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Google just announced the Play gaming services for Android, iOS and web, which is a cross platform gaming service for achievements and multiplayer, like, for example, Xbox live and the iOS game centre. This was rumoured quite a while ago, and this includes various features like cloud saves, Google plus integration for adding friends, leaderboards and achievements. The service is going to be made available for iOS and the web too, taking advantage of Google plus in all the platforms. While the demo on stage failed misreably, the concept of multi-player gaming between three tablets with match making over Google Plus circles is really cool.
The service is supposedly launching soon, with no mention of availability dates yet. Adding more information, according to Polygon -
Greg Hartrell, lead product manager for the Google Play game services, told us that the strategy was both user and developer focused. "It's user focused in the sense that we're trying to reach out to the largest number of users," Hartrell said. "And for developers, they want to maximize the size of the audience and the quality of the audience. Both of those things drove that decision." They also drove the decision to offer the services outside ...
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The ASUS Fonepad, the first calling tablet with a Nexus 7-like design left quite an impression on us, and you would know if you had read our review. But a lot of people were asking us how the performance of the tablet was, in terms of gaming, because, it being powered by the Intel Z2420 chip, only has the PowerVR SGX540 GPU which is pretty ancient in current terms. So, here you go, a gaming performance review of the ASUS Fonepad in video -
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9YdaCFBkFl0
Read on for more information.
The ASUS Fonepad is the first Intel based calling tablet, which is based on the lexington low end chip. It was supposed to be only for phones with HVGA or WVGA screens but it seems to have ended up on a 7 inch tablet with a 1280x800 screen. So, how is the gaming performance like, you ask? Pretty bad we would say.
We tested out four games to be exact, each with varying levels of graphic intensity and detail. First up, we wanted to go light and tested the Subway surfers game, it terribly lagged and struggled to register our touch inputs responsively. We think it might be due to the resolution having an ...
Logitech India has launched Ultimate Ears line-up of audio accessories.This collection include, UE Mobile Boombox and UE Boombox portable Bluetooth speakers, UE 6000 and UE 9000, over the ears headphones and UE 900, professional Quad armature wired earphone that is aimed at recording artists and sound engineers. The new lineup blends form and function to deliver the right sound for any situation.
Features of Logitech UE Mobile Boombox Bluetooth Speakers
Doubles as a speakerphone with a built-in mic
Pair up to 8 Bluetooth-enabled devices
Connect up to two devices at the same time
Metal finish, vibrant accents and a grip-action rubber casing
Two 1" Full-range drivers
Micro USB rechargeable battery has up to 10 hours of battery life
Price: Rs. 8,995
Features of Logitech UE Boombox Bluetooth Speakers
Pair up to 8 Bluetooth-enabled devices.
Connect up to 3 devices at the same time
Sculptured aluminum handle to carry to easily
Two 0.5" Tweeters, Two 3" Woofers and Four 2 5/8" Passive Radiators for thumping audio
Rechargeable battery has up to 6 hours of battery life between charges
Price: Rs. 21,995
Features of Logitech UE 6000 Around-the-ear headphones
Onboard amp for an immersive and powerful listening experience
Folds up like sunglasses that makes it compact
Splitter to make sharing simple
UE sound signature provides pure, undiluted audio with a wide-open soundstage and a remarkable level of detail
Active noise canceling technology (Noise Isolation:10 dB) filters out ...
The Google I/O developer conference has just started and the company which has the most popular smartphone platform in the world has just announced that there have been 900 million Android activations till date. This is a huge number, and growth never seems to stop according to Google. Sundar Pichai, the man behind Android, Chrome and Apps at Google announced this number with a nice build up of Android's history.
Showing a world map, Sundar stressed that there is still tremendous potential, and there is still room for more growth. Asia and African countries are reportedly still only at 10% on Android penetration and Sundar says they are working to bring these 4.5 billion people to the internet, using Android of course. Adding to this, Google also announced that 48 billion app installations have happened from the Google Play store.
You can watch the Google I/O live stream here -
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9pmPa_KxsAM
Google just announced the Play gaming services for Android, iOS and web, which is a cross platform gaming service for achievements and multiplayer, like, for example, Xbox live and the iOS game centre. This was rumoured quite a while ago, and this includes various features like cloud saves, Google plus integration for adding friends, leaderboards and achievements. The service is going to be made available for iOS and the web too, taking advantage of Google plus in all the platforms. While the demo on stage failed misreably, the concept of multi-player gaming between three tablets with match making over Google Plus circles is really cool.
The service is supposedly launching soon, with no mention of availability dates yet. Adding more information, according to Polygon -
Greg Hartrell, lead product manager for the Google Play game services, told us that the strategy was both user and developer focused. "It's user focused in the sense that we're trying to reach out to the largest number of users," Hartrell said. "And for developers, they want to maximize the size of the audience and the quality of the audience. Both of those things drove that decision." They also drove the decision to offer the services outside ...
Google has finally made its rumoured new Music streaming official, and it has called it "Google Play Music all access". The Spotify like streaming service also has few more tricks up its sleeve, with Pandora like tailored radio with curated content with respect to taste. With this service announcement, Google has seriously stepped up its game in the music services field. Priced at 9.99$ per month, this will be available first in the United States and eventually in other markets. India might get it very very late though, as Google Play Music itself is not available here.
There are different sections in Google Play music all access. Explore lets you explore various kinds of music and genres, featured content has curated content from Google's own music curators and also automatically recommended too. The new releases section has all the new releases, obviously. Instant radio, which is like Pandora radio, can turn any single song into a radio station instantly, and the queue list is highly interactive in which you can swipe away songs or re order them easily.
Other features include a detailed artist view, "Listen now" which is tailored to user's preferences in music library as well as in all access. ...
In a surprising move, Google has announced a Pure Google Android version of the Samsung Galaxy S4, available unlocked, with Nexus-like updates for 649$ in the United states. This comes as a surprise because this is not a completely new nexus device, like the rumoured Motorola X Phone, but just another Samsung Galaxy S4, with pure Google at heart. Unlocked from carriers and sporting an unlocked bootloader, this device would be the device to get if you are not willing to agree to Touchwiz or all of its features.
The Samsung Galaxy S4 with pure google is the 16 GB variation, and probably coming only in white. The device supports both AT&T and T-Mobile LTE networks and will be available starting June 26th. For 649$ this might be kinda pricey even for the people of the US. Most of the reactions on twitter and elsewhere are disappointed that the HTC One is not the phone that is getting this program. Google has promised Nexus-like instant updates for this version of the S4, with virtually all the specifications remaining the same.
So, are you looking forward to get one or are you planning to get the TouchWiz version instead? Sound off in the ...
Rumoured long time as the Google Babel, the company just unveiled a new product at the I/O conference, called as Google hangouts. This is a cross platform messenger with free group video calling and the ability to archive the whole chat history. This app is available immediately starting today for iOS, Android and Chrome on the web/desktop. This applications combines and replaces all of the messaging services that previously existed, like Google+ messenger, Gtalk and Hangout video chat into one app - the Google hangouts.
The main screen is a list of conversations, old and new, and is not a list of people like most services. The conversations are an indication of its user experience based on the SMS app. Like whatsapp, each conversation or a group conversation can have its own name and its own icon. It also features the hangouts video calling with multiple participants just like before, and yes, it is free, unlike Skype. The app will be available for download soon, and we will keep you updated on its whereabouts in the iOS, Android and Chrome stores respectively.
Google announced the Hangouts app for Android, iPhone, iPad and Chrome at the Google I/O few hours back. These apps are now available for download. This app brings photos, emoji, video calls, history and more. This app replaces the original Google Talk app on Android and it is a separate app for iPhone and iPad.
Since Google Talk comes pre-installed on Android it would say the app is already installed. If you still see the Talk when you open it, head to Google Play on desktop and try installing from there. If it says installed there too, login from different Google account (Account must be there on your device too) and install it. Still not working ? Try to side load the app manually from the link below. On Google Chrome the Chat for Google extension is replaced with Hangouts. It’s also part of Gmail and Google+.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XkpjZ7oA_Qg
Features of Google Hangouts for Android, iPhone and iPad
Say more with photos and emoji.
See when people are together in Hangouts, when they’re typing, or whether they've seen your message.
Turn any conversation into a video call with up to 10 friends.
Message friends anytime, even if they're not connected right now.
View and continue your Hangouts across devices.
Get notifications just ...
The Google Nexus 4 went on pre-order from Flipkart yesterday. Now LG and Google have officially launched the Nexus 4 in India. It was announced back in October last year, and it packs a 4.7-inch (1280 x 768 pixels) True HD IPS Plus display, powered by a 1.5 GHz Quad-Core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro processor and runs on Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean).
Regarding the launch, Soon Kwon, Managing Director, LG Electronics India, said,
LG Electronics is pleased to partner Google on the release of the Nexus 4 in India. We added the best of our talent to our strength, and the result is a feature- packed smartphone that packs superb hardware under a slim hood. With LG Nexus 4, consumers would be delighted by the perfectly balanced combination of style, function and power. The smartphone encourages consumers to explore a world of possibilities and also helps them balance between business and entertainment.
Google Nexus 4 Specifications
Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro processor with 1.5GHz Quad-Core Krait CPUs
Operating System: Android 4.2, Jelly Bean
Network: 3G (WCDMA), HSPA+
Display: 4.7-inch WXGA True HD IPS Plus (1280 x 768 pixels)
Memory: 16GB
RAM: 2GB
Camera: 8.0MP rear / 1.3MP HD front
Battery: 2,100mAh Li-Polymer (embedded) / Talk time: 15.3 hours / Standby: 390 hours
Size: 133.9 x 68.7 x 9.1mm
Weight: 139g
Wireless charging
3G HSPA+ ...
Google has updated the Google Search app that brings new Google Now features including Reminders that lets you save things to remember later. You can also pick a time or place to trigger those reminders, so they pop up at just the right time. You can also create some of these reminders with just your voice. This update also brings new cards that alerts you about upcoming books, music albums, tv shows and video games you may like. It also shows real time public transit updates in select cities.
New features in Google Search for Android
Reminders (e.g. say "remind me to buy milk this evening", "remind me to take out the trash when I get home")
Upcoming books, music albums, tv shows and video games you may like
Real time public transit updates (select cities)
Last train home (Japan only)
Get the Google Search update for Android devices running on Android 4.1 and later to from the Google Play Store.
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ZTE has announced the Grand X2, successor of the Grand X IN that was unveiled last year. The Grand X IN was powered by a 1.6 GHz Intel Atom Medfield Z2460 processor, but the Grand X2 has a 2 GHz Intel Atom Z2580 Clover Trail+ processor with hyper-threading. It has a 4.5-inch (1280 x 720 pixels) HD display and runs on Android Jelly Bean OS. It has a 8-megapixel auto focus camera on the back with LED flash and 1-megapixel front-facing camera. The rear camera has zero shutter lag and is capable of capturing images at 24 frames per second.
It has soft-touch finish and a 0.7 mm slim screen touch panel for a slimmer design. It has built-in Audio enhancement technology and Wireless Display (WiDi) to enable wireless streaming between connected media devices. ZTE announced the GEEK recently that is also powered by a similar Intel Clover Trail+ chip.
ZTE Grand X2 specifications
4.5-inch (1280 x 720 pixels) HD capacitive touch screen IPS display
2 GHz Intel Atom Z2580 Clover Trail+ processor
Android Jelly Bean OS
8MP rear camera with LED Flash
1MP front-facing camera
1080p Full HD video playback
1GB RAM, 8GB internal memory, expandable memory up to 32GB with microSD
2000 mAh battery
ZTE Grand X2 would be available in Europe in Q3 2013 from key operators and ...
Panasonic has launched the P51, the company's first smartphone in India, as we reported recently. The P51 has a 5-inch (1280 x 720 pixels) HD IPS display with scratch resistant Asahi Dragontrail glass, powered by a 1.2 GHz quad-core MediaTek MT6589 processor and runs on Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean). It has a 8MP rear camera with LED Flash, 1080p video recording and a 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera. The camera has beauty retouch, smile detection and more features. It comes with dual SIM support with dual standby and also includes magnetic flip-cover and a stylus. Pre-loaded apps include, WeChat, ET, Open Office, TOI, Cam Scanner, Business Card reader and more.
The phone is aimed at the young generation. Panasonic has partnered with Jaina Marketing as the Strategic Partner for Marketing, Distribution and Customer Support. The company aims at 8% market share in the smartphone category. Panasonic would launch 8 more smartphones priced between Rs. 6,990 and Rs. 35,000 and tablets in India in coming months.
Panasonic P51 Specifications
5-inch (1280 x 720 pixels) HD IPS display with scratch resistant Asahi Dragontrail glass
1.2 GHz quad-core MediaTek MT6589 processor
Dual SIM (GSM + GSM)
Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean)
8.5mm thick and weighs 135 grams
8MP audo focus rear camera with LED Flash, 1080p video recording
1.3MP 720p front-facing camera
3.5mm audio ...
S Mobility has launched the Stellar Horizon Pro Mi-505, successor of the Spice Stellar Horizon Mi-500 that was launched last year. It has a similar 5-inch (800 x 480 pixels) capacitive touch screen display, powered by a 1 GHz dual-core processor and runs on Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich). It has a 5-megapixel auto focus camera with dual LED flash on the back similar to its predecessor, but this one has a 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera. It is 9.6mm thick and comes with dual SIM support with dual standby.
Spice Stellar Horizon Pro Mi-505 Specifications
5-inch (800 x 480 pixels) capacitive touch screen display
1 GHz dual-core processor
Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) OS
Dual SIM (GSM + GSM) with dual standby
9.6 mm thick
5MP auto-focus camera with dual LED flash
1.3MP front-facing camera
3.5 mm audio jack, FM Radio
512MB RAM, 4GB internal memory, expandable memory up to 32GB with microSD
3G, WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth, GPS / aGPS
2100 mAh battery
The Spice Stellar Horizon Pro Mi-505 is priced at Rs. 8,499. It comes with a free leather cover and a screen guard, worth Rs. 500. It would be available through online retailer Saholic and all major retail stores across India.
Oppo Find 5, an impressively built 5 inch 1080p Android Smartphone has received a new firmware update based on user feedback and complaints. The firmware codenamed X909EN_13_130514 is bringing a lot of bug fixes previously stated by Oppo Find 5 users. If you had noticed, we had recently unboxed the Oppo Find 5, and found it quite impressive. Now that a new firmware is here, we will be reviewing the phone real soon. The firmware is available for download over the air as well as using various methods, as mentioned in the official Oppo Find 5 forums. We received it over the air for our review unit, and you can find more information past the break.
Here is the official changelog -
// CHANGELOG //
Upgrading from the previous X909EN_13_130426 version you will find the following changes:
Added 1080P icons for common third party apps. (Suggested by Allanitomwesh & sn33ky)
Fixed an issue where Gmail and some other apps didn’t sync when screen was off. (Reported by plenty of Ofans)
Fixed an issue that caused the incorrect carrier name to be displayed. (Reported by plenty of Ofans)
Fixed an issue that changed the default APN settings. (Reported by plenty of Ofans)
Fixed an issue that caused the screen ...
We have just received an email from Apple premium reseller Imagine regarding cash back offers for the iPad Mini. Under this offer you will get 10% cash back on iPad mini if you purchase it with a Citibank credit card on a 12 months Equated Monthly Installment (EMI) option. For example, If you by a 16GB WiFi version of the iPad mini using the Citibank credit card, you get Rs. 2,190 cash back with a monthly EMI of just Rs. 1,825 without any down payment. This offer is also available on other iPad mini models. You get a maximum of Rs.8,000 Cash back on a single credit card.
Apple launched the iPad mini in India last year starting at Rs. 21,900. Even Samsung started offering 15% cash back on select credit cards on purchase of select Galaxy smartphones recently.
This offer is valid from May 10, 2013 till May 25, 2013 (both dates included), or till stocks last. This offers is available at all the Apple premium reseller stores and select online retailers like Flipkart. The 0% - 12 months EMI offfer available with other leading credit cards but the 10% cash back is only available on Citibank credit cards.
Kotak Mahindra Bank (KMB) has launched a Mobile Banking App for Android and iOS devices. This app lets you check the bank balance, view past transactions, view your profile, transfer funds, locate ATMs, cheque book requests and more. The app has vibrant red and fresh look with large icons, discreet navigation and simple to use. To use the app you just need your Customer Relationship Number (i.e. CRN) with Kotak Mahindra Bank, Net Banking, Debit or Credit Card details.
Features of Kotak Mahindra Mobile app
Check balances of your savings and current accounts
View past transactions
View or open term deposits
Request for account statement, cheque book or Debit Card PIN
Transfer funds (own accounts, Kotak third party, NEFT, RTGS or IMPS)
Make payments without the need to register a beneficiary through One Time Payment
Personalise your Home Page to get all the information of your choice in one place.
Choose to view certain information without logging in with MPIN (Mobile Banking PIN)
Pay your Credit Card bills
Balance Transfer
Locate the nearest Kotak Bank branch or ATM
Download Kotak Mobile Banking app - Android | iPhone | iPad
Previously, a month ago, IDC released statistics for the whole mobile phone market, which highlighted the smartphones overtaking feature phones for the first time ever in the first quarter of 2013. Now, they have revealed the marketshare of smarphone platforms, which makes for a very interesting analysis altogether. Android has kept on soaring with a 79.5% change YoY, and a massive 75% marketshare, a number even the yesteryear Symbian failed to achieve with its massive presence. The total shipments of 162.1 million devices is in line with what Google announced last night, of the 900 million activations till date.
Apple, while at a distant second place with just 17.3% marketshare rules the smartphone market together with Android, taking over 92.3% of the whole smartphone market. The surprising addition and change here is from Windows Phone, which has finally leapfrogged BlackBerry with a measly 3.2% marketshare and a whopping 133.3% growth change YoY.
It looks like Windows Phone has grown at the expense of BlackBerry and the overall growth of the Smartphone market which has grown 41.6% YoY. Symbian has taken a huge hit from, as expected with shipments coming to a halt, almost. At 3.2% and steadily growing, Windows Phone is probably ...
Lemon Mobile has officially launched the Aspire A1 in their Aspire Series. It went on sale online last week. It has a 5.3-inch qHD (960 x 540 pixels) capacitive touch screen IPS display based on one-glass solution (OGS) technology, powered by a 1.2 GHz dual-core Cortex A9 processor and runs on Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich). It has a 8-megapixel camera with LED Flash and a 2-megapixel front-facing camera.
It comes with a stylus that fits into a slot on the back of the phone. The company is calling it as Electromagnetic Pen or E-pen. It can be used for accurate sketching and artwork. It has quick search option by just writing on the main screen. The Aspire A1 also comes with dual microphones for enhanced voice quality and clarity during calls. Lemon plans to launch 4 new phones in the Aspire series initially.
Lemon Aspire A1 Specifications
5.3-inch (960 x 540 pixels) capacitive touch screen IPS display
1.2 GHz dual-core Cortex A9 processor
Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich)
Dual SIM (GSM + GSM)
8MP rear camera with LED Flash
2MP front-facing camera
10.3 mm thick and weighs 197 grams
3.5mm audio jack, FM Radio
1GB RAM, 4GB internal memory, 32GB expandable memory with MicroSD
3G, WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 3.0, GPS, HDMI via MHL
2500 ...
Huawei launched the Ascend G510 in India last month along with the Ascend Y300. We brought the unboxing of the device earlier this month, here we have the benchmarks of the device. It has a 4.5-inch (854 x 480 pixels) capacitive touch screen IPS display, powered by a 1.2 GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM8225 processor and runs on Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean) with Emotion UI. Huawei uses this Snapdragon S4 chip in several devices including the Ascend G330D, G600 and the Ascend Y300. Let’s check out how the device performs in the benchmark tests when compared with other Android smartphones.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OtbwJj-MN3w
Quadrant Benchmark
The Ascend G510 powered by a dual-core Snapdragon S4 Play processor is behind most of the phones powered by a dual-core MediaTek processor in the Quadrant Benchmark, but it beats the Y300 with the same processor clocked at 1 GHz.
AnTuTu Benchmark 3.3
Here the phone manages to score 6276 points almost similar to the Y300.
Vellamo 2.0 HTML 5
In the Vellamo 2.0 HTML5 benchmarks, the G510 scores 1209, but it couldn't beat the P770 or the Grand Duos.
Vellamo 2.0 Metal
Here it beats the P770 but it the Grand Duos is at the top.
NenaMark 2
The Adreno 203 GPU in the phone helps the phone to clock 31.2 ...
The Nokia Lumia 925 launched the day before yesterday, invoking various reactions from the internet, including ours, which is detailed in the hands on post here. This new Lumia device with a metal frame loses a lot of weight and has slimmed down, mainly for people who were holding out on the 920 because of its bulkiness. We had explained the differences between it and the 920 here, which would make sense of this device's release. At the event, once we were done with the Lumia 925 photo gallery, we were looking to compare it with various flagship devices. We initially compared with the Samsung Galaxy S4 and now we are comparing it with the very beautifully designed HTC One. Here is a quick video of the same -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c3O1XLxupdI
With regards to design, the HTC One, unlike the Samsung Galaxy S4, gives a tough fight to the Nokia Lumia 925. While the HTC One is full made of high quality metal, the Lumia 925 has a aluminium frame, with a high quality polycarbonate finish for its back. The build quality is excellent on both, but design wise, we prefer the beautiful HTC One, but the Lumia 925 is no slouch either. ...
