Dhruv Bhutani | Fone Arena

Samsung Galaxy Round with curved OLED display launched on SK Telecom in Korea

Samsung Galaxy Round

Just hours after we got our first glimpse of Samung’s upcoming curved glass display handset, the smartphone has been officially announced. Heading to SK Telecom in Korea, the phone will officially be called the Galaxy Round.

The phone is very slim at just 7.9mm and weighs 154 grams. The battery is now a bit smaller at 2800 mAh owing to the curvature and physical design. The phone runs Android 4.3 on a 2.3 Ghz quad core processor which we assume is the Snapdragon 800. This is paired with 3GB of RAM and you’ll also find a 13MP camera at the back of the phone. The tech specs are a play on those of the Galaxy Note 3. The highlight of the phone of course is the curved glass 5.7 inch panel with Full HD resolution. Continue reading “Samsung Galaxy Round with curved OLED display launched on SK Telecom in Korea”

Apple schedules event for 22nd October, Updated iPads expected

This really shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone but Apple’s upcoming fall event has been scheduled for 22nd October. Cupertino is expected to show a whole host of devices though the updated iPads will lead the announcements.

applestorepa6

The next gen iPad will see a slight mix up in terms of design. Expect to see a slimmer tablet with smaller bezels akin to the iPad Mini. Internally, it’ll pack the A7x chip possibly paired with double the amount of RAM. The iPad Mini too will see an update with the processor being upgraded as well as RAM. There are conflicting reports out there that suggest that we’ll see either the A6 or A7 processor under the hood. Either way, expect to see a decent speed bump on the tablet. Apple is evidently testing variants of the iPad Mini with and without a Retina Display and is apparently struggling with battery consumption. As is always the case with Apple, nothing is confirmed till the day of the announcement but fret not as updates are definitely coming! Continue reading “Apple schedules event for 22nd October, Updated iPads expected”

Samsung SM-G910S Curved Display phone gets leaked

Prolific leaker of upcoming devices ie Evleaks just tweeted out two images of Samsung’s new curved display handset. The SM-G910S which will most definitely be given a more consumer friendly name by launch is expected to be a variant of the Galaxy Note 3. Continue reading “Samsung SM-G910S Curved Display phone gets leaked”

Sony Xperia Z1 Review

Sony=Xperia-Z1-1

Sony’s mission to combine assets from across the company and to create a flagship device have not gone unnoticed. From the Xperia Z to the Xperia Z Ultra and now the Z1, we’ve seen a growing consolidation of buzzwords and technology features from across Sony’s product portfolio in a bid to create a hero product. The Z and Z Ultra while good products definitely had their fair share of flaws. Will Sony be able to finish what they started and create a device worthy of flagship status? Let’s find out. Continue reading “Sony Xperia Z1 Review”

BlackBerry in talks with Cisco, Google, Intel amongst others, faces class action suit

BlackBerry might have announced its proposed deal with Fairfax Financial but till the time the final papers are signed, the company is free to explore other options and it is doing just that. Reuters claims that BlackBerry is having discussions with Google, Intel, LG, Samsung and even the likes of Cisco and SAP who are interested in the company’s patent portfolio and servers. If rumors are to be believed, none of the companies are very interested in BlackBerry’s devices business. The deal is expected to be closed on November 4th with BlackBerry being sold to a consortium led by Fairfax Financial for $4.7 billion meanwhile the Canadian company is fishing for better offers.

Continue reading “BlackBerry in talks with Cisco, Google, Intel amongst others, faces class action suit”

Plantronics BackBeat Go 2 Bluetooth Headset launched in India for Rs. 4,990

Plantronics introduced the Backbeat Go 2 headset in India today. The in-ear bluetooth headset has been available for a while globally and is a pretty cool accessory for fitness enthusiasts or generally anyone living an active lifestyle and wanting some music on the go. Since the headset uses Bluetooth for pairing with phones, it should work with practically any handset out there that supports A2DP.

The BackBeat Go 2 has a built in MEMS microphone which according to Plantronics is the first such implementation in the world. We’ve of course previously seen MEMS (Micro Electro Mechanical Systems) microphones on smartphones especially those by Nokia. These microphones tend to be extra sensitive and help get very clear audio. The Plantronics BackBeat Go 2 integrates this and uses DSP to cut off extraneous noise. There’s a P2i moisture protection coating on the headset and the company claims that it is sweat proof. Continue reading “Plantronics BackBeat Go 2 Bluetooth Headset launched in India for Rs. 4,990”

Nokia Lumia 1520 leaks in red, expected to launch at Nokia World

We’ve seen more than our fair share of leaks for the Lumia 1520. Today’s leak courtesy of @evleaks gives us a glimpse of the red variant of the upcoming handset. The phone will mark a new high for Nokia and will bring the much wanted top of the line specs to the Windows Phone platform.

Continue reading “Nokia Lumia 1520 leaks in red, expected to launch at Nokia World”

LG, Samsung All Set to Launch Curved Display Phones Later This Month

We’ve been hearing about flexible displays for quite a few years now but the technology was always a bit too far ahead of the curve. However, it looks like we’ll finally be seeing commercial applications of curved edge displays in smartphones. We have already brought to you a demo of LG’s curved edge television which indicates how the South Korean company has the technology in place to mass produce such panels. ZD Net earlier reported that a new LG with a concave curved display will be revealed later this month and will be called the LG Z or Z1.

Continue reading “LG, Samsung All Set to Launch Curved Display Phones Later This Month”

Ground Miles app launched by Bupa, makes fitness tracking social

Fitness enthusiasts now have yet another option to track their daily walks and runs. Ground Miles is a new app developed by Bupa which is the company behind Max Bupa and is meant to encourage you to walk a bit more. Makes sense coming from a health insurance brand! The app was launched in association with the World Health Federation and is a ‘personalized and motivational’ walking app. The application uses GPS to keep a track of the distance you’ve walked and even helps you locate walking routes.

What sets it apart from the wide range of similar apps available out there is the social bent to the app. The app helps you find walking clubs, compare scores against family members and friends. There’s the usual stats like walking quotient, number of steps taken, distance walked and calories burnt. The Ground Miles app also has a gamification angle to it where it awards badges on the basis of goals crossed. Continue reading “Ground Miles app launched by Bupa, makes fitness tracking social”

iPad Mini 2 housing spotted in Space Gray and Gold with Touch ID sensor

With the yearly iPad refresh right around the corner, we’re starting to see leaked images of the upcoming products. Spotted first on Weibo, we now have our first glimpse of the upcoming iPad Mini 2 housing. Expected to ship in all the same colors as the new iPhone 5s, the iPad Mini 2 was spotted in both space gray and gold. The three colors are expected to be silver, space grey and gold which are the same as that of the new iPhone 5s. Continue reading “iPad Mini 2 housing spotted in Space Gray and Gold with Touch ID sensor”

Microsoft to merge Windows Phone and Windows 8 app stores

At a company meeting today, Microsoft evidently let out news that the Windows Phone Store and Windows Store will be merged into a single app store. Terry Myserson who heads the operating systems group confirmed the news at an internal meeting. First reported by The Verge and confirmed by our own sources, Myserson confirmed that the changes will appear over the next few releases of Windows and Windows Phone. The next major update for Windows is expected later this year called Windows 8.1. A similar update for Windows Phone called Windows Phone 8.1 will follow it.

Continue reading “Microsoft to merge Windows Phone and Windows 8 app stores”

Google Search for iOS gets push notifications for reminders

Google today announced a slew of improvements in its mobile search application to celebrate 15 years of Google Search. The improvements include an update to the iOS app that will bring reminder notifications amongst other features. Some of these features are already available on the Android app. The update will also help enable a seamless search experience across multiple devices and platforms. The search app will now sync across mobile devices and platforms and so a reminder set on one device will reflect on others as well. Users will need to be logged in to their Google account for this.

Continue reading “Google Search for iOS gets push notifications for reminders”

Broadcom announces BCM89335, 89071 combo chips for in-car Bluetooth and WiFi connectivity

Broadcom’s dominance in the wireless space continues as it ventures into the increasingly hot in-car connectivity segment. Broadcom today announced a new series of wireless chips that are aimed at automative use. The two wireless chips include WiFi 802.11ac WiFi and Bluetooth Smart Ready technologies. The chips that have reached the sampling stage aim to offer faster and smoother streaming between mobile devices, in car displays. Broadcom is aiming for diverse use cases including in car LTE hotspots, smartphone based remote control of your vehicle’s settings.

Continue reading “Broadcom announces BCM89335, 89071 combo chips for in-car Bluetooth and WiFi connectivity”

BlackBerry to be sold to consortium led by Fairfax Financial for $4.7 billion

BlackBerry’s shares have stopped trading once again ahead of a major announcement. The Waterloo based company has just announced that it has signed a letter of intent agreement. The company will be sold to a consortium led by Fairfax Financial for $4.7 billion. Continue reading “BlackBerry to be sold to consortium led by Fairfax Financial for $4.7 billion”

Nokia Lumia 1020 to launch in India on 26th September

Nokia’s long awaited Lumia 1020 is finally coming to India. The brand has started sending out invites for the launch event to be held on 26th September. Continue reading “Nokia Lumia 1020 to launch in India on 26th September”