Platforms | Fone Arena

Facebook announces Paper, a slick social news aggregator that lets you share your own stories

Facebook has taken the wraps off Paper, a new social news aggregator app that is designed to help you bring all the important stories, and even let you create your own. The app is first of the many apps that are in the works at Facebook Creative Labs, which plans to unveil a suite of mobile apps soon. Paper, which has very similar ideologies as Flipboard, shows you all the long form stories from your news feed, and lets you like and comment on them from the app, much like Facebook home, with a really cool presentation of full screen images and a card-like interface for other content. Other than that, you can also add your own categories and populate them with your own desired sources, just like you would, on a traditional news aggregator. Here is a promo video of the app in action

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IhrbT9O6kW8

Continue reading “Facebook announces Paper, a slick social news aggregator that lets you share your own stories”

Dell’s Wyse Cloud Connect is a $130 Android dongle that turns any HDMI screen into a workstation

Dell was rumoured to be working on a really unique product, an Android dongle that could run the operating system, in a compact form factor comparable to a Chromecast. As wild as the idea seemed, it has now taken the form of a real product in the Dell Wyse Cloud Connect, an Android dongle, aimed at enterprise users who want to carry their work for access everywhere, in a compact form factor. The dongle runs Android 4.1 Jellybean and can be used on any HDMI supported screen, like a HDTV, a projector, MHL compatible touch monitors(for full Android touch functionality), or can be paired up with Bluetooth mice and keyboards for the usual interaction like a PC. Out of the box, the Wyse Cloud Connect will also run Citrix, VMWare or Microsoft remote desktop clients. Dell hopes this will entice enterprise users for the portability it offers.

Continue reading “Dell’s Wyse Cloud Connect is a $130 Android dongle that turns any HDMI screen into a workstation”

Samsung launches Educational Galaxy Tab in the US

Samsung goes after Apple’s business again. This time, Samsung follows Apple into the educational domain where the presence of Apple’s iPad seems to have increased. Apple’s iPads have a lot of content in the educational domain and with the ever expanding iTunes Textbooks and iTunes U Course Manager, it justifies the demand of tablets in the educational domain. Samsung has spotted a way to increase its tablet market share and has announced a tablet with a special focus on educational content.

Samsung-Galaxy-TabPro-8.4-1 Continue reading “Samsung launches Educational Galaxy Tab in the US”

iBall Slide 3G 7334Q-10 with 7-inch display, Dual SIM and voice calling launched for Rs. 11499

iBall Slide 3G 7334Q-10

After last year’s Slide 3G 7334i with dual SIM support and voice calling, iBall has launched Slide 3G 7334Q-10 with a new design. It has a 7-inch (1024 x 600 pixels) capacitive touch screen display, powered by a quad-core 1.3 GHz processor and runs on Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean). It comes with a 2-megapixel rear camera and a VGA front-facing camera. It has 3G connectivity, dual SIM support, voice calling and FM Radio. Continue reading “iBall Slide 3G 7334Q-10 with 7-inch display, Dual SIM and voice calling launched for Rs. 11499”

Samsung to roll out 60 stores across Europe, in collaboration with Carphone Warehouse

Carphone Warehouse, one of the largest retailers with over 1700 stores in Europe, is entering into a crucial partnership with Samsung, in which it will operate 60 new Samsung exclusive stores across Europe, as a “preferred partner”. This is also an interesting development for Samsung, as this deal will massively improve the retail foot print in all the Android-loving parts of Europe. These new 60 stores will be Samsung exclusive experiences, with Carphone Warehouse contributing its part with retail experience and run Samsung’s stores with what it calls “Carphone Warehouse’s assisted sales tool and connectivity platform”, all with Samsung tablets.

Continue reading “Samsung to roll out 60 stores across Europe, in collaboration with Carphone Warehouse”

Google keeps Project Ara after selling off Motorola

Out of nowhere Google is sold off its Motorola Mobility to Lenovo for a deal worth close to 3 billion USD earlier today. The almost 3 billion USD sale doesn’t include the Advanced Technology and Projects group led by former DARPA director Regina Dugan. The Verge was able to confirm this and according to the sources, the team will be integrated with Google’s Android team which is headed by Sundar Pichai. Regina Dugan will reportedly report to Sundar Pichai, but is expected to maintain an individual role.

Continue reading “Google keeps Project Ara after selling off Motorola”

Samsung Life Times – a new app under development for Samsung devices

Samsung is known to release new flagship devices along with a lot of software features and gimmicks. Samsung’s TouchWiz UI is one of the heaviest skins in terms of RAM consumption and it comes with a lot of default apps that you cannot uninstall. According to the rumor mill, Samsung’s TouchWiz reportedly getting a big overhaul alongside the launch of Samsung Galaxy S5. But just a couple of days back, Google and Samsung entered into an agreement for patents and Samsung may be toning down on the TouchWiz to make it more Google like.

Samsung-Life-Times-1 Continue reading “Samsung Life Times – a new app under development for Samsung devices”

Oppo N1 officially arrives in India for a price of Rs. 39,999

Oppo had earlier revealed that they are entering the Indian market today, and right now, they have done just that, at an event in New Delhi. This event also sees the launch of company flagship, the Oppo N1, for a price of Rs. 39,999, for the 16 GB version. The N1, initially rumoured to be a camera centric device, turned out to be a lot more, which we had documented in our review earlier. It has a 5.9 inch 1080p display, a 13 megapixel camera sitting on a rotating swivel, a rear touch sensor for one handed usage, a really cool bluetooth accessory and so on. The hardware alone does not tell the entire story because the N1 is perhaps the most open device on the market, with an unlocked bootloader and a custom recovery that can install ROMs like Cyanogen Mod without any modification. Now that it has landed in India, can the “13 MP selfie” phone make its mark in a highly competitive market?

Continue reading “Oppo N1 officially arrives in India for a price of Rs. 39,999”

Tablets shipment cross 75million in Q4 2013, but growth slows down

In the latest report from IDC(International Data Corporation), tablet shipments have grown to 76.9 million in the last quarter of 2013. The 76.9 million number is a big increase of 62.4% over the previous quarter, but is a relatively small increase when compared to the sales during 2012 – an increase of 28.2% .

samsung-galaxy-tab-pro-hands-on2 Continue reading “Tablets shipment cross 75million in Q4 2013, but growth slows down”

Lenovo to buy Motorola from Google for 3 billion USD

Lenovo, the world’s no. 1 PC maker and one of the top 5 Smartphone vendors in the world, is reportedly buying out Motorola’s Mobility division from Google for close 3 billion USD, reports Reuters. With final talks between Lenovo and Google going on, Reuters adds that the Motorola mobility division is the one that makes the Moto X and the recently launched popular budget device, Moto G. Lenovo will also be getting its hands on certain patents as a part of the deal, reportedly. Google created a lot of flutter, not long ago, when it announced that it will acquire Motorola’s mobility division for a whopping 12.5 billion USD. It was assumed that the money was for all the patents, but Motorola(under Google’s leadership) announced the Moto X and the Moto G, with very few tweaks and modifications, which possibly signaled more Google intervention than ever, but it looks like that was not the case then, nor is it now.

Lenovo and Google have just made the acquisition official, read here for more details.

Continue reading “Lenovo to buy Motorola from Google for 3 billion USD”

Samsung reportedly toning down TouchWiz tweaks and apps due to pressure from Google

Samsung, the world’s biggest Android manufacturer, is reportedly toning down its TouchWiz UI tweaks and own custom apps due to pressure from Google, reports re/code. Not long before, the Korean Chaebol unveiled a range of new Android devices at the Consumer Electronics Show, all featuring the company’s latest and heavily modified Touchwiz “Magazine” UX, that looked nothing like Android. And then we saw a couple more leaks of its adaptation for the mobile form factor, and even that was a drastic departure from the previous version of TouchWiz, let alone stock Android. This might have set Google off and reportedly, the two companies have come to a compromise(among many other things) in which Samsung will tone down its UI tweaks and replacement apps for Google’s services, going forward.

The image above, taken from a Ars Technica opinion piece paints a clear picture of how Samsung had its own ecosystem around Android, replacing almost every little Google service possible. It is all set to change soon.

Continue reading “Samsung reportedly toning down TouchWiz tweaks and apps due to pressure from Google”

Lava Iris 404e with 4-inch display, Android 4.2 listed online for Rs. 4065

Lava Iris 404e

Lava Iris 404e, the latest smartphone from Lava in the Iris range has been listed on Flipkart. It has a 4-inch (480 x 800 pixels) display, powered by a 1.2 GHz dual-core processor and runs on Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean) OS. It has 2G (EDGE) connectivity, Dual SIM support with dual standby, 2-megapixel rear with LED flash and VGA front-facing camera. Continue reading “Lava Iris 404e with 4-inch display, Android 4.2 listed online for Rs. 4065”

Gionee Gpad G4 with 5.7-inch HD display, Aluminium body now available for Rs. 18999

Gionee Gpad 4, that appeared online back in November is now available in India from online retailer Snapdeal as Gpad G4. It has a 5.7-inch (1280 x 720 pixels) HD one-glass solution (OGS) display, powered by a 1.5 GHz quad-core MediaTek 6589T processor with PowerVR SGX 544MP GPU and runs on Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean). It has 13-megapixel rear camera with LED flash, BSI sensor, f/2.2 aperture and a 5-megapixel front-facing camera with 28mm wide angle lens. Continue reading “Gionee Gpad G4 with 5.7-inch HD display, Aluminium body now available for Rs. 18999”

Lava Iris Pro 30 Camera Samples

Lava recently announced their latest flagship smartphone – Lava Iris Pro 30. As seen at the announcement event, specifications are not the strength of this device. However, it comes with its own strength in the form of a spectacular build quality; looking like the industry standard iPhone and with a very light 114g body. We recently brought you the unboxing of this device and today we will be checking out how the 8MP camera on the back of the Lava Iris Pro does.

Lava Iris Pro 30-1 Continue reading “Lava Iris Pro 30 Camera Samples”

Celkon S1 with 5-inch 1080p display, 13MP camera launched for Rs. 14999

Celkon S1

Celkon has launched the Celkon S1, the company’s latest flagship smartphone. It has a 5.0-inch (1920 x 1080 pixels) IPS display based on one-glass-solution technology, powered by 1.5 GHz Quad-core processor and runs on Android 4.2.1 (Jelly Bean). It has a 13-megapixel auto focus rear camera with dual LED Flash and a 8-megapixel front-facing camera. The phone is very sleek at just 6.5mm. Continue reading “Celkon S1 with 5-inch 1080p display, 13MP camera launched for Rs. 14999”