Tag: Android

Here is What to Expect from Google Android 5.0

Google teased anxious tech-heads with a hint of the existence of a new Android 5.0 through a picture they posted on their official Twitter page. They posted a photo of Google Now to introduce a new feature where users can view World Cup scores and schedules via the intelligent personal assistant. Each of the phones in the images had their time set to 5.0.

The developer conference will be held on June 25th and 26th and is one of the biggest Android and Google themed events. During the conference, we can anticipate new introductions; both on the software and hardware side of things. Here is exactly what we’re expecting from the new operating system:

The Name

There is no real sign of the dessert-based name that will follow its predecessor. Having astonished everybody with its choice to go for Android 4.4 KitKat, rumor suggests that Google will slip back to its general naming principle by calling the next installment Android Lollipop. That will be a major problem because people may not like it for obvious reasons. Some reports also suggested that the new Android’s name will start with either M or L. We are wildly guessing and hoping in vain that Google will come up with some Indian-sweet inspired name like Android 5.0 Ladoo or Android 5.0 Matka Kulfi.

New Phones

The first handset to run Android 5 will either be a Nexus phone or a tablet. Given the timing of the announcement we think it might be the latter. The Google Nexus 5 launched Android 4.4 at the tail end of last year, and we reckon the Nexus 10 (2014) will appear soon – meaning a tablet launch for the new OS. HTC looks like the front runner to bring this tablet to the market, so we’re thinking that this could happen mid-2014, which makes it likely that the productions would be starting soon. We’re also hearing a lot of rumblings about a Nexus 8, a slate which will supposedly launch with Android 4.5, so maybe that’s the device that Android Lollipop will make its debut on.

Fitness First

Also, recent idea is that Google’s next version of Android will have more fitness smarts built-in. Apple is set to go big in this area with the iWatch and iOS 8, and other brands, such as Samsung and LG, are making strides in this segment too. The idea is that future versions of Android will allow the software to harness “fitness data from sensors on your Android device.” These could be built into future Android phones and tablets, but it’s also likely that the API will play nicely with Android-based smartwatches and even Google Glass.

Integrated Messaging

We would love to have one integrated app that can squeeze Google Talk, Google Voice, SMS, Gmail, and the Google+ Messenger into one service that’s easily accessible on Android. Assuming that the new messaging service shows up at Google I/O or in a near future, we would expect Google to integrate the app or client into the new release of Android.

Google Now

Google Now is one of the more go-getting evolutions of Google’s search software. The idea is simple — it’ll predict what you want or need to know before you know you need or want it, and serve it up in an easy-to-read format. And the execution of this idea has been excellent. And now, Google has been working with brands and partners on Google Now cards that will touch our lives more than we know. It would be great if Google Now would automatically remind me that my favorite show is coming on TV or remind me to water my plants because it knows that it hasn’t rained since two days.

Google Music Subscriptions

According to some reports, Google has been in talks with several record labels in an attempt to come up with a Spotify-like music service that would integrate into Android. At present, Google Play Music offers users to upload their own music to Google’s servers and provide streaming options from different Android devices and Web browsers. It seems like Google will offer unlimited music access through Google Play and/or YouTube for a monthly fee. Google recently struck a deal with Warner Brothers and is said to be working with Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment, and other labels too.

Google Play News

The Google Play experience may swell into newspaper subscriptions. We guess that is the same as their old magazine service where users are able to purchase single editions and/or subscribe to newspapers from around the world.

Google Gaming Center

This is the freshest rumor we have heard, Google is reportedly about to test its fish in the Android gaming waters. Earlier this month, Google hired a chief game designer; titled very aptly “Chief Game Designer at Android Play Studio.” Google may also publish its own games and create a gaming hub through which you can connect to your friends and other players which provide Leaderboards and achievements. Google+ seems to be the most rational way to tie users together.

Google is said to announce big updates and hardware in this year Google I/O. If all the above rumors turn out true, then it is going to be bigger than this year’s Apple’s WWDC. Google and Apple are contesting hard to have an edge above each other; who will win only time will tell.

June 16, 2014
The Asus Transformer Book V is a Laptop, Tablet and a Phone

New technology and innovations are flooding in everyday. With the ever growing laptop and smartphone market, companies are trying to woe buyer by introducing crazy ideas and innovation in their products. Asus Transformer Book V is an outcome of this rat-race. Asus announced that they are working on this new piece of hardware which can be used as a tablet, laptop and a phone.

The 3-in-1 device with dual operating system support means it offers five different modes. These include an Android smartphone, an Android tablet, a Windows tablet, a laptop running Android and a Windows 8.1 laptop.

A 12.5 inch laptop/ tablet screen run on Windows 8.1 is powered by Intel Broadwell Chip. The tablet can be used independently as an Android device, when combined with a keyboard dock it turns into an Android laptop and with a mere switch of a key it will turn into a powerful Windows laptop.

With a tap on the screen,the user can switch between Windows 8.1 tablet and an Android 4.4 Kitkat tablet, but only when the phone is docked. The tablet alone has built-in storage of up to 128GB. The un-docked phone of the Asus Transformer Book V runs Android 4.4 Kitkat, and Asus claims it is the world’s first 5in LTE smartphone powered by a quad-core Intel Atom processor. The phone is also powered by a impressive 2,500mAh battery that provides up to 10 hours of web browsing time.

Asus is known for its amalgamation of several form-factors in the same device. Earlier they have promoted this hybrid structure through their FonePad, PadFone and Transformer Book. We may not see this amazing hardware soon. Unless it is powered by an Intel Broadwell chip and launches at the same time as the processor, they it may hit the market this autumn. Asus did not give any pricing or availability details for the Transformer Book.

The company is attempting to create the perfect device for multi-taskers. The Transformer Book V is aimed to bring in greater flexibility for users so that they can easily switch between work and entertainment.

June 2, 2014

The HTC One M8 Review

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.

OS	Android 4.4.2 KitKat
Display	5.0 inch Super LCD3
Resolution	1920 x 1080px (441 ppi)
Height Width Thickness	146.4 mm 70.6 mm 9.4 mm
Weight	160 grams
Processor	Snapdragon 801 chipset Quad-core 2.5 GHz Krait 400
GPU	Adreno 330
RAM	2GB
Storage	16GB/32GB
microSD card slot	Yes, up to 128GB
Primary camera	Dual 4 MP, 2688×1520 pixels
Front camera	5 MP 1080p@30fps
Battery	Li-Po 2600 mAh
Battery life	Standby: 496 hours 3G talk:20 hours
Wi-Fi	Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Wi-Fi Direct, DLNA, Wi-Fi hotspot
Bluetooth	Yes, v4.0 LE with A2DP
Network	Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE Quad-band UMTS/HSPA LTE support, LTE-Advanced
NFC	Yes
Speakers	Stereo
Distinctive features	• Dual UltraPixel cameras • Aluminum body design • Front-facing BoomSound

Display and Multimedia

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.

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.

[product id=”83010″ sku=””]

[tw-column width=”one-half”]

GOOD THINGS

Excellent build
90% metal
Camera has potential
Great UI
Fast and responsive
Good battery

[/tw-column]

[tw-column width=”one-half” position=”last”]

BAD THINGS

U-focus not refined
No 4k video capture
Same resolution display

[/tw-column]

April 16, 2014

Nokia X Dual Sim Hands On

Nokia’s First Android Handset Targets the Budget Audience with Dual Sim Capabilities

Nokia launched the Nokia X (aka Normandy) earlier this year at Mobile World Congress 2014. The handset was a first of a kind for a company which basically started off by purely thrashing Android as an OS and now embracing it in their products.

The Nokia X has a very basic strategy, it is a cheap android phone with build and promise of Nokia, without the actual support of Google.

The Nokia X runs a Hybrid OS, An Unlicensed Android 4.1.2 alongside Nokia’s own Fastlane UI from the Asha lineup of devices. What that means is, you get the Android experience but you don’t get Google Apps, including the Play Store, Gmail etc. But there are always workarounds considering that the whole UI is essentially built on Android.

Build is impressive, the Nokia X has a sturdy matte finished back, with replaceable panels. Its like a better built version of the Nokia Asha 502/503 lineup almost as good as high end Lumia phones. The back is smooth and fits well in the hand thanks to its polished off round edges. The layout of the buttons and ports is also very identical to the Asha 503 so it looks like a design lift.

On the hardware front the Nokia X is loaded with a Qualcomm MSM8225 Snapdragon S4 Play with a Dual-core 1 GHz Cortex-A5 CPU. You also get an Adreno 203 GPU all of this is supported by a 1500 mAh battery. On the memory front you have 4 GB Storage and 512 MB RAM along with microSD card expandability up to 32 GB.

The handset runs Nokia X platform 1.0 UI essentially Android 4.1.2, on a 4 inch 480 x 800 px IPS LCD capacitive display with 2 point multitouch. There is no front camera and the main 3.15 MP camera only does 480p video and lacks a LED flash.

Check out our hands on images and the Video Unboxing Up Top. Stay tuned for a final review.

April 4, 2014
Skype Update For Android Promises Less Battery Drain
Skype has updated its App for Android, and with the new Skype 4.7 update, the company has introduced new levels of battery savings.

To make this possible, this update has turned off the message notifications in group chats by default, it can be changed for users who would like to continue using it. The company says that this is the beginning, as it expects to further improve battery usage in future updates of this mobile application.

This version also includes the following fixes:
- Workaround for the KitKat bug which caused a runaway process when the camera was synced in the background.
- Fix for audio and video calling on tablets that do not have Bluetooth.
- Now lists your Windows Live Messenger contacts in the Skype (default) view, not just the All contacts view.
Users can download the update starting today in the Play Store. It will be available for the Kindle Fire family of tablets later this month.
March 20, 2014
Karbonn To Launch World’s First Android, Windows Phone Dual Boot Handset

Dual-OS phones running Windows Phone and Android are six months away from launch, according to the chairperson of Karbonn, which has apparently signed a deal with Microsoft to produce them.

It is reported that the dual-OS smartphones will be out by June and will target office-going professionals and ‘techies.’

“Microsoft has eased the regulations and is opening up its platform for other players. We signed the agreement two days ago and will launch a range of Windows phones in about three months” – Karbonn CEO Sudhir Hasija

Price is still a mystery and so are the specs; we can only hope this Karbonn will be a high-end device with Snapdragon 800 quad-core chip. While it may seem a bit surprising that Microsoft would agree to share space on a handset, Microsoft has been taking steps to make it easier for manufacturers to install their software. That includes support for Qualcomm’s Android reference designs which would allow a phone maker to use the same hardware for Android or Windows Phone devices.

Reports surfaced recently that it had asked HTC to combine Windows Phone and Android on one device as well.

March 3, 2014
Nokia X Gets Hacked To Run Google apps

The recently launched Nokia X, the Android powered device that is intended to promote Microsoft’s services via Android, has been hacked to run Google’s services instead. Basically, you will now be able to run any Google Mobile Services – PlayStore, Gmail, Maps, Notes, etc, on the device.

The forked version of Android will not include Play Store or any Google App, like Chrome, Maps etc, however, it can still manage to run the Android applications you want. These X smartphones from Nokia will instead include, Skype, Here maps, Outlook and more services.

The first thing to remember about running Android is that any attempt to release a feature or app exclusively for one device family will only result in the hack/mod-minded Android community extracting and sharing said treasure with those running other Android-based devices.

The hack is pretty simple and we could see a good number of Nokia X models running Google services in the future. A developer named KashaMalaga, by using the popular rooting application, FramaRoot, which lets you avail admin privileges in just one-click, found a quick way to bypass the Nokia X’s bootloader and make it fit for installing a modified version of the operating system (custom ROM).

[Via]

March 1, 2014
Nokia X, X+ & XL Launched: Here is Everything You Want to Know

Ever since the birth of Android operating system, mostly all companies have opted this OS for their smartphones. Android can do better things than what Symbian did; but, Nokia as a company has never believed in the Android platform lately. However, the rumored Nokia X is now official and is the first ever Android smartphone for Nokia.

Talking about the specifications, the Nokia X and X+ sports a 4 inch IPS LCD WVGA display with a resolution of 800 x 480 pixels. The Nokia X series is powered by a 1 GHz Dual-Core Snapdragon processor and runs on a forked version of Android 4.1.2. The device is packed with a 512 MB RAM and 4 GB of internal storage, a microSD support of up to 32 GB. The Nokia X+ is packed with a 768 MB RAM and all other specs remains the same.

The Nokia X and X+ are equipped with a 3 MP fixed focus camera, with no secondary camera. Both devices have a 1500 mAh battery which should work well considering the specs they offer.

Nokia XL comes with a 5-inch 480 x 800 display, a 5 MP camera, a 2 MP front camera, 768 MB RAM and a 2000 mAh battery, all other specifications are same as on the X and X+.

Only one touch button is seen, which can be pressed once to go back and hold it down to return to the home screen. Software customization on the home screen and in the forked OS makes the Nokia X different. This forked version of Android looks like the Windows Phone tiles we are used to see on Nokia Devices.

This forked version of Android will not include Play Store or any Google App, like Chrome, Maps etc, however, it can still manage to run the Android applications you want. These X smartphones from Nokia will instead include, Skype, Here maps, Outlook and more services.

The Nokia X and X+ both shares the same look and are 10.4 mm thick, which is probably not the thinnest device we have known. While the XL keeping up to its name is 10.8 mm thick device. While Nokia and Microsoft deal is about to come in the picture soon, we doubt if Microsoft will continue the X family that Nokia has just started today.

The Nokia X will go on sale immediately, priced at EUR 89 in Asia-Pacific, Europe, India, Latin America, the Middle East and Africa. The Nokia X+ and Nokia XL are expected to be available soon, priced at EUR 99 and EUR 109, respectively.

Swiping across reveals the Fastlane feature, an option that is forwarded from Nokia’s Asha devices. However, it is disappointing to see these phone running on forked version of Android 4.1.2 which was launched in 2012.

Many of us have been waiting for an Android smartphone from Nokia, and today Nokia has ended the wait by launching 3 new Android running smartphones. While you wait for our hands on video do let us know what you think of these devices.

February 24, 2014
Dropbox for Android now allows Folder Sharing

If you just updated your Dropbox app on your Android device, you will be happy to know that you now have the ability to share folders. The new update allows users both invite others to shared folders and manage the relevant permissions. The new in-app purchase will also allow users to upgrade to Pro accounts via Google Play. Dropbox will bring the functionality to iOS soon.

[Dropbox Blog]

December 18, 2013
Google Voice Search Will Now Speak French, German and Japanese on Android and iOS

Google voice search has improved with time for its voice recognition capabilities. Google voice is successful to recognize the universal language ‘English’ very well, specially with different accents of people all around the globe.

In the journey to improve the voice search, Google has expanded the voice recognition capabilities of its voice search by adding new languages to it. Which means, Google voice search will not be limited to English and will now speak languages like French, German and Japanese.

This new add on will recognize any of these languages and reply back accordingly. It is not clear when Google will add other languages but it seems Google has already started the journey. Lastly, this new update is available both on Android and iOS devices. If your device did not update yet, check the links below.

[Android, iOS]

December 6, 2013
Apple: 74% of App Store Users Are Using iOS 7

Three months back, Apple launched its latest OS – iOS 7 in the market. Ever since then, users have treated the iOS 7 with mix reactions, as for some it is improved and for some it lags and freezes.

Despite of the mixed reactions from users, the iOS 7 is now on 74% of Apple devices registered in the App Store. Apple has mentioned this on its developer page. This is a 10% increase in iOS 7 users from the month of October. Coincidentally, Google also announced that in just a month of release, 1.1% of Android users are on KitKat OS.

However, alongside the iOS 7 other iOS versions are still in use. As per the report from Apple, 22% of users in the App Store are still on iOS 6 and 4% users are still on older versions of iOS. The rest 26% might want to know what is iOS 7 all about from the video below:

[youtube url=”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5-KmW1QhcE”]

[Apple]

December 6, 2013
LG’s AllJoyn Support Will Enable Smart TV Control From Any Device

LG seems to have a solution for controlling a smart television with ease. LG Electronics will be the first company to incorporate the AllJoyn open source software framework into its Smart TV platform.

The AllJoyn is developed by Qualcomm, and aims to create a common language that connects the Internet of Things irrespective of the Operating System or the brand.

LG is at the forefront of the device connectivity revolution,” said Richard Choi, Senior Vice President of the Smart Business Center at LG Electronics. “LG will now enable consumers to more effortlessly connect their networked devices in the home and continues to show a strong commitment to the next generation of convergence technology.”

LG will use AllJoyn to allow multiple devices to communicate with LG Smart TVs simultaneously. Several smartphones or tablets, each running a completely different OS or of different brands, can participate in the same multiplayer game on an LG Smart TV.

However, LG has not cleared when this technology will be officially available.

December 4, 2013
Search For Stories, Videos or Pictures With The New Twitter App Update on Android & iOS

Twitter has added new search features to its Apps on Android and iOS, which will help users discover the content they are looking for.

With the updated apps Twitter offers options to search for pictures, videos, or news stories. Previously, users were only able to search through usernames, tweets and hashtags. If you want to see photos, use the photo search filter to see Tweets with photos in a grid or list layout. To see what your friends are saying, you can filter the results to show only Tweets from the people you follow. Users can now also filter for videos in the same way.

This update is now available to download on Android and iOS.

[Android, iOS]

November 20, 2013
Adobe Reader Adds PDF Conversions and Multi Window Support For Android

Adobe Reader application on Android has updated with a bunch of much required changes, the update has added PDF conversion tools to Android devices.

This means with this new update, from within the app users can now create PDF files from mostly any other file types and also vice versa. However, Adobe like always wants its users to make in app purchases to take advantage of these new features, the ExportPDF add-on for turning PDFs into other files is priced at $1.99 a month. The PDF pack, which lets user make PDFs from other files as well as the reverse, is priced at $9.99 for a month.

Apart from these new ‘paid’ features the new update also has some changes, like the improved search, a new UI and the mutli-window support which are included in the update without any charge. Update your app from the link below.

[Play Store]

November 16, 2013
New Update For Viber Brings Push To Talk and More For Android and iOS

Viber recently announced some new updates for Windows Phone and BlackBerry devices as well, the company also announced a new update for the application on Android and iOS platforms.

With the Viber 4.0 update for iOS and Android, it adds push-to-talk voice feature services to both platforms. Along with the addition to push to talk service, Viber also bundled in a new sticker market, in addition to some extra customization options on iPhone and improved notifications on Android. The new update brings some good change, so update your Viber application on your iOS and Android device.

[Android,iOS]

November 13, 2013