This week our news feed was crowded by updates about the IIFA Awards, IPL and inked fingers. Here’s our round up from some of our favourite celebrity Instagrams:
1. Sonankshi Sinha enjoys the lavish life en route to Tampa Bay, Florida for the IIFA awards.
2. Talk about star power. Anil Kapoor and Kevin Spacey mingling at the IIFA awards.
3. Since Kareena Kapoor hasn’t given in to Instagram yet, we follow her stylist Tanya Ghavri to keep tabs on the stunning star.
4. We can always depend on Khloe Kardashian for weekly inspiration.
5.Sonakshi Sinha spent the day with her entourage at Disney World, Florida.
6. But first, let me take a selfie. Virat Kohli sends positive vibes to his 10 million fans.
7. Sorry, she’s not sorry. Mindy Kaling uses her t-shirt to make a statement.
8. Well, atleast someone is excited about the IPL. The elusive Ranbir Kapoor shares a rare picture.
9. We loved the social media trend of sharing freshly inked fingers. Sonam Kapoor does her bit.
10. Justin Bieber being deported from USA was clearly just a rumour. He enjoys a rare sunny day in NYC.
Nothing feels worse than when our phone/laptop/tablet slips out of our fingers and crashes face down. It takes a few seconds to shake it around, jab a few buttons, before you realize that its still alive and kicking. However in those few seconds, the life of the gadget flashes before our eyes. The thought of surviving for a few hours without emails, pictures, memos and all the contacts!
Sorry to state the obvious – we have deep love and respect for the gadgets in our life. To avoid scratches, bumps and other possible mishaps, we choose to wrap them up stylishly. Here is our list of favourite sites to shop from:
Other than its bold name, what fascinates us about the store is the beautiful way their products were showcased. Through the years, there are certain interior tricks retailers have developed to influence customers and increase sales. Cocaine is using them online. Don’t think we’re complaining. They’ve set up a sleek website, which makes the experience of browsing far better than any other. They have a carefully curated collection of the hippest cases; edgier than the rest.
Their USP is giving shoppers an option to customize designs for their cases. You can dabble around with colour, images and text. Daily Objects seems pretty confident about their quality – they offer a ‘one year manufacturing defect and print’ warranty. If the printing wears off within a year, they promise to replace it. Considering the everyday wear and tear of our phones, that sounds like an amazing offer. This website attempts to “cover” it all. Other than fun phone cases, their extensive collection includes screen guards, car chargers, car phone holder, portable chargers and other tech accessories.
It’s a one-stop online shop for cases by kitschy Indian brands. Chumbak, Happily Unmarried, Pink Jalebi and more, under one digital umbrella. Each of their products celebrate desi-ness with a sense of humour. Maalgadi aims to provide a platform to young upcoming designers, so watch their Facebook page for frequent updates. They also sell coasters, beer mugs, shot glasses, key chains, dresses, fridge magnets, boxers and bags.
This one caters to Apple loyalists. Love 4 Apple offers a large variety – from simple simple clean cases to original intricate designs. The tab dedicated to cases designed by artists features a varied selection. From doodles of a 12th grader to ones inspired by works of Vincent Van Gogh. Other than the covers, they have a vast collection of accessories. Docking station, external batteries, printers, docks, cables – basically anything and everything that can support your Apple device.
OnePlus plans to “kill the flagship” market with their new One smartphone. The handset is a top tier flagship with high end specs, and a price that will compete with midrange products.
Specs feature the all new Snapdragon 801 Processor, a big 5.5” 1080p Display and a 3100mAh battery.
By paying attention to the smallest details, taking a holistic approach to product design, and working with the best partners such as Cyanogen Inc. and Qualcomm Technologies, we have been able to create the greatest day to day user experience in a smartphone without compromise. : Pete Lau, CEO of OnePlus.
Debuting with the One is the all new CyanogenMod 11S, a special release designed specifically to work with the hardware of the new handset. Android 4.4 KitKat comes out of the box, along with 4k video capture.
A Sony Exmor IMX214 13 megapixel camera with f/2.0 aperture and dual LED flash with 6 physical lenses and a 5 Megapixel – Distortion free for the front.
Oneplus say they will replace Invites for a pre-order system by this October
The handset will be available in two variants, 16GB Silk White for $299/€269 and in 64GB Sandstone Black for $349/€299.
OnePlus One Specifications
Color
Silk White/Sandstone Black
Dimensions
152.9 x 75.9 x 8.9 mm
Weight
5.71 ounces (162g)
Operating System
CyanogenMod 11S based on Android 4.4
CPU
Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 801 processor with 2.5GHz Quad-core CPUs
GPU
Adreno 330, 578MHz
RAM
3 GB LP-DDR3 @1866MHz
Storage
16/64 GB eMMC 5.0, available capacity varies
Sensors
Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Proximity and Ambient Light
Battery Capacity
Embedded rechargeable 3100 mAh LiPo battery
Display
Size
5.5 inch JDI
Resolution
1080p Full HD (1920 x 1080 pixels), 401 PPI
Type
LTPS IPS with TOL
Protection
Corning® Gorilla® Glass 3
Cameras
Sensor
13 Megapixel – Sony Exmor IMX 214
Lenses
6 lenses to avoid distortion and color aberration
Flash
Dual-LED
Aperture
f/2.0
Front Camera
5 Megapixel – Distortion free
Video
4K resolution video with stereo recordingSlow Motion: 720p video at 120fps
Every week the Technology world shows us the reason why we love tech so much. In this ever changing tech world , its almost impossible to stay on top of things. However here is the tech thats worth notice this week.
1. Lytro Illum
When Lytro first introduced their light field camera, it looked and worked like a toy.This time around the company has taken a more serious approach to design and optics, also adding better materials and larger sensors. New software and a new way to click pictures lets users think of Lytro Illum as a more usable camera. Or so the company claims anyway. The Illum is currently on Pre-Order for US $ 1599.
2. The HTC One M8
The HTC One M8 has been launched in India, at a price of Rs. 49,900, an impressive price for an impressive handset. The Qualcom Snapdragon 801 powered HTC One M8is not only snappy on the inside its beautiful on the outside. The HTC One M8 brings Lytro’s tech seen in the camera above into a more usable day to day scenario. The HTC One M8 has a dual camera setup that lets users refocus images, after the fact. Read our review here.
3. The GL 63 AMG
As far as vehicles go the new GL 63 AMG takes the centre stage. Announced to be made available in India for a whopping Rs. 1.66 Crore as the starting price, the new GL 63 5.5-litre V8 BITURBO engine, which develops a peak output of 410 kW along with a torque of 760 Nm. Pure Power Anyone?
4. The LG Curved TV 55EA9800
Its a massive 55 inch TV with an OLED display that is not only curved but also bendable. Costs are upwards of 6 Lakh, but for those looking to set a trend this might just fit in beautifully in your manor. The 1920 x 1080p display is Fully 3D compliant and comes with a Motion eye camera, an Air Mouse capable Remote and 4 3D Glasses. Check out our hands on Unboxing here.
5. Budget : Micromax Canvas Doodle 3
The last spot in this series is taken by Micromax’s new budget entrant. A dual-SIM (GSM+GSM) “phablet” (for lack of a better call sign), the Canvas Doodle 3 is powered by a 1.3GHz dual-core MediaTek (MT6572) processor alongside 512MB of RAM. Runs on Android 4.2 and features a 5 Mp + VGA camera setup. What makes it really exciting is the 6 inch 480×854 pixel display and a price tag of Rs. 8200.
LG’s new Curved OLED TV 55EA9800 is the world’s first curved TV, but it does not just stop there, it also is very flexible and durable. The design of the TV is out of the future, it is very slim, the profile is just exquisite and the curve may as well accentuate the actual viewing experience, but only if you sit dead centre.
Check out the Video above and the detailed specifications below.
We have so much to thank Smartphones for! They help us keep tabs on our friends, emails, daily events and pictures. If we ever have a random doubt, thanks to 3G, an answer is ready within seconds. Since now we can look up anything, anywhere and at anytime – it has led to the death of debates.
As much as it has made our lives simpler, too many hours are wasted on it as well. At iGyaan, with the million things we do daily, staying on top of the online world is a skill we’ve perfected over time. The aim is to spend the least amount of time scouring through junk and get straight to what’s important. Here are our picks of the top apps which will make you the most digitally organized person around:
Social Media Mania
1. Pixable
After being on Facebook for years, it’s easy to accumulate friends who now hold no significance in your life. You couldn’t care less about who, when and why, the girl you met at a conference in 2008 is getting married to today. Even though unimportant newsfeed annoys us daily, deleting these “friends” is not an option. Here is where Pixable steps in. The app gathers all the pictures shared by your friends, and customizes it to show you only the profiles you choose. It compiles your Twitter, Instagram and Facebook feed, and organizes into sections according to relevance personalized by you. Some of the useful sections include – Top Photos of the Day, New Profile Pics, and Most Recent Photos.
2. Socialgiri
It could be to stay in tune with the entertainment industry or the need to know which teenager James Franco tried to pick up lately on Instagram. We all have specific celebrities we like to keep track of (read: stalk) via social media. There are times when we’ve considered getting rid of the constant updates, but we secretly love being a part of the drama in their lives. This app helps you create a separate timeline solely dedicated to your chosen celebrities, consequently tidying up your Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. Socialgiri users can choose from over 500 social media celebrities from Bollywood, Hollywood, music, sports, fashion and politics. So, in a single flow you’ll see Critiano Ronaldo’s tweet about where he’s eating lunch, which would be followed by a perfectly Instagrammed picture of his dish. It also gives you an option to be able to like or comment through any of your three accounts. Available on Android and iOS, it recently launched its iPad Version.
Daily Reading
3. Flipboard
We can’t speak about aggregating feeds without mentioning Flipboard. It is the one-stop destination to stay in clue about what’s happening in the world. You can combine your favourite media portals and search for any news you might be interested in. Its clean interface reminiscent of a print magazine makes this our favourite way to browse through everyday stories. The action of flipping through news pieces, attempts to recreate the experience of physically using a print publication. You can also add your personal networks such as Facebook, Twitter and share stories directly through the app.
4.Pulse
Another one similar to Flipboard is Pulse. Like its competitor it collects and organizes news to suit your needs. Created by Stanford graduates Ankit Gupta and Akshay Kothari, the app got rave reviews for its slick interface. The display is more image-based, making it faster to get through articles. The key feature which gives it an edge above Flipboard is that it can load previously read stories even when you’re stuck without internet.
How To Never Miss An Email
5. Mailbox
This handy app promises to make your inbox light, fast and mobile-friendly. It helps you combine your Gmail, Google Apps and iCloud accounts into one single app. Some of its significant functions which should be utilized: You can snooze emails and get back to them later, mute conversations which aren’t important and it also automates your common actions. The mailbox swiftly recognizes what’s important and what’s not.
Here’s the weekly update from some of our favourite celebrity Instagrams. In this week: Coachella continues, 4/20, Easter weekend and Real Madrid’s Copa Del Rey win.
1. Another week, another Arjun-Alia Selfie. We’ve heard plenty good things about their recently released movie, 2 States.
2. Kim Kardashian’s half-sister makes style statement at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival held in Colarado.
3. Eminem and Rihanna performed “The Monster” for the first time live at the MTV Movie Awards.
4. This is how the supermodel chose to wish her fans a Happy Easter.
5. Another Easter update, this time from Ms Pinto. She shares a snap enjoying a happy meal, with a spicy Bloody Mary on the side.
6. Now this is what we’d call a power-celeb slumber party. Nicole Richie, Chelsea Handler, Stella McCartney, Naomi Watts, Gwen Stefani, Sam Taylor Wood and Gwyenth Paltrow enjoy a girls night in.
7. Jacqueline Fernandes “sightseeing” while out and about in Poland.
8. Right after Real Madrid beat archrivals Barcelona 2-1 to win the Copa del Rey title, Ronaldo shared a shot with their trophy.
9. On the sets of the upcoming comedy Humshakals. Directed by Sajid Khan, the movie has Saif Ali Khan, Ram Kapoor and Riteish Deshmukh in a triple role.
10. Last but not least, Kardashian reposted one of the images from their cover shoot on the April issue of American Vogue.
Motorola has finally made its way back into the Indian market and boy has it arrived. After the superbly successful launch of the Moto G in the Indian Market, the company has made available the new Moto X. Does the Moto X have the capability of surviving the Indian market, a market so powerfully taken over by brands in the lower tier and predominantly by companies like Samsung and now Sony. Lets find out!
Overview
The Moto X is the best return a company like Motorola can make. With an massive evolution on design strategies and understanding the importance of a form factor, Motorola showed that they are ready to give the people what they need. The Moto X is built on a Google experience, a pure Android Experience, almost Nexus like, but better. The custom addition and hands free operations only add to the usage capabilities and experience, and while this may be one of the best handsets in the market, has it come at the right time in India, is what one must really ask.
Build, Design and Hardware
Motorola is known for their build quality, with their US specific DROID line up or even with their Moto Defy series of phones, the company has made a mark for their robust hardware. The Moto X is no less, the handset is well built with a great mix of good material and protective design. The bezel raises slightly above the glass on the front to give the front glass protection from direct scratching.
The Moto X is another one of those phones, that even though available in India, does not give us the custom experience it offers users in markets like the US. No you cannot choose between wood finishes and color options, and no you cannot sign your signature and give it a name. The motomaker tool is only for the US and its a pity that the experience could not be brought to India. The Moto X available in 6 color options along with a wood option but no customization.
Hardware wise the Moto X is held up with a Qualcomm MSM8960Pro Snapdragon chipset with a dual core 1.7 GHz CPU, you will also get an Adreno 320 GPU. On the inside is 16 GB storage with a higher price 32 Gb variant and 2GB of RAM as standard. The battery is a 2200 mAh unit and the cameras are 10 MP rear and 2 MP front, both with 1080p video capture.
The front has a 4.7 inch 1280 x 720p AMOLED display with Corning Gorilla Glass, the handset will only accept a single sim card and does not have a removable back panel or micro SD expandability.
Display, Multimedia and Performance
The Moto X is laden with a 4.7 inch AMOLED display, it has great outdoor visibility and good levels of brightness. The display can proudly boast excellent viewing angles and contrast output. The display however does have the blueish tint that we have seen in the past on AMOLED displays.
The X can handle all forms of media, taking into consideration a lower end of the specs spectrum. This will playback full 1080p videos without lag or stutter. The speakerphone is not the best but its pretty loud, and in most cases you will not need additional speakers. The audio output from the 3.5 mm jack is also refined and loud.
The Moto X is designed to run Android, and you will get a device that does exactly that. Even though hardware wise the Moto X is limited to a dual core processor, an average user will not feel the grunt of this. However if you are looking for a peak performer the Moto X will not be the handset you may be looking for.
Most games will work out of the box and almost all will run lag free, over a period of time if you have a lot of applications running you will see a slow down in performance while gaming, and the only way to fix this is to reboot.
Thanks to Android 4.4.2 KitKat, the Moto X has a much lighter version of the Android OS, one that is not very resource hungry, therefore ensuring good stability and smooth usability of the handset.
Camera
The fact that the Moto X has a better than average camera is well known, but its also one of the most accurate to capture color and exposure value. The camera is very snappy, and comes with very little shutter lag. The 10 MP camera will live up to its name in most situations and deliver promising results. The LED flash is not very loud and does not disrupt the color of the image, and may only help in low light conditions and not complete utter darkness.
Video is shot in Full HD at 30fps with stereo sound and HDR capabilities. Video capture is impressive with stable lag free video along with precise color monitoring and audio capture.
HandsFree Operation
In India, the training phrase is “Ok Google Now” and it allows you to do almost all imaginable things that a phone should do, from executing searches to calling people and answering phones. Its a feature that allows you to wake up the phone without needing to press any button or physically touch the handset. See our Review video for a full demo.
Essentially its a version of Google Now that’s listening for you to say “Okay Google Now!” so that you can avoid tapping the mic icon.
It also is not the perfect companion, for e.g. you can’t ask for navigations to “a concert” but only to specific addresses. Although the feature can come in handy, we have found many keep it off, purely to save battery and accidental phone calls.
Phone and Battery
Phone networks are stable, and like most phones in this price range the Moto X lacks LTE, not that we need it yet. Audio quality in phone calls is impressive too with crisp sound coming in and going out, with little or no network loss while in conversation.
Battery life is impressive with one day’s use easily available to the owner. Talk time can be rated around 6 hours thanks to the lower end chipset and relatively low power consuming dual core setup.
Conclusion
The Moto X is a beautiful product, delivering an Android experience the way it was designed to be delivered. However, with a recent launch in India, the Moto X is slightly underpowered, over priced and lacks customization, so its really not the same experience as it is for a US Moto X owner.
The phone is however a stable handset and would work as a wonderful gift, to a person who is not a very high end user of a smartphone, or as a first phone to those looking for a “perfect Android experience.” The minute you try and exploit the Moto X for extreme use, you will start to see its incompetencies. It will handle almost anything and everything you can throw at it as long as it does not include the kitchen sink.
The end of every winter always makes us wonder where our summer wardrobe disappeared. Once the jackets and sweaters have been stored away, the empty closet space seems to require replenishment. But let’s face it, when it comes to picking out sartorial choices, life is hard. Depending on the occasion and after combing through our closets that one tough decision needs to be made Every. Single. Day. – what variation of t-shirt and blue jeans should you wear today?
After slogging all week at work, the last thing you want to do is waste your precious weekend braving through overcrowded markets. Luckily a large part of the internet is now a digital mall. Not only is online shopping convenient, but the stores we found sell t-shirts with original designs at amazing prices. We can’t be the only ones sick of mass-produced brands with replicated styles and overused logos. Here’s a list of stores where you can buy cool t-shirts online:
We’d pick Redwolf as our favorite find. It is an indie clothing brand which we’d solely recommend for its vast collection of expressive t-shirts. Each design is original and the printed quotes are clever. Many of which have popular culture references from Game of Thrones, Harry Potter, and Big Bang Theory. The t-shirts are 100% cotton fabric; perfect for the sultry season. Follow their Facebook page for discounts and coupons.
The highlight of the Bhane shopping experience is the website itself. The images showcasing the clothes have used Indian faces and real people posing street style-esque, wearing original designs. With a easy and clean layout, their website is a refreshing change from the rest. Bhane promises clothes made with all-natural materials, classic cuts and low prices. One minor setback: when we visited the site, they had only six options to offer for men. We wish their collection wasn’t so limited, but on the other hand, less choices means quicker decisions.
All their designs are “crowd sourced”, which only means that t-shirts on sale have original and exclusive designs licensed from artists and designers all over the world. The idea is to offer buyers t-shirts which reflect a variety of ideas, thoughts, cultures and styles. Each t-shirt description includes information about the artist, including links to their work. If you’re wondering about its strange name – the acronym K.Y.S.O stands for ‘Keep Your Shirt On’. The only complaint we have is that their website layout is messy. Disorganized clothes simply thrown on racks puts off even the biggest shopaholic; the same theory applies for online shoppers.
This online retail store has the largest collection of clothes for men in India. They are a collective store of various brands as well as their in-house Koovs label. Koovs is bang on trend and frequently updates its collections. Like any typical high street label, their stuff is young, hip and cheap. This is the store to visit if you dress to stand out. Koovs also gives you full thirty days to think over your purchase and an option to pay cash on delivery.
Gionee announced the ELife S5.5 at MWC 2014 and launched it in India early April. For a price of Rs. 22900/- the handset also takes on the moniker of the “Slimmest Phone in the World”. But, does this handset compromise on performance and capability because its slim? Lets find out in our Review !
Overview
The Gionee ELife S5.5 comes only a year after the company started operations in India. With claims to become Top 5 vendor in less than 5 years the company seems to be headed in the right direction. The few handsets in the past have shown us that the company not only focuses on bringing handsets into the market but also ensures that the user experience is good. With previous handsets like the E6 and E7 winning us over the S5.5 shows a great mix of design and performance at a good price.
Build, Design and Hardware
The build quality on the new Elife S5.5 is superb, a perfect mix of Gorilla Glass laden exteriors mixed with a structure based on a hardened aluminum alloy. The buttons are also made from metal, and have a premium and tactile feel. At first it seems that the bezel is flush with the glass but is actually slightly, almost not noticeably, raised, giving the S5.5’s glass design some protection from flat drops.
The frame itself has been designed to release shock and therefore drops should not easily shatter the glass. The phone can take quite some damage and almost show no signs of wear and tear, the frame is metal so expect it to scratch easy.
Design wise the S5.5 is very very good looking, especially in the Gold and White variant. The company has ensured that everyone gets a version they like and the colors should help in that. The phone has a very premium design and the finish on the handset is very rich.
Hardware wise the Gionee Elife S5.5 somehow seems to find a good balance. A Mediatek 6592 chipset with 8 cores clocked at 1.7 GHz a Mali450 MP4 variant GPU, 2 GB of RAM and 16/32 GB storage capacities. The main camera sensor is 13 MP and the front camera sensor is 5 MP both with 1080p capture. Battery is on the low side with just 2300 mAh under the hood, however with the slimness of this device in consideration, its a pretty high value.
UI, Performance and Gaming
The Elife S5.5 comes with Android 4.2.2 out the box with no official word on updates to Android 4.4 aka KitKat. However the highlight of this is the new Amigo 2.0 UI which has been put right on top of Android. Now, unlike skins, it is a rebuild of Android, similar to the likes of Cyanogen and MIUI. The newer Amigo is much faster and more responsive than previous builds. The improvement also translates into installed applications, which include “power booster and performance booster” the two of the most significantly useful preloaded apps till date. The performance booster allows you to ban apps that forcefully startup on powering the handset, therefore considerably improving the free ram and performance of the phone.
The handset is stable and powerful enough to handle daily tasks and also the extremities you might want to expose it to. Heat management is also much more controlled than the competition, possibly because of the lack of a turbo variant of the MT6592 chipset.
Gaming is impressive and lag free in most cases, most games are compatible out of the box and run smooth. Audio could have been louder and we have expressed this in the past. The screen is beautiful and the dimples on top and bottom somehow not only make it look good but also provide adequate grip for holding the device in landscape.
Dimple for grip?
Camera
The big disappointment is that there is no 4k video capture, especially when most companies are moving forward with the same trend. The chipset is very capable, the module of the camera is very capable, the hardware is very capable, the only problem seems to be extra large video files, and the lack of SD card slot may be the biggest reason to blame for the lack of 4K capture.
For the camera, the colors and saturation is near perfect, with no problems with exposure or white balance. Images are crisp and autofocus works really well, even up close. Video is also good with no lag in video capture, it is also worth stressing that the onboard microphone for video is exceptionally good.
The front camera is equally good with 5 MP on the badge, pictures are clear and it works well in low light conditions. If you are a selfie fiend, then this might just be right up your alley.
Phone and Battery
The Gionee Elife S5.5 comes with a globally unlocked 3G capability, so this single sim device will come in handy for the global traveller. However the lack of 4G is really worth a notice, especially considering we are not far away from launch of said services in India (Or so we are made to believe).
The networks are solid and the phone holds its connections mostly throughout the range of the conversation. The inbuilt noise cancellation is good but not comparable to the likes of flagships from Apple and Samsung. Audio coming in and going out is crisp, loud and clear and honestly we really have nothing to complain about in the phone department and thats saying a lot.
Battery life is the most we could expect from this handset, and honestly with the kind of hardware inside, and the lack of a bigger battery we were expecting much less. You will still get a days use of the phone even if you talk upto 5 hours on this and then use it some.
Conclusion
The Gionee Elife S5.5 shows that new players can have great phones, where many Indian counterparts have let us down. Gionee tries to deliver a complete package, a custom UI, a great built device, a good set of hardware along with impressive performance and battery life. All this at a fairly low price when compared to the market value of flagships. However it does let us imagine why things like a microSD card slot are left out, features like 4K video capture and 4G networks are ignored for markets like India. Even if as a higher price option, consumers deserve an option to choose a handset which is more capable. And what about those KitKat updates?, why can we not simply get a handset that runs Android 4.4. out of the box.
The Elife S5.5 impressed us, now if the company can roll out a KitKat update consider us sold. The color options, the impressive build quality, and great hardware are just the beginning, the UI is good and so is the overall experience. There are other options in the market, the Moto X delivers faster updates handsets from Samsung and Sony also now belong in this category. Honestly the Elife S5.5 deserves a chance because it sort of sits above the rest, sort of!
The Pepsi IPL 2014 flagged off in Abu Dhabi with a grand ceremony. It had everything worthy of a typical flashy IPL event – beautiful fireworks, Sunil Gavaskar delivering a passionate speech against corruption in cricket (ahem ahem), and of course, performances by Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone providing some Bollywood masala. Since most of the matches are being played abroad, this season the level of excitement in India has been comparatively low. But as the tournament progresses, slowly and steadily everyone is bound to catch a slight IPL fever.
There is no dearth of cricket applications online, infact the myriad of choices available are overwhelming. However, upon closer inspection we found most were copies of each other. Hence we decided to scour through the options and list out a few you must download:
Divided By Teams, United By Cricinfo
For every fan of the sport, the first one to download is The ESPNCricinfo Cricket App. This useful application gives you all the information you need to stay on top of the game. Some of the useful tabs include match schedules, results, points, latest news, graphs, player profiles, videos, team member descriptions and general team information. It’s a one-stop app for all sorts of cricket requirements. The most handy feature would be the option of live game coverage with ball by ball commentary. Its glossary section gives in-depth description about each of the players, which includes the matches they’ve won in the past, and their personal score of number of runs and wickets. If you want to keep up with the happenings of the IPL, this app is the simplest way to go to.
You Win Some, You Lose Some
From day one, IPL has been more about the drama and excitement than about enjoying a true game of cricket. So it isn’t surprising that every season we feel the keen pain of being deprived of the thrill of some harmless betting. Maybe it’s a fruitless attempt to keep the IPL clean, but recently there has been a surge in the number of legal betting websites and apps. They use points or virtual money to attract gamblers. The Big Toss: Cricket app is the one we’d place our bet on. Upon registering, you are awarded 1000 karma points, and a further 100 for every team you select as a favourite. What we liked best about it was that you can “virtually” bet on anything – from who the winner might be or the expected number of runs taken in the first over. You’re then on your own to maintain your karma points. Also, go ahead and have a look at the forum created for news. The Big Toss links you to articles written all over the world. Cricinfo, Pakistan Observer, Deccan Herald and many more are listed under the same forum.
East or West, IPL is the Best?
And the award for the strangest IPL app goes to ‘The Loudest Cheer’. Blogmint launched this app in an attempt to make the Indian audience feel closer to those matches taking place in foreign countries. Its basic function is to help the audience cheer every time their favourite team scores. Audio cheers are available under the following categories – Ace Catch, Great Shot, Great Run, Ace 4, Ultra 6 and Big Wicket. The app also allows users to create their audio or video cheer that will be showcased on digital channels such as YouTube. By numbering up on cheers, participants can win prizes.
Let’s Make it Official
Anticipating interest this season, most of the teams have launched their official apps just in time. If you’re an avid fan of a specific team or player then these apps are made for you. Using the Kolkatta Knight Riders one as an example: you can use it to set up alerts solely for KKR matches and track their team activity. Furthermore, you can even customize it to follow one single (knight) player. The feature we’d vouch for, is the tab that integrates their different social media feeds, combing twitter and facebook updates and bringing them to one single portal.
After Facebook, no other social media site has quite captured our attention like Instagram. A visual-based social networking app, with its clean interface, makes it fun way to get a sneak-peak into people’s lives and passions.
Here is our list of favourite celebrity Instagrams of the week:
Ashton Kutcher clearly can’t bear waiting 21 more minutes before OS X gets installed.
Sonam Kapoor gives us behind-the-scenes view to her Grazia Covershoot. The April edition of the fashion monthly focused on street style.
Alia Bhatt and Arjun Kapoor fool around and click selfies while promoting their upcoming film ‘2 States’. Alia captioned the picture “hey I have a beard ;)”
An extremely pumped-up Rahul Khanna shares a snap while on a vacation in Goa.
The Gunday beauty posed with Paul Marciano, the co-founder of the luxury brand Guess. Priyanka Chopra is the first Indian to be honoured the title of a Guess Girl. Some of the other famous names on the same list include – Claudia Schiffer, Drew Barrymore and Paris Hilton.
Usually Michelle Obama’s Instagram has pictures of her attending official events as the First Lady – conferences, balls and charity events. This week, dedicating it to National Sibling’s Day, she shared a rare personal Throwback Thursday moment.
Jessica Alba cribbing about an early call time. So we’re not the only ones in a hate-hate relationship with our alarm clocks.
Okay, this one is definitely older than a week, its one of our favourites nevertheless. Tiger captioned the picture “Thanks to Mr. Munjal for the wonderful hospitality and for making my first visit to India so memorable. I learned a lot about this fantastic country.”
Jeremy Piven, aka “Ari Gold”, takes a selfie with the boys in the background. Frequent snippets of the Entourage sets on Instagram have got us itching to watch the whole crew in action.
Queen Bey performs alongside sister, Solange Knowles at the Coachella Music Festival. The fact that she wasn’t on the official schedule didn’t stop her from sneaking in on stage.
HTC’s latest One the M8 has caused a stir and then some in the smartphone market, but does it really have what it needs to make the cut for a flagship smartphone. Lets find out in our review!
Overview
HTC has done some great things with a revision of their flagship phone, the original one, which was also voted and won “the phone of the year” award many a times last year and at MWC 2014 this year. Holding up to that mark may have been difficult but it looks like HTC might have a real winner here.
Build Quality
Three words ; 90 percent metal, thats all it takes to describe the new HTC One M8. Versus the outgoing One, which had 70% metal and then some polycarbonate. The One M8 has a 90 percent metal single shell thats not only strong, but uses the most extreme machining processes to make it curve to front of the handset in the most beautiful manner. The build is much more solid than the previous version and actually holds up pretty well against drops.
The HTC One M8 is also splash proof, why no one talks about it is because they don’t want you splashing water on your phone. If you do accidentally spill coffee or milk (if thats your thing) the phone should survive. The front has a Gorilla Glass 3, which means that it has better visibility, strength and scratch resistance than the M7, which held up pretty well in all of the three aspects.
Hardware
HTC has stuffed in the best of the hardware into the new HTC One M8 barring a few things, including a larger mega pixel camera and 4 k capture.
Are you ready for BoomSound? This phone is loud, louder than you can expect, much more than you can imagine those tiny speakers to be. Seldom would you ask for additional speakers if you alone use this phone. The sound quality is crisp and not tinny at all, mids are clearly balanced and highs are placed well, larger sound cavities (25% larger) ensure better bass.
The display is impressive too, most would ask for a 2k or a 4k display in a 2014 flagship, but honestly one can’t complain. The HTC One M8 has a gorgeous 5 inch 1920 x 1080p LCD 3 (441ppi = 100 more than the eye can see) display with excellent brightness, accurate and vivid color and impeccable viewing angles. The display is great indoors and out with a extra sensitive touch which will work through most gloves (even though HTC doesn’t say it will).
If you plan to watch movies on this device, you will thoroughly enjoy that activity. the perfect mix of great viewing angles and excellent sound make the HTC One M8 a brilliant consumption device.
Software and UI
The HTC One comes with Sense 6.0 and Android 4.4.2 out of the box. The new version of Sense is a highly refined version of Sense 5.0, the interface is clean and more minimal. The icons are free looking and more defined and modern, while the Blinkfeed UI is bolder and more aligned with the vertical flow.
The new Blinkfeed is highly customizable, with the ability to select your own feeds and inputs the new feed allows you to sort and stream from sources and topics of interest. The fact that you can search for “cat whiskers” and add it as a feed so that whenever anyone in the world talks about them you will see an update in your feed.
It is one of the most mature UI updates we have seen in a while.
HTC has mostly kept it simple with the software customizations to ensure the smoothness of the operational usage. It is one of the most mature UI updates we have seen in a while. Not that it is completely stripped, you still get a customizable notification panel, HTC keyboard, themes and color options and a whole flurry of wallpapers and sounds. You can still change the grid size of the app drawer and sort it as per your own needs. You also get features like the car mode, and this brilliant ultra power saving mode that will run the device for up to another 20 hours on very low battery power.
Camera
What HTC has here is possibly the future of smartphone camera technology. While smartphones are getting compacter and thinner by the day the need of a high end camera in a phone is going up. With almost everyone using their smartphones as their primary camera manufacturers are struggling to find the right balance.
The camera on the HTC One M8 could be an answer to a more deeper problem in the industry. The combination of the two sensors, a primary 4 “Ultrapixel” sensor and a secondary 4 “ultrapixel” depth sensor work together to make you believe that the image you clicked is actually higher end than it is.
Hokum, thats what it is!
Hokum, thats what it is! But at that very level of picture taking capability, it gives users that extra oomph in the image before they basically crush it and post it on Instagram. Yes it works and it looks decently good.
HTC has however gone one step further and made the API of the camera available to debs who might be able to give you applications that HTC could not, what the capability lacks is truly good software to work with the hardware to enable great pictures, maybe even oversampling to get larger images ? who knows?
Phone and Battery
We would like to assume that HTC will stick to their word and launch a 4G/LTE enabled handsets in India. This would make this the first flagship to feature LTE connectivity, also almost all bands will be unlocked making this a world LTE phone, a boon for travelers. HTC will also launch a dual sim version, in fact the company designed the phone to be a dual sim phone, as it clearly shows in the sim tray.
Phone call quality is very impressive, especially considering its a 90% metal phone. Audio is crisp and clear with no problems even when there is a tower switch : Impressive!
Battery life is exceptional, and HTC has managed to ensure that the phone does not dissipate heat, in fact in weeks of usage we have not noticed the device get hot at all.
Talk Time 3G : 5 Hours
Talk Time 2G : 5.5 hours
Standby : 2 days
Recharge Required : Once daily
Ultra Power Saving Mode : adds 20 hours to 20 % battery life
Accessories
A worth mention here is the new DOT case, which shows how involved HTC has become in developing good accessories for their handsets. The HTC One has a simple flip case, which matured into a battery flip for the HTC One Max, and now this beautiful Dot Case, that is not only meant for design , but is actually very functional.
One Max power case
Conclusion
HTC has done what nobody expected, while everyone was hoping for a major change in handset design , HTC has improved on their last years winning design. They have also managed to not only make the phone better but also resolve the supply issues they faced with the original One. The first phone in a long time to be launched and made available at the same time is also the phone which has impressed out from out of the box to the usage place.
In the time we have used it, we honestly have nothing to complain about, except possibly the lack of a better simple camera. The dual focus mode is a lot of fun and easy to use, it becomes a daily driver. A better quality camera would have made this experience better and we might see it in the M9 ( not to be confused with a Leica M9, even though that has a marvelous picture taking capability).
HTC has made a mature decision, and made a phone that not only handles everything you throw at it, it looks good doing it. The phone balances perfectly in form, design and performance and will satiate almost every who buys this. HTC has already pushed the handset out with 4.4.2 and promises almost instant UI updates. The new Blinkfeed interface is a great improvement and the overall handset seems very well refined.
NOTE : The HTC One has been launched in India for Rs. 49,900 and will be a available for purchase 8th May. This review was revised to reflect the new price.
Micromax has changed the perception of the company yet again with the new Micromax Canvas Knight, But does this new smartphone keep up to the expectations of the people. Lets find out.
Overview
The Canvas Knight is a brilliant attempt from the company at providing a premium experience. The phone uses good quality materials and has an impressive new chipset. The pricing seems right and the battery life is great* (read below), the phone is the company’s new flagship and holds that position well among its competition.
Build Quality, Design and Hardware
A metal shell with glass on both sides, we have seen this design repeat several times, but it is actually impressive coming from an Indian manufacturer at this price. The front and back are solid toughened glass and should withstand a fall or two, we would however recommend the use of a case (there is one included in the box).
The side bezels and frame are of brushed aluminum with excellent finish and quality. The buttons of the Micromax Canvas Knight are also robust and tactile in feel.
The phone looks good to look at and has a heavy reassuring built, definitely a refined canvas, but its not there yet. The company’s major reluctance in designing their own handsets is still unclear. Micromax time and again choses to buy designs from OEMs and not to make their own handsets. A plastered bad logo at the back shows distasteful branding, even though its a far cry from the usual we have seen in the past.
Another thing to mention is the quality of in box accessories is definitely higher than in the past. the company has improved with their accessories and inclusions, we do however wish for better earphones in the future.
In box Goodies
Hardware wise Micromax has pulled out all the stops, well at least on paper. The Micromax Canvas Knight has a true Octacore Mediatek 6592T chipset, the “T” stands for turbo. The CPU runs on 8 cores at 2.0 GHz and is paired with a Mali 450MP4. RAM is kept at 2 GB and internal storage is a good 32 GB out of the box.
Cameras include a mix of 16 MP shooter at the back along with an 8 MP front facing selfie cam, both capable of 1920 x 1080p video capture. The phone accepts two micro sim cards and has a 2350 mAh battery.
Multimedia
The display on the handset plays a major role, it is a good quality display with vivid colors and bright outdoor visibility. You also get acceptable levels of viewing angles without a lot of shadows at extreme corners. The levels of black are deep, however there is some aliasing noticed on the display from time to time.
Content consumption is better enjoyed with a set of good quality headphones, thanks to the lack of a good on board speaker. The sound from the speaker is tinny and not even comparable to the previous canvas flagship.
Streaming is good, and the Canvas Knight A350 can handle unto 4k video playback, with the right codecs and software, however what really matters is the smooth playback of a full HD video and the phone does that with ease.
Camera
Both the cameras on the Canvas Knight are disappointing with washed out images and lack of detail. We have seen the company deliver great cameras in the past, however this time around the sensor and lens combination is simply torrid.
Video is actually better than the pictures that this camera can click , video captured has better color and less washout. A camera stabilizer inbuilt would help the likes of me with shaky hands, however the software helps a little.
Camera UI
Camera Settings
Camera Modes
Special Modes
Video Settings
Third party apps improve the camera experience a little bit, however it seems like poor choice of camera hardware is mainly the cause of this.
Performance and Gaming
While the phone can handle all tasks, it seems that the software has not been stabilized or tweaked to take the full advantage of the hardware. You see considerable crashes and lag throughout usage and heavy apps end up quitting on you, especially graphic intensive games.
Daily performance is good if you don’t want this to be a power driver, personally we feel the software needs a lot of work. Games run on this without a problem, almost all games that are compatible with the chipset will work aside from the quitting mentioned above.
The phone heats up considerably during usage, so much so that it might be the reason that apps quit. The phone becomes unmanageably hot and uncomfortable to handle. This causes severe effects to the battery, of the 3 handsets we tested two had this problem. Micromax claims problematic handsets will be replaced, and they should be.
Phone and Battery
The Micromax Canvas Knight accepts 2 micro Sim cards on either side of the bezel. The handset is 3G network capable globally with one sim card handling 3G data. On this phone both SIM cards can accept calls and run simultaneously.
Network performance was generally good, we did see some outage from time to time but a good cause for that could be the network. Overall good network performance and phone call capability. Audio on the incoming and outgoing side remains crisp with the noise canceling doing most of the magic for the outgoing voice.
Battery life, when not being affected by the over heating battery drain mentioned above, will last a whole day with a good amount of use. approximately 5-6 hours on 3G calling mixed with a few hours on Social Networks and some music playback. So the battery gets a good thumbs up, when not being burned out.
UI and Conclusion
Apart from the fact that we get Android 4.2.2 with a pseudo-false promise for an update soon, we feel the Ui needs real work. Micromax seems to be slacking in making a handset that they can call their own and this old approach does not seem to work for us anymore. The company needs to bounce back and fix it reputation by bringing phones that not only look good on paper but work too. A more refined user experience will go a long way.
Dialer
Notification Panel
App Drawer
Quick Toggles
Messaging and Keyboard
Software Info
The fact that their flagship smartphone is a mini hell in the pocket is worrisome, the phone heats up often and to high temperatures. This causes the phone to lose battery power and how.
The end resultant is not acceptable, not as a flagship!
While the trend seems positive around the Micromax Canvas Knight A350, and we couldn’t agree more with the phone in terms of what it sets out to do. Design is a huge leap forward and so is the build and choice of materials, but the end resultant is not acceptable, not as a flagship.
A lot of patches are required for the software and something that will fix this overheating issue and quick. The Micromax Canvas Knight A350 is a good move from the company, but seems like a hasty handset, one that lacks finesse and with more stable and choicer options in the market like the Moto X, the Moto G, Gionee S5.5 and the likes of Sony and market leader Samsung in this price bracket. We recommend you give this one a pass until all of the above can be fixed by the company.
New documents filed in the never ending Apple vs Samsung battle have revealed that Google’s plans for Android back in 2006 involved physical keys for control and no touchscreen input support.
Google vice president of Android, Hiroshi Lockheimer, walked the jury through early development of Android and said engineers actually tried to make software that was very different from Apple’s iOS mobile operating system. He emphasised that the company liked to have its own identity and ideas, adding that it was very passionate about what it was doing, and it was important that it had its own ideas.
According to the file “the product [Android] was designed with the presence of discrete physical buttons as an assumption. However, there is nothing fundamental in the product’s architecture that prevents the support of touchscreen in the future.”
A lot of differentiating factors also came into light, including removable storage, third-party application support, widgets, notifications and all those Google services. The design of the 2006 Android beta build lacked touchscreen and required cursors and physical keys, this was changed to a “Touchscreen Required” minimum, in 2007 post the launch of the first Apple iPhone.
