sale will start at 2PM on 23rd December.
For those who missed out on the opportunity to acquire the Redmi 1s earlier, here is your chance. Hugo Barra, Xiaomi’s VP announced on the Mi India Facebook page that his company will be holding yet another flash sale on December 23rd through their online partner Flipkart.
Last week the Delhi High Court had announced a ban on the sale of Xiaomi devices in India due to patent infringement. However, a day ago the High Court passed an order allowing the company to sell devices powered by Qualcomm chipsets.
Without wasting any time, Xiaomi’s VP Hugo Barra announced through their social media page that Xiaomi will be resuming the sale of the Redmi 1s through Flipkart on December 23rd. He also added in this post that the Redmi Note (4G variant) is not far behind.
After a series of litigations there is finally something to look forward for the Xiaomi fans. Stay updated with iGyaan for details regarding the next flash sale.
OnePlus has been in the news a lot lately. Recent leaks talk about the existence of a purported OnePlus One Mini and secondly, its partnership with MaxxAudio for the One. However, it seems the company is not yet finished with the announcements.
OnePlus posted the image you can see below on its official Google+ account yesterday. It sure has something big coming in, but the company did not mention what. The caption reads, “Need a reason to be excited for tomorrow? We’ve got 10,000. #NeverSettle.” The image reads “Go further” and includes four LED lights.
Many think it might be the OnePlus One Mini, since it just leaked yesterday, however, there is no way to confirm the authenticity of the leaked reports. As for now, the company has been tight-lipped about it. So what is it? The four LED lights and the ‘Go Further’ caption point towards a new accessory, may be a battery pack.
The LEDs look quite similar that many external battery packs use to signal the amount of charge they’re currently holding. OnePlus has been trying its luck in the accessory segment with the recent release of new cases and headphones, and so a battery pack might be another addition.
Skype has announced a limited time offer for its users in India to call phone numbers in the US and Canada free of cost. The announcement has come shortly after the company introduced its real time Translator Preview programme and is valid for new and existing Skype users until the 1st of March 2015. Skype India page states that, “Yes, that’s right — for a limited time only all calls from India to mobiles and landlines in the United States and Canada are completely free. And you don’t even need to do anything other than start calling”.
Users can now sign up via the Skype India home page as the offer is already live. All you have to do is log in to your Skype account and just dial the number from your phone dialer to call anyone in the US and Canada. The offer could be a ploy to garner more popularity with Indian users which could turn out to be significant hub for its Skype Translator programme.
Notably, the offer also comes a day after Microsoft’s collaboration with Amazon India for its own exclusive store which sells a wider array of its products on the e-commerce website.
Redmond giant Microsoft has launched its budget 4G compatible smartphone, called the Nokia Lumia 638. The phone will be available exclusively at the company’s new Microsoft Brand store on Amazon India and is priced at Rs. 8,299. Pre-orders for the Nokia Lumia 638 will kick-ff from tomorrow.
Specs on the smartphone include a 4.5 inch FWVGA (480×854 pixels) ClearBlack LCD display with Gorilla Glass 3, a 1.2 Ghz quad-core Snapdragon 400 SOC chipset along with 1 GB of RAM. Optics will just include a 5 MP rear auto focus camera. On the memory front, there’s an 8GB of internal storage with microSD card compatibility (up to 128GB). Powering the smartphone would be a 1830 mAh battery while the OS on board would be Windows Phone 8.1 with Lumia Denim update.
Commenting on the launch, Raghuvesh Sarup, Director – Marketing, Nokia India Sales Pvt. Ltd. (a subsidiary of Microsoft Mobile Oy), said, “With the Lumia range we have always focused on delivering new experiences and features to our consumers at affordable price points. Now, we are introducing Lumia 638 which is the most affordable 4G smartphone on Windows Phone 8.1. It builds on the success of the Lumia range in the fast growing affordable smartphone segment and aims to address the consumers’ demand for a device that lets them enjoy uninterrupted video content. We are confident of the success of the Lumia 638 as a comprehensive package and are certain that the device will help us consolidate our position in the affordable smartphones segment further.”
In addition, consumers on Airtel postpaid in Bengaluru can avail upto 5GB of free data on 4G for 2 months. The offer will be valid until 31st March 2015. The Nokia Lumia 638 is being touted as the most affordable 4G compatible smartphone yet.
Chinese handset manufacturer Gionee has announced its plan of manufacturing its devices in India, but is currently awaiting clarity on the government policy before taking the dive.
President of Gionee, William Lu said,
It depends on the (government) policy, we are ready to manufacture in India
Gionee India Head Arvind R Vohra said “It depends at what stage the (Indian) government plans to facilitate manufacturing, as far as we are concerned, we are ready at every stage.” He further added, “we have to find vendors for our produce. If the need is for an assembly line we are ready now but would rather go for deep manufacturing. IUNI will be a separate company and we are hopeful of completing the registration process by April-June 2015.”
The company plans to scale up its manufacturing units from 60 million annually to 75-80 million. The Chinese manufacturer’s latest device S 5.1 was recorded as the thinnest phone in the world by Guinness Book of World Records, although subsequent to this, thinner phones have entered the market.
Gionee may be among the first smartphone company to initiate manufacturing handsets in India itself.
Microsoft is going for an aggressive push for its Windows phone family. Since the acquisition of the Nokia mobile business, the company has gone ahead to replace the iconic brand name with its own. The new line of devices have garnered some praise for their unique designs and fast performance. In the affordable line of Windows devices stands the Lumia 535 which is a great Windows 8.1 device.
The Microsoft Lumia 535 gets its processing provice from a quad-core 1.2 GHz Snapdragon 200 processor. It features 1 GB of RAM and an internal storage of 8 GB that is expandable up to 128 GB; storage is literally no issue on this device. To make life even easier, the device comes with 15 GB of cloud storage. The device is juiced up through a 1905 mAh battery.
The display on the device might be a slight letdown. It has a 5-inch qHD (960 x 540) with Corning Gorilla Glass 3. You can find multiple devices offering 720p HD displays in lower price points. On the camera front, the device gets its image capturing abilities from Nokia’s exceptional legacy in phone cameras. The device has a 5 MP camera on the back and a wide angle lens for selfies in the front.
The device also carries Nokia’s Here maps system that is considered one of the best navigation apps out there. The device comes with special offers that might make it inviting. There are multiple color options available for the Lumia, which makes the device appear quite youthful.
The Smartphone in its entirety is a worthy purchase, but it comes for a price of Rs.9,199. Microsoft should consider slicing the prices as much as it can so that people who want to give it a try wouldn’t have to think twice before going for it.
Micromax’s CynogenMod-powered new brand called ‘Yu’ is just a couple of days away. Amazon, which would be exclusively launching the device, is all prepped to host the new brand. A new page for the brand is up and it will get a lot of folks excited.
Using the strengths of CyanogenMod’s amazing features, Micromax hopes to climb up the ladders in the points tally. This may be possible as CyanogenMod is one of the most appreciated custom ROM’s out there which not just gives you amazing customization features, it also adds regular updates. The updates bit would really help Micromax’s image as the company has been constantly berated for its low quality after sales support.
Amazon is presently hosting a page that simply shows an unmarked phone with the words “Are you ready to Play God” written on it. It is followed by a tagline that says “The Zeus of phones is about to arrive,” which rather sounds like an overstatement.
The accompanying video on the page flaunts the customizability features. But weirdly the phone that they are featuring looks pretty close to the OnePlus One – the smartphone that can be credited with bringing CyanogenMod in the mainstream.
Yu comes to town on the 18th of this month, and we hope with this new release, Micromax raises the standards of Indian made devices. The company has also talked about the possibilities of wearables in the future, which would help it compete with the big brands. It has constantly risen up, and Cyanogen can help the company to rise further in the game. All it needs to do now is revamp and strengthen its after sales service because that will add immense credibility to the company’s reputation.
Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi has been reportedly granted some reprieve after announcing the ban on the sale of their handsets in India last week. As per a tweet by Press Trust of India (PTI) the Delhi High Court today permitted the sale of their smartphones powered by Qualcomm chipsets till January 8 in India.
Prior to the ban, the company was selling two smartphones in the country: Redmi 1S and Redmi Note. Redmi 1s runs on a Qualcomm chipset, while Redmi Note is powered by a MediaTek processor. This release would imply that Xiaomi can sell the Redmi 1s for nearly a month. Additionally, Xiaomi had earlier planned to launch Redmi Note 4G in December, which is also powered by a Qualcomm processor implying that this too could be sold till January 8th.
Delhi HC permits Xiaomi to sell and import Qualcomm chipset based handsets till January 8.
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) December 16, 2014
However no official word is out on the much awaited Xiaomi Mi4. Although Xiaomi planned to launch this device with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 801, however it still remains to be seen whether they will go ahead with the launch or wait patiently till the dust settles.
Last week the Delhi High Court had passed an injunction suspending any import or sale of smartphones in India due to patent infringement complaints by Swedish telecom giant Ericsson. The court is scheduled to hear the case on February 5, so it is likely that Xiaomi phones will again be banned in the country from 9th January unless the court passes another similar order.
However, in the mean time, Xiaomi has three more ‘Happy Tuesdays’ in which they can resume their flash sales and reach out to maximum number of aggrieved customers.
Indian smartphone company, Lava has launched the Iris Fuel 60. The phone’s USP is the massive 4000 mAh battery which extends its usage time and decreases the frequency of charging. The phone also has multiple gesture features which might make it more attractive to the buyers.
The Iris Fuel 60 is only 1000 mAh short of Gionee’s Marathon M3 which comes with 5000 mAh behemoth. But while the Marathon M3 can set you back by Rs. 13,999, Lava’s big battery bombshell comes at a rather affordable price of Rs. 8,888.
But even at a low price, the device isn’t short on accompanying specs. It comes with a quad-core, 1.3 GHz processor along with 1 GB RAM, which is the same as the Marathon M3. The internal storage stands at 8 GB; that is expandable up to 32 GB, a standard at this price point. It also provides USB OTG support which will take its storage capacity further.
The device flaunts a 720p HD IPS display and is protected by scratch resistant Corning Gorilla Glass 3o. The main camera on the device is a 10 MP shooter while on the front is a 2 MP shooter. The device presently runs on Android 4.4, but the company claims that it will soon be bringing an Android L update for the device.
If battery woes are your biggest concern for a smartphone, then this phone can be your ideal option. It has pretty much the same specs as the Marathon M3 but comes at Rs. 5000 cheaper at a loss of 1000 mAh worth of battery storage. Lava has put a serious contender in the big battery game.
Back in mid-2014, we saw the release Apple’s OS X update Yosemite. The revised version was free to upgrade. However, there was a minor glitch in this set-up, some of its prominent features only supported Macs with Bluetooth 4.0. One such feature of the new update was Continuity/Handoff, but according to the latest revelation, this feature can now run on older Apple desktops as well.
Continuity is a term used by Apple for a range of new features that bring the iOS and Mac OS X devices closer. It offers you to seamlessly shift between Mac OS X and iOS devices; you can pick up on one device right where you left off on the other.
According to an update by a user on Reddit, the Continuity/Handoff tool can be activated just by adding a simple tool on your Mac. This tool makes the hardware compatible by adding Bluetooth 4.0 dongle to run Continuity on your 2008 Macs or later.
Continuity Activation Tool 2.0 has been released! Enable Continuity on many Macs from 2008 and later just by adding a Bluetooth 4.0 USB dongle. Many thanks to the community for the excellent beta testing work!
Given below is a list of Macs that will support Continuity. You can also learn about the Continuity Activation Tool on github.
