XOLO's much hyped HIVE UI today made its debut on a single piece of hardware ie the XOLO 8X-1000. Reasons abound why XOLO as a company decided to invest both time and a fair bit of money on developing a completely customized ROM but truth be told, we're not entirely convinced by the reasoning. We'll talk about that and more as we explore the new XOLO 8X-1000.
Xolo 8X-1000 specifications
5-inch (1280 x 720 pixels) HD IPS display with ASAHI Dragontrail glass protection
1.4 GHz octa-core MediaTek MT6592M processor with Mali 450-MP4 GPU
Android 4.4 (KitKat) with HIVE UI
Dual SIM (GSM + GSM)
8MP rear camera with LED Flash, EXMOR R Sensor, f/2.0 aperture 1080p video recording
2MP front-facing camera
3.5mm audio jack, FM Radio
2GB RAM, 16GB internal memory, expandable memory with microSD
3G HSDA+, WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS
1920mAh battery
Let's start off with the hardware itself. The XOLO 8X-1000 appears as yet another run of the mill device with nothing really that sets it apart. Sure, it brings with it the now standard octa core Mediatek processor and a large 720p screen but then competition is offering the same and perhaps more at a competitive price point. The front of the phone is dominated by its 5 inch ...
XOLO's much hyped HIVE UI today made its debut on a single piece of hardware ie the XOLO 8X-1000. Reasons abound why XOLO as a company decided to invest both time and a fair bit of money on developing a completely customized ROM but truth be told, we're not entirely convinced by the reasoning. We'll talk about that and more as we explore the new XOLO 8X-1000.
Xolo 8X-1000 specifications
5-inch (1280 x 720 pixels) HD IPS display with ASAHI Dragontrail glass protection
1.4 GHz octa-core MediaTek MT6592M processor with Mali 450-MP4 GPU
Android 4.4 (KitKat) with HIVE UI
Dual SIM (GSM + GSM)
8MP rear camera with LED Flash, EXMOR R Sensor, f/2.0 aperture 1080p video recording
2MP front-facing camera
3.5mm audio jack, FM Radio
2GB RAM, 16GB internal memory, expandable memory with microSD
3G HSDA+, WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS
1920mAh battery
Let's start off with the hardware itself. The XOLO 8X-1000 appears as yet another run of the mill device with nothing really that sets it apart. Sure, it brings with it the now standard octa core Mediatek processor and a large 720p screen but then competition is offering the same and perhaps more at a competitive price point. The front of the phone is dominated by its 5 inch ...
YouTube is bringing some new tweaks to playlist management in the latest update. The version 5.9.0.10 now gets a contextual menu that provides quicker access to pre-existing features. An action overflow button will appear next to each result at the time of searching for a playlist.
By tapping this button users can easily share or save playlists to your sidebar for quick access later. Each playlists now shows the number of items in the list as well. Another small change can be seen in the “Liked Videos” where users will see a "+" option to add that video instead of a 'thumbs up' button to like a playlist. In addition there is now a"View All” button under the playlists in the slideout menu on the app and this enables users to access all their playlists.
Other minor changes include video quality selector to choose between different resolutions, bug fixes and improvements for voice search and in general. The update is yet to be officially rolled out for Android but users can opt for the APK file from the source link below.
via:Android Police
Asus has launched the Fonepad 7 FE170CG in India. It was showcased at the Zenfone launch event in India last month and packs a 7-inch (1024 x 600 pixels) display, powered by 1.2 GHz dual-core Intel Atom Z2520 processor with PowerVR SGX544 GPU and runs on Android 4.3 (Jelly Bean) with ZenUI. It has a 2-megapixel rear camera and a 0.3-megapixel (VGA) front-facing camera.
It comes with dual SIM support and has voice calling capabilities. It has 1GB RAM, 4GB of internal storage with expansion slot and packs a 3950 mAh battery. It has rounded edges and a streamlined chassis with a high-gloss finish, says the company. Asus launched the Fonepad 7 Dual SIM (ME175CG) with 7-inch HD display and a 5MP rear camera in India back in April.
Asus Fonepad 7 (FE170CG) specifications
7-inch (1024 x 600 pixels) display
1.2 GHz dual-core Intel Atom Z2520 processor with PowerVR SGX544 GPU
Dual SIM with dual standby
Android 4.3 (Jelly Bean) with ZenUI, upgradable to Android 4.4 KitKat
2MP rear camera, 720p video recording
0.3MP front-facing camera
10.7 mm thick and weighs 290 grams
1GB RAM, 4GB internal memory, expandable memory up to 64GB via microSD
3G HSPA+, WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS
3950 mAh battery
The Asus Fonepad 7 FE170CG comes in Black, White, Red and Blue colors and is priced at ...
Antec has launched its A.M.P (Antec Mobile Products) Line of speakers and headphones in India. These include, A.M.P SP1 and A.M.P SPzero portable Bluetooth speakers, A.M.P dBs in-ear earphones and A.M.P Pulse Bluetooth headphones. The SP1 portable Bluetooth speaker has built-in microphone and controls that lets you easily switch between your music and phone functions with the touch of a button. The A.M.P SPzero is a smaller version that also has microphone and Bluetooth 3.0 support.
Features and specifications of Antec A.M.P SP1 Bluetooth speaker
A 6W total output speaker (3W per channel)
2 Full range speakers drive with 1 passive radiator
AUX In function (3.5mm Stereo Input)
Built-in microphone
Bluetooth Ver. 2.1EDR
1500mAh Li-Ion Rechargeable Battery
Standby Time: 480 hours (Slide Switch at Off position)
Playback Time: Up to 10hrs
Frequency Response: 2.402~2.480 GHz
CVC (Clear Voice Capture) Echo cancellation
Colors/Designs: 7 colors
Buttons/Controls: Talk, Volume Down and Volume Up
Price: Rs. 5,999
Features and specifications of Antec A.M.P SPzero Bluetooth speaker
3W total output speaker
AUX In function (3.5mm Stereo Input)
Built-in microphone
Bluetooth Ver. 3.0 EDR
750mAh Li-Polymer Rechargeable Battery
Playback Time: Up to 8hrs
Frequency Response: 20Hz~20KHz
Colors/Designs: 7 colors
Buttons/Controls: Talk, Volume Down and Volume Up
Price: Rs. 2,899
Features and specifications of Antec A.M.P dBs in-ear earphones
High-efficiency drivers
Speaker: 10mm
Impedance: 3 Ohms
Frequency response: 20Hz~20KHz
Speaker power: Default 1mW, maximum 5mW
Plug: 3.5mm
Colors/Designs: 5 colors
Braided, nylon-coated cables to minimize tangles and knots
Earpieces (S/M/L)
Price: Rs. 999
Features and specifications ...
Binatone launched 3G Mifi Router with 5000 mAh Turbo Power Bank in India. It lets you create Wi-Fi hotspot for up to 10 users, has built-in SD card reader upto 32 GB for Wireless Files Sharing, plug and play support for auto configuration . It offers download speed of up to 21.6 Mbps and upload speed of up to 5.76Mbps for connectivity on the go.
It promises 12 hours of battery life and also lets you charge your smartphone easily. Earlier this year iBall launched a similar 3G MiFi router with 4400mAh power bank.
Features of Binatone 3G MiFi Router with Turbo Power Bank
3G Wi-Fi Router, supports Wi-Fi 802.11/g/n
Download Up to 21.6Mbps, Upload Up to 5.76Mbps
Support up to 10 users
Inbuilt Wireless Repeater
Fast download speed up to 21.6 Mbps
Portable Wi-Fi Hotspot – up to 10 users
Turbo Power Bank – 5000 mAh
Charging Input Interface: Micro USB 5V/1A
Micro SD Card up to 32GB – Wireless Files Sharing
Work as a Wireless Router with WLAN/LAN port.
Commenting on the launch, S.P. Singh, Country Head, Binatone said,
We always try to design and create utility driven devices that fulfill multipurpose needs. 3G Mi-Fi Router has an inbuilt power bank that provides power supply to mobile devices while creating a hotspot for multiple users. With a download speed ...
Soon after WhatsApp released a beta version for Android to support Android Wear, Facebook has pushed an update to its Messenger app for Android that adds Android Wear support. This lets you view message notifications, so that you can reply to messages easily from your Android wear smartwatch, says Android Central that reported regarding the update first.
Since the Android Wear uses swipes to switch between the features inside an app, you can just swipe to access voice reply, like with a big thumbs-up symbol and more. You can also mute conversations right from your Android device's notifications menu. Last month Google Play Store got a dedicated Android Wear section with about 24 apps. The app count has increased gradually with new apps like TrueCaller, Runtastic and more.
The updated Facebook Messenger app is now available on the Google Play Store.
OPPO had been teasing the N1 mini via their social feeds through the past week or so. The N1 mini, as the name suggests, is the mini version of the OPPO N1 that happens to be the Chinese phone maker's first phone in India, launched back in January.
OPPO hasn't revealed the N1 mini specs set for India, but we assume it won't be very different from the version OPPO unveiled earlier. Here is what the N1 mini is believed to be having under the hood.
Specifications
5-inch 1280 x 720p display
1.6GHz Snapdragon 400 SoC
2GB RAM
16GB on-board ROM
13 mega-pixel swivel camera
2140mAh battery
Android v4.3
It's quite clear that the N1 mini will be a camera-centric device with the above mentioned specifications. It is worthy to note that the 1.6GHz Snapdragon 400 SoC that the N1 mini is expected to feature powers the (expectedly) much cheaper Xiaomi Redmi 1S as well.
Xiaomi drew a lot of flak for not meeting the demand that their first India launch, the Mi 3 saw. Along with the Mi 3, Xiaomi announced a couple of other devices including the cost-effective Redmi 1S and the octa-core monster, the Redmi Note.
Considering the demand that the Mi 3 saw, it is but natural for one to feel that it's going to be quite a bit more for the cheaper Redmi phones. Xiaomi did say that the phones would be made available sometime in August, but didn't specify a date. However, Xiaomi's Hugo Barra took to BGR India's comments to delve details.
According to Hugo's article, the Xiaomi Mi 4 and the Mi Pad will be available in India by the 'end of the year'. "Launch will be in a few weeks, am hoping to announce an official date at the end of next week (still finalizing some logistics details)", is what Barra said about the Redmi 1S, which I think is going to be the one to watch out for.
About the Redmi Note, Barra added that it'll be launched before the Diwali season, which happens to be a favourite shopping time for Indians.
Lastly, Barra also mentioned that Xiaomi is ...
Asus ZenFone 4 is the cheapest of all the three smartphones from the Zenfone series. The entry-level phone was launched in India last month for Rs 5,999. Asus has launched the phone in two versions viz, the A400CG and A450CG. The former has a 4 inch screen and a 5-megapixel camera, whereas the latter, which is not available for sale in India yet, has a 4.5-inch screen and an 8-megapixel camera. Let’s take a detailed look at the Asus Zenfone 4, A400CG black color model in our review.
Unboxing
Check out our unboxing of the Asus Zenfone 4 to know about the box contents.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WBr3spFmxts
Design and Hardware
The ZenFone 4 is compact and can be easily operated with a single hand. It is a bit curved at the back and has a rubber matter rear panel that offers a good grip. Asus has put a lot of efforts to make the entire Zenfone series smartphone appealing and that applies for the Zenfone 4 as well. The phone comes in five colors - Charcoal Black, Pearl White, Cherry Red, Sky Blue, and Solar Yellow. It has a 0.3 VGA front facing camera along with LED notification on the front. It has proximity sensor, but ...
Google has released updated images of the Android L developer preview. The new images weigh in as build LPV81C and are still only available to the Nexus 5 and Nexus 7 (2013) WiFi. This is an upgrade from the LPV79 build that was released in late June.
Not much has been changed in the images however, Google does note that developers should download these new images and not the ones on the main Android Developers page since the new LPV81C images “include the necessary support for Google Fit,”. In addition to releasing the developer preview, Google has also made Google Fit SDK available for developers.
"The preview SDK gives you the tools to start building your app. You’ll be able to launch your app later this year when we launch the full Google Fit SDK as part of Google Play services for handsets, Android Wear and also for the web"
said Google in a company blog post.
The Google Fit Preview SDK includes the three sets of APIs that developers will need to begin building apps that take advantage of Google Fit. Those include the Sensors API for high-level access to sensors from devices and wearables, a Recording API to gather a cloud-synced background of fitness data and a History ...
In June Barnes & Noble announced partnership with Samsung to launch Nook tablets. Today, the company has sent press invites for an event on August 20 where it is expected to launch the tablet.
Dubbed Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 Nook, the tablet will be equipped with Samsung’s hardware based on the company's entry-level 7-inch Galaxy Tab 4. The invitation does not provide any details about the announcement and just reads, "Join us as the best of both worlds come together."
Barnes & Noble has not unveiled a new tablet since the Nook HD and Nook HD+ were unveiled in September 2012. The co-branded Nook tablets will go on sale in the U.S. in early August and will be sold at Barnes & Noble bookstores and online alongside NOOK e-readers. Meanwhile, Samsung has scheduled Galaxy Note 4 event on September 3 ahead of IFA Berlin.
via:Cnet
Google has updated Android Device Manager that helps users secure their device. The latest version 1.3.8 enables to add a phone number in the remote locking screen while also letting them change the lockscreen password and set up an optional message.
If you add in the phone number, the lockscreen will show a big green button that says "call owner" . So if someone finds your misplaced phone, they will be able to easily contact you and return it. Prior to the update, users could only add a message.
In addition to being able to set the callback number within the Android Device Manager app, you can also now do it on the web interface, should you not have another Android device.
The message and callback features are optional but are highly recommended as it can help the finder to reach its owner. The update should be rolling out to everyone within the next week.
via:Phandroid
Google is back with its Google Play discounted sale. Earlier this year Google celebrated Google Play's second birthday by offering some games, but it was not impressive compared to the first birthday sale.Today Google has started its new offer that lets you get films and e-books at discounted rates in new sale called "The Great Monsoon Sale". Google also offers discounts on music in some countries, but since Google Play Music is not available in India, it is not available in the country.
The Google Play sale is available in 17 countries that includes, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Ireland, Japan, Italy, Korea, Mexico, Netherlands, Russia, Taiwan, Thailand, UK, US and South-East Asia.
You don't find huge discounts on movies, but there are great discounts for books. You can get some books for as low as Rs. 4 and some popular books like Mr. Mercedes by Stephen King for just Rs. 17 and The Heist Daniel Silva for just Rs. 10. You can check out amazing deals on Google Play here.
Via
HTC has updated its Gallery app by adding the ability for users to duo camera effected photos. We all know that One M8 has a dual camera that lets users snap photos then adds effects to them.
With this update M8 owners can now share these photos include any that were taken and edited with HTC’s UFocus, Foregrounder, and Dimension Plus editing tools. Prior to this users could apply effects to photo and save but others could see the just the simple photo without any effects.
In order to use the feature HTC One M8 owners will need to first select a photo, then going to Edit > Effects and choose an effect. After adding a desired effect users can tap the share icon in the top right corner. In addition, HTC has also made improvements to the Gallery app in general.
via:Android Police
VSCO for Android has received a major update to version 3.0. The new update integrates the VSCO grid, that lets photographers to curate and showcase their images. The update also adds option find other photographers within the VSCO Grid by searching or exploring the curated Grid, better privacy features and location settings. Now you can share any content via social media easily. Check out the complete changelog below.
VSCO Cam for Android was launched back in December last year and has received several updates since launch, making the app faster and adding features.
New features in VSCO Cam 3.0 for Android
VSCO Grid natively integrated into VSCO Cam
Find and follow other VSCO creatives
Explore the curated VSCO Grid
Updated UI/UX
Improved Share functionality
Updated location and privacy settings
Various performance enhancements
Download VSCO Cam 3.0 for Android
Xiaomi introduced the MiPad, its first tablet back in May at an event in China. The company showed off the tablet at the Mi3 launch event in India last month, when we brought you the photo gallery and hand-on impressions of the tablet. We brought you the unboxing of the MiPad recently, here we have the benchmarks of the tablet. The MiPad is powered by a quad-core NVIDIA Tegra K1 processor with ARM Cortex A15 cores clocked at 2.2 GHz and 192-core Kepler GPU. It has a 7.9-inch (2048 × 1536 pixels) display and runs on Android 4.4 KitKat-based MIUI ROM. Check out the synthetic benchmark scores below.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aUNeuQ-CAQQ
Quadrant Benchmark
It scored 22911 points and topped the Quadrant benchmark.
AnTuTu Benchmark 4
It scored 40419 and topped the AnTuTu Benchmark 4 too.
Vellamo 2.0 HTML5
It scored 1937 points in the Vellamo 2 HTML5 browser benchmark.
Vellamo 2.0 Metal
It topped again in the Vellamo 2 Metal benchmarks by scoring 1402 points.
Linpack Single Thread
It clocked whopping 687.158 MFLOPS in the Linpack single thread benchmark.
Linpack Multi-Thread
It clocked around 911.7 MFLOPS and lies behind the Snapdragon 800 tablet development platform.
NenaMark 2
It clocked 59.8 fps in NenaMark 2 GPU benchmark.
GFXBench 2.7 T-Rex (On screen)
It clocked 27.5 fps in the GFXBench 2.7 T-Rex OnScreen benchmark and lies behind ...
Microsoft owned Nokia was rumored to be working on a selfie centered smartphone under the codename 'Superman'. First images of the phone with 5MP front facing camera have surfaced in a new leak.
The photo of the Lumia 730 or the selfie phone were obtained by WP Central that shows the phone in green color. The same color scheme can be spotted on previous Lumia devices. The phone will sport a 4.7-inch 720p touchscreen and a 2000 mAh battery, said the report. Other specifications of the internal hardware of the phone are not known yet.
The device is also apparently running a new version of Nokia specific software, called “Lumia Debian Red”. According to WP Central this could be company's version of the Windows Phone 8.1 Update 1 that is expected to be available to the general public later this year. Also, this might be a codename for the update as firmware names go in alphabetical order, starting with A for Amber, Black, Cyan and now D for Debian Red, said the report.
It isn't clear what the new update will add in terms of features. The Lumia 730 looks like a successor of Lumia 720. Last month Lumia 830 was spotted with 'Nokia by ...
Gameloft has released its new Ice Age Adventures for Android, iOS and Windows Phone platforms. In this game need to explore new worlds, battle memorable bosses, solve puzzles and take on exciting challenges in an effort to rescue the entire herd. You can play as Sid, Manny and Diego, characters from the Ice Age movies. These characters are voiced by the official actors from the films. Gameloft showcased the game at the E3 2014 back in June along with upcoming games like Asphalt Overdrive and Cars: Fast As Lightning.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9R7CWVYFrtc
Highlights of Ice Age Adventures
EPIC EXPLORATION & ADVENTURE
Explore the unknown with Sid, Manny & Diego as playable characters.
Have casual fun in diverse environments like snowy islands and treacherous lush lands.
Overcome extreme hurdles and encounters with a hungry dinosaur and other foes in order to find missing family members.
RESCUE THE ENTIRE HERD
Play a match-3 puzzle to save every animal friend.
Sled with Sid and rescue the herd's babies.
Recruit Precious and bring the herd together quickly.
Return each animal to the village and complete your collection.
A COMPLETE SCRAT-ASTROPHE
Don't kid around! Scrat needs to escape an avalanche in an exciting and addictive runner mini-game.
Each rescued animal can be used as a power-up.
Compete against friends in daily/weekly challenges and ...
A number of Samsung Galaxy Alpha leaks have been surfaced for quiet some time now. Earlier this week the phone was spotted with metal sides in white color. Today, the European variant of the Galaxy Alpha with model number SM-G850F has been approved by the FCC.
According to the Federal Commission, the Galaxy Alpha measures 133 x 67 mm which makes it smaller than the Galaxy S5 that measures 142 x 72.5 mm. The phone will support LTE along with 4.0 LE, NFC, dual-band Wi-Fi. Samsung Galaxy Alpha is expected to launch on the August 13. It will have a 4.8-inch 720p screen, an octa-core processor, most likely the Exynos 5 Octa 5433, which has four Cortex A15 cores and four Cortex A7 cores. Previous leaks have also stated that it is expected to boast of a 12 MP rear and 2 MP front camera.
via:PhoneArena
Microsoft unveiled the Lumia 530 Dual SIM, the latest budget Windows Phone 8 handset last month. Snapdeal has started taking pre-orders for the smartphone in India exclusively. The Lumia 530 has a 4-inch FWVGA display, powered by a 1.2 GHz quad-core Snapdragon 200 processor, runs on Windows Phone 8.1 and has a 5-megapixel fixed focus rear camera, but lacks a front-facing camera. It has Dual SIM support that offers call waiting and call forwarding between two SIM cards.
Nokia Lumia 530 Dual SIM Specifications
4-inch (854 x 480 pixels) display
1.2 GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 200 processor with Adreno 302 GPU
Windows Phone 8.1 OS
Dual SIM
5MP fixed focus rear camera
11.7 mm thick and weighs 129 grams
512MB RAM, 4GB internal memory, up to 128GB expandable memory with microSD
3.5mm audio jack, FM Radio
3G, WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS / aGPS
1430 mAh battery
The Nokia Lumia 530 Dual SIM would launch in India in the third week of August, according to Snapdeal, who is taking pre-orders for the smartphone without any advance amount. We should know the pricing when it launches later this month. The Lumia 520 is one of the most successful smartphones, and the Lumia 530 adds Dual SIM support and a faster processor.
