Dhruv Bhutani | Fone Arena

Sony Xperia Z1 vs Xperia Z Ultra Hands on

Sony announced its latest flagship device, the Xperia Z1 here at IFA in Berlin and we’ve already gone hands on with the camera centric device. It competes within its own stable with the Z Ultra that is also a relatively recent launch for the Japanese smartphone manufacturer. While they don’t exactly compete with each other, here’s a quick break down to see how the handset fare when placed next to each other.

Sony-Xperia-Z1-Z-Ultra-1

The design language of the Z1 and Z Ultra is very similar and they most definitely do appear like they belong to the same family of smartphones. The front of the Z1 has a 5 inch Full HD Triluminous display with Sony’s X-Reality Engine thrown in for good measure.The Z Ultra on the other hand has an absolutely gargantuan 6.44″ screen. The resolution is the same as the Z1 at 1920 x 1080 with the pixel density dropping down to 342ppi versus the 441ppi of the Z1. The screens on both the phones are a much needed improvement over previous gen Sony devices and have fairly wide viewing angles and good color reproduction.

Video demo:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UfiGcAYHYYw

Continue reading “Sony Xperia Z1 vs Xperia Z Ultra Hands on”

Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Photo Gallery

samsung-galaxy-note3-9006

Samsung today unveiled the next chapter of its Galaxy Note line of devices. With an even larger display stuck inside a shell that is the same size as before, Samsung has some interesting industrial design going here. Over at the back is a faux leather material that makes it a bit more comfortable to hold. Continue reading “Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Photo Gallery”

Samsung Galaxy Gear Hands On

samsung-galaxy-gear-6089

Much has been leaked about Samsung’s Galaxy Gear smartwatch. Today at the Unpacked Event in Berlin, we finally got a chance to see for ourselves if the Korean giant’s first efforts to enter into the world of wearables would be something special and here are our first impressions of the Samsung Galaxy Gear. Shaped like a conventional watch, the Gear is chunky to say the least. It might not be the most visually appealing smartwatch but it’s not an eye sore either. The front is essentially a 1.63 inch AMOLED display with a resolution of 320 x 320. Continue reading “Samsung Galaxy Gear Hands On”

Asus Fonepad Note 6 announced with new Intel Z2580 processor

Asus is on an announcement spree at IFA and it has announced a refreshed Fonepad Note 6. The Fonepad Note FHD 6, which we originally saw at Computex earlier this year received a minor bump in the specifications. The new Fonepad Note 6 features a newer Intel Atom Z2580 dual-core processor and retains all the other features from the original Fonepad Note 6.

asus-fonepad-note-6 Continue reading “Asus Fonepad Note 6 announced with new Intel Z2580 processor”

Sony Xperia Z1 Photo Gallery

Sony just announced its latest flagship device, the Z1 here in Berlin and we’ve had some time with it. We’re still working on our full impressions of the handset but here’s an image gallery to whet your appetite. The phone has a 5 inch Full HD display with Triluminous technology built in that makes it absolutely stunning. Continue reading “Sony Xperia Z1 Photo Gallery”

Sony IFA 2013 Press Conference Live Blog

FoneArena is live in Berlin , Germany for IFA which is one of the largest technology shows of the world. Sony is holding a press conference later today where the company is expected to announce the much rumored Honami / XPERIA Z1 smartphone and a couple of very interesting lenses. Much is already known about the Sony Z1 and it is said to pack in a Snapdragon 800 processor with a very interesting 20MP camera. The design is believed to be a play on that of the Xperia Z and Z Ultra.

The event starts at around 4PM Berlin time or 7:30PM India time

[HTML1] Continue reading “Sony IFA 2013 Press Conference Live Blog”

Rockstand enters into tie up with Vodafone for operator billing

Vodafone today announced a tie up with Rockstand which is one of the leading eBook and Magazine applications from India. The tie up beings up an interesting offering which should help drive reach substantially. Rockstand will now be offering a subscription option exclusive to Vodafone wherein users can purchase books and magazined at just Rs. 7 per day. In addition to this, Vodafone customers will have access to the same wide range of eBooks and magazines including a wide variety of regional content for which users will be able to pay through their mobile balance. The partnership will prove to be critical in driving growth in the tier 2 and rural segments of the country. Rockstand has recently crossed 50,000 downloads and continues to grow at a steady clip.

What’s launching at IFA 2013?

The world’s leading technology experts are converging on the place to be i.e Berlin in the lead up to the start of IFA 2013. One of the world’s oldest technology expos, it is increasingly becoming the most important as well. Our very own team is right now making its way from across the globe to bring you hands on details and insight from the showfloor. So here’s a collection of all the information and rumors floating around in a handy little list which should serve well to whet your appetite. As always, you can count on us for the latest and greatest on all things IFA. Here’s the list of things to expect from IFA, Berlin, September 4-11, 2013.

Continue reading “What’s launching at IFA 2013?”

Nokia Lumia 625 Review

Having placed all its bets on Windows Phone and its Lumia range of devices, Nokia has been consistently introducing compelling hardware at prices that are all over the spectrum. Following the recent trend of extra large devices, Nokia Lumia 625 employs a large screen with mid range specifications at a fairly appealing price point. Will that be sufficient to fend off competition from spec monster Android devices ? Read on to find out our opinion. Continue reading “Nokia Lumia 625 Review”

Samsung Gear Manager screenshots leak ahead of Galaxy Gear smartwatch launch

It is no secret that Samsung plans to introduce a smartwatch at its upcoming event at IFA. Ahead of the launch, prolific leaker of upcoming devices ie evleaks has posted screenshots of the application that will interface with the watch.

The images confirm that the watch will be using NFC for pairing with smartphones but will also employ regular bluetooth based connectivity. The watch that is named SM-V700 will have a variety of apps including clock faces and several Samsung specific applications. A My Apps section can also be seen in the software but it remains to be seen what is included here. A find my watch function will presumably trigger an alarm and/or vibration feedback to help you locate your watch. We’ll be reporting live from IFA next week where we’ll have the complete low down on the Samsung Galaxy Gear, the Note III and all other devices announced. Excited about Samsung’s smartwatch? Let us know why in the comments below!

[Via – Evleaks]

Nokia Lumia 1520 with 6 inch 1080p display appears in leaked image

Nokia’s intentions to introduce a large screen device are fairly obvious by now. It has been long rumored that the Finnish smartphone company is working on a phablet class device that would bring a large 6 inch screen to Nokia’s Lumia hardware. The image leaked earlier today corroborates all that we know about the device. Placed next to the Lumia 1020, the handset appears positively gargantuan.

With the screen switched on, we also seem to be getting our first look at the upcoming GDR3 update that would bring support for 1080p screens, faster processors. To make use of all that screen real estate, Windows Phone will now allow you to place a double wide tile next to a medium sized tile. Additionally, a third row of tiles can be placed on the homescreen. The leaked image closely resembles an image that had earlier this year that claimed to depict the front panel for the upcoming device. Additionally, the engraved proto.nokia.com text is true for all Nokia prototype devices. Continue reading “Nokia Lumia 1520 with 6 inch 1080p display appears in leaked image”

Nokia 515 revealed, brings aluminum construction to feature phones

Nokia today announced a brand new S40 device, the Nokia 515, that has been designed as a throwback to classic handset designs from Nokia’s past. The body has an anodised, sandblasted aluminum construction and the 2.4″ QVGA display has Gorilla Glass 2 protection over it. The Finnish company claims to have developed a new hardened polycarbonate resin for the keymat that has a gentle curvature to it. The entire handset is 11mm thin and weighs in at 101.5 grams. Continue reading “Nokia 515 revealed, brings aluminum construction to feature phones”

Nokia’s Windows RT tablet detailed, Codenamed Sirius

We’ve previously brought you details and leaked images of Nokia’s Windows RT tablet. Following a spate of reports published today, the tablet is all but confirmed. As expected, the tablet will follow the same design language as seen on the Finnish company’s Lumia range of devices. The device will run on a Snapdragon 800 processor and will be equipped with a 1080p display that is expected to have the ClearBlack technology as seen on its phones. This technology helps makes displays much more readable even under direct sunlight. Continue reading “Nokia’s Windows RT tablet detailed, Codenamed Sirius”

Grey Apple iPhone 5S to join the upcoming champagne gold variant

With the next generation iPhone right around the corner, rumors are rife as to what new colors will be available. We’ve already seen case leaks for the champagne gold colored variant but Sonny Dickson today reported that the handset will also be available in a gunmetal grey color. The variant will join the existing silver/white and black versions.

Continue reading “Grey Apple iPhone 5S to join the upcoming champagne gold variant”

Sony Xperia Z Ultra Review

Every once in a while we come across a product that is a bit ahead of the curve or perhaps such a niche that it is hard to accept it in its current incarnation. The Xperia Z Ultra while not exactly revolutionary, does have the inklings of what might be come the future of smart computing. But is it good enough to convince us ? Read on to find out. Continue reading “Sony Xperia Z Ultra Review”