Xolo today announced that the it will roll out Android 5.0 Lollipop update for its Xolo One budget smartphone starting January 16. It already promised to offer Android 5.0 (Lollipop) update for the smartphone when it launched back in October last year running Android 4.4 (KitKat). Xolo is not part of the Android One program, and it is really good to see the company offering Android Lollipop update for the Xolo One before the Android One devices.
The Android 5.0 Lollipop brings Material Design with bold, colorful, and responsive UI, better notifications, battery saver feature, better security including Android Smart Lock, New Quick Settings, Improved network handoffs, flexible sharing, faster, smoother and more powerful experience with ART, 15 new languages and more.
To remind you, the Xolo One has a 4.5-inch FWVGA display based on one-glass-solution technology, is powered by a 1.3GHz quad-core MediaTek MT6582M processor with Mali 400 MP2 processor, has a 5-megapixel rear camera with LED flash and a VGA front-facing camera. It packs 1GB RAM, 8GB of internal storage with expansion slot and a 1700mAh battery. It even has leather-like back cover.
In an interview to ET, Sunil Raina, business head, Xolo, said:
Having a dedicated software team is one of the key factors behind ...
Xolo today announced that the it will roll out Android 5.0 Lollipop update for its Xolo One budget smartphone starting January 16. It already promised to offer Android 5.0 (Lollipop) update for the smartphone when it launched back in October last year running Android 4.4 (KitKat). Xolo is not part of the Android One program, and it is really good to see the company offering Android Lollipop update for the Xolo One before the Android One devices.
The Android 5.0 Lollipop brings Material Design with bold, colorful, and responsive UI, better notifications, battery saver feature, better security including Android Smart Lock, New Quick Settings, Improved network handoffs, flexible sharing, faster, smoother and more powerful experience with ART, 15 new languages and more.
To remind you, the Xolo One has a 4.5-inch FWVGA display based on one-glass-solution technology, is powered by a 1.3GHz quad-core MediaTek MT6582M processor with Mali 400 MP2 processor, has a 5-megapixel rear camera with LED flash and a VGA front-facing camera. It packs 1GB RAM, 8GB of internal storage with expansion slot and a 1700mAh battery. It even has leather-like back cover.
In an interview to ET, Sunil Raina, business head, Xolo, said:
Having a dedicated software team is one of the key factors behind ...
Twitter is apparently working on negotiations to buy ZipDial,a mobile marketing startup from India. The size of the deal is estimated to be between $30-40 million.
The move is expected to boost Twitter’s international business and mobile marketing strategy in India and other similar markets. Founded in 2010, ZipDial offers a unique marketing solution where consumers can give missed calls to a number to engage with an advertising brand. The Bangalore based startup was founded by Valerie Wagoner, Amiya Pathak, and Sanjay Swamy.
ZipDial has already worked with Twitter to offer tweets from celebrities to non Twitter users via SMS. The report says that the ZipDial acquisition has already been done by Twitter and will be announced as early as this week. This will be Twitter's first Indian acquisition. In 2013, Facebook had acquired Indian start-up Little Eye Labs.
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HP India today launched the Slate 6 VoiceTab II voice calling tablet running Android and Stream 8 Windows 8.1 tablet with 3G support. The company also launched HP Stream 11, a 11.6-inch Windows 8.1 notebook and HP Pavilion Mini Desktop, a palm sized desktop.
Commenting on the launch, Ketan Patel, Director, Computing category, Printing and Personal Systems, HP India, said,
Overall demand for innovative and mobility devices is increasing in India and consumers are looking for devices that can be used for both work and play. By introducing this new range of mobile computing devices, HP is looking to blend technology seamlessly into the lifestyle of the new age consumer by catering to their diverse demands around flexibility, performance and style.
HP Slate 6 VoiceTab II specifications
6-inch (1280 x 720 pixels) touch screen IPS display
Android 4.4 (Kitkat)
1.2 GHz quad-core Marvell PXA1088 processor
Dual SIM with Dual Standby
8MP rear camera with LED Flash
2MP front-facing camera
8.98mm thick and weighs 160 grams
1GB RAM, 16GB internal memory, expandable memory up to 32GB with micro SD
3.2mm audio jack
3G, WiFi, Bluetooth 3.0 + EDR, GPS
3000 mAh Li-Polymer battery
HP Stream 8 specifications
8-inch (1280 x 800 pixels) anti-glare multi-touch IPS display
1.8GHz quad-core Intel Atom Z3735G processor with Intel HD Graphics
1GB DDR3 RAM, 32GB of ...
Vodafone India has launched 121 Festive Offer for its customers in Tamil Nadu to celebrate Pongal festival. Under this initiative, Vodafone pre-paid customers in Tamil Nadu can dial *121# and avail a choice of Best Vodafone value offers relevant to their usage pattern.
Vodafone 121 Pongal offer lets customers choose four different value propositions:
Extra talk time
Exclusive STD offers
Exclusive internet offers
Internet + Voice + SMS offers
Announcing the new initiative and conveying his Pongal greetings to the residents of Tamil Nadu, Suresh Kumar, Operations Director - South, Vodafone India said:
At Vodafone, it is our constant endeavour to provide unique and differentiated value to our customers relevant to their needs. Vodafone’s 121 Festive Offer is one such offering that has a value proposition built-in, even as it serves as a great customer engagement platform. I hereby invite all Vodafone customers in Tamil Nadu to enjoy a harvest of the finest deals under our 121 Festive offer, as they celebrate Pongal with their loved ones.
121, also known as ‘Made for You’, empowers customers to choose plans customized specially for them. 121 can be interpreted as one plan that fits one individual, thereby lending weight to the premise that each of Vodafone’s customers can have a ...
Lenovo is gearing up to launch a new device unit that could be worth a couple of billion dollars, according to a new report from Bloomberg. Dubbed as 'Shenqi', the new unit will focus on online only smartphone brand and smart home devices.
The news comes after a report last year stated that Lenovo will set up a new subsidiary in 2015 that will adapt internet based business model meaning, the phones and tablets will be available for purchase only via online shopping thereby skipping the physical retail stores. Along with online sell of smartphones, the Shenqi unit will also indulge in Internet connected household devices. Shenqi which in Chinese means magical or miraculous will be established in April this year.
“We want to try a new way to nurture and incubate business. Smartphones will be just one of the devices for this new startup company and it will be backed not only with Lenovo money, but also will get money from capital markets".
Lenovo CEO Yang Yuanqing told Bloomberg.
In August last year, Lenovo’s smartphone sales exceeded than its PC for the first time and reported strong profits in Q1. The company also recorded a healthy annual profit for FY2014.
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Sony is having a tough time with its mobile division lately and may consider new options for it, that includes selling it off, as per a report from Reuters. The company may even consider joint venture with another partner.
Last year in September, Sony had predicted $1.7 billion loss due to sluggish smartphone sale. The Japanese company attributed lacklustre sales in the mid-tier and entry-level segments to a “significant change in the market and competitive environment of the mobile business”. The company announced in November that it is planning to cut down the smartphone lineup by ending the development of new smartphones in China and is reducing the number of Xperia models as it struggles to compete with the likes of Apple and Samsung.
The report does not mention whether Sony is involved in any such deal as yet but quotes one source as saying "every segment now needs to understand that Sony can exit businesses". Sony sold off its Vaio PC division in February last year and started focusing on TV business.
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Wiio has launched Wi Star 3G, the company’s budget smartphone. It has a 5-inch FWVGA IPS display, is powered by a 1.3 GHz dual-core processor and runs on Android 4.4 (KitKat). It has a 5-megapixel autofocus rear camera with LED flash and 2-megapixel front-facing camera. It comes with dual SIM support and 3G connectivity.
Commenting on the launch, Rohit Ghai, Director, Wiio Mobiles said,
The Wiio Wi Star 3G boasts of interesting functions at a very competitive price point. We are committed to offering consumers with value for money devices with state of the art features. We are bullish about the Indian mobile market and look forward to launching a suite of phones in the coming months.
Wiio Wi Star 3G specifications
5-inch (854 x 480 pixels) IPS display
1.3 GHz dual-core MediaTek MT6572 processor
512 MB RAM, 4GB internal memory, expandable memory up to 32GB with microSD
Android 4.4 (KitKat)
Dual SIM with dual standby
5MP rear camera with LED Flash
2 front-facing camera
3.5mm audio jack, FM Radio
Dimensions: 145.5x77.5x9.8mm; Weight: 164 grams
3G, WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS
2000mAh battery
The Wiio Wi Star 3G comes in blue color and is priced at Rs. 3999. It is available exclusively from eBay India.
It looks like HP is working on two new tablets that will run on Android and Windows. The tablets will apparently sport a 10 inch screen and will have almost the same hardware.
The tablets are named as HP Slate Pro 10 EE G1 and HP 10 Pro Tablet EE G1. The former will run on Android OS while the latter on the Windows 8.1. Both the tablets will feature Intel Atom Z3735F quad-core Bay Trail processors, 2GB of RAM, and 32GB of storage. And each has a 10.1 inch display and support 802.11n WiFi, Bluetooth, and NFC.
Moving on, the tablets have earned the 'Pro' tag as they will be accompanied by a stylus with them . As per the photos, the tablets looks durable and come with quite thick bezels and frame. HP is expected to launch different variants of the tablets and some of the cheaper tablets of Windows 8.1 will come without stylus, while the high end models will come with stylus. HP will even bring other tablet models that support 3G mostly in Europe. These tablets made an appearance on Notebook Italia website and was first reported by Liliputing.
Yesterday, HP launched the Slate 6 VoiceTab II and Stream 8 officially ...
HomeShop18 has rolled out 9 new smartphones, including a Windows Phone 8.1 smartphone in India. This includes Micromax Win W121 and Canvas A82 smartphones that were already launched. Other new smartphones include, Spice Mi-501, Spice Mi-402, Spice Mi-401, Spice Mi-514, Spice Mi-347, Spice Mi-551 and Celkon A356. It has also released Spice M-6115, which is a feature phone. Priced between Rs. 2199 and Rs. 6999, these phones would be available from HomeShop18 starting 14th January.
Talking about the launch of multiple smartphones, Sundeep Malhotra, Founder & CEO, HomeShop18 said
The launch of nine new technologically advanced mobile phones is another step towards our commitment to deliver superior quality smartphones that suits varied specifications and pockets of people across the country. The industry has witnessed highest mobile phone sales in the Rs. 5,000 – 15,000 price category, enabling India’s movement towards becoming the second largest smartphone market by 2016. Thus, with this launch, we are providing our customers a plethora of mobiles from multiple brands that will certainly match their preferences and style.
The Spice Mi-551 has a 5.5-inch qHD display, is powered by a 1.3GHz quad-core processor, comes with 1GB RAM, 8GB of internal storage with expansion slot and packs a 2200mAh battery. It has a 8-megapixel rear camera with LED flash and a 3.2-megapixel front-facing camera. It ...
Samsung has started rolling out the Android 5.0 Lollipop update to Galaxy S5 in the UK. Users of the Galaxy S5 in the UK will soon receive the OTA notification that will upgrade their phones to the latest Android OS.
However, the latest Lollipop update is still based on Android version 5.0 (LRX21T), while all of its other flagship devices are internally being tested with a newer Android base — Android 5.0.2 (LRX22G). Samsung started rolling out Lollipop update to Galaxy S5 devices in Poland and Korea last month.
Samsung’s own TouchWiz interface will remain even after the Lollipop update. First up it will bring Material Design feature that enhances the visual layout of the UI. In addition, the 5.0 update comes with lockscreen notifications, increased performance thanks to the switch to Android’s new ART runtime, better battery life, heads-up alerts, multi-user support for phones, Smart Lock, MirrorLink and so on. Moreover, there are some changes to the fingerprint scanner, which now has a Galaxy Note 4 style fingerprint unlock method, and more.
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Samsung has launched Samsung Z1 (Z130H), the company’s first budget Tizen OS smartphone in India, as expected. It has a 4-inch WVGA display, is powered by a 1.2 GHz dual-core processor and runs on Tizen OS 2.3. It has a 3.1-megapixel rear camera and a VGA front-facing camera. It has dual SIM support and 3G connectivity.
It has Ultra Power Saving Mode to extend the battery life, comes with free access to premium content though Club Samsung such as 270,000 songs and over 80 live TV channels. It comes with free access to Hungama music for three months and free nexGTv and Box TV subscription for three months.
It lets you enable SOS alert with just a press of the power button four times, which will send out Help message to the user’s primary contacts and track the user’s location to provide necessary assistance. It also has built-in AntiVirus protection that automatically checks for any viruses when users install an app, check email or receive an SMS.
Commenting on the launch, Hyun Chil Hong, President and CEO, Samsung India Electronics, said,
The smartphone market in India is rapidly evolving, with many consumers using their device as their screen of choice for content including videos, television programs and video games, as well as a range ...
In a bid to help find and return missing children, Facebook has announced the launch of Amber (America's Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response) Alerts. The new initiative is aimed at locating missing children in the US by using the world's largest social network.
Facebook has partnered with National Center for Missing and Exploited Children for the same. The Amber Alerts will appear on the US users News Feed and target specific, targeted search areas to inform local people about missing or abducted children. The alerts will appear on mobile devices and desktops with photos and other details, allowing you to share them with others.
"When local or state police determine that a case qualifies for an AMBER Alert, the alert is issued by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and distributed through the Facebook system with any available information, including a photograph of the missing child, a license plate number, the name and description of the child and suspected abductor."
posted Facebook's Emily Vacher, Trust and Safety Manager, on a company blog.
Facebook users will not receive a push notification for the information on their phones, but the information will be viewable in detail when browsing the Facebook timeline when an AMBER Alert is active in ...
Oppo has announced Oppo R1C, the company’s latest mid-range smartphone and the successor of last year's Oppo R1 (R829T). It comes with a 5-inch (1280 x 720 pixels) IPS display, is powered by a 1.5 GHz Octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 processor and runs on Color OS based on Android 4.4. The phone is just 6.85 mm, slightly thinner than its predecessor Oppo R1 and weighs 130 grams. It has a 13-megapixel rear camera with LED flash and a 5-megapixel front-facing camera.
The phone has a unique design with gold rim on the sides in the white version and silver rim in the blue version. Both the variants have glass back with diamond patterns. The primary micro SIM slot supports 4G LTE and the secondary nano SIM slot has 2G (EDGE) connectivity.
Oppo R1C Specifications
5-inch (1280 x 720 pixels) HD IPS display
1.5 GHz Octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 (MSM8939) processor with Adreno 405 GPU
2GB RAM, 16GB internal memory, expandable memory up to 128GB with microSD
Dual SIM (micro + nano)
Android 4.4 (KitKat) with Color OS 2.0
13MP rear camera with LED Flash, Sony IMX214 Exmor RS sensor and f/2.0 aperture
5MP front-facing camera
6.85mm thick and weighs 130 grams
4G LTE, 3G, WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS
2420 mAh battery
The Oppo R1C comes in white with gold frame and blue with silver ...
HTC has started rolling out Android 5.0 Lollipop update for One M8 unlocked and developer edition models. The update was confirmed by HTC's VP of Product Management Mo Versi’s on his Twitter account.
As promised by HTC, the update did roll out to the One M8 within the 90 days time period that was announced in October last year. The software version 4.16.1540.8 is expected to be 584 MB and is expected to start hitting the One M8 devices soon. The Android 5.0 Lollipop update will add the Material Design features which will bring bold colors and revamped UI with small animations. In addition other features like update for lock screen and notifications, support for multiple pages of recent apps, enhanced privacy features and a search function within settings, etc will be included.
Other carrier customized HTC One M8 devices like Verizon, AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile might soon follow and receive the Lollipop update. The Lollipop update will also bring a new version of Sense 6 UI for the HTC One M8 device.
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ASUS has released ASUS Keyboard for its Zenfone series of smartphones and its Android tablets in India. Even though the app was available on Google Play since last year, the company has added Hindi and Tamil languages for Indian users. ASUS has promised to add more languages and localized features soon. The keyboard offers accurate next-word prediction and suggestions, auto-correction and a learning capability, says the company.
Commenting on the launch of new Keyboard, Peter Chang, Regional Head - South Asia & Country Manager – System Business Group - ASUS India, said:
The ASUS keyboard is a very user-friendly device that supports only ASUS gadgets. We are constantly working towards devising techniques that make use of our gadgets smoother for our customers irrespective of the language. Our new innovation enables finger flicking, fast swipe typing and intelligent learning and word suggestions that simplifies your typing needs significantly. Supporting multiple languages is the most important aspect of localization. In view of our customers’ feedback, we have introduced multi-lingual support. We believe that it is important to serve all of the users with diverse features and simplify the user interface significantly.
Features of ASUS Keyboard
Multi-lingual Support – English, Hindi & Tamil
Easy finger-flicking to speed up ...
Tesco has embraced another type of wearable technology by becoming the first major UK retailer to launch an app for Google Glass. The new app allows shoppers to browse goods, view nutritional information and add items to the basket and is voice activated like the rest of the Glass experience.
The new app, called Tesco Grocery, works alongside existing Tesco.com grocery accounts and automatically adds products to the online basket. There are two ways to add items to the basket - by doing a voice search and selecting from available items using the button on the side of the headset or by scanning a product barcode using the camera (the latter seems much simpler).
Some potential practical uses of the app include with the weekly shop; for example, if you noticed you were running out of bread, you could scan the barcode using the camera and add it to your basket or if you wanted a bottle of wine, you could do a voice search and select from the extensive range of wines.
Pablo Coberly, Innovation Engineer at Tesco Labs (the experimental technology arm of Tesco), said:
“At Tesco we want to ensure we have the means in place to allow customers to shop ...
HTC is continuing to bring more of its custom apps to the Google Play Store. The latest one to hit the Play Store is its own Sense web browser that is dubbed as HTC Internet.
The browser is compatible only to HTC devices and is made specially for Sense which is the company's UI on top on Android. HTC Internet has received couple of tweaks including text wrapping when zooming, a redesigned interface, and an offline reading mode. It is compatible with smartphones and tablets running Sense and Android KitKat or higher.
Until now, HTC has brought a range of its custom apps like Blink Feed, Sense TV, Sense Keyboard, Lock Screen, Weather and Camera to the Google Play Store.
Play Link - HTC Internet
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Microsoft just announced the Lumia 435 and Lumia 435 Dual SIM, the company's most affordable Lumia smartphones yet. These have a 4-inch WVGA display, powered by a 1.2GHz dual-core Snapdragon 200 SoC and run on the latest Windows Phone 8.1 with Lumia Denim update that adds Live Folders, Apps Corner and Cortana. These have a 2-megapixel fixed-focus rear camera without flash and VGA front-facing camera.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5wyve4dLPc
These come with Lumia Camera app out of the box and Lumia Selfie app to take, edit and share selfies. These come with HERE location services that includes free global HERE Maps and HERE Drive+Free HERE Transit that can be downloaded from the Store.
Microsoft Lumia 435 and 435 Dual SIM Specifications
4-inch (800 x 480 pixels) LCD display
1.2 GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 200 processor with Adreno 302 GPU
1GB RAM, 8GB internal memory, up to 128GB expandable memory with microSD
Windows Phone 8.1 OS with Lumia Denim
Dual SIM (only in Lumia 435 Dual SIM)
2MP fixed focus rear camera
VGA front-facing camera
11.7 mm thick and weighs 134.1 grams
3.5mm audio jack, FM Radio
3G, WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS / aGPS
1560mAh battery with up to 11.7 h talk time
The Microsoft Lumia 435 and 435 Dual SIM come in bright green, bright orange, white and black colors and come at a price tag of just 69 Euros ( US$81 / ...
Microsoft also announced the Lumia 532 and Lumia 532 Dual SIM, the latest affordable Lumia smartphones, along with the Lumia 435 and Lumia 435 Dual SIM. These have a 4-inch WVGA display, powered by a 1.2GHz quad-core Snapdragon 200 SoC and run on the latest Windows Phone 8.1 with Lumia Denim update that adds Live Folders, Apps Corner and Cortana. These have a 5-megapixel fixed-focus rear camera without flash and VGA front-facing camera.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=65uWnmbdiLs
Microsoft Lumia 532 and 532 Dual SIM Specifications
4-inch (800 x 480 pixels) LCD display
1.2 GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 200 processor
1GB RAM, 8GB internal memory, up to 128GB expandable memory with microSD
Windows Phone 8.1 OS with Lumia Denim
Dual SIM (only in Lumia 532 Dual SIM)
5MP fixed focus rear camera
VGA front-facing camera
11.6 mm thick and weighs 136.3 grams
3.5mm audio jack, FM Radio
3G, WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS / aGPS
1560mAh battery with up to 12 h talk time
The Microsoft Lumia 532 and 532 Dual SIM come in bright green, bright orange, white and black colors and are priced at 79 Euros ( US$93 / Rs. 5,786 approx.) before taxes and subsidies. These will begin rolling out in select countries in Europe, APAC and IMEA starting from February 2015.
Google Translate has been updated with a couple of important features that focuses on easier communication. The app on Android and iPhone is getting real time speech translation along with the Word Lens integration.
Earlier this week, it was reported that Google Translate for Android is getting conversation mode and real time translation. Google Translate is now getting automatic language detection in conversation mode meaning it will detect the language that is being spoken instantly. This better enables a real-time conversation to take place between two different languages.
In order to start the translation, users will have to tap into the mic and start talking in a selected language and then tap again and Google Translate will automatically recognize the language that is being spoken. Moreover, the app is also using its Word Lens acquisition to add another new feature. The Google Translate app now offers instant translation for written text. Users will have to simply to point their phone's camera to a sign and it will translate the word immediately. Prior to this update, users had to take a picture of text and mark which words they wanted translated.
This feature currently works for translation from English to and from French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Russian ...
