Monday, 14 March 2016

Xiaomi Mi Note 2 Tipped to Sport Samsung-Made Curved Amoled Display



Xiaomi Mi Note 2 Tipped to Sport Samsung-Made Curved Amoled Display
Xiaomi launched its Mi Note phablet back in January last year and now that its long-awaited Mi 5flagship launch is out of the way, the company is likely to shift its focus towards the Mi Note 2. Until now nothing has been confirmed by the company, however rumours regarding the phablet's display have started hitting the Web.
Although Xiaomi ditched the curved screen display tech for its flagship Mi 5 smartphone, it is expected to bring the same technology to the Mi Note 2 phablet. The report from Gizchina adds that like the Vivo Xplay5 Elite, the Mi Note 2 will also sport Samsung-made curved Amoled display.
It is worth noting that Vivo has already joined the dual-curved screen bandwagon with its Vivo Xplay5 Elite. It features a Samsung-made 'dual edge' curved 5.43-inch Super Amoled display with a QHD (1440x2560 pixels) resolution.
separate report from ZDNet confirms the rumour by adding that Chinese vendors including Xiaomiand Huawei have requested for curved screen samples from Samsung Display. They are likely to add the technology in their future smartphones expected to launch this year.
To recall, the original Xiaomi Mi Note features a 5.7-inch full-HD (1080x1920 pixels) Sharp JDI display offering a pixel density of 386ppi. It also packs Corning Gorilla Glass 3 for protection. The device sports a 2.5D glass at the front while the back features 3D glass for protection.
Earlier this month an industry insider said that besides HTC, other OEMs such as Xiaomi, MeizuOppo, and Vivo are already working on future handsets with 3D Touch display technology as well. To note, Gionee launched its S8 smartphone with 3D Touch technology at MWC 2016, while Huawei actually beat Apple to introducing pressure-sensitive smartphone displays with the Mate S at IFA 2015.

BlackBerry Says It's the 'First OEM' to Deliver Monthly Android Security Patches



BlackBerry Says It's the 'First OEM' to Deliver Monthly Android Security Patches
At the time of the launch of the BlackBerry Priv, the Canadian smartphone company had assured that it will give a lot of emphasis on the security of its users. Four months later, BlackBerry continues to stand by its words. In less than 24 hours since Google issued its monthly security bulletin last week, BlackBerry released a patch to address all the flagged vulnerabilities.
Without pointing out fingers to any particular OEM, BlackBerry said last week that it is the "first OEM to deliver patches in line with Google's public disclosure," beating others to the market. This is the fourth time in a row BlackBerry has rolled out a security patch on the same day as its public availability. BlackBerry said that since December, OEMs have taken anywhere from two days to a few months (if ever) to patch their devices - pointing out that there are still OEMs that are yet to address the vulnerabilities that Google announced in December.
"Other mobile device vendors can take weeks, months or even years to deliver security patches, leaving you and your business at risk," the company wrote in a blog post. "BlackBerry's steadfast commitment to timely security updates is just one of the many reasons why BlackBerry continues to be the undisputed leader in mobile privacy and security."
While BlackBerry's commitment towards the security of its users is commendable, it is worth pointing out that the state of security sophistication maintained by other OEMs has also largely improved over the past few months. Google began its monthly Android security update program back in August, following major vulnerabilities in the operating system related to Stagefright. The search giant apart from patching its own Nexus devices also releases patches to AOSP to ensure OEMs and other partners can also roll out update to their devices. Samsung announced it would release updates alongside, as did several other OEMs, including LG and Motorola.

BlackBerry Priv

BlackBerry Priv

R 62990
  • Design
  • Display
  • Software
  • Performance
  • Battery life
  • Camera
  • Value for money
  • Good
  • Physical keyboard
  • Vast Android app ecosystem
  • Fantastic materials and construction
  • Good screen
  • Bad
  • Extremely expensive
  • Weak front camera
  • Slightly unwieldy
  • Lacks many current-day features
Read detailed BlackBerry Priv review

Google Nexus 5X Gets a Limited Period Discount in India



Google Nexus 5X Gets a Limited Period Discount in India
Google has announced a limited period discount offer on the Nexus 5X in India. Under the offer, the LG Google Nexus 5X will be available at a flat discount of Rs. 4,000 till March 27. Notably, the limited period discount offer has been announced on the occasion of Holi festival and is applicable when purchasing the Nexus 5X online from the Google Store only.
After discount, the Nexus 5X 16GB model will be available at Rs. 23,900 while the 32GB model will come at Rs. 27,900. The regular prices for the Nexus 5X 16GB and 32GB model are Rs. 27,900 and Rs. 31,900 respectively.
This is not the first discount announced for the Nexus 5X in India. Back in November, Amazon Indiaannounced similar limited period discounts on the Nexus 5X. In January, the Nexus 5X was available at as low as Rs. 18,499 after discounts via a third-party online retailer in India.
To recall, the Nexus 5X went on sale in India back in October last year. For specifications, the LG Nexus 5X features a 5.2-inch full-HD (1080x1920 pixel) display with Corning Gorilla Glass 3; a 1.8GHz hexa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 SoC; 2GB of LPDDR3 RAM; a 12.3-megapixel rear camera with 4K and slow-motion (120fps) video recording, apart from an f/2.0 aperture, and a 5-megapixel front-facing camera with HDR+ and an f/2.0 aperture. The Nexus 5X sports a 2700mAh battery, with Quick Charge support providing up to 3.8 hours of charge in 10 minutes. It is available in Carbon Black, Quartz White, and Ice Blue colour variants. Both the Nexus 5X and Nexus 6P are platform lead devices for the Android 6.0 Marshmallow, and come with features such as USB Type-C and Nexus Imprint fingerprint sensor.
Download the Gadgets 360 app for Android and iOS to stay up to date with the latest tech news, product reviews, and exclusive deals on the popular mobiles.
  • Design
  • Display
  • Software
  • Performance
  • Battery life
  • Camera
  • Value for money
  • Good
  • Pure Android 6.0
  • Fingerprint sensor
  • Good camera
  • Good overall performance
  • Bad
  • Limited storage
  • Expensive
  • USB Type-C adapters required
  • Ditches wireless charging

Saturday, 12 March 2016

French Interior Minister Backs FBI in Apple Battle



French Interior Minister Backs FBI in Apple Battle
French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve voiced support Friday for President Barack Obama's administration in its efforts to get Apple to unlock the iPhone of one of the San Bernardino attackers.
"I completely understand the US administration's concerns, which I share," Cazeneuve said during a talk on counterterrorism at George Washington University.
The FBI is pressing Apple to develop a system that would allow the law enforcement agency to break into the suspect's locked iPhone, a demand the tech company claims would make all its devices vulnerable, including to criminals and dictatorships.
The French minister expressed hope that a solution would be found with all tech giants.
"I don't think it's necessary to wrestle" with Apple and other companies that provide encryptionbecause "they have an interest to be our partners," Cazeneuve said.
"The digital ecosystem, that's democracy. If democracy cannot defend itself" against violent extremists, "the ecosystem falls apart," he added.
"The citizens who today tell us 'privacy' and 'freedom' will tomorrow ask us 'but what did you do to protect us'" from new devastating attacks, Cazeneuve said.
He pressed for procedures under a judge's authority to access encrypted content.
Cazeneuve is due to meet with Obama's Homeland Security Advisor Lisa Monaco and Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson.
He is also expected in New York to meet with city police where he is expected to discuss the resilience of major cities hit by large-scale attacks, according to his aides.

Sidestepping Apple Dispute, Obama Makes Case for Access to Device Data



Sidestepping Apple Dispute, Obama Makes Case for Access to Device Data
US President Barack Obama on Friday made a passionate case for mobile devices to be built in such a way as to allow government to gain access to personal data if needed to prevent a terrorist attack or enforce tax laws.
Speaking at the South by Southwest festival in Texas, Obama said he could not comment on the legal case in which the FBI is trying to force Apple Inc. to allow access to an iPhone linked to San Bernardino, California, shooter Rizwan Farook.
But he made clear that, despite his commitment to Americans' privacy and civil liberties, a balance was needed to allow some intrusion when needed.
"The question we now have to ask is: If technologically it is possible to make an impenetrable device or system where the encryption is so strong that there is no key, there's no door at all, then how do we apprehend the child pornographer, how do we solve or disrupt a terrorist plot?" he said.
"What mechanisms do we have available to even do simple things like tax enforcement because if in fact you can't crack that at all, government can't get in, then everybody is walking around with a Swiss bank account in their pocket."
The Justice Department has sought to frame the Apple case as one not about undermining encryption. A US Federal Bureau of Investigation court order issued to Apple targets a non-encryption barrier on one iPhone.
The FBI says Farook and his wife were inspired by Islamist militants when they shot and killed 14 people on December 2 at a holiday party in California. The couple later died in a shootout with police.
"Setting aside the specific case between the FBI and Apple, ... we're going to have to make some decisions about how do we balance these respective risks," Obama said.
"My conclusion so far is you cannot take an absolutist view."
Obama was speaking at the South by Southwest festival in Austin about how government and technology companies can work together to solve problems including making it easier for people to vote.

Friday, 11 March 2016

iBall Andi 5.5H Weber 4G, Andi 5Q Gold 4G Get Listed on Company Site



iBall Andi 5.5H Weber 4G, Andi 5Q Gold 4G Get Listed on Company Site
iBall appears set to launch two new handsets in India, the Andi 5.5H Weber 4G and the Andi 5Q Gold 4G. Although the smartphones are listed on the company website with images and specifications, their prices have not yet been mentioned.
According to the listing, the iBall Andi 5.5H Weber 4G supports dual-SIM dual-4G standby functionality and runs Android 5.1 Lollipop out of the box. It features a 5.5-inch HD (720x1280 pixels) IPS display with a pixel density of 267ppi. The handset is powered by a 64-bit quad-core processor clocked at 1GHz, clubbed with Mali-T720 MP2 GPU and 1GB of RAM.
The Andi 5.5H Weber 4G houses 16GB of inbuilt storage, out of which users would get around 11.5GB to store their data and apps. However, the device also supports microSD card (up to 32GB) for expanding the inbuilt storage. An 8-megapixel autofocus rear camera with LED flash, along with a 5-megapixel front-facing camera is also included in the smartphone. Some of the camera features that come with the device are face beauty function, live photo mode, panorama mode, multi angle view mode, face detection, smile shot and HDR.
The iBall Andi 5.5H Weber 4G, as the name suggests supports 4G LTE connectivity along with Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi Hotspot, GPS, and Micro-USB. Backed by a 2680mAh Li-ion battery, the handset bears accelerometer, proximity sensor, and ambient light sensor.
The iBall Andi 5Q Gold 4G on the other hand features a smaller 5-inch HD (720x1280 pixels) resolution display with pixel density of 293ppi. Rest of the specifications remain the same. However, the listing does not mention the GPU and RAM details.

Display

5.50-inch

Processor

1GHz

Front Camera

 5-megapixel

Resolution

 720x1280 pixels

RAM

 1GB

OS

 Android 5.1

Storage

16GB

Rear Camera

8-megapixel

Battery capacity

2680mAh

Oppo F1 ICC WT20 Limited Edition Smartphone Launched at Rs. 17,990



Oppo F1 ICC WT20 Limited Edition Smartphone Launched at Rs. 17,990
Oppo being the official global partner of the 2016 ICC World Twenty20, has launched the Oppo F1 ICC WT20 limited edition smartphone. The company had already launched its Oppo F1 selfie-focused handset in India in January at Rs. 15,990. The new limited edition version of the smartphone comes with an MOP of Rs. 17,990.
The Oppo F1 ICC WT20 limited edition to 'fit the spirit of T20' features a ICC World Twenty20 logo on its back panel. The Chinese tech firm will also be giving away the handset to winners of the 'Catch The Six' - Grab a six' and few more contests as a part of its campaign.
"We are happy to launch a customised edition of Oppo F1 for the ICC WT20 2016. It gives us immense pleasure to be associated with ICC and cheer for Team India. We wish Team India success in this tournament," said Sky Li, Oppo Global VP, MD of International Mobile Business and President of OppoIndia.
The Oppo F1 ICC WT20 limited edition will come with a gift kit that includes 2016 ICC World Twenty20 key chain, selfie stick, and a back cover showing the ICC logo.
As for the specifications, the Oppo F1 ICC WT20 limited edition smartphone is essentially houses the same specifications as the original Oppo F1 but with a larger inbuilt storage. While the regular version feature 16GB inbuilt storage, the Oppo F1 ICC WT20 limited edition includes 32GB inbuilt storage.
The dual-SIM (Micro-SIM + Nano-SIM) supporting Oppo F1 runs on ColorOS 2.1 based on Android 5.1 Lollipop, sports an aluminium body and is slim at 7.25mm. It houses a 5-inch HD (720x1280 pixels) resolution IPS display protected by 2.5D Gorilla Glass 4 coating with pixel density of 294ppi. The smartphone is powered by an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 616 SoC (four cores at 1.7GHz and four cores at 1.2GHz), Adreno 405 GPU, and 3GB LPDDR3 RAM clocked at 1866MHz are also included the handset.
In the camera department, the Oppo F1 bears a 13-megapixel rear camera with f/ 2.2 aperture and single LED flash. It also includes an 8-megapixel front-facing camera with wider f/ 2.0 aperture (1/ 4-inch sensor) along with software features such as Beautify 3.0, 8 live colour filters, and more. The display also doubles as the flash in low-light environments.
The 4G-enabled Oppo F1 also includes proximity sensor, ambient light sensor, accelerometer, and digital compass. It is backed by a 2500mAh Li-Po battery. The limited edition is only available in Gold colour variant.
Clubbing with ICC is not new for Oppo as the company has previously also entered into a 3-year partnership with FC Barcelona, a popular football club.

  • Design
  • Display
  • Software
  • Performance
  • Battery life
  • Camera
  • Value for money
  • Good
  • Sleek design and sturdy build
  • Good front and rear cameras
  • Solid battery life
  • Good all-round performance
  • Bad
  • No NFC or Wi-Fi ac
  • Weak sunlight legibility
Read detailed Oppo F1 review