Dhruv Bhutani | Fone Arena

Quanta to begin manufacturing Apple iWatch with 2.5″ screen, Pulse Sensor in July

It is an open secret that Apple is working on a wearable device. The iWatch as it has been termed by industry pundits is expected to tie in heavily with Cupertino’s Healthkit push. Now, via a report published by Reuters, we have access to a few more details about the upcoming smartwatch.

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The report suggests that Apple has adopted a seemingly large 2.5 inch screen with a ‘slightly rectangular face‘. What that means remains open for interpretation but we suspect that it refers to rounded corners. Owing to the size of the display, the fascia is expected to protrude from the band instead of sitting flush with it. The interface will of course be touch based as expected. Continue reading “Quanta to begin manufacturing Apple iWatch with 2.5″ screen, Pulse Sensor in July”

Sharp’s new Free-Form display could enable new device formfactors

Aside from a few niche devices, hardware especially smartphone design has been dictated by the most crucial aspect ie the display so far. If Sharp’s new display technology manages to reach mass production at a reasonable price point, it has the potential to revolutionize hardware design across technology verticals.

LCDs have traditionally been rectangular in design because of the need to place the drive circuit called the gate driver along the bezel. With their new Free Form display technology, the company can successfully place these gate drivers within the screen itself. Another benefit is that the bezel can be further slimmed down.

Continue reading “Sharp’s new Free-Form display could enable new device formfactors”

ART to replace Dalvik runtime on next version of Android

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Google has been experimenting with the ART runtime compiler for quite some time now. Introduced initially alongside Android 4.4 KitKat, it was far from ready to be deployed as the default. However, over the months stability has improved multi fold and so has application compatibility. Continue reading “ART to replace Dalvik runtime on next version of Android”

Amazon unveils the Fire Phone with 2.2Ghz Quad Core processor, 2GB RAM onboard

At an event in Seattle, Amazon finally pulled the veil off its much awaited smartphone. Called the Fire Phone, it is meant to capitalize on the digital ecosystem that the company has created around the likes of its Kindle hardware and the new Fire TV. The phone runs a forked version of Android which at first glance appears to be very similar to the one on Amazon’s tablet efforts.

Continue reading “Amazon unveils the Fire Phone with 2.2Ghz Quad Core processor, 2GB RAM onboard”

BlackBerry’s latest move brings Amazon Appstore to BB10 platform

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Despite BlackBerry’s multiple attempts to create a developer ecosystem around the BlackBerry 10 platform, uptake has been slow. The company tried to get around this by offering an Android runtime. Developers were also free to port their Android applications and bring it to the BlackBerry application store. Savvy users could also sideload APK files directly. This was however far from an intuitive solution. Enter BlackBerry’s new partnership with Amazon. Continue reading “BlackBerry’s latest move brings Amazon Appstore to BB10 platform”

Samsung Gear VR trademarks hints at upcoming Oculus Rift competitor

As Virtual Reality technology improves, we’re seeing an increasing level of attention from mainstream players. Following Sony’s lead that introduced its Project Morpheus headset to compete with the game changing Oculus Rift. Today, Samsung’s plans to enter the virtual reality headset market got a bit more concrete.

The Korean company has filed a patent application with the United States Patent Office which gives us a hint as to what the device might be named. Samsung is working alongside Oculus to create a headset that would work with its line of handsets. Called the Galaxy VR, the headset is expected to include a dock for their handsets. Continue reading “Samsung Gear VR trademarks hints at upcoming Oculus Rift competitor”

Report: AT&T to be exclusive carrier for Amazon smartphone

Amazon is scheduled to host an event on 18th June where it is expected to reveal its upcoming smartphone. The device will distinguish itself from the competition through the use of a special 3D interface that will make use of retina tracking technology.

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The technology will allow users to navigate the interface through the use of four cameras embedded along the corners of the phone. This will allow for a glasses free experience. The device will be revealed at the company’s event in Seattle later this week. Amazon is already courting developers to adopt and make applications for the unique interface used on the smartphone. While little is known of the specifications of the device, the handset will be neck deep in the Amazon ecosystem and will most likely be sold at or near cost similar to the company’s tablet offerings. Continue reading “Report: AT&T to be exclusive carrier for Amazon smartphone”

Xiaomi India website goes live ahead of launch

Popular Chinese smartphone brand Xiaomi is expected to make its debut in India very soon. Ahead of the launch, its website has gone live that proves to be rather short on details but does help create a bit of buzz around the launch. Xiaomi is also making its presence felt via their official Facebook page.

Xiaomi India Website

The launch of the website and the company’s India specific social properties makes us believe that Xiaomi devices might go on sale sooner than the Diwali time frame that has been hinted at previously. The news follows the company’s appointment of Manu Kumar Jain as General Manager, Xiaomi India. Continue reading “Xiaomi India website goes live ahead of launch”

Micromax teases upcoming Windows Phone handset, set to launch on 16th June

Micromax just sent over an invite signalling the launch of its upcoming Windows Phone handset. The phone will be a part of the Canvas range of products as expected. The event invitation also indicates that the phone will be based on a Qualcomm chipset. If rumors are to be believed, two handsets will be launched at the event slated for 16th June.

The devices are expected to straddle the lower to mid range spectrum. Over at BUILD, Microsoft unveiled an updated edition of Windows Phone that was further tuned for lower cost handsets despite adding much needed features. Additionally, the company has removed the licensing fee for Windows Phone handsets making it a viable alternative for local cost smartphone manufacturers.The two handsets are expected to be priced at between Rs. 6,000 – 7,000 for the lower end model and Rs. 10,000 – 11,000 for the mid range phone. Continue reading “Micromax teases upcoming Windows Phone handset, set to launch on 16th June”

Amazon Prime Music launched, streams a million plus tracks to Prime users

Its been rumored for a while now and today Amazon finally lifted the veil from its own take at a music streaming service. If initial impressions are anything to go by, the service doesn’t even aim at competing with the likes of Spotify and Rdio.

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Available for free to Prime users, the service comes more of an added incentive than the primary reason to subscribe. The music library is very restricted compared to the competition and actually streaming music seems to be a tedious process. Continue reading “Amazon Prime Music launched, streams a million plus tracks to Prime users”

Apple drops the ban hammer on apps that reward IAPs for social sharing, video views

In a move that should’ve been implemented a long time back, Apple has started banning applications that reward users for incessant sharing on social channels. Applications that unlock in-game/app achievements for watching videos will also suffer the same fate. Several high profile games like Candy Crush are now in violation of Apple’s new rules and might have to undergo significant retooling. Continue reading “Apple drops the ban hammer on apps that reward IAPs for social sharing, video views”

iOS 8 includes code for running split screen applications

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Steve Stroughton Smith, the well known iOS developer today confirmed what was already suspected for quite some time. Apple’s beta release of iOS 8 includes code that will allow users to run applications in a split screen configuration. The implementation is expected to allow users to easily move data from one app to the other. Continue reading “iOS 8 includes code for running split screen applications”

Play Store update groups permissions, no longer requires user interaction for additions

The latest update of the Android Play Store brought with it some sweeping changes on the permissions side of things that managed to slide under the radar for the most part. App permissions will now be grouped into permissions groups which makes it relatively easier for users to see what kind of information and capabilities an app can access your device. So far so good? An unfortunate caveat of this change is that with an application update, new permissions from a group can be requested without requiring approval from users. Continue reading “Play Store update groups permissions, no longer requires user interaction for additions”

64GB Moto X now official, Priced at $449

Its long been expected that Motorola will launch a higher capacity variant of the Moto X. Today, the company has confirmed that it plans to launch a 64GB version of the phone.

There’s little else that has changed here. The base specifications of the phone include a 4.7 inch 720p display, a 1.7Ghz Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro SoC and this is paired with 2GB of RAM. The USP of the phone comes in the form of touchless controls that let you activate Google Now and use voice based commands without touching the device. Continue reading “64GB Moto X now official, Priced at $449”

Panasonic P81 Review

With its new octa core offering, Panasonic is trying to break into the upper mid range category dominated by the likes of Micromax and Karbonn. The unique selling point here is the presence of an octa core chipset and the promise of superior construction. The internals are fairly consistent with most of the competition including the Micromax Knight. Continue reading “Panasonic P81 Review”