Dhruv Bhutani | Fone Arena

BlackBerry OS 10.2 with WiFi Direct, actionable notifications gets leaked

BlackBerry’s upcoming OS 10.2 (build 10.2.0.483) just got revealed over at the CrackBerry forums where a user has posted screenshots from the upcoming update. The screenshots reveal a bunch of new features the most prominent of them being actionable notifications and WiFi Direct. Actionable notifications will allow users to pull down notifications and interact with them directly without having to jump into the application. Continue reading “BlackBerry OS 10.2 with WiFi Direct, actionable notifications gets leaked”

Mediatek to launch octa-core MT6592 chip

Popular budget handset chipset manufacturer, Mediatek is all set to launch what might be the world’s first true octa-core chipset. Unlike the Samsung Exynos 5 Octa that only has four cores active at any given point of time, the Mediatek MT6592 will use eight ARM Cortex 7 cores. The chip is being built on the 28 nanometer process and will reach peak frequencies of 1.7 to 2.0Ghz.

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Nokia’s HERE Maps launched on Asha 501

Nokia just announced the launch of HERE Maps for the Asha 501 that runs the new Asha Touch platform. The Asha 501 is a budget offering by the ailing smartphone manufacturer and the introduction of the powerful navigation application on the platform will definitely help it stand out from the competition.

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LG-F320 with Snapdragon 800 processor spotted in AnTuTu benchmark test

LG’s much awaited Optimus G2 handset might have just showed up in bencharks if an AnTuTu result is to be believed. The phone is believed to be powered by a Snapdragon 800 processor and scores a very impressive 32,0002 points in the test. It is safe to assume that the handset with the codename F320 is in fact the LG Optimus G2 that the company intends to launch at it’s event in Korea on August 7th.

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DROID Ultra landing page shows up on Motorola’s website

Motorola is all set to announce its next round of Android running devices. The company has partnered with Verizon and will be releasing the handsets as part of its Ultra series. In addition to the regular handset, we should also expect to see a MAXX edition which will pack a bigger and hence thicker battery pack. Rumors suggest that a smaller M model of the phone will also follow.

Continue reading “DROID Ultra landing page shows up on Motorola’s website”

Yahoo acquires Bignoggins, QWiki as part of latest acquisition round

Yahoo has been on a spending spree lately and has acquired quite a few startups with its latest acquisition being Bignoggins Productions, an app development firm that makes iOS applications.

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Digg Reader goes live with iOS app in tow

Following the demise of Google Reader we’ve seen a range of competitors spring up to take the place of the much loved RSS feed reader. Digg too has decided to enter the arena with its own Reader application. Currently available on the web and via an iOS app, it is possible to import feeds from your Google account.

Digg-Reader Continue reading “Digg Reader goes live with iOS app in tow”

Apple files for iWatch trademark in Japan, Russia & Mexico

iwatch

Bloomberg reports that Apple is aiming to trademark the name iWatch. The company filed for a patent at the Japanese Patent Office on 3rd June. It has long been rumored that the Cupertino based company is all set to enter the wearables market with a smart watch. It is believed that the company has about 100 designers working on its latest product. Tavis McCourt, an analyst at Raymond James & Associates Inc. has upgraded Apple’s shares to a buy with a $600 target price. To compete with Apple’s upcoming device, Samsung is known to be working on its own smart watch. Sony too has announced its second generation SmartWatch that runs Android. The wearable could work in tandem with Apple’s iPhone and iPad to offer notifications and voice based navigation through Siri. Continue reading “Apple files for iWatch trademark in Japan, Russia & Mexico”

Nokia Asha 501 review

As it continues its fight to regain its place in the smartphone segment, it is Nokia’s feature phone segment that is keeping it afloat. Nokia’s Asha series is wildly popular and with the Nokia Asha 501, the Finnish manufacturer is all set to disrupt the market once again. We’ve previously done a quick hands on with the device but we finally got to spend some time with the handset. Is it worth the hype ? Read on to find out. Continue reading “Nokia Asha 501 review”

BlackBerry ships 6.8 million smartphones in Q1, Stock down 28%

Blackberry pushed out its quarterly earnings report yesterday and the news is disappointing for the most part. Covering financial quarter 1 for 2014 ie from March to May 2013, the smartphone manufacturer has increased its revenues from $2.8 billion to $3.1 billion. The company has lost a total of $84 million which amounts to about 13 cents per share. Total device shipments were 6.8 million of which just about 40% were BB10 based devices. This brings combined shipments for the Z10 and Q10 to a very disappointing 2.7 million units. Continue reading “BlackBerry ships 6.8 million smartphones in Q1, Stock down 28%”

Nokia Asha 501 (Red) Photo Gallery

Nokia-Asha-501-1

The Nokia Asha 501 forms the next generation of feature phones. Bright colorful designs, a touch centric interface and the legendary Nokia build quality are poised to offer a very compelling smartphone-like experience to a first time user. Here’s a gallery of Nokia’s latest while we work on the review. Continue reading “Nokia Asha 501 (Red) Photo Gallery”

Micromax Canvas 4 to launch on 8th July, Prebooking starts for Rs. 5000

The successor to the very popular Micromax Canvas HD is almost here and the company is all set to launch the handset on 8th July. Micromax has also started prebookings for the Canvas 4 A210. Not much has been revealed in terms of specifications but the handset is expected to be powered by a MediaTek quad core processor. Previous leaks suggest that the phone will be equipped with a 13MP rear camera which is unprecedented in the indigenous smartphone segment. Additionally and perhaps most importantly, the phone is believed to sport a 5 inch Full HD display. As suggested by the image above, there will be no capacitive buttons on the phone. Continue reading “Micromax Canvas 4 to launch on 8th July, Prebooking starts for Rs. 5000”

Spice Smart Flo Pace 2 Mi-502 Review

Budget Android phones are a dime and dozen these days. With rapid improvement in specs and performance, these devices are finally becoming a viable option for everyone who is satisfied by a well performing, reasonably priced smartphone. We’ve been fairly impressed with Spice’s offerings in the segment but will they be able to continue the streak ? Read on to find out. Continue reading “Spice Smart Flo Pace 2 Mi-502 Review”

Spice Smart Flo Pace 2 Mi-502 benchmarks

Spice-Smart-Flo-Pace-2-2

Spice introduced the Smart Flo Pace 2 a few weeks back at a price point of Rs. 6,999. The handset is powered by a 1Ghz processor and is paired with 512MB of RAM. The low amount of RAM does get in the way of multitasking on the handset. The processor too isn’t particularly powerful but the bloat free stock Android build keeps things running smooth. We’ve embedded a range of benchmarks from the handset below for your viewing pleasure. Continue reading “Spice Smart Flo Pace 2 Mi-502 benchmarks”

CUBE Universal Car Holder Review

Car holders are a dime and a dozen so when the guys at Mobile Fun sent us over the CUBE holder, we were quite curious to see what was special about it. As you can see, the CUBE holder is surprisingly petite yet manages to do a very decent job at holding up a smartphone on your desk or car. Continue reading “CUBE Universal Car Holder Review”