Microsoft has prepped new versions of its popular Office apps for iPhones and iPads, along with a preview of the same app for Android. From now on, you can use an Office apps on Android or iOS without any Office 365 subscription. Microsoft has dubbed this move as ‘More of Office for everyone.’
The company is also doing away with the Office Mobile for iPhone, with a standalone Word, Excel and PowerPoint. The new Office apps for iPhone will now be identical to the iPad version, which offers more functions and capabilities. Microsoft says that these new apps offer “the same beautiful iPad experience, optimised for the iPhone.”
According to a report, Microsoft has worked closely with Apple to make sure the app could take advantage of the iPhone 5, iPhone 6, and iPhone 6 Plus. Word, Excel, and PowerPoint will now feature phone-optimised user interfaces. The iPhone Office apps, from now on, will facilitate a better look at documents, spreadsheets and presentations. There are features like Reflow view; Excel has a new Full-Screen view, while PowerPoit now has a new slideshow. The Office app for iPad has already seen a whopping 40 million downloads.
Meanwhile, the Android version will be coming in a couple of weeks. Android phones will be getting a smaller update compared to the Android tablets. As of now, Office Mobile for Android phones has been updated with support for free editing, though will be identical to the iPhone version some point later, with individual Word, Excel and PowerPoint apps.
As far as Android tablets are concerned, they will have similar features and capabilities as the iPad apps. Microsoft said that apps for Android tablets should be available by early 2015.
Meanwhile, Microsoft also announced a software partnership with Dropbox, with two companies merging their softwares. This would allow the stored documents in DropBox to be easily edited using MS Office tools.
Microsoft confirmed that the first Lumia which is going to launch under the company’s banner will arrive on Tuesday. The software powerhouse has already started sending teasers of an unveiling for the 11th of November, with a tag line that says, “Microsoft is delivering the power of everyday mobile technology to everyone.” The teaser displays an orange curved Lumia device.
Microsoft officially killed the Nokia brand for its upcoming Lumia handsets, and Tuesday’s launch will mark the first time when Lumia device will come without the Nokia branding. While many are speculating it as a flagship device, sources believe that Microsoft will launch this budget device next week.
Microsoft did hint at the possibility of a new Lumia launch soon, with features similar to that of the Lumia 830. It appears to be the latest addition to the low-end Windows Phone from Microsoft. A ploy that the company is using to compete against Android and iOS, as it struggles to stamp its authority in terms of overall OS market share.
It’s still a mystery as to how Microsoft will name its first Lumia; it could even do away with the number scheme we have seen with Lumia devices in the past.
Back in July, Facebook announced that it will be removing the messaging feature from its mobile app, and requiring people to use its standalone Messenger app instead. Hence, forcing users to download the Messenger app to chat with their Facebook contacts on their mobiles.
The change followed through a plan which was announced in April and for now, affects Facebook mobile app on iOS and Android. According to the company, the plan had seen ‘positive results’ in Europe in terms of user engagement, and so decided to move ahead with rolling out of the standalone app to everyone. However, they never explained why this plan came into effect at the first place, until now.
In a live Q&A conversation yesterday, Mark Zuckerberg finally explained why Facebook moved messaging out of its main app and made it into a separate, standalone app that needs to be downloaded.
I’m grateful for hard questions. It keeps us honest. We need to be able to explain clearly why what we’re thinking is good. Asking everyone in our community to install a new app is a big ask. I appreciate that was work and required friction. We wanted to do this because we believe that this is a better experience. Messaging is becoming increasingly important. On mobile, each app can only focus on doing one thing well, we think.
The primary purpose of the Facebook app is News Feed. Messaging was this behavior people were doing more and more. 10 billion messages are sent per day, but in order to get to it you had to wait for the app to load and go to a separate tab. We saw that the top messaging apps people were using were their own app. These apps that are fast and just focused on messaging. You’re probably messaging people 15 times per day. Having to go into an app and take a bunch of steps to get to messaging is a lot of friction.
Messaging is one of the few things people do more than social networking. In some countries 85 percent of people are on Facebook, but 95 percent of people use SMS or messaging. Asking folks to install another app is a short term painful thing, but if we wanted to focus on serving this [use case] well, we had to build a dedicated and focused experience. We build for the whole community. Why wouldn’t we let people choose to install the app on their own at their own pace? The reason is that what we’re trying to do is build a service that’s good for everyone. Because Messenger is faster and more focused, if you’re using it, you respond to messages faster, we’ve found. If your friends are slower to respond, we might not have been able to meet up.
This is some of the hardest stuff we do, is making these choices. We realize that we have a lot to earn in terms of trust and proving that this standalone messenger experience will be really good. We have some of our most talented people working on this.
Even though a lot still consider it is too early for smartwatches to break into the full scale commercial market, Moto 360 managed to turn heads with its design when we first saw it at Google I/O 2014.
However, the much-loved smartwatch was limited to only two colours and material choices at the launch. But, Motorola now wants to give you more options. The company has also begun selling the Moto 360 with metal options, which are now available with either dark or light grey finish in the regular 23 mm band size for $299.99.
Announced in a blog post yesterday, the company said, “Crafted from aircraft-grade stainless steel, these bands feature a modern, contemporary tri-link design that complements the round face of Moto 360. Starting today, Moto 360 with light and dark metal bands are available on motorola.com for $299. Coming soon, we will offer Moto 360 with new slim bands, which is an option for smaller wrists or for people who want a different look. Slim bands will be available in time for the holidays in light metal ($299) and a brand new champagne gold finish ($329).”
The bands were earlier listed on Amazon.com, however, they are official now. Along with this, Motorola also announced new accessory bands that can be purchased separately in stone, black, or cognac leather, along with dark and light metals. Plus, they have partnered with brands like DODOcase (stitched leather bands) and TYLT (silicone bands) to offer even more options.
The company has also rolled out a new update of the Moto Connect app. The update introduces the an attractive ‘My Design’ watch face that allows you to customise everything from the background image to the style of the tick marks and watch hands. Motorola also added the Design Face-Off winner’s watch face to the collection.
Finally, the Schaumburg-based giant is introducing Moto Body, a fitness-inspired experience app that tracks your steps, distance, heart rate, and calories. Moto Body will be available through the new Moto Connect app.
Google’s latest smartphone Nexus 6 is now listed on the Google Play store in India. While the smartphone still appears with a ‘Coming Soon’ tag according to the listing, the final price has been revealed on the Google’s official store.
Earlier, we surfaced the news that the 32 GB variant will be available at a price of Rs. 42,999. But now, according to the listing, Nexus 6 32GB version will retail for Rs. 44,000, while the 64 GB version is priced at Rs. 49,000. The phone is expected to release in two colour options in the country – midnight blue and cloud white.
Anyhow, there is no word on the official release date of the handset. However, it is said that the smartphone is more likely to go on sale during the first week of December. Last month, Google launched the new smartphone Nexus 6 in the country, along with Nexus 9 tablet, Nexus Player and Android 5.0.
Nexus 6 features a 5.96-inch Quad-HD AMOLED display, 2.7 GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 processor, 3 GB of RAM, 32/64 GB of internal storage and 3220 mAh battery with wireless charging support. Nexus 9 which is also listed as ‘coming soon’ on the Play store powers Android 5.0 Lollipop, 64-bit NVIDIA Tegra K1 Dual Denver processor clocked at 2.3 GHz.
While, the Nexus 9 comes with 2 GB RAM and is available in 16 GB and 32 GB storage variants. The device has an 8.9-inch IPS LCD display with 4:3 aspect ratio. It has a resolution of 2048×1536p and is covered in Gorillla Glass 3. The 16 GB variant is priced at Rs. 28,900 and the 32 GB one will cost you Rs. 44,900.
A few days back, Google announced that it had started rolling out the Android 5.0 Lollipop, but as of now, it appears the update has been delayed as there is no news of any new devices receiving the same. The reason, according to reports, seems to be a Wi-Fi bug in the software build. According to a report from Android Police, Google has delayed the release of Android 5.0 after a Wi-Fi bug drained the battery in Nexus 5 devices.
Google’s Trevor Johns acknowledged this bug and said, “Android Engineering is aware of an issue affecting Nexus 5 users running Android 5.0 which causes significant ‘Miscellaneous’ battery usage while Wi-Fi is enabled. This appears to be caused by an abnormally high number of IRQ wakeup events. We are continuing to investigate this issue.”
Sources now expect that Google plans to release the Android 5.0 update for Nexus devices starting November 12. There were rumours earlier that Google has not been able to make a stable version of Android 5.0 update for models like Nexus 4 and 5 along with 3G/4G-enabled Nexus 7 and 10 tablets.
Android 5.0 Lollipop, Google’s most ambitious project yet, brings a slew of new features such as user customisation options, better battery performance, improved security and support for multiple user profiles on the same device.
The likes of Motorola, Sony and HTC have already confirmed the Lollipop update on their popular devices. Meanwhile, other manufacturers such as Samsung and LG have not yet announced their plans as to when their devices will get the updated version. For a complete list of devices scheduled to receive the Android 5.0 Lollipop update, click here.
The cross-platform mobile messaging service WhatsApp has been tweaked with a much-needed update; the messenger now shows when your message has been read. Yes, you read it right! WhatsApp will now inform you if the recipient has read the sent text or not.
This new feature works like: when you send a message and if it’s delivered, then it will show double check marks beside the text, and when your message will be read by the concerned contact, the marks will turn blue. This ‘Read Message’ feature was first spotted at the WhatsApp’s FAQ page.
This update is not just limited to one-on-one conversations, but also it extends to the group chat and broadcast messages. Once your broadcast message or the group chat has been read by all the individuals, the double ticks will turn blue.
According to a report by 9to5Mac, this feature isn’t part of an update to the app through the App Store, but an ‘over-the-air’ update sent both to iOS and Android versions of the app. The report also pointed out that a website, has released some images of the upcoming Voice-Calling feature of WhatsApp. It will roll out sometime next year, confirmed Jan Koum, WhatsApp CEO.
WhatsApp is the most popular messaging app on smartphones today. The multiplatform app has caused a serious dent in the SMS revenue of mobile companies. It is beloved by many for its convenience and features and is a kind of mini social network. The company has a good news in store for Indians; it won’t be charging any sum for renewal of subscription of services.
Vice President of WhatsApp, Neeraj Arora, said that the company understands the low concentration of credit cards in the country, and paying for a service won’t be an option for many. The company usually charges $1 every year to renew the subscription, which is a fairly cheap price. But for Indians, WhatsApp said the magic word – Free!
Mr. Arora was speaking at his alma mater Indian School of Business, where he conversed on a lot of topics. He recalled that the founders of WhatsApp were crazy, and he got into the company by forcing his way in. He took up the bits that the founders were not interested in, like the business aspect of things. The company was recently acquired by Facebook for a gargantuan price of $19 billion.
The future of WhatsApp was also discussed, and he said that the company will remain the same even after the acquisition. The company will not be allowing ads in the app as they believe that it will not be a pleasant experience for the users. Considering the massive seven crore (70 million) users that it has in this country, WhatsApp may not want to give them an opportunity to consider its competitors.
A few domestic manufacturers have launched handsets sporting the Microsoft’s Windows Phone OS, for instance, the likes of XOLO with the launch of their Windows Phone 8.1 OS smartphone, the XOLO Win Q900s. The Redmond-based giant, Microsoft, at its Build Conference in San Francisco announced a few hardware partners for the Windows Phone platform, and you guessed it right, Micromax was one of them.
It’s just been two months since the announcement, and Micromax has already launched the Canvas Win W121 at a relatively economical price of Rs. 9,500.
OVERVIEW
The Micromax Canvas Win W121 runs the latest Windows Phone 8.1 OS and is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 200 quad-core CPU clocked at 1.2 GHz bundled with 1 GB of RAM. Priced at just under Rs. 10,000, it should have a lot of rivals in the over-crowded budget category of smartphones. Boasting a 5-inch HD IPS screen, it can be pitted against the likes of the XOLO Win Q900s, the Lumia 520 and 630 as its closest rivals.
HARDWARE
The Canvas Win W121 is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 200 SoC with four cores clocked at 1.2 GHz, a chipset we are quite used to in this price segment. It has decent enough 1 GB of RAM with a 5-inch 720p HD IPS display, and a 2000mAh battery capacity. It has 8 GB internal memory expandable via microSD up to 32 GB. Connectivity options include GPRS, EDGE, 3G, Bluetooth and USB.
Optics includes a primary 8MP camera with AF, along with a 2MP secondary cam. Specs on the phone do look good but do they translate into real-time performance. Let’s find out.
Specifications
Canvas Win W121
Display
5-inch IPS LCD 1280x720p
Processor
1.2 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 200 quad-core
Storage
8 GB + microSD
RAM
1 GB RAM
Camera
8 MP primary camera, 2 MP front camera
Battery
2,000 mAh
Operating System
Windows Phone 8.1
DESIGN AND BUILD
The Canvas Win W121 does have that niche look to it, courtesy of a leather (read: p-leather) back panel, something we saw on the Galaxy Note 3. There’s a lot of plastic on the body, which might be a turn-off for some of us, but the Canvas Win W121 is a bit sleeker and more compact than any of the Canvas’s Android counterparts.
With a 5-inch screen, the device fits in the hand quite well; it is slim and makes for easy one-handed usage. The front houses three capacitive buttons with a Windows logo in the middle, which was absent in the XOLO Win Q900s. However, the capacitive buttons appear to be a tad untidy and seem like a rushed job. They don’t illuminate the way we have seen with other phones, and just lacks the finesse.
Coming to the sides, it has a metal rig that runs throughout the phone’s entire body, with volume rockers placed on the left and the power button on the right. The keys have a nice touch feel to it. Meanwhile, both the MicroUSB and headphone jacks are located on top.
As already mentioned, the rear of the phone has a premium looking leather-esque back panel with stitches around the edges, giving it a more classy appeal. It’s a neat job done on the rear of the phone, with cuts for the camera, flash and external speakers done with absolute precision along with the Micromax logo. The back panel is removable that houses the two SIM card slots, battery and the microSD slot. The phone does impress us when it comes to build quality and design.
PERFORMANCE AND OS
With a Qualcomm Snapdragon 200 chipset clocked at 1.2 GHz bundled with a healthy enough 1GB of RAM, handling everyday usage is like a walk in the park for the Canvas Win W121. It handles multiple apps at ease without any noticeable lags. We did not see any problem using any app, they load up real quick and with Windows Phone 8.1, it allows users to run eight apps in the background. You can navigate and switch between emails, games and other apps like Facebook and WhatsApp in no time.
Moreover, WP 8.1 not being a very power-hungry OS combined with decent hardware results in no issues in launching apps, browsing through the internet or switching apps. In our AnTuTu benchmark test for Windows, the phone managed an impressive 11, 767 points, just edging past the Lumia 630 which managed 11, 760, also surpassing the XOLO Win Q900S which scored 10, 870 in our Antutu Benchmarks.
Model
Antutu Benchmark
XOLO Win Q900s
10,870
Canvas Win W121
11,767
Lumia 630
11,760
High-end games like Real Racing and Asphalt 8 do give the phone a real tough time as the phone starts heating up. That said, the overall performance is quite satisfactory on the Canvas Win W121. Apart from the heating issue, these games run quite well at the highest settings; there aren’t any noticeable hiccups during performance specific stressful instances and loading time is just fine. Considering the price of the phone, this shouldn’t be much of an issue, and arcade/basic games like Subway Surfers and Temple Run look and play quite well on the phone.
Coming to the OS, the Canvas Win W121 runs on the latest Windows Phone 8.1 OS. The OS has a neat refreshed feel to it, with those signature Live Tiles, and the new action centre that was missing with earlier version of the platform. The OS now looks much more functional and complete.
It looks really neat and brings along a slew of nifty features with a lot of customisation options. The new Swipe keyboard feels great, Data sense and Wi-Fi sense keep a tab and look after your data and Internet usage, meanwhile Storage sense offers easy ways to organise your data.
The phone offers dual-SIM support, and the OS offers an exclusive section to manage the SIMs along with setting the default SIM slot for calls and 3G.
Not to forget Cortana, a real life personal assistant, who has a quirky attitude and makes interaction with the device a lot more fun. She can gather info, manage your appointments, set alarms, dictate your messages and can do a lot more. She definitely adds to the whole OS experience. (NOTE: Cortana is not available in India as of now, though users can change the phone settings to US to make it functional).
As already mentioned, WP 8.1 as an OS does not demand a lot of the phone, so navigating and switching between apps is quite smooth. Compared to its previous iteration, WP 8.1 is a significant improvement with faster loading, a better keyboard, nice touch response and an interactive personal assistant is quite a ride.
However, the device does not have support for apps that we saw in the Lumia range. This smartphone is devoid of popular apps like Here Maps, Nokia Music and all the camera apps.
CAMERA
The Canvas Win W121 has an 8MP primary camera with flash, which in our opinion should have done better. The images captured lack texture and the colour reproduction is quite lame. They appear dull and washed out which takes away the overall feel of the photos.
Another issue is absence of the Nokia Camera app, users will have to rely on the default camera app. Meanwhile, the front has a 2MP snapper which just does its job. Its lens is not that wide either, which makes it quite a task to take wider selfies.
Low light isn’t great either as the lack of OIS is apparently clear and images appear a bit shaky. We also noticed that the AF of the camera takes a very long time to focus on a particular object, which can be quite annoying at times.
Macro
Daylight Shot
Close up Shot
Daylight Shot
Long Shot
Low Light Shot
Also, there’s no support for HD recording, videos are recorded at 480p, which is quite a bummer as the chipset can support 720p recording. Finally, it will be fair to say that the camera is perhaps one of the weaker links of the phone.
DISPLAY AND MULTIMEDIA
The phone features a 5-inch 720p HD IPS display, which is rather brilliant with sharper texts and offers great readability in all lighting conditions. Even in well-lit conditions, the readability is quite good. Moreover, you have options to adjust brightness as per requirements. The display renders sharp colours and great viewing angles. Being a 5-inch screen, it does add to the whole experience of watching a movie or playing a game.
Powered by a dual-core clocked at 1.2 GHz with 1 GB RAM, the multimedia performance of the phone is quite good. We tested Asphalt 8: Airborne and it ran absolutely well; not flawless, but there are no major lags and stutters that would take away the overall experience of the game. The phone can withstand those frame rates; though surprisingly, it could not run a 720p HD movie. The phone just could not withstand those frame rates and transitions while playing a 720p HD movie. Max resolution possible is 480p, which is a major let down.
However, the audio performance of the phone is awesome. The phone’s external speaker is bit loud and renders good sound quality while playing games, watching a movie or listening to music, it does pack a punch. Moreover, the earphone set provided as a part of the standard accessory is also high quality, something which other OEM’s should strive for.
PHONE, NETWORKS AND BATTERY
The call quality of the phone is really good whether incoming or outgoing, and the signal reception is excellent indoor as well as outdoor. Coming to network, the phone latches onto the networks around at ease, thanks to a lot of plastic which has significantly improved Wi-Fi connectivity across most Micromax devices, including this one.
In terms of battery backup, the Canvas Win W121 comes with a 2000mAh battery. We tested the battery on different parameters and overall, the battery performance is quite decent and could easily last a day of normal usage. It appears that the battery performance of Windows Phone is much better when compared to Android.
CONCLUSION
Priced around the Rs. 7,800 , the Canvas Win W121 is a decent choice if you are on a lookout for a smooth overall Windows experience without any compromise on screen size and build quality. It has some great features but completely misses out on other aspects. For instance, lack of support for HD Playback, lack of decent camera apps might make you consider other alternatives. Though, it has a solid 5-inch display and is great for everyday usage. It could have been a top-notch smartphone if some of these aspects were not missing.
The Canvas Win W121 can compete against the likes of the Lumia 630 and the XOLO Win Q900s. Though, there are much better Android options available at the same price point.
Samsung’s Tizen-based Gear S smartwatch, announced earlier this year, is now available for pre-orders in India. The smartwatch is priced at Rs. 28,900 and is available for pre-order on the company’s online store for just Rs. 1,000.
The Gear S smartwatch sports a 2-inch curved AMOLED display with a resolution of 360×480 pixels. The watch will be powered by a dual-core processor clocked at 1 GHz and a 512MB RAM. It comes with 4 GB of storage and a 300mAh battery support, which Samsung claims can last up to two days.
However, the standout feature of the watch is a SIM card slot, which allows voice calling via 2G or 3G SIM. The watch also supports Bluetooth 4.0 and Wi-Fi connectivity, though it does not sport a camera. Unlike Samsung’s other Tizen-based Gear watches, it has a standalone music player.
That being said, the Gear S smartwatch is not a standalone device and requires one of the compatible Samsung smartphones to activate it and download apps for your watch.
The most brutal brand wars are fought at the lower end of the smartphone market. It’s not just the name brands who try their luck here, but it’s the home ground for Indian smartphone makers. Every once a while a device shows up that changes the dynamics of the market. First there was Motorola and then came Xiaomi, who disrupted the balances in this fragile market space. The devices offered by these two brands have led everyone else to play catch-up. Panasonic is trying its hands at dethroning the current king of the 10,000-15,000 market space, the Moto G.
Panasonic has launched the P55, a phone which will compete again the unanimously loved Moto G. The phone packs in a 5.5 inch IPS LCD screen, a rarity at this price point apart from the cheaper Chinese models. This will attract the multimedia loving crowd who want portable entertainment on a budget.
On the specs end, the P55 comes with a 1.2 GHz quad-core processor along with 1GB of RAM. The phone has 4GB of internal storage that is expandable up to 32GB. Not a lot in comparison to other phones in this price point. The SD card is a must with a device like this, if you want to make use of the big screen for multimedia purposes.
The device runs on Android Kitkat 4.4.2 while the Moto G will be getting the Android Lollipop update soon. This seriously tips scales towards the G. The main camera on the device is an 8 MP shooter capable of Full HD capture. To the phone employs a 2500 mAh battery to power its big screen.
There are some useful gesture features on the device. Using P55’s “Tap Play” you can double tap on the screen of your phone to wake it up from sleep mode. You can also put it back to sleep by double tapping on the display. The phone also features “Gesture Play” through which you can use gestures to launch apps directly from the home screen.
Using the “Pop-i Player” you can work while simultaneously watching a video, and end up with severe ADHD. The phones unique “Music café” player lets you access it using just one hand, almost paying tribute to Apple’s reachability feature.
The device will sell at a price of Rs. 10,290. It’s a fairly decent price for the spec sheet, but the low internal memory might dissuade customers to consider this device. It is though an affordable phablet and considering the price and the screen size, it looks like a good device. But it is nowhere near the Moto G, it still stands strong.
Audio equipment giant, Pioneer, introduced the sleek and sexy HDJ-500 headphones in India. The headphones look attractive and are targeted towards professionals such as DJs and folks who just want great headphones for their tunes.
The right ear housing of the HDJ-500 can swivel by 60 degrees. This, along with the flexible headbands, will make it easy for the DJs to check on the monitors with ease. The company claims that even for an everyday user, the headphones can recreate the club experience, minus the unwanted second-hand smoke of course.
The headphones are available in multiple fashionable colour options.
For the sound aspect of the headphones, the cans increase the effective sound pressure by utilising Pioneer’s newly developed 40 mm (diameter) driver unit. The HDJ-500 are sound engineered to reproduce a rich low-range. Pioneer has also narrowed the ear pad opening, to reproduce clear sound.
The headphones come with a single-sided replaceable cord that plugs into the left side. The cans are available with two types of cords, a 1.2 meter coiled cord which can be extended up to 3 metres for DJ’ing and a 1 metre straight cord for personal listening.
The Pioneer HDJ-500 are available at a price tag of Rs. 8,590. They look like a good option for people who want a professional pair of headphones or someone who just wants the best out of their music.
The emergence of Chinese companies into the Indian market has taken most of the sheen off the Indian phone makers. Even Motorola’s high specification, low priced devices have taken customers away from the Indian handset manufacturers. But with the combined strengths of feature phones and smartphones, the Indian brands have continued to grow. The companies have benefitted from the shift to smartphones in the lower segment, and their offerings are perceived as affordable. These factors have helped Lava reach the second spot on the podium amongst the Indian handset model.
The report was published by market research venture called Cybex Exim. The company took into consideration the following handset manufacturers: Micromax, Lava, Motorola, Karbonn, Gionee, Lenovo, Spice, Intex, XOLO, Panasonic, Zen, Maxx, Videocon, Xiaomi and Lemon.
To elaborate on their findings, Mr. Amit Gupta, Cybex Exim said, “To understand the market dynamics, we track the import shipments of various players on a daily basis. Domestic players have shown remarkable growth over the last two quarters; majorly credited to the success of Indian brands like Micromax, Lava and Karbonn. With local vendors reducing the price gap between the entry level smartphones and feature phones, usage for mid-price phones is expected to increase at a high rate. At the same time, the recent launch of Android One devices is expected to drive more volumes in the price sensitive market with many other local players geared up to introduce their devices in the coming quarter.”
Cybex Exim’s findings is as follows:
Volume data of Top 5 Indian players (in Mn) July – September’14 – Cybex Exim Solutions Pvt Ltd
Company
Feature Phones
Smart Phones
Total Volume
% Volume Share
MICROMAX
5,058,002
3,723,445
8,781,447
31.2%
LAVA
5,307,184
1,968,575
7,275,759
25.8%
KARBONN
4,591,947
1,803,583
6,395,530
22.7%
INTEX
2,542,483
965,627
3,508,110
12.5%
SPICE
1,764,181
426,992
2,191,173
7.8%
This has been a good year for Micromax. According to a study by Counterpoint Research, Micromax outsold Samsung in Q2 of 2014 to become India’s biggest smartphone supplier. Also, Micromax finished on the pole position of Cyber Exim’s report. The company is also taking some risks like introducing a Cyanogen-powered smartphone in the coming future.
Lava has said that the company will be investing about 500 crores in a phased manner to set up its own manufacturing unit in India over the next couple of years. This would be a positive step towards increasing tech-based manufacturing workforce in the country.
It’s great to see these Indian companies on a growth track. But looking at the competition they are facing against the Chinese companies, its time the companies up-ed their game. The phones need to get better in terms of specs and overall quality. The Indian companies may also want to take a leap into the flagship business and challenge the name brands.
Reports of Samsung’s next flagship, Galaxy S6, did its first round of leaks yesterday. Now, a phablet with model number SM-G7200 has been spotted on GFXBench, clearly indicating to be the next iteration in the Grand series, the Galaxy Grand 3.
If these GFXBench results are to be believed, then the Grand 3 seems to be quite an overhaul over its predecessor. Going by the reports, the upcoming flagship in Grand series is likely to feature a 5.5-inch display, which is slightly larger compared to the Grand 2, though the screen resolution remains the same at 720p.
Under the hood, it will be powered by a 64-bit Qualcomm Snapdragon clocked at 1.2GHz, bundled with a 1.5GB RAM and Adreno 306 graphics. In terms of memory, it is likely to have 16 GB of onboard storage, out of which 12 GB will be available to users.
The camera seems to be the biggest upgrade. The Grand 3 will likely get a 12MP rear camera along with a 5MP front-facing camera, compared to the 8MP rear and 1.9MP front snapper found on the Grand 2.
The Grand 3 is expected to run Android 4.4.4 KitKat. As of now, there is no confirmation regarding the Lollipop update. We can expect the Grand 3 to launch in India anytime before the end of this calendar year.
Rockstar Games, the owner of Grand Theft Auto franchise, unveiled a new footage of Grand Theft Auto from the version set for release on the PS4 and Xbox One on 18th November, and on PC on 27th January, 2015.
There are so many new things about this version, Grand Theft Auto V, but this time around, Rockstar has delivered more than a technical upgrade – it’s given players an entirely new way of playing the game. The GTA maker has added a mode to this version where you can play it out in the first-person. According to the company, this mode will be customisable, so you can play from a first-person perspective while walking around on foot and while driving, but not during a gunfight while hiding behind cover.
“It’s a very intense, in-your-face experience… literally,” says Rob Nelson, the GTA 5 Animation Director. “Obviously, we felt like one of the most compelling things you could do to make an experience people have had before feel different was the new first-person mode.”
This new perspective will also give you a better view of the amazing graphics all over the San Andreas, including pedestrian and traffic density, a farther draw distance, and more real weather effects. It also changes how you’ll experience the story, as events that take place in a mission happen around you rather than from the zoomed out view you got in the original.
Along with better graphics, Rockstar has thrown a bunch of little improvements into the world of Grand Theft Auto V. The developer has stated that there will be 20 new species of wildlife, 150 new songs, more random chatter from pedestrians and 32 new vehicles.
Ahead of the release of GTA V for Xbox One and PlayStation 4, Rockstar also announced the release of limited edition collection of the game’s music on both CD and Vinyl. Through a partnership with Mass Appeal Records, the soundtrack collection will go on sale in December.
