Archive for July 2014
There are quite a few laptop models available for less than Rs. 30,000 today and while performance will understandably be limited, many of them are still excellent value for money. There might not be much variance when it comes to internal components, but you can get these entry-level laptops in many shapes and sizes, with or without additional features that make them attractive for certain use case scenarios.
Choosing the right model is often about striking the right balance of compromises. For example, while you can get devices with screens ranging from 10 inches to 15.6 inches, you won't find any resolution higher than 1366x768. The more powerful models have up to Intel Core i3 processors, but tend cut corners in other ways, such as not including a licensed copy of Windows. There are also plenty of older models floating around at discounted rates, most of which you can safely avoid.
We'll help you navigate through the minefield of choices so you can buy the best budget laptop for your needs. Please note that prices fluctuate every day.
Best choice for students: Lenovo G50-70, Rs. 28,500 (approximate street price)
Students require flexibility and reliability, so our choice is the Lenovo G50-70 which sells for approximately Rs. 28,500 online (with a free bag, at some retailers). This model isn't the sleekest or lightest option by a mile, but it does come with an up-to-date fourth generation Intel Core i3 processor. There's 2GB of RAM and a 500GB hard drive, which should be enough for assignments, research, presentations, social media and a bit of casual entertainment too. Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and USB 3.0 are standard. The G50-70 comes with FreeDOS, which is an advantage if you're planning to use Linux.
Students require flexibility and reliability, so our choice is the Lenovo G50-70 which sells for approximately Rs. 28,500 online (with a free bag, at some retailers). This model isn't the sleekest or lightest option by a mile, but it does come with an up-to-date fourth generation Intel Core i3 processor. There's 2GB of RAM and a 500GB hard drive, which should be enough for assignments, research, presentations, social media and a bit of casual entertainment too. Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and USB 3.0 are standard. The G50-70 comes with FreeDOS, which is an advantage if you're planning to use Linux.
Best choice for work: HP 450, Rs. 29,990 (approximate street price)
This surprisingly affordable laptop is based on a mainstream Core i3-3110M CPU. This means it doesn't sacrifice performance for low power consumption and heat dissipation, but even so, it manages to pull off five hours of battery life. You get 4GB of RAM and a 500GB hard drive which will come in handy for presentations, spreadsheets, communications and even some light work with graphics and multimedia. You or your office will have to pay extra for a Windows license though.
This surprisingly affordable laptop is based on a mainstream Core i3-3110M CPU. This means it doesn't sacrifice performance for low power consumption and heat dissipation, but even so, it manages to pull off five hours of battery life. You get 4GB of RAM and a 500GB hard drive which will come in handy for presentations, spreadsheets, communications and even some light work with graphics and multimedia. You or your office will have to pay extra for a Windows license though.
Best choice for home and entertainment: Dell Inspiron 15 3542, Rs. 28,890 (official online retail price)
The Dell Inspiron 15 is large enough for the family to gather around and comfortable enough for all ages and all uses. It has a relatively low-powered Intel Pentium processor, but everything else is absolutely standard for this price category, including the 4GB of RAM and 500GB hard drive. You'll be able to play basic online games, surf the Web, type out documents and chat with friends. The HDMI port makes it easy to hook this laptop up to a living-room TV so you can watch movies together and show off photos too. Windows 8.1 comes preloaded, meaning home and casual users will have no hassles setting up.
Best choice for portability: Dell Inspiron 11 3137, Rs. 26,990 (official online price)
This little laptop could easily be mistaken for a netbook, though it's a little more powerful than that. The Celeron 2995U CPU should be enough for most basic tasks but we wouldn't try anything more intensive than browsing the Web and editing simple documents on this laptop. Its main attraction is its weight - at only 1.45kg, you can easily toss the Inspiron 11 into a bag and take it everywhere you go. There's 2GB of RAM and a 500GB hard drive but also, unexpectedly, a touchscreen. Windows 8.1 comes preloaded, so you can enjoy the touch-centric Modern UI apps too.
This little laptop could easily be mistaken for a netbook, though it's a little more powerful than that. The Celeron 2995U CPU should be enough for most basic tasks but we wouldn't try anything more intensive than browsing the Web and editing simple documents on this laptop. Its main attraction is its weight - at only 1.45kg, you can easily toss the Inspiron 11 into a bag and take it everywhere you go. There's 2GB of RAM and a 500GB hard drive but also, unexpectedly, a touchscreen. Windows 8.1 comes preloaded, so you can enjoy the touch-centric Modern UI apps too.
Best choice on a shoestring budget: Asus X550CA, Rs 25,750 (approximate street price)
If our Rs. 30,000 price ceiling is too high for you, there are a few ultra-budget options to consider as well. Both HP and Acer sell Chromebooks for around Rs. 22,000, but we think a full-fledged laptop is a better investment even if it comes with very weak components. Our choices is the Asus X550CA, which comes with a low-power but still modern Core i3-3217U processor, 2GB of RAM and a 500GB hard drive. Of course there's a compromise - you'll have to use a free Linux distribution or buy your own copy of Windows. Still, this model offers solid value for money.
If our Rs. 30,000 price ceiling is too high for you, there are a few ultra-budget options to consider as well. Both HP and Acer sell Chromebooks for around Rs. 22,000, but we think a full-fledged laptop is a better investment even if it comes with very weak components. Our choices is the Asus X550CA, which comes with a low-power but still modern Core i3-3217U processor, 2GB of RAM and a 500GB hard drive. Of course there's a compromise - you'll have to use a free Linux distribution or buy your own copy of Windows. Still, this model offers solid value for money.
Lenovo had unveiled its latest flagship, the K920, at the Mobile Asia Expo in Shanghai, last month. The company has now announced August 5 launch date, along with the full specifications of the device, which will be sold as the Vibe Z2 Pro.
Lenovo's Chief Marketing Officer for China, Arthur Wei, on Friday posted the specifications along with a selfie showing of the the devices' back, on his Weibo account. The pricing and availability of the Lenovo K920 is expected to be revealed at the launch.
According to Wei's post, the dual-SIM Lenovo K920 is said to be the successor of Lenovo's flagship Vibe Z and will be sold as Lenovo Vibe Z2 Pro. It runs Android 4.4 KitKat with Lenovo's Vibe UI 2.0 on top.
The Lenovo Vibe Z reached the Indian market earlier this year, and was launched at Rs. 35,999. The smartphone at launch ran Android 4.3 Jelly Bean out-of-the-box.
The Lenovo Vibe Z2 Pro of K920 will feature a large 6-inch QHD (1440x2560 pixel) display. It will pack a 2.5GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor coupled with 3GB of RAM. Front camera on the device will be 16-megapixel with dual-LED flash and optical image stabilization, while secondary front facing camera will be 5-megapixel.
Internal storage on the device is listed for 32GB, but Wei didn't mention any microSD card expandability. The Lenovo K920 is also said to come with 4G LTE support. The large screen smartphone will have a massive 4000mAh battery, and measures 156x81.3x7.7mm.
Last month, a Chinese publication had listed the specifications of the Lenovo K920, which included almost same specifications as revealed by Lenovo's Chief Marketing Officer.
If you had analysed the buzz on social networking websites after the launch of Asus' ZenFone series in India, it would look like the ZenFone 5 stole all the attention from its sisters. The ZenFone 6 andZenFone 4 could have seemed almost like afterthoughts. Despite this step-motherly treatment by Asus, both phones are great devices in their own rights and are affordable too.
The ZenFone 6 is a low-priced phablet with great specifications. We thought its smaller sibling ZenFone 5 set a really good benchmark for other phone companies in the budget segment, so in the same vein, we intend to find out if Asus has truly managed to create the perfect mid-range phablet for the masses.
Look and Feel
All three models in the newly-launched Asus ZenFone series share the same design philosophy - mostly plastic bodies with a dash of metal added for sturdiness. The Asus ZenFone 6 review unit that we had was the Charcoal Black variant. The phone is also available in Pearl White, Cherry Red and Champagne Gold.
All three models in the newly-launched Asus ZenFone series share the same design philosophy - mostly plastic bodies with a dash of metal added for sturdiness. The Asus ZenFone 6 review unit that we had was the Charcoal Black variant. The phone is also available in Pearl White, Cherry Red and Champagne Gold.
The ZenFone 6 is not a slim phablet, at 9.9mm thick. However, it is well built and can probably take more than a few falls. Its slightly contoured matte rear surface makes it easy to grip but the huge size demands two hands to use it without dropping it.
The front of the ZenFone 6 is dominated by the large 6-inch screen and fairly large bezels on all sides. Below the screen are the capacitive buttons for navigation. A metal strip lies below these capacitive buttons. The earpiece and the front camera are placed above the screen. On the right edge of the phablet are the volume rocker and the power button, both made of metal. The left edge is bare. The Micro-USB port for charging and data transfer is on the bottom along with the microphone, whereas the 3.5mm headset jack is on the top. On the rear are the camera and the flash. The rear cover is removable and the battery is non-removable, which is a very surprising design choice.
Features and Specifications
Asus has fitted the ZenFone 6 with an Intel Atom Z2580 dual-core SoC clocked at 2GHz with Hyper-Threading technology which allows up to four threads to run at once. This processor is more powerful than the Z2560 inside the ZenFone 5. A PowerVR 544MP2 clocked at 533MHz provides the juice for graphics. The phablet also has 2GB of RAM. Asus provides 16GB of internal storage, of which only 12.2GB is available to use. This can be extended to up to 64GB using microSD cards.
Asus has fitted the ZenFone 6 with an Intel Atom Z2580 dual-core SoC clocked at 2GHz with Hyper-Threading technology which allows up to four threads to run at once. This processor is more powerful than the Z2560 inside the ZenFone 5. A PowerVR 544MP2 clocked at 533MHz provides the juice for graphics. The phablet also has 2GB of RAM. Asus provides 16GB of internal storage, of which only 12.2GB is available to use. This can be extended to up to 64GB using microSD cards.
The phablet has a 13-megapixel rear camera with flash, and can shoot 1080p videos. The 2-megapixel front camera can capture 720p videos, and can be used for video calls. We got the international single-SIM variant for review whereas only the dual-SIM version of the ZenFone 6 available here in India. Both variants accept Micro-SIM cards. For connectivity, the ZenFone 6 has the latest Bluetooth 4 and Wi-Fi 802.1 b/g/n standards.
The 6-inch screen has a resolution of 720x1280, which translates to a pixel density of 245ppi. It has very good saturation in the colours that are displayed but is dim even at its highest brightness setting. As a result of this, sunlight legibility takes a hit. On the other hand, viewing angles are decent. Asus bundles an app called Splendid which can adjust display settings such as colour temperature, hue and saturation, though the changes aren't really noticeable.
Software
The Asus ZenFone 6 has Android 4.3 (Jelly Bean) running on it with a custom skin called ZenUI on top of it. Asus has promised an update to Android 4.4 (Kitkat) in the near future but our test unit didn't get it during the review period.
The Asus ZenFone 6 has Android 4.3 (Jelly Bean) running on it with a custom skin called ZenUI on top of it. Asus has promised an update to Android 4.4 (Kitkat) in the near future but our test unit didn't get it during the review period.
The best thing about ZenUI is that that it is clean and clutter-free. The app icons look good and are sufficiently large. Pulling down the notification shade from the top right of the screen reveals a ton of quick settings toggles akin to what we've seen in LG and Samsung phones. To take advantage of the large screen, Asus provides a One Hand Operation setting which is further customisable to recreate the experience of a 4.3, 4.5 or 4.7 inch screen.
A Reading Mode is also available, which basically adjusts the screen's colour tone to provide a better reading experience. The Glove Mode works as advertised and in our testing we found that it responded really well, though it probably won't see much use in India. A What's Next widget that can be added to the homescreen and lockscreen shows the user a consolidated list of future events pulled from various linked accounts. It is very useful for people who have a busy calendar.
Similar to the Splendid app we mentioned earlier, Asus also bundles an app called AudioWizard which has EQ presets for different modes including Power Saving, Movie, Music, Recording, Gaming, and Speech. There is also a Mirror app, which is a just a clever name for an app that turns on the front camera.
Camera
Asus' camera app has been built from ground up. It features tons of manual options that pro users can tinker with. There are also a few filters that can be added before taking a photograph. Multiple shooting modes are also available. Asus has innovated with its Selfie mode, in which the rear camera can focus on as many as four faces and capture an image automatically. It worked flawlessly every time.
Asus' camera app has been built from ground up. It features tons of manual options that pro users can tinker with. There are also a few filters that can be added before taking a photograph. Multiple shooting modes are also available. Asus has innovated with its Selfie mode, in which the rear camera can focus on as many as four faces and capture an image automatically. It worked flawlessly every time.
The 13-megapixel camera still does not hold a candle to the HTC Desire 816's shooter. As far as image quality goes, captured details are satisfactory and there was no noise in our daylight shots. It's not bad - the 'but' here is that the camera accentuates reds to create a pinkish tinge in captured shots.
Low-light shots are decent and comparable to the performance of the HTC Desire 816. Captured 1080p video suffers from exposure issues as the video is unusually dim. The 2-megapixel front camera is rendered useless considering the wonderful Selfie mode that we mentioned earlier, but it does a decent job.
(Click for full size)
Performance
Leaving numbers aside for a bit, the ZenFone 6 works smoothly during daily use. Apps open and close rather quickly. Most games worked fine except for high-end ones such as GT Racing 2 and Shadowgun: Deadzone. Both these games stuttered in some areas.
Performance
Leaving numbers aside for a bit, the ZenFone 6 works smoothly during daily use. Apps open and close rather quickly. Most games worked fine except for high-end ones such as GT Racing 2 and Shadowgun: Deadzone. Both these games stuttered in some areas.
Web browsing is a really blazing experience on any connection, which is confirmed by the SunSpider score of 775.1ms. In CPU performance tests like AnTuTu and Quadrant, the ZenFone 6 scored 22,403 and 10,157 respectively. Even 3DMark Ice Storm and GFXbench had scores of 7,981 and 15.8fps respectively. All the numbers are really good compared to other phablets in the same price range.
The ZenFone 6 also managed to play all the videos we threw at it without any issues. The rear speaker is not too loud, and crackles at high volume. The bundled earphones, however, are really good, and do a decent job of reproducing sound and isolating outside noise.
In our battery test, the high capacity 3300mAh battery inside this phablet lasted us 9 hours and 25 minutes. This is in tune with our regular usage experience, where the phablet lasted us at least a day and a half, which involved around a good mix of gaming, web browsing, calls, texting and listening to music.In our call tests, the phone managed to hold on to the signal even in areas notorious for network congestion.
Verdict
Asus has managed to create a phablet that boasts of good hardware components, good build quality, and decent camera performance. Most importantly, it costs less than many of good phablets which cost the same or even significantly more, including the Sony Xperia T2 Ultra Dual, HTC Desire 816and Samsung Galaxy Grand 2. Both the Xperia T2 Ultra Dual and Desire 816 are priced above Rs. 20,000 while the Grand 2 costs slightly less than Rs. 20,000 now.
Asus has managed to create a phablet that boasts of good hardware components, good build quality, and decent camera performance. Most importantly, it costs less than many of good phablets which cost the same or even significantly more, including the Sony Xperia T2 Ultra Dual, HTC Desire 816and Samsung Galaxy Grand 2. Both the Xperia T2 Ultra Dual and Desire 816 are priced above Rs. 20,000 while the Grand 2 costs slightly less than Rs. 20,000 now.
All things considered, the Asus ZenFone 6 with its price tag of Rs. 16,999 seems like the best bet for a mid-range phablet. However if camera quality is most important to you and the price doesn't matter, pick up the HTC Desire 816 instead.
Samsung has introduced a new voice-calling tablet, the Galaxy TabQ, for the Chinese market.
The new 7-inch tablet is now listed on the company's official site in China without pricing and availability details.
The new Samsung Galaxy TabQ tablet will reportedly be available in China on two carriers - China Mobile (SM-T2558) and China Unicom (SM-T2556). Sammy Hub reports that the tablet as of now is limited to China, but can be expected to go on sale in more markets soon.
The Galaxy TabQ supports voice calling, the highlight feature of the tablet, and also supports LTE network connectivity. It features a 7-inch HD (720x1280 pixels) TFT display and runs Android 4.3 Jelly Bean out-of-the-box. The tablet, much like the Galaxy Note 3 (Review | Pictures), sports a faux leather finish back.
It is powered by a quad-core processor (unspecified chipset) clocked at 1.2GHz. There is no word of the RAM and inbuilt storage on the tablet. The Galaxy TabQ sports an 8-megapixel rear camera and there is a 2-megapixel front-facing camera also onboard.
The Galaxy TabQ supports expandable storage via microSD card (up to 64GB). It weighs 250 grams and supports a single SIM (Micro-SIM). The tablet measures 191.8x99.7x8.9mm and is backed by a 3200mAh battery.
The Samsung Galaxy TabQ, apart from 4G LTE, comes with Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, NFC, Micro-USB, and 3G connectivity options.
Notably, the latest Samsung Galaxy TabQ tablet comes with some similar specifications to the Galaxy W tablet exclusively launched for Korean markets in June.
Last week, the Samsung Galaxy Tab4 7.0 tablet reached Indian shores and was listed on the company's India e-store at Rs. 18,099.
Other Galaxy Tab4 tablets, the Galaxy Tab4 8.0 3G and Galaxy Tab4 10.1 3G, went on sale officiallyin mid-June, and are also via the company's India e-store.
What I find fascinating about Amazon's Fire phone isn't the gizmos such as the 3-D imagery or the camera scanner that helps you get more information about products.
Rather, I like that Amazon is thinking a lot about how phones ought to work.
The iPhone and its Android smartphone rivals are so much alike that companies have been suing each other for stealing ideas. The Fire phone uses Android, but Amazon has modified it to the point that it's barely recognizable.
That means the phone offers new ways to navigate, discover and, of course, shop - all enabled by new features from the world's largest online retailer.
That doesn't mean everyone should rush out to get a Fire phone.
Many apps available for iPhones, Android and even Windows Phones aren't available for the Fire yet. Some features didn't work as well as I anticipated. I couldn't use the Fire's Siri-like voice search to get weather or directions, for instance. And when I used Amazon's Maps app to get directions to the U.S. Capitol, I got the town of Capitol, Montana. Talk about getting lost.
Amazon may fix some of these issues by the time the phone ships Thursday, and other fixes will likely come through future software updates, but consider that it took Amazon's tablet computer two years to become a strong contender to Apple's iPad.
The Fire has a 13-megapixel camera and a screen that measures 4.7 inches diagonally, a comfortable size for one-handed use.
It's available in the U.S. through AT&T starting at $200 with a two-year contract and $650 without one. That's on par with other high-end phones, plus you get double the storage and a free year of Amazon's Prime membership with Fire. Still, Amazon.com Inc. has typically undercut rivals on just about anything else sold on this planet.
Price parity could make it tough for Amazon to compete in a crowded smartphone market, despite these features:
Dynamic Perspective
Using four infrared cameras, the phone gauges where your head is and redraws images on the screen continually so they appear 3-D.
Using four infrared cameras, the phone gauges where your head is and redraws images on the screen continually so they appear 3-D.
Beyond aesthetics, the technology lets you tilt the phone slightly for more information, such as Yelp ratings on nearby restaurants. If the information is covering up, say, a street name on a map, just tilt it away.
With tilts, you can scroll down as you read news articles or switch between the front and back of dresses when shopping. You can control game characters without touching the screen. Swivel the phone as though you're turning a doorknob to unveil a menu of options or supplemental information such as song lyrics.
Developers of non-Amazon apps will have to enable the feature, so with eBay's shopping app, you still need to swipe to see the other side of a dress.
The gestures also take getting used to. I got frustrated when the swivels didn't work; turned out my motion was too slow. And in testing out the gestures, I somehow placed separate orders for a $109 camera and a $150 hard drive accessory, thanks to a one-click shopping feature. It took an hour to notice the first errant order. Fortunately, I was able to cancel both in time.
Firefly
A side button launches the Firefly scanning app, which recognizes bar codes, business cards and various products. Firefly also recognizes sound, including songs and scenes in movies and TV shows.
A side button launches the Firefly scanning app, which recognizes bar codes, business cards and various products. Firefly also recognizes sound, including songs and scenes in movies and TV shows.
Once there's a match, you can swivel the phone to buy an item through Amazon, add a phone number to your contacts app or learn more about a movie through Amazon's IMDb.
I found only four non-Amazon apps that have enabled Firefly. So after scanning the movie poster for "Stranger by the Lake," I could launch the Flixster app for more information, but I couldn't go directly to Netflix because that app hasn't enabled the feature yet.
Firefly is more comprehensive and reliable than other scanning apps I've tried. I was surprised it managed to identify the model of the landline phone on my desk. For magazines, it identified specific issues, not just the title. But there are still mistakes, such as my laptop's keyboard being identified as headphone amplifiers.
Mayday help
Introduced with the Kindle Fire HDX tablets last fall, Mayday provides live technical support around the clock. The tech adviser who appears on your phone can hear you, see your screen and draw marks to show you where to press or swipe.
Introduced with the Kindle Fire HDX tablets last fall, Mayday provides live technical support around the clock. The tech adviser who appears on your phone can hear you, see your screen and draw marks to show you where to press or swipe.
This feature works well on the tablet, but as helpful as the advisers try to be, they are still getting used to the phone. One directed me to Apple's support forums to figure out how to transfer iPhone contacts even though Amazon's website had step-by-step instructions. The advisers are also learning how to guide you on tilting or swiveling.
Once these are worked out, though, it should reduce requests for help you get from tech-challenged friends.
The carousel
Most phones have home pages filled with icons to various apps. The Fire shows just one at a time, based on what you've recently done. Swipe left or right to get the others.
Most phones have home pages filled with icons to various apps. The Fire shows just one at a time, based on what you've recently done. Swipe left or right to get the others.
These icons do more than take you to apps. Some are for specific content, such as a recent book or video. Some app icons also preview content underneath, so you can delete an email or see a news headline without opening the app.
Apps for various Amazon services, such as e-books, audiobooks, music and video, have been designed to work with the carousel, so watching one movie will give you recommendations for others.
The Fire is a good start at offering a fresh approach to smartphones. More outside apps will need to take advantage of the innovations for the phone to be useful beyond people who already use Amazon services extensively.
After launching the Xolo Q900s, the Android version of the handset on Wednesday, the firm has finally launched the Windows Phone 8.1 version of the handset, the Win Q900s, listing it on its site with a buy now option and a price of Rs. 11,999.
Clicking on the buy button for the Xolo Win Q900s on the company's site, users are led to Snapdeal, where the phone is listed as sold-out at Rs. 10,999. Notably, Snapdeal also started taking pre-orders for the Xolo Win Q900s since last month for a discounted price of Rs. 9,999. Interestingly, the phone has also been listed on Flipkart, where the handset is listed as available at Rs. 11,999.
Xolo claims that the Win Q900s smartphone, with a weight of 100 grams, is the lightest Windows Phone smartphone available. The Xolo Win Q900s is a dual-SIM (GSM+GSM) device and the first smartphone in the company's line-up to run Windows Phone 8.1.
The Win Q900s features a 4.7-inch HD (720x1280 pixels) IPS display with One Glass Solution (OGS) and Dragon Trail Glass. The Xolo Win Q900s is powered by a 1.2GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 200 (MSM 8212) alongside 1GB of RAM and Adreno 302 GPU.
The Xolo Win Q900s sports an 8-megapixel rear camera with PureCel sensor and LED flash, while it also houses a 2-megapixel front-facing camera. The smartphone includes 8GB of inbuilt storage which is further expandable up to 32GB via microSD card.
The smartphone is currently available in Black colour variants only. The smartphone measures 135x67x7mm. The Win Q900s packs an 1800mAh battery which is rated to deliver up to 14 hours of talk time and up to 246 hours of standby time on 3G network. The smartphone comes with GPRS/ EDGE, 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS and Micro-USB connectivity options.
Sony is expected to be hard at work on its next flagship smartphone that's rumoured to be called Xperia Z3 and come with a major upgrade in specifications. Several leaks over the past few months have tipped numerous details about the anticipated handset.
The latest in the series of leaks, courtesy @evleaks, lists some specifications of the unannounced handset, and also claims to show the rear and side profile of the alleged Xperia Z3.
Popular phone tipster has claimed that the next Sony flagship will come with a model number D6653. Notably, the Xperia Z2 comes with model numbers D6502, D6503, and D6543 for the 3G and 4G models.
The latest leaked specifications point to a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor clocked at 2.4GHz; a 5.5-inch full-HD display; 3GB of RAM; 16GB of inbuilt storage, and Android 4.4.4 KitKat.
Much like the Xperia Z1 and Xperia Z2, the alleged successor Xperia Z3 is also tipped to sport a 20.7-megapixel rear camera. It is also said to include a 2.1-megapixel front camera.
The two leaked images claimed to show the rear panel and side profile of the anticipated handset indicate that the alleged Xperia Z3, much like its predecessors, features chamfered edges with tempered glass on the rear panel. A Sony logo can be seen in the middle of the leaked back panel image, while Xperia branding is seen at the bottom. The rear camera and LED flash are seen in the top right corner of the back panel.
The other leaked image is claimed to shows the side panel or profile of the alleged Xperia Z3, sporting rounded edges. The leaked side panel image appears to be of the right panel, and shows physical buttons for camera, power, and volume rocker, apart from housing a flap. The flap can be expected to be a common flap for covering microSD and SIM card slots. The handset in the leaked image also appears to marginally taller than the Xperia Z2 (Review | Pictures).
It's worth noting that Sony had confirmed that it would launch a refreshed flagship smartphone every six months, which is the company's mantra to keep its smartphone up-to-date in terms of innards and software, unlike HTC and Samsung.
The Sony Xperia Z2 launched this year, and came seven months after the Xperia Z1's launch and was an incremental upgrade to last year's flagship.
Earlier this month, the alleged Xperia Z3 surfaced online in leaked images that were claimed to show its front panel and rear camera.
While recently we have been focusing on the newly entered Chinese smartphone brands, Oplus has launched the Oplus XonPhone 5 in India. Oplus has announced the launch of the Oplus XonPhone 5, which is the company’s first smartphone in India. The device has a 6 inch IPS display with One Glass Solution and resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels. The smartphone is powered by a quad core MediaTek processor clocked at 1.3 GHz along with 1 GB of RAM and 16 GB of internal storage. The Oplus XonPhone 5 has an 8 MP rear facing auto focus camera with LED flash. There is also a front facing 2 MP camera. The device runs on the latest Android KitKat version with a 2000 mAh battery. The handset is priced at just Rs. 7999 and is available in silver, grey and gold colour options. The phone will be sold exclusively through Snapdeal. Speaking about the Oplus XonPhone 5, Soumitra Gupta, CEO, Oplus, said, “We are extremely elated to be launching the XonPhone 5, an innovative smartphone with ultimate features ensuring a unique user experience. Our association with India’s largest marketplace, Snapdeal.com has yielded us great results for our tablet and we are affirmative that our smartphone will also witness great acceptance from the users.” Oplus XonPhone 5 specs: 5 inch display 1280 x 720 pixels resolution 1.3 GHz quad core MediaTek MT6582 processor 1 GB RAM 16 GB internal memory 8 MP primary camera 2 MP front facing camera Google Android v4.4 KitKat 2000 mAh battery
We have seen several rumors around the Sony Xperia Z3and we’ve seen alleged picturesof the device too. All of those rumors and leaks have suggested that the Xperia Z3 won’t be a lot different to the Xperia Z2. Now, we have leaked specifications of the device, thanks to@evleaksand the specs seem mostly identical to the Xperia Z2. According to@evleaks, the Sony Xperia Z3 features the model number D6653 and it packs a 5.15-inch 1080p display, pretty much the same from the Z2. It is said to be powered by a 2.4 GHz Quad-core Snapdragon 801 processor with Adreno 330 GPU and 3 GB RAM, again similar to the Z2. There’s said to be 16 GB of internal storage and we can expect a microSD slot. The camera is also the same 20.7 MP rear camera and a 2.1 MP front-facing camera. The device will come with Android 4.4.4 KitKat on-board. Overall, the specifications are almost identical to the Xperia Z2 and you must be thinking, why release this thing? Well, we suspect Sony might have made improvements in other areas. We hope the design gets a refresh although that seems unlikely. Hopefully, the Xperia Z2 camera heating issue is fixed. We don’t know when the Japanese manufacturer plans on unveiling the device but we expect that to happen next month or September at IFA.
As Gameloft promised, the next iteration of its popular Modern Combat franchise is here. Modern Combat 5: Blackout has been released for all the major mobile platforms today. The new Modern Combat game brings both single and multiplayer gaming. There’s unified game progression, improved graphics and a lot more. Gameloft also promises amazing visuals and some great mechanics for the game. Check out the highlights of the game below: Four character classes: Assault, Sniper, Heavy, and Recon, each with their own set of skills to upgrade. Unified progression system: One character across both multiplayer and single player missions. Each mission or multiplayer match earns XP that goes towards levelling-up your class and mastering your weapons. Spec-Ops Missions: Short, fun, and objective based. Objectives such as covering your allies, clearing a building, eliminating a single target, and many more! New Single player features: Manually control your sniper rounds in-flight, scouting enemies behind cover with a scanning drone, and reviving downed team members! “MEDIC!” New Squad vs Squad multiplayer: MC5 will let players party up with friends (or your dream team of friendly randoms!) to battle other squads from all over the world. Multiplayer matches of up to 6 v 6: More players, more mayhem! I love the smell of gunpowder in the morning. Two Kill streak packages with 6 different abilities: Airstrike, Bomber, Assistant drone, Auto-turret, EMP, and Recon Helicopter. Global and Squad chat: Discuss tactics with your squad, or just keep up with your friends around the world! Highly Improved Graphics: Real-time shadows, Ragdoll physics, SSAO (‘Screen space ambient occlusion’ for all you techy people!), Soft particles, Spherical harmonics, and many more improvements. Modern Combat 5: Blackout is available for Rs. 390 on Android, Rs. 420 on iOS, Rs. 360 on Windows Phone and Windows. So, what are you waiting for? Hit the links for the respective stores below and enjoy the brand new game. Do tell us how you like it.
For more than a decade tech-savvy users on a budget would commonly buy a sub-$100 CPU and achieve performance comparable to $200-$300 chips by overclocking. The practice dates back to the early Pentium and Celeron days and was a practical way to extract more performance out of low-end systems until Intel locked its Celeron, Pentium and Core i3 ranges about four years ago. In fact, even most Core i5 and i7 processors have locked clock multipliers, forcing users to spend big to overclock. The last time we saw overclockable budget CPUs from Intel was during its Core 2 days when you could pick up a Core 2 Duo E7200for a whisker over $100 and easily push it to 3.8GHz, a 50% boost that let the chip crush the then $850 Core 2 Quad Q6600and $266 Core 2 Duo E8600. Although the clock multiplier of the non-Extreme Edition Core 2 processors was still locked, this architecture responded very well to front-side bus (FSB) overclocking. The E7200, for example, came clocked at 2.53GHz using a 266MHz FSB with a 9.5x clock multiplier, yet it would happily accept a 400MHz FSB, resulting in a frequency of 3.8GHz! In a move to improve CPU performance, the FSB was eliminated and we now have what is known as the base clock. Unlike the front-side bus, the base clock only allows for very minor alterations and overclocking it by just 10MHz isn't an easy task. Even Intel's most extreme overclocking-orientated processors, such as the Core i7-4790K, are tuned using just the clock multiplier. Moreover, it means the cheapest Intel CPU available to overclockers is the Core i5-4670K, which isn't exactly made for budget systems at $240. However, to mark the 20th anniversary of its Pentium brand, Intel has released a special fully unlocked Haswelldual-core Pentium G3258for $72 -- just what the overclocking community has been waiting for. Today we not only plan to overclock the Pentium G3258, but demonstrate its capabilities it in two builds that the most diehard gamer could be proud of. The systems are based on Asrock's Z97 Anniversary motherboards, one is a standard ATX and the other uses the micro ATX version. Below is the full list of components used for each build. Standard ATX SystemCPUIntel Pentium G3258 $70MotherboardAsrock Z97 Anniversary $10 0MemoryCorsair Dominator Platinum 8GB 2133MHz $11 5CoolingCorsair Hydro Series H100i $10 0CaseCorsair Graphite Series 760T $18 0Graphics CardGigabyte GeForce GTX 750 Ti $15 0Power SupplyCorsair CS Series Modular CS650M $95Primary StorageCorsair Force LS 120GB $95Secondary StorageWD Black 4TB $24 0 Micro ATX SystemCPUIntel Pentium G3258 $70MotherboardAsrock Z97M Anniversary $10 0MemoryKingston Fury DDR3 8GB 1866MHz $75CoolingSilverstone Argon Series AR02 $28CaseBitFenix Phenom Micro-ATX $10 0Graphics CardHIS Radeon R9 270 $15 0Power SupplySilverstone Strider Essential ST60F-ESB 600W $65Primary StorageKingston Fury SSD 240GB $13 0Secondary StorageWD Black 4TB $24 0
