Tuesday 13 August 2013

Nexus 4 phone review

Although it’s based on the Optimus G, the Nexus 4 looks nothing like it. It’s hard to tell who gets the credit for the design of the Nexus 4, whether it’s LG or Google or both, but whoever it is has done a remarkable job. Around the sides, you have a rubberized plastic strip and a chrome-finished plastic strip around the display bezel. On the left are the volume control keys and the microSIM card tray. On the right is the power button that is placed a bit too far close to the top of the phone.

image6Display:
The Nexus 4 has a 1280 x 768 resolution IPS LCD panel. It is one of the better looking panels on the market but is far from the best. Although the display looks fine at first glance closer inspection reveals slightly washed out colors. The color accuracy itself is a bit off and many colors don’t really look the way they are supposed to.

Hardware and Software:
The Nexus 4 runs on a Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro processor, APQ8054 to be precise. It has a quad-core Krait CPU clocked at 1.5GHz and Adreno 320 GPU. Then there is 2GB of RAM and 16GB of flash memory, out of which roughly 13GB is available to the user.

Camera:
The Nexus 4 has an 8 megapixel camera on the back with an LED flash and capable of 1080p video recording.

Battery Life:
The battery life on the Nexus 4 is acceptable at best. It’s not the longest running phone I’ve used but with nominal usage tends to get you through a day without too much trouble.

Verdict:
The Nexus 4 is currently priced in India at Rs. 25,990, which is pretty good and in line with other similarly specced phones on the market, such as the Samsung Galaxy S III.

Tuesday 16 July 2013

iPhone 5 kills Chinese woman


Apple said to be helping police enquiry into freak i-ccident
A Chinese woman was killed by receiving an electric shock from her iPhone 5 after answering it whilst it was charging. Ma Ailun, a 23-year-old former flight attendant from China's Xinjiang region was electrocuted last Thursday when she took a call on the Apple device just after getting out of the bath.
iPhone ‘explodes’ on a plane
If reports of the incident are accurate it could suggest that there was a fault with either the charging unit or its connection cable. According to sina.english.com, the iPhone 5 was purchased from an official Apple store last December and was being charged using the original charger.
Exploding iPhone caught on video in Finland

Apple has refused to comment on specific details of the death but said it will cooperate with authorities in any investigations.

'We are deeply saddened to hear of this tragic incident and offer our deepest condolences to the Ma family. We will fully investigate and cooperate with authorities in this matter,' Apple said in a statement released today.

Possible reasons given for the fatal malfunction include that of Xingiang's extreme temperatures during the summer months. The heat could potentially cause overloads and electrical insulation failures, although whether it was a contributing factor in this incident is as yet unknown.

Another theory suggests that a fault with the charging unit could have meant that it was unearthed, sending a potentially lethal current of 200mA through the victim.

Friday 5 July 2013

Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini review

Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini review
Samsung Galaxy S4 review

  • The most relieving fact with this is its reasonable price slide from the Samsung Galaxy S4
  • It is equipped with a dual-core processor clocked at 1.7GHz coupled with 1.5GB of RAM 
  • A 4.3-inch Super AMOLED qHD display adorns the face of the S4 Mini.
  • It weights a low at only 107g.
  • It has a 1.9MP front-facing snapper for profile pictures, and an 8MP sensor on the back.

Nokia Lumia 820 Review

Nokia Lumia 820 review
From left to right: Lumia 520, Lumia 620, Lumia 720 and Lumia 820

  • It has a dual core 1.5Ghz Snapdragon processor and Adreno 225 GPU
  • It is furnished at 124 x 69 x 10mm with a 4.3-inch AMOLED screen
  • The 4.3-inch AMOLED, 800 x 480 screen is up to Nokia's usual high standard
  • There's also a small speaker to the right of the micro-USB port which we felt didn't look as nicely uniform as the dual speaker vents on the Lumia 920.
Nokia Lumia 820 review

Saturday 29 June 2013

Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0: Review

galaxy-note-8-2galaxy-note-8-3Design:
So with the Galaxy Note 8.0, you get the same grippy, shiny, plasticky case as the aforementioned models, the same light metallic rim running around the unit’s edges, and most of the unit’s ports, cameras and buttons look the same and are in the same places. This is a Samsung unit, and it looks and feels like one — either a dramatically larger version of one of the Korean manufacturer’s smartphones, or a smaller version of one of its tablets.
galaxy-note-8-heroFeatures
The Galaxy Note 8.0 comes with a solid list of features, although there are some desirable options missing, and others which have been downgraded compared to what we’re often used to in high-end smartphones, as a comparison.

To start with, this model comes with a quad-core CPU at 1.6GHz. The screen is an 8″ TFT model running at 1280×800, which delivers a resolution of 189PPI — a little better than the iPad mini at 163PPI, and a little worse than the Nexus 7 at 216PPI. You get 2GB of RAM on-board, as well as either 16GB or 32GB of storage space, and there’s a slot for a microSD card to add up to 64GB of storage space.
The main (back camera) is a little disappointing at only 5 megapixels, while the front camera is 1.3 megapixels. There’s a microUSB port for charging and synching the unit, as well a standard 3.5″ headphone jack, and you can connect up the unit to a TV via the MHL standard.

Performance
There are probably three aspects of the Note 8.0′s performance which you’re interested in: Its generic performance as a mid-size media consumption tablet compared with rivals; its hardware capabilities in terms of its battery and camera, and lastly, its hero feature: The S Pen. Let me lay your mind to rest in all three areas: In all three, the Note 8.0 performs very well.

Conclusion
We really liked the Galaxy Note 8.0. Its stylus framework works very well in the 8″ form factor, and this is a powerful and well-designed little tablet which represents a strong competitor to the iPad mini, Nexus 7, and other mid-sized tablets.

Friday 28 June 2013

200 Cr for Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani

Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani is breaking on more records and now after crossing 150 cr nett at domestic box office, film has surpassed 200 cr nett worldwide in 2 weeks straight.
The romantic comedy is the first film of the year to enter the 200 crore club. Ayan Mukherji’s directorial romantic entertainer has managed to rake in ₹201.53 crore from worldwide box office in just two weeks’ time. This is Ranbir, Deepika, Aditya Roy Kapur and Kalki Koechlin’s first film ever to reach the double century mark.
If the collection of “YJHD” remains unaffected by new releases in its third week, then there are prospects that it may beat the record figure of ₹200 crore in the domestic market which is set by “3 Idiots”.
Aamir Khan’s 3 Idiots is the only which has crossed the magical figures of ₹200 crore at domestic box office. Salman Khan’s “Ek Tha Tiger” had failed to reach the mark by a slight margin.
Also, the second week collections of “YJHD” are the second highest ever after “3 Idiots”. It is also the second film to cross the ₹40 crore mark in India. The second week collection is 46 cr nett plus and it is 2nd best to only 54 cr nett of “3 Idiots”.
The collection usually drops considerably after the first week, but “YJHD” has maintained a strong and steady position at the box office. Even the new release “Yamla Pagla Deewana 2″ did not affect the film’s business. Yamla Pagla Deewana 2 was released on June 7. The movie received mixed reviews and failed to attract audience.
Meanwhile, “YJHD” did a good business in the second week and has entered into the third week. The movie is expected to do good business in this week too, despite less number of screens. If the pace continues into the fourth week, it might end up collecting lifetime business of ₹190 – ₹195 crore at domestic box office, says trade analyst.

Nexus 4 review



Google's Nexus (ten points to anyone who can tell us if Nexi is the correct plural) smartphones have always set the standard when it comes to a pure Google experience.


The first Nexus One was a true geek device. Sold only through Google directly (apart from a brief flirtation with Vodafone), it never achieved massive sales. But it gave the world the true raw power of Android without the bloatware of other variants. As of January 2010, the ball was well and truly rolling.


We've had several now – and everyone, it seems, had a go: HTC, Samsung, Asus and LG – though strangely, not Motorola, which is now part of Google itself.


Some handsets we look forward to with much anticipation – only to feel deflated when we actually use them. Others, we wait for with little expectation – and they absolutely blow our socks off.


A stealth surprise. We'll lay our proverbial cards on the table here from the outset. The Nexus 4 is one of those rare devices.


LG's not had the best track record of late. Sure, we thought the Optimus 4X HD was a pretty decent offering, but too little, too late compared to what was already out there by the time LG got it to market.


And whereas LG did have good form when it came to innovation back in the day (who remembers the Chocolate, the Shine – and even the dubious widescreen BL40?), the mojo seemed to have passed.


That's not a dig at the South Koreans – far from it. But just to set the scene to show why we weren't expecting much from the Nexus 4.


Size wise, the Nexus 4 comes in at 133.9 x 68.7 x 9.1 mm – which means it is similar to its predecessor. But it is far more stunning to look at and hold.


The front is all glass in piano black. Extra tough too thanks to the Corning Gorilla Glass 2. Think iPhone 4S territory, but just a little nicer looking (we are aware that is a matter of opinion, iFans!)


There's no way of getting the back off – so you know what that means, peeps. No removable battery and no expandable storage. The former doesn't faze us too much since the 2,100mAh battery pack is no slouch but the lack of memory card allowance is annoying.


Yes, we know that ever since the Nexus S, expandable memory is out. Google's said that it doesn't offer it because it's confusing. But for those with lots of content who can't or don't want to stream, it's a real pain. We don't quite buy Google's argument.


As for the innards, LG has cut no corners here. Make no mistake, this is a premium handset. DC-HSDPA, the very latest iteration of Jelly Bean 4.2, a Qualcomm Snapdragon chipset, quad-core 1.5GHz processor, A-GPS with GLONASS, NFC and so forth.

Sunday 17 March 2013

Samsung Galaxy S4 review:

Samsung Galaxy S4The Galaxy S4 handset steadily draws from the same design language as the S3, but takes almost every spec to an extreme -- the screen is larger (5 inches), the resolution greater (1080p), the battery capacity higher (2,600mAh), the processor faster (1.9GHz quad-core or 1.6GHz octa-core), and the rear-facing camera stuffed with more megapixels (13, to be exact). But, once you've gone through the features checklist (which also includes lots of internal and external storage space and RAM), it's the software extras that Samsung continues to lean on to keep its phones one step ahead of the competition.
At first glance, the Samsung Galaxy S4 looks like a cookie-cutter copy of the GS3, but larger. It has the same rounded edges and narrow physical home button as its predecessor, but at 7.9mm deep (0.31 inch) and 130g (4.6 ounces), it's also a little lighter and thinner. Part of the slim look and feel is a result of Samsung creating sharper, straighter lines with the phone than the GS3's subtle curves.
Standing at 136.6mm tall by 68.9mm wide (5.4 inches by 2.7 inches), the Galaxy S4 fits right in between the GS3 and the Galaxy Note phones. It's large, to be sure -- very large -- but since I've grown used to holding big handsets, it didn't feel overwhelming in my hands. A more dimpled finish on the white version I held reminded me of the Galaxy S2, in contrast to the GS3's silky brushed feel.

Turns out, that's somewhat true. Smart Pause and Smart Scroll are two features that build off the Galaxy S3's optional Smart Stay feature, which kept the screen from dimming when you looked at it. In the GS4, tilting the screen up or down while looking at it scrolls you up or down, say if you're reading a CNET story, of course. As a daily commuter with one hand on the phone and one on a hand strap, this could be a more convenient way to catch up with news while on the train or bus.
Samsung Galaxy S4Eye-tracking gestures
Conflicting rumors painted a scenario where you'd scroll the screen with your eyes using eye-tracking software within the GS4.
I really like the idea of Smart Pause, which halts a video you're watching when your eyes dart away, then resumes when you start paying attention again.
Both features worked better in theory than they did in practice, though I should mention that the GS4 I was looking at is (obviously) preproduction running prefinal software. Still, response time was a beat slower than I wanted, taking a little time to pause and resume the video, and scroll the screen. A minor delay makes sense. You wouldn't want to start and stop again every time you're distracted for a second. Instead, the software seems to track longer periods when you're away, like if you stop what you're doing to order a cup of coffee, talk to a friend, or climb a set of stairs.
While the Galaxy S4 will look the same everywhere in the world, it won't necessarily have the same motor under the hood. Your future GS4 handset will either thrum from a 1.9GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 series processor, or from a 1.6GHz eight-core chipset,Samsung's Exynos 5 Octa silicon.
Pricing and availability
If this phone sounds like something you want to get your hands on, you won't have to wait too long. Samsung plans to stagger releases worldwide in April and May. In the U.S., Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, U.S. Cellular, and Cricket Wireless will all get the Galaxy S4 (along with Sprint MVNO Ting). Samsung hasn't yet shared plans for other countries.

Sony Xperia Z review


Sony Xperia Z comes with some of the best specs on the market - and it's one of the most eagerly awaited handsets of recent months. A quad-core 1.5GHz Snaprdragon Krait processor, 13MP camera, 16GB storage (expandable, woohoo!), 2GB RAM, water and dust-resistant, 1080p HD screen with Bravia Engine, LTE, to name a few. One thing the Sony Xperia Z certainly does have in common with every other smartphone out there is the fact that it is a pure magnet for fingerprints. Sony Xperia Z rocks in at 139 x 71 x 7.9mm/5.47 x 2.79 x 0.31 inches, so there's little room for anything else in your hands.                             

The ports are spread out with the headphone jack up top, the SIM slot and volume rocker on the right - either side of a silver standby button - while both the microSD and charging ports are on the left, alongside contacts for accessories. A watertight port covers each. The front of the Sony Xperia Z is minimalist - showing off only a Sony logo and front-facing camera. The rear is a little busier, with various tech info printed on it, plus the Sony Xperia logo, an NFC badge, camera light and the all-important lens. That back is stuck fast - as is becoming the custom, you'll have no luck if you want to remove the battery.



One of the selling points of the Sony Xperia Z is that it is also water resistant. There's something slightly unnerving about taking a £529 (around US$817/AU$789) phone and dropping it in the sink - but that's exactly what we did. And it worked absolutely fine. Clearly, you'll need to make sure the ports are covered using those watertight protectors, that much goes without saying.
And at £529 (around US$817/AU$789) in the UK, this is not a cheap handset by any stretch of the imagination. It's actually the same price as the comparable SIM-free 16GB iPhone 5. Now, that's not to say that Apple product prices should set the benchmark, but considering we've often thrown out there that we think iOS devices are hideously overpriced, this is a very brave move from Sony.

Tuesday 26 February 2013

BlackBerry 10 review


BlackBerry 10 review
BlackBerry 10 review

BB10 will display up to eight of these active frames, showing your most recently used apps with the latest app appearing in the top-left position.
The main BlackBerry 10 homescreen is comprised of 'Active Frames', technically mini-applications, which give you an overview of information from a particular app and launch the full version when tapped.


Swiping from right to left will take you to the app list, with 16 apps on the screen at any one time.
If you have more than 16 apps, additional pages are added and can be accessed by swiping the same way again, which is familiar territory for iOS and Android users.
It becomes easier once you've played with BlackBerry 10 for a few days, but we fear customers may be turned off in-store when they preview a handset.
As you swipe up over the screen, BB10 will minimise the pane you're viewing and display notification icons down the left side.
This includes icons for new texts, emails, BBMs, social updates and missed calls, and if any of these pique your interest then continue your finger's motion to the right and the screen will slide over to reveal the BlackBerry Hub so you can see who the message is from.