Sony Xperia Z1 vs Sony Xperia Z

Sony announced their first camera centric flagship device – Sony Xperia Z1 at the IFA 2013 in Berlin. Prior to launch, Sony Xperia Z1 had leaked numerous times that when Sony announced it, nothing came as a surprise – even the 20.7MP camera. Currently, Sony Xperia Z1 has the biggest camera sensor on an Android smartphone, even bigger than the one on the camera-phone – Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom, but without the optical zoom.

Sony Xperia Z was announced during CES 2013 nearly ten months back it was Sony’s first Full HD smartphone. Sony Xperia Z was one of the first phones to set the trend for industrial build quality in Sony’s smartphone lineup and it came with water and dust resistance. Sony Xperia Z1 is the successor of Sony Xperia Z in a lot of terms that include a better camera, better processor and supposedly better display.

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Today, we will be bringing you the comparison of Sony Xperia Z1 and Xperia Z. Both the phones have a similar design language, almost identical software features and are water/dust resistant, but are in terms of processing power, one outperforms the other. Lets dive right into the differences and you can check out our in-depth comparison video right below.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6yqxXtwlZ_E Continue reading “Sony Xperia Z1 vs Sony Xperia Z”

Sony to roll out Android 4.3 update starting from December, confirms Android 4.4 KitKat update for range of devices

Android 4.4 KitKat

Sony Mobile confirmed the first set of devices that would get the Android 4.3 (Jelly Bean) update for range of devices back in July. Now the company has announced that they would roll out the Android 4.3 update for those devices starting from December. These devices include, Xperia Z, Xperia ZL, Xperia ZR, Xperia Tablet Z, Xperia SP, Xperia Z Ultra and Xperia Z1.  Sony had also announced that elect (2012) Xperia devices running Android 4.1 would be updated directly to 4.3, skipping the Android 4.2. Now the company has revealed that the Xperia T, Xperia TX and the Xperia V will be upgraded to Android Jelly Bean 4.3 from next month. Continue reading “Sony to roll out Android 4.3 update starting from December, confirms Android 4.4 KitKat update for range of devices”

redBus.in launches native iOS app, updates Windows Phone app with new design and features

Redbus.in for iOS

redBus.in, one of India’s most popular bus ticket booking and reservation service has finally launched a native iOS app. This lets you search and book for more than 10,000 routes, select seats and has multiple payment options (Credit, Debit, net Banking and Cash on Delivery). The company launched the its native Windows phone 7.5 app back in November 2012, and updated the Windows Phone 8 app with new features and introduced a limited time offer for the Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 users last month. Continue reading “redBus.in launches native iOS app, updates Windows Phone app with new design and features”

Gionee Elife E6 Review

Amongst the many upstarts in the indigenous smartphone scene in India, one specific brand has caught our eye. Gionee has differentiated itself with its refreshing focus on design and hardware quality. Handsets like Elife E3 stood out from the competition being a device that both looked and also offered a very unique experience to the user. With the Elife E6, Gionee is kicking this up a notch. We’d previously done a preview of the device and here’s our review of the Gionee Elife E6. Continue reading “Gionee Elife E6 Review”

Sony Xperia C Review

Sony launched the Xperia C, the company’s first smartphone to feature a MediaTek chip last this month. We brought you the unboxing and the benchmarks of the device last month, here we have the complete review of the device. It has a 5-inch qHD screen and packs a quad-core MediaTek MT6589 chip, similar to most of the smartphones from local OEMs. Is the Sony Xperia C worth the price ? Let us dive into the review to find out. Continue reading “Sony Xperia C Review”

Android 4.4 KitKat In-depth Walkthrough

android-4-4kitkat-overview-walkthrough

Google announced the Nexus 5 a while back, and with it came the latest iteration of Android – 4.4 KitKat. Within a day, Nexus 5 made its way into the hands of talented developers and Google too helped along, with the AOSP builds instantly going live. We then rapidly saw ports and AOSP builds popping up, with one for the Nexus 4 claiming to be a direct port of the Nexus 5 ROM. That was intriguing enough for a flashing opportunity, and so we jumped on it, right away. It turned out to be exactly that, with the complete feature set, rather than the lacking AOSP builds. We used it long enough to discover and use all the user-facing features of Android 4.4 KitKat and hence, presenting you an in-depth overview of the same in a 26-minute video –

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

Read past the break for a walkthrough in text and photos.

Continue reading “Android 4.4 KitKat In-depth Walkthrough”

Videocon Telecom launches M-health, mobile based Ayurvedic health service

Videocon Telecom from the Videocon Group has launched Ayurvedic mobile health, an IVR-based Value Added Service (VAS) service in collaboration with world renowned JIVA Ayurveda Group. The Ayurvedic health service will provide access to top Ayurvedic doctors round-the-clock and is exclusively available for the customers by dialing 535133, which costs Rs. 6/min. Continue reading “Videocon Telecom launches M-health, mobile based Ayurvedic health service”

Xolo Q2000 with 5.5-inch HD display, 13MP camera spotted on official website

Xolo Q2000

Xolo Q2000, the company’s upcoming large screen phone with a 5.5-inch HD display in the Q CORE series has been spotted on the official website. It has a  5.5-inch (1280 x 720 pixels) HD IPS display, powered by a 1.2 GHz quad-core MediaTek MT6589W processor and runs on Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean). It has a 13-megapixel auto focus rear camera with BSI sensor 2, LED Flash, 1080p full HD video recording and a 2-megapixel front-facing camera. It comes with dual SIM support with dual standby and packs a 2600 mAh battery. This would compete with the Spice Pinnacle Stylus Mi-550 and the Micromax Canvas Doodle 2. Continue reading “Xolo Q2000 with 5.5-inch HD display, 13MP camera spotted on official website”

Intex Aqua i6 with 5-inch display, 1.3 GHz quad-core processor launched for Rs. 8990

Intex Aqua i6

Intex has launched the Aqua i6, the company’s latest smartphone in the Aqua series. It had already launched the Aqua i4 back in September, this one has a 5-inch  (854 x 480 pixels) display similar to the i4, but this is powered by a 1.3 GHz quad-core processor. Intex had already partnered with MediaTek for the launch of the Cloud X3 with a dual-core MediaTek MT6572 chip, this one has a 1.3 GHz quad-core MediaTek MT6582 processor with Mali 400 MP2 GPU from. It runs on Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean), packs a 8-megapixel rear camera with LED flash and a 2-megapixel front-facing camera. Continue reading “Intex Aqua i6 with 5-inch display, 1.3 GHz quad-core processor launched for Rs. 8990”

Samsung’s Roadmap reveals 560ppi and 4K phones coming in 2014 and 2015 respectively

Samsung held their second Analyst Day yesterday and the outcome of the event is that we now have an idea regarding what Samsung is planning for the smartphone market in the next couple of years. Among the various important revelations in event, certain highlights were that Samsung will be producing their custom ARM core CPUs and are planning to introduce 560ppi display smartphones in 2014 and 4K phones in the year after.

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Google Nexus 5 Benchmarks

Google Nexus 5 Benchmarks

Google launched the Nexus 5, the company’s latest flagship smartphone last month. We brought you the unboxing of the device earlier this week, here we have the benchmarks of the device. It is manufactured by LG and is powered by a 2.2 GHz quad-core Snapdragon 800 (MSM8974) 28nm HPm quad-core Krait 400 CPU with Adreno 330 GPU. We brought you the benchmarks of the Snapdragon 800 on a reference smartphone few months back. Here we have also compared it in these benchmarks to show you the difference. Since Google has optimized the processor to use the minimal use of CPU cores when the phone is idle, some benchmarks such as Quadrant, AnTuTu and Linpack shows low scores. GPU-based benchmarks doesn’t get affected.

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Sony CP-V3 portable USB charger launched in India for Rs. 1590

Sony CP-V3 Portable Charger

Sony has launched CP-V3, the company’s new portable USB charger in India. It has a capacity of 2,800 mAh and high output of 1.5A that ensures for a fast recharge of smartphones on-the-go. The charger comes in 5 vibrant colors and weighs just 84 grams. It  is small, compact and easy-to-carry. It is based on Sony’s Lithium-ion polymer technology that lets the charger retain more than 90 per cent of its capacity at 1,000 charges. The CP-V3 USB Portable Charger can be charged via USB port on PC or using an AC adapter. Continue reading “Sony CP-V3 portable USB charger launched in India for Rs. 1590”

Pebble SDK 2.0 announced, brings deeper iOS integration and new APIs

Pebble has just made a couple of announcements that will make both users and developers very happy. After shipping over 190,000 Pebble watches and getting 10,000+ developers onboard, the company is today announcing a brand new SDK. The new Software Development Kit (SDK) will include support for new APIs including Javascript, Accelerometer, Data Logging and Persistent Storage.  The benefits of these APIs are multifold. Developers will be able to make apps that interface directly with the web to deliver rich apps that can provide information like transit data or location based check-in. It’ll be possible to make fitness monitoring apps that will then be able to log data directly on the smartwatch even you are disconnected from the phone. Making use of the new API, Pebble is bringing onboard new watch faces from the likes of iControl, Foursquare and Go Pro. The next big addition in terms of software is the new app for iOS that’ll offer seamless integration with iOS 7. Pebble is now completely integrated with Notification Center on iOS and you’ll be able to pick and choose which updates you want to see on your wrist. This should finally help calm iOS users who have been frustrated by the limited functionality offered by Pebble on iOS. Pebble is one of the most successful smart watches out there though we feel that this market is just getting heated up and we’ll see a lot of competition in the near future from the likes of Google and Apple.

Samsung Galaxy Note 3 vs Sony Xperia Z1

Sony and Samsung announced their flagship devices at IFA 2013. Samsung was the first company to step into the 5inch + category with their original Galaxy Note and it was a very successful experiment. Samsung continued to reap even bigger rewards with the second interation of the Note series – Samsung Galaxy Note 2. Samsung is all set to make it three in a row with their Samsung Galaxy Note 3.

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Sony, on the other hand don’t have a colorful Android history to share as they are just coming back from a land where they were always late to the party. Sony introduced the their first camera centric flagship – Sony Xperia Z1 at the IFA 2013 in Berlin. Sony Xperia Z1 had leaked numerous times prior to launch and when Sony announced it, nothing came as a surprise – even the 20.7MP camera. Sony Xperia Z1 has the biggest camera sensor on an Android smartphone, even bigger than the one on the camera-phone – Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom, but without the optical zoom.

Today, we will be bringing you the best of Samsung against the best of Sony. Both the phones pack some pretty serious processing power and do they have what it takes to dwarf out each other. You can check out the camera comparison video right below.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QxROC_79UMs Continue reading “Samsung Galaxy Note 3 vs Sony Xperia Z1”

Lenovo P780 Benchmarks

Lenovo P780 Benchmarks

Lenovo launched the P780, successor of the P770 back in June. We brought you the unboxing of the device earlier this week, here we have the benchmarks of the device. It is powered by a 1.2 GHz quad-core MediaTek 6589 processor with PowerVR SGX 544MP GPU, better than its predecessor which had a 1.2 GHz dual-core MediaTek MT6577 CPU with PowerVR SGX 531 GPU. It has a 5-inch (1280 x 720 pixels) touch screen IPS display and runs on Android 4.2.1 (Jelly Bean) with Lenovo’s custom UI on top. Let’s find out how this compete with other devices in range of synthetic benchmark tests when compared to other smartphones.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8TUlQwQHScQ Continue reading “Lenovo P780 Benchmarks”