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Motorola released the Android 4.4 KitKat update for the Moto G last month starting from the US, now the update has started rolling out in European countries including UK. The new update brings Android KitKat features such as restyled status and navigation bars, full-screen mode, color emoji, smarter power use, new camera features, including the most expected manual focus and exposure control.
The Moto G is expected to launch in India later this month. It is not clear if it would run on KitKat out of the box when it launches here. Check out complete changelog of the update below.
Android 4.4, KitKat – Enhancements such as restyled status and navigation bars, a new full-screen mode, color emoji support, improved closed captioning support, stronger security, smarter power use, and more tools and capabilities for better app development.
Phone dialer – Improved phone app with the ability to look up contacts directly from the dial pad, see and tap frequent contacts, and search your corporate directory easily.
Camera – Locked exposure during Panorama capture, additional language support, Manual control of focus and exposure, Bug fixes
Gallery – New photo editing options including new filter effects, draw on your photos, advanced cropping, and adjustments to color, exposure, contrast and more.
Printing documents ...
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In somewhat of a bizarre announcement, Google just made the Moto G Google Play edition available in the US and several other countries' Play Stores. Unfortunately, it says "not available in your country" for India, so we might have to wait a bit longer to get the Moto G here. But here's the thing, Google has just announced a Play Edition of a device that already got fast updates and has a stock interface. From our understanding, the Moto G Google Play Edition will not carry any of Motorola's additions(which are few already) and will get updates at the same time as other Play Edition devices. These are the only two things that are possibly different with the Google Play Edition of the super "value for money" Moto G. It is available for order on the Play Store for a price of $179, unlocked and the 16GB version costs $199.
Like all the other Play Edition devices, the Moto G Google Play Edition comes with the latest Android update, which is based on the AOSP build of Android. The phone will get faster updates and will have no skinning, while the hardware, in terms of specifications remains the same. Here is ...
Google Nexus 7 Sleeve appeared on the India Play Store along with the Nexus 7 (2013) tablet back in November last year. Now the Sleeve is finally available for purchase through Play Store in India. It is also available in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Japan, Korea, Spain, US and UK. The Nexus 7 Sleeve has Neoprene and microfiber cushion and features an asymmetrical zipper for quick and easy access. The Sleeve is also padded for cushioning and lined with soft microfiber fur for a complete protection from scratches. It also has a pocket to keep your accessories such as earphones.
Even though the first Nexus 7 is bigger than the new Nexus 7, the Sleeve is compatible with both the Nexus 7 tablets. The Nexus 7 Sleeve weighs 105 grams. Google started selling the Nexus 5 Bumper Case on the Play Store in India for Rs. 2499 back in November and the QuickCover went on sale last month.
The Google Nexus 7 Sleeve comes in three colors, Black with Gray, Bright Yellow and Gray with White and is priced at Rs. 1,999. But only Red color is available for sale at the moment through the Play Store.
Facebook would launch Paper, a news reader app for mobile devices in coming weeks, according to a report from Re/code. The company launched a redesigned messenger app recently for both Android and iOS with a flatter design. Google launched Google Currents back in 2011 to compete with Flipboard, but it didn't do well. Later the app got transformed into Google Play Newsstand that also includes magazine subscriptions.
Facebook's Paper app is likely to be a standalone mobile application or a Web-based app for mobile devices, which would offer news stories from publications like the New York Times or the Washington Post. It would also offer status updates from Facebook users in paper-like format, according to the report.
The project is known as Project Reader, headed by Chris Cox, Facebook’s VP of product, the report adds. Facebook could launch the Paper app before the end of January, according to Re/code's sources. It is expected to be available for both Android and iOS devices at the launch.
At the Moto G launch back in November, Motorola announced that the Moto G would be available in India early January 2014, but it didn't happen. Motorola would launch Moto G, the company's latest affordable Android smartphone in India in the last week of this month, according to a latest report from TOI. The Moto G has a 4.5-inch (1280 x 720 pixels) edge-to-edge display at 329 ppi with Corning Gorilla Glass protection, powered by a 1.2 GHz quad-core Snapdragon processor and run on Android 4.3 (Jelly Bean) and the update to Android 4.4.2 (KitKat) has already started rolling out in the U.S and Europe gradually starting from last month.
Motorola has also introduced the Moto G Google Play Edition few hours back in the U.S. which runs on Android 4.4.2 (KitKat) out of the box. Motorola also plans to launch a dual SIM version of the Moto G in Brazil and India this year.
Motorola Moto G specifications
4.5-inch (1280 x 720 pixels) edge-to-edge display at 329 ppi with Corning Gorilla Glass protection
1.2 GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor with Adreno 305 GPU
Dual SIM (Optional)
Android 4.3 (Jelly Bean) with option to upgrade to Android 4.4 (KitKat)
5MP rear camera with LED flash, 720p HD video recording at 30fps
1.3MP front-facing camera
6.0-11.6 mm thick ...
Huawei has launched B199, the company's latest mid-range smartphone for the Chinese markets. It has a 5.5-inch (1280 x 720 pixels) IPS display, powered by a 1.6 GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon (MSM8628) processor and runs on Android 4.3 (Jelly Bean) with Huawei’s own Emotion UI 1.6 on top. It has a 13-megapixel auto focus rear camera with LED flash and 1080p video recording and a 5-megapixel front-facing camera.
It also comes with dual SIM support and packs 2GB of RAM and a 3000 mAh battery. Huawei launched the Honor 3X with a similar 5.5-inch HD display in China last month, but it has a Octa-Core MediaTek processor.
Huawei B199 Specifications
5.5-inch (1280 x 720 pixels) HD IPS display
1.6 GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon (MSM8628) processor
Android 4.3 (Jelly Bean) with Emotion UI 1.6
Dual SIM
13MP rear camera with LED Flash, f/2.2 aperture, 1080p video recording
5MP front-facing camera
3.5mm audio jack
2GB RAM, 16GB internal memory, expandable memory up to 32GB with MicroSD
3G (EVDO ) / 2G (GSM), WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS, USB OTG
3000 mAh battery
The Huawei B199 comes in White color and is priced at 1999 Chinese Yuan (~Rs. 20,300). No word on global roll out yet.
Source | Via
Disney games have been popular on the Windows Phone platform and just after the New Year, the company has made seven of its games free for a limited time on the Windows Phone store. The Windows Phone store definitely isn't the most popular platform for developers or consumers, but is catching up pretty fast. In what seems like a strategy to boost the downloads, Disney are giving away seven games for free(only for a limited time).
The following games are free for a limited time on the Windows Phone Store
Monsters University
Where's My Water?
Wreck-It Ralph
Where's My Mickey?
Avenger's Initiative
Toy Story: Smash It!
Where's My Perry?
The total worth of these games is around 15 bucks and today is your lucky day - go download them all for free.
Among the games that are on sale, the physics based puzzle games - Where's My Water?, Where's My Mickey? and Where's My Perry? are usually available for USD$0.99. The other games Monsters University and Wreck-It Ralph are also usually priced at USD$0.99. The other two games - Avenger's Initiative and Toy Story: Smash It! are priced at USD$4.99 and now are completely free. For the folks envying about offers in both Play Store and App Store, this is ...
CyanogenMod team has released beta version of CyanogenMod GalleryNext, a new gallery app for Android. Apart from the gallery, the app has cloud service integration, automatic grouping, gif support, video playback and more. AOSP Gallery shipping with CM currently is severely lacking. we sought to address that, says CyanogenMod. It also plans to add new features including editor support in future versions. Check out the complete list of features and upcoming features below.
CyanogenMod GalleryNext Beta features
View all your pictures in one centralized location
Cloud services integration with Flickr, Picasa (G+), Facebook, and Dropbox
Moments support (automatic grouping and classification of media based on metadata)
Video playback support
Gif support
Deduplication in 'All' view
Upcoming features
Implement KitKat's immersive mode UI
Editor support
Fix all the things
To try out the beta, you need to
Join the CyanogenMod GalleryNext Beta Google+ Community
Click the link to accept to be a Beta tester by signing in with your Google Play account
Install the CyanogenMod GalleryNext through the Google Play Store
The app is currently available only for select Android devices right now.
Silent Circle, global encrypted communications service based in Washington D.C and the Spanish Android smartphone maker Geeksphone has announced Blackphone, in their first Switzerland-based joint venture. This is the world’s first smartphone with that would offer complete security, privacy and control to its users, says the company. This carrier and vendor-independent smartphone is powered by a security-oriented Android build called PrivatOS, but without compromising on security.
httpv://vimeo.com/84167384
This lets users and organizations the ability to
Make and receive secure phone calls
Exchange secure texts
Transfer and store files securely
Video chat without compromising their privacy
Regarding the phone Phil Zimmermann, creator of PGP, said,
I have spent my whole career working towards the launch of secure telephony products. Blackphone provides users with everything they need to ensure privacy and control of their communications, along with all the other high-end smartphone features they have come to expect.
We don't have any specifications of the phone yet. Users can know more about the Blackphone by heading to blackphone.ch and sign up for updates about the product. It would be showcased at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona next month and would be available for pre-order beginning February 24, 2014.
If you had noticed, we have been taking a look at brand new Asha devices the past few days. We first unboxed the Asha 502 and the Asha 503 and showed you separate photos of both the devices, but we are sure that a single question arises when one takes a look at similarly designed models. The Asha 502 and the Asha 503 have a lot in common. They have similar design, they have the same operating system and almost the same hardware except for a few things. But those few things make the real difference and ultimately end up as a choice in offering from the company, with naturally differing price points. So, what are they? What are the differences between the Nokia Asha 502 and the Asha 503? Lets find out.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7ovkwXO9a4
The video above should have given you a fair idea of the differences between the two, but in case you skipped, let us walk you through the differences, in pictures.
Lets see the obvious hardware differences first. The Asha 503, in black, seems to be longer than the Asha 502. As you can note from the picture above, the 503 not only looks taller but seems to have disproportionate ...
Motorola released the Android 4.4 KitKat update for the Moto G last month starting from the US, now the update has started rolling out in European countries including UK. The new update brings Android KitKat features such as restyled status and navigation bars, full-screen mode, color emoji, smarter power use, new camera features, including the most expected manual focus and exposure control.
The Moto G is expected to launch in India later this month. It is not clear if it would run on KitKat out of the box when it launches here. Check out complete changelog of the update below.
Android 4.4, KitKat – Enhancements such as restyled status and navigation bars, a new full-screen mode, color emoji support, improved closed captioning support, stronger security, smarter power use, and more tools and capabilities for better app development.
Phone dialer – Improved phone app with the ability to look up contacts directly from the dial pad, see and tap frequent contacts, and search your corporate directory easily.
Camera – Locked exposure during Panorama capture, additional language support, Manual control of focus and exposure, Bug fixes
Gallery – New photo editing options including new filter effects, draw on your photos, advanced cropping, and adjustments to color, exposure, contrast and more.
Printing documents ...
Hewlett-Packard, one of the leading PC manufacturers had a shy at the smartphone market and met with little success. The company had backed out a couple of years back and now are reportedly re-entering the smartphone/tablet market. HP will reportedly announce two new devices - HP Slate 6 and HP Slate 7 phablet and tablet respectively in India later this year. HP is expected to make an official announcement very soon.
The HP Slate 6 is a 6inch phablet with a HD IPS display sporting a 1280x720 pixels resolution. The HP Slate 7 will be a 7inch tablet with a HD 1280x800 pixel resolution 7inch IPS display.
Both the devices will be powered by a quad-core processor(can be MediaTek, Qualcomm, NVidia or Intel). There will 16GB of internal storage and a microSD card slot for expansion of internal storage. There will be a 2MP front facing camera and a 5MP rear camera. The devices will run on Android 4.2 Jellybean at launch. Among the other features, HP is hoping that the devices' thickness(or rather the lack of it) will appeal to the users. In addition to these features, the devices will also come with front facing stereo speakers.
HP is hoping on getting ...
Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 Lite may not be official yet, but it sure will be among the cheapest tablets from Samsung when it is made official. Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 Lite's user manual has leaked online in the company's Polish website. Apart from the official leak, a Polish retailer has started taking orders for this cheap tablet - $165 for the WiFi model and $263 for the 3G Model.
According to the details listed by the retailer, the specifications of this entry range tablet are
7inch display of 1024x600 pixels
1.2GHz dual-core Marvell PXA986 processor
Vivante GC1000 GPU
1GB RAM
2MP rear camera
8GB internal storage and microSD card slot
3600mAh battery
Android 4.2 Jellybean with TouchWiz
Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 Lite aims to be the company's most affordable tablet offering as it is seen by the entry range specifications. Previously, there have been leaks about this budget tablet and the leaking of official manual on the company's website only confirms its existence. The device is expected to be available in the market at the end of January or during early February.
Via
Zync Global launched Cloud Z5 5-inch Dual SIM Phablet back in 2012, now the company has launched Zync Z605. It has a 6.5-inch ( 800x480 pixels) TFT Capacitive Multi-Touch display, powered by a dual-core porcessor and runs on Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean). It has a 2-megapixel rear camera and a 0.3-megapixel front-facing camera. It comes with 3G support. It weighs 250 grams.
It comes pre-loaded with Facebook, Twitter, Viber and Whatsapp. This would compete with recently launched BSNL Penta Smart PS650 phablet which has similar specs.
Regarding the new phablet, Amul Mohan Mittal, Co-Founder, Zync Global said,
With a 6.5 -inch display and good set of features, the Z 605 comes as a tough competitor to a number of other players offering phablets housing similar set of specifications at a much lower price point. Z 605 does assure to elevate user experience in terms of features, content and services. Our history of delivering quality products are a testimony of our commitment towards our consumers. In the recent past we have seen a paradigm shift in the usage of technology like tablets, PCs and smart phones to Phablets, amongst the youth in India. Keeping in sync with the latest technological trends, we, at Zync Global, always attempt ...
Micromax partnered with Aircel last year for bundled offers on smartphones and 3G Dongles. It partnered with MTS to launch Canvas Blaze MT500 smartphone. Now, the company has partnered with Tata Docomo to launch voice and data offers. This lets Tata Docomo customers enjoy voice and data at cheaper rates on Micromax handsets purchased after 1st October 2013 till 30th June 2014.
Tata Docomo users also get 3GB of 3G data with 30 days validity on Micromax 3G smartphones. Other offers include double data on select 3G and 2G packs and full talkime on select voice packs. These double data packs are applicable on Canvas Turbo and Canvas 4 along with Canvas Magnus, Bolt A61, Bolt A26, Bolt A35 and other Bolt models. Tata Docomo users can SMS MICROMAX to 141 to know more about the offer.
Regarding the new special offer, Sunil Tandon, Head Non Voice Services, Tata Docomo, said
At Tata Docomo, we follow a consumer-centric strategy where we believe in developing offerings keeping our customers’ preferences in mind. Through an Intelligent & Interactive Call to Action, wherein the MICROMAX Tata Docomo customer can now SMS “MICROMAX” to 141, to get relevant offerings cutting across 2G data, 3G data, Post-pay and ...
HMDX Audio has launched three new HMDX JAM Bluetooth speakers - Jam Classic, Jam Plus and Jam Party through its Indian partner, Imagine Marketing India. These Bluetooth wireless speakers have sleek shape and comes in bright and vibrant colors. The HMDX Jam Classic and Jam Plus have mono speakers and the Jam Party comes with two speakers.
Commenting on the launch, Eric Caldwell, International Sales Head, Homedics, said,
The love for music is universal and we at HMDX strive to increase access to quality audio products at affordable prices to nurture this passion. We are excited to embark on this new journey for HMDX in India and hope that the Jam Collection becomes a favorite with consumers in India like it has in the US and other countries.
Commenting on the distribution of HMDX Jam Products in India, Aman Gupta, Co-Founder, Imagine, said,
We expect HMDX Audio to take the Indian Market by storm as the company focuses on introducing audio products suited to its young and dynamic target audience, delivering sweet sound at very attractive, accessible prices. The HMDX Jam Collection focuses on making music a shared social experience for its consumers and we hope that the Indian consumer will be a part of this movement.
HMDX JAM Classic
JAM ...
Micromax Bolt A66, the company's latest Android smartphone in its Bolt series is now available in India from online retailers Flipkart, Snapdeal and official Micromax Store in India. It has a 4.5-inch (480 x 854 pixels) TFT capacitive touch screen IPS display, powered by a 1 GHz Spreadtrum SC7710G processor and runs on Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean). It has a 2-megapixel rear camera with LED flash and a 0.3-megapixel (VGA) front-facing camera. It comes Dual SIM support and has 3G support.
Micromax Bolt A66 specifications
4.5-inch (480 x 854 pixels) TFT capacitive touch screen display
1 GHz Spreadtrum SC7710G processor
Android 4.1.2 (Jelly Bean) OS
Dual SIM (GSM + GSM) with Dual Standby
2MP rear camera with LED flash
0.3MP front-facing camera
512MB RAM, 512 internal memory (165 MB user memory), 32GB expandable memory with MicroSD
3G (HSDPA up to 7.2 Mbps), Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR,GPS
3.5mm audio jack, FM Radio
1500 mAh battery
The Micromax Bolt A66 comes in Black and White colors and is priced at Rs. 5,999 online.
Introduction
Ever since Samsung introduced the Samsung Galaxy Note, the phablet category has picked up like crazy. Smartphones kept getting bigger and bigger and as a result, we are living in a time where 5inch displays are considered a norm for smartphones and we are seeing manufacturers push devices into the 6inch category one after the other. All this battle for big smartphones happened only in the Android ecosystem until Nokia pushed the limits of a Windows Phone device by announcing the Nokia Lumia 1520 at the Abu Dhabi event in late 2013.
Nokia Lumia 1520 is the first for Nokia and Windows Phone in many aspects. It is the first Windows Phone device to be powered by a quad-core processor and it uses the best SoC in the market right now - Snapdragon 800. It is also the first Windows Phone phablet which has a huge 6inch display and is the first Windows Phone device to feature a 1080p Full HD display. Nokia left no stone unturned when they were designing the spec sheet for this beast of a device and they also made sure that it got a piece of the PureView cake. Nokia Lumia 1520 comes with a 20MP ...
Vodafone India partnered with ICICI Bank to launch M-Pesa, mobile money transfer and payment service back in April 2013. It was introduced in Delhi and NCR in August 2013. Now Vodafone India has launched the service in Haryana region. It offers a simple and secure way to transfer money and make payments with the security of financial transactions provided by ICICI Bank. This service offers unbanked and under serviced sections of the country to gain access to financial services via the mobile phone.
The M-Pesa service would be available across 62 Tehsils, 21 Districts through 1073 specially trained authorized agents and across 110 Vodafone exclusive retail mini stores in Haryana.
M-Pesa offers
Deposit and withdraw cash from designated outlets
Transfer money to any mobile phone in India
Remit money to any bank account in India
Make payments to recharge mobile, clear utility bills and for DTH service subscription
Shop at select shops
Participate in e-commerce/m-commerce.
Apart from Haryana, M-Pesa has been rolled out in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, West Bengal, UP East, UP West, Bihar, Jharkhand, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Assam & North East. It would be available across the country in a phased manner.
BSNL, State Owned Telecom Operator has partnered with Champion to launch BSNL Champion My Phone SM3512 and SM3513. These phones hava a 3.5-inch capacitive touch screen display, powered by a dual-core processor and runs on Android 4.2.2 (Jelly Bean). These have a 3-megapixel rear camera and a 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera. These phones also have Dual SIM support and the SM3513 has 3G support. BSNL had already partnered with Champion to launch Champion Trendy 531 last year.
Commenting on the launch, Kapil Wadhwa, MD, Champion Computers Pvt. Ltd. said,
The new BSNL Champion My Phones bring a seamless blend of essential features and a great price range. The market in tier 2 and 3 cities is ripe for such a product offering as the consumers are becoming increasingly tech-savvy and the demand for user-friendly products is very high.”
Shree Anupam Srivastava, DIR (CM), BSNL Board said,
Needless to say, technology is wide-spread today and to reach to the grass-root level, we must have quality hardware, interactive content and robust & affordable carrier service. BSNL also has an agreement for sale of bundled devices with Champion Computers and have also launched a special 3G Data plan for tablets which include 500MB free data + 50 Minutes On-Net Voice calls ...
The Spice Smart Flo Mettle 5x is a budget device that brings a large screen experience at a very attractive price point. The phone is powered by a 1.3Ghz Dual Core MT6592 processor paired with 512MB of RAM. You get a 5 inch display with a resolution of 480 x 854. We weren't too impressed by the day to day performance of the device and noticed more than a few lags. For those who're interested in synthetic benchmarks, we put the Smart Flo Mettle 5x from our standard benchmark suite and here are the results.
The phone scored just 2497 points in the Quadrant benchmark which places it right in the middle of the competition.
In the GPU centric NenaMark 2 benchmark, the phone managed to achieve 38.9 frames per second. Real life gaming performance backed this up with the phone playing popular games fairly well with just a few frame skips.
The phone does fairly well in the single threaded Linpack benchmark and scores 51.85MFLOPS.
In the multi threaded Linpack benchmark, the phone fares very poorly with a score of just 56.952 MFLOPS.
The phone scores 5904 points in the AnTuTu benchmark and ranked towards the bottom of the benchmark chart.
