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Apple Launches iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, Goes On sale Sept 12

Apple at their iPhone launch event today has announced the new iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 Plus, packed with a 4.7 inch display and a 5.5 inch display respectively.

The phones despite being bigger are lighter and thinner with the new iPhone 6 being only 6.9 mm where and the new iPhone 6 Plus is only 7.1 mm thick. The front glass on the new iPhones is curved, with the iPhone 6 has a resolution of 1334 by 750 with 326 pixels per inch on the 4.7 inch display, and iPhone 6 Plus has a resolution of 1920 by 1080 with 401 pixels per inch on the 5.5 inch variant.

According to Apple, iPhone 6 is up to 50% more energy efficient, The new A8 chip has up to 25% faster processing power and up to 50% faster graphics. Which means that the graphics are an incredible 84 times faster than the original iPhone.

iPhone 6 has faster LTE than iPhone 5s. It also has more LTE bands than any other smartphone for better roaming. The new iPhone 6 can now tell if you’re going up molehills, mountains, and everything in between.

The iPhone 6 still is is equipped with an 8 MP iSight camera, with 1.5 micron pixel size, added with a phase detection AF system. the aperture is f2.2. The new iPhone 6 takes use of the new A8 image processor. The iPhone 6 Plus uses OIS “optical image stabilisation” to get better images even in low light conditions.

The iPhone 6 and 6 Plus 1080p at 30 and 60 fps, new Slo-mo video upto 240 fps. Burst mode detects smiles and blinks, then recommends the best picture.

The new TouchID can be accessed by apps in the new iOS 8 and iPhone 6 and 6 plus, the big thing; Apple launches a new Apple Pay payment system that uses NFC and Touch ID. The credit cards can be stored in Passbook, without the actual number being stored, Apple creates a temp payment ID.

September 9, 2014
Lenovo Announces 7-inch Tablet Available Exclusively on Amazon
Lenovo has launched a new tablet in India called the S5000 Tablet. The company claims it to be the slimmest tablet at 7.9 mm and weighs 246 grams. The Lenovo S5000 sports a 7-inch HD IPS display (1280 x 800 resolution) with 350-nits brightness and a 60 percent color gamma.

The S5000 is a mid-range 7-inch tablet priced at Rs 10,999. Considering the budget price, it’s not surprising that the tablet is also pretty disappointing in terms of features.

It runs on a 1.2GHz quad-core MediaTek processor backed by 2GB of RAM, so it should work well for average use such as web browsing and light gaming. There’s a 5MP main camera and a 1.6MP selfie camera for video calls.

The S5000 is lumbered with a 3,450mAh battery, which Lenovo claims provides more than eight hours of battery life. It comes with 16GB of internal storage, though you can’t expand it with a memory card. The S5000 comes in a silver-coloured case that gives it a more premium finish compared with other cheap tablets available in the market.

On the downside, the S5000 runs the outdated Android 4.2 operating system. Lenovo promises a 4.3 OTA update, but it still isn’t good enough when compared to the Android 4.4 KitKat tablets that are now easily available. The Lenovo S5000 is available exclusively on Amazon India.

Key Specifications
- CPU: MTK Quad Core, 1.2GHz MT8389 (3G) /8125 (WIFI)
- Screen: 17.78cm (7) of HD (1280×800) IPS screen | 350 nits, 60% color gamma
- Size & weight: 7.9mm & 246g/249g
- Cameras: 5.0M AF rear | 1.6M front camera
- Storage: 16GB eMMC storage
- Memory: 1GB LP DDR2
- Battery: 8+ hours | Li-Ion polymer, 3450mAh
- Operating System: Jelly Bean Android 4.2 OS (OTA update to 4.3)
- Ports: Micro USB (OTG function)/3.5mm audio jack
- Sensors: Accelerometer (G-sensor), GPS, Brightness (Ambient Light), vibration function, hall sensor
- Connectivity: 802.11bgn WiFi, Bluetooth 3.0/4.0
- Touch: 5 point Multi-touch
- Audio: Speaker, 3.5mm Audio and mic jack, Microphone
September 9, 2014
Com1 : A Powerful Smartwatch Designed To Take On The Giants

The Smartwatch market is heating up with the big brand such as Samsung, LG, Motorola and Asus bringing their versions of the wearable. Now using the open source awesomeness of the Android Wear operating system an indiegogo campaign is trying to bring its version of a powerful smartwatch. The Com1 has some competitive specs, and it can actually pose some serious challenge to its competition.

The Com1 has a squared clock face and as mentioned earlier is powered by the Android Wear OS. It gets its processing might from a 1GHz XBurst-based Ingenic JZ4775 processor. It has a Dedicated 2D graphics engine and is capable of playing 720p videos at 30 fps.

The Smartwatch also has massive 3GB of RAM and 32 GB of eMMC internal storage. It also offers a wide array of connectivity options such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, FM and NFC.

The display on the device is a LED Backlit, 1.6,” 240 x 240 TFT LCD screen. It also has multiple sensors including 3-axis gyroscope, accelerometer, and magnetometer with pressure, humidity and temperature sensors.It has a thickness of just 8mm.

The Com1 is IP67 certified

Like the Moto 360, Com1 comes with IP67 rating that certifies its water resistance. With this, you can go ahead with your daily tasks without worrying about the complicated electronics on your wrists getting affected by random splashes of water. It is waterproof up to 1m of water.

The Com1 has a 400 mAh Battery that the company claims will last for two days. It can be charged using the USB port on the watch.

There are multiple strap options to choose from.

To make the device more appealing to varied ages the makers also provide a selection of watch straps. The options available are; Black, White Brown Leather and Stainless Steel Strap. This will surely sweeten the deal for a person going on a lookout for a Smartwatch.

Google Now works on the device and so does all the Android Wear apps, after all it has some great RAM under the hood. The usual apps such as Music, Maps, Fitness, Hangouts, Google Keep and Calendar work automatically on the device.

These stylish devices can pose some serious threat to the big brand devices.

Overall this device does deserve a chance. If you are as impressed with the device as we are, you can pledge to the project at Indiegogo. With 28 days left, the company has got 6% of its required pledges. The company’s stretch goals of $80000 would bring Moto 360 like wireless charging on this device. With all the good specs and design features, the smartwatch is one of the cheapest out there. The company is giving out the early bird pledges at $125, and its most expensive watch costs $170 which is fairly cheap for what it offers. It will be shipped out in January 2015.

We hope to see this succeed to see some real competition to the giants. Devices like these will encourage the big name brands to make their devices better, so it will be a win-win for all. In its present state, the Com1 does show the potential of becoming the OnePlus One of the smartwatch market. We’ll know in 28 days if the hard work of the developers is realized.

September 9, 2014
Design of Blackberry’s Next Smartphone to Go Back to Basics

The advance of Android and iOS in the Smartphone market is unique. The speed of their conquering of the market can only be compared to Alexander, luckily it’s not fast enough to be compared with ISIS. But in the midst is a company which was seen as a precursor to the smartphone, but has now lost much of that sheen. The company is trying hard to stay relevant in the times when the app stores of two major giants is filling up, and more third party devices are being developed each day for those OS’s. Here Blackberry seems to believe that its classic appeal will be its saving grace.

Blackberry’s new Classic phone is about to hit the market, and that’s what the leaked images from Weibo by DT BlackBerry (via CrackBerry) seem to infer. The phone seems like a bigger version of the Q10, and it doesn’t seem light on the spec front either. The leaked images show the phone being compared to the BlackBerry Q10 and the BlackBerry 9900.

The specs are not clear as of yet, but the phone is said to be powered by a 1.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor with 2 GB of RAM. To provide the classic appeal, the phone has a 3.5 inch screen coupled with a QWERTY keyboard.

The leakster didn’t just stop there; they went ahead and showcased the image quality of the camera in the leak along with how the phones look. The camera does seem to be better that that of its predecessor and has more natural color reproduction.

The folks at Crackberry say that the phone might be launched by November. Meanwhile Blackberry’s other audacious release, the Blackberry Passport is expected to be launched this September 24 with simultaneous events in Dubai, London and Toronto.

It will be interesting to see how the markets respond to Blackberry’s revisit of its classic look. The passport does show some promise as it’s a one of kind device and has some impressive specs. Blackberry needs to make a unique market for itself if it wants to survive the brutal game which has already lost a titan called Nokia.

September 9, 2014
The Final Rumor Roundup : Everything We Know About the iPhone 6

Apple’s products are always the most anticipated ones in the smartphone market and this year is not an exception to the rule. While people eagerly wait for the launch of thehighly anticipated iPhone 6, rumors and leaks fuel their excitement. It is been more than 5 months since we first heard that Apple will launch two iPhone variants this year. Let’s take a moment and look back at the numerous leaks and rumors of iPhone 6 and 6L.

The First Render Appears

Back in May, we saw what Apple was cooking up for the new-gen iPhone. Macitynet.it showed off photos of renders of the 4.7 inch iPhone 6 with upgrades such as a faster processor and NFC capabilities. Reports also mention a 5.5-inch Apple Phablet headed for launch somewhere in the latter part of the year.

Another leak from Inner Exile, a China-based case manufacturer, shows off how the phone will look from the front as well as the back. The reports illustrated the power button’s new location, next to the SIM card tray on the right of the iPhone 6. Some other leaks suggested that the new iPhone 6 will have dimensions of 137.5 x 67 x 7mm in comparison with the iPhone 5S 123.8 x 58.6 x 7.6 mm.

Acquisition of Beats

Next in line was the rumor that the company is going to include Beats earphones with the new iPhone, this came after the major 3.2 billion dollar acquisition of Beats by Apple. Also, other rumors and supply chain chatter revealed the iPhone 6 will contain several highly-anticipated features, including near field communication (NFC), wireless charging, a better 4G antenna, and a much bigger screen.

Another leak from an eBay user gave us high-resolution pictures, of a black and silver handset on which one of the first aptly designed dummy of the iPhone 6. Also, other leaks illustrated that the company could switch to sapphire crystal for future displays instead of Corning Gorilla Glass.

iPad Joins the Race

The blurred lines surrounding the release date of the iPhone 6 are finally sharpened up when an industry insider reported that Apple is planning to launch the device on 15th September. Additionally, the source said that mass shipments of the iPhone 6 from China to the United States will start during the last two weeks of August, and it is likely that Apple will announce the iPhone 6 during the first or second week of September.

More rumors suggested that the bigger 5.5 inch variant of the new iPhone will be called ‘iPhone Air.’ The company first used the “Air” appellation to tag its slim MacBook model, and has later used it for the full-size iPad’s. Both times the end result was a sleek and sexy looker with good performance.

Next in line came the production news that the company has decided to double up the number of iPhone 6 units for this fall. Taiwan’s Business Weekly reported that number of iPhone 6 orders placed is about twice the number that Apple placed for the iPhone 5. Also another leak suggested that 4.7-inch iPhone 6 will have a battery capacity of 1,800mAh to 1,900mAh, while the so-called 5.5-inch ‘iPhone Air’ will sport a 2,500mAh battery.

Also, graphic designer, Martin Hajek, popular for his various dummy mockups, created beautiful renders of the iPhone 6 along with iPad Mini. Also, some leaks suggested that Apple was in talks with major credit card company Visa to collaborate and create an iWallet technology that could revolutionize the way consumers pay for goods.

The Big Box

Finally on the first week of august we got to know about the September 9th event i.e. today where the company is expected to launch the iPhone.

Next up in mid August, a popular leakster posted some images of supposed iPhone 6 in box.

Another leak by Apple Daily, a premier Chinese language newspaper suggested that the 5.5 inch tablet will be called iPhone 6L. Then we heard that Apple is scrambling to get enough screens ready for the new iPhone 6 smartphone. The supply chains who are making displays for the phone said that display panel production suffered a setback after the backlight that helps illuminate the screen had to be revised.

Finally, How Much Will it Cost?

Details about the pricing of the re-vamped iPhones were quite scarce. But during the first week of this month, tech blog TK Tech News posted an image that shows the alleged prices of the 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch iPhone 6 models.

If you convert these purported prices into Indian currency and add the standard import duties, iPhone 6’s 4.7 inch variant will come at the starting price at Rs. 61,900 approx and the 5.5 inch variant may come at starting price of Rs. 71,800. These prices are more than the introductory price of the iPhone 5S, which was launched last year for Rs. 53,500.

Also, yesterday we saw series of photos and videos of what the leaker claimed to be a fully functional iPhone 6. The leaker also uploaded a brief video demonstrating Touch ID on the device.

Well, that’s all we got from numerous leaks around the internet. Anyhow, there are some surprises that Apple has control over and that can’t be leaked, so there is still a lot to look forward to for tonight’s event. Apple is expected to launch two iPhones- a 4.7 inch variant and 5.5 inch variant and company’s first ever wearable, iWatch today at 10 AM PST (10:30 PM IST).

September 9, 2014
New Details About Apple’s iWatch Design Leaked

Apple’s September 9th event is few hours away and rumors are still flying high. A latest leak on Reddit supposedly depicts the specs and diagrams of Apple iWatch. While plenty of images purporting to be the new iPhone 6 have made it to the internet, Apple has managed to keep the iWatch under wraps – until now.

The images, posted on Reddit, allegedly show CAD design drawings of the iWatch chassis and components, including a mic and speaker. Descriptions accompanying the images claim that the iWatch will feature a multi-touch, flexible screen that will “add a new dimension to the UI.”

The Reddit user who posted the images, called OwenCarlyle, says the watch will also support Siri, Apple’s voice command system. The Reddit user also claimed that the iWatch will last for more than a day on a single charge, will be waterproof to 60m and won’t have any external connection points which could line up with past reports of the smartwatch features wireless charging.

The leaker also claims that the device will go into mass production sometime this January while describing the wearable computer as “the most complex and expensive product to manufacture to date.” Purported schematics are labeled as coming from Quanta, which has been reported to be Apple’s manufacturing partner for the device.

Other images show renders of various components of the devices, such as the microphone and speaker, although one blurry photo purports to show the iWatch housing, which is rectangular in shape. Apple is widely expected to unveil a wearable device alongside new iPhones on today. The event is due to start at 10:30 IST.

September 9, 2014
IFA 2014 Roundup: Top 5 Cool New Tech That You Didn’t Hear About

IFA Berlin saw some mega releases including the Samsung Galaxy Note 4, Sony Xperia Z3, Microsoft’s Nokia 830 and others. But behind the scene there were some cool new gadgets showcased at the event that were drowned in the immense limelight that was being showered on these devices. So here we list out five cool innovations that you need to check out.

1.    LG 8K TV:

While the world is struggling to bring more content for 4K displays, LG has taken a giant leap in display technology by bringing the world’s first 8K TV. The resolution on this TV is so profound that you’ll say it’s criminal that there is hardly any content that will do justice to the screen. The 98-inch 8K TV has 16 times the resolution of a Full HD screen. The TV is still in its beta stage so it will be a while before it comes to the market.

2.    Samsung’s Bendable TV:

This is one innovation that will get anybody awestruck. A massive OLED TV that bends at a click of a button. The massive 105 UHD screen costs a titanic sum of $260,000. You don’t even need 3D glasses with this TV; the mammoth size is enough to give you an immersive experience. Innovation-wise, this is at par with the Note Edge. Seems after some lazing out, Samsung is back in the game to win.

3.    Sony Portable Short Throw Projector:

Sony’s Short throw projector is capable of turning any surface into a display. It is a miniature version of the 4K Ultra Short Throw Projector which took details on a projection screen to the next level. The Cube shaped, portable short throw projector can be wall mounted or just kept on the table. The device projects a 23-inch image, and you can watch all your content on it from images to movies. It is also waterproof so you can keep it on your kitchen top and use it for your recipes. The best part is that, as it’s a short throw projector; it is close to the surface it is projecting on, hence, there are no interrupting shadows on the display. This one is a winner from Sony.

4.   Om/ONE’s Levitating Speaker:

Taiwan-based Aswy and another company called OM/ONE have brought something straight out of a sci-fi movie. Meet the levitating speakers. These speakers are placed above a magnetic stand that keep them stable while levitating above them. They can easily be spun around too. These Bluetooth enabled speakers also have a USB port in the base stand. This is one cool toy to have next to your lava lamp and trippy posters.

5.    4K Blu-Ray Discs:

This is something that a lot of folks were waiting for, a disc that does justice to the resolutions of the expensive 4K displays that people have been buying lately. It will be a boon in countries like India with crawling internet speeds where 4K streaming is just not possible at least for a considerable future. There is an added advantage to using physical discs instead of depending on the internet that can be disrupted because of a number of causes. The exciting bit of these discs will be their compatibility with the present Blu-Ray players, so it doesn’t add the excess cost of buying a new player. Blu-ray is one of the last remaining physical content delivery mechanisms, and this 4K push will keep it valid for a while.

September 9, 2014
Moto Hint : It’s Not Just a Bluetooth Headset

Fiction has influenced technology many a time. Jules Verne’s Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea inspired the invention of Submarines that opened a whole new world to us which was previously hidden in deep waters. Recently Captain Kirk’s handheld communicator from Star Trek inspired the Mobile Phones, which have completely changed the way we communicate.

Now Motorola has something in its kitty that promises to give you the feel of actually interacting with your phone without the need of any physical interface. This seems as if inspired by Spike Jones’ ‘Her’. The device in question is the Moto Hint. It even looks like a more practical version of the device that the protagonist wore to interact with Samantha (the AI assistant.)

The Moto Hint looks like a practical version of the device from the movie Her

The Moto Hint is a peanut-sized Bluetooth headset that lets you do a lot more than what a usual Bluetooth hands-free device does. Perhaps this is the reason folks at Motorola prefer to call it wireless earbud or an “earable,” which doesn’t really sound appealing to the ears. The Hint does, in fact, give a hint of what the future of wearable headsets is going to look like.

Using the Moto Hint you can literally control the most important features of a smartphone using just your voice. You can read and write messages, get navigation assistance, post on social media and much more. Motorola has the distinction of superior voice interaction on its devices starting with the previous generation Moto X. The new Moto X takes that ability further and brings in custom phrasing that lets you make your own custom phrase instead of the usual ‘OK Google’ phrase on Android.

Moto hint offers 3.3 hours of battery back-up that is good for a start. It is compatible with any Bluetooth enabled phone. A sensor on the device detects when it is in the ear and it automatically powers on. Now as it’s powered through Google, it will still just reply to the query. Hopefully, Motorola will bring an anthropomorphized voice assistant like the Cortana and Siri to make it feel like a two-way interaction.

This device will also rekindle the Bluetooth era that had just recently lost steam. If the Moto Hint works as it’s advertised, we will again have people all around us who seem like they’re talking to us but they’re actually posting a twitter update. Hopefully using hashtags vocally will make them realize how stupid they sound, and that will bring them back to the typing interface. The Moto Hint still deserves a chance for its innovation, and we’ll wait for it to come to our shores. The Moto Hint is priced at $149.99 (roughly Rs. 9,000), while its powerbank, the Power Pack Micro is available for $39.99 (roughly Rs. 2,400).

September 8, 2014
Google’s New Technology Has a Super Sharp Sense of Object Recognition

Recent technology advancement has opened the possibility of more sophisticated image recognition features. Even though in recent year various researchers have come up with significant discoveries, the automatic object recognition in images is still considered tricky. However, Google is all set to change that. In other word, the internet giant has just come up with very sophisticated detection system hat can easily spot lots of objects in a scene, even if they’re partly obscured.

“This effort was accomplished by using the DistBelief infrastructure, which makes it possible to train neural networks in a distributed manner and rapidly iterate. At the core of the approach is a radically redesigned convolutional network architecture. Its seemingly complex structure (typical incarnations of which consist of over 100 layers with a maximum depth of over 20 parameter layers), is based on two insights: the Hebbian principle and scale invariance.” the Google research blog reads.

The result of this groundbreaking technology is far deeper scanning system that can both identify more objects and make better guesses, and will be able to spot tons of mundane items around you.

This technological advances will enable even better image understanding and the progress can be directly transferred to Google products such as photo search, image search, YouTube, self-driving cars, and any place where it might be useful to understand depth, perception and imagery.

September 8, 2014
Review : Micromax Canvas Nitro A310
Micromax has been reworking strategies for quite some time, and after their launch of the Canvas Gold, the company has kept it low key. Meanwhile, Motorola with their Moto G and Moto E along with Xiaomi with their Mi3 and Redmi 1s have really made a dent in the market.

The Micromax Canvas Nitro A310 is the company’s answer to all that, but does it really fulfil that goal? Lets find out!

Overview

The Canvas Nitro A310 is well built phone with good specs, in the right price bracket. However with the competition looming it may not match up in terms of hardware capabilities. The strategy to launch it with online partner Snapdeal is also similar to what we have seen in the past, Motos and the MIs and their launch with Flipkart.

Hardware

The Micromax Canvas Nitro A310 comes with a Mediatek Mt6592 Octa Core Chipset clocked at 1.7 GHz on all eight cores. The phone also has 2 GB of RAM and a Mali 450 MP2 GPU. The Nitro runs on a 2500mAh battery and has 8 GB of inbuilt storage, out of which roughly 5.2 GB is available to the user.

The front is laden with a vivid 5 inch IPS LCD display with a resolution of 1280 x 720 px, for optics on the rear the phone gets a 13 MP camera with auto focus and 1080p video capture, the front remains a fixed focus with a 5 MP resolution. Cameras are capable of HDR and low light photography, video has electronic stabilisation, and you can initiate the camera with a gesture “V” sign to click pictures from a far.

Unboxing Video

Build Quality and Design

Unlike its predecessors, the Canvas Nitro A310 is built on a plastic chassis, giving it a much lighter and less sturdy feel compared to the likes of the Canvas Gold. However the phone is still well built and feels like it can take a fall or two (not that we’d recommend it). The front has a tiny lip that nicely protects the front LCD of the phone, but on from a flat table placement or a flat drop. There is no mention of Gorilla Glass, although some generic “strengthened” glass has been used.

The back panel has a leather look (read: exactly like the Note 3) however it has a much better defined design, overall appeal and touch. The back panel is also very sturdy and not flimsy at all, which one would expect. We are not too sure about this blue colour, as it may not appeal to every one, it’s how one would say “different”.

Camera

Micromax focused a lot with the camera on the new Micromax Canvas Nitro A310, they have added several new camera features as standard. Things mostly which can be had with an app, but its is always much better to have features integrated with the OS and UI. An inbuilt camera specific widget lets you take shots by focusing on what you want to do, selecting from 5 different modes.

Front Back ; lets you take one picture from the front facing camera and one from the rear facing camera and combine it as a single image.

Stable ; just like the name says, waits till your hands are stable before taking a picture.

Selfie ; A selfie mode lets you click better selfies, however this works best with “V shot gesture” mode.

Refocus; lets you add blur to all areas except the area you select, more like a software version of HTC’s dual camera setup.

Coming to the hardware, the camera is based on a BSI Sony sensor with an f2.2 aperture and has excellent focus capabilities. Images captured indoors, as well as outdoors are accurate in colour reproduction and contrast. HDR was particularly good, and can really reproduce required details in the images.

With HDR

Without HDR

You get a good deal of details with the camera, especially up close to your subject.

Performance and Gaming

The Micromax Canvas Nitro handles day to day usage without any problem, and for once this phone does not heat up at all, mostly pertaining to the fact that the device is made entirely out of plastic. At any pint of time the total amount of free RAM is approximately 600+ MB, leaving you to wonder where the phone is utilising in excess of 1.3 GB of RAM. The included clean up app does open up about 120-140 MB of RAM, but that is still less considering that the device is running on KitKat.

Benchmarks and Gaming Video

We did see some hiccups in Gaming while gunning for high end games, and we also noticed quite a lot of frame loss, we plan to revisit gaming separately post the launch of the handset. Audio quality is excellent, however you might end up with your hand on the speaker ever so often, muffling up the sound.

Phone, Networks and Battery

Signal quality is excellent indoors as well as outdoors, audio is good on a call whether incoming or out going. As far as networks are concerned the plastic body definitely improves any WiFi connectivity issues faced by the previous generation of Canvas phones.

Battery life if good for one day’s use with the included 2500 mAh battery, which is removable and replaceable by the user. You will get an average talk time of 5-6 hours with both SIM cards placed in the phone.

If you are a light user you can easily run into the second day, however a charge a day would be recommended to keep you in a healthy battery position.

Multimedia And Android

The display is really good on the Micromax Canvas Nitro A310, it has excellent levels of black which are deep and blend in with the accurate blacks of the bezel. Video playback was good after the initial hiccups we faced (old version of Youtube App) and viewing angles are fantastic. The phone’s display works well indoors and outdoors and you will totally appreciate media consumption on the display, despite the fact that it is a 720p screen.

The OS is mostly stock Android 4.4.2, with minor customisations and mostly preloaded applications by the company, the UI also looks clean and is responsive. The set of apps including Quick Look (aka Blinkfeed for non HTC devices) and the new lock screen are excellent and work really well in providing notifications and quick update of news. Both of these can easily be turned off or replaced using custom launchers and lock screen replacements from the Play Store.

Screenshots

Conclusion

While most will argue the hardware powers of the Xiaomi Mi3, the Micromax Canvas Nitro is aimed to be more for those who want a less hectic approach to buying a phone. With an octa-core chipset and 2 GB of RAM, bundled with a 13 MP camera and expandable storage, the Micromax Canvas Nitro does have it positives. The biggest being the fact that the phone will be available to those who want to buy it, easily and how.

The Micromax Canvas Nitro is a step in the right direction for Indian manufacturers, especially considering they are taking huge flack from companies like Xiaomi and Motorola who are basically now playing in their space.

[tw-column width=”one-half”]
GOOD THINGS
- Good Build
- Good Specs
- Great Pricing
- Excellent 720p Display
- Good Battery Life
[/tw-column]
[tw-column width=”one-half” position=”last”]
BAD THINGS
- Plastic Body
- Gaming Shabby
  [/tw-column]
September 8, 2014
What We Hope to See at Apple’s Mega Event on 9th September

It has been way too long since the internet has been abuzz with rumours about the much-awaited iWatch and the next iPhone 6. Love ’em or hate ’em, you have to admit that Apple has a history of making some fine products. And after reading plethora of leaks over the past few months, we’re excited to finally find out what Apple has in store for us this year.

With Apple’s September 9th event only a few hours away, we’re still witnessing the last round of leaks and rumours. Few hours ago, a leak has shown us the working iPhone 6 for the first time.

The company had sent press invites last week with the cryptic statement ‘wish we could say more’ in the typical Apple style. The event will be held at Flint Center for the Performing Arts in Cupertino, California which is the same venue where Apple debuted the Macintosh computer in 1984, 30 years ago. It is said that the venue is chosen to pay a homage to the company’s first big achievement with another groundbreaking device, the iWatch.

It is expected Apple will showcase two iPhones this year, same as last year (iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C). However, this year the second variant will not be a step down but will come with the bigger screen and better innards. Anyhow, there are numerous rumors and it is hard to keep track of it all but there are some important advancements and iterations which are expected to come with these three devices.

Lets take a moment and dissect what Apple has in store for us and what we want from the new-gen Apple devices.

The Bigger The Better

As we all know, Apple’s been working on not one, but two iPhones: a 4.7-inch version and 5.5-inch phablet for people who think iOS 8 needs more real estate to breathe. Debates have raged over whether Apple will cover those displays in ultra-durable sapphire crystal. However, recent rumors have suggested that the company won’t take the plunge, but instead they’ll offer 128GB versions of the new phones.

Exciting Upgrades

It is also been said that there will be more upgrades — a faster chip, increased resolution and improvements to the camera. Also, it is said that Apple will include NFC in the new iPhones. This will simplify the process of pairing an iWatch (if NFC is also included in the device) and an iPhone as well as both can be used to encourage mobile payment directly. A feature many companies are trying to achieve but have failed until now.

Affordable Prices

It’s highly unlikely, but we can dream. It is said that 5.5 inch iPhone 6L will be $50-100 more than the 4.7 inch variant. Recent leak suggested that Apple iPhone 6 with 4.7” display will purportedly cost 6,663 HKD, 7,671 HKD, and 8,679 HKD . The aforementioned prices are for devices with 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB of built-in memory respectively. According to the leak listing of prices, the iPhone 6 with 5.5-inch display is unsurprisingly more expensive (it is rumored to have more powerful hardware on board). It is reportedly priced at 7,923 HKD for the 16GB model, 8,931 HKD for a 32GB unit, and 9,687 HKD for a device with 64GB of onboard memory. If you convert these purported prices into Indian currency and add the standard import duties, iPhone 6’s 4.7 inch variant will come at the starting price at Rs. 61,900 approx and the 5.5 inch variant may come at starting price of Rs. 71,800.

The Super Cool New OS

Well, also iOS 8 will make its debut with these devices and anyone with an iPhone 4S or later will be able to download iOS 8 on Sept. 17. The company added tons of developer tools for home mechanization, heavy gaming performance and extensions in abundance. There’s a lot of polished new apps and add-ons that is expected to earn rave reviews.

Siri Becoming More Helpful

Siri can now be activated by saying “hey Siri,” rather than pressing the home button. She can now understand more languages and accents. The best part? Apple has gone ahead to integrate a music-recognition feature, so you can know which tune is being played instantly, without wasting time to open an app. You have the option to download the song instantly from iTunes, and if you’ve installed Shazam, you can save the song in your tabs.

The Wearable Trend : iWatch

It is quite amazing that Apple has managed to keep most of its iWatch details a secret. It is said iWatch won’t be available after it is launched with iPhone 6 which goes on sale on the Friday of the week following the event — in this case, Sept. 19. The smartwatch category is certainly experiencing a boom, although it’s still unclear if consumers really want them. The iWatch could be the product to take smartwatches mainstream, but to do that, it needs to do something that no other wearable does.

Extensive Sensors

Rumors say the iWatch will have a curved-screen design, come in two sizes and have multi-day battery life. But based on early leaks of the software, its highlight will be the extensive sensor data that it gathers about the wearer’s health. The unveiling of the new iWatch will connect the dots between the Health app, which was unveiled at WWDC 2014, iPhone 6 and wearables.

How Apple Plays the Beats

This event will also be the first event after Apple has acquired headphone-maker Beats. While it’s only been a month, it’s still a bit early for the first Beats project with Apple company, we may see the beginning of the collaboration or at least an appearance by Dr. Dre.

September 8, 2014
Indian Government’s Communication Convergence Bill to Replace TRAI

During the administration of Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, a bill was introduced called the Communication Convergence Bill. It was year 2000, way before the emergence of internet and mobile phones as influential communication systems capable of changing regimes in multiple nations. The bill’s objective was to establish a new “converged” regulatory framework to promote and develop the communications sector (including broadcasting, telecommunications and “multimedia”) in an environment of increasing convergence of technologies, services and service providers. Now the present government wants to bring back the bill from the dead.

The bill was to replace the Indian Telegraph Act, 1885; the Indian Wireless Telegraphy Act, 1933; the Cable Television Networks Regulation Act, 1995; the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India Act, 1997. This bill would in the end replace TRAI and the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT). The government will form a singular commission called the Communication Commission of India that would overlook all communication infrastructures.

The bill was announced by India’s Minister of Communications and Information Technology, Ravi Shanker Prasad

This would be the second big move for this government after scrapping the long-standing policy body called the Planning Commission. Its scrapping was announced by the Prime Minister in his Independence Day speech this year.

The Communication Commission will have seven members. Each member would be a domain expert on areas such as telecom, broadcasting, information technology, law and consumer affairs and finance. Its mandate would be to stimulate market competition in order to ensure better quality services for the consumer and prevent monopolies.

The new Commission will not just replace TRAI and TDSAT but will also take up some of the powers from the Censor Board; some clearances that the Ministry Of Environment gives out, the Competition Commission of India and the Department of Telecommunications. This will directly try to regulate the content as well as the carriers who distribute that content.

On the face of it, this law seems consumer friendly, but if not planned right it can introduce another set of red tapes. By trying to control content, the government will take upon a major headache and can cause over-centralization, especially at the speed at which content is being generated presently. According to TRAI Chairman Rahul Khullar’s interaction with CNBC-TV18, a super-regulator has a potential to complicate the tough regulatory platform of the telecom industry.

Last time the bill couldn’t pass because of concerns from the other stakeholders. The bill was not persuded by the previous UPA government. This time around, with a massive majority in the parliament, the government can get the law to pass if DoT finalizes it for an introduction by the winter session this year. It will be interesting to see in the coming days, how the government plans to adopt this 14-year old law into the current times. This is an important aspect of governance that citizens need to know about as our present and future economy is getting dependent on good communication infrastructure. Even information rights activists will keep a close eye at the developments of this bill.

September 8, 2014
T-Mobile Sues Huawei for Stealing Phone-Testing Robot Technology

T-mobile is suing Chinese equipment makers Huawei claiming that some of its employees tried to infiltrate the premises of the phone company to steal propriety technology. At the center of the dispute is the phone testing robot. T-Mobile states that Huawei made millions in profits using their technology.

T-mobile claims that Huawei’s representatives took multiple photographs of their testing equipment. It is also said that those staffers also replace parts and tried to break into the facilities when they were banned from the premises.

However, Huawei isn’t showing a belligerent stance. The company says that they have information about the incidents and the people responsible for the illegal activities have been fired from their company.

Corporate espionage is a menace that exists everywhere. In an era of cut throat competition, profits can be made using the slightest advantages over the competition and this is what the companies look to gain. It is unsure if the people responsible for the break-in were directed by their higher-ups, but Huawei’s confession will make this case a short-lived inconvenience for both companies.

September 8, 2014

Micromax Launches Canvas Nitro A310, We Unbox it!

Recently, the Indian smartphone market has taken a toll with the arrival of the Chinese brand Xiaomi and well, the resurgence of Motorola. These companies have taken over the Indian budget-smartphone segment by giving us amazing specifications at aggressive prices.

Micromax, the homegrown smartphone maker, is trying to get back on the horse and get a hold of the lost ground it once ruled. Today, Micromax launched a new Canvas flagship model called the Nitro A310 which will be exclusively available on Snapdeal.

The device runs on 1.7 Ghz octa core MediaTek chipset with 2GB of RAM and 8GB of internal memory which is expandable upto 64GB. The Canvas Nitro A310 is powered by 2500mAh battery.

They’ve provided a 13MP Sony camera with f/2.2 aperture. The selfie camera has a 22mm wide angle lens with a f/2.4 aperture and ov5648 bsi sensor. On the home screen Micromax has provided 5 quick widgets – Photo, Video, Front, Back, and Stable shot. Another interesting feature they’ve provided are the in-built gestures which can be used to customise the screen and to activate apps (as demonstrated in the video). The device comes with Oleophobic coating, an anti-fingerprint layer and will come in two colour variants – white and blue. The back has a leather finish, inspired by Napa Leather.

The Micromax Canvas Nitro A310 is available on Snapdeal for Rs. 12,990. After losing a large number of prospective buyers to the Mi3 and Moto G, now Micromax attempts to fight back.

Specs	Micromax Canvas Nitro A310
Battery capacity (mAh)	2500, Removable
Display	5 inch HD IPS Screen 1280X720px
Processor	MediaTek 1.7GHz octacore
RAM	2GB
Internal storage	8GB
Rear camera	13 megapixel
Flash	Yes
Front camera	5 MP
Operating System	Android 4.4

September 8, 2014

Ahead of Official Launch Leaked Video Shows a Working iPhone 6

There has been a steady stream of rumors and leaks about new-gen iPhone 6 prior to the launch of the device tomorrow, September 9th. Now, a user of the Chinese social networking website, Weibo, has posted a series of photos and videos of what he claims to be a fully functional iPhone 6.

While there is no way to confirm the authenticity of the video, it seems to be untampered and real. The leaker has also uploaded a brief video demonstrating Touch ID on the device, suggesting the this is a legitimate iPhone 6. Through picture it seems that the device is 4.7 inch version of the new iPhone 6.

The look of the device is pretty much the same and in line with previous leaks and rumors. However, this is the first time we have seen the device powered on. There is not much revealed, but we can see a new Passbook icon which features a magnetic credit card at the top, assumingly for the fact you are now going to be able to pay using your iOS devices. Also, the added screen space has allowed the company to add an additional row of icons on the app screen.

Anyhow, there is still lot to see what Apple has in store for us. Apple is expected to launch two iPhones- a 4.7 inch variant and 5.5 inch variant and company’s first ever wearable, iWatch tomorrow 10 AM PST (10:30 PM IST).

September 8, 2014

Blog

Key Specifications

The First Render Appears

Acquisition of Beats

iPad Joins the Race

The Big Box

Finally, How Much Will it Cost?

1. LG 8K TV:

2. Samsung’s Bendable TV:

3. Sony Portable Short Throw Projector:

4. Om/ONE’s Levitating Speaker:

5. 4K Blu-Ray Discs:

Overview

Hardware

Unboxing Video

Build Quality and Design

Camera

Performance and Gaming

Benchmarks and Gaming Video

Phone, Networks and Battery

Multimedia And Android

Screenshots

Conclusion

The Bigger The Better

Exciting Upgrades

Affordable Prices

The Super Cool New OS

Siri Becoming More Helpful

The Wearable Trend : iWatch

Extensive Sensors

How Apple Plays the Beats

Micromax Canvas Nitro A310