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Pinterest Rolls Out its Own Messaging Feature

With the ever-growing market of instant messaging app, every social networking company is coming up with innovative new ways to get in touch with your friends and families. Facebook recently announced the stand alone Messenger and dropped chat window in the app. Meanwhile, new startups are also coming up with innovative ideas to make instant messing fun such as Fling.

Now, Pinterest is joining this race by rolling out a new messaging product called “Conversations”. It seems to be growing up to become a true social network. The digital scrapbooking service announced on Wednesday that its users can now send each other direct messages.

“Say you’re organizing a camping trip with friends – try sending Pins to the whole gang so you can figure out where to go and what meals to make,” Pinterest product designer Tom Watson wrote in a blog post. “If you need a reminder of who’s bringing what, just pull up the conversation right from your notifications.

Direct messaging is meant to be an addition to the “send a pin” feature Pinterest rolled out in May 2013. The idea now is that when users receive a pin, they can reply with a message or send back another pin.

Starting today, the company is rolling out messages on Android, iOS, and the web. Like Facebook’s ‘chat heads,’ the recent messages pop up to the left of the feed as bubbles with your friends’ faces. You’ll find the others under the pin icon where notifications pop up.

Just click the ‘+’ icon, type in the name of a friend on Pinterest, and you can send a pin or a standalone message. The impressive thing about Pinterest messages is that the pins you send within the app retain all the functionality of a pin you see anywhere else on the site.

Anything you can do with a pin on Pinterest’s web site, you can do inside a message: pin it to a board of your own, send it to another friend, or click the ‘heart’ to add it to your list of favorites. You can even drag a pin from the site into a message.

Earlier this year Pinterest launched “guided search” which recommends keywords to help refine searches on the service. The feature helps people find the stuff they are looking for and the stuff they didn’t know they were looking for.

August 7, 2014
Rumor Roundup : All That We Know About the Moto 360

The most hotly anticipated wearable of the year, the Moto 360 smartwatch, couldn’t come soon enough. Announced way back in March, the device hasn’t exactly been Moto’s secret project with multiple demos and hands-on videos at this Google I/O this year.

But do we really know every detail about the smart watch? Here’s a rumor roundup to sum up everything we know other than the official information on Motorola’s website.

Use of Premium Materials

As Motorola and Google have made sure to point out several times now, the Moto 360, unlike its Android Wear siblings, the LG G Watch and the Samsung Gear Live, will be crafted of premium materials, namely glass and metal. Yes, no cheap plastics here.

But is this really true? A Chinese website, G for Games, recently made claims that the Moto 360 would actually be made of plastics that mimic metal. Now, before you start frowning, we should point out that a lot of tech reviewers are claiming these rumours to be fake. But we can’t be certain until the watch officially releases.

Standard Dimensions

Ever since the announcement, Motorola has made a big deal out of how the Moto 360 will look and feel just like a regular watch. It will have a regular 44mm round dial and a leather strap that can be switched with any other strap.

However, another rumor recently surfaced that Motorola will have to increase the thickness to 13.5mm to incorporate wireless charging into the watch. This will make it considerably thicker than either of it’s siblings, the G Watch and the Gear Live, who stand at 9.95mm and 8.9mm thick, respective

Wireless Charging

In the past couple of months, this has been one of the most consistent rumors. If the Moto 360 manages to support any Qi Wireless Charger, this will be a major accomplishment for the smart watch as it will eliminate the need for proprietary charging docks.

Water Resistant

It has been confirmed by Motorola that the watch will be water resistant. However, no comment has been made on whether it will be IP67 rated or not.

Leaked Images from Mistergadget.net

Optical Heart Rate Sensor

Recent leaked pictures by Italian website Mister Gadget show the Moto 360 flaunting an optical heart rate sensor on its back. We are yet to find out how it will be implemented.

Release Date

Finally, the Moto 360 is believed to be be launching by the end of this summer. This is exciting news, as summer is just coming to an end, and we should expect the watch to be launched at an event in the near future. A very recent rumor is floating that the watch will be released this September. We wish this stands true.

The Moto 360 has definitely managed to become one of the most hotly anticipated gadgets of the year. While we all wait with baited breath for the launch event, if you haven’t already, check out this video by Motorola:

By Pranav Arora

August 7, 2014
Samsung Dealers Unhappy About E-Pricing, Threaten Boycott

As if Samsung wasn’t facing enough heat from the market and the users, the dealers of Samsung are taking them on the retail and e-tail price gap. The representatives of Samsung Retail dealers have told Samsung if the massive discrepancies in prices are not stabilized, they may have to boycott the brand.

Samsung has not had a good time against the competition in the past couple years. The phones are seen as identical replicas of each other and their features are unable to compete with the likes of Motorola, LG and the latest entrants, Xiaomi and Asus. In fact, Samsung, which boasted of holding the throne of the biggest smartphone company in the top two populous countries in the world saw itself dip to 2^nd spot. Micromax toppled Samsung’s majority in India and Xiaomi stole its spot in China.

The center issue is that Samsung offers its dealers a margin of 5.5% while the phones can be bought online for 20-25% discounts. The dealers say that they are not able to meet their sales targets as consumers are scared the prices might keep dropping. Times of India reports that some of the dealers have been selling the phones in wholesale markets to achieve their sales goals. These phones too make their way on the internet and are sold at discounted rates.

The dealers have threatened the company with a boycott that includes blacking out Samsung’s branding. Samsung executives have asked the dealers to not take any drastic steps as of yet. The dealer body has given the South Korean electronics giant time till the 15^th of August to resolve the pricing issue. Samsung needs a strategy reanalysis if it wants to prevent a certain dip in sales numbers which includes focus on mobile innovation. Or else it won’t be long before they follow Nokia’s path.

August 6, 2014
XOLO Pulls a Xiaomi : Releases HIVE, its Own UI !

Indian mobile phone manufacturer, XOLO, today unveiled their new phone, the Xolo 8X-1000. The phone is running on its proprietary User Interface (UI) called HIVE. HIVE like Xiaomi’s MIUI is based on Android but comes with plentiful customization options.

The phone is designed with an India centric appeal

HIVE looks interesting in the first look. The OS is designed with “Made in India, Made for India” philosophy and created by our Software Design Centre at Bangalore. The UI is based on Android KitKat 4.4 which makes the phone an up-to-date effort. HIVE allows users to select from a vast library of customization options. The UI lets you chose themes, launcher, widgets, customized system apps that offer additional features. HIVE also allows users to connect to Xolo’s development team and get feedbacks. It also lets users contribute creatively to the platform and help it grow, thereby making it a step forward in terms of personalization.

The phones provide immense personalization features

Xolo’s HIVE also comes with a multimedia app called Fusion X which consolidates video, audio and radio on one platform. It provides curation services; recommending content based on user’s selections. It is also integrated with YouTube.

The phone itself has some decent specs. Its processing strength comes from a 1.4 GHz Mediatek octa core processor. We have seen this processor before at this clock speed on the HTC Desire 616, and it was able to churn out some good performance. It will be interesting to see how XOLO works out with the power hungry octa core processor’s optimization especially when the battery stands at 1920 mAh. XOLO has mentioned some battery test figures which look decent, but we won’t endorse it until we have tested it on our own.

The round dial controls sure are a welcome departure from the usual Android fare

XOLO has given a 5 inch, 1280X720, Gorilla Glass 3 display capable of pixel density of 294 ppi. The camera on the device is an 8 MP shooter with Sony’s Exmor R Sensor with a wide f/2.0 aperture. The camera is capable of full HD (1080p) recording along with features like Scene detection and tuning, vertical & horizontal panorama capture, face beautification, gesture detection, voice capture and object tracking.

The 8X-1000 is going to compete with the likes of Moto G and Xiaomi Mi3. The phone is priced at Rs. 13,999, exactly as much as the Mi3 on Flipkart. On paper the 8X-1000 and HIVE look really impressive. If they had priced it a little less, they could have provided an Indian alternative to the Mi3 with the pride of an India made tag. Xolo can take advantage of the Mi3’s limited stocks and find itself some admirers. But at the end of the day, this is an audacious step for an Indian phone manufacturer, and they need to be commended for their efforts. Your turn Micromax, the number 1 Indian brand, what’ve you got?

August 6, 2014
Timex Unveiled a Smartwatch That Has its Own 3G Data Connection

Timex Group is launching a smartwatch with cellular connectivity and a high-visibility display from Qualcomm Inc. It’s a 3G-connected smartwatch that doesn’t even need to pair up with a phone. Unlike earlier smartwatches, Timex’s watch has its own cellular connection, letting it transmit data without having to be connected to a smartphone.

The company calls it the Ironman One GPS+, and while it may have features commonly found in a smartwatch, it is made mostly for athletes like its predecessors. It has the capability to upload your run data to a fitness website with one tap. You can even assign contacts to monitor your run in real time.

Priced at 350$, this version comes with a heart monitor like Samsung Gear Fit and a chest strap. Timex’s move into smartwatches is among the first by traditional watchmakers and follows products from electronics companies including Samsung and Sony that have failed to garner major support from consumers.

The device, due out later this year, is made with a chipset from Qualcomm as well as Qualcomm’s Mirasol low-power display technology, which can easily be viewed in direct sunlight.

Timex has a 160-year history of making watches, which led it to a decidedly different vision for a smartwatch. This one doesn’t get notifications from your smartphone and doesn’t tell you what’s next on your calendar. It’s a connected wearable intended to help athletes and adventurers be safer, smarter, and just a little bit more connected. It’s quite simple, not like anything we’ve seen before.

August 6, 2014
The Next Moto G Might Go Big with a 5-Inch Screen

Motorola has gathered a lot of goodwill this year. The company has been a star in the developing markets where its low-priced-high-speced products have found a massive fan following. Motorola’s upcoming products are their flagship Moto X+1 and their much awaited smartwatch, the Moto 360. Both their products have found takers in the rumor mills and they are generating a good amount of steam. Now it is being reported that one of their super hits, Moto G is apparently going to get a makeover too.

The specifications of what is touted to be the next Moto G offering is listed under the model no. XT1063 on GFXBench. One spec that catches the eyes is the 1280x720p, 4.5 inch screen of the Moto G has expanded to a 5-inch screen. This maybe an issue with some enthusiast who appreciated the size neutral 4.5 inch screen of the Moto G, but for multimedia enthusiast, this is welcoming news.

The rest of the features in terms of hardware appear to be constant. The phone’s processing power comes from a Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 SOC with an Adreno 305 GPU. The RAM listed is at 0.8 GB and internal storage is 4 GB, these maybe rudimentary figures to keep sniffers away or maybe Motorola will finally offer expandable storage. The only prominent complaint users had with the phone was the lack of expandable storage.

The camera department might see some upgrades too. The main camera will supposedly feature a 7 MP which might be bumped to 8MP and the front camera goes from 1.3MP to 2MP.

We will keep an eye on the happenings in the Moto department and will bring you the latest. Keep checking this spot.

August 6, 2014
Garmin Launched its Fitness Tracker ‘vivofit’ on Flipkart for Rs. 9990

Garmin, satellite navigation provider, just announced a new fitness tracker called vivofit. The plastic tracker is set on a rubber wristband that will be exclusively available on Flipkart in black and slate colour options.

The fitness tracker’s design seems inspired by the Nike+FuelBand. It comes equipped with all the basic features needed to track ones activities – a step counter, distance travel meter, calories burnt, sleep tracker, basic clock, date and time, and is capable of syncing with Garmin’s Heart rate monitor.

“Garmin has been providing fitness monitoring devices for over a decade, and with vívofit we say hello to the fitness band that knows your potential,” said Tony An, Sales and Marketing Director, Garmin Corporation, “Being able to monitor the quality of rest after retiring for the night, being challenged by personalized daily goals and doing so without having to charge it every few days, makes vívofit a fitness band that should be on everyone’s wrist.”

The Garmin vivofit keeps an eye on everything from your sleep patterns and steps to calories burned and distance traveled. It’s water resistant and durable, and syncs with your smartphone.

But where vivofit really sets itself apart, is its ability to let you completely forget about charging it. This fitness band can keep chugging for a full year before you even have to think about swapping out its power supply.

To sync this data to your mobile phone you need to download the Garmin Connect application from the App store for Apple devices and Play Store for Android devices and connect with Bluetooth. This tracker along with smartphone sync, can also be synced to any computer using the ANT+ dongle, which is included in the box and Garmin express software, syncing it to Garmin Connect.

You can buy Garmin vivofit exclusively on Flipkart for a mere Rs. 9,990.

August 6, 2014
LG G3 Review

LG has remained an underdog in the Android smartphone race for quite a while. In 2012 when Google formed a liaison with the Korean manufacturer for the Nexus 4, LG was suddenly back on the map. LG simultaneously launched global versions of the Nexus devices known as the “G” phones. The first one aka Optimus G was very well received and appreciated for its performance and looks, and the G2 which was the Nexus 5 version of LG’s flagship lineup won several accolades.

The LG G3 was not something most were looking forward to, in fact no one was really waiting for the G3. With Samsung launching one of the most disappointing flagship Galaxy S phones in many years, the HTC One M8 more or less stole the thunder in the top tier of the Android Market.

Does LG’s late arrival of the G3 slow down its acceptance in the market, lets find out!

Overview

The LG G3 took the market by storm at launch, the G3 is the first commercially available phone from a big manufacturer to feature a brilliant 2K resolution display. But LG also improved a lot of other things with the phone, a removable back panel, laser autofocus and more, making it possibly the right kind of eye candy and by pricing it well a superior and rounded phone.

Hardware and Innards

The LG G3 is more or less up there with specs and internal hardware, a Snapdragon 801 chipset and Adreno 330 GPU. You also have two easy memory options, one with 16 GB storage and 2GB RAM and the other with 32 GB storage and 3 GB RAM. The removable battery and memory card slot are a major boon to everyone who is planning to buy this phone.

The Pièce de résistance of the LG G3 is the marvellous 5.5 inch 2K resolution display, aka 1440 x 2560 pixels, which makes it a crazy 534 ppi on the display. LG has also bumped up the optics with a 13 MP camera and laser autofocus which will also capture 2160p video at 30 fps and 1080p video at the same 30 fps.

All of this for a good under Rs. 50k price bracket for the higher GB variant.

Build Quality and Design

Even though the phone is completely made from plastic and has a removable back panel, it has a far superior build quality when compared to the Galaxy S5. It’s almost like a impressive plastic version of the HTC One M8, also very identical to the HTC One E8 in terms of the build.

Design wise the LG G3 is beautiful to our eyes, the front of the handset is absolutely stunning with thin bezels and that gorgeous display. The brushed finish of the back panel replicates a metallic look quite a lot, and we are really happy that LG improved on the G Flex’s design to get this finish.

Rear Buttons

Just like the G2 the buttons on the G3 are at the back and have been improved to become easier to use, they look much better too. The edges of the G3 are also more rounded and the phone feels fantastic in the hands. The front is laden with Gorilla Glass 3 for added strength and usability.

Design wise LG has improved quite a lot and really built a better G2 which in itself was pretty good-looking.

August 6, 2014
Lenovo Vibe Z2 Pro with 6-inch Quad HD Display Officially Launched

After weeks of rumours and leaks, Lenovo has finally made the Vibe Z2 Pro official. This is the latest flagship from the Chinese manufacturer, and carries all high-end specs you would expect from a flagship. The star of the show is definitely the 6” Quad HD (2560×1440) IPS display, that is capable of outputting 500-nits of brightness.

The rest of the specs are equally impressive. The Lenovo Vibe Z2 Pro will come with the latest Android 4.4 KitKat pre-installed. Under the hood, the device will contain Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 801 chipset with a 2.5 GHz quad-core Krait 400 CPU. This will be paired with the Adreno 330 GPU, making sure that the device can handle all your processing needs.

It will come with 32 GB of in-built storage, however there will be no microSD card slot for expansion. The rear camera will be 16 megapixels, a BIS sensor with Optical Image Stabilisation, dual LED flash and 4K video recording. The phablet will also feature dual-SIM capabilities, with two micro-SIM card slots.

All of this goodness will be encased in a premium unibody metal body that measures only 7.7mm in thickness. The body will weigh 179 grams. Now, some people may not like the sheer size and heft of the phablet, but that size allows the manufacturer to fit in a larger than normal 4,000 mAh battery.

The device is set to release in September, in black, white and gold colours.

Take a look at the video and tell us what you think.

By Pranav Arora

August 6, 2014
Oppo Teases the Indian Market With the Hint Of N1 Mini

Remember the Oppo N1? Announced way back in September last year, the device featured a unique rotating camera at the top, giving you the capability of taking your selfies in ultra-sharp 13 megapixel quality.

Now, Oppo is teasing the launch of it’s younger sibling, the Oppo N1 Mini, in India. The company on Sunday tweeted an image of the Mini with the text “Revolutionary 24 Mega Pixels Ultra HD Camera, Coming Soon!”. The picture carries the caption “Mini in size, Max on fun”.

If you missed the official launch of the N1 Mini back in June, we don’t blame you. It was a silent affair, with no extravagant event or hype. However, it did manage to tell us the official launch specs that the device will carry.

The N1 Mini sports a 5” HD (1280×720) display. Under the hood, it comes with a 1.6GHz quad-core processor and Adreno 305 GPU paired with a healthy 2GB of RAM. There is 16GB of non-expandable storage available. Similar to its bigger brother, it features a 13-megapixel ‘swivel’ camera with LED flash.

The battery capacity is 2140mAh. The body is 9.2mm thick, and weighs 150 grams. It comes in White, Blue and Yellow colour options. The Oppo N1 recently received a price cut in India, bringing it down from Rs. 39,999 to 32,990. So if Oppo learn from their mistakes and price the N1 Mini competitively, they could have a winner on their hands.

By Pranav Arora

August 6, 2014
iPhone 6 Release Date Officially Confirmed!

Finally we have a number, a date that will put an end to months’ worth of speculations and rumors. The next edition of Apple’s famed iPhone series will be unveiled on the 9th of September this year. The news was shared by John Paczkowski of re/code.

The new phone will see a major departure from Apple’s usual phone design philosophy that has remained constant ever since the first iPhone was released. The next generation iPhone 6 is expected to come in two variants, a 4.7 inch model and a 5.5 inch phablet.

Historically Apple has brought out its flagship phones in the month of September and the phones are released in the market 10 days after the launch. This year is expected to be in line with that, because Apple is all about continuity.

Apart from the iPhone 6 launch, Apple is also expected to bring out its own Smartwatch to enter into a growing market of wearables. Tech industry is impatiently waiting for what could be Apple’s take of a Smartwatch and it is getting a full Apple rumor mill treatment with regular leaks about specs and designs. But nothing is sure of as yet and there has been no official word from the Cupertino based tech giant as yet.

After a long wait, and getting entertained with leaks and rumors, it will be a big relief to finally have a date to set on their calendars. With the smartphone market having radically evolved since the first iPhone release back in 2007, Apple needs to have something phenomenal in store to impress the enthusiast and the market. What is interesting is the Apple’s arch rival Samsung will release its Flagship phablet, the Note 4 at IFA Berlin on September 3. The battle of giants will always be good for the consumers. So Apple, Samsung, Fight !

August 6, 2014
Console Hit ‘Bioshock’ Comes to the iOS App Store Soon

Game Publishers 2K Games today announced that they would be releasing the original BioShock game in the iOS App Store before the end of this summer. The franchise has gained worldwide acclaim on its console version ever since video game developers Irrational Games released it for the PlayStation and Xbox platforms way back in 2007.

Bioshock will be available on select iOS devices

Irrational and 2K confirmed that this mobile version will feature all of the first-person shooter action found in the original title. Gamers will play through the game in the underwater city of Rapture, and the story will be the same as the original. BioShock’s mobile implementation will sport an iOS-tuned control scheme, and the graphics have been tweaked to run smoothly on iOS devices, according to Polygon.

BioShock isn’t the first video game franchise that is porting their game to mobile devices. The likes of EA Sports, Rockstar Games and other famed developers have also released mobile version of their popular titles like FIFA, Madden, GTA and others.

As with other recent console ports, the shooter will ship with support for iOS-connected game controllers that support Apple’s “Made for iPhone” scheme.

BioShock will be available in Apple’s App Store this summer. 2K Games did not give an exact price for the title but said it will be a “premium priced mobile game.” It will be compatible with the iPad Air, iPad Mini with Retina Display, iPad 4th generation, iPhone 5C, iPhone 5S, and iPhone 5. The game will not work on earlier Apple devices.

By Pranav Arora

August 6, 2014
Samsung Sends Out Press Invites For Galaxy Note 4 Unpacked Event

It’s that time of the year again. September is fast approaching, and it is bringing with it Samsung’s latest flagship phablet. Yes, Samsung is once again ready to release the next-generation Galaxy Note, and they have sent out invites for the launch event scheduled to take place on the 3rd of September.

Although Samsung hasn’t officially mentioned that the event will feature the launch of the Galaxy Note 4, it’s a pretty safe bet, considering how it’s been Samsung’s tradition to release their latest Note flagship at IFA in Berlin every September.

The Galaxy Alpha, Samsung’s supposed ‘premium built’ phone, may also feature in the event seeing that it’s been making rounds at the rumour mill since a long time. Along with the above two phones, it is also possible that Samsung may also announce some smartwatches which have also had their fair share of rumours and leaks. Another wearable that may be announced is a Samsung virtual reality headset, which will be very similar to the uber-cool Oculus Rift.

Samsung will have to catch up to competition with the next edition of the Note phablet

However, it is very likely that none of these devices are announced at that event, as Samsung would want to keep the spotlight towards the Galaxy Note 4 and nothing else.

If you haven’t heard the rumours, the Note 4 is believed to revolve around the following specs – a 5.7” Quad HD (2560×1440) display, a Snapdragon 805 (Exynos 5433 for some markets, including India) chipset, 3GB of RAM, a 16-megapixel camera with Optical Image Stabilization, a so-called ‘ultraviolet’ sensor, and Android 4.4 KitKat. The remaining specs should be similar to the Note’s smaller sized sibling, the Galaxy S5. The phone might also come with a biometric sensor in the form of an eye sensor

The event will take place on September 3 at 2 p.m. Berlin time. That’s almost a month away, and we should see many more rumours and leaks confirming those specifications. As has been with every flagship these days, we’ll probably know each and every detail about the phablet before the announcement actually takes place. Boy, August is going to be an exciting month.

By Pranav Arora

August 5, 2014
Microsoft Might Give Out Windows 9 for Free for Previous OS Users

Now this is surprising coming from Microsoft. The company will try to consolidate all the systems currently running on previous versions of Windows by offering an incredible deal. The next operating system release, Windows 9 might come as a free upgrade for Windows XP, Vista and 7 users.

The thought must have dawned on Windows executives when they saw the WWDC this year when Tim Cook incorrectly stated a low Windows 8 adoption rate (about 14% in comparison to Maverick’s 51%). It did get called out on the internet by Windows enthusiasts who found the figures to be wrong (Windows 8 to Mavericks ratio is about 5 to 1), but the Windows guys must have seen an opportunity here.

Windows 9 leaks present a refreshing new look while keeping the classic Windows appeal.

There is a huge number of corporates and personal systems users who still work on and prefer Windows XP, one of Microsoft’s most profitable products. The biggest hindrance in upgrading to a new Windows system has always been the cost of buying the softwares. But by offering their software as a free upgrade, apart from making it appealing, functional and hence upgrade worthy, Windows can easily win a lot of hearts. Also Windows 9 needs to be compatible with the previous generation machines.

A large number of people are used to the Windows ecosystem and are quite comfortable. Lately folks have started looking for alternatives such as Ubuntu and Google Chrome. By offering a free update, Microsoft might not only be able to keep the old faithful but might also win some folks over from the Google and Linux ecosystems.

Microsoft is releasing a small update for the present OS called the Windows 8.1 update 2 on the 12th of August. They have set the ball rolling for the next major release, currently codenamed Windows Threshold. The new Windows version might release around Spring next year. The new version has been rumored to have an updated start menu that, if the leaked versions are to be trusted, is quite functional.

It is joked that every alternative release of Windows is better than its predecessor. So people who were impressed by Windows 7 and disappointed by Windows 8 are keeping their hopes up for the next one. Come on Microsoft, show us what you got!

August 5, 2014
Xiaomi Mi3 Sold Out Within Seconds; Flipkart Crashes

Chinese handset maker Xiaomi sold all its 15,000 Mi3 devices in its third flash sale online within a matter of seconds. The company made available 15,000 units of the Mi3 smartphone today, as against 1,50,000 registrations for the device. With these units, Xiaomi through Flipkart has sold 35,000 Mi3 smartphones till date in the country.

The Flipkart website crashed seconds after Xiaomi’s Mi3 went on sale today. At 2 pm, when sales began, the site showed a server related 502 error. A few minutes later it showed an out-of-stock message on the page promoting the device. The website had also crashed temporarily on July 22, minutes after the Mi3 first went on sale on Flipkart. In the second flash sale, on July 29 the Xiaomi sold out the entire stock in five seconds.

Today, it has been four hours and Flipkart is still dead..

Now, the Flipkart site says that registrations for the phone will restart at 6pm today with the next sale on August 12.

The price of Rs 13,999 pits Mi 3 against mid-segment devices such as the Moto G and BlackBerry’s new Z3 device. With the latest software and immaculate specifications at its price it will be interesting to observe whether Xiaomi can match the hype with a robust supply chain and service network.

August 5, 2014