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One of the many significant announcements at the recent Google I/O developers conference was Android One. The program was formally unveiled with one central goal in mind, reaching the next 5 billion people in the world. These are the ones without a smartphone, mostly in emerging markets like India, China and so on. Google will be partnering with companies in the supply chain to provide a turnkey solution for many OEMs that are currently driving the budget smartphone segment in emerging markets. Android One involves a combination of affordable reference hardware, handpicked by Google, and stock Android software, with updates directly from Mountain View. The first three OEMs to sign up for this program are from India, which has familiar, but rather important, implications for the budget smartphone market.
For explaining how this will affect the market, lets first take a sample of it in its current form. Right now, OEMs like Lava, Karbonn, Xolo, Micromax and Spice often compete with very similar phones. They mostly all have the same set of specifications at the intersection of many price points, appropriate for that set of hardware, which leads us to believe certain things about them.
One, they are already buying reference hardware ...
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Google updated Drive app for Android to version 1.32 earlier this month with new UI and new animations. At the Google I/O earlier this week it announced updates for Google Drive for Android and iOS with support for editing Microsoft Office files. Recently the Google Drive app for Android got updated to version 2.0 that brought several new visual changes that lets you access all the new features easily.
Once you click the info button next to a file, you get a detailed option to share, share, start, move, send, download, rename, remove and print. You can also toggle keep on device option to store it offline and also manage access to the file, added new people for sharing it and also view detailed activity to find if any changes are made to the file. These are the major changes in the new update.
At Google I/O Google introduced Drive for Work plan with unlimited storage, aimed at the enterprise at $10 per month, per user. It also launched Google Slides app to view and edit presentation files.
Download Google Drive 2.0 for Android from Google Play.
Asus unveiled the Zenfone 5 in the Zefone series along with a range of other Zenfone smartphones earlier this year at the CES 2014. We already brought you the unboxing of Asus Zenfone 5. Here we have the benchmarks of the smartphone. It is powered by a dual-core Intel Atom Z2560 clocked at 1.6 GHz with PowerVR SGX 544MP2 GPU and has 1GB RAM. It has a 5-inch (1280 x 720 pixels) capacitive multi touch display and runs on Android 4.3 (Jelly Bean) with Zen UI on top. Check out the synthetic benchmark scores below.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vRRbNnfGpSU
Quadrant Benchmark
It scored 9022 points in the Quadrant benchmark.
AnTuTu Benchmark 4
It scored 19509 points in the AnTuTu Benchmark 4.
Vellamo 2 HTML5
It scored 1781 points in the Vellamo 2 HTML5 browser benchmark.
Vellamo 2 Metal
It scored 618 points and lies just behind the Padfone mini 4.3 in the Vellamo 2 Metal CPU subsystem performance test.
Linpack Single Thread
It managed to clock around 113.7 MFLOPS in the Linpack single thread benchmark.
Linpack Multi-Thread
It managed to clock around 248.4 MFLOPS in the Linpack Multi-Thread benchmark.
NenaMark 2
It clocked 60.5 fps in the NenaMark 2 GPU benchmark.
GFXBench 2.7 T-Rex (On screen)
It managed to clock 12.5 FPS in the GFXBench 2.7 T-Rex OnScreen benchmark, better than Moto G.
Basemark X 1.0 HD (Onscreen)
It ...
One of the many significant announcements at the recent Google I/O developers conference was Android One. The program was formally unveiled with one central goal in mind, reaching the next 5 billion people in the world. These are the ones without a smartphone, mostly in emerging markets like India, China and so on. Google will be partnering with companies in the supply chain to provide a turnkey solution for many OEMs that are currently driving the budget smartphone segment in emerging markets. Android One involves a combination of affordable reference hardware, handpicked by Google, and stock Android software, with updates directly from Mountain View. The first three OEMs to sign up for this program are from India, which has familiar, but rather important, implications for the budget smartphone market.
For explaining how this will affect the market, lets first take a sample of it in its current form. Right now, OEMs like Lava, Karbonn, Xolo, Micromax and Spice often compete with very similar phones. They mostly all have the same set of specifications at the intersection of many price points, appropriate for that set of hardware, which leads us to believe certain things about them.
One, they are already buying reference hardware ...
Google announced Android One at the recent Google I/O developers conference. The new program targeted at the emerging markets like India, Brazil and others will let OEMs create low cost handsets. Now, according to a report by Digitimes, Google is collaborating with chip maker MediaTek for this initiative which aims to reach the next 5 billion users.
The report states that MediaTek which is the second largest chipmaker in the world, will have access to the latest Android software and firmware. Google will set up a bunch of hardware and software guidelines and reference design platforms for OEMs to create these devices for emerging markets. The company has been in talks with MeidaTek for the same project since past six months, said the report.
Early partners under the Android One program include Micromax, Karbonn and Spice while more partners will be added in the future. All these devices will run on stock Android and Google will directly provide firmware updates to them. Google showed of its first Android One device by Micromax at the keynote. It had a 4.5-inch display, a dual-SIM slot and a MediaTek dual-core MT6575 processor.
Finally, the report touts that Google and MediaTek might expand this partnership to Android tablets and Android ...
Google has announced that it will take down QuickOffice from Play Store as it has integrated its productivity apps in Google Drive. The company recently added docs, sheets and slides to the Drive thereby putting QuickOffice to less use.
With the integration of Quickoffice into the Google Docs, Sheets and Slides apps, the Quickoffice app will be unpublished from Google Play and the App Store in the coming weeks. Existing users with the app can continue to use it, but no features will be added and new users will not be able to install the app.
said Google in a company blog post.
Acquired in 2012 by Google, QucikOffice will be removed from the Play Store and iOS app store in the coming week. Users have already installed Quickoffice into their Android devices will still be able to access them. New users will not be able to download the app. The recent update added editing of native office documents to Google Drive. Google also updated Drive 2.0 for Android with UI and other features.
The move comes from Google has it is urging users to switch to Google docs, as majority of the lot is still using Microsoft Office which is relatively expensive that Google apps.
Via
Xolo released KitKat update for the Q1000 Opus last month, now it has released Android 4.4.2 (KitKat) update for the Xolo Q1010i that was released back in April running Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean). Xolo Q600s was the company's first smartphone running Android 4.4 out of the box. Xolo also released Q1011 and Q2000L recently running KitKat.
Recently Xolo promised Android KitKat update for a range of older devices that includes, Q700S, Q1010i, Q1010 and Q3000. It is yet to roll out the update for these devices.
The Android 4.4 (KitKat) update brings restyled status and navigation bars, color emoji, printing support, a new camera UI, new phone dialer with ability to look up contacts directly from the dial pad, see and tap frequent contacts, and search your corporate directory easily, under the hood improvements and more.
This update is available over-the-air (OTA) and you can also download the 298MB file from the official Xolo support site and load it to the smartphone manually. You can find out the complete instructions from the Xolo support page.
LG recently showed off LG G3 Beat in the Tianyi Mobile Phone Trade Exhibition held in China. Reports are now surfacing online saying that the device can possibly be the LG G3 mini.
The device is smaller that the company's recently launched flagship phone LG G3. As per the images, the device has a model number LG-D729 and boasts a 5 inch screen with 1280x720 IPS display. Moving on to the hardware specification, the LG G3 Beat has a quad-core 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor, 2GB of RAM and 16GB of native storage inside. The device sports 8MP rear camera with new laser autofocus feature and a 2MP front camera.
The G3 Beat will also have dual-mode LTE, supporting both TDD-LTE and FDD-LTE, as well as the standard CDMA and GSM systems. The device will have a 2,540 mAh battery and will likely add support for QuickCircle similar to the LG G3. As per the images, the LG G3 Beat has dual sim support which is an important factor for users in emerging markets.
Currently there is no word on pricing and availability of the device. LG G3 mini had earlier surfaced in April and some of the specifications do match the recent reports.
Source | Via
Aircel has launched Design your own plan, a new online service that enables prepaid and postpaid subscriber create a plan of their choice. This enables users customize their plans across calling, texting and surfing using the Plan Designer tool. Customers can also redesign the plan or add extra packs for calling or SMS depending on their needs.
Airtel launched MyPlan, a similar service for postpaid subscribers last year. Aircel's new service is a bit different from it. This lets you choose how much you use Calling, SMS or data and gives you a final plan once you are done.
Regarding the new service, Anupam Vasudev, Chief Marketing Officer, Aircel, said,
Customers understand their communication needs and we would like to empower them with the freedom of choosing a plan on their choice. It is with this view, we are introducing an Industry First initiative - ‘Design Your Own Plan” which helps customers to now design, tweak and choose their very own Prepaid Plan. Now there is a plan for everyone, whether it’s a customer who loves to talk, or is a high SMS user, a Social Networking addict or even a Traveler there’s a plan which can be customized to suit the need. ...
Microsoft tried to set itself apart from Android and iPhone in terms of UI for its Windows Phone platform. Hence, basic app management was a rigidity for users. However, as per a website page, it looks like Microsoft is making it easier for users to arrange their smartphone apps.
The page on Microsoft's Windows Phone website has revealed that it allowing users to create folders on start screen. This folder support will let users to group their favourite apps into a single tile thereby giving them a clean screen. This feature is already available on Android devices and iPhone.
Users simply need to tap and hold a tile and drag it to a folder along with other apps and drop it. They can then name the folder and apps can be then accessed from it. In order to create folders, users will need to have Windows Phone 8.1 update.
Via:The Verge
Samsung unveiled the Galaxy Core, a mid-range Android smartphone in the Galaxy series last year and announced Galaxy Core Lite (SM-G3586V) with LTE support in China. Now the Galaxy Core Mini 4G (SM-G3568V) has appeared on official Samsung website in China. It has a similar 4.3-inch WVGA screen that was present in the Galaxy Core, but this is powered by a 1.2 GHz quad-core processor and runs on Android 4.4 (KitKat) . It has a 5-megapixel rear camera without flash.
It packs 1.5GB RAM, 8GB of internal storage with expansion slot, but battery capacity is now available yet.
Samsung Galaxy Core Mini 4G specifications
4.3-inch (800 x 480 Pixels) LCD capacitive touch screen display
1.2 GHz quad-core processor
Android 4.4 (KitKat) OS
10.6 mm thick and weighs 136 grams
5MP Auto Focus Camera with LED Flash
3.5mm audio jack, FM Radio with RDS
1.5GB RAM, 8 GB internal memory, expandable up to 64GB with microSD
4G (TD-LTE) / 3G, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth v 4.0, GPS
The Samsung Galaxy Core Mini 4G comes in white color and would head to operator China Mobile. Still no word on pricing or whether if the smartphone would launch outside China.
Via
Samsung unveiled the Galaxy K zoom at an event in Singapore back in April. Samsung is planning to launch the smartphone in India soon and it would go on sale exclusively on Amazon.in. Amazon is also running a social contest that ends July 13th. Hope we can expect the India launch sometime in July. This was first spotted by BGR.in. The Galaxy K zoom has a 20.7-megapixel BSI CMOS sensor, 4.4-44mm lens with 10x optical zoom, Optical Image Stabilisation (OIS) and Xenon Flash.
It has a 4.8-inch HD Super AMOLED screen, powered by a Hexa-Core processor (1.7 GHz Dual Core Cortex A15+ 1.3 GHz Quad Core Cortex A7) and runs on Android 4.4 (KitKat) with the latest Samsung Touchwiz UX.It has a 2-megapixel front-facing camera. It has AF/AE Separation (Auto Focus/ Auto Exposure Separation), Pro Suggest with 5 optimized filter settings, Selfie Alarm to take timed selfies, object tracing and more features.
It comes with 2GB RAM and 8GB of storage along with microSD expansion slot. It has 4G LTE, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Wi-Fi Direct, DLNA, Bluetooth v4.0 LE, GPS + GLONASS, NFC and packs a 2,430mAh battery. We went hands-on with the Galaxy K zoom at the launch event, check out the video.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dRrIa2PiWjg
Xolo recently announced its first Windows Phone 8.1 smartphone Win Q900s, and now it looks like the company is working on a new smartphone that will have Hive UI.
According to a report from GSMarena, Xolo is working on a flagship smartphone that will boast of a Hive UI. The device is touted to have a 5 inch HD display with with Gorilla Glass 3 protection. powered by an octa-core processor, the phone will have 2GB RAM and is expected to launch sometime in July.
Giving insights about a unique feature of the phone, the report states that it will have Hive UI based on Android KitKat. Also, the ROM on the device will offer new set of features and enhancements over the stock Android experience. It has revamped icons, fonts and a different homescreen.
In addition, the report adds that users will have the ability to interact with developers and get a customized UI as per their requirement. Users will also be able to download exclusive content from a brand new store.
Source::GSMArena
Swipe launched Konnect 5.0, the first smartphone in the Konnect series. We brought you unboxing of the smartphone recently, here we have the benchmarks of the smartphone. It is powered by a 1.3 GHz quad-core MediaTek MT6582 processor with ARM Cortex A7 cores and Mali 400 GPU, seen on most smartphones from Indian companies recently. It has a 5-inch ( 960 ×540 pixels) qHD capacitive touch screen IPS display and runs on Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean). Check out the synthetic benchmark scores below.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nkRV3kvRM9s
Quadrant Benchmark
It scored 7147 points in the Quadrant Benchmark.
AnTuTu Benchmark 4
In the AnTuTu Benchmark 4, it scored 17431 points and lies behind the Unite 2.
Vellamo 2 HTML5
It scored 1675 points in Vellamo 2 HTML5 browser benchmark.
Vellamo 2 Metal
It managed to score just 444 points in the Vellamo 2 Metal CPU Subsystem performance test.
Linpack Single Thread
It clocked around 114.3 MFLOPS in the Linpack single thread benchmark.
Linpack Multi-Thread
It clocked around 233.2 MFLOPS in the Linpack Multi-Thread benchmark.
NenaMark 2
It clocked 51.8 fps in the NenaMark 2 benchmark and lies just above the Iris X1.
GFXBench 2.7 T-Rex (On screen)
It clocked 8.6 fps in the GFXBench 2.7 T-Rex benchmark.
Basemark X 1.0 HD (Onscreen)
It clocked around 7.29 fps in the Basemark 1.0 OnScreen benchmark and lies ...
Samsung Galaxy Core II that surfaced earlier this month has gone official. It is the successor of last year's Galaxy Core and has a 4.5-inch (800 x 480 Pixels) LCD capacitive touch screen display, powered by a 1.2 GHz quad-core processor and runs on Android 4.4 (KitKat) with Samsung TouchWiz Essence UI. It has a 5-megapixel auto focus rear camera with LED flash and a 0.3-megapixel (VGA) front-facing camera.
It comes with dual SIM support, has 3G HSPA+ connectivity, 768MB RAM, 4GB of internal storage with expansion slot and 2000 mAh battery. It has leather-like back cover as seen on several Samsung smartphones.
Samsung Galaxy Core II specifications
4.5-inch (800 x 480 Pixels) display
1.2 GHz quad-core processor
Android 4.4 (KitKat) OS
Dual SIM
Dimensions: 130.2 x 67.9 x 9.8mm; Weight 138 grams
5MP rear camera with LED Flash
0.3MP (VGA) front-facing camera
3.5mm audio jack, FM Radio with RDS
768MB RAM, 4 GB internal memory, expandable up to 64GB with microSD
3G HSPA+, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS + GLONASS
2000 mAh battery
The Samsung Galaxy Core II comes in Black and White colors. No word on pricing or availability yet.
Google's Android platform has been the favorite of the OEMs for a long time due to its flexible nature. OEM's have been able to change and modify the user interface of their Android smartphones without Google's intervention. However, the OEMs and third-party developers will not have this liberty when it comes to the latest Android expansion by Google.
Google will not allow OEMs to change the UI on Android Wear, TV and Auto and will have sole control on UIs of these three platforms that were announced at the I/O developer conference last week.
"The UI is more part of the product in this case. We want to just have a very consistent user experience, so if you have one TV in one room and another TV in another room and they both say Android TV, we want them to work the same and look the same... The device manufacturers can brand it, and they might have services that they want to include with it, but otherwise it should be the same."
David Burke, Google's director of engineering said in an interview with Arstechnica.
Google will directly manage software updates for Wear, Auto and TV hardware, pushing out new versions much like Chrome desktop ...
Samsung has announced Galaxy Ace 4, successor of the Galaxy Ace 3 along with the Galaxy Core II. It has a 4-inch (800 x 480 Pixels)capacitive touch screen display, powered by a 1 GHz or 1.2 GHz quad-core processor and runs on Android 4.4 (KitKat) with Samsung TouchWiz Essence UI. It has a 5-megapixel rear camera with LED flash and a 0.3-megapixel (VGA) front-facing camera.
It also comes in LTE variant with 1GB RAM and 1800 mAh battery. The 3G variant has 512MB RAM and 1500 mAh battery. Both these have 4GB of internal storage with expansion slot.
Samsung Galaxy Ace 4 specifications
4-inch (800 x 480 Pixels) display
1.2 GHz / 1 GHz dual-core processor
Android 4.4 (KitKat) OS
5MP rear camera with LED Flash
0.3MP (VGA) front-facing camera
3.5mm audio jack, FM Radio with RDS
Dimensions - LTE: 130.2 x 67.9 x 9.8mm; Weight 130.3 grams; 3G: 121.4 x 62.9 x 10.8mm; Weight 123.8 grams
1GB RAM (LTE) / 512MB RAM (3G), 4 GB internal memory, expandable up to 64GB with microSD
4G LTE / 3G HSPA+, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Wi-Fi Direct, Bluetooth 4.0, aGPS + GLONASS
1800 mAh / 1500 mAh battery
The Samsung Galaxy Ace 4 comes in Iris Charcoal and Classic White colors. No word on pricing or availability yet.
Samsung has announced Galaxy Young 2 (SM-G130H) and Galaxy Star 2 (SM-G130E), its latest budget smartphones. Both these have 3.5-inch HVGA displays, powered by 1GHz single core processor and run on Android 4.4 (KitKat) with Samsung TouchWiz Essence UI. The Galaxy Young 2 has a 3-megapixel rear camera and comes with 3G connectivity, while the Star 2 comes with a 2-megapixel rear camera and has 2G support.
Both these have dual SIM support with dual standby, has 512MB RAM, 4GB of internal storage with expansion slot and a 1300mAh battery. Both these have faux leather back covers and comes with eight downloadable Gameloft games for free. Samsung did not announce the Samsung Galaxy Pocket 2 that surfaced earlier this month.
Samsung Galaxy Young 2 specifications
3.5-inch (320×480 pixels) display
1 GHz single-core processor
Android 4.4 (KitKat) OS
Dual SIM
Dimensions: 109.8 x 59.9 x 11.8mm; Weight 108 grams
3MP rear camera
3.5mm audio jack, FM Radio
512MB RAM, 4GB internal memory, expandable up to 32GB with microSD
3G HSPA+, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS + GLONASS
1300 mAh battery
Samsung Galaxy Star 2 specifications
3.5-inch (320×480 pixels) display
1 GHz (SC6815A) single-core processor
Android 4.4 (KitKat) OS
Dual SIM
Dimensions: 109.8 x 59.9 x 11.8mm; Weight 107.6 grams
2MP rear camera
3.5 mm audio jack, FM Radio
512MB RAM, 4GB internal memory, expandable up to 32GB with microSD
2G (EDGE), Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth ...
Sony announced the Xperia Z2 Tablet, the company's latest flagship tablet in the Z series at the MWC 2014 earlier this year. It is now available in India through online retailer Infibeam. It packs a 10.1-inch Full HD (1920 x 1200 pixels) WUXGA Display with Mobile BRAVIA Engine 2, scratch-resistant glass with Anti fingerprint coating, powered by a 2.3 GHz quad-core Snapdragon 801 processor with Adreno 330 GPU and runs on Android Android 4.4 (KitKat).
It has a 8.1-megapixel rear camera with with Exmor RS sensor and a 2.2-megapixel front-facing camera. It has IP55/IP58 ratings for dust and water resistance, comes with stereo speakers with Surround audio technology.
Sony Xperia Z2 Tablet rumored specifications
10.1-inch Full HD (1920 x 1200 pixels) WUXGA TRILUMINOS Display for mobile with Mobile BRAVIA Engine 2
2.3 GHz quad-core Snapdragon 801 processor with Adreno 330 GPU
Android 4.4 (KitKat)
Dust and water resistant (IP55 & IP57) with a durable glass front display
Dimensions: 266 x 172 x 6.4 mm; Weight: 426g
Dust and water resistant (P55/IP58)
3.5mm audio jack, FM Radio with RDS
8 MP rear camera with Exmor R for mobile sensor
2.2MP 1080p front-facing camera
3GB RAM, 16GB internal memory, expandable memory with microSD
4G LTE, 3G HSPA+, WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, MHL 3.0, GPS / GLONASS ...
HTC One series got Android 4.4 (KitKat) update with Sense 5.5 earlier this year. The HTC One, its dual SIM variant and the HTC One Max got the Sense 6 update few weeks back. Recently HTC ROM developer @LlabTooFeR posted the roadmap of future Android updates for HTC smartphones. According to the roadmap, the Sense 6 update for the One mini would roll out between June and July.
The Android 4.4.3 update for One M7 and One M8 are confirmed, but these might not be released since these devices could get Android 4.4.4 update directly in July or August. The HTC One M8, One M8 Dual SIM, One Mini 2 and HTC One E8 are expected to get the Android 4.4.4 update between August and September. The One M7 would get this update in July or August.
Android L update is planned for later this year for a range of HTC devices, but the update is under evaluation since the system requirements have not been revealed. HTC One X, One X+, Butterfly and other old devices would not get further update. Check out the leaked roadmap below.
Reports about Samsung working on the Galaxy Mega successor had surfaced online few months back. Today, specifications about the phablet has been spotted on GFX Benchmark database. The device which has a model number SM-G7508 boasts of a 5.9 inch screen with 1280 x 720 resolution.
Galaxy Mega 2 is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 processor which is also its first 64-bit chip that Samsung has been rumored to be internally testing on a mid-range device. It is also packed with Adreno 306 GPU (graphics processing unit) and 2GB of RAM and 8 GB internal storage. Running on Android KitKat 4.4.3, the device is expected to launch with latest Android 4.4.4.
Other specifications include 12 megapixel rear camera and a 5 megapixel front facing camera. The single sim device has microSD card slot, Wi-Fi support, Bluetooth, GPS, and NFC. There is no word on official release date and price of the Galaxy Mega 2. Meanwhile, Samsung rolled out Android KitKat 4.4 update to the original Galaxy Mega 6.3 at the end of May.
Via
