![]()
Apple has announced iOS 8, the next major software update for the iPhone and iPad at the WWDC 2014. This would deliver a simpler, faster and more intuitive user experience and it the biggest iOS release ever, says Apple. This also brings new features such as iCloud Photo Library, new Health app, QuickType keyboard, new Messages app and more.
The iOS 8 brings a new photos app and new iCloud Photo Library. It automatically syncs all your photos and videos in iCloud and keeps only the lightweight versions for viewing for each device. It also lets you organize photos so that you can mark favorites, create albums and also crop, straighten, enhance, or add filters. Every adjustment and effect is automatically updated across your devices with iCloud Photo Library. The Smart adjustments feature automatically adjusts exposure, brightness, contrast, and more. A new Time-lapse mode in Camera lets you shoot Time-lapse videos.
The new Messages app lets you share your voice, brings new gesture feature for sharing videos and photos within Messages. Group messaging now lets you remove contacts, leave a conversation and the option to not be disturbed. Other features include, option to browse through all of the photos and videos within a ...
Oppo Find 7a is one of the successors of the popular Oppo Find 5. Oppo Find 7a comes with a 13MP rear camera that can record 4K videos thanks to the Snapdragon 801 SoC inside it. There is a also a 5MP front camera that was designed for video chatting, but is being used these days for "selfies". The Oppo Find 5 too had a 13MP rear shooter and it was a very capable one. The Oppo Find 7a is arriving a year later than the Find 5 and lets check out how improved the camera on the Oppo Find 7a is.
The 13MP rear camera can definitely take some great photos as we found out in our review of the Find 7a. Oppo has done a great job in the camera department of the Find 7a. You can find the camera samples right below. Use CTRL+CLICK to open the full resolution images in a new tab.
You can check out the 4K video sample from the Oppo Find 7a right below
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=we9EzM_IgdY
As you can see above, the 4K video samples is full of colors and details. The Oppo Find 7a definitely has one of the best 13MP camera modules on a smartphone ...
Back in February, just ahead of the Mobile World Congress, Gionee announced the Elife S5.5 which is currently the slimmest smartphone. The Gionee Elife S5.5 comes with a Full HD AMOLED display and is powered by MediaTek's Octa-core SoC. It also comes with a 13MP camera module on the back. The device is super thin and today, we have the device at our office and we will be bringing you the unboxing.
Before we head over to the unboxing and the box contents, you can check out the specifications of the Gionee Elife S5.5 right below.
5-inch (1920 x 1080 pixels) Full HD Super AMOLED display with Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection
1.7 GHz Octa-core MediaTek MT6592 processor with Mali 450-MP4 GPU
Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean) with Amigo 2.0 UI
13MP auto focus camera with LED flash, Stacked Sony sensor, 1080p video recording
5MP front-facing camera
Dimensions: 145.1×70.2×5.55mm; Weight: 130 grams
2GB LPDDR3 RAM, 16GB internal memory
3G, WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, WIFI Direct, Bluetooth 4.0, USB OTG GPS
2300 mAh battery
You can check out the unboxing video right below.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HeEBh0JgXlU
The box contents are as follows
Gionee Elife S5.5 Smartphone
Flip case
4 Scratch guards - 2 for the front and 2 for the rear
USB OTG Cable
USB to microUSB cable
USB Wall Adapter
SIM ejector tool
Manual guide
In-Ear type earphones
There are quite a few components ...
Samsung announced Samsung Z, its first Tizen based smartphone today. Along with this, the company has introduced Tizen based SDK for Samsung Smart TVs. This will enable developers to create apps, games and services for the new platform.
Samsung plans to make a beta version of the SDK available to developers in July, allowing them to create TV apps using HTML5 and the Caph framework. The South Korean tech giant said the Beta version of the software comes with a Smart Interaction feature, that supports voice and gesture controls. It will also havemulti-screen options for linking up with mobiles and wearable device.
We are excited to offer app developers the opportunity to experience this new platform in advance with the release of Beta SDK. With the ultimate goal of expanding the TV ecosystem for apps, we will continue our efforts to provide innovative functions and improve the development environment.
said YoungKi Byun, Vice President of Visual Display Business S/W R&D Team, Samsung Electronics in the official blog.
Last week, Samsung Galaxy Gear received the much needed and Tizen update meanwhile, Samsung had already launched Gear 2, Gear 2 Neo and the fitness tracker Gear Fit that are powered by Tizen. The WSJ reported last month that Samsung ...
Asus has announced MeMO Pad 7 (ME176C), successor of last year's MeMO Pad HD 7 at the Computex 2014 in Taipei. It has a 7-inch (1280 x 800) HD IPS multi-touch display, powered by a 1.86GHz quad-core 64-bit Intel Atom Z3745 processor and runs on Android 4.4 (KitKat) with ZenUI on top. It has a 5-megapixel rear camera and a 2-megapixel front-facing camera. It has Asus SonicMaster Audio Technology and dual Stereo Speakers for enhanced audio output.
Asus MeMO Pad 7 specifications
7-inch (1280 x 800) HD IPS 10-point multi-touch display with anti-fingerprint coating
1.8 GHz quad-core Intel Atom Z3745 processor
Android 4.4 (KitKat) with ZenUI
5MP rear camera
2MP front-facing camera
Dimensions: 113.7 x 189.3 x 9.6 mm; Dimensions: 295 grams
1GB RAM, 8GB / 16GB internal memory, MicroSD card slot
WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth with aptX, Miracast
15 Wh Lithium polymer battery with up to 9 hours of battery life
The Asus MeMO Pad 7 comes in white, black, red, yellow and blue colors. It would go on sale sometime in Q3 2014 for around $150.
In a bid to enhance its HERE Map offering, Nokia has bought Desti for an undisclosed sum. The mapping startup and app maker uses artificial intelligence and natural language processing to generate more personalized location searches and maps. Desti app is based out of the same research center as Siri and Nuance.
We want to create a new class of location services that implicitly understands who you are and what you're looking for, sometimes even before you ask,
said HERE VP of Search and Places Don Zereski blog.
Founded by Nadav, Desti will shut down as a result of the acquisition. The iOS app has already been taken down from the Apple App Store. Desti also taps your social graph, taking into account your preferences and tastes from your Facebook likes and own history of using the service.
Nokia has not provided details about how it will integrate Desti's technology to HERE Maps. However, its pretty clear that HERE Maps will become more efficient and will show refined and tailored results. It looks like HERE Maps along with Desti's integration will compete with Foursquare and Google Search for Nearby Places.
Earlier this month, there were reports saying that Nokia will bring HERE Maps to Android and iOS soon.
Asus has announced Fonepad 8 (FE380CG) and a new version of the Fonepad 7 (FE375CG) at the Computex 2014. The Fonepad 8 has a 8-inch (1280 x 800 pixels) IPS display with 5.06mm narrow bezel bezel and a screen-to-body ratio of 72.2%. The Fonepad 7 has a 7-inch (1280 x 800) display. Both these tablets are powered by a 1.8 GHz quad-core 64-bit Intel Atom Z3560 processor with PowerVR Series 6 GPU and runs on Android 4.4 (KitKat) with Zen UI . These tablets also have a 5-megapixel rear camera and a 2-megapixel front-facing camera.
These have Dual front speakers with SonicMaster technology and Dual SIM support with voice calling capabilities.
Asus Fonepad 8 (FE380CG) specifications
8-inch (1280 x 800) HD IPS display with 10 finger multi-touch and Anti-fingerprint coating
1.83 GHz quad-core Intel Atom Z3560 processor with PowerVR Series 6 - G6430 GPU
Dual SIM with dual standby
Android 4.4 (Kitkat) with Zen UI
5MP rear camera with 1080p Full HD video recording
2MP front-facing camera with 720p Video Recording
8.9mm thick and weighs 328 grams
1GB RAM, 8GB / 16GB internal memory, expandable memory with microSD
3G HSPA+, WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS
15.2 Wh battery with up to 10 hours of battery
Asus Fonepad 7 (FE375CG) specifications
7-inch (1280 x 800) HD IPS display with 10 finger multi-touch and Anti-fingerprint ...
ASUS has taken wraps off another of its hybrid devices at the ongoing Computex in Taipei. The company has announced the Transformer Book V, a 5 in 1 device which can be used as a phone, tablet and laptop running on Android and Windows.
The modular device boasts of a 12.5 inch HD IPS detachable screen and a 5-inch smartphone that docks into the tablet. Asus Transformer Book V is aimed at being more flexible for users to switch between work and entertainment in one device. Powered by an Intel Moorefield chip in the phone, the device has an Intel Core CPU in the dock section. It runs both Windows 8.1 and Android 4.4 KitKat and it can be docked with a keyboard on both the modes to provide a full laptop experience.
Transformer Book V combines the power of a laptop with the mobility of both a tablet and smartphone, and provides the flexibility to run a wide range of apps. Together with the easy ability to switch between modes and share data between devices, Transformer Book V delivers an unparalleled user experience, said ASUS in a company release.
Specification
Phone
Tablet / Laptop
Processor
Intel Atom Quad-Core Intel Atom Processor
Next Gen Intel Core ...
Spice has just announced the Spice Stellar 360 which brings back the near extinct physical keyboard on a smartphone. The Spice Stellar 360 tries to bring together the BlackBerry style QWERTY keyboard on a smart phone and the very popular and widely used touch screen with Android at the heart.
The Spice Stellar 360 was just launched for Rs. 4,799 and we are bringing you the unboxing video now. Before we you check out the unboxing video below, you can just check out the specs right below.
3.5-inch (480 x 320 pixels) capacitive touch screen display
1.3 GHz dual-core processor with Mali 400 GPU
Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean)
Dual SIM
3.2MP rear camera with LED flash
1.3MP front-facing camera
11mm thick and weighs 118 grams
512MB RAM,4GB Internal memory, expandable memory up to 32GB with microSD
3G HSPA+, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth, GPS
1500mAh battery
As you can see from the price and the specifications, the Spice Stellar is meant for the entry range Android buyers who would also like a physical QWERTY keyboard on their device. You can check out the unboxing video right below.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyFX1rwAKnE
The box contents of the Spice Stellar 360 are
Spice Stellar 360 smartphone
USB to microUSB cable
USB Wall charger
In-Ear type headphones
Pouch for Smartphone
Manual and List of service centers
The Spice Stellar ...
Dell has unveiled two Android tablets that are an upgrade to its Venue series at the Computex. Dubbed as Venue 7 and Venue 8, the tablets run on latest Android KitKat 4.4 and starts at US$159 and US$199 respectively.
The former has a 7 inch HD (1280x800) display while the latter has 8 inch full-HD (1920x1200) display. Dell Venue 7 comes with dual-core Intel Atom (Z3460) while the Venue 8 gets a pump to dual-core Intel Atom (Z3480). Both the tablets have 1 GB RAM with 16GB inbuilt storage that can be expanded upto 64GB via micro USB card slot.
In terms of camera, Dell Venue 7 has a 5MP rear and 1MP front facing camera while the Venue 8 has a 5MP rear and 2MP front camera. Dell has outfitted each tablet with Waves MAXXAudio Pro audio technology for what the company claims will be a premium audio experience. Available in black and red colours, both the tablets have a 4550 mAh battery.
Dell Venue 7 specifications
7-inch (1280x800 pixels) HD capacitive multi-touch IPS Display
Intel Atom processor Z3460 (up to 1.6GHz Dual-Core)
Android KitKat 4.4
5MP rear camera
1 MP front facing camera
8.95mm thick and weighs at 290g
1GB RAM, 16GB inbuilt memory, micro SD expandable upto 64GB
Integrated LTE (Optional), WiFi 802.11 b/g/n,Bluetooth 4.0, GPS
4550 mAh battery
Dell ...
Lava Iris 300 style and 3G 412, two new budget Android smartphones have been spotted on the official website. The Iris 300 style has a 3.5-inch HVGA screen and the Iris 412 has a 4-inch WVGA screen. Both these smartphones are powered by 1 GHz dual-core processors and run on Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean). Both these have a 2-megapixel fixed-focus rear camera and a 0.3-megapixel front-facing camera, but the Iris 300 style doesn't have LED flash.
The entry-level Iris 300 style has 2G (EDGE) support and packs 256 MB of RAM, while the 3G 412 has 3G connectivity and comes with 512MB RAM. Both these have dual SIM support.
Lava Iris 300 style specifications
3.2-inch (320 x 480 pixels) capacitive touch screen display
1 GHz dual-core processor
Dual SIM (GSM + GSM) with Dual Standby
Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean) OS
2MP rear camera
0.3MP (VGA) front-facing camera
3.5mm audio jack, FM Radio
13.3mm thick and weighs 100g
2G (EDGE), Bluetooth with A2DP, Wi-Fi
256MB RAM, 512MB Internal memory (125 MB user memory), Expandable memory with micro SD
1400 mAh battery
Lava 3G 402+ specifications
4-inch (480 x 800 pixels) capacitive touch screen display
1 GHz dual-core processor
Dual SIM (GSM + WCDMA) with Dual Standby
Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean) OS
2MP rear camera with LED flash
0.3MP (VGA) Auto-facing camera
3.5mm audio jack, FM Radio
11.7mm thick and weighs ...
Last year, Apple introduced the iPhone 5s with its Touch ID sensor on board. This fingerprint reader built into the home button itself was intimately tied in to the operating system. It allowed for a seamless way to unlock the device, offered a few more security related functions.
With the launch of iOS 8, developers will be able to use the Touch ID API to enable authentication for users. This'll work in two ways. Developers can either use fingerprint based authentication for applications and in case of more sensitive use cases, offer Touch ID as a secondary means of authentication.
The feature has the potential to revolutionize mobile payments and services. Especially with Apple's push in the home automation front with HomeKit, it will be very interesting to see how Touch ID gets integrated here. In the near future, you might be able to set your home temperature or unlock your doors just by using the Touch ID sensor on the iPhone. Needless to say that opening this API virtually guarantees the presence of the fingerprint sensor on most if not all of the new hardware announced later this year. Mainstream users will be able to make use of this when ...
Apple has announced iOS 8, the next major software update for the iPhone and iPad at the WWDC 2014. This would deliver a simpler, faster and more intuitive user experience and it the biggest iOS release ever, says Apple. This also brings new features such as iCloud Photo Library, new Health app, QuickType keyboard, new Messages app and more.
The iOS 8 brings a new photos app and new iCloud Photo Library. It automatically syncs all your photos and videos in iCloud and keeps only the lightweight versions for viewing for each device. It also lets you organize photos so that you can mark favorites, create albums and also crop, straighten, enhance, or add filters. Every adjustment and effect is automatically updated across your devices with iCloud Photo Library. The Smart adjustments feature automatically adjusts exposure, brightness, contrast, and more. A new Time-lapse mode in Camera lets you shoot Time-lapse videos.
The new Messages app lets you share your voice, brings new gesture feature for sharing videos and photos within Messages. Group messaging now lets you remove contacts, leave a conversation and the option to not be disturbed. Other features include, option to browse through all of the photos and videos within a ...
Lava Iris X1 is a mid-range Android smartphone that comes with above the price range specifications and shares its design language with one of the most premium smartphones in the market. Lava Iris X1 comes with a 4.5 inch FWVGA display, a quad-core processor from Broadcom and an iPhone-ish design language.
We have the Lava Iris X1 with us and today, we will be bringing the unboxing of the retail unit is available for Rs. 7,999. Here is a quick list of specifications of the Iris X1
4.5-inch (854 x 480 pixels) capacitive touchscreen IPS display
1.2 GHz quad-core Broadcom BCM23550 processor with Videocore IV GPU
Android 4.4.2 (KitKat)
Dual SIM (Normal SIM + micro SIM) with dual standby
8MP rear camera with BSI+ sensor, Dual LED Flash
2MP front-facing camera
Dimensions: 134x66x8.9mm; Weight: 138 grams
3.5mm audio jack, FM Radio
1GB RAM, 4GB internal memory, expandable memory up to 32GB with microSD
3G HSPA+, WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0 LE, GPS
1800 mAh battery
You can check out the unboxing video right below.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lyD8rWqlVCU
The box contents of the Lava Iris X1 are
Lava Iris X1 Smartphone
USB to microUSB cable
USB Wall charger
In-Ear type heaphones
Scratch guard
Flip case
User Manual
The design language of the Lava Iris X1 is strikingly similar to the iPhone 4s although the Iris X1 is quite a bit large ...
As a part of the new "continuity" push on all of Apple's devices and services, the Cupertino company announced a really nifty feature called "Handoff". In pure cellular technology terms, this word is used to denote the transfer of a signal from one cell to another. Similarly, the iOS devices will be able to "Handoff" information from one form factor to the other, all thanks to intervention of the cloud and advanced local network features. While you can already accomplish some of these things, like synced notes and reminders, Apple has taken it further by not only including third party support, but also support for voice calls and imessages. Yes, you can now take calls and reply to SMSes or iMessages from your iPad running iOS 8 or even your Mac, running OS X Yosemite.
Read about Apple's iOS 8 here
Apple's devices have always worked together well, considering the tightly integrated nature of the platform and "Handoff" only makes it better. From synced tabs on Safari to iCloud connected documents, Apple has tried to offer the maximum number of features that can roam between the devices, which, as you already know, are because of the iCloud.
Use Handoff with favorite apps like ...
Google updated Google+ for Android and Web with Auto Awesome Stories feature last month. Today, Google is bringing the same feature to iOS devices. The update comes at the time when Apple has announced iOS 8, latest software update for the iPhone and iPad.
Google+ Auto Awesome Stories combines photos and videos and transforms them into a photo album. All your Google+ Stories will be situated in one place similar and users can view, edit and share their stories with others within the G+ app.The feature works alongside Google+’s auto-upload feature, which automatically uploads the photos and videos from your iPhone’s Camera Roll to Google’s social network. Duplicate, blurry and not so good photos will be automatically not included in your Stories.
Moreover, iPhone and iPad users can also edit their photos with am upgraded photo editor. It gets Snapseed-inspired tools which allows actions like crop, rotate and 1-tap enhancements like Drama, Retrolux, and HDR Scape. Google+ photos can now be edited and enhanced with Instagram like filters.
It looks like Google is trying to up the ante for Google+ and make its more powerful to sustain tough competition from established social networks like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. You can download the Google+ app for iPhone and iPad from the ...
After an arrays of speculation and leaks, Apple has finally announced HealthKit platform and Health app. Coming to iOS 8, HealthKit is a cloud based health platform that consolidates user's health information on iOS devices.
The 'Health' App will collect a number of body metrics including blood pressure, heart rate, and stats on diet and exercise. The app along with the HealthKit will combine data from various different health and fitness devices and apps, and make them accessible all in one place.
Nike will be one of the first third-party apps supported by Health along with Fitbit, iHealth, Mayo Clinic and Wahoo Fitness. Users will also be able to allow applications to share such information with apps from health care providers, who can compare readings with the ranges prescribed that patients.
Today markets are crowded with health and fitness tracking devices. Smartphone makers are making sure to add health feature and heart sensor to their flagship phones owing to the tough competition. Samsung has an app called S Health that runs on its flagship Galaxy phones. Currently, only limited information is available on the HealthKit service and Apple will soon provide more details about the same.
With the announcement of iOS 8, Apple as usual brought to its mobile platform a lot of consumer centric features. An unexpected one amongst them was the ability to switch the default keyboard. After giving the application necessary permissions on your iPhone or iPad, replacement keyboards will have system wide access to all the services or applications.
This comes at a time when Apple themselves revealed a new keyboard for iOS 8 called QuickType. This new way to type essentially brings Windows Phone 8 like WordFlow prediction to iOS. Supported in 14 regions, it will bring up contextual words as you type so as to save time.
What's even better news for Apple users is that popular Android keyboards like Swiftkey, Swype and Fleksy are already raring to get on board the Apple ecosystem. All three bring unique functionality to the keyboard and make tangible improvements for one handed operation. Expect to see the replacement keyboards available on the App Store right in time for the iOS 8 launch.
Google has released factory images and binaries for both the WiFi and Cellular versions of the Nexus 7, Nexus 10 and also for the Nexus 4 and the Nexus 5. This minor update brings a new dialer that Google accidentally revealed couple of months back, some visual changes to the Contacts app and several under the hood changes.
Google has not released the official changelog for the update yet, but according to T-Mobile's changelog the update would bring security enhancements and various bug fixes. Google released Android 4.4 update for the Nexus devices back in November last year. It also released Android 4.4.1 and 4.4.2 updates weeks after the Android 4.4 to fix several bugs and add enhanced security features.
All these devices should get the over-the-air (OTA) update soon. You can download the factory images for these devices from the Google Developers website here. This will wipe your device clean, so remember to backup your device before flashing.
HTC has finally made HTC One E8 official soon after it appeared on the official website. It is a variant of the HTC One (M8) that was unveiled back in March, but this has a polycarbonate body instead of brushed aluminium finish on the One M8 and the Duo camera arrangement has been replaced by a 13-megapixel camera, similar to the Desire 816 and the One mini 2. It has the same 5.0-inch (1920 x 1080 pixels) Full HD display with Corning Gorilla glass protection, powered by a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor and runs on Android 4.4 (KitKat).
It has a 5-megapixel front-facing camera and comes with dual SIM support. It also has Dual front-facing stereo speakers with built-in amplifiers and HTC BoomSound technology.
HTC One (E8) Specifications
5.0-inch (1920 x 1080 pixels) Full HD display with Corning Gorilla glass 3 protection
quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor with Adreno 330 GPU
Android 4.4 (KitKat) with HTC Sense 6.0
Dual SIM
13MP rear camera with LED Flash, f/2.2 aperture, 1080p HD recording
5 MP front-facing camera
3.5 mm headset jack, FM radio with RDS, HTC BoomSound
Dual front-facing stereo speakers with built-in amplifiers
2 GB RAM, 16GB internal memory, expandable memory up to 128GB
4G LTE / 3G HSPA+, WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n (2.4 and 5 ...
In a bid to enhance song recognition, Apple has added Shazam integration to Siri. Apple's intelligent voice assistant will identify the song from Shazam's database. If the user asks "What song is playing", Siri will identify the song and ask the user to buy it from iTunes. This feature was previously leaked last month.
Moreover, similar to "Ok Google" on Android, Siri can now answer with a mere "Hey Siri" command without even touching your phone. Voice recognition is not new to Apple however, prior to this, users had to tap a button to ask a question. Finally, Siri can now take commands in 22 languages but Apple did not specify them.
Siri was the first virtual voice assistant in the market, but with advent of smartphones it is facing competition from Google and Microsoft's latest Cortana assistant.
Via
