Tag: india

iPhone 6s Gets an 11K Price Cut in India

We hate to say,”we told you so”, but the cat is out of the bag. It is no big secret that India was one of the most expensive places in the world just two months ago if you were planning to buy the new iPhone 6s and 6s Plus. But as predicted by iGyaan a couple of weeks ago, the iPhones have undergone significant fall in pricing.

iPhone 6s and 6s Plus, launched with a starting price of Rs. 62,000 and going up to a Rs. 92,000, were much costlier than the same products in the American and European markets. The prices have now come down significantly, especially after a decline in the demand in the country.

 

The iPhone 6s shows a whopping price drop of Rs.11,000. There is a fall in prices of the iPhone 6s Plus as well but this isn’t as drastic as the 6s. Also, what is surprising is that the cheapest iPhone 6s Plus is the rose gold variant at a price of about Rs. 65,000 and Rs. 84,000 from its earlier Rs. 72,000 and Rs. 92,000 respectively. The rose gold variant was the most popular option for pre-order globally, but clearly it didn’t go down too well with Indian consumers.

 

Additionally, the iPhone 5s which was launched last year in 2014, is being sold at a price lower than most of the places in the world. The phone now falls in the mid-range price bracket with a price close to 20K.

 

Looks like there has never been a better time to buy iPhones in India.

December 16, 2015
Lenovo Teases Successor to K3 Note Smartphone

Looks like Lenovo will soon reveal the successor to the K3 Note smartphone. The Chinese company posted a teaser image on Twitter with a message that reads “Prepare for the dawn of the new #KillerNote.”

Prepare for the dawn of the new #KillerNote. pic.twitter.com/ukpuQEOYzj

— Lenovo India (@Lenovo_in) December 14, 2015

It is likely that the device will be known as the K4 Note, and is expected to launch in India first since the teaser was posted on Lenovo India’s account. Furthermore, the launch is expected to take place some time in January.

Lenovo K3 Note

Not much is known at this time on the specs front other than rumours of a MediaTek Helio X10 chipset and a fingerprint sensor, which have not been confirmed by the company. Two things the teaser does reveal is that the device will come with a USB Type-C port and a metal frame.

December 16, 2015
OPPO to Open 200 Service Stores Across India, Offer Extended Warranty

OPPO launched its ‘After Sales-Service Policy’ today which proposes a renewed and more efficient effort on the company’s part to provide customer support. The company plans to open 200 service centres all across India in an attempt to strengthen its position not only in the country but also the global market.

All OPPO smartphones purchased after 15th December that will have an extended service warranty of two years applicable across all OPPO service stores in India.

Additionally, the company also announced that any handset which develops a functional defect within the first 30 days of the purchase would be rendered “Dead After Purchase” and will be replaced. If the handset ends up with any of the problems the company has included in its Schedule “Performance Failure Table” during the first two years of purchase, customers would have the option of getting the device serviced under warranty or maintenance.

Similarly, all accessories such as charger, battery, data chord headset and internal battery all will now come along with a 6 month warranty. Let’s see if putting in this extra effort to ensure customer satisfaction helps OPPO fare better in the country.

December 15, 2015
YU Will Launch “Something Else” With Yutopia

Yu tweeted yesterday that the newest smartphone by the company, Yutopia won’t be the only product to be launched at the official event on the 17th of this month.

The beast just got a company to make things more interesting. Get ready to find out soon. #Yutopia pic.twitter.com/MRXF0bULox

— YU (@YUplaygod) December 13, 2015

The event was initially supposed to take place on 7th December but it was pushed back by ten days. The reason given by the company was that there are two products lined up for release and now both will be launched together.

We were putting our stakes on another smartphone, probably a Yutopia Plus. However, sources have confirmed that it’s not another phone. It could be something as disappointing as another power bank. Surprise, surprise. Or something as simple as a smartwatch or another OS. Let’s hold our breath for a less anticlimactic launch until the product is made official.

December 14, 2015

HTC Desire 828 Launched in India at a Price of Rs. 19,990

Last month HTC unveiled the Desire 828 smartphone along with the One A9. The Desire 828 will now come to India on the 14th of December. This model comes with a 5.5 inch display with 1080 x 1920 pixels resolution and is powered by the Mediatek MT6753. It is run on the Android OS, v5.1 (Lollipop) and has a dual SIM (Nano-SIM, dual stand-by) connectivity.

It also comes with a storage of 16GB that is expandable up to 2 TB along with 2GB of RAM. On the camera front, the Desire 828 features a 13 MP rear camera and HTC UltraPixel front. The Desire 828 is the first model in the Desire lineup to feature Optical Image Stabilisation in its main camera. The device is packed with a Li-Ion 2800 mAh battery and supports a micro USB v2.0.

“We are proud to unveil the first HTC Desire phone to feature Optical Image Stabilisation in its main camera and HTC UltraSelfie™ for a remarkable imaging experience and unparalleled selfies. With the HTC Desire 828 Dual SIM, we deliver an exquisite and personalised experience to our customers,” said Mr Faisal Siddiqui, President HTC South Asia.

The HTC Desire 828 Dual SIM comes in Dark Gray and Pearl White colours. And will be available exclusively on Flipkart for the consumers to buy from December 14, 2015 (12am) onwards at a price of Rs. 19,990.

Here is a spec table of the HTC Desire 828:

Specifications	Desire 828
Display	5.5 inches
Resolution	1080 x 1920 pixels
Chipset	Mediatek MT6753
CPU	Octa-core 1.5 GHz Cortex-A53
GPU	Mali-T720MP3
RAM	2GB
Storage	16GB expandable up to 200GB
Rear Camera	13 MP
Front Camera	HTC UltraPixel
Battery	Li-Ion 2800 mAh battery
Operating System	Android OS, v5.1 (Lollipop)
Connectivity	Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, Wi-Fi Direct, hotspot, GPS, Bluetooth
SIM	Dual SIM (Nano-SIM, dual stand-by)
USB	microUSB v2.0
Price	Rs. 19,990

December 11, 2015

Moto G Turbo Launched in India

The Moto G (Gen 3) Turbo goes on sale in the country and is exclusively available on Flipkart for order, at a price of Rs. 14,999. The phone comes in two variants, namely, Black with Deep Sea Blue back and White with Slate.

There are some interesting offers that customers can avail of, through December 13th. These include 100% cashback for 100 lucky customers, along with an offer that allows the exchange of your old smartphone for up to Rs. 6000. Additionally, some buyers will also get a chance to double their Airtel data for free.

On the specs front, the Moto G Turbo comes with a different chipset, Qualcomm MSM8939 Snapdragon 615, with Adreno 405 and a quick charge capability that Motorola calls a turbo charge. Everything else remains identical to the 16GB storage variant of the Moto G 3rd Gen which comes with 2GB RAM.

Buy Now

Find the complete specs of the phone below.

Specifications	Moto G (Gen 3) Turbo Edition
Display	5 inches, Corning Gorilla Glass 3
Resolution	HD, 1280×720 pixels
Chipset	Qualcomm MSM8916 Snapdragon 615
Processor	Quad-core 1.7 GHz Cortex-A53 & quad-core 1.0 GHz Cortex-A53
GPU	Adreno 405
RAM	2GB
Storage	16GB
Expandable Upto	32 GB
Rear Camera	13MP
Front Camera	5MP
Video	1080p HD video, 30 fps
Battery	2470 mAh with Turbo charge
Operating System	Android 5.1.1 Lollipop
Connectivity	Bluetooth v4.0, A2DP, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, GPS, AGPS, GLONASS GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1900 / 2100 LTE band 1(2100), 3(1800), 7(2600), 20(800)
Price	Rs. 14,499 (16 GB)

December 10, 2015

Google CEO Sundar Pichai to Launch Revamped Android One in India

News has been going around that Google CEO Sundar Pichai will be in India for the first time since his new appointment as CEO. Reports also highlighted that Pichai will be meeting PM Narendra Modi and President Pranab Mukherjee. Now, new reports suggest that Pichai will be launching the Android One version 2 in India.

An event is scheduled to be held on December 16 and invites have been sent out already that reads, “At Google, we believe that technology can change people’s lives for the better. Indians are coming online at an astonishing rate with affordable smartphones. These new users have a completely fresh view on what the Internet has to offer. Please block your date for an event with Google as we outline our vision for these users.”

The invite refers to affordable phones that lets new users access to the internet. Google had launched the sub-Rs. 3000 Android One phones last year, but they failed to get noticed due to the onslaught of Chinese makers.

India was the first country to release Android One devices that comprised of four phones – Micromax Canvas A1, Karbonn Sparkle V, Spice Dream UNO, and Lava Pixel V1. All except Spice Dream UNO are now upgradeable to Marshmallow OS.

While the first version failed to make an impact, Google has been talking of a revamped Android One for the Indian market. The company plans to launch the sub-Rs. 3000 Android device as part of Google’s (as well as PM Modi’s) push for a connected India.

December 7, 2015
Moto 360 Gen 2 Launches in India Today

Launched earlier this year at IFA Berlin ’15, the Moto 360 Gen 2 has arrived in India today. Find our unboxing video here:

The Moto 360 comes in two different sizes – a 42 mm male and female version, and a male-only 46 mm model. The difference between the male and female version is that the latter attaches itself to a thinner 16 mm strap while the former is compatible with a 20 mm strap only. The 46 mm variant is compatible with a strap that measures up to 22 mm. While the size of the straps differ, all models have a thickness of 11.4 mm.

The bands of the watch can be chosen from metal and leather. Though there is also a silicon option available for the band, it won’t be arriving in India any time soon. This year, Motorola has clearly been very influenced by the fashion world and all the latest trends within the design industry.

Thus it’s come up with two models, two sizes and up to 300 different ways to customize your Moto 360. However there will be only 5 of these variants that will be made available in India and they are: 42 mm with black leather, 42 mm with cognac leather, 42 mm blush rose gold, 42 mm silver metal, 46 mm black metal. Other than the size and range, there have been very subtle changes to the new design from the previous Moto 360, such as – a re-positioning of the button to the 2 o’clock position and one can even customize the finish of the small bezel that surrounds the display. With respect to the processor, Motorola has upgraded its device with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor.

They have also further improved the battery life and say that the 46 mm watch will last up to two days between charges, while the 42 mm watch will be able to last about a day and a half.

The watch is compatible with iOS 8.2 and above and therefore can be coupled with Apple devices. Other important features of the Moto 360 Gen 2 includes customize-able watch ‘faces’. Other than a bunch of options provided by Motorola, users can also use their own pictures as the watch-face.

The Live Dials of Moto 360 Gen 2 give access to summarised information in one glance. Depending on what matters to the user most, the watch will give weather updates from among footsteps count, rate of heart activity and calorie count etc. The Moto Body is a feature that will keep an account of not just footsteps and heart rate, but also sleep patterns and nutrition of the user.

Additionally, the watch is rated at IP67 which means it can be soaked in 1 m (3.3 ft) of water for half an hour. The watch further boasts of voice controls.

With a starting price of Rs. 19,999 ,this device goes on sale at 7:30 PM today on Myntra and Flipkart. To find more details about the Moto 360 Gen 2, click here.

December 1, 2015

Microsoft Lumia 950 Launched in India

Microsoft launches its Windows powered Lumia 950 in India -a phone which is being touted as the phone that works just like your PC and runs on Windows 10. It features a 5.2 inch Quad HD display and measures 8.25 mm in thickness.

Lumia 950 comes equipped with Cortana, Microsoft Office and the Windows Store, and can be connected to a bigger screen, keyboard and mouse using an additional accessory called Microsoft Display Dock. The Displa Dock also charges your phone simultaneously. While the apps run on the big screen, the user can still continue to make calls and receive messages on the phone at the same time.

The handset further boasts of a 20 MP main PureView camera, capable of 4K video capture; the front camera is marked at 5 MP. Nokia 950 has 32 GB of internal storage, expandable up to a 200 GB using a microSD card. The battery of the phone is of 3000 mAh. The phone is available in two colour variants -black and white, and is priced at Rs. 43, 699.

Find other specs of Nokia 950 below:

Specification	Lumia 950
Display	5.2-inch Quad HD AMOLED
Resolution	2560×1440 (564 ppi)
Processor	Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 808 processor, Hexa-core CPUs and 64-bit support
GPU	Adreno 418
RAM	3 GB
Storage	32 GB
Rear Camera	PureView camera with 20MP sensor, Zeiss optics, OIS,triple LED natural flash, and4K video recording
Front Camera	5MP wide-angle 1080p front-facing camera
Expandability	200 GB
Battery	Removable 3000mAh battery
Connectivity	Wi-Fi: MIMO, WLAN IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac Bluetooth 4.1
OS	Windows 10
Price	Rs. 43,699

November 30, 2015

Mark Zuckerberg and Bill Gates to Work Together on Clean Energy

The Facebook and Microsoft founders have teamed up to work together on solving problems related to climate change. Mark Zuckerberg has announced that he and his wife, Priscilla Chang will join forces with Bill Gates in an initiative called Breakthrough Energy Coalition that aims to invest in zero-carbon technology all over the world. The organisation’s membership includes other names like Richard Branson, Jeff Bezos, Jack Ma, and Masayoshi Son.

This announcement has been made just ahead of the the UN Climate Control Conference in Paris later this week. American President Barack Obama and Microsoft founder Bill Gates are expected to unveil an initiative called Mission Innovation at the Paris event.This initiative will work with governments all over the world to double public investments in energy research.

The 19 countries which have already signed up to be part of Mission Innovation will increase their investment in energy-research to $20 billion by 2020; India is part of this list of countries. Even though Mission Innovation and Breakthrough Energy Coalition are separate programmes, they will work side by side to achieve their common goal of working on clean, sustainable energy sources.

November 30, 2015

HTC DESIRE 828 Launches In India But Without Marshmallow

Along with the stylish HTC One A9, the company has also launched another smartphone called the Desire 828. This model comes with a 5.5 inch display with 1080 x 1920 pixels resolution and is powered by the Mediatek MT6753. It is run on the Android OS, v5.1 (Lollipop) and has a dual SIM (Nano-SIM, dual stand-by) connectivity.

It comes with a storage of 16GB that is expandable up to 2 TB along with a 2GB RAM. On the camera front it comes with a 13 MP rear camera and a 4 UltraPixel front camera. It is packed with a Li-Ion 2800 mAh battery and supports a micro USB v2.0.

Here is the spec table:

Specifications	Desire 828
Display	5.5 inches
Resolution	1080 x 1920 pixels
Chipset	Mediatek MT6753
CPU	Octa-core 1.5 GHz Cortex-A53
GPU	Mali-T720MP3
RAM	2GB
Storage	16GB expandable up to 200GB
Rear Camera	13 MP
Front Camera	4 UltraPixel
Battery	Li-Ion 2800 mAh battery
Operating System	Android OS, v5.1 (Lollipop)
Connectivity	Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, Wi-Fi Direct, hotspot, GPS, Bluetooth
SIM	Dual SIM (Nano-SIM, dual stand-by)
USB	microUSB v2.0
Price	not announced yet

November 25, 2015

HTC Launches the One A9 With Android Marshmallow 6.0

HTC has revealed two smartphones at their launch event in Delhi – the HTC One A9 and the Desire 828. The HTC One A9 will run on the Android Marshmallow 6.0 and is expected to be priced around Rs.26,499. The specific India price of these phones has not been announced, and neither has the availability date. However, we do know that it will come in three colour variants – Opal Silver, Acid Gold, Deep Garnett

The HTC One A9 is powered by the Qualcomm MSM8952 Snapdragon 617 and is run on the Android Marshmallow. It comes with a 5 inch screen display with 1080 x 1920 pixels resolution. It has two storage variants – 16GB internal storage with 2GB of RAM space and 32GB of internal storage with 3GB of RAM space, both of which are expandable up to 200GB via a microSD card. On the camera front it comes with a 13MP primary camera and a 4MP front camera; and also comes packed with a non-removable Li-Ion 2,150 mAh battery.

Here are the specs for the HTC One A9 :

Specifications	HTC One A9
Display	5.0 inches
Resolution	1080 x 1920 pixels
Chipset	Qualcomm MSM8952 Snapdragon 617
CPU	Quad-core 1.5 GHz Cortex-A53 & quad-core 1.2 GHz Cortex-A53
GPU	Adreno 405
RAM	2GB/3GB
Storage	16GB/32GB expandable up to 200 GB
Rear Camera	13MP
Front Camera	4MP
Battery	Non-removable Li-Ion 2,150 mAh battery
Operating System	Android Marshmallow
Connectivity	4G LTE, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, DLNA, hotspot, Bluetooth v 4.1, GPS, NFC
SIM	Nano-SIM
USB	microUSB v2.0
Price	Expected to be around Rs. 26,499

November 25, 2015

Moto X Force With its Crack-Proof Screen is All Set to Hit the Indian Markets

Last month we had reported about Moto X Force arriving in India in November. And now, Motorola has announced an imminent release of the Moto X Force in the country. The phone, famous because of its ‘crack-proof’ screen, will soon hit the Indian markets.

The country head for Motorola India, Amit Boni said in an official statement that the smartphone will soon arrive in India. This news follows a global press release where Motorola had mentioned that the Moto X Force, launched as Droid Turbo 2 in the US last month, would come to India in November. The smartphone is expected to hit the market with its current price tag of $624 (Rs. 40,000 approximately) and $720 (Rs. 47,000 approximately) for the 32GB and 64GB variants respectively.

On the specs front, Moto X Force packs a 5.4 inch Quad HD display with a resolution of 2560×1440 pixels. It is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 octa-core chipset along with 3 GB of RAM. The two internal storage options of 32 GB and 64 GB are expandable up to 2 TB with the help of a microSD card.

The highlight of the device is its super-hardy screen. Motorola claims to have integrated a ‘Moto Shattershield’ technology in the display of Moto Force which, it says, is the first shatterproof screen in a phone ever. The company feels confident enough to affirm the screen would stay intact for up to four years, owing to the multiple layers of different materials used in making it capable of absorbing shock and providing protection against cracking. The phone also boasts of two touchscreen layers, which make sure that the smartphone can be used even if one of the layers is cracked.

Needless to say, Motorola cannot stop talking about its first ever shatter-proof phone in the world. Let’s see if Moto X Force manages to live up to all the expectations. Watch this space for all the updates

November 20, 2015
HTC May Launch the M9s On the 25th Of November

The HTC M9s was launched successfully in Taiwan yesterday. Today we bring you some good news, because HTC might launch the M9s in India on the 25th of November 2015.

The One M9 sports a 5-inch FullHD LCD display, 2840 mAh battery; a MediTek Helio X10 chipset under the hood, 13MP front camera with OIS and a UltraPixel front camera. You’ll find 2GB of RAM and 16GB internal storage, which is expandable up to 2TB.

For more information click here.

November 19, 2015
Is Microsoft Late in Launching Cortana in India?

Cortana, the voice-based virtual assistant, was launched in India for Windows 10 users yesterday, with the Indian accent and voice support. It is part of the November update which the company announced on Thursday.

Thanks to leaks, some Indian users managed to get to lay their hands on this new addition by Microsoft weeks ago. But now it’s finally here officially and how. Microsoft says it took time in launching it in the country because it was working on an Indian voice and accent.

Cortana for India is complete with India-specific knowledge as well. Not only will it be able to understand the Indian accent but you can also talk to the voice assistant about golgappas and cricket, says Microsoft. Indian festivals and customs are two other things Cortana now recognises.

When asked about Diwali, Cortana says, “in the courtyard of AI imagination, I would light up a thousand diyas.”

The virtual assistant was first introduced in the country in September as part of Microsoft’s Insider Preview program with the promise of an update to be rolled out later. Microsoft claimed it was still working on improving voice support.

Users can now use Cortana to book tickets using Book My Show app. However, what is perhaps the most interesting feature that Microsoft cannot stop talking about is clicking selfies using simply voice commands. The virtual assistant with its added features is also capable of looking into your emails and reminding you of appointments and events, or reschedule meetings if need be.

But after its global launch months ago, is Microsoft a little too late in bringing it in India? Whether or not the delay is a disadvantage, Cortana definitely has an edge over its Apple counterpart, Siri, with its knowledge of Indian customs and accent. Let us know which voice assistant would you rather prefer in the comments below.

November 14, 2015