Tech page

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...

 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, 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-a...

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

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.

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...

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. 

Indian on-line retailer Flipkart is obviously expecting the third-generation Motorola Moto G to be available soon. A page has already been put up for the next iteration of the Moto G, which is expected to come with the model number AP3560AD1K8. While there is no image of the phone connected to the listing at this time, the color shown is "white." The only spec listed is the native storage which weighs in at 8GB. Rumored specs include a 5-inch or 5.2-inch display carrying a 1080 x 1920 resolution. The 64-bit Snapdragon 610 SoC is rumored to be under the hood, and it includes a quad-core 1.7GHz CPU and the Adreno 405 GPU. 2GB of RAM is said to be inside and there should be support for 4G LTE connectivity. Unfortunately,there is no leaks about the other specs like the cameras and battery. Don't have a clue about when the third-gen Moto G will be officially introduced. As far as the page is concerned, it could just be a test by Flipkart in anticipation of the third-g...

Lumia 540 has been unveiled in India where it will go on sale for the equivalent of $160 USD. The device offers dual SIM capabilities (obviously!) and will be available for purchase starting May 18th in orange, cyan, white and black. Pre-orders are being accepted starting today. Buyers of the Lumia 540 Dual SIM in India will be receiving some special deals. One offer will return the equivalent of $16 to buyers of the Lumia 540 Dual SIM from pre-paid card recharger Paytm. Those purchasing the handset will also be entitled to two free months of a Gaana+ subscription which entitles the user to listen to streaming music. And for two months, Airtel will give Lumia 540 buyers twice the amount of data paid for. The Microsoft Lumia 540 Dual SIM features a 5-inch LCD display with resolution of 720 x 1280. That works out to a pixel density of 294ppi. A Snapdragon 200 SoC is under the hood, which includes a quad-core 1.2GHz CPU. 1GB of RAM is inside with 8GB of internal storage. In the l...

MOto E handset also has a 3G-only variant, but that doesn't count here). At only $149.99, unlocked, the new Moto E is also one of the best options to choose from if you're looking for a decent, up-to-date smartphone. Speaking of up to date, the Moto E ran Android 5.0 Lollipop at launch, and it's now receiving an official update to Android 5.1 Lollipop.  The Android 5.1 update is rolling out in the US starting today, but it looks like, for now, only the LTE version of the Moto E is getting it (though the 3G model will likely also receive it soon).  In case you're not familiar with the Moto E, the smartphone features - among other things - a 4.5-inch display with 540 x 960 pixels, a Snapdragon 410 processor, 1 GB of RAM, 5 MP rear camera, VGA front-facing camera, and 8 GB of expandable storage space. You can find out more about the newest affordable Motorola handset. Source: PA

 the  S amsung Galaxy S6  and the S6 Edge  should get their Android 5.1 Lollipop update as early as next month. The carrier's official website mentions June as the estimated release date for the update, although the website also says that the dates are subject to change.  Over this past month, Samsung is already working on updating its latest flagships to Android 5.1 Lollipop and we've also heard that the update should come with a new gueat mode feature as well as the ability to snap RAW photos. This is the first time we're hearing about a potential release date for the update.. While Android 5.1 Lollipop is not a major update over 5.0 Lollipop, Google seems to have solved many of the bugs that got introduced with the original version of Lollipop. Guest Mode is a feature that stock Android 5.0 has had since day one, but Samsung did not include it in the Lollipop versions that the S6 and the S6 edge currently use. The ability to ca...

Micromax’s online venture YU Televentures launched its second phone on May 12, called the YU Yuphoria  along with a YU Fit Band which will work with a health tracking service powered by HealtifyMe. Unlike the YU Yureka, the YU Yuphoria is priced at Rs 6,999 and is aimed at the budget segment. Coming in two colours, Buffed Steel with black cover and Champagne Gold with white cover, the YU Yuphoria will go on sale on May 28 and the registrations for the same have started at 5PM on Tuesday. Just like its predecessor, the Yuphoria will be selling on Amazon. Build and Design The design of the YU Yuphoria is impressive considering it has employed a metallic frame. The rear cover is made of plastic and is removable. the cover itself isn’t that sturdy. The metallic frame is rounded and gives a good grip on the phone, helped in part by the matte finish on the rear cover. On the top you have a 3.5mm audio jack and at the base there’s the microUSB charging port....

      The LG G4 does come with Quick Charge 2.0 Since the LG G4 offers something not commonly seen these days in new smartphone models, a removable battery, it was assumed by most that the Snapdragon 808 SoC employed by LG did not offer the Quick Charge 2.0 feature found on other Snapdragon chipsets. In addition, LG has not promoted the feature at all. Considering how Samsung and Motorola have made a big deal about this capability on certain handsets, it is no surprise that there was this assumption that the LG G4 did not have Quick Charge 2.0. But you know what they say happens when you assume something. So LG released a statement that was published on Monday. The manufacturer says that while it did not do anything to have its new flagship support Quick Charge 2.0, the functionality is built into the Snapdragon 808 SoC. But that is only half the game.  Quick Charge 2.0 requires a special adapter that supports the technology. LG does not offer this ...

The Denmark subsidiary of Samsung is the latest regional arm of the manufacturer to tweet about the Lollipop update for the Samsung Galaxy Note ll  Earlier this week, Samsung Gulf sent out a message from its Twitter account saying that the phablet would not receive the 5.0 Lolipop update  That was countered by a tweet from Samsung Spain  that said the Galaxy Note II would receive the update as long as there were no problems with it during the updating process. Samsung Denmark has sent out multiple tweets stating that both the Samsung Galaxy Note II and Samsung Galaxy Note II 4G will be receiving Android 5.0 in its area. The Danish version of the update will have the CSC code of NEE. Both the Galaxy Note II (GT-N7100) and Galaxy Note II 4G (GT-N7105) will receive this update, but not at the same time. As far as other countries are concerned, Samsung Denmark says that every region has its own policies on updates. This means that the decision on whether the Ga...

Sprint announced today that the Android 5.0 Lollipop OTA update is now rolling out to all of its carrier-specific versions of the Samsung Galaxy S4. AT&T launched the 5.0 Lollipop for the Galaxy S4  about a month ago, while Verizon started updating it's verion of the handset  a couple of weeks ago. Both of Sprint's Galaxy S4 versions, the one that can run on the high-speed Sprint Spark network and the one that cannot, are now being updated to Android 5.0 Lollipop. As with all software updates, this one appears to be released in stages, meaning that it could take a few days before the Android 5.0 Lollipop OTA update reaches your device. To manually check for the availability of the new OS update, you can go to Settings -> More -> System Update -> Update Samsung Software -> Check Now. Please note that this is not a required step, as the handset will automatically check for updates once every few hours.  The Spark-enabled version of the...

The Australian operator Telstra posted a list of Sony Xperia Z phones scheduled to get Android 5.1 Lollipop. Sony has been pushing out  Android 5.0 to its Xperia Z series of smartphones since March. The list includes the likes of Sony Xperia Z, Xperia Z1, and Z1 compact. The trio is part of the tech giant’s 2013 smartphone lineup. A "showstopper issue" was spotted this month, thus causing the update to be paused. Telstra have not specifically talked about the bug, though it can easily be apreviously reported memory leak issue. Source: GSM

Samsung is apparently quite proud of the manufacturing process it used to arrive at the metal-and-glass unibody of the S6 Edge flagship with its curved display, and for a good reason. The flexible AMOLED panel uses a plastic substrate, instead of the usual glass one, allowing it to be bent to the sides, and still display vivid imagery. How do you put the protective cover glass on top of the bent AMOLED in precisely the same side-sloping degree, though? Well, Samsung is using a homebrew technology that it calls "3D Thermoforming," placing the reinforced glass between two moulds, heating it up, and then pressing it into the perfect symmetrical shape we see forming the sides of the Galaxy S6 edge. Samsung just outed a video that touts the rest of the process that went into creating the unique Galaxy S6 edge handset, and there is plenty of " ultrasonically fusing " and " we are digital craftsmen " terminology to go around.

Pete Lau, founder and CEO of OnePlus, has been discussing the company's upcoming flagship, presumably to be called OnePlus Two, with fans over Weibo – a Chinese social network. Aside from praising the home-brewed Hydrogen OS (or H2 OS), apparently an offshot or upgrade of the OxygenOS  we've seen replacing Cyanogenmod as an operating system on OnePlus handsets, following a fiasco of misunderstandings and deals gone sour  Lau also talked briefly on hardware and pricing. Namely, the CEO seems to suggest, or at least – doesn't deny – that the OnePlus Two will be loaded with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 810. This may stir some stinging comments, as the SoC has been quite controversial as of late, following allegations that it tends to overheat  and throttle a bit too much, and the fact that the OnePlus Two is not coming for a few more months, which means that it could easily wait out Qualcomm's next offering. However, the company will be looking for an easy way to bui...

LG is still following the suite of releasing a mini version of flagship with a different name. While the LG G4  is being rolled out across the countries, the South Korean company is almost ready to introduce the G4’s mini version likely to be launched as LG G4c. The LG G4c will have stripped down specifications than the flagship and carries LG-H525N model number. G4c features a 5-inch IPS 720p display and is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 chipset armed with a quad-core 1.2GHz CPU and 1 GB of RAM. Internal storage is just 8GB but a microSD slot lets you expand it further. The diamond pattern bearing plastic back features the 8MP camera just above the volume and power button. On its left will be an LED Flash. In the front is a 5MP selfie camera. LG has packed HSP+ network and NFC support as well. LG G4c is expected to run the new LG UX 4.0 based on Android 5.0 Lollipop and is expected to be made available in Europe region starting with Germany from first week of June....

Intex has introduced two new affordable smartphones for the Indian market namely Aqua Life at Rs. 5,777 and Aqua Life II at Rs. 5,555 respectively. The devices have been listed on the company website  but there is no information on its availability. In terms of specifications, the Intex Aqua Life, the device sports a 5-inch FWVGA display with a 480 x 854 pixel resolution. It is powered by a 1.3GHz quad-core MediaTek processor paired with 512MB RAM. The smartphone has an internal memory of 4GB and can be further expanded up to 32GB via microSD card. The Aqua Life sports an 8MP rear camera with LED flash and has a 2MP front facing camera. The Android 4.4.2 KitKat-based smartphone comes with dual-SIM support and packs in a 2000mAh battery. In terms of connectivity, the device includes 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS/ A-GPS, and Micro-USB. The Aqua Life will be available in black, white, and blue variants. On the other hand, ...