The South Korean handset maker seems all-set to launch another mid-range quad-core smartphone, the Samsung Galaxy Win Pro.
The successor to Samsung Galaxy Win I8550, which was launched in India as the Galaxy Grand Quattro, is listed on Samsung Mobiles' China portal (above image translated via Google Translate). So far, there has been no official announcement by the company, and availability and price remain unknown, though most specifications are featured on the listing.
The Samsung Galaxy Win Pro is a dual-SIM (WCDMA+GSM) smartphone that runs on Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean. It is powered by a 1.2GHz quad-core processor, but the memory and storage capacity are not mentioned by the company.
The Galaxy Win Pro flaunts higher resolution but smaller 4.5-inch qHD (540x960) display, compared to its predecessor, which had a 4.7-inch WVGA (480x800) display. Apart from a VGA front-facing camera, the smartphone boasts of a 5-megapixel AF rear camera with LED flash with shooting modes like panorama shooting, continuous shooting etc., the camera can also record sound while shooting photos.
The battery power has been slightly improved with a bump up to 2100mAh from 2000mAh on the Galaxy Grand Quatrro. Other specifications of the Galaxy Win Pro include full-HD video playback capabilities, apart from Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, 3G, GPS and Micro-USB connectivity.
Recently Samsung had announced the successor to the Samsung Galaxy Grand, the Samsung Galaxy Grand 2 runs Android 4.3 Jelly Bean out-of-the-box. The Galaxy Grand 2 is a dual-SIM device with support for GSM+GSM. It features a 5.2-inch HD TFT display with a resolution of 720x1280 pixels.
The Galaxy Grand 2 is powered by a 1.2GHz quad-core processor alongside 1.5GB of RAM. It sports an 8-megapixel autofocus rear camera accompanied by an LED flash. It also houses a 1.9-megapixel front-facing camera. It comes with 8GB inbuilt storage, which is further expandable up to 64GB via microSD card.
Samsung Galaxy Win Pro key specifications
The successor to Samsung Galaxy Win I8550, which was launched in India as the Galaxy Grand Quattro, is listed on Samsung Mobiles' China portal (above image translated via Google Translate). So far, there has been no official announcement by the company, and availability and price remain unknown, though most specifications are featured on the listing.
The Samsung Galaxy Win Pro is a dual-SIM (WCDMA+GSM) smartphone that runs on Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean. It is powered by a 1.2GHz quad-core processor, but the memory and storage capacity are not mentioned by the company.
The Galaxy Win Pro flaunts higher resolution but smaller 4.5-inch qHD (540x960) display, compared to its predecessor, which had a 4.7-inch WVGA (480x800) display. Apart from a VGA front-facing camera, the smartphone boasts of a 5-megapixel AF rear camera with LED flash with shooting modes like panorama shooting, continuous shooting etc., the camera can also record sound while shooting photos.
The battery power has been slightly improved with a bump up to 2100mAh from 2000mAh on the Galaxy Grand Quatrro. Other specifications of the Galaxy Win Pro include full-HD video playback capabilities, apart from Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, 3G, GPS and Micro-USB connectivity.
Recently Samsung had announced the successor to the Samsung Galaxy Grand, the Samsung Galaxy Grand 2 runs Android 4.3 Jelly Bean out-of-the-box. The Galaxy Grand 2 is a dual-SIM device with support for GSM+GSM. It features a 5.2-inch HD TFT display with a resolution of 720x1280 pixels.
The Galaxy Grand 2 is powered by a 1.2GHz quad-core processor alongside 1.5GB of RAM. It sports an 8-megapixel autofocus rear camera accompanied by an LED flash. It also houses a 1.9-megapixel front-facing camera. It comes with 8GB inbuilt storage, which is further expandable up to 64GB via microSD card.
Samsung Galaxy Win Pro key specifications
- 4.5-inch qHD display with a resolution of 540 x 960 pixels
- 1.2GHz quad-core processor
- Dual-SIM (WCDMA+GSM)
- 5-megapixel autofocus rear camera with LED flash
- 0.3-megapixel front-facing camera
- Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean
Samsung's latest budget Android smartphone, the Galaxy S Duos 2, is now official in India. The Samsung Galaxy S Duos 2 was listed on the company's online store in November this year, however there was no word on the availability of the device, with the page providing a 'Notify Me' option for consumers.
The Samsung Galaxy S Duos 2 is the successor to the Galaxy S Duos, which was launched in September 2012 at a price of Rs. 17,900.
Samsung notes that the Galaxy S Duos 2 supports 10 regional languages, namely Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Punjabi, Tamil and Telugu.
The Galaxy S Duos 2 comes with a 4-inch WVGA (480x800) TFT display and is powered by a 1.2GHz dual-core processor (unspecified chipset). It is a dual-SIM (GSM+GSM) smartphone and runs Android 4.2 Jelly Bean with TouchWiz UI on top.
The Galaxy S Duos 2 sports a 5-megapixel rear camera with LED flash and also includes a VGA front-facing camera. The smartphone comes with 768MB of RAM and 4GB of inbuilt storage, which is further expandable up to 64GB via microSD card.
Connectivity features on the Galaxy S Duos 2 include Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, EDGE, GPRS and 3G. There is a 1500mAh battery backing the device which the company claims can deliver up to 8 hours of talktime and up to 280 hours of standby time. The Galaxy S Duos 2 has dimensions of 121.5x63.1x10.57mm, and weighs 118 grams. The smartphone will be available in two colours - Black and White.
Recently, Samsung announced the successor to the Galaxy Grand, the Galaxy Grand 2. However, the South Korean handset maker has not revealed the price for Galaxy Grand 2, and has also not announced the availability details for the smartphone.
Samsung Galaxy S Duos 2 key specifications
The Samsung Galaxy S Duos 2 is the successor to the Galaxy S Duos, which was launched in September 2012 at a price of Rs. 17,900.
Samsung notes that the Galaxy S Duos 2 supports 10 regional languages, namely Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Punjabi, Tamil and Telugu.
The Galaxy S Duos 2 comes with a 4-inch WVGA (480x800) TFT display and is powered by a 1.2GHz dual-core processor (unspecified chipset). It is a dual-SIM (GSM+GSM) smartphone and runs Android 4.2 Jelly Bean with TouchWiz UI on top.
The Galaxy S Duos 2 sports a 5-megapixel rear camera with LED flash and also includes a VGA front-facing camera. The smartphone comes with 768MB of RAM and 4GB of inbuilt storage, which is further expandable up to 64GB via microSD card.
Connectivity features on the Galaxy S Duos 2 include Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, EDGE, GPRS and 3G. There is a 1500mAh battery backing the device which the company claims can deliver up to 8 hours of talktime and up to 280 hours of standby time. The Galaxy S Duos 2 has dimensions of 121.5x63.1x10.57mm, and weighs 118 grams. The smartphone will be available in two colours - Black and White.
Recently, Samsung announced the successor to the Galaxy Grand, the Galaxy Grand 2. However, the South Korean handset maker has not revealed the price for Galaxy Grand 2, and has also not announced the availability details for the smartphone.
Samsung Galaxy S Duos 2 key specifications
- 4-inch WVGA (480x800) TFT display
- 1.2GHz dual-core processor (unspecified chipset)
- 768MB of RAM
- 4GB inbuilt storage, expandable up to 64GB via microSD card
- 5-megapixel rear camera with LED flash
- VGA front-facing camera
- Dual-SIM (GSM+GSM)
- Android 4.2 Jelly Bean with TouchWiz UI
- Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, EDGE, GPRS and 3G
- 1500mAh battery
- 121.5x63.1x10.57mm
Karbonn has unveiled its latest smartphone in India, the Titanium X priced at Rs. 18,490. Previously, in early November, the domestic handset maker had posted a teaser image of the Titanium X on its official website without pricing.
The Karbonn Titanium X runs Android 4.2 Jelly Bean out-of-the-box. Notably, the smartphone is a single SIM device with support for a micro-SIM.
The Titanium X features a 5-inch full-HD (1080x1920) IPS display, and is powered by a quad-core 1.5GHz processor coupled with 1GB of RAM. The smartphone sports a 13-megapixel rear autofocus camera with dual-LED flash, and also houses a 5-megapixel front-facing camera. It includes 16GB of inbuilt storage, which is further expandable up to 32GB via microSD card.
On the connectivity front, the smartphone includes NFC support, which will make the Titanium X the first 'affordable' smartphone from an Indian brand to sport this feature. The smartphone is backed by a 2300mAh battery, which is rated to deliver up to 6 hours of talktime, and up to 240 hours of standby time. The Karbonn Titanium X includes a host of sensors that include proximity sensor, G sensor, magnetic sensor, gyro sensor, and light sensor.
Commenting on the launch, Shashin Devsare, Executive Director, Karbonn Mobiles said "With the Karbonn Titanium X we are taking the Indian smartphone market to a different level altogether - the level X. Our endeavour is to set a benchmark in the Indian smartphone market, and establish Karbonn Titanium X at the pinnacle of research innovation. Unlike any other smartphone in the market, the Karbonn Titanium X enables the Generation X to live life in the fast lane and discover more into their social interactions."
Karbonn Titanium X key specifications
The Karbonn Titanium X runs Android 4.2 Jelly Bean out-of-the-box. Notably, the smartphone is a single SIM device with support for a micro-SIM.
The Titanium X features a 5-inch full-HD (1080x1920) IPS display, and is powered by a quad-core 1.5GHz processor coupled with 1GB of RAM. The smartphone sports a 13-megapixel rear autofocus camera with dual-LED flash, and also houses a 5-megapixel front-facing camera. It includes 16GB of inbuilt storage, which is further expandable up to 32GB via microSD card.
On the connectivity front, the smartphone includes NFC support, which will make the Titanium X the first 'affordable' smartphone from an Indian brand to sport this feature. The smartphone is backed by a 2300mAh battery, which is rated to deliver up to 6 hours of talktime, and up to 240 hours of standby time. The Karbonn Titanium X includes a host of sensors that include proximity sensor, G sensor, magnetic sensor, gyro sensor, and light sensor.
Commenting on the launch, Shashin Devsare, Executive Director, Karbonn Mobiles said "With the Karbonn Titanium X we are taking the Indian smartphone market to a different level altogether - the level X. Our endeavour is to set a benchmark in the Indian smartphone market, and establish Karbonn Titanium X at the pinnacle of research innovation. Unlike any other smartphone in the market, the Karbonn Titanium X enables the Generation X to live life in the fast lane and discover more into their social interactions."
Karbonn Titanium X key specifications
- 5-inch full-HD IPS display
- 1.5GHz quad-core processor
- 13-megapixel rear autofocus camera with dual LED flash
- 5-megapixel front-facing camera
- Single SIM (micro-SIM)
- Android 4.2 Jelly Bean
- NFC support
- 2300mAh battery
The Income Tax Department had slapped a notice on Nokia's Indian subsidiary for violating withholding tax norms since 2006 while making royalty payments to the parent company in Finland.
Nokia moved the Delhi High Court seeking lifting of stay on transfer of its assets in India and offered to pay a minimum deposit of Rs. 2,250 crore as tax, contending that the injunction will jeopardise the sale of its Indian arm to Microsoft under the global deal.
Yesterday, its offer was rejected by the Revenue Department. The matter has been listed for December 9 when Nokia has to give details of its assets and liabilities as well as how much tax it has paid in India.
Nokia on Wednesday said if the sale of its Indian unit in Chennai does not happen, the company will wind up its operations in India over a period of 12 months and in itself the assets here will have little value.
Last month, Nokia shareholders overwhelmingly approved the sale of its mobile phone and services division and licence to a patent portfolio to Microsoft for USD 7.2 billion.
The transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of 2014, subject to regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions. The transaction was originally announced on September 3, 2013.
Nokia moved the Delhi High Court seeking lifting of stay on transfer of its assets in India and offered to pay a minimum deposit of Rs. 2,250 crore as tax, contending that the injunction will jeopardise the sale of its Indian arm to Microsoft under the global deal.
Yesterday, its offer was rejected by the Revenue Department. The matter has been listed for December 9 when Nokia has to give details of its assets and liabilities as well as how much tax it has paid in India.
Nokia on Wednesday said if the sale of its Indian unit in Chennai does not happen, the company will wind up its operations in India over a period of 12 months and in itself the assets here will have little value.
Last month, Nokia shareholders overwhelmingly approved the sale of its mobile phone and services division and licence to a patent portfolio to Microsoft for USD 7.2 billion.
The transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of 2014, subject to regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions. The transaction was originally announced on September 3, 2013.
You're not getting the best or the latest technology with Motorola's $179 Moto G smartphone. What you do get is a great price for something close.
Motorola bills the Moto G as the phone for the rest of us - the ones who can't afford $500 to $700 for a high-end smartphone. That's a big deal overseas, where carriers don't subsidize phones with two-year service contracts the way they do in the United States. But even in the U.S., more people are moving to contract-free plans and ones that offer frequent upgrades, meaning the full retail price is what's going to matter.
(Also see: Moto G budget smartphone goes official at $179, coming to India in January)
The Moto G started shipping in the U.S. this week, initially for the GSM networks used by AT&T and T-Mobile. I spent the past week testing the Moto G, comparing the phone primarily with its more expensive cousin, Motorola's $500 Moto X. I also put it up against another lower-cost phone, Google's $349 Nexus 5, as well as the premium, $649 iPhone 5s from Apple.
Where the Moto G fell short was in its camera, battery life and inability to access faster, 4G LTE cellular networks. For everything else I tested, the Moto G stood up well.
Motorola, which is owned by Google Inc., doesn't skimp in equipping the Moto G with a speedy processor. Apps launch almost as quickly as they do on the phone's pricier rivals. The Moto G runs a fairly recent version of Google's Android system, with a promised upgrade to the latest, Kit Kat, early next year.
(Also see: Moto G dual-SIM smartphone to land in India with Android 4.4 KitKat: Report)
The Moto G also has a decent screen. It's about as sharp as the Moto X's and the iPhone's, enough for 720p video, though the Nexus and various Samsung phones do better by offering full, 1080p high definition. The Moto G's screen measures 4.5 inches (11.4 centimeters) diagonally, which is larger than the iPhone's but small for Android. Colors aren't as rich as on the Moto X's display, but if I want a superb visual experience, I'd turn to a tablet, a TV or even a movie theater. For a phone, the Moto G's screen delivers video quite well.
The Moto G doesn't win points on size and weight. Although the screen is smaller than the Moto X's 4.7-inch (11.9-centimeter) display, the phone overall is a tad bulkier and 10 percent heavier. The Moto G has a larger frame surrounding the screen - something phone makers have been trying to shrink.
As for the other shortcomings
Cellular access
The Moto G delivers 3G performance at best. Many parts of the world are moving to 4G, but Motorola points out that many of its target markets are still upgrading to 3G. Even in the U.S., many regions lack 4G. If I'm doing a lot of things requiring top-notch speeds, I'm better off finding a Wi-Fi network anyway.
Battery life
The Moto G has 6 percent less battery capacity than the Moto X. I got about up to eight hours of streaming video on Hulu with the Moto G, compared with nine to 10 hours on the Moto X. Although the Moto G has a removable plastic back, the battery can't be exchanged with a spare. That said, eight hours for streaming video is a lot, and you can stretch it to a full day with more moderate use.
Camera
The main camera has a resolution of 5 megapixels, less than the 8 megapixels on the iPhone and the Nexus and the 10 megapixels on the Moto X. There's more to a good camera than the pixel count, but the pictures I took with the Moto G weren't particularly good, especially in low light. They are passable for selfies and Facebook posts, but you'll want a better camera for keepsakes. Perhaps the money you save on the phone can go to a point-and-shoot camera that takes better pictures.
The Moto G is also short on frills. Part of that stems from Motorola's philosophy not to tinker with the Android operating system too much. Many rival phone makers do just that and wind up creating more chaos and confusion.
Instead, Motorola tries to limit what it adds. In the case of the Moto X, you can twist the phone to automatically launch the camera. You can initiate voice commands by saying, "OK, Google Now." The Moto X also offers unprecedented customization when you order; you can choose everything from the color of the power button to a personalized message on the back cover.
The Moto G has none of that. The frills are limited to an FM radio tuner, something rare in smartphones. Just plug in a pair of headphones, which serves as the antenna. You can swap the back with a new plastic cover, but the phone isn't assembled at the factory to your specifications.
Be aware that the $179 price gets you 8 gigabytes of storage, half of what most phones offer. Given all the room your photos and video will need, pay the extra $20 for a 16 gigabyte model. Unfortunately, there's no slot for memory cards, as some Android phones offer.
Motorola sells the phone unlocked, meaning you can switch carriers as long as they use GSM. Verizon and Sprint are among the few carriers in the world using a different technology, CDMA. A Verizon version is coming early next year, while Sprint won't say whether it will have one.
Phone makers have been trying to set themselves apart by loading phones with more and more features, only some of which are useful. Motorola doesn't try to do that with the Moto G, apart from including an FM tuner. Instead, it's distinguishing itself through price. No one can question whether that's useful.
Motorola bills the Moto G as the phone for the rest of us - the ones who can't afford $500 to $700 for a high-end smartphone. That's a big deal overseas, where carriers don't subsidize phones with two-year service contracts the way they do in the United States. But even in the U.S., more people are moving to contract-free plans and ones that offer frequent upgrades, meaning the full retail price is what's going to matter.
(Also see: Moto G budget smartphone goes official at $179, coming to India in January)
The Moto G started shipping in the U.S. this week, initially for the GSM networks used by AT&T and T-Mobile. I spent the past week testing the Moto G, comparing the phone primarily with its more expensive cousin, Motorola's $500 Moto X. I also put it up against another lower-cost phone, Google's $349 Nexus 5, as well as the premium, $649 iPhone 5s from Apple.
Where the Moto G fell short was in its camera, battery life and inability to access faster, 4G LTE cellular networks. For everything else I tested, the Moto G stood up well.
Motorola, which is owned by Google Inc., doesn't skimp in equipping the Moto G with a speedy processor. Apps launch almost as quickly as they do on the phone's pricier rivals. The Moto G runs a fairly recent version of Google's Android system, with a promised upgrade to the latest, Kit Kat, early next year.
(Also see: Moto G dual-SIM smartphone to land in India with Android 4.4 KitKat: Report)
The Moto G also has a decent screen. It's about as sharp as the Moto X's and the iPhone's, enough for 720p video, though the Nexus and various Samsung phones do better by offering full, 1080p high definition. The Moto G's screen measures 4.5 inches (11.4 centimeters) diagonally, which is larger than the iPhone's but small for Android. Colors aren't as rich as on the Moto X's display, but if I want a superb visual experience, I'd turn to a tablet, a TV or even a movie theater. For a phone, the Moto G's screen delivers video quite well.
The Moto G doesn't win points on size and weight. Although the screen is smaller than the Moto X's 4.7-inch (11.9-centimeter) display, the phone overall is a tad bulkier and 10 percent heavier. The Moto G has a larger frame surrounding the screen - something phone makers have been trying to shrink.
As for the other shortcomings
Cellular access
The Moto G delivers 3G performance at best. Many parts of the world are moving to 4G, but Motorola points out that many of its target markets are still upgrading to 3G. Even in the U.S., many regions lack 4G. If I'm doing a lot of things requiring top-notch speeds, I'm better off finding a Wi-Fi network anyway.
Battery life
The Moto G has 6 percent less battery capacity than the Moto X. I got about up to eight hours of streaming video on Hulu with the Moto G, compared with nine to 10 hours on the Moto X. Although the Moto G has a removable plastic back, the battery can't be exchanged with a spare. That said, eight hours for streaming video is a lot, and you can stretch it to a full day with more moderate use.
Camera
The main camera has a resolution of 5 megapixels, less than the 8 megapixels on the iPhone and the Nexus and the 10 megapixels on the Moto X. There's more to a good camera than the pixel count, but the pictures I took with the Moto G weren't particularly good, especially in low light. They are passable for selfies and Facebook posts, but you'll want a better camera for keepsakes. Perhaps the money you save on the phone can go to a point-and-shoot camera that takes better pictures.
The Moto G is also short on frills. Part of that stems from Motorola's philosophy not to tinker with the Android operating system too much. Many rival phone makers do just that and wind up creating more chaos and confusion.
Instead, Motorola tries to limit what it adds. In the case of the Moto X, you can twist the phone to automatically launch the camera. You can initiate voice commands by saying, "OK, Google Now." The Moto X also offers unprecedented customization when you order; you can choose everything from the color of the power button to a personalized message on the back cover.
The Moto G has none of that. The frills are limited to an FM radio tuner, something rare in smartphones. Just plug in a pair of headphones, which serves as the antenna. You can swap the back with a new plastic cover, but the phone isn't assembled at the factory to your specifications.
Be aware that the $179 price gets you 8 gigabytes of storage, half of what most phones offer. Given all the room your photos and video will need, pay the extra $20 for a 16 gigabyte model. Unfortunately, there's no slot for memory cards, as some Android phones offer.
Motorola sells the phone unlocked, meaning you can switch carriers as long as they use GSM. Verizon and Sprint are among the few carriers in the world using a different technology, CDMA. A Verizon version is coming early next year, while Sprint won't say whether it will have one.
Phone makers have been trying to set themselves apart by loading phones with more and more features, only some of which are useful. Motorola doesn't try to do that with the Moto G, apart from including an FM tuner. Instead, it's distinguishing itself through price. No one can question whether that's useful.
US President Barack Obama admitted Wednesday he was not allowed to have an iPhone owing to security fears explaining why he is sometimes seen with a bulky super secure Blackberry.
"I'm not allowed for security reasons to have an iPhone," Obama told a group of young people at the White House for an event promoting his health care law.
He added that his daughters Sasha and Malia spend a lot of time on their iPhones.
Blackberry is renowned for its strong security encryption one reason why it is still popular in official Washington, even as the device loses market share to other smart phones including those manufactured by Apple.
The security measures on Obama's specially adapted Blackberry came under new scrutiny this year following claims that US spies had eavesdropped on the mobile phone of German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
(Also see: Merkel-tapping allegations prompt Germany to send intelligence chiefs to US)
Within days of being inaugurated president, Obama won his battle with the Secret Service to hang on to his Blackberry, despite fears that it was vulnerable to being hacked, would give away his whereabouts and amid worries that anything he writes could eventually be grist for congressional investigations.
He has been seen scrolling down his messages in his limousine as he travels around.
The president often privately talks of how frustrated he is about the White House "bubble" which makes it very difficult to communicate with normal people or to get information from the outside world that is not filtered for him by aides or the press. Aides say his Blackberry is a way to escape that confinement.
The White House says the president's personal email address was strictly limited to a small list of senior officials and personal friends, but will not detail the encryption devices that are used to secure his communications.
"I'm not allowed for security reasons to have an iPhone," Obama told a group of young people at the White House for an event promoting his health care law.
He added that his daughters Sasha and Malia spend a lot of time on their iPhones.
Blackberry is renowned for its strong security encryption one reason why it is still popular in official Washington, even as the device loses market share to other smart phones including those manufactured by Apple.
The security measures on Obama's specially adapted Blackberry came under new scrutiny this year following claims that US spies had eavesdropped on the mobile phone of German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
(Also see: Merkel-tapping allegations prompt Germany to send intelligence chiefs to US)
Within days of being inaugurated president, Obama won his battle with the Secret Service to hang on to his Blackberry, despite fears that it was vulnerable to being hacked, would give away his whereabouts and amid worries that anything he writes could eventually be grist for congressional investigations.
He has been seen scrolling down his messages in his limousine as he travels around.
The president often privately talks of how frustrated he is about the White House "bubble" which makes it very difficult to communicate with normal people or to get information from the outside world that is not filtered for him by aides or the press. Aides say his Blackberry is a way to escape that confinement.
The White House says the president's personal email address was strictly limited to a small list of senior officials and personal friends, but will not detail the encryption devices that are used to secure his communications.
The European Commission approved on Wednesday Microsoft's nearly 5.5-billion-euro takeover of the mobile phone business of Finland's Nokia which once dominated the global industry.
The acquisition does "not raise any competition concerns, in particular because there are only modest overlaps between" the two companies, the Commission said in a statement.
(Also see: Microsoft to acquire Nokia's Devices & Services business in 5.44 billion euros deal)
The links that do exist between existing Microsoft activities and Nokia's smartphone devices "are unlikely to lead to competitors being shut out from the market," it said.
In smartphones and tablets, the two companies face "several strong rivals, such as Samsung and Apple (who) will continue to compete with the merged entity," it said.
Software giant Microsoft would also have little incentive to restrict use of its Windows operating system for other device makers or of its mobile apps, it said.
Once the world leader in mobile phones, Nokia lost its top place to South Korea's Samsung in 2012, especially as its rivals took the lead in the key smartphone market.
The acquisition does "not raise any competition concerns, in particular because there are only modest overlaps between" the two companies, the Commission said in a statement.
(Also see: Microsoft to acquire Nokia's Devices & Services business in 5.44 billion euros deal)
The links that do exist between existing Microsoft activities and Nokia's smartphone devices "are unlikely to lead to competitors being shut out from the market," it said.
In smartphones and tablets, the two companies face "several strong rivals, such as Samsung and Apple (who) will continue to compete with the merged entity," it said.
Software giant Microsoft would also have little incentive to restrict use of its Windows operating system for other device makers or of its mobile apps, it said.
Once the world leader in mobile phones, Nokia lost its top place to South Korea's Samsung in 2012, especially as its rivals took the lead in the key smartphone market.
Samsung's next flagship device, rumoured to be dubbed Galaxy S5, might be the first smartphone from the South Korean giant to sport a metal chassis.
As per a report published by Japanese site, EMS One the alleged Galaxy S5 would sport an aluminium unibody chassis and that it would be manufactured by Taiwanese based company, Catcher. The report claims that Catcher would be manufacturing between 10 million and 30 million Galaxy S5 metal unibody cases.
Notably, Catcher has been the company manufacturing aluminium unibody for devices like HTC One, Apple iPad mini 2, notes Phonearena.
In addition, the RB Men blog has posted a purported image of the Galaxy S5 with metal chassis. The alleged image reveals an unnamed Samsung device's rear panel which features metal back, instead of the plastic we have seen in other Galaxy smartphones.
Prior to this, a set of images allegedly showing a structural component of Samsung's next flagship smartphone, the rumoured Galaxy S5, was spotted online.
Earlier a report suggested the South Korean manufacturer plans to release two versions of the alleged Galaxy S5. As per the report, there would be two variants of the Galaxy S5: a premium variant sporting a metal chassis and a flexible OLED, and a variant which would come with the usual plastic body, as found on other Galaxy smartphones.
Further, the report also speculated that Samsung would initially manufacture around 800,000 to 1 million units of the alleged Galaxy S5 in January, and would increase the number up to 6 million units in February. The report claimed that Samsung would likely release the Galaxy S5 in March or April 2014.
Rumoured specifications of the alleged Galaxy S5 include a 64-bit Exynos chipset or a Snapdragon chipset; 3GB of RAM, a 16-megapixel camera, a 4000mAh battery and Android 4.4 KitKat with TouchWiz UI on top.
As per a report published by Japanese site, EMS One the alleged Galaxy S5 would sport an aluminium unibody chassis and that it would be manufactured by Taiwanese based company, Catcher. The report claims that Catcher would be manufacturing between 10 million and 30 million Galaxy S5 metal unibody cases.
Notably, Catcher has been the company manufacturing aluminium unibody for devices like HTC One, Apple iPad mini 2, notes Phonearena.
In addition, the RB Men blog has posted a purported image of the Galaxy S5 with metal chassis. The alleged image reveals an unnamed Samsung device's rear panel which features metal back, instead of the plastic we have seen in other Galaxy smartphones.
Prior to this, a set of images allegedly showing a structural component of Samsung's next flagship smartphone, the rumoured Galaxy S5, was spotted online.
Earlier a report suggested the South Korean manufacturer plans to release two versions of the alleged Galaxy S5. As per the report, there would be two variants of the Galaxy S5: a premium variant sporting a metal chassis and a flexible OLED, and a variant which would come with the usual plastic body, as found on other Galaxy smartphones.
Further, the report also speculated that Samsung would initially manufacture around 800,000 to 1 million units of the alleged Galaxy S5 in January, and would increase the number up to 6 million units in February. The report claimed that Samsung would likely release the Galaxy S5 in March or April 2014.
Rumoured specifications of the alleged Galaxy S5 include a 64-bit Exynos chipset or a Snapdragon chipset; 3GB of RAM, a 16-megapixel camera, a 4000mAh battery and Android 4.4 KitKat with TouchWiz UI on top.
Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos revealed Sunday that his company is looking to the future with plans to use "octocopter" mini-drones to fly small packages to consumers in just 30 minutes.
The US retail giant's ambitious project still requires additional safety testing and federal approval, but Bezos estimated that Amazon "Prime Air" would be up and running within four to five years.
A demo video posted on the company's website showed the tiny robotic devices picking up packages in small yellow buckets from Amazon's fulfillment centers and then whizzing through the air to deliver the items to customers just 30 minutes after they made their purchase on Amazon.com.
"I know this looks like science fiction. It's not," Bezos told CBS television's "60 Minutes" program.
"We can do half-hour delivery and we can carry objects, we think, up to five pounds (2.3 kilograms), which covers 86 percent of the items that we deliver."
The mini-drones are powered by electric motors and could cover areas within a 10-mile (16-kilometer) radius of fulfillment centers, thus covering a significant portion of the population in urban areas.
They operate autonomously and drop the items at the target locations thanks to GPS coordinates transmitted to them.
"It's very green, it's better than driving trucks around," said Bezos.
Amazon said the octocopters would be "ready to enter commercial operations as soon as the necessary regulations are in place," noting that the Federal Aviation Administration was actively working on rules for unmanned aerial vehicles.
It projected a more optimistic timeline than Bezos himself for the project to be activated, saying the FAA's rules could be in place as early as 2015 and that Amazon Prime Air would be ready at that time.
Bezos hinted that part of the motivation behind the mini-drones was to make sure Amazon remains on the cutting edge of the retail industry.
"Companies have short life spans. And Amazon will be disrupted one day," he said.
"I would love for it to be after I'm dead."
Remember when people used personal computers - desktops and laptops - to check email, view video and keep tabs on Facebook? Back in that far-away era, I'd have several windows open for Web browsers, a word processor, a photo editor and sometimes a reader for PDF documents.
I miss that capability on mobile devices, particularly on full-size tablets with a decent amount of display space. With iPads and Android tablets, I'm typically limited to one window displayed at a time; other apps run in the background, out of sight. With Windows 8 tablets, I can run two windows side by side, but I'm constrained in what I can do with them. It gets better with the Windows 8.1 update due out next week, but it's still not the free-for-all I had with PCs.
So I marveled at a pair of multitasking features that come with Samsung's new tablet, formally called Galaxy Note 10.1 - 2014 Edition. Sporting a 10.1-inch display, measured diagonally, the Note tablet goes on sale in the U.S. on Thursday at a starting price of $550.
The first of the multitasking features, called Multi-Window, has been available in Samsung devices for about a year, but it works with many more apps now. You can run two apps side by side, such as Facebook on one side and YouTube video on the other.
Like Windows 8 tablets, you're limited to just two apps. You can change how much of the screen each one takes, a capability coming with Windows 8.1, but you can't choose to have a window take up just the top left corner, the way you can on PCs. In addition, Multi-Window isn't a universal feature. Apps for Netflix and Hulu won't work, for instance. You currently have about 18 apps to choose from, including Facebook and a variety of Google and Samsung apps.
With that limitation, it's nice that Samsung Electronics Co. is supplementing Multi-Window with a feature called Pen Window.
With it, simply draw a box on the screen with the included stylus, and choose one of seven apps to open in a new window. Do it again and again until you open all seven apps, if you wish. That's nine in all, counting the two with Multi-Window. Each Pen Window app appears in a window that floats over your main app (or two apps if you use Multi-Window). You can move that window around on your screen and resize it, just as you can on PCs. Need a break from it? Just minimize it into a small dot and move it out of the way.
Like Multi-Window, you're restricted in what apps you can use with Pen Window, though I expect more to get added over time. For now, Pen Window on the tablet works with YouTube, the calculator, the alarm clock, your contacts list, the Web browser and two chat apps - Samsung's ChatOn and Google's Hangouts. I like the fact that you can open all of them and keep them out of the way in a minimized state. That way, it's just one click when you need the calculator and one click when you're done.
The iPad doesn't do that. Amazon's Kindle Fire doesn't do that. Other Android tablets don't do that. Windows 8.1 won't do that - at least not in the tablet-style viewing mode that Microsoft prefers you stick with. You'll have to go to the classic, desktop mode to resize windows, which defeats the purpose of having Windows 8 or 8.1. Windows 8.1 will go further than Multi-Window in letting you run up to four apps side by side, but that works only on larger screens, not portable tablets.
Beyond multitasking, the new Note tablet offers a My Magazine mode giving you personalized highlights, such as news topics of interest, content from your social media feeds and suggestions on things to do and see, based on your current location. It's a good concept, though Facebook isn't available through it yet.
The new tablet also gives you quick access to the tools you can accomplish with its stylus. Pen Window is one. Another feature lets you add notes to a screenshot of what you see. Another lets you clip a section of a Web page and store it with a Web link.
Unfortunately, not everything worked. Text recognition was poor. I'm supposed to be able to jot down an email address or a phone number with the stylus and have that handwriting converted into a contacts entry. But the device constantly confuses the letters "o" and "l" with the numerals "0" and "1."
Pen Window also is more difficult than necessary to set up. You need to take out the stylus for an Air Command tool to appear on the screen. You choose Pen Window, then draw a box on your screen with your stylus. Then you choose the app you want to open. Do all of that again to get additional apps, after figuring out how to get Air Command again with your stylus already out. It would have been simpler to have a button on the home screen that you can tap with your finger or stylus.
In addition, Samsung could have done more with the apps in minimized state. Google's chat app is reduced to a circular icon. It could have flashed or changed colors to notify me of a new chat message, rather than make me open and close it regularly to check.
The tablet's back is still made of plastic, but it feels like leather - an improvement over previous Samsung devices. The tablet does feel heavy, at 1.2 pounds, but that's still lighter than the 1.4 pounds for the full-size iPad. If you want light, wait until early November for the large-size version of Amazon's Kindle Fire HDX. It weighs just 0.83 pound.
Samsung's tablet is also pricey - the $550 starting price tops the iPad's $499 and the Fire's $379. Of course, neither the iPad nor the Fire includes a stylus.
One more complaint: Although the tablet uses the latest version of Android, 4.3, it doesn't offer that system's feature of letting multiple people share a device with separate profiles.
With the Note, it's clear some of the functionality we've long associated with PCs is coming to devices we're just getting to know. There's more to be done, including support for multiple users, but I'm glad Samsung is leading us in that direction.
For its upcoming mid-range smartphones, HTC will be using chipsets from players other than its long-time partner, Qualcomm, to counter competition from affordable handset manufacturers, as confirmed by a company executive.
Focus Taiwan has cited Jack Tong, HTC's head of China and North Asia, who shed some light on the company's plans for its upcoming mid-range smartphones.
According to Tong, the Taiwanese handset maker will start pricing its high-end smartphones at a more affordable level. Coming to the company's mid-range smartphones, Tong revealed that the three mid-range Desire smartphones the company launched on Wednesday, are using chips from ST-Ericsson, Spreadtrum and Broadcom, instead of Qualcomm.
Specifically, the HTC Desire 501 is powered by ST-Ericsson's U8520 dual-core processor, the Desire 601 dual-SIM is powered by Broadcom's Java quad-core processor, and the Desire 700 dual-SIM is powered by Spreadtrum's Shark quad-core processor.
"HTC will evaluate the situation. If most players in the industry are seeking high performance to cost, then we would not be able to ignore such a trend despite good design and applications," Tong told Focus Taiwan.
A recent report revealed that the Taiwanese smartphone maker would slash costs of its devices by nearly a quarter, and plans to sell cheaper devices in a bid to bounce back to profit in the October-December period.
Samsung's next flagship smartphone, expected to be called the Galaxy S5, might still be far from confirmed, but a new report suggests that the device will hit mass production in January 2014. The report also expects the speculated successor of Samsung Galaxy Gear to be launched alongside the rumoured Galaxy S5.
Korean publication, ET News reports that the South Korean manufacturer plans to release two versions of the alleged Galaxy S5. As per the report, there will be two variants of the Galaxy S5: a premium variant which will sport a metal chassis and a flexible OLED, and a variant which will come with the usual plastic body, as found on other Galaxy smartphones.
Earlier this week, a new set of images purportedly revealing the supposed metal frames of the rumoured Galaxy S5 was spotted online.
Further, the report speculates that Samsung will initially manufacture around 8,00,000 to 1 million units of the alleged Galaxy S5 in January, and will increase the number up to 6 million units in February. Samsung is likely to release the Galaxy S5 in March or April 2014, according to the report.
Sammobile has revealed some of the specifications of the alleged Galaxy S5, with two variants expected to be powered by 64-bit Exynos chipset and Snapdragon chipset (no word on this would be the new Snapdragon 805 chipset. Also expected on board is 3GB of RAM, a 16-megapixel camera, a 4000mAh battery and Android 4.4 KitKat with TouchWiz UI on top.
Earlier reports had suggested that Samsung's next-generation of high-end smartphones, including the rumoured Galaxy S5, would be equipped with a 16-megapixel camera, but didn't indicate the type of module.
In addition, the ET News also claims that Samsung is also busy developing the successor to the Galaxy Gear smartwatch, and that it might launch along with the alleged Galaxy S5. The next generation Samsung Galaxy Gear is said to be 15 to 20 percent thinner than the current smartwatch. As of now, there is no word on specifications of the rumoured Galaxy Gear smartwatch.
A recent report has suggested that sales figures Samsung's first wearable device, the Galaxy Gear smartwatch, had been disappointing. However, Samsung countered the claim immediately after, and said that it sold 800,000 smartwatch units in 2 months.
Tata Docomo has added a new member to its family of Photon data connectivity products in the form of Photon Max Wi-Fi. The USB Internet dongle with a built-in Wi-Fi hotspot has been priced at Rs. 1,999.
The Photo Max Wi-Fi can serve up to 5 Wi-Fi devices simultaneously and is capable of reaching download speeds of up to 6.2Mbps. It can be powered by any USB port, which means you can plug it into your laptop or any USB power adapter at home, or in the car, and get a Wi-Fi Internet connection wherever you go. Tata Docomo claims that the Wi-Fi hotspot has a range of 100 metres.
Like some of its siblings like the Photon Max and the Photo Plus, the Photon Max Wi-Fi operates at a frequency of 800MHz, which (theoretically) translates into better indoor connectivity than devices operating on GSM frequencies in India. The device comes with free roaming roaming across the country, though the Photo Max speeds of up to 6.2Mbps are limited to a little over 30 cities. In around 300 other Photon Plus cities, users will experience speeds up to 3.1Mbps, with the maximum speed coming down to 153.6Kbps in other regions.
Unlimited data plans with fair usage limits start at Rs. 650 and Rs. 730 per month for postpaid and prepaid users respectively, with speeds capped at 153.6Kbps once the limits are reached. Various other plans are being offered, including a pay as you go postpaid plan for Rs. 300 per month, with 0.5GB of free usage and Rs. 1,500 postpaid plan that comes with 15GB of usage.
Tata Photon Max Wi-Fi Prepaid Plans (may vary by region)
Customers can also opt for Advance Rental Plan by paying Rs 4,999 upfront, that includes a Photo Max Wi-Fi dongle as well and unlimited data (with 15GB fair usage limit each month) for three months. Post three months, customers can migrate to the plan of their choice.
Existing Tata Photon customers can contact customer care for special upgrade offers
After being leaked in full via images, prices and specifications, Samsung's latest smartphone the Galaxy S Duos 2 is now official. The smartphone is now listed on the Samsung's India online store for Rs. 10,999. However, there is no word on the availability of the device, with the page providing a 'Notify Me' option for consumers.
The Galaxy S Duos 2 is also available through online retailers for a discounted price of Rs. 10,730, quoting roughly 3 business days of delivery time.
The Samsung Galaxy S Duos 2 comes with a 4-inch WVGA (480x800) TFT display and is powered by a 1.2GHz dual-core processor (unspecified chipset). It is a dual-SIM (GSM+GSM) smartphone and runs Android 4.2 Jelly Bean with TouchWiz UI on top.
The Galaxy S Duos 2 sports a 5-megapixel rear camera with LED flash and also includes a VGA front-facing camera. The smartphone comes with 768MB of RAM and 4GB of inbuilt storage, which is further expandable up to 64GB via microSD card.
Connectivity features on the Galaxy S Duos 2 include Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, EDGE, GPRS and 3G. There is a 1500mAh battery backing the device which the company claims can deliver up to 8 hours of talktime and up to 280 hours of standby time. The Galaxy S Duos 2 has dimensions of 121.5x63.1x10.57mm, and weighs 118 grams.
Recently, Samsung announced the successor to the Galaxy Grand, the Galaxy Grand 2. Though, the South Korean handset maker has not revealed the price for Galaxy Grand 2 and has also not announced the availability details for the smartphone.
The Samsung Galaxy Grand 2 runs Android 4.3 Jelly Bean out-of-the-box. The Galaxy Grand 2 is a dual-SIM device with support for GSM+GSM. It features a 5.2-inch HD TFT display with a resolution of 720x1280 pixels.
The Galaxy Grand 2 is powered by a 1.2GHz quad-core processor alongside 1.5GB of RAM. It sports an 8-megapixel autofocus rear camera accompanied by an LED flash. It also houses a 1.9-megapixel front-facing camera. It comes with 8GB inbuilt storage, which is further expandable up to 64GB via microSD card.
Samsung Galaxy S Duos 2 key specifications
- 4-inch WVGA (480x800) TFT display
- 1.2GHz dual-core processor (unspecified chipset)
- 768MB of RAM
- 4GB inbuilt storage, expandable up to 64GB via microSD card
- 5-megapixel rear camera with LED flash
- VGA front-facing camera
- Dual-SIM (GSM+GSM)
- Android 4.2 Jelly Bean with TouchWiz UI
- Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, EDGE, GPRS and 3G
- 1500mAh battery
- 121.5x63.1x10.57mm
Build/ Design
The Nexus 5 sports a very understated look and there's nothing really striking in the phone's design that will shout for your attention. The phone is made of plastic and doesn't feel very premium.
However, when you place the phone in your hand, you'll feel that it's very pleasant to hold thanks to the soft touch matte finish. Also, despite its large 4.95-inch screen, we didn't face any issues operating it with one hand. This is also due to the phone being quite lightweight at 130 grams.
The Nexus 5's edges are less curved and its corners less rounded compared to other phones, including the Nexus 4. The phone is available in Black and White colour variants and we got a Black one as our review unit.
The 4.95-inch full-HD display dominates the front of the Nexus 5, and there are no hardware buttons. A round LED notification light is placed below the display, while the sensor array and the front camera sits above it.
The right edge of the Nexus 5 features the Power/ Screen lock and the Micro-SIM card tray, and the left edge features the volume rocker key. All the keys are made of ceramic and offer decent tactile feedback.
The 3.5-mm headset jack sits at the top edge of the Nexus 5, while the Micro-USB port and speaker grill sits at the bottom edge.
As we mentioned, the back of the Nexus 5 sports a matte soft touch finish giving it a good grip. It is a bit susceptible to smudges, though. The rear features an 8-megapixel ring shaped camera lens and the LED flash, apart from LG and Nexus branding.
Display
The Nexus 5 comes with an IPS LCD display with a resolution of 1920x1080 pixels and pixel density of 445 ppi. The display comes with Corning's Gorilla Glass 3 protection making it resistant to scratches.
In our use, we found the Nexus 5's screen to be very bright, with text and images looking crisp and sharp. Colours looked vivid and not oversaturated like they look on AMOLED display though blacks don't look very deep.
The screen delivers great viewing angles, though it was a little reflective. Sunlight legibility was good though the screen brightness levels could be better.
Overall, the Nexus 5's display is one of the best in its class.
Software/ User Interface
The Nexus 5 is the first smartphone to ship with Android 4.4 KitKat, the latest release of the operating system. As with all Nexus devices, the phone includes the stock build of the operating system, without any additional UI skinning.
Android 4.4 KitKat on the Nexus 5 features a number of visual changes including a new launcher, making the interface even more minimalistic. It sports flatter design elements, muted colours in status icons, transparency, and smoother transition animations.
The first change that you'll notice is the transparent status and navigation key bars at the top and bottom, making the Nexus 5's screen look bigger and brighter. The Android 4.4 KitKat lock screen also features a small camera button, which helps in opening the camera app via the lock screen widget directly from the lock screen.
With Android 4.4 KitKat, you can now have as many home screens as you want by simply dragging an icon or placing a widget on a new one. After enabling Google Now, Google's smart assistant that fetches information and offers updates based on your data and usage behaviour, you'll see that the left most home screen would be Google Now pane with information cards and a search bar. The screen can also be invoked by swiping up the screen from the Home button. The Google search bar with the voice search icon is present on all home screens and cannot be removed.
Interestingly, you can also initiate voice search from the Nexus 5 when it's in the unlocked state by simply saying, 'Ok Google.' The option is only available when you choose US English as the default language option in the Google Now app's settings, though. With this change, Google search is integrated deeply with the phone.
The status bar icons and and UI elements in the notifications tray have been stripped off the blue colour in Android 4.4 KitKat, and now sport a muted white-grey shade.
The launcher has been revamped with icons looking bigger than their Jelly Bean avatars and dots are used to indicate the pagination in the home screen and app launcher, similar to iOS.
When you launch the KitKat app launcher or go back to the home screen, you'll notice a smooth fly away animation.
The app launcher now only features app icons and gets rid of widgets. Due to the larger icons, you'll see a 4x5 grid instead of a 5x5 grid.
Long pressing on the home screen brings up the menu to change the Wallpapers, Widgets and Google Now settings. The choice of default still wallpapers, live wallpaper and custom wallpapers are now available under a single menu.
The KitKat notifications tray features notifications that can be expanded by using two finger pull. It also features buttons for clearing all notifications and for displaying toggles for Brightness, Settings, Wi-Fi, Network, Battery, Aeroplane Mode, Bluetooth, Location settings and Alarm clockAndroid 4.4 KitKat also includes an immersive mode that hides the status and navigation bars offering a full screen experience in apps. Apps like Google Play Books already support this mode and developers can choose to enable it for their apps. The OS also allows developers to display semi-transparent navigation and status bars. We've not seen any apps that take advantage of this feature, however.
Android 4.4 also includes a revamped Phone app that now automatically prioritises your contacts based on the people you talk to the most. When you first launch the app, you'll see a screen that displays a search bar, a place where most frequently called contacts and favourites are displayed and shortcuts to launch all contacts, the dialling pad, call history and settings.
You can also search for nearby places and businesses, contacts, or people in their Google Apps domain directly from the search bar.
If you receive a call from a phone number that is not saved in your contacts, the Android 4.4 KitKat-based Nexus 5 will look for matches from businesses with a local listing on Google Maps.
We felt that the new Phone app could be a little overwhelming for some as it's not very intuitive when it comes to describing what the shortcut keys do. However, the search feature packs in an online phone directory in the app. It will even fetch numbers for users who've registered their phone numbers with Google. The number identification feature also works for incoming calls eliminating the need for apps like Trucaller.
Camera
The Nexus 5 sports an 8-megapixel rear camera with Optical Image Stabilisation, and a 1.3-megapixel front facing camera. The phone features the stock Android 4.4 Camera app with 4 default shooting modes - Still, Video, Panorama and Photo sphere (360-degree).
In the Still mode the app features settings for turning on HDR+, tinkering with Exposure, turning the LED flash on or off, switching between the front and back lenses and revealing more settings that include Geotagging toggle, Countdown timer, changing the picture size, White balance and the scene mode (Night, Action, Sunset, and Party).
Similarly, in the Video mode, you can change video quality settings (1080p, 720p or 480p), Time lapse, Exposure settings and Flash. We have to say that we're no fans of the nested arc shaped settings toggles and find the app a bit unintuitive.
Putting the camera of the Nexus 5 to test, we observed that images taken outdoors during daylight came out a tad brighter. However, there are a number of issues with the phone's camera that we encountered in our use. We observed that auto-focus is not consistent, and focusing manually takes time resulting in images being different from what we desired. We also observed that there was a slight lag between the time we fired the shutter and when the phone captured the image.
Comparing images with the ones taken with an iPhone 5 in the same settings revealed that the white balance on the Nexus 5 camera (in the default mode) is skewed towards the warmer end of the spectrum. Low-light shots were also not up to the mark and had noise.
The camera does a good job for shooting videos and supports 1080p video capture.
The 1.3-megapixel front shooter does a decent job for video calling and taking self clicks. It supports 720p video capture.Overall, the Nexus 5's camera is underwhelming at best. We hope Google pushes out a software update to fix the focus issues and shutter lag.
Performance/ Battery Life
The Nexus 5 comes with top of the line hardware (at this point in time), as it is powered by a quad-core 2.26GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor with 2GB of RAM, and an Adreno 330 chip for processing graphics. Our review unit had 32GB of built-in storage (a 16GB variant is also available), out of which 26.7GB is available to the user. The phone doesn't offer a microSD card slot for expandable storage.
The overall experience of navigation through the Nexus 5's interface was extremely impressive, thanks to all the power under the phone's hood and the UI being devoid of unnecessary bells and whistles such as transition effects.
We did not experience any lag at all while launching apps, playing games, scrolling web pages or switching between apps on the Nexus 5. The gaming experience on the Nexus 5 was pretty good with games like Temple Run 2, Subway Surfers, Shadow Gun: Dead Zone and Asphalt 7 running without encountering any issues.
We were able to run a number of video formats except for full-HD MOV and AVI through the native video player on the Nexus 5. We also experienced some issues with audio while playing an MKV format video. This was easily fixed by downloading a third-party video player. The phone then plays full-HD videos without any issues.
The speaker on the Nexus 5 is another pain point. It delivers below average quality sound at high volume levels and the sound gets distorted. However, the speaker grill is located at the bottom edge so the sound doesn't get muffled when the phone lies on its back.
Notably, the Nexus 5 doesn't include FM radio functionality.
Call quality was good on the Nexus 5, and we were able to receive cellular signals even in low signal areas.
The Nexus 5 comes with a 2300mAh battery, and in our usage, it lasted us just about a day with medium usage, including 1-1.5 hours of phone calls, two e-mail accounts with push notifications, playing some music, clicking a few pictures, Twitter notifications and WhatsApp chats.
It's worth pointing out that we had mostly used 3G data with intermittent use of Wi-Fi and had put the phone's screen brightness at the highest level. Altering these settings might help in running the phone for a longer duration, depending on your usage pattern.
Verdict
The Nexus 5 is one of the best Android smartphones that you can buy for under Rs. 30,000. Powered by a Snapdragon 800 processor, and 2GB RAM, the phone ticks all the right boxes in terms of hardware specifications. Since it's a Google experience device, you're always assured of regular software updates (at least for the 18 months promised period).
These two big factors do partially offset the main disadvantages of the phone, namely its mediocre camera, lack of external storage support and underwhelming battery backup. Google may or may not bring a software fix to resolve the issues (if these are due to the software limitations) but even assuming that this is not the case, the starting price of Rs. 28,999 makes the Nexus 5 a great deal. We can't think of a phone in this price range that delivers the same value.
Price: Rs. 28,999
A U.S. appeals court on Monday breathed new life into Apple's long-running attempt to secure an injunction banning the sale of some devices made by Samsung Electronics Co Ltd, ordering a California judge to reconsider imposing a permanent sales ban on some Samsung products.
Apple, which makes iPhones and iPads, has been incensed by what it considers Android knockoffs of its devices, many made by Samsung. The two companies have been in a long-running and global battle over patent infringement.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit said on Monday that the lower court abused its discretion in denying Apple's request for an injunction of Samsung devices with respect to utility patents and asked it to reconsider.
The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California had refused the injunction in December 2012. Apple Inc had requested it because of a ruling that Samsung products infringed on three design and three utility patents related to mobile devices.
The appeals court upheld the lower court's refusal to order an injunction on the design patents.
Last year, Apple was awarded over $1 billion after it convinced a jury that Samsung copied various iPhone features.
In March U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh in San Jose ruled that the jury had made errors in some calculations, impacting about $400 million of the verdict.
Koh ordered a retrial of that portion of the original award, which is now wrapping up in San Jose. Closing arguments are scheduled for Tuesday.
Koh also rejected Apple's request for a permanent ban on the sale of several Samsung products in the lucrative U.S. market.
Court-ordered injunctions are much more threatening to companies than monetary verdicts, and tend to increase the likelihood of a settlement. But in this case, it could be months before Apple ultimately secures an injunction against Samsung, which undercuts Apple's leverage, said Brian Love, a professor at Santa Clara Law in Silicon Valley.
Still, the ruling bodes well for Apple's future court battles, Love said. The iPhone maker is scheduled for another trial against Samsung in April 2014, which involves newer Samsung products.
The Federal Circuit's ruling on Monday will give Apple firmer precedent to get an injunction in that case, he said.
"Certainly this is not an across-board win for Apple," Love said, "but I think Apple is happy with this outcome."
The three utility patents are for the "bounce-back" feature, which allows users scrolling through text to reach the end and then bounce back; a "multi-touch display" that allows the device to distinguish between a user who uses one finger to scroll and two to "pinch to zoom"; and "double tap to zoom," which allows a user to tap a device twice so it will zoom in.
The appeals court said the district court erred in requiring Apple to show that the features in the infringed patents were the sole reason consumers bought Samsung devices.
"Rather than show that a patent feature is the exclusive reason for consumer demand, Apple must show some connection between the patented feature and demand for Samsung products," the court said in its ruling.
The appeals court also said that the lower court relied too much on evidence that Apple licensed the patents to others as a reason to order financial damages rather than an injunction, saying that Samsung was different because it was Apple's primary competitor.
Samsung has the top spot in the global smartphone market, with a 32.1 percent market share while Apple was second with 12.1 percent, the research firm Gartner said last week.
(Also see: Quarterly smartphone shipments top 250 million for the first time)
Of the smartphones sold, 81.9 percent run Google's mobile platform Android, while 12.1 percent used Apple's iOS, Gartner said.
(Also see: Android on 81 percent of new smartphones, Windows Phone share grows: IDC Q3)
"The district court abused its discretion by failing to properly analyze whether damages would adequately compensate Apple for Samsung's (court emphasis) infringement of these patents (court emphasis)," the three judge panel said in its ruling.
Samsung declined comment while representatives for Apple did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The case at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit is Apple Inc v Samsung Electronics Co., Inc. The case number is 2013-1129.
© Thomson Reuters 2013
Huawei has revealed plans for an upcoming smartphone, the Ascend P6S, which is to be powered by an octa-core processor.
As per GizChina, Huawei's President, Xu Xin Quan was spotted saying on the Weibo blogging platform that the new Ascend P6S smartphone, successor to the Ascend P6, will be unveiled with company's updated version of the in-house K3V2 processor with octa-core processing prowess. Further, the report revealed that the upcoming eight-core chipset will feature integrated 3G and will be optimised for extended battery life.
Unfortunately, the company's President has not shed much light on the innards of the Ascend P6S except the chipset. No details about the release and availability of the smartphone were shared either.
Samsung and MediaTek have already launched octa-core processors, the Exynos 5 Octa chips and MT6592 chipset respectively.
Samsung has been rumoured to be planning an Android 4.3 update for its top-of-the-line smartphones and if a report is to be believed, the Samsung Galaxy Note II is the next device to get it.
Sammobile has leaked an Android 4.3 test firmware with build number N7100XXUEMK4, allegedly for the Samsung Galaxy Note II phablet with model number GT-N7100. The site also speculates that the South Korean major will be rolling out the Android 4.3 Jelly Bean update for the phablet this week.
As per the site, Samsung has updated the core UI elements of the Galaxy Note II to match the Galaxy S4 and Note 3's interface. Further, the rumoured update for the phablet will add new features like Samsung KNOX and Samsung Wallet. The update also makes the Galaxy Note II phablet compatible with the Galaxy Gear smartwatch.
Some other features expected in the update for the Galaxy Note II include OpenGL 3.0 support; improved RAM management; improved display colour reproduction; improved TouchWiz launcher; new Samsung keyboard, and new camera firmware, apart from minor UI tweaks for contacts app, flashlight widget, dialog boxes among others.
Earlier this month, a report indicated that the Galaxy Note II phablets are being updated to Android 4.3 Jelly Bean via service centres in India.
Recently a report suggested that some users in UK were encountering problems with their Galaxy S III smartphone after the Android 4.3 update.
As per the report, the Galaxy S III users were complaining of unresponsive handsets, particularly the lockscreen, after updating the smartphone. Other issues included erratic Wi-Fi connectivity, poor battery backup, and a system hanging problem that required the battery to be pulled out to restart the smartphone.
The report also speculated that the South Korean manufacturer might stop the Android 4.3 update for Galaxy S III, after the issue attracted attention. It also expected that this may result to delay in Android 4.3 update for the Galaxy Note 2 phablet.
However, the leaked test firmware for Galaxy Note II hints that it might be released soon.
Following the recently leaked live images of the Sony Xperia Z1s, the much-talked about international variant of the Xperia Z1 f, a new image of the smartphone has now popped on the Internet.
The new leaked image shows the yet-to-be-announced Xperia Z1s pictured alongside the flagship smartphone, the Xperia Z1. Unfortunately, the new leaked image does not reveal a lot of details related to the Xperia Z1s except some indications about its expected size. In the picture, the Xperia Z1s looks smaller but exactly a copy of the bigger sibling Xperia Z1, which measures 144x74x8.5mm. The image was leaked on the Chinese forum, Digi-wo and was first spotted by Xperia Guide. The leaked image shows the front panel of both the Xperia Z1s and Xperia Z1 with the displays turned-on. As per the leaked image, the Xperia Z1s appears to have an identical interface to the Xperia Z1.
The Sony Xperia Z1s is rumoured to come with a 4.3-inch TRILUMINOS HD (720x1280) display with X-Reality for Mobiles; a 2.2GHz quad-core Qualcomm MSM8974 processor; 2GB of RAM; 16GB of inbuilt storage that's further expandable up to 64GB via microSD card, and a 2300mAh battery with STAMINA mode. Further, the Xperia Z1s believed to be much like the Xperia Z1 f and Xperia Z1 in terms of optics, sporting the 20.7-megapixel Exmor RS sensor alongside the BIONZ image processor engine and pulsed LED flash. In addition, like other Xperia Z smartphones, the Xperia Z1s is said to be waterproof and dust-proof.
Earlier, the Xperia Z1s was briefly listed on Sony's global site that confirmed the existence of the smartphone.
An Amazon case listing has also already suggested that the Sony Xperia Z1s will be released on November 26.
The number of Internet users in India is expected to rise 18.53 percent in the coming eight months to reach 24.3 crore by June 2014, on the back of higher adoption of mobiles as a means to access the Internet, a report Wednesday said.
India is also expected to overtake the US as the second largest Internet base in the world by the same time.
"The report estimates that by June 2014, India will have 243 million Internet users, at which point of time, it is expected to overtake the US as the second largest Internet base in the world," the I-Cube 2013 report, released by the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) and IMRB International said.
At present, China leads with more than 300 million Internet users while the US has an estimated 207 million Internet users.
The report said the number of Internet users in India has reached 20.5 crore as of October this year, registering a year-on-year growth of 40 percent over last year and by December 2013, it is expected to reach 21.3 crore.
"The Internet in India took more than a decade to move from 10 million to 100 million and only 3 years from 100 to 200 million. From here on, we can hope to develop a robust Internet ecosystem with a multitude of local and global players and a thriving Internet economy," said IAMAI Chairman Rajan Anandan.
The report said Internet access from mobile devices will see huge growth in the coming years.
"Mobile Internet is going to be the next game changer for Internet in India." it added.
The report said the number of mobile Internet users has witnessed a steady rise, with 11 crore users in October and is estimated to reach 13 crore by the end of December this year.
"Mobile usage and hence, mobile Internet usage has seen huge jump from the 2012 penetration levels. Compared to the 0.4 percent mobile Internet users in 2012, the penetration has grown to 2.4 percent, indicating a substantial growth in the mobile Internet user penetration levels," the report said.
Of all the active Internet users, close to 90 percent use Internet for online communication and under this, e-mail communication commands the highest share of 78 percent.
"Social Networking continues to be the rage with 75 percent of the users engaging in it actively while 69 percent use the Internet for entertainment," it said.
Apart from listening to songs and watching videos online, sizeable number of users are downloading mobile value added services (VAS) and online shopping has also picked up in a big way, it said.
"Every second active Internet user claims to have bought something or the other over the Internet," it added.
While it has already been confirmed that Motorola will be launching the dual-SIM version of the Moto G in India in early-January 2014, and that the smartphone would be receiving a 'guaranteed' Android 4.4 KitKat the same month, a new report says the model that will ship in India will come pre-loaded with Google's latest iteration of Android.
Omio News Blog in a report has revealed Motorola's plans for the rollout of Moto G with the latest Android iteration in various countries.
The report quotes Mark Randal, Senior Vice President, Supply Chain & Operations, Motorola who while replying about Android 4.4 KitKat rollout plans for Moto G said that the company will be shipping the smartphone with Android 4.4 KitKat after Christmas. Considering that in India, the Moto G will be launched next year, in early January, it is quite evident that the device will be running Android 4.4 KitKat out-of-the-box.
Further, the report notes that the Motorola Moto G will release in two waves (as we confirmed during the press conference) , the first wave includes countries namely Brazil, France, Germany, Mexico and UK, while the second wave includes US, South East Asia and other countries. Randal also revealed that the Motorola Moto G will be launched with Android 4.3 Jelly Bean in first wave countries, though they will also receive the Android 4.4 KitKat update by the end of January.
On Thursday, a tweet by Guy Kawasaki confirmed that the Motorola Moto G dual-SIM variant would be making it to the Indian market, as well as Brazil. While Motorola has already confirmed that the Moto G will be arriving in India, it has yet to reveal the precise plans for the type of retail availability.
The Motorola Moto G features a 4.5-inch HD 'edge-to-edge' display with a resolution of 720x1280 pixels (translating to a pixel density of 329ppi) and boasts a Corning Gorilla Glass 3 screen. Powered by a quad-core 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor coupled with an Adreno 305 GPU, the Moto G features 1GB of RAM. On the optics front, the Moto G sports a 5-megapixel rear camera along with an LED flash and also includes a 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera. The rear camera supports HD (720p) video recording.
The Motorola Moto G also features water-resistant nano-coating on the inside and outside. The Moto G packs a 2070mAh battery, which Motorola claims can deliver up to 30 percent more talktime than the Apple iPhone 5s.
Google boss Eric Schmidt said Monday that the tech giant had developed new technology that makes it harder to find child sexual abuse images on the web.
Writing in British newspaper the Daily Mail, Google's executive chairman said more than 100,000 searches would no longer feature such material in their results.
The restrictions will initially apply to English-speaking countries but will be expanded to the rest of the world and 158 other languages within six months.
The announcement comes ahead of Monday's Internet Safety Summit at Prime Minister David Cameron's Downing Street office, where Google and Microsoft will be joined by other Internet firms.
In July, Cameron urged search engines to go further in blocking surfers from accessing illegal images.
Schmidt wrote: "While society will never wholly eliminate such depravity, we should do everything in our power to protect children from harm."
He said that in the last three months, Google had put more than 200 staff working on developing new technology to tackle the problem.
"We've fine tuned Google Search to prevent links to child sexual abuse material from appearing in our results," he wrote.
"While no algorithm is perfect and Google cannot prevent paedophiles adding new images to the web these changes have cleaned up the results for over 100,000 queries that might be related to the sexual abuse of kids.
"We will soon roll out these changes in more than 150 languages, so the impact will be truly global."
Schmidt said warnings from the California-based Internet giant were now showing at the top of results for more than 13,000 searches. The alerts also make clear that child sexual abuse is illegal and give advice on where to get help.
He also said Google had developed technology that allowed illegal videos to be 'tagged' so all duplicate copies can be removed across the web.
"We welcome the lead taken by the British government, and hope that the technologies developed (and shared) by our industry will make a real difference in the fight against this terrible crime," said Schmidt.
Sony's new SmartWatch 2 doesn't get as much attention - and doesn't do as much - as Samsung's Galaxy Gear computerized wristwatch. But for the things it does, Sony's version performs better.
The SmartWatch 2 is also 33 percent cheaper, at about $200, and works with a variety of Android phones, not just Sony's. Samsung's Galaxy Gear sells for $300 and is compatible only with a handful of high-end Samsung phones.
(Also see: Sony SmartWatch 2 launched in India for Rs. 14,990)
That said, neither company has made a compelling case of why people need a smartwatch this holiday season.
These wrist-bound gadgets are supposed to free you from constantly pulling out your phone to check for messages. But I found myself checking the watch more often than I would pull out a phone. That proved more distracting - and less private - over dinner, for instance.
The SmartWatch 2 is worth considering primarily if you want to be among the first with the latest technology.
What Sony's watch does
Think of the watch as a companion to your phone. The phone needs to be within Bluetooth wireless range, or about 30 feet (9 meters).
You install a free Smart Connect app on the phone to manage what gets sent to the watch, be it messages or call notifications. You give the watch functionality by adding watch apps to Smart Connect one by one. Smart Connect fetches the watch apps from Google's online Play store.
For example, I installed Sony's Messaging app to get texts on the watch. I get full texts and can reply with emoticons or pre-written responses such as "I'll get back to you." There's no keyboard on the watch to type individual replies, given that its screen measures just 1.6 inches (4 centimeters) diagonally.
The Facebook watch app lets me check the latest posts and endorse some with "likes" right from the watch. With Twitter, I can read the latest updates, retweet them or mark some as favorites. But I'm limited to text on the watch. I can't access photos and other links that are often embedded into tweets.
Getting too much? Through the phone, I can choose specific friends and accounts to get notifications for, though I can't simply add "family" and other groups I had already created on Facebook.
The watch can act as a remote control for your phone, but calls themselves are made through the phone. For the watch to be useful, you need a Bluetooth wireless headset linked to the phone.
When calls come in, you can reject the call, with or without a canned text reply. If you have a Sony phone, you can answer calls from the watch as well. With any phone running at least Android 4.0, you can initiate calls from the watch using its dialpad or your Android contacts list. But again, the calls go through your phone. You can control volume, but it took me a while to figure out how.
There are nearly 250 other apps you can add, many coming from outside app developers.
I particularly like a 99-cent app called Fake Call. Tap on the watch to make your phone ring with a phantom call. Use that to get you out of whatever sketchy situation you might find yourself in.
A free app called GPS Maps sends a map to your watch with surrounding blocks. The map moves as you move, though I don't get directions.
How it compares with Samsung's device
Samsung's Galaxy Gear wins on style: The watch has a metal frame and straps in six colors. It can work as a fashion accessory, at least for men. It's on the larger side, with a 1.6-inch screen matching Sony's. The SmartWatch 2 from Sony feels cheap, by comparison, though the straps are replaceable with other 24-millimeter watch straps if you're really buying this for fashion.
The Gear also wins on features: Sony's watch doesn't have a speaker or a microphone. It doesn't have a camera. The Gear has all that, which means you can make phone calls through the watch itself, without a Bluetooth headset. The camera produces low-resolution images, but it beats missing the shot because your phone is in the pocket.
But I don't believe these features are worth an extra $100. The speakerphone doesn't offer much privacy or work well in noisy environments. The speaker allows you to reply to text messages using voice dictation, but the transcriptions are slow and error-prone.
Where the SmartWatch 2 outperforms the Gear is in delivering messages.
The Gear gives you full texts, but that's about it. Get a Facebook or Gmail notification? You have to return to the phone to read the message. The watch is supposed to reduce the need to pull out your phone, but not if you keep getting notifications urging you to check.
And while I got about 2.5 days on the SmartWatch 2 on a single charge, the Gear dies in a day. You can charge Sony's watch with a standard micro-USB charger, while the Gear needs its own. The Gear's watch face also goes dark so it could last just a day. With Sony's watch, you can see the time even in a low-power mode.
Sony's SmartWatch 2 also has many more apps to choose from - more than three times as many.
Do you need it?
Maybe one day, smartwatches will truly be smart. They need to be better at filtering the important notifications from the noise, and they need to do more than tell you to go back to the phone to complete a task.
For now, we're in an era of experimentation. Sony's SmartWatch 2 advances the field with a just-the-basics smartwatch, but I'll wait at least a year or two for even more advances before buying one myself.