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Showing posts from May, 2015

Review: Oppo R1x

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Introduction  The Oppo R1x  specs are reminiscent of the super-slim Oppo R5  save for the slightly smaller, 5” display with a lower resolution of 720 x 1280 pixels. The R1x has an 8-core, 64-bit Snapdragon 615 humming under its hood, coupled with 2 GB of RAM, and a potent-on-paper camera combo – a 13 MP snapper on the back and a 5 MP one on the front. But unlike the R5, the Oppo R1x does not aim for the “Thinnest smartphone in the world” crown. While still extraordinarily thin, the R1x packs a 3.5 mm headphone jack, a dedicated speaker, a microSD card slot, and a battery of a decent size – all essentials the Oppo R5 lacked. Design A stark but elegant rectangular shape is what immediately greets us as we unpack the Oppo R1x. An aluminum-magnesium alloy frame with chamfered edges wraps around the phone's sides, giving it a modern look and feel. The volume control buttons can be found on the right side, while the power toggle is on the left, all situated on t

HTC's 7-inch tablet to have quad-core CPU, 1GB of RAM, two SIM slots

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HTC working ona low-end 7 inch tablet  Codenamed H7, the device is going to follow HTC's small legacy of tablets, which is comprised by the Flyer , Jetstream,  EVO view  and most recently, the G oogle Nexus 9 . We now have some new intel on the HTC 7-incher, as the device and its spec sheet appeared in India's public import-export online database Zauba.  Described as a sample for research and development, the device packs a 1.2GHz quad-core processor, 1GB of RAM, 16GB of storage, and two SIM slots. These are the typical makings of a budget device, save perhaps for the dual SIM slots. Cellular connectivity is still uncommon among cheap tablets. The device will most likely run Android Lollipop, and its per-unit price that's listed inside the database is around $150. This means the H7 will target a sub-$200 price point upon its eventual release.  Speaking of that, we don't know anything with respect to the eventual release date, but HTC probably won't be k

Factory images of Android 5.1.1 update hit certain Nexus devices

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Google has had a busy day rolling out the Android 5.1.1 build to a few stock Android Nexus devices. Some of the phones and tablets received an OTA update and also had the Android 5.1.1 factory image posted. The latter is used by those who have customized their phone or tablet and want to return quickly to the latest Android build. This is accomplished by flashing the most recent factory image on the device. Receiving both the OTA update to Android 5.1.1, and the factory image for the same build today, are the N exus 4  and Nexus 5  handsets. Both models were manufactured by LG. Also today, the HTC-built Nexus 9   tablet (LTE version) received the Android 5.1.1 OTA update and the 5.1.1 factory image. And wait, there's more. Both the first  and second-generation versions of the Asus produced Nexus 7  tablets (both Wi-Fi and cellular) have had the Android 5.1.1 factory image posted on the Google developers site. The tablets will soon receive Android 5.1.1 directly via an OTA

Low price: Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4 Wi-Fi priced at just $279

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Samsung Galaxy Tab S is being offered at an increasingly lower price through special promotions and discounts.  Back in early April, Samsung offered a time-limited discount on the Galaxy Tab S that brought  the price down to $299  or the Wi-Fi version of the 8.4-inch model. If you've missed that deal, don't worry, a better one has just reared its head online. The Wi-Fi only Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4 with 16GB of integrated storage space is now available for just $279 from both Amazon and Newegg. The smaller of the two Galaxy Tab S models currently available comes with a very bright and vivid 8.4-inch Super AMOLED panel running at a resolution of 1600 by 2560 pixels. This is definitely one of the best tablet display currently available on the market. Under the hood beats the heart of a Samsung Exynos 5 Octa 5420, a chip that integrates four Cortex-A15 CPU cores clocked at 1.9GHz and four additional Cortex-A7 CPU cores clocked at 1.3GHz.  Other specs include 3GB

Lately T-Mobile started testing Android Lollipop updates for Sony Xperia Z3 and Z1s

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T-Mobile recently started testing Android Lollipop updates on its Sony Xperia Z3  and Sony Xperia Z1s. Both the Z3 and Z1  (the global version of the Z1s) have already received Lollipop updates in other markets, so it's about time for T-Mobile to also make the new version of the OS available on its handsets.  The Lollipop update for T-Mobile's Xperia Z3 might arrive before the end of May, and will include LTE Band 12 (700 MHz) support. We don't know if the Xperia Z1s will get the update at the same time, but that's certainly possible. In any case, both updates will bring Android 5.0 to the two handsets, and, for now, there's no word if Android 5.1 is also coming soon (though it probably is, at least if we're talking about the Z3). Last month, T-Mobile stopped selling the Xperia Z3, only to soon restart offering it, but at a lower price ($499.92 outright, or $20.83 per month over 2 years). The Xperia Z1s is also still available, but only as a certified pre-o

Samsung might announce the Galaxy Note 5 in July...Compete to iPhone 6 plus

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 The Galaxy Note 5 had been developing faster than expected, so Sammy decided to push its announcement date forward, and gain a strategic advantage over Apple's impeding iPhone 6s & 6s plus announcements. Indeed, this is the first year in which Samsung is challenged to apply the Galaxy S flagship's "release it ASAP" method to the Galaxy Note, as the Apple iPhone 6 Plus' strong sales have turned it into the first big-name competitor to Note devices.  What's even more interesting here is the forward-looking technology the Galaxy Note 5 is supposed to have. We've been tipped a couple of times already that Samsung Display will be ready to mass-produce ultra-HD AMOLED screen   in 2015, just in time for a summer Galaxy Note 5 announcement. Where display diagonal is concerned, WhoWired mentions 5.89 inches for the regular Note 5, and 5.78 inches for a Note 5 edge, which is something we have heard before and definitely makes sense for Note devices. 

Meizu brand came to Indian market with m1 note 5.5-Inch Display, Octa-Core SoC

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Meizu, the Chinese handset manufacturer, as expected  on Monday announced the launch of its m1 note smartphone for the Indian market. The company alongside also confirmed that Meizu m1 note  will be available exclusively via Amazon India at 2pm IST starting Wednesday. Unlike Xiaomi or Huawei's Honor brand that have used flash sale model for selling handsets, Meizu has decided to stick with normal sale model for its m1 note smartphone in India. The company in a tweet confirmed that the m1 note will be available in open sale; though it has not yet revealed pricing for the handset until now. The dual-SIM Meizu m1 note features a 5.5-inch (1080x1920 pixels) IGZO (Sharp) display and also sports Corning Gorilla Glass 3. It is powered by a 1.7GHz octa-core (Cortex-A53) MediaTek MT6752 processor coupled with 2GB of RAM, and a Mali T760 MP2 GPU. The smartphone runs Android 4.4 KitKat-based Flyme OS. The company on its website touts that the m1 note sports magnesium-alloy chassis th

Lenovo S60 launched in India it comes with 5-Inch display n 13 MP cam @Rs 12,999

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Lenovo has launched a new mid-range smartphone from its S-Series family. Named Lenovo S60, the phone has a 13 megapixel rear camera and a 5 megapixel front camera with wide-angle. Priced at Rs 12,999, the phone is equipped with a 5-inch HD screen, 2GB RAM, 8GB internal storage which is expandable up to 32 GB. At its heart is a 64-Bit 1.2 GHz quad-core processor. The S60 comes with a 2150 mAh battery with a talk time up to 30 hours and standby time of up to 14 days. The phone runs the Android 4.4 KitKat operating system (upgradable to 5.0). The S60 has connectivity options which include WiFi and Bluetooth 4.0. It also has Lenovo's P2P sharing app SHAREit. Source:G

Samsung Galaxy S5 mini (SM-G800) to receive Android 5.0.1 update

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Samsung Denmark's website is now revealing that the Samsung Galaxy S5 mini  (SM-G800) will be receiving an update to Android 5.0.1. The handset is currently running Android 4.4.2. The update actually takes the less-spec'd mini version of Samsung's last generation flagship phone, to a slightly higher build than the Android 5.0 version. The update includes the Material Design of Android 5.0, Lock Screen notifications, the 64-bit ART compiler that opens apps faster, Project Volta for improved battery life, Quick Settings pull-down shade from any page, new Recent Apps menu and more. The Samsung Galaxy S5 mini features a 4.5-inch Super AMOLED screen with a resolution of 720 x 1280. That works out to a pixel density of 326ppi. Powering the device is the Samsung Exynos 3470 SoC which features a quad-core 1.4GHz CPU and the Mali 400MP4 GPU. 1.5GB of RAM is inside with 16GB of native storage. If you need more memory, you can access the 64GB capacity microSD slot that is availab

Moto starts its Spring Sale today with discounts on the Moto X, Nexus 6 and more (U.K. Only)

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Starting on Monday and running through Wednesday, Motorola is having its annual Spring Sale which means it will be offering discounts on popular models like the N exus 6 , the second-generation Motorola Moto X , and the Motorola Moto 360 smartwatch. These deals are available in the U.K. only. Starting on Monday, go to www.motorola.co.uk/specials-uk.html to take advantage of the price cuts offered by the manufacturer.  The second-generation Motorola Moto X will be priced at the equivalent of $470 USD (32GB) and $533 (64GB). That is a savings of $151 off each model. Also on sale is the stock Android Nexus 6 in Midnight Blue or Cloud White. The 32GB version is priced at the equivalent of $706 USD while the 64GB variant will cost the equivalent of $816 USD. The savings on both models amounts to $47 USD each. Also on sale is the Motorola Moto 360 in Stone or Black Leather, starting at the equivalent of $234 USD. That is a price break of $79 USD.  As we said, these discounts begin on Mo

LG G4 vs Apple iPhone 6 Plus

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Introduction the LG G4  is no longer a subject of rumors and hearsay – it's already official and poised to hit the market later this month, relieving the LG G3  from its flagship duties. The phone will certainly play a pretty important role in LG's portfolio, because it needs to further solidify the already-established market positions of the second-largest South-Korean manufacturer. In order to do so, the new 5.5” Android gladiator will have to clash with another pretty successful device that races in the same display-size lane – the APPLE iPHONE 6 plus Design The LG G4 comes in two different versions, one with a regular plastic back that employs a 3D diamond-shaped pattern and another one with a genuine leather back, which comes with a signature stitching through the middle of the back. The iPhone 6 Plus, on the other hand, comes with an aluminum unibody with a smooth finish and rounded edges. Size-wise, the G4 and the Apple phablet are also rather dif

Leaks: Upcoming Xiaomi Redmi phone’s specs, images

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The specifications and images of an upcoming Redmi phone have surfaced. The smartphone is being developed under the codename Hermes and will have Xiaomi H3Y as the model number.  As per the leak by Twitter user @upleaks, the device will sport a Full HD display (1920x1080p), but there is no word on the screen size. The smartphone is also said to have 2GB or 3GB RAM and 16GB internal memory.  Powered by a MediaTek MT6795 64-bit octa-core, the smartphone is expected to sport a 13MP rear camera and 5MP front camera.

iPhone 6S's camera upgrade may not be a good thing

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Apple has always remained rather aloft from the megapixel arms race that has seen its rivals scramble to print ever higher numbers on their spec sheets, but a new rumour suggests Apple will indeed boost the camera of the upcoming iPhone 6S from 8MP to 12MP. According to Kevin Wang, IHS Technology Research Director in China, the iPhone 6S - along with the iPhone 6S Plus - will feature higher megapixel counts, but there's a catch. Although the snappers Apple include in iPhone 6S series will have more megapixels, according to Wang they will have smaller pixel sizes. Pixel size matters Larger pixels and lower pixel density sometimes results in better low-light photos and reduced noise, which could mean that while the iPhone 6S takes higher resolution photos, the iPhone 6 would still beat it when it comes to taking photos in dark and badly lit scenarios.  Cameras are a lot more complicated than megapixel counts and pixel sizes, and we'd be very surprised if Apple released a f

First smartphone Bluboo X550 coming with a 5300 mAh battery

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Bluboo X550  handset that we first noticed in April. Obviously made by a little-known China-based company, the Bluboo X550 will be launched on May 19 (next week), and customers will be able to order it online from almost anywhere in the world.  Running Android 5.1 Lollipop, the Bluboo X550 sports a 5.5-inch display with 720 x 1280 pixels, and is powered by a 64-bit quad-core MediaTek MTK6735 processor. The handset is also offering LTE, a 13 MP (or 8MP) rear camera, 2 GB of RAM, and 16 GB of expandable storage space. The 5300 mAh battery of the X550 is made by a California-based company called Amprius, and supports quick charging thanks MediaTek's PumpExpress Plus solution.  Bluboo says that, from May 19 to June 4, it's going to sell the X550 for just $149.99. The handset will cost $159.99 from June 5 to July 4, and $169.99 after that. 

Upcoming iPhone 6s to have a 12MP cam.....But pixels will be smaller

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The IPhone models might fool you for a second that they are not up to par with the best other phones can offer, as Android flagships now ship with 16 MP, or even 20 MP cameras. Resolution is only a small part of it, though, as every photographer will tell you, and as our camera comparisons have continuously shown.  Still, Apple is allegedly willing to enter the world of double-digit camera resolutions,and today Kevin Wong, the CEO of IHS China, confirmed this again, shedding some more light on the matter. The research firm head reiterates that Apple will indeed be using 12MP cameras for the upcoming iPhone 6s and 6s Plus, but there's a fly in that honey. The sensor of these camera modules will apparently come with smaller pixels than the current generously-sized 1.5 micron pieces that are in the 8 MP units.   Smaller pixels means less light soaked in by each individual unit in theory, but there are many other moving parts at play here, so we can't wait to see what

Amazon Appstore offers apps worth Rs 7,000 for free

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Amazon has a new "Free App of the Day" bundle available today, with 38 paid apps and games worth $110 (approximately Rs 7,000) available for free until Sunday 12:30 pm IST. The bundle is a regular deal from the Amazon Apstore, so make sure you get it while it's hot. You'll need to download and install the Amazon Appstore for Android, to be able to download any of the apps on offer. Remember, you're going to have to check mark the "Allow Unknown Sources" option in your settings to download the Appstore and any other of the apps. And don't worry if that feels unsafe, you can uncheck it again once you're done with the installlations.  Here's what's on offer this weekend : Games:  Highrise Word Heroes+ Royal Envoy (Premium) Rebuild Five Nights at Freddy's 3 Angry Birds Seasons HD (Fire Edition) Time Mysteries 2: The Ancient Spectres (Full) Empress of the Deep: The Darkest Secret (Full) Bloons TD 5 Angry Birds Seasons