Tag: edit

Now You Can Edit and Work on Multiple Posts With Vine

Vine introduced some new additions, Sessions and Time Travel. Vine claims with these new features, you can maintain multiple posts in progress over time and edit your posts before you share them.

Sessions: Tap the new icon in the bottom right corner of your camera to save a new session or open an existing one. Save any post and come back to it later, it can work on up to ten posts at a time.

Time Travel: Tap the green bar from the camera while you’re shooting, or tap ‘Edit’ when you’re previewing a post. With this users can remove, reorganize or replace any shot within a post before its even shared.

Vine was built for one purpose to make it easy for people to capture life in motion and share it with the world. That is the reason we built the Vine camera, and it’s why we continue to improve upon and build new tools for your creations, nurturing the balance between power and simplicity that you’ve come to expect from us.

You can update your application from Play Store and App Store.

October 25, 2013
Has Apple Ended it for Paid Operating Systems with OS X Mavericks

Apple yesterday announced a flurry of new products from the new iPad Air to the iPad Mini with Retina Display, brand new Mac Pro and a revamped Macbook Pro with retina display. Possibly the most subtle and less talked about are the software launches. Apple launched the new Mac OS X 10.9 Mavericks and 7 new applications including a revamp of popular iMovie, iPhoto and Garage Band which made the iLife suite and work based Pages, Numbers and Keynote which made the iWork suite. The best part being the fact that all of the above comes free to Mac owners.

Logically all these Apps and Operating System updates are meant for consumption on Apple products, and by making these crucial applications and a major Operating System update free, Apple may have stirred the industry and the likes of Microsoft who basically survive by selling their operating systems and apps.

Highlights

Prices of Apple’s Mac OS X have dropped in cost considerably over the years. Apple charged users US $129 for four main OS updates, then Apple dropped the operating system’s upgrade price to $29 with 2009’s OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard, and then to $19 with last year’s OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion.

Microsoft was forced to lower the price of its expensive Windows 8 to a mere US $ 29 to compete with Apple last year, where the Redmond company offered its previous OS owners a cheaper upgrade to the new Operating System. However post a golden period the price was returned to a whopping US $ 199 which the company charges for their PRO variant of Windows 8. Microsoft this year however offered Windows 8.1 as a free upgrade to Windows 8 owners, and while many may call it an incremental upgrade, Microsoft continues to claim that Windows 8.1 is a major software overhaul which is “worthy of a price tag”.

Back in the 80’s software was a part of commuters as a vertically integrated product. Apple with OS X Mavericks has suddenly sprung that era into present day. Since Apple is the only company that manufactures hardware for their software or vice versa, it makes sense for the company to gain profit from hardware sales and make the software free. In essence the user sees it as a freebie especially since it had a price tag prior to it being free.

Apple has also ensured that anyone with a Mac computer upto 4 years ago can update to the new Mac OS X Mavericks, which will make old owners of Apple computers happy, since they won’t need to spend money for new operating systems each year.

What’s more, Apple has also enabled users to get Apple own apps like the iLIfe suite and iWork suite free of cost, making it a boon for students and daily users. Apple used to drive huge profits from selling applications and operating system upgrades. Most people don’t upgrade their Operating Systems till they buy a new computer, Apple however has sort of changed that, or has tried to change it. Just like software updates on the iPhone that drove more than 80% iPhone owners to upgrade to iOS 7, it is expected that a whole chunk of Mac owners have probably already upgraded to Mac OS X 10.9 Mavericks, or plan to over the weekend.

Installer

The upgrade process is simple, hit the Mac App Store download the Mavericks installer, run the installer and about 20 minutes later you are upgraded. As Steve Jobs would say “It just Works!”, exactly how upgrading a modern operating system should feel like. It gets done with the minimal of fuss and fanfare, and then the operating system steps aside and lets the user get back to work.

For Apple owners this may not seem as a big deal, however the folks over at Microsoft are probably festering out new plans as we speak to keep their investors happy. Do you think OS should be free? Let us know below!

October 23, 2013
Report : 2013 may Unleash the Budget Quad Core in India

With several Indian companies running in haste to deliver smartphones, tablets and now phablets into the market. Most have left out essential ingredients to delivering a smart – experience. Some have shoddy screens others have dwindling hardware and most have little RAM.

[pullquote_right]Have companies like Micromax and Karbonn truly understood the Indian market?[/pullquote_right]Looks like that is about to change, really soon. Have companies like Micromax and Karbonn truly understood the Indian market? Where Micromax broke the barrier with their A100 and A110 Canvas phones along side their Super Amoled based A90 and A90s . Karbonn had several A Series phones to offer to this mashup of Smartphone goodness.

Agreed that these phone truly penetrated the market and gave the user the New Android experience and “somewhat of an upgrade” when it came to hardware capability. However, these devices truly lacked panache, and if the 2012 line of Nexus devices has shown us anything, that price will not equal quality in all cases.

[pullquote_left] Heavily invested in the overall quality and user experience[/pullquote_left]In our recent meeting with one of the Indian Manufacturers, we learnt that the Indian Companies have heavily invested in the overall quality and user experience that users will get from their 2013 lineup of smartphones. With Micromax working on quad core variants of their Canvas and Pixel series, Karbonn has heavily invested in quad core Phablets.

These devices promise, Quad Core Mediatek Processors, bumped up graphics and minimum 1 GB of RAM, Micromax Plans to make 8GB standard the In-Built storage with expandability via a 64GB capable slot. Where as Karbonn is talking about storage size options in their quad core Phablets. Some designers are also hinting at close ties with NVidia, so don’t be surprised if you soon see budget NVidia Tegra 3 based smartphones and Tablets running Google’s flagship OS and running against their own Nexus Series.

However this circle does not stop there, the gap between flagship technologies and cheaper alternatives is soon deteriorating, and we dont see that date far when A flagship Smartphone will see an identical low budget replacement less than weeks from its launch.

December 28, 2012
Edit : How The Micromax P300 Booklet will Change the Tablet game in India

Micromax was the first Indian Mobile phone manufacturer to make a global mark, a year and some months ago they introduced their first Android Phone the Andro A60, which changed the face of Android phones in India.

Today the company stands at a different crossroad in between their future as a brand, with a new identity, and what they possibly aim to achieve. They have a long way to go to achieve the brand snob value they wish to achieve. The consumer feedback speaks of the lack of unique products from the company and more importantly the lack of after sales support. Micromax is today considered a glorified china-manufactured product seller in India, infact Micromax is probably aware of their market image.

The story does not end here infact it changes completely from here, Micromax is now bent on changing their market appeal in a big way. Of-course their re-branding is the first step, but the biggest possible change is going to be their overall process revamp. Lets read about their latest marvel:

The Micromax P300 Booklet

Yes many already know about this tablet from the company, recently a popular online retailer outed the tablet in the inter webs sparking a cracker that refuses to go down.

Hardware

A sub Rs. 8000 tablet that includes a 7.0-inch TFT-LCD multitouch capacitive screen along with a 1 Ghz processor(rumors suggest a dual core processor) and Bluetooth, Wi-Fi,USB port and a 3.5mm AV. we have come to know that the tablet will also possibly support 3G data and voice calls/ video calls using a Micromax dongle, possibly supplied with the tablet bundle. The image appears to show a front camera and no rear camera, but the fact remains that a 0.3mp camera makes more sense on the front than it ever did on the back. Yes there is also HDMI out and HD video playback.

India Inc.

Yes the tablet will be manufactured in India (or so is the buzz), so expect better after sales support and spares for the device. This is also set to change the company’s image in the market giving the P300 Booklet a “Made in India” moniker, that might actually do owners proud to own the Tablet.

P300 will succeed where others have Failed

Lest we bring up the failure of the Indian Government in bringing a budget Tablet to the market. The Aakash Tablet, a well heard name, yes we felt excited when the product actually came to market, but all was lost. The performance matched expectations, but their deliveries couldn’t. With more than hand-able orders the company “data wind” seems to have imploded and is unable to deliver to the millions waiting for any sign of their tablet.

Others like the Beetel tab, Reliance tab, HCL Me Tab, etc have one big thing in common, they are imports built on a system type that is bound to fail. The performance levels and specs in those tablets don’t come anywhere close to the supposed specs of the P300 Booklet. Not to forget they all are priced way over 10,000 rupees, with the old Android 2.3 and some with Android 2.2, never to get updated to ICS. The Micromax P300 will come out of the box with Android 4.0.3, with possible customizations to make an impact on the user market.

The Future

The tablet is expected to launch in the coming weeks, and should do immensely well in our consumer market. The specs and features, if anywhere close to the ones discussed, will deliver a promising experience. The ID of the tablet will also be unique because the Company (Micromax) is making an extra effort to define themselves as unique manufacturers.

Made in India, tablets and phones could also mean that Micromax actually invests in a company to start manufacturing their own equipment, which could result in better service and unique new Research into the Mobile sector.

Hopefully the tab is more than we expect it to be and a total joy to review for you guys.

March 21, 2012
EDIT : 2012 Another Year of the iPad

Its been 2 years since Steve Jobs got up on stage with a device that would change the way we look at portable computing forever. Since it launch, the iPad has held the crown as the most loved Tablet, with multimillion units sold each quarter. Now with the iPad 3, around the corner one can only wonder if Apple will continue to hold the lead over the competition. A kind of competition that never hindered them, there has been no real problem for Apple except the launch of the Amazon Kindle, but thats a story for another day.

Lets look at why we feel the iPad 3, if keeps up with claims, will be another tablet of the year.

Build and Form Factor

Since the beginning the iPad has been the only tablet in a unibody aluminum shell, the sheer feel of the tablet exudes to the effect of a premium device. Slim and well weighted the tablet is robust in construction and not easily destroyed, especially if you take care of the 9.7 inch display in front which can be extremely fragile.

The iPad was a wonderful device to hold in the hand, typing was easy – better in portrait and possible in landscape, it was not the most comfortable device to hold single handedly. The iPad 2 changed that completely, with a newer design that fit better, was lighter and had improvements to software which also made single hand operation easy ( gestures).

The iPad 3 is supposedly going to be built on the same platform as the iPad 2 with a small thickness increase, something that will not bother the buyer.

OS and Apps

When the original iPad was launched people called it an oversized iPod touch, possibly because the iOS was the same iOS as on an iPhone or iPod touch. Things have changed since then and Apple has added a bucket load of goodies to make the OS more a powerhouse for the best selling tablet. The OS is streamlined to make the iPad a pseudo-personal computer, with iCloud – data handling and synchronization has never been easier.

iOS for iPad also has better custom apps including professional creative apps from companies like Adobe, including Photoshop, Office apps from Apple themselves: iWork with pages, keynote and numbers for easy as pie office documentation.

Customizations to the OS, like a split keyboard and gesture navigation, make it really easy to use the tablet and no other company has been able to replicate the process in an easy streamlined manner.

The iOS platform also has the largest number of Apps on a mobile OS platform, with mostly all apps compatible with the iPad the entertainment and quality of games on the iPad still remains unmatched.

The iPad 3 is said to feature a major OS upgrades for the tablet including a main feature that is Siri on the iPad, which is already possible if you own a jailbroken iPad, but an official version will be well accepted and appreciated.

Hardware

The new iPad 3 is supposedly coming with a bumped up processor(A6 or the rumored A5X), which is supposedly carrying a new quad core processor with an advanced GPU, which will -or should improve performance by atleast 10 times. The new display will be a retina display (246 ppi : not true retina) with a double resolution ( 2048 x 1536 px) compared to the existing iPad /iPad 2, which will not only improve the media quality on the iPad, but also make it an excellent Book Reader, especially considering the new iBooks upgrade.

There are also claims of a network capability boost in the iPad 3, where some rumors point to a 4G/ LTE equipped iPad chipset, others claim that it will be a unified global device capable of CDMA/GSM network capabilities in the same device.

Apart from the above obvious upgrades, speculations of more ram and upgraded camera optics along with better speakers are also in the mix. So expect HD FaceTime and better speakers for your iPad 3s.

Games and Apps will perform better and open faster, seamless integration with iCloud will sync all your devices and keep them up to date. Apple may also bump to storage capacities to a possible 128 GB iPad.

Availability

The industry is buzzing with news of the iPad 3s release date, almost everyone claims that its going to be announced on the 7th of March 2012 with availability within 2 weeks.

Conclusion

Arguably, the iPad is not the best tablet in the market, but truly its the only one that has sold units in numbers close to PC sales. The Apple ecosystem developed by iOS – iCloud and Mac OS make it an Apple owners delight, somethings are just better on the iPad. Agreed Android offers more flexibility but the platform is still very fragmented. Even with ICS, android is laggy and the overall interface is not nearly as smooth as iOS.

If Amazon does come out with a 10 inch tablet, you can expect it to eat heavily into Apple’s share of the profit pie, only because Amazon will price it aggressively. Windows 8 / Windows Phone Apollo Tabs could also be another factor ( if ever released) .

Unless something truly unique is outed by manufacturers ( possibly a 10 inch Galaxy Note) no one will be able to bother Apple iPad sales, and the new iPad 3 will continue to lead the way through 2012.

What do you think?

[polldaddy poll=5963093]

February 21, 2012
Edit: The Rise and Rise of the next Giant : Samsung

2011 was a year of Samsung, the company has taken the consumer electronics market by storm, grabbing attention one way or another. Samsung also led as India’s number one manufacturer for mobile phones in all categories. From basic feature phones to high end Smart phones, the company has managed to challenge all odds and gain the market respect.

But all this does not come cheap, Samsung employs a huge amount of its annual earning into marketing. In 2011 alone Samsung is estimated to have spent over US $ 2 Billion in advertising their products. Out of which a major 40% is targeted towards mobile devices and 6-7 % towards new phones. Samsung also deploys twice that amount into market research and development, so that its teams know what the next big thing from the company is going to be.

Galaxy S2

In 2011 Samsung took a huge stab at Apple’s dominant spot as the world leader in smartphone sales. By quarter 3 2011 Samsung had replaced Apple as the world most selling smartphone manufacturer ( if you consider number of handsets and not just one model of handset). Samsung Galaxy S2 was the phone that changed everything for Samsung, the new innovations in the field of mobility that challenged design and construction, and innovative softwares threw huge limelight on Samsung’s potential in this market space. Android loyalists were drawn by Samsung’s willingness to answer to their demands and stuffing their handsets with all features requested (and more) by the users.

Who ever imagined a device like the Galaxy Note, a fully capacitive screen that had massive scribbling promise, a handwriting recognizing monster with the capabilities of real time editing and project handling. Live annotations and screen captures were there in previous Samsung handsets, but the precision with with the Note is able to do these tasks is excellent. People want change and innovation and that what Samsung has started to give to its users.

The South Korean company is earning high praise for the design of its new line of OLED television sets, its oversized Galaxy Note smartphone and its

Galaxy Tab 750

new line of laptops, dubbed Series 9. Samsung has held the title of the top TV maker for the past six years, and recently surpassed Apple Inc. to become the world’s top smartphone manufacturer. Samsung posted a US$4.5-billion profit in the most recent quarter, one of the best in the company’s history.

The Company now has set its sights on the personal computer and tablet markets, hoping to replicate the success the company has had in its smartphone and television businesses. Targeting their efforts at Apple, Hewlett-Packard Co. and Dell Inc, companies which are current leaders in the domain. This won’t be easy for Samsung either especially because globally they don’t even fall in the top 5 PC manufacturers category.

nx System Camera

One of Samsung’s biggest strengths is its component manufacturing facilities. Samsung itself manufactures 75% of the components used in its TVs, PCs and smartphones, enabling the company to innovate and test new products quickly. Samsung is also emerging big in a category seldom seen with asian companies, Cameras. With a exciting range of digital point and shoot cameras from the company, including innovative flip lcd type cameras. The company also has pioneered the professional SLR segment with their range of NX cameras, that are getting appreciation from professional Photographers.

The future of the brand also seems bright, as people have less and less faith in Apple’s ability to give what the users want. The next revision of the iPad and the iPhone 5 no longer seem as exciting as the Samsung Galaxy S3 or the Galaxy Tab 3 headed our way in 2012.

Its been a long time since our last edit, this one was long over due. The smartphone industry is ever changing, with constant evolutions in a battlefield of major companies and small startups. In a world where companies become large in a matter of months and fall even faster, we can only guess what the future holds in the massive divide.

January 14, 2012
iPhone 4S Unboxing and Hands on

Its already later than I expected it to be! Anyway we have them now all iPhones for the iGyaan team have arrived with a bunch of Black ones that are still in transit. The new iPhone 4S follows in traditional Apple iPhone Packaging with only 4 essential things in the box, the device, the cable, the charger and the handsfree.

Check out the pictures while an unboxing video and some fun things start to pop up around iGyaan.

Oh and one big disappointment : Siri does not support navigation and maps in India , everything else seems ok!

Stay Tuned for the Video : Going Up!

October 19, 2011
Edit: iPhone 4s Pandemonium

Seldom does the world come close to such an instance where things happen so fast that its almost impossible to catch upto them. Last time this year we were discussing the iPhone 4 launch in India. Throughout this year there were speculations of a Jesus Phone in the form of the iPhone 5, a slim design, bigger screen, high spec’d cameras and a lot going on under the boot.

There were several devices launched in the mean time, the Samsung Galaxy S2 being the most prominent of them all followed by the likes of Sensation, Optimus 2 and now the Galaxy Note and galaxy Nexus. But companies like Samsung and LG live in the global markets, they cater to a vast audience, with a vast range of products. That makes them impressive industry giants but that also slows them down when it comes to device support.

Apple has followed a simple less product portfolio system from the get go, whereas other companies tend to branch out and diversify. Take the notebook for example, the Apple line has been consistent since the beginning with the Macbook, Macbook Pro (earlier know as powerbook) and the recent new addition the Air. Apple has essentially also eliminated the Macbook line and only now has the Pro and the Air.

In a similar scenario Samsung has a vast variety of Notebooks, even though they are relatively new to the industry. From over 300 different models in the Indian catalogue alone, it is difficult to imagine developing bios updates and bug fixes for each individual product.

For Apple the win – win scenario lies in their simplicity, One update to rule them all! Since all their MacBooks are essentially based on the same platform, Apple is usually able to send out app and OS updates without any problems. But that does not mean they are let off easy, issues are usually tested for several months before fixes are released, sometimes causing major problems too. But its easy to tackle problems if you have only two products to worry about.

The case of the iPhone

Same is the case with the iPhone, since its launch in 2007 several people have suggested year in and year out, that Apple will add a new phone to their lineup, an iPhone nano, a mini touch phone and possibly even a cheap variant of the main device. They have all been proven wrong, Apple’s strategy comes to light very simply: they have a yearly refresh cycle where they offer the last years product at a considerably lower price to see market response before they diminish stocks and stop selling the devices. This policy as we have seen is only applicable for the iPhone and not any other device.

Apple does not intend to give themselves competition by releasing two variants of the same device when their earning lie in numbers from the same device. Apple couldn’t be bothered giving os and bug fixes to previous adapters. Those who bought the iPhone 3Gs will start to hurt over the neglect that Apple will give to their updates. Its simple Apple want consumers to buy the latest products so they can continue to evolve and are able to enjoy the innovations of the company. But not everyone can afford new products yearly! Especially in India where contract systems don’t exist. Apple devices are expensive and much more than other devices, Apple includes the cost of one year of “Apple no questions asked service and repair” in their products. No other company offers you the ability to walk into a store with a defective product and walk out with a shiny new one. Other companies usually repair devices, sometimes delivering no real solution to the problem. No to mention that your precious device gets unscrewed and manhandled.

The iPhone 4s

The critics and investor management companies deemed the iPhone 4s as a major failure for Apple, but the truth really lies in the numbers. Apple got over 1 Million pre-orders of the iPhone 4s in the US alone in the first 24 hours. That is actually more than the total life sales of many companies. So what makes Apple iPhones so special? The first iteration of the device made people all over the world want it, possibly because they couldn’t buy one (sales were restricted to the US). This made people want it even more, causing groups from all over the world to indulge in home brewing the device.

The most significant specification change to the iPhone 4S from its predecessor is the bump to Apple’s A5 processor. Just as in the case of the iPad we should see a vast improvement in overall speed and responsiveness of the device. The iPhone 4S also bumps the resolution of its digital stills from 5 megapixels to 8 megapixels and its HD video capture resolution from 720p to 1080p this was seen in almost all cameras in higher end Android phones. But, the fact that apple continues to improve its rear illuminated sensor adding better optics and image stabilization is a mighty improvement.

Siri

The inclusion of Siri was not much of a shock because Apple had acquired the company some time ago, but the software has obviously come a long way since Apple purchased it and is integrated into core functions of the handset as well as Wolfram Alpha for getting answers directly from the internet. This personal assistant Siri was one thing that made me stop writing and start watching during launch.

Owner : How many cups in an ounce?

Siri : Let me think : Here is your answer!

Owner : Schedule my meeting for budgets at 12.

Siri : Note : You already have a meeting at 12 , would you like me to schedule it anyway?

For all those who have seen Terminator the movie, should know that this is the dawn of Skynet in the form of Siri. Jokes apart this is possibly the most advanced Ai you can think about putting in a handheld device. Forget peta flops of processing this takes a measly A5 chipset with a dual core processor.

The only reason Apple continues its success if because they not only focus on hardware but deliver the software as promised. They can always announce the iPhone 5 next year and they will, but till then Siri will rule the smartphone haven riding a 4s which houses brand new optics, a full hd 8 MP camera and a spec bumper Dual core A5 chip.

Now its only time before people start to mention the good aspects of Samsung phones and LG, i don’t deny them or dispute them. i love my Android devices, the S2 the Sensation and even the Evo 3D, my honeycomb tablets, a daily user of Blackberry and even my Windows Phones. I have used vLingo on the S2 and my tab But its no where near what Siri does. Honestly we do wish Apple paid us for what we write about them. But it does not seem that they need anymore hype than what they can already generate by themselves.

Is it the answer to world peace?

October 11, 2011
Samsung Galaxy Tab 750 / 10.1 Unboxing, Specs, Price and Video

The Samsung Galaxy Tab has been an elusive device from Samsung. We first got our hands on with the tablet at the Samsung forum earlier this year, where the device was officially announced.

Now that the Tablet was fully launched in India, we finally got a chance to grab hold of ours and here it is. in all its glory.The device runs on a dual core 1 GHz Nvidia Tegra 2 processor, with a 7000mah battery which should be powerful enough with ample juice for hours of usage.

Full SPEC-SHEET

Images

Video Unboxing

October 5, 2011
Edit : Anticipation of the New iPhone 5/ 4s is higher than ever

What is pushing the iPhone to the top of the world?what causes the low supply and large demand? We say its basic rules of economics learnt in High School, to make the demand of a commodity more, the supply needs to be regulated. This time around anticipation of the next Gen. iPhone is higher than ever. With reports of a cheaper variant of the iPhone 4 looming, most users are delaying their cellphone purchases indefinitely.

The iPhone since its launch in 2007 has been the number one smartphone in terms of market share in sales. This has happened not only due to innovations in technology but also because of the fact that Apple is extremely smart when it comes to marketing the device. The first true capacitive touch phone, with the first true capacitive input OS. The first app store that revolutionized apps on a mobile platform. Everything along the smartphone business, Apple has changed the way we use our devices. Today companies like Micromax, Videocon and other budget phone manufacturers are eating off the profits of the Apple name.

Micromax even launched an AD-Campaign for the A70 stating “I can afford this Phone – emphasis on iPhone”. People often take the iPhone as a flagship and compare other devices with that. Sure there are hardcore Android fans and I am one of them, in-fact i love all OS types. For the sake of iGyaan I need to possess flagship devices from all platforms, yet if given the choice i will always choose my iPhone.

Over 90% of the total questions we receive at iGyaan ask us to compare simple Android phones with the fluidity of the iPhone, The answer always has been till now – no other device can match the responsiveness of the iPhone. Yes it crashes, yes you hate it, yes its closed, yes “Bharat is an ex-Apple man”, But it doesn’t change the fact that not only does the iPhone have the best resolution display till date, unmatched by any manufacturer,it also has the most fluid OS in the world. This device is meant to be touched and it only relies on that. No matter what hardware you stuff behind the touchscreen of the device, 2x Quad core processors for all we care, untill you iron out the lag between screen swipes, we prefer iPhones.

Apple is also a brand of the youth, it has always been. PCs have been boring for a very long time, since the beginning of computer time. Apple has been always loved by the youth, creative people, writers, artists, web designers, graphic artists and all new forms of young professionals love Apple and the ease of use of the OS and all the softwares around it. All non tech related ads have people using Apple computers in them, this is nothing but passive marketing for Apple and most non technologically sound people love it(that includes more than 90% of the global pop FYI) .

Not to forget the constant mis-marketing by websites like iGyaa ( if only Apple paid us a dollar for every-time we wrote their name on our website) feeds to the brains of technology loving people young and old alike (yes you reading this). People are constantly being hypnotized to believe that the iPhone is mother-ship and every thing else is nothing in-front of it. Althought that is so not the case.

So why is the iPhone now the most sought after phone? Despite its high price and low tech specs, most will still prefer it over their juiced up Android device. If an iPhone 4 was to be available at say 19 Thousand Indian rupees / 350-400 US$, you will see the likes of eBay and craigslist full of second hand Android phones and Blackberries. The new iPhone 5 in recent surveys has been on more than 30% peoples waitlist, that is more than 3 times of the next best OS = Android which stacks in at a mere 9.4% in the list of “My next phone”.

The iPhone 5 is coming and people are waiting for it anxiously, so are we. The device whether a major change or minor, will cause people to queue up and wait outside stores for weeks. It will also cause some people to sell their kidneys and some to be highly disappointed with its not so impressive upgrades. The only question that now remains is

HAVE YOU DELAYED YOU NEXT SMARTPHONE PURCHASE IN ANTICIPATION OF THE NEXT IPHONE?

[polldaddy poll=5510117]

September 17, 2011
Samsung Shows of the New Galaxy Tab 750 / 10.1 in Video Demo – Full Interface walkthrough

Samsung’s latest tablet is getting all the attention it deserves, the company has now made a full demo of the User Interface walkthrough.

Not only is the tablet thin and light its easy to use, says the video demo. Demonstrating the new multitasking features and the dedicated multitask button, makes us wonder why other companies haven’t thought of it.

It is also the first tablet to have individual speakers of either side, full stereo sound. Samsung sneakily also shows off the dock in the video, which makes the device, that tad bit more special.

The Samsung Bookshelf and new TouchWiz Keyboard are also shown off in the demo. The video also details the Social Hub , additional accessories and a detailed demo of the Music Hub which is Samsung’s own version of the music store.

Check it out.

Don’t forget to read our EDIT : Its Time To Tabulate

August 12, 2011
Edit: Its time to Tabulate with the Galaxy Tab 750

Its one of those things that takes time to reach its prime potential. Tablets were introduced in 2010 and primarily a couple of brands ruled the market. With the iPad eating the largest slice of the market share, Android tablets started to pour in by the second half of 2010.

The Original 7 inch Galaxy tab was the first true Android tablet to be launched in India. While it filled a major void that was left in the market due to the unavailability of the iPad, people were not quite ready for a switch to tablets and the tablets weren’t quite ready for human consumption.

2011 marked the era of the Tablets, with advancements in technology that allowed for powerful devices to be manufactured at prices well within the buying power of the consumer, Tablets have taken the market by storm, bent it, made space and created a new segment of electronic goods.

The year started with many tablets, The iPad 2 being the most impressive and the most dominating, followed by low numbers of the Motorola Xoom, RIM Playbook and others. Samsung had announced plans of launching the 10 inch tablet before the announcement of the iPad 2, but later changes in design and specs caused a major delay in the actual release date of the device.

Most are calling this tablet a true iPad 2 rival, a market favorite of sorts. So, in a market like India where people are finally making space in their life for tablets, where does the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 or the Indian Galaxy 750 fit in?

Here is our EDIT on why the Galaxy 750 is special for us and the Indian Market.

Galaxy 750

We already handled the earlier Tab ( thicker version), but for reasons unknown the device was never released and its a good thing. The new Galaxy 750 is just 8.6mm, it is 0.2mm thinner than the iPad 2. and weighing only 565g it’s also 36g lighter than the Cupertino tablet. The device is brilliantly built from from to back and is easily held in one hand. The shape and the design of the Tablet along with a good mix of materials make it feel like a luxury.

The Galaxy 750 runs Android Honeycomb 3.1, which is the latest version of Android meant for Tablets. This brings about much more usability to the device including resizable widgets and a better application management system as shown by us in out preview of Honeycomb.

The newer Galaxy 750 also drops the 8mp rear camera for a 3mp one, which doesn’t bother us and is still far superior than the iPad 2’s unknown less than 1Mp camera.

TouchWiz

The Galaxy 750 also adds the newer version of TouchWiz on what is usually a boring interface. TouchWiz not only makes the user interface on the device more attractive to look at, but also adds a whole host of features. The inbuilt task manager, ram management, Voice functions and several multimedia enhancements make the experience a lot better.

No Chains

One of the biggest deciding factors for the device has to be the fact that, people want to use a Tablet as a replacement for a laptop or a netbook. The iPad does not fulfill that gap because of the closed structure of iOS. While ruling the mobile structure , iOS does not quite answer to the day to day requirements for a tablet user.

Basic file sharing is disabled in iOS, where as Android allows all sorts of file sharing. The device also has the ability to read from USB host devices, but itself lacks a usb port. The Galaxy 750 will require a proprietary cable and will be able to read content from USB hard drives or flash sticks. Making it a far better laptop/netbook replacement than any other Tablet in the market.

The fact that the Galaxy 750 runs Android, also means that its an easily customizable device, if you don’t like the theme or layout, you can change it. Widgets make it easy to stay up to date on all sorts of information, from stocks to weather, from social networking to emails, new releases and quick actions. The widget- laden interface is a lot of fun to interact with and is also one of the primary reasons we like Android.

Companion

The Galaxy 750 can also be the perfect travel companion, not only for business, but also for fun. Download the Kindle App or read a book from the Samsung bookshelf, watch movies on the stunning 1280x800px display which is exceptionally bright. The Galaxy 750 also has a 4 way motion sensor, a Gyroscope, which would make the gaming experience better than any other tablet in the market, including the iPad 2. Samsung also uses this technology for panoramas in the camera and for navigating through the UI like in the case of the Galaxy S2.

If you didn’t consider buying a tablet prior to this, the time is now. Samsung have brought Tablets, especially Android Tablets, to a place where no one has been able achieve before. A portable media centre which begs attention, a device powerful enough to replace a netbook or even a laptop. Enterprise emails and Office Apps are already on the device along with a 16GB storage (expandable). The device also features a dual core 1 GHZ NVidia Tegra 2 processor with 1 GB of Ram dedicated to the Tablet.

The Future of tablets is here and its Time to Tabulate with the Galaxy 750.

Until something better shows up anyway!

We can’t express how excited we are to unbox and review this device for you guys! If you have some special requests please leave them in the comments below.

[polldaddy poll=5388771]

Full Specs for the Galaxy 750

Image Gallery

August 11, 2011
EDIT : A Smartphone or a Tablet, What to Buy?

The question haunts every smartphone buyer, “should i instead buy a tablet?”. In the past few weeks we have got over a hundred emails asking us this question.

Tablet season is here and its going to stay. When tablets were launched globally starting with the 1st iPad in the United Stated, analysts speculated that the market in India would not adapt to a tablet lifestyle. Today more than 25% of India’s mobile internet traffic is from iPads alone, another 10% from other tablets. Analyst have been proven wrong yet again, but the question still remains a Tablet or a souped up Smartphone?

We shall try and resolve this predicament for you.

A smartphone today has come a long way from what it was when the term was invented. Smart phones started off as basic day to day mobile phones that did a little bit more. A color screen, an mp3 player and customizable ringtones, a WAP browser and VGA cameras with infrared photo sharing. People were happy with these features and were shelling out Rs. 25-35 thousand for devices that were just smart.

Today you can’t be happy with what you pay for, A dual core phone, WiFi – N, Bluetooth 3.0, GBs of Ram, Multiple GBs of storage, touchscreens, slim designs, gorilla glass, unibody constructions and a whole host of Apps that do everything else. But its still not enough, we need higher spec’d displays LCD, SLCD, Amoled, Super Amoled, Super Amoled Plus and now Super Amoled Plus HD. Why is there a constant need for upgraded technology? Socially a man buying a phone always has the need to be on top of technology (This is directly proportional to the size of his, since this is a public page lets say “car”) The newer and more expensive the tech, the more a man feels like a man. Why shouldn’t we? we have a right to everything that makes us happy, and a right to get what we pay for and sometimes more than what we pay for.

A Smartphone today is the ultimate tool for a man ( student through Business men) from lectures, to calculations , wind speeds, weather info, document editing, printing , presentations, video editing, photo editing, emails, messaging everything can be achieved on a smartphone. So why should we not get one.

APPS ON THE DEVICES OF TODAY

Tablets in the market today are essentially blown up versions of the devices we carry in our pockets, the iPad 1 matched the specs of the iPhone 4 , (infact the phone had more ram) and the iPad 2 will be dwarfed by the iPhone 5s specs. Similarly Android phones dwarf the tablets, Galaxy S2 and Sensation are far more powerful than any Android tablet in the market today.

So is a larger screen a better option?

No one can really answer that question for you, it all comes down to what you do with the device you buy. I personally hate carrying my tablet and only like to carry my phone. A tablet is useful while traveling its a multimedia powerhouse- gaming , movies, videos even basic editing work can be done easily on a tablet. I also have met and often bump into folks who like carrying a tablet everywhere even to the GYM ( seriously what are they thinking?). Upon a little investigation you find out that they spent their budget on a tablet with phone call abilities and don’t own a phone anymore.

PADFONE

In an ideal world a product like the Asus Padfone would be perfect. A smartphone which converts into a tablet when you need it to be one, what else could one ask for? Devices like the Padfone are going to be the ultimate tool of a technology lover, but they still have time to arrive.

Till then our recommendation is:

If you really want to, then get a tablet and fulfill your dreams. But keep in mind that a tablet will never replace a phone and you should always have a phone handy, whether a Smartphone or a standard phone is what your budget will answer (even your day to day requirements). Carrying a tablet around as a phone will not only make you look, well how should we put it, like a “doofus”. Unless you are totally business oriented and your work calls for it. But then if you are a business man then you probably already own a smartphone, right?

According to us, tablets today are not yet there, not ready to beat a good phone. Invest in a good phone, you will get more done. A tablet is only eye candy, a large touchscreen that has been a part of Sci-Fi movies for a long time and today when the opportunity is here, everyone wants to grab it. Get one only as a secondary device, something between your phone and your notebook, as a notebook replacement even, if you don’t have much work except document editing than a tablet will fulfill your notebook requirements and look good doing it. Plus there is always the benefit of Angry Birds on a large screen.

[polldaddy poll=5187177]

June 28, 2011