OnePlus, a technology startup announced the OnePlus One, the company's first smartphone after a lot of hype. We managed to get an invite to buy the phone. The phone packs top-end specifications and premium build, but comes at a competitive price of just $299 for the 16GB variant and $349 for the 64GB variant. The company calls it as "2014 flagship killer". We have the 64GB variant in Sandstone Blackcolor. It runs on CyanogenMod 11S based on Android 4.4 (KitKat). Here is the video to show you what the device looks -
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6994zsq5eho
Box Contents
OnePlus One 64GB in Sandstone Black
Tangle-free Micro USB cable
SIM ejector tool inside a cover
Two-pin charger
Coming to the device, the design of the smartphone is simple, yet premium. It has a 5.5-inch 1080p screen and a 2.5 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 (MSM8974AC) processor with Adreno 330 GPU .
The OnePlus One has solid build quality. It has a removable back cover that offers rugged feel so that it doesn't get smudged easily. OnePlus unveiled bamboo StyleSwap back cover for the phone recently priced at $49.
Here you can see the patterns in the back cover clearly. It comes with a 13-megapixel camera with dual LED flash and 4K video recording. The smartphone even has 4G LTE support with bands 1/3/4/7/17/38/40. When it was ...
OnePlus, a technology startup announced the OnePlus One, the company's first smartphone after a lot of hype. We managed to get an invite to buy the phone. The phone packs top-end specifications and premium build, but comes at a competitive price of just $299 for the 16GB variant and $349 for the 64GB variant. The company calls it as "2014 flagship killer". We have the 64GB variant in Sandstone Blackcolor. It runs on CyanogenMod 11S based on Android 4.4 (KitKat). Here is the video to show you what the device looks -
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6994zsq5eho
Box Contents
OnePlus One 64GB in Sandstone Black
Tangle-free Micro USB cable
SIM ejector tool inside a cover
Two-pin charger
Coming to the device, the design of the smartphone is simple, yet premium. It has a 5.5-inch 1080p screen and a 2.5 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 (MSM8974AC) processor with Adreno 330 GPU .
The OnePlus One has solid build quality. It has a removable back cover that offers rugged feel so that it doesn't get smudged easily. OnePlus unveiled bamboo StyleSwap back cover for the phone recently priced at $49.
Here you can see the patterns in the back cover clearly. It comes with a 13-megapixel camera with dual LED flash and 4K video recording. The smartphone even has 4G LTE support with bands 1/3/4/7/17/38/40. When it was ...
After recently updating Google Play Store with Material Design elements, Google is now giving Chrome for beta a touch of Material Design. The version 37 brings a flat user interface that makes navigation simpler and more streamlined. In addition to a few UI tweaks, Chrome beta for Android also gets simplified sign-in process.
"When you add more than one Google Account to your device, you'll also be automatically signed in to those accounts on the web. In addition to having your accounts a click away, your bookmarks, passwords, and other Chrome stuff will be kept in sync across your devices, using the account you choose."
posted Google in a company blog.
Google says that once you have sign in to chrome you will not need to sign in again on Google websites, including Gmail, Maps or Search. The company stated that this is not a complete revamp and Chrome beta for Android will receive more updates related to Material Design soon. Earlier this month Chrome 36 got doodle support, better text rendering and few bug fixes.
You can download the latest update from Google Play Store here
We already know that Samsung is working on a Virtual Reality headset for its Galaxy devices. Today, more information about the VR has surfaced in a new leak. SamMobile has posted some screenshots of the Gear VR manager app that will control the Samsung Gear VR.
As per the photos, it looks the headset will feature Samsung’s S-Voice software which will enable users to give voice commands by simply saying 'Hi Galaxy'. In addition there will be a VR Lock, which sets up a security lock at the time of wearing the headset. A warning alert is also included that alerts users every hour reminding him that he is in a virtual world.
After launching the app and signing an end user agreement, the Gear VR manager downloads a number of core features including VR Panorama and VR Cinema. This suggests that users will be able to check out panoramic photos with the Gear VR along with a cool movie experience. The report goes on saying that the headset purportedly sports a back button and touchpad for navigation.
Samsung is responsible for the hardware of The Gear VR while the software is being made jointly by Oculus VR and Oculus Rift. The trademark ...
OnePlus One that runs on CyanogenMod 11S is already based on AOSP version of Android 4.4 (KitKat). Today OncePlus has released its own version of stock Android version 4.4.4 based on AOSP for those who prefer pure Android without any CyanogenMod customizations and features such as CM Account. It is still a work in progress so there are some issues that needs to be fixed, says OnePlus. So try it at your own risk since there might be a lot of bugs and errors.
Wish OnePlus released a Limited edition version like Oppo that can dual boot both CyanogenMod 11S and stock Android. OnePlus also confirms that installing the stock Android ROM doesn't void your warranty, but they are not responsible if you brick your phone.
If you have OnePlus One, you can download the stock Android ROM, find the instructions to unlock the bootloader and install ROM from the OnePlus forum here. OnePlus One is available for purchase only in 16 countries. Check out our OnePlus One unboxing.
Pink variant of the HTC One M8 that was leaked back in May has gone official in the UK. The Red colored variant of the One M8 would also be coming to the UK. The Red and Blue colored variants went on pre-order in the UK in May, when the Red variant was launched in Taiwan. HTC released the One M8 in Gunmetal Gray, Glacial Silver and Amber Gold colors initially. All these would have similar specifications and brushed metal finish.
Commenting on the new launch, Peter Frolund, UK and Nordics General Manager, HTC said:
We introduced a range of bold colours to the One family last year and their popularity is testament to how important it is for our users to be able to select a shade that suits their style. The HTC One (M8) impressed everyone with its unrivalled design and we decided to make it even better by offering even more choice when selecting the best smartphone in the world.
The Red HTC One M8 would be available exclusively to O2 customers from August 5th on pre-sale and in-store from 7th August. Pink M8 will be available exclusively from Carphone Warehouse from 7th August and available for pre-order from the 25th July along with a free ...
Asus launched the Zenfone series in India recently that features three model ranging from 4 to 6 inch screen. The Zenfone 4 is a low-end device in the series which sports 4 inch (800 x 480 pixels) capacitive multi touch display. Priced at Rs 5,999, the device powered by a 1.2 GHz dual-core Intel Atom Z2520 processor with PowerVR SGX544 GPU.
We have already posted the unboxing and hands on of the Zenfone 4 and now we are bringing you the photo gallery of the smartphone.
The Zenfone 4 has WVGA screen with Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection.
It has a 0.3 VGA front facing camera along with LED notification in the front.
Running on Android Jelly Bean 4.3, the phone is upgradable to KitKat 4.4. It has three capacitive touch buttons for back, home and menu, below the display.
The volume rocker buttons are present on the right with the power lock button.
The micro USB slot is present at the left side.
There is a 3.5mm audio jack at the top and the secondary microphone.
The back of the phone is curved and smooth which lends a good grip.
The rear back end boasts of the Zenfone and has intel inside TM above it.
While on the top rear back we have the 5MP camera without ...
Google's Chromecast media streaming stick is turning one today. The $35 digital media streaming dongle has completed one year of casting YouTube videos, Netflix movies, Pandora playlists, and more to TV.
The company has announced today that Chromecast has powered over 400 million Casts during this one year. To celebrate, Chromecast owners can get a Google Play Music All Access subscription free for 90 days. The offer is available in the US to new and existing Chromecast users who haven't tried the service yet.
Google also revealed that more than 6,000 developers have produced over 10,000 apps. The company however, did not mention the exact number of Chromecast devices that have been sold until now. Available in 20 countries, Chromecast competes with Apple TV and Roku. Chromecast can mirror content from the Google Chrome web browser on a computer or through the screen of several types of Android devices. It plugs into the HDMI port of a high-def TV or monitor and the power is supplied through a USB port or external power supply.
Earlier this month, Google added Android mirroring to Chromecast that lets the device owners with Android devices to “cast” mobile apps, photos, videos, and anything else from their device’s ...
Almost two months after launching the Slide 3G 7803Q-900 with 7.85-inch display, iBall has introduced iBall 3G 7345Q-800, that is now available from Snapdeal. It has a 7-inch HD IPS display, powered by a 1.3 GHz quad-core processor and runs on Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean). It has a 5-megapixel auto focus rear camera with LED flash and a 2-megapixel front-facing camera.
It has Dual SIM support, 3G connectivity and voice calling capabilities. Even though the design of the tablet is different, most of the specifications are similar to the Flipkart's Digiflip Pro XT 712 that we reviewed recently.
iBall 3G 7345Q-800 specifications
7-inch (1280 x 800 pixels) capacitive multi touch IPS display
1.3 GHz quad-core processor
Android 4.2.2 (Jelly Bean) OS
Dual SIM with dual standby
5MP autofocus rear camera with LED flash
2MP front-facing camera
3.5mm audio jack, FM Radio
3G HSPA+ (via SIM card slots), WiFi 802.11 b/g/n , Bluetooth , GPS, USB OTG
1GB RAM, 8GB internal memory, up to 32GB expandable memory with microSD
3000 mAh battery
The iBall 3G 7345Q-800 comes Blue color and is priced at Rs. 10,349.
After several leaks Samsung has finally made the Samsung Galaxy TabQ official in China. It was unveiled as Galaxy W in Korea last month and has similar specifications, including a 7-inch (1280×720 pixels) TFT display, 1.2 GHz quad-core processor, 8-megapixel rear camera with LED flash and a 2-megapixel front-facing camera.
Dimensions of the smartphone are slightly different compared to the Korean variant, but this has 4G LTE connectivity and voice calling capabilities. It has leather-like stitched design on the back, similar the Galaxy W.
Samsung Galaxy TabQ specifications
7-inch (1280 x 720 pixels) HD display
1.2 GHz quad-core processor
Android 4.3 (Jelly Bean)
8MP camera with LED flash
2MP front-facing camera
Dimensions: 191.8 x 99.7 x 8.9 mm; Weight: 250 grams
Upto 64GB expandable memory via microSD card
4G LTE-A / 3G HSPA+, WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n 2.4 + 5GHz, Bluetooth, GPS / GLONASS, NFC
3200 mAh Battery
It comes in Black color and would head to both China Mobile (SM-T2558) and China Unicom (SM-T2556) in China. No word on pricing or release date yet.
Via
You might have seen our review of the LG G3, which details a lot of the flagship's features, but when it comes to the camera, the Korean company has sought to keep things almost the same as its predecessor. The LG G3 comes with the same Sony made 13 megapixel stacked CMOS sensor as the G2, complete with dedicated ISPs for fast image processing. The f2.4 aperture is not class leading or even fast, by today's smartphone standards, but seems to be clear at the least, helping in taking sharp pictures. Coupled with OIS+, the new laser autofocus module and the dual tone flash, LG takes the successful combination from the G2, one step ahead. To explain all the features and the camera samples, here is our long dedicated camera review of the LG G3, skip past the video for the full resolution samples -
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZDa6BDLPbY
Daylight
One of the really good things about the default setup on the camera is that you can even set the HDR to "Auto" meaning the camera will decide when to turn the mode on and when not to. This makes for interesting results generally, with it turned on for most of the daylight pictures. We let ...
Qualcomm has stated that it has found a solution for battery saving issue while using LTE Direct. The chipmaker is stating a technology which is a device-to-device discovery service to exchange information at a range of around 500 meters.
Qualcomm touted that LTE Direct has several advantages over technology like Bluetooth of which battery saving is one of the most important. The battery consumption is minimal on LTE network owing to the standard offloads tasks like timing and resource. Devices with LTE Direct capability can search for each other instead of pinging constantly.
Also, LTE Direct has a wider reach as compared to other technologies as it uses mobile network. It offers great privacy as devices do not reveal their identity or precise location. Qaulcomm believes that LTE Direct can be used for push advertising searching and more. The company is currently working on the technology and testing it and plans to show unique features of LTE Direct at a Sans Francisco developers conference on September 18-19.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nffzJvcDgtc
Via
Google has acquired 3D graphics start-up drawElements for an undisclosed amount. However, few reports are claiming that the deal is more than $10 million. As a result of the acquisition, drawElemnts team will join Google.
Over the next few months, we’ll be working with our colleagues on the Android team to incorporate some of our technology into the compatibility test suite. Stay tuned!"
posted the company on its website.
Based in Helsinki, drawElements, specializes in mobile 3D graphics analytics. It produces a graphics test that helps companies make their software compatible with Google’s Android operating system. DrawElements’ technology lets developers test various GPUs across mobile devices. It also tests their implementation, stability and correctness.
This year Google acquired mobile enterprise security startup Divide, Word Lens creator Quest Visual and it recently acquired Songza.
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OnePlus sprung out of nowhere in the latter half of 2013, a time when a company called OPPO was at the prime of its popularity. Why are we talking about OPPO in a OnePlus One review? There are two bits to the answer: (i) most of the staff, including the company supremo Pete Lau came from the OPPO camp, and (ii) OPPO is believed to be OnePlus’ parent company, even though neither like to admit it.
If you can ignore the shortcomings that the OnePlus marketing model has seen, you'll probably believe that there can’t be a better $299 phone in the world than the OnePlus One. The device’s on-paper specifications say so, and so do most of the (few) OnePlus One users around the world. But (a big BUT at that), something that has plagued the company’s goodwill is the fact that the One remains to be a VERY tough device to get hold of. Well, given the price : specifications ratio, one definitely would've seen the demand coming; apparently, OnePlus didn’t.
Those hoping to get hold of the device are, besides paying the MSRP and shipping costs, expected to wait in line for an ‘invite’ without which they cannot pay ...
The Oppo Find 7 that we reviewed earlier, is aimed at the top end market with class leading tech and.. that includes the camera of course. Following the tradition, the Find 7 too comes with a 13 megapixel camera, just like the Find 5 and later, the N1. It's the same stacked CMOS sensor from Sony that you find on many devices these days, like the Galaxy S4, K900, Vibe Z etc, but of course it has been featured on Oppo's own devices too. From Find 5 to N1, there has been a lot of changes, few in hardware and many in software, but the Find 7's combination of the both has reached the peak level in terms of capabilities, we'd say. With a six element lens, dedicated ISPs for image processing including a really fast and stable HDR mode, the Find 7 adds a bunch of new tricks like Ultra HD video recording, 50 MP photos, 32 seconds of long exposure photography and then some more. To explain this better, here is a full walkthrough of the camera interface and its features, along with camera samples, in our camera review of the Oppo Find 7 -
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFsyvxkihD4
The interface might be ...
Samsung Galaxy Mega 2 (SM-G750A) has been spotted at FCC. This confirms the existence of the device, even though the benchmarks have already been leaked through the GFX Benchmark database. The FCC filing reveals the height and the width of the smartphone as 164.4 x 85 mm, so it would be bigger than the Mega 5..8. It also reveals LTE support and NFC. The UAProfile on the official website confirms the HD display and Android 4.4 (Kitkat).
According to earlier leak the Mega 2 would feature a 5.9-inch (1280 x 720 pixels) HD display, powered by 64-bit Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 Soc with Adreno 306 GPU, 12-megapixel rear camera, 5-megapixel front-facing camera, 2GB of RAM and 8GB internal storage.
Samsung unveiled the Mega 5.8 and Mega 6.3 back in April last year. We had not seen a large-screen smartphone from the company since then. Samsung concentrated more on tablets with voice calling capabilities instead. Since the smartphone has passed FCC, we should see the smartphone soon.
via
Panasonic started teasing India launch of the Eluga smartphone series last month. Today the company has announced that it would launch the Eluga smartphone on July 30th. The invite says "Launch of the next generation smartphone series", so it could launch a range of smartphones in the series.
The Panasonic ELUGA waterproof Android smartphone was announced back in 2012 for the European markets. The company also introduced ELUGA Power with IP57 ratings for dust and water resistance for Europe soon after. A recent teaser revealed the design of the smartphone. Since Eluga smartphones that were unveiled few years back have become old, the company could unveil new smartphones in the series that are designed for Indian users.
We just have to wait for few more days to find out what Panasonic has to offer. We will be there at the event next week to bring you more details about the Eluga series.
Moto X+1 that was rumored since April has surfaced in live images. Android Police that has received these images says it is "near-final prototype" device. The design of the smartphone matches the render that surfaced last month. It has a large earpiece grill and a loudspeaker grill on the front, similar to the Moto E. The same design is rumored to be carried out even in rumored Moto G2 smartphone that leaked few days back.
The back has plastic Motorola logo on a wooden surface, unlike the wooden variant of the Moto X. It also has an unique arrangement for dual LED flash on either sides of the camera module.
According to the images, the sides are made of aluminum, but the metal build doesn't extend to the front or back. The SIM card slot is present on the top, similar to Moto X. It is expected to feature a 5.1-inch 1080p screen, Snapdragon 800 processor, 12-megapixel rear camera with dual LED flash, 5-megapixel front-facing camera, 2GB RAM, 32GB of internal storage without expansion slot and a 2900 mAh battery.
According to earlier rumors, Motorola is expected to launch Moto X+1 and the Moto 360 simultaneously.
Source
Expect another Huawei phablet soon, in the 5.5-inch C199. The device was spotted at TENAA being certified earlier today, telltale signs that a launch in around the corner.
The phone is quite an interesting one, since it can neither be classified as an entry-level device nor a high-end one. It will come with Huawei's in-house HiSilicon Kirin 920 SoC, which houses an octa-core CPU. However, unlike MediaTek's 'true' octa-core MT6592, the HiSilicon Kirin 920 will come with two sets of cores, on consisting of 4x Cortex A15 and the other, 4x Cortex A7 cores. The big.LITTLE architecture used on the device means that either of the two sets will be operational at a single time.
Specifications
5.5-inch 1280 x 720p display
2GB RAM
16GB on-board ROM
13 mega-pixel rear camera
5 mega-pixel front facing camera
Battery: yet to be announced
Android v4.4.2 KitKat
Sources close to the Chinese maker report that the device is likely to get a 2000 CNY or $320 pricing, putting it in league with the likes of the OnePlus One, Xiaomi Mi4, etc.
[gallery columns="4" link="file" ids="110240,110239,110238,110237"]
A couple of radio variants are expected to be launched parallelly, to take care of international and Chinese markets.
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Celkon launched the Millennium Vogue Q455, a budget smartphone running Android 4.4 (KitKat) few days back, a week after launching the Millennium Elite Q470 and the Millennium Power Q3000 in the Millennium series. It has a 4.5-inch qHD OGS screen and is powered by a 1.2 GHz quad-core Broadcom BCM23550 processor with VideoCore IV GPU and runs on Android 4.4 (KitKat). The smartphone is just 7.9mm thick and competes with other smartphones in the similar price range. Check out the unboxing below.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6m47jVhM6pY
Box Contents
The box contents include,
Celkon Millennium Vogue Q455 in black
2000 mAh battery
2-pin charger
In-ear headset
Screen protector
User guide and Warranty Card
The Celkon Millennium Vogue Q455 4.5-inch (960 x 540 pixels) qHD IPS OGS display. It has a 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera, that is clearly visible. As you can see, the phone is taller than most 4.5-inch smartphone, including Moto G.
The sides and the back cover have smooth matte finish. It has a 8-megapixel rear camera with LED flash. Under the back cover there is a microSD card slot, a standard or mini SIM and a micro SIM slot. It has 1GB RAM and 16GB internal memory that is rarely seen on smartphones in this price range. We will be bringing you more details, including the ...
Samsung launched the Galaxy K zoom, successor of last year's Galaxy S4 zoom in India earlier this month, exclusively on Amazon for Rs. 29,999. We already brought you the unboxing and the benchmarks of the smartphone. Here we have the photo gallery and hardware walkthrough of the camera-centric smartphone.
The K zoom has a 20.7-megapixel camera Xenon Flash, BSI Sensor, Optical Image Stabilisation (OIS) and 1080p video at 60fps.
It has a 4.4-44mm Samsung lens and 10x optical zoom.
The K zoom has a similar dimple-like design on the front that was first introduced in the Galaxy S5.
On the front the Galaxy K zoom looks like any other Samsung smartphone. It has a 4.8-inch 720p Super AMOLED display.
It has an earpiece for voice calling, usual set of sensors and a 2-megapixel front-facing camera.
It has Samsung's signature home button along with capacitive touch buttons on either sides.
It has chrome rim running on the sides. On the right side it has volume rockers, power button and a dedicated camera button.
The microSD card slot is present on the other side so that you don't need to remove the cover or the battery to change the card.
On the top it has a 3.5mm audio jack and a secondary microphone.
On the bottom there ...
