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Meanwhile in Mumbai, Drones Delivered Pizzas

Picture this: You order a pizza, and as always, 30 minutes later the door bell rings. You’re expecting a cheery delivery guy with the hot cheesy pizza you ordered. But wait, what if instead it’s being delivered by a flying drone?

A lesser-known pizza chain in Mumbai called Francesco’s Pizzeria, did just that last week. It succeeded in making a test-delivery, less than 3km away from its outlet in Lower Parel by using a remote-controlled, GPS-enabled drone. A four-rotor drone took off with the order from its outlet in central Mumbai’s Lower Parel area and delivered it to a high-rise building in adjacent Worli area. It dropped the 13-inch plain margherita pizza, weighing half a kilo, on the 21st floor rooftop before taking off again for the return journey. The speed with which the delivery was made thus beat the record for most leading pizza chains, which manually deliver pizzas within 30 minutes. The company claimed that it was the first time a drone has been used for such a purpose in the country.

The drone used was custom-made, said an official from the pizza chain, adding that an auto engineer friend of his had helped him make the flight possible. The official said the chain had carried out the test-delivery as an experiment because they want to be ready for when regulations in India loosen.

Since commercial deliveries by drones is not allowed in India, the ‘customer’ was a friend of the chain’s CEO. It may not be considered an official sale, but in a way, it was a first time for an aerial product delivery.

Several roadblocks have ensured their limited use and drones are mainly used in India by filmmakers. Legal restrictions make it clear that they are only allowed to fly between the altitude of 200 to 400 feet. They are also barred from flying over security establishments, and then there are the technical difficulties such as the limited operating radius of 8 km, after which their batteries go dry.

In the past, Taco Bell and Dominoes USA have attempted similar strategies. An idea called the TacoCopter — an app that would dispatch a drone to deliver a taco to your door — went viral last year, but the service is illegal under U.S. law as well. Dominoes USA tried pizza delivery which help of drone called ‘Domicopter’. Even Amazon has been in the news for testing and planning an unmanned aerial vehicle delivery system since quite a while.

It’ll take some time for them to figure out the nitty-gritties, but this seems to be the future of quick-deliveries. Till then, it is working well for the companies as a marketing gimmick.

May 22, 2014
Motorola Moto E Review : It’s Time to Switch
Its not often you see a phone sell out hours from launch, especially in India. The Motorola Moto E saw sales skyrocket the minute the handset went on sale, and there is a good reason behind it. The Moto E is built on the philosophy of the Moto X and the Moto G, two phone essentially responsible for bringing Motorola back into the same game they had originally started back in the day. But is the Moto E good enough to live up to the hype? and is it the only thing Motorola needed to defy all logic and become prominent again? Lets find out!

Overview

Motorola is trying to change the need of the hour, by re organizing spends and delivering Android in the purest form. The Moto E is a perfect example of what a user needs from a budget device. It lives up to almost any needs in this spend, however there is no kitchen sink.

Build Quality and Hardware

The Moto E is exceptionally well built, in fact if you put the Moto E and the Moto G side by side, there is hardly any noticeable difference in the build quality of both devices. The Moto E has a brilliant mix of quality materials and reinforced design along with a gorilla glass 3 front that will ensure that no one is disappointed with the phone. The Moto E also boasts water resistance and has an unknown IP coating that we will be soon putting to test. However the company claims that the handset is splash proof, just like the G and the X.

The Moto E also comes with customization options like replaceable back panels and special rubberized grip panels that will add color and strength to the already solid phone.

Hardware wise we are not empty either, the Moto E runs on a Qualcomm Snapdragon 200 chipset on dual cores with 1 GB RAM and 4 GB storage, an Adreno 302 GPU completes the mix ( it is read as 305 in benchmark apps) . You have a 5 MP camera at the back, that does not live upto anything, and then there is the 1980 mAh battery which is simply wow. The display is a 4.3 inch 960 x 540px capacitive panel with great color reproduction and brightness.

1980 mAh battery which is simply wow.

The Moto E is a dual sim phone, which will create mobile hotspots using your 3G connection and can tether upto 5 devices for the use of 3G data. Battery life does not drain and the hotspot feature is very stable. The phone also has a nice white notification light on the right of the earpiece, that breathes once you get a new notification and goes away the minute you pull down the notification panel (you can disable this from the settings panel)

UI and Android

There is less to say here, it runs a sort of pure, yet tweaked version of Android 4.4.2 Kitkat out of the box. You do get two bloatware apps which can be uninstalled (oh thank god!) and some useful Moto apps like Moto Assist, Migrate and Alert. You might find yourself using these more than once. The great thing about Motorola’s intention behind a pure Android experience, unlike other manufacturers, is that the company plans to deliver updates almost as soon as Android gets updated in Mountain View (Google HQ). The Moto E also has a FM radio which will be appreciated by many, the FM reception is solid and the earpiece is needed as an antenna.

[pullquote] lives up beyond expectations and still remains very responsive[/pullquote]

The OS is buttery smooth and honestly you can’t ask for more from the handset, it lives up beyond expectations and still remains very responsive. This phone will be the benchmark for all phones going forward in this price bracket.

Battery

The Phone will beat all odds and defy all logic when it comes to battery performance. The Moto E can even run some heavy games, albeit one at a time, but games like Asphalt 8 runs on this US $ 120 phone and it is actually playable.

Battery life is also excellent from this dual sim handset, once you get over the initial phase of playing with the phone, most users should expect a good 1.5 days of use on this phone, with talk times running into 6+ hours in most cases with both sims installed.

Basically Motorola has a beautifully built rom of Android, that does not leak RAM and drain power, cellular antennas are strong so network searching is minimal and hence battery is saved there as well.

Phone and Networks

The dual SIM capability is just like the Moto G, and there is no surprise there. Calls are smartly forwarded to the next number once a SIM is busy. The network strength, as mentioned in the previous segment is surprisingly powerful and we are happy with the overall quality of networks and the call drops or the lack thereof.

Microphone and earpiece speaker are great and both sides will be pleasantly happy with the loud volumes.

Display, Camera and Multimedia

For all the coverage you have already seen, you should be aware by now that, the Moto E has the best possible display in this price bracket. Stop looking at specs and look at the actual quality of the display. It is crisp and bright, even outdoors, its got great viewing angles, its got gorilla glass 3 and smudge proof coating (which is brilliant by the way) and it is insanely responsive for an under 10k or even under 8k phone (INR).

The Camera is there, because its there. Honestly don’t plan on becoming a lifestyle fashion photographer with this phone (unless you already own a fancy camera). The fixed focus camera is there because they wanted people to have a camera, and it solves purely that purpose. That being said whatever pictures are clicked in good lighting and end up in focus, have good color reproduction and almost no noise. See samples: (coming up)

The LED flash is missing which is quite a shame. More than the need of a flash for the camera, consumers in this price bracket would have appreciated the LED flash as a torch. We really love our phone torches Motorola, our streets are not very well lit!

Multimedia wise, Motorola did a few good things; the speaker is now in the front, and not easily blocked by the hands, so it doesn’t muffle with ease. The audio is loud and clear, with a balanced output and an impressive sound from the 3.5 mm headphone jack. Lose the included handsfree for some real headphones to truly enjoy that audio bit. Display, like mentioned, is good so watching video or playing games is really enjoyable on this powerful budget device.

Conclusion

It takes a lot from a company to not make us so excited about a product, in fact India and many other nations in general appreciate the intent of the company. The Moto was sold out within hours of launch of sales in India, on the online shopping website Flipkart. This phone leaves little to complain about, it is well built, has great specs and features bundled with a unique and stock Android experience that will leave many happy. This is the best “first phone” for those wanting to jump the feature phone/Blackberry ship to a uber – budget Android device. It is also customizable with panels on the exterior and has a Gorilla Glass 3 and splash proof front making it a pseudo rugged, long lasting handset.

There are, however, major flaws in the current positioning of the phone. The handset is supposed to be an average mans everyday phone. It is supposed to be a emplacement for a feature phone and it’s supposed to be a phone for the masses and on a low end budget. This category of user is currently not happy or capable of shopping online. So by the time the phone gets sold from Flipkart and reaches the masses, the price escalates to Rs. 10000 and more, thanks to black market dealing and short supplies on this impressive product.

Motorola has made a fantastic phone, a phone that is truly a reason to switch from an old gen phone to Android on a budget. Why should you have to spend tens of thousands, when all you want is a phone that works well and gives you some basic functionality. Well the Moto E is here and it has changed the perception of the budget phone in our eyes. If you want to take our word for it, then the Time to Switch is Now!

(Note : the scoring below is entirely based on the Price vs ratio of each)

[tw-column width=”one-half”]
GOOD THINGS
- Well Built
- Responsive
- Stock Android
- Great Display
- Great Audio
- Solid Phone and Network
- Excellent Battery
[/tw-column]
[tw-column width=”one-half” position=”last”]
BAD THINGS
- Camera is Torrid
- Low Availability, Sold on Flipkart Only
- No LED Flash
[/tw-column]

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May 17, 2014
Moto E Dual Sim : Unboxing and Hands On
This is the Moto E box, its a simple box and a modern style of minimal packaging. Following along the lines of the Moto G, the box and the in box accessories are good quality, barring the earphones. Inside the box you will get the following:
- The Moto E
- Handsfree Kit
- English + Hindi Documentation
- USB Wall Charger
The Moto E is surprisingly well built and costs really less for that price, it runs Android 4.4.2 Kitkat out of the Box and has a decent set of specifications.
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 200 Chipset
- Dual Core CPU
- 1 GB of RAM
- 4 GB of Storage
- 4.3 inch 960 x 540px Display
- Gorilla Glass 3
- Smudge proof coating
- 1980 mAh Battery
- 5 MP Camera
The new Motorola Moto E is sold via online ECommerce website Flipkart and they are the only place you will be able to buy this handset. Flipkart is also responsible for support and warranties on this new handset. The Moto E may single handedly be the reason to switch from a feature phone to a smartphone. Check out our Unboxing above and Hands on below. You can also Buy the Moto E starting today using the link below.

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May 14, 2014
Hands On : Newly launched Moto E for Rs. 6999

The budget smartphone market is ready to be disrupted, Motorola in collaboration with Flipkart in India has launched the new Moto E, a smaller brother to the Moto G smartphone from the company. The Moto E has been priced at Rs. 6999 and it may as be responsible for bringing a real smartphone to the masses.

Next to Moto G

The Moto E goes on sale at Midnight tonight (13th May 2014), for Rs. 6999 with same day delivery in some cities. Specs wise the Moto E is quite impressive too the front has a 4.3 inch display that has a resolution of 540 x 960 qHD resolution and a pixel density of 256 ppi. The display is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 3 and also is splash proof. A 1980 mAh battery is inbuilt and is non removable, the Moto E comes with Android KitKat 4.4 out of the box and promises “Guaranteed updates” to the next version of Android.

Powering it is a Qualcomm Snapdragon 200 A7 processor that is clocked at 1.2 GHz and is supported by 1 GB of RAM. On the back is a 5 MP camera that captures FVWGA video and the Moto E can playback 720p video.

The build quality is actually comparable to the Moto X and Moto G so the three devices are quite identical only to be disturbed by difference in specs. The back panel is exceptionally well built and the buttons seem very tactile to use. The device mostly feels much more premium in the hand and performs better than one can expect.

The Moto E makes a lot of sense for a market like India, and where major manufacturers have been reluctant to bring their devices in this price bracket Motorola has been brave enough to deliver a device with a promise of instant updates along with features and customizability that most fail to offer.

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May 13, 2014
Unboxed: The Lava Iris 504q+

Lava released the successor to its 504q which was released in April this year. Just like the predecessor the 504Q+ possesses a 5 inch capacitive screen with 720×1280 pixel resolution. The model comes with a color option of grey and silver.
The 504q+ still gives Android 4.2 Jellybean, instead of KitKat which was released in september of last year. The battery is of 2000mAh capacity.

On the hardware front the 504q+ gives a 1.3Ghz processor in comparison to the 1.2Ghz of the 504q. The RAM is static at 1GB but the welcome step with this offering is the 8GB internal memory. It is ideal for people who don’t carry a lot of data on their phones and so don’t wish to get a memory card.

The phone features a 10 megapixel camera which is a weird spec as most phones go from 8 Mpix directly to 12 Mpix. The front camera offers a similar 2 megapixel.

Coming to the contents of the box, Lava gives a good number of goodies and thats why you get a comparatively bigger box. You get a good quality flip-cover and an extra glue strip to secure your phone. Apart from this you also get a screen protector.

The phone comes with a flat style, tangle free and good looking earphones. The wall charger in the box is pretty small and even the charging cable is not flat style, but as they are gonna be at your home or office, it hardly matters.

Currently priced at 12999/-, its a decent update over the last Lava offering.

May 12, 2014

Sony Xperia Z2 Unboxing and Hands On Review

Sony has just launched the new Sony Xperia Z2 in the Indian Market for a price of Rs. 49900, which is along the lines of major flagship smartphones available in the market, including the S5 and the HTC One M8.

The Xperia Z2 is a revision to the Xperia Z1 launched last year and sports mostly the same design elements and aesthetics. On the Inside is where all the magic is with the new Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 chipset which enables the large 20.7 MP sensor to capture 4K video.

Phone	Sony Xperia Z2
Dimensions	142 x 72.5 x 8.1 mm
Weight	163 g
Display	1920 x 1080 pixels, 5.2 inches (~424 ppi pixel density), IPS LCD
Memory	16 GB , microSD up to 128 GB
Ram	3 GB Ram
Camera	20.7 MP Camera, front 2.2 megapixels
OS	Android OS, v4.4.2 (KitKat)
Processor	Snapdragon 801, 2.3 GHz Quad Core, Adreno 330
Battery	Non-removable Li-Ion 3200 mAh battery
Build Quality	Glass and Metal Frame without removable back
Ruggedness	IP58 certified – dust proof and water resistant over 1 meter and 30 minutes
Price	Rs. 50,000

The build quality is more or less identical to the previous generation of Xperia devices. The Xperia Z2 is IP55/58 certified to make it extremely resistant to dust and water.

The Box is pretty bare bones especially considering that we were given the demo box. The phone has Android 4.4 KitKat out of the box and comes with a fast and responsive UI, along with a 5.2 inch 1920 x 1080p display that is a huge improvement over the Xperia Z1. Check out the unboxing up top and stay tuned for more.

May 8, 2014

Watch the Xperia Z2 Launch in India Live

If you are interested in getting the action of the Xperia Z2 launch happening today, then you are at the right place. We saw the Xperia Z2 back at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. The new variant of the Z series comes with a IP58 Rating making it dust tight and water resistant just like its predecessor, so as long as the doors are all closed.

The new Z2 is expected to hit the Indian market for a price of around 50 thousand, so check out the live feed up top for more info. The event will start at about 1 PM IST.

May 8, 2014

LG Curved OLED TV 55EA9800 Unboxed!

LG’s new Curved OLED TV 55EA9800 is the world’s first curved TV, but it does not just stop there, it also is very flexible and durable. The design of the TV is out of the future, it is very slim, the profile is just exquisite and the curve may as well accentuate the actual viewing experience, but only if you sit dead centre.

Check out the Video above and the detailed specifications below.

LG 55EA9800 Specifications

Display

Screen Size(Inches)	55
Type of Television	OLED

Picture Features

Resolution(Pixels)	1920 x1080
3D Support	Yes
2D-to-3D Converter	Yes
Picture Processor	Triple XD Engine
Number of Selectable Picture Modes	7 Modes (Vivid,Standard,Eco, Cinema,Game, isf Expert1,isf Expert2)

Audio Features

Selectable Sound Modes	6 Modes (Standard, Music, Cinema, Sport, Game, User setting)

Smart TV Features

Facebook	Yes
Twitter	Yes
Web Browser	Yes

Connectivity

HDMI Input	Yes
USB Port	Yes
Composite Input	Yes
Component Input	Yes
Digital Audio Out (Optical/Coaxial)	1 (Optical)
Wifi	Yes
DLNA Support	Yes

Dimensions

Dimensions (W x D x H)(mm)	1227 x 192 x 798.5 mm
Approximate Net Weight(Kgs)	17.2

More Features

Other Features	Smart Energy Saving – Motion Eco Sensor – External Device App Download – Scheduled Recording – External HDD Recording Support – Network File Browser – Media Link – Voice Recognition – 3D Picture Mode – 3D Sound Zooming – Smart Sound Mode – DTS Decoder – Contrast Optimizer – Dynamic Color Enhancer

After Sales Service

Warranty Period	1 Year

April 23, 2014

Moto X Review : The X to Rule Them All
Motorola has finally made its way back into the Indian market and boy has it arrived. After the superbly successful launch of the Moto G in the Indian Market, the company has made available the new Moto X. Does the Moto X have the capability of surviving the Indian market, a market so powerfully taken over by brands in the lower tier and predominantly by companies like Samsung and now Sony. Lets find out!

Overview

The Moto X is the best return a company like Motorola can make. With an massive evolution on design strategies and understanding the importance of a form factor, Motorola showed that they are ready to give the people what they need. The Moto X is built on a Google experience, a pure Android Experience, almost Nexus like, but better. The custom addition and hands free operations only add to the usage capabilities and experience, and while this may be one of the best handsets in the market, has it come at the right time in India, is what one must really ask.

Build, Design and Hardware

Motorola is known for their build quality, with their US specific DROID line up or even with their Moto Defy series of phones, the company has made a mark for their robust hardware. The Moto X is no less, the handset is well built with a great mix of good material and protective design. The bezel raises slightly above the glass on the front to give the front glass protection from direct scratching.

The Moto X is another one of those phones, that even though available in India, does not give us the custom experience it offers users in markets like the US. No you cannot choose between wood finishes and color options, and no you cannot sign your signature and give it a name. The motomaker tool is only for the US and its a pity that the experience could not be brought to India. The Moto X available in 6 color options along with a wood option but no customization.

Hardware wise the Moto X is held up with a Qualcomm MSM8960Pro Snapdragon chipset with a dual core 1.7 GHz CPU, you will also get an Adreno 320 GPU. On the inside is 16 GB storage with a higher price 32 Gb variant and 2GB of RAM as standard. The battery is a 2200 mAh unit and the cameras are 10 MP rear and 2 MP front, both with 1080p video capture.

The front has a 4.7 inch 1280 x 720p AMOLED display with Corning Gorilla Glass, the handset will only accept a single sim card and does not have a removable back panel or micro SD expandability.

Display, Multimedia and Performance

The Moto X is laden with a 4.7 inch AMOLED display, it has great outdoor visibility and good levels of brightness. The display can proudly boast excellent viewing angles and contrast output. The display however does have the blueish tint that we have seen in the past on AMOLED displays.

The X can handle all forms of media, taking into consideration a lower end of the specs spectrum. This will playback full 1080p videos without lag or stutter. The speakerphone is not the best but its pretty loud, and in most cases you will not need additional speakers. The audio output from the 3.5 mm jack is also refined and loud.

The Moto X is designed to run Android, and you will get a device that does exactly that. Even though hardware wise the Moto X is limited to a dual core processor, an average user will not feel the grunt of this. However if you are looking for a peak performer the Moto X will not be the handset you may be looking for.

Most games will work out of the box and almost all will run lag free, over a period of time if you have a lot of applications running you will see a slow down in performance while gaming, and the only way to fix this is to reboot.

Thanks to Android 4.4.2 KitKat, the Moto X has a much lighter version of the Android OS, one that is not very resource hungry, therefore ensuring good stability and smooth usability of the handset.

Camera

The fact that the Moto X has a better than average camera is well known, but its also one of the most accurate to capture color and exposure value. The camera is very snappy, and comes with very little shutter lag. The 10 MP camera will live up to its name in most situations and deliver promising results. The LED flash is not very loud and does not disrupt the color of the image, and may only help in low light conditions and not complete utter darkness.

Video is shot in Full HD at 30fps with stereo sound and HDR capabilities. Video capture is impressive with stable lag free video along with precise color monitoring and audio capture.

HandsFree Operation

In India, the training phrase is “Ok Google Now” and it allows you to do almost all imaginable things that a phone should do, from executing searches to calling people and answering phones. Its a feature that allows you to wake up the phone without needing to press any button or physically touch the handset. See our Review video for a full demo.

Essentially its a version of Google Now that’s listening for you to say “Okay Google Now!” so that you can avoid tapping the mic icon.

It also is not the perfect companion, for e.g. you can’t ask for navigations to “a concert” but only to specific addresses. Although the feature can come in handy, we have found many keep it off, purely to save battery and accidental phone calls.

Phone and Battery

Phone networks are stable, and like most phones in this price range the Moto X lacks LTE, not that we need it yet. Audio quality in phone calls is impressive too with crisp sound coming in and going out, with little or no network loss while in conversation.

Battery life is impressive with one day’s use easily available to the owner. Talk time can be rated around 6 hours thanks to the lower end chipset and relatively low power consuming dual core setup.

Conclusion

The Moto X is a beautiful product, delivering an Android experience the way it was designed to be delivered. However, with a recent launch in India, the Moto X is slightly underpowered, over priced and lacks customization, so its really not the same experience as it is for a US Moto X owner.

The phone is however a stable handset and would work as a wonderful gift, to a person who is not a very high end user of a smartphone, or as a first phone to those looking for a “perfect Android experience.” The minute you try and exploit the Moto X for extreme use, you will start to see its incompetencies. It will handle almost anything and everything you can throw at it as long as it does not include the kitchen sink.

[tw-column width=”one-half”]

GOOD THINGS
- Built well
- Good updates
- Super fast and responsive
- Hands free works well
- Great multimedia and camera
- Long lasting battery
[/tw-column]

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

BAD THINGS
- Slightly pricey
- Low on the spec sheet
- Restricted availability
- No customization
[/tw-column]
April 19, 2014
Gionee Elife S5.5 Review : Slim Awesomesauce

Gionee announced the ELife S5.5 at MWC 2014 and launched it in India early April. For a price of Rs. 22900/- the handset also takes on the moniker of the “Slimmest Phone in the World”. But, does this handset compromise on performance and capability because its slim? Lets find out in our Review !

Overview

The Gionee ELife S5.5 comes only a year after the company started operations in India. With claims to become Top 5 vendor in less than 5 years the company seems to be headed in the right direction. The few handsets in the past have shown us that the company not only focuses on bringing handsets into the market but also ensures that the user experience is good. With previous handsets like the E6 and E7 winning us over the S5.5 shows a great mix of design and performance at a good price.

Build, Design and Hardware

The build quality on the new Elife S5.5 is superb, a perfect mix of Gorilla Glass laden exteriors mixed with a structure based on a hardened aluminum alloy. The buttons are also made from metal, and have a premium and tactile feel. At first it seems that the bezel is flush with the glass but is actually slightly, almost not noticeably, raised, giving the S5.5’s glass design some protection from flat drops.

The frame itself has been designed to release shock and therefore drops should not easily shatter the glass. The phone can take quite some damage and almost show no signs of wear and tear, the frame is metal so expect it to scratch easy.

Design wise the S5.5 is very very good looking, especially in the Gold and White variant. The company has ensured that everyone gets a version they like and the colors should help in that. The phone has a very premium design and the finish on the handset is very rich.

Hardware wise the Gionee Elife S5.5 somehow seems to find a good balance. A Mediatek 6592 chipset with 8 cores clocked at 1.7 GHz a Mali450 MP4 variant GPU, 2 GB of RAM and 16/32 GB storage capacities. The main camera sensor is 13 MP and the front camera sensor is 5 MP both with 1080p capture. Battery is on the low side with just 2300 mAh under the hood, however with the slimness of this device in consideration, its a pretty high value.

UI, Performance and Gaming

The Elife S5.5 comes with Android 4.2.2 out the box with no official word on updates to Android 4.4 aka KitKat. However the highlight of this is the new Amigo 2.0 UI which has been put right on top of Android. Now, unlike skins, it is a rebuild of Android, similar to the likes of Cyanogen and MIUI. The newer Amigo is much faster and more responsive than previous builds. The improvement also translates into installed applications, which include “power booster and performance booster” the two of the most significantly useful preloaded apps till date. The performance booster allows you to ban apps that forcefully startup on powering the handset, therefore considerably improving the free ram and performance of the phone.

The handset is stable and powerful enough to handle daily tasks and also the extremities you might want to expose it to. Heat management is also much more controlled than the competition, possibly because of the lack of a turbo variant of the MT6592 chipset.

Gaming is impressive and lag free in most cases, most games are compatible out of the box and run smooth. Audio could have been louder and we have expressed this in the past. The screen is beautiful and the dimples on top and bottom somehow not only make it look good but also provide adequate grip for holding the device in landscape.

Dimple for grip?

Camera

The big disappointment is that there is no 4k video capture, especially when most companies are moving forward with the same trend. The chipset is very capable, the module of the camera is very capable, the hardware is very capable, the only problem seems to be extra large video files, and the lack of SD card slot may be the biggest reason to blame for the lack of 4K capture.

For the camera, the colors and saturation is near perfect, with no problems with exposure or white balance. Images are crisp and autofocus works really well, even up close. Video is also good with no lag in video capture, it is also worth stressing that the onboard microphone for video is exceptionally good.

The front camera is equally good with 5 MP on the badge, pictures are clear and it works well in low light conditions. If you are a selfie fiend, then this might just be right up your alley.

Phone and Battery

The Gionee Elife S5.5 comes with a globally unlocked 3G capability, so this single sim device will come in handy for the global traveller. However the lack of 4G is really worth a notice, especially considering we are not far away from launch of said services in India (Or so we are made to believe).

The networks are solid and the phone holds its connections mostly throughout the range of the conversation. The inbuilt noise cancellation is good but not comparable to the likes of flagships from Apple and Samsung. Audio coming in and going out is crisp, loud and clear and honestly we really have nothing to complain about in the phone department and thats saying a lot.

Battery life is the most we could expect from this handset, and honestly with the kind of hardware inside, and the lack of a bigger battery we were expecting much less. You will still get a days use of the phone even if you talk upto 5 hours on this and then use it some.

Conclusion

The Gionee Elife S5.5 shows that new players can have great phones, where many Indian counterparts have let us down. Gionee tries to deliver a complete package, a custom UI, a great built device, a good set of hardware along with impressive performance and battery life. All this at a fairly low price when compared to the market value of flagships. However it does let us imagine why things like a microSD card slot are left out, features like 4K video capture and 4G networks are ignored for markets like India. Even if as a higher price option, consumers deserve an option to choose a handset which is more capable. And what about those KitKat updates?, why can we not simply get a handset that runs Android 4.4. out of the box.

The Elife S5.5 impressed us, now if the company can roll out a KitKat update consider us sold. The color options, the impressive build quality, and great hardware are just the beginning, the UI is good and so is the overall experience. There are other options in the market, the Moto X delivers faster updates handsets from Samsung and Sony also now belong in this category. Honestly the Elife S5.5 deserves a chance because it sort of sits above the rest, sort of!

April 18, 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

Flame On ! Micromax Canvas Knight A350 Review
Micromax has changed the perception of the company yet again with the new Micromax Canvas Knight, But does this new smartphone keep up to the expectations of the people. Lets find out.

Overview

The Canvas Knight is a brilliant attempt from the company at providing a premium experience. The phone uses good quality materials and has an impressive new chipset. The pricing seems right and the battery life is great* (read below), the phone is the company’s new flagship and holds that position well among its competition.

Build Quality, Design and Hardware

A metal shell with glass on both sides, we have seen this design repeat several times, but it is actually impressive coming from an Indian manufacturer at this price. The front and back are solid toughened glass and should withstand a fall or two, we would however recommend the use of a case (there is one included in the box).

The side bezels and frame are of brushed aluminum with excellent finish and quality. The buttons of the Micromax Canvas Knight are also robust and tactile in feel.

The phone looks good to look at and has a heavy reassuring built, definitely a refined canvas, but its not there yet. The company’s major reluctance in designing their own handsets is still unclear. Micromax time and again choses to buy designs from OEMs and not to make their own handsets. A plastered bad logo at the back shows distasteful branding, even though its a far cry from the usual we have seen in the past.

Another thing to mention is the quality of in box accessories is definitely higher than in the past. the company has improved with their accessories and inclusions, we do however wish for better earphones in the future.

In box Goodies

Hardware wise Micromax has pulled out all the stops, well at least on paper. The Micromax Canvas Knight has a true Octacore Mediatek 6592T chipset, the “T” stands for turbo. The CPU runs on 8 cores at 2.0 GHz and is paired with a Mali 450MP4. RAM is kept at 2 GB and internal storage is a good 32 GB out of the box.

Cameras include a mix of 16 MP shooter at the back along with an 8 MP front facing selfie cam, both capable of 1920 x 1080p video capture. The phone accepts two micro sim cards and has a 2350 mAh battery.

Multimedia

The display on the handset plays a major role, it is a good quality display with vivid colors and bright outdoor visibility. You also get acceptable levels of viewing angles without a lot of shadows at extreme corners. The levels of black are deep, however there is some aliasing noticed on the display from time to time.

Content consumption is better enjoyed with a set of good quality headphones, thanks to the lack of a good on board speaker. The sound from the speaker is tinny and not even comparable to the previous canvas flagship.

Streaming is good, and the Canvas Knight A350 can handle unto 4k video playback, with the right codecs and software, however what really matters is the smooth playback of a full HD video and the phone does that with ease.

Camera

Both the cameras on the Canvas Knight are disappointing with washed out images and lack of detail. We have seen the company deliver great cameras in the past, however this time around the sensor and lens combination is simply torrid.

Video is actually better than the pictures that this camera can click , video captured has better color and less washout. A camera stabilizer inbuilt would help the likes of me with shaky hands, however the software helps a little.

Camera UI

Camera Settings

Camera Modes

Special Modes

Video Settings

Third party apps improve the camera experience a little bit, however it seems like poor choice of camera hardware is mainly the cause of this.

Performance and Gaming

While the phone can handle all tasks, it seems that the software has not been stabilized or tweaked to take the full advantage of the hardware. You see considerable crashes and lag throughout usage and heavy apps end up quitting on you, especially graphic intensive games.

Daily performance is good if you don’t want this to be a power driver, personally we feel the software needs a lot of work. Games run on this without a problem, almost all games that are compatible with the chipset will work aside from the quitting mentioned above.

The phone heats up considerably during usage, so much so that it might be the reason that apps quit. The phone becomes unmanageably hot and uncomfortable to handle. This causes severe effects to the battery, of the 3 handsets we tested two had this problem. Micromax claims problematic handsets will be replaced, and they should be.

Phone and Battery

The Micromax Canvas Knight accepts 2 micro Sim cards on either side of the bezel. The handset is 3G network capable globally with one sim card handling 3G data. On this phone both SIM cards can accept calls and run simultaneously.

Network performance was generally good, we did see some outage from time to time but a good cause for that could be the network. Overall good network performance and phone call capability. Audio on the incoming and outgoing side remains crisp with the noise canceling doing most of the magic for the outgoing voice.

Battery life, when not being affected by the over heating battery drain mentioned above, will last a whole day with a good amount of use. approximately 5-6 hours on 3G calling mixed with a few hours on Social Networks and some music playback. So the battery gets a good thumbs up, when not being burned out.

UI and Conclusion

Apart from the fact that we get Android 4.2.2 with a pseudo-false promise for an update soon, we feel the Ui needs real work. Micromax seems to be slacking in making a handset that they can call their own and this old approach does not seem to work for us anymore. The company needs to bounce back and fix it reputation by bringing phones that not only look good on paper but work too. A more refined user experience will go a long way.

Dialer

Notification Panel

App Drawer

Quick Toggles

Messaging and Keyboard

Software Info

The fact that their flagship smartphone is a mini hell in the pocket is worrisome, the phone heats up often and to high temperatures. This causes the phone to lose battery power and how.

The end resultant is not acceptable, not as a flagship!

While the trend seems positive around the Micromax Canvas Knight A350, and we couldn’t agree more with the phone in terms of what it sets out to do. Design is a huge leap forward and so is the build and choice of materials, but the end resultant is not acceptable, not as a flagship.

A lot of patches are required for the software and something that will fix this overheating issue and quick. The Micromax Canvas Knight A350 is a good move from the company, but seems like a hasty handset, one that lacks finesse and with more stable and choicer options in the market like the Moto X, the Moto G, Gionee S5.5 and the likes of Sony and market leader Samsung in this price bracket. We recommend you give this one a pass until all of the above can be fixed by the company.

Final Review Video Soon .

[tw-column width=”one-half”]

GOOD THINGS
- Good design
- Brilliant build
- Brushed aluminium shell
- Premium looks
- True octacore
- Priced right
[/tw-column]

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

BAD THINGS
- Heats up
- Camera is poor
- Battery drain issues
[/tw-column]
April 14, 2014
One Election, Two Amazing Videos

As the third phase of the Lok Sabha elections comes to a close, we present two viral videos that caught our attention. They couldn’t have handled the topic of the 2014 Elections any differently. While one used a sombre note to reminds us that we had been deprived of the power to vote for too long to take it for granted now. The other, intelligently pulls the voters leg for spending too much time thinking, talking, discussing and not enough time doing.

Congress Vs BJP

All India Bakchod, a comedy collective, nails the core theme of every discussion surrounding the elections. The ever-exhausting BJP Vs Congress debate has turned family dinners, kitty parties, and a friendly-drink-at-the-bar into mini war zones. Though that’s not the point of the video, the joke is not on BJP or on Congress – it’s on us. Why is debating about the lack of a reliable leading party the only thing we do so well?

The viewers (slightly more than a million), watch the video, laugh and the next day have another version of the same discussion, by the coffee machine at work.

#PledgeToVote with Mr Shyam Negi

Google India teamed up with Ogilvy & Mather Mumbai and developed this video for their “Pledge to Vote” campaign. It made Independent India’s first voter, 97-year-old retired schoolteacher Shyam Saran Negi, a household name. Negi lives in one of India’s coldest corners. Kalpa is a place where transportation is scarce and the weather conditions are rough. Even though it’s a struggle, Negi has never missed a vote since 1951.

Within the short span of the video, Mr Negi’s story makes us forget the hopelessness and frustration usually associated with the political future of our country. It simply impresses us to be proud citizens of a democratic nation. A reminder of that fact we conveniently forget: just a few decades back, we didn’t have the power to decide who governs our country.
Steering clear of the fact that voters are struggling to choose the least incompetent of the contesting parties, Google instead chose to focus on reminding us how privileged we are to have an option of getting our fingers inked.

April 13, 2014
Hands On: Gionee ELife S5.5 Slimmest phone in the World

The Slimmest Phone in the world moniker goes to the Gionee E Life S5.5, but it does impress us in other domains as well.

Gionee held a mega event in India and launched the slimmest phone in the world. The company launched a smartphone that is only 5.5 mm thick or should we say 5.5 mm thin. The Gionee Elife S 5.5 was globally launched at MWC 2014 where the company showed off a pre build version of the device. The final version meant for India will be available for purchase starting April 27th for a price of Rs 22900 .

First Impressions

The Elife S 5.5 does not only seem to aim to be the slimmest phone by any means necessary, it actually impresses in many other domains. The handset is superbly well built with a great mix of metal and glass, with the later taking care of the front and back of the handset.

[quote text_size=”small”]5.5 mm is about as slim as we can take[/quote]

Honestly 5.5 mm is about as slim as we can take, any slimmer and a smartphone will become uncomfortable. The ELife S 5.5 despite its metal and glass appearance manages to not be very sharp at the edges. The S 5.5 has rounded off edges at the back to give it a more tapered design making it more easily handle able and pocketable.

Hardware on the Elife S5.5 is on the up side as well, with a true octacore Mediatek chipset clocked sat 1.7 GHz, no its not the turbo version seen on the Micromax Canvas Knight, but it is the same chipset sans turbo of course. You also get 2 GB of RAM and 16 GB Storage, with a 13.0MP AF +5.0MP camera combination both with wide angle lenses and 1080 p video capture.

Gionee has come leaps and bounds in terms of the user interface, the new Amigo 2.0 is not only faster and more responsive it also looks a lot better and has interesting elements which were earlier missing from the UI. The new themes and colors option along with smoother transitions and good looking animations make the S 5.5 slim smartphone look and behave the part of being a smooth operator (pun intended)

The battery life also seems to have come really far on the new S 5.5 with the handset doing much more with less drainage. One thing the unit lacks is LTE capability, however our country mostly lacks that too so can’t really complain.

The handset turns out to be a beautiful mix of design, looks and capability for an impressive price, however only extended testing will reveal the true outcome.

[quote text_size=”small”]Beautiful mix of design, looks and capability for an impressive price[/quote]

Stay tuned for our hands on video.

April 5, 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