OnePlus One Comes to India

Earlier, Indian tech enthusiasts were highly disappointed for unavailability of the OnePlus One smartphone in the country. Answering these enthusiasts’ grievances, the Chinese manufacturer has finally launched the phone in the Indian market exclusively through Amazon.in.

Sale and after-sales

Don’t get too excited. It is not as easy as choosing a product, placing an order and getting a home delivery. There are couple of hurdles here that you will have to cross. Firstly, the phone can be bought only by invitation. In other words, you will have to have the invitation to purchase it. Secondly, right now the company has made only 64 GB variant in the Indian market, which will cost Rs. 21,999, while 16 GB version is expected to be available only from next month.

Amazon has announced 10 days return policy. On the other hand, OnePlus has partnered with HCL for after sales service.

No Cyanogen

People who were looking forward to have OnePlus One with Cyanogen will be disappointed. Cyanogen has joined hands exclusively with Micromax to launch their operating system in India through its upcoming smartphone YU. Therefore, the same will not be available on OnePlus One in India.

Let us know

Cyanogen or no cyanogen, I am looking forward to hear from you how the phone works. If you get an invite and decide to buy it, let us know its review. We are keen to hear from you!

Mind Your Head When You Are Texting

The new age smartphones help us carry our daily routine efficiently with its various functions such as GPS, games, alarm, reminders, e-mails, etc. However, as these devices are turning to be boon to the mankind, it has its own side effects. The study by Chief of Spine Surgery at New York Spine Surgery and Rehabilitation Medicine, Dr. Kenneth Hansraj reveals that we tend to bend our head down as we are busy on our phones either texting, gaming or working.

The adult’s head weighs around 10-12 pounds (approx 4-6 kg) when in the upright position. However, as we gradually get involved in texting activity on the phone, due to gravitational pull, we tend to bend our head more and more towards the phone. This is where the problem lies.

Dr Hansraj’s research found out that by this way even if we bend out head at 60 degrees, the posture is putting the weight of up to 60 pound (around 27 kg). This is as good as a seven year old kid sitting on the neck.  

He further mentioned in the study that "The weight seen by the spine dramatically increases when flexing the head forward at varying degrees. Loss of the natural curve of the cervical spine leads to incrementally increased stresses about the cervical spine."

It further leads to a bad posture and further problems such as back pain and other neurological issues. Moreover, these stresses may lead to early wear, tear, degeneration and possibly surgeries.

Hence, while you are engaged deep in conversation or playing games on your phone, mind your head. 

Nokia Launches N1 Tablet with Android Lollipop

Today, Nokia has surprised one and all with the launch of their N1 tablet. There are couple of things worth noticing in this device. For the first time, the company has teamed up with Google to bring Android to their device. Also, it is one of the first devices, apart from the newly launched Nexus devices, to have the Android Lollipop 5.0.

Another novel feature about this device has to be the Z Launcher. This app helps to manage apps and stay organized. With scribbling of a letter or two, this launcher helps to find the app that the user is looking for. That’s not it. The app is smart enough to suggest apps depending on the time and location.

The other features of the phone include 2.4Ghz Intel Atom quad-core processor and 7.9” display. It is 6.9 mm thin and will be available in two colors – Lava Grey and Natural Aluminium.

Talking about the product, Head of Products, Nokia Technologies, Sebastian Nyström said, "We are pleased to bring the Nokia brand back into consumers' hands with the N1 Android tablet, and to help make sophisticated technologies simple."

The phone is expected to be available in the market by Q1 of 2015. We just can’t wait to see the combo of Nokia and Android. Let’s see how it turns out.

Going Down the Memory Lane with Nokia

After its acquisition by Microsoft, Nokia phones have become a history. However, in the past decade, this phone maker, has seen its glorious times and have made some outstanding devices. With that, the company has also manufactured and showcased few devices, which completely boggled our mind. Here are the phones which were technologically advanced at the time they were launched but simultaneously amazed us with its weird features, shape, size, etc.

Nokia 7600

Nokia 7600

Nokia 7600 was primarily launched as a fashion statement. Due to the weird shape and inconvenience caused due to it made the users turn away from it. The buttons were also located on the either side of the screen. As a result, operations weren’t very friendly.

Nokia N-Gage

Nokia N-Gage:

Nokia N-Gage was mainly launched for gamers who preferred to take gaming anywhere they went. In the era when keys of the phone were neatly arranged below the screen, this phone featured keys on both the sides of the screen. The highlight of the phone was placing of the speaker and mic. The phone had to be held side-ways to speak. Well, it looked a little inconvenient but it seemed the users enjoyed it!

Nokia 7700

Nokia 7700:

You may not know this device. It was announced in 2003 but it never came in the market. Its release was cancelled in 2004. Like N-Gage, this phone too featured side-talking. Additionally, it was bulky too. With so many weird features, may be, the company was unsure of its success.

Nokia N59

Nokia N 95:

The N 95 belonged to the N-series, which were once popular for being technologically advanced. Weird feature about this phone was its sliding nature. When, most of the sliding phone slid in one direction, this device slid both ways uncovering different set of keys.

Nokia 888

Besides these phones, which were commercially launched, Nokia had also presented concept phones such as Nokia Morph and Nokia 888. It might be that these sci-fi resembling gadgets weren’t practical enough or on the hand the market wasn’t ready for such a futuristic phone. Who knows? All things said, Nokia surely did influence the future of mobile designing.

Got any old Nokia phone? Do share your thoughts and memories. 

It’s an Honor! Huawei brings Honor 4X Smart Phone

Huawei gets the Honor for bringing something clutter-breaking. Huawei has announced the Honor 4X smart phone with something special - a 64 bit architecture! That’s right, this baby runs a 64 bit Snapdragon 410 Processor.

Still not impressed? Here’s something more. This is a phone that supports almost every network in the world. Even the 4G FDD/TD LTE Bands. It definitely means one thing; there might be only one Honor 4X model for the entire international market. Unless of course Huawei chooses to bring some different models.

Heavy on features but light on pocket, Priced at CNY 1299 (roughly 13,000 INR) Honor 4X is a budget smart phone powered by Qualcomm MSM8916 Snapdragon 410 Quad Core 1.2Ghz 64 bit processor. A Qualcomm processor means better compatibility with a number of games.  Also, it is fuelled by a huge 3000mAh battery. Coupled with the already power efficient Snapdragon, it’s really worth every penny.

Now, let’s delve a little deeper into the phone.

Operating system: Android Kitkat 4.4

CPU model: MSM8916

CPU frequency: 1.2Ghz

Screen

Screen Size:        5.5 inches

Resolution:         1280 × 720

Storage

RAM:     2GB

ROM:    8GB

Maximum storage expansion: 32 GB

Camera

13 MP back-illuminated camera, F2.0 aperture

Front shooter camera 5 MP, support sparkling self-timer, panorama

LED flash

Video capture: Rear- FHD 1080P Full HD video, Front - HD 720P

Connectivity

Wi-Fi: 802.11 b / g / n, up to 72Mbps

WLAN Direct     

Bluetooth: V4.0

USB: USB 2.0

Notable Samsung Galaxy Note 4

Here's something to take note about. After the success of Note 3, Samsung has launched Galaxy Note 4 in the Indian market. The most notable feature of the phone is its fast charging capability. The phone can be charged from 0 to 50% in a mere half an hour! Now, no long waits to get your phone charged. Moreover, the phone is equipped with Ultra Power Saving Mode that ensures the phone does not die when you need it the most.

Other features of Samsung Note-4 include

• 5.7-inch Quad HD (2560 x 1440) Super AMOLED display
• A 16 megapixel rear camera with Smart Optical Image Stabilizer
• A 3.7 megapixel front-facing camera with f1.9
• 3 GB RAM
• 32 GB of on-board storage
• Android 4.4 KitKat
• Fingerprint Scanner

An Interesting Find

Courtesy: Airtel India

What’s hot and happened this Month!

In the world of technology, this month has been quite exciting. Right from the much awaited iPhone 6 launch to the new level of gaming introduced by Xbox One, to the unconventionally shaped Blackberry Passport, this month never ceased to surprise us. In order to round all its highlights, here’s Technigully’s top five stunners. Plus with the festive season coming up, you can refer this section for gifting suggestions.

1. iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus

Apple has launched iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus simultaneously bringing the iOS 8. Though the phones are still not available in the Indian market, the news of its availability has created is enough excitement about it. Having looked at the prices, we do not know, in whose pocket it will fit in.

2. Blackberry Passport

We belied that in the crowd of touch screen and smart phones, the significance of Blackberry has vanished. However, the RIM has come back with a bang. The square shaped Blackberry Passport is expected to attract businessmen and entrepreneurs. We will have to wait and watch what response it receives.

3. Sony Z3 & Z3 Compact

Sony has also launched a series of Z3 phones with two versions Z3 and Z3 Compact. These phones are equipped with 20 MP camera and amazing sound & video quality. The Z3 Compact carries the price tag of Rs. 44,990, while the Z3 is available at Rs. 51,990.

4. Windows 10

If not launched practically, Microsoft has shown has shown glimpses of the upcoming Windows’ version. It’s bundled with few new old while few new features. For example return of Start Button is a welcoming feature. Sad side of the story is that this version will be available by late 2015.

5. Xbox One

Microsoft has launched Xbox One in India. The Kinect version is available at Rs 45,990 and comes with lot of new features such as gesture controls, biometric sign-in, controller paring, Skype video calls, instant personalization, instant scanning of QR codes, etc.

Smart Phone or Smart Drug!

There is no doubt that we spend more time on our smart phones than we spend on any other devices. In fact, many of us check weather updates and e-mail notifications even before getting out of the bed in the morning (alarms, we’ll blindly snooze but we can’t bear even one minute checking Whatsapp pings). Conducting a detailed survey about such habits, Tecmark, a marketing agency, has revealed few interesting facts.

According to the report, users undertake, on an average, 221 tasks every day on their smart phones as compared to 140 tasks on a desktop or laptop. Furthermore, study reveals that smart phone users spend almost 3 hours 16 minutes of their time on phone performing different tasks.

No doubt, we are addicted to smart phones.

India to be ‘Lumiated’ with 730, 830 and 930 Models

Microsoft Devices has introduced three new Lumia devices – The Lumia 830 and Lumia 730 Dual SIM, the third being Lumia 930 – in the Indian market. Here’s a quick look what smartness these new smart phones with bring.

Lumia 830:

Equipped with a 10 MP camera, the Lumia 830 comes with ZEISS optic lens.

Has Microsoft Office Mobile to enable work on the go.

Lumia 830 runs the latest version of Windows Phone 8.1.

It is also geared with Lumia Denim; and OneDrive with 15 GB of free storage.

Lumia 830 will be available in the Indian market at Rs. 28,799 in a range of colours including bright orange, white and black.

Lumia 730:

Lumia 730 is a dual sim phone ideal for bringing family and friends closer.

It has a 5 MP front camera that makes Skype communication clearer and better. Additionally, it is great for taking selfies.

Also includes 3G support, runs on Windows Phone 8.1 with a pleasing aesthetic design.

Lumia 730 too will be available from next week at the price of Rs. 15,299.

Lumia 930:

This is best phone amongst the newly introduced range.

Lumia 930 comes with 20 MP PureView camera with ZEISS optics.

It also features Rich Recording that enables flawless video and imaging experience.

Lumia 930 is powered by Snapdragon quad-core processor clocked at 2.2 GHz.

It is also equipped with Microsoft Office and runs the latest Windows Phone 8.1.

You can pick it up from October 15, 2014 for a price tag of Rs 38,649.

Cherry on the top:

Microsoft Devices is offering free 1 TB cloud storage space with all these three devices for the first six months!

Sony WowZ the World with Z3 Series of Smart Phones

Sony India adds a new feather in their Xperia series of smart phones – Z3. This smart phone comes in two models – Z3 and Z3 Compact. The Z3 boasting a 5.2” display, while the Compact sporting a 4.6” screen. Both phones are waterproof. So that you can capture the beautiful scenes of the receding monsoon without much worry!

Here is a narrow down on their awesome features:

Camera

First and foremost, both the Sony Z3 and Z3 Compact quip the modern day photographer with an amazing 20 MP rear camera. That lets you shoot impressive 5248 X 3936 pixels beauties. While the front camera provides a 2.0 MP, 1080 resolution picture quality.

The 1/2.3” ExmorRS for mobile sensor and BIONZ for mobile processing engine takes Sony’s signature photography experience to a further level.

It also comes with a 25mm wide-angle Sony G Lens that allows you to fit more in the camera.

And when it comes to shooting videos, Sony gives us the SteadyShot technology with Intelligent Active Mode. Additionally, it also gives you the freedom to pause and resume video filming with a time gap.

Audio

Audio is the second ground where the Sony Z3 series cuts ahead through the crowd. It uses intelligent noise cancelling technology that reduces ambient noise by up to 98% when connected to the MDR-NC31EM Digital Noise Cancelling headset!

Gaming

These phones have some of the revolutionary features when it comes to gaming.

Your Z3 and Z3 Compact can turn themselves into a remote for your PS4 console! How’s that? And on the other hand, the PlayStation App allows you to use the Sony Z3 and Z3 Compact as a second screen and remotely watch your friends’ game or chat with them through PSN.

You can even sync your PS4 with your Z3 phones to buy games online and download it on the PS4 device.

It is very clear that Z3 and Z3 Compact are leagues ahead in terms of camera, audio and gaming. But it also provides a mighty battery life. The Z3 rocks a 3100 mAh battery while the Z3 Compact is upped to 2600 mAh capacity. With this capability you can use the phone for up to 2 days.

Additionally, the Z3 and Z3 Compact incorporate Stamina mode which enables turns off the operations which are not in use.

Some other notable features of both Z3 and Z3 Compact:

• Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor
• 2.5 GHz quad-core CPU
• 4G LTE modem
• 720p HD display on Xperia

Pricing

The Z3 is now available in the Indian market at the price of Rs. 51, 990 while Z3 Compact costs 44,990.

BlackBerry, Back With An Edge. Launches Passport, a Square Shaped Smart Phone!

Are we seriously bored of the slimmer, weightless, rectangular slabs of technology what we call smart phones? Because BlackBerry has come up with a wonderful square piece – Passport, their latest flagship phone.

Roughly the size of a passport, this QWERTY touch-enabled keyboard, 4.5” square screened phone is designed to break boundaries of design and functionality.

Let’s take an overview of what features this beast packs.

Design

Shaped for the modern mobile professionals, BlackBerry Passport is portable enough to be slipped into your pocket. It sports a Corning® Glass 3 for the display and is great for viewing.

Keyboard

It has the industry’s first touch-enabled keyboard with gestures that make typing, editing and navigating feel like a breeze.

Operating System

The BlackBerry Passport is one of the first devices to run the latest OS platform, BlackBerry 10.3.

Productivity enhancing features

It features BlackBerry® Blend and BlackBerry® Assistant, as well as the BlackBerry® World™ storefront and Amazon Appstore.

BlackBerry Blend

It is their latest messaging and content integrating feature. It syncs your data with your computer and tablet. That means you can access your  documents, calendar, contacts and media in real time on whatever device you are on, powered by your BlackBerry. You can even get notifications for messages, personal and official email and BBM™ too. Now that’s a definite plus!

BlackBerry Assistant

It is the first-of-its-kind digital assistant BlackBerry has ever had. It assists you with managing your official and personal emails, contacts, calendar and other native BlackBerry 10 apps. It interacts too. Responding through text, voice and with Bluetooth on, it speaks back with additional context too.  

Apart from the unique features mentioned above, the new BlackBerry Passport comes with a powerful
3450 mAh battery providing a whooping 30 hours of mixed use. It also rocks a solid Quad Core 2.2 GHZ Processor, powered by 3 GB RAM. It has a 13 MP OIS rear camera that makes it shutterbugs-ready and comes with a 32 GB memory.

Quick Specs

Display: 4.5”

Resolution: 1440 X 1440 pixels

Processor: 2.2 GHz

RAM: 3 GB

OS: BlackBerry OS 10.3

Battery: 3450 mAh

Rear Camera: 13 MP

Front Camera: 2 MP

Storage: 32 GB

HTC Launches Its Truly Desirable Range!

HTC extended its range of "Desire" phones with three new models namely HTC Desire 820, HTC Desire 820Q and HTC Desire 816G. This stunning range of mobile phones promises to revitalise the already strong HTC brand. Power and performance has always been the cornerstone of HTC phones. Let’s see what these stunners bring.

HTC Desire 820

The HTC Desire 820 rocks a solid 64-bit Octa-core and runs the latest Android Kit Kat. It also sports a 13 MP rear camera with LED flash and an 8 MP selfie-ready 8 MP shooter.

It runs on 2 GB RAM and comes with 16 GB storage, which can be expanded further. You will have to wait to slip it in your pocket. It is expected to be available in the Indian market in November 2014. The company has not disclosed the price yet.
HTC Desire 820Q
HTC 820Q has identical specifications as HTC Desire 820 but comes with quad-core processor and 1 GB RAM. Both the models have dual-sim capability. Notably, both the phones are compatible with 4G connectivity.

HTC Desire 816G
HTC Desire 816G is the next version of HTC Desire 816, which was launched few months back. However, it lacks compatibility to LTE 4G connectivity. Also, its processor has been downgraded to 1.3 GHz. This model will be available in the Indian market from early October at the price of Rs 18,990.

One for Everyone: Android One

Google does it again what it does best - make the latest technology available to all at an affordable price, This time, in the form of Android One. Android One is a platform for smartphones, launched with Google's three phone partners, Micromax, Karbonn and Spice. And the three Android One smartphones are Micromax’s Canvas A1, Karbonn’s Sparkle V and Spice’s Dream Uno. All available at a starting price as low as Rs. 6,299!

These smartphones are loaded with basic features such as camera, dual-sim, FM radio, and expandable memory slot and will offer a complete smartphone experience to people who could not afford such gadgets until now. That’s not all. To ensure that users stay updated, Google One smartphones will receive the new versions of the operating system directly from Google.

Initially, these devices will run on Android Kitkat, but shortly, they will be amongst the first few phones to get upgraded to the most awaited Android L. Moreover, Google has also announced an offer with its telecom company partner Airtel, which will offer special data plans for these mobile devices.

Seems interesting? You can buy Micromax Canvas A1, Karbonn Sparkle V or Spice Dream Uno exclusively on the e-shopping sites amazon.com, snapdeal.com and flipkart.com respectively. 

7 Ways to Extend Battery Life of your Smartphone

Draining battery is one of the worst nightmares in today’s world of smartphones. Your phone be of any brand, operating system or configuration, your relieving moment is when you see plug point to connect its charger. Here are some simple tips we've gathered over our personal experiences you may consider to extend the battery life.

1 Uninstall apps you do not use

Take a quick look at the number of apps installed on your phone. You may find few apps that you have not used in ages. Uninstall them. They may be consuming power. If there are few such pre-loaded apps that you cannot uninstall, at least disable them. That will help. Same goes with unnecessary widgets and live wallpapers.

2 Delete junk

Once in a while take some time out to maintain your phone. Delete all the unnecessary files such as forwarded photos, videos, or blurred photos. They consume space and make the phone run slow, which further results in consuming more battery.

3 Update apps

Many times apps are updated to consume lesser power. Keep the apps updated so that they co-operate with you to extend the battery life of your smartphone.

4 Keep a tab on apps running in the background.

Many times, even after closing, particular apps silently run in the background. Go to Settings and check for the apps that are running in the background and force stop them.

5 Turn the data connection off

At some places where you know that the signal strength is very low, switch off the data connection. Your smartphone continuously searches for the network draining the battery.

6 Reduce refresh frequency

Apps such as facebook, gmail, twitter, etc notify you on every e-mail or message received. While it is a good idea to be in touch with your friends, it may cost the battery life. It is best to check for such notifications manually. If not you can at least reduce the frequency of getting alerts. E.g if your facebook app refreshes every 30 mins, you can set it to refresh after couple of hours or more. 

7 Power saving mode

If your phone’s battery is still running low, you can extend its battery life by using power saving mode. This limits the phone’s operation to bear minimum and allows battery to run longer. 

First Mozilla OS Smartphone, Cloud FX Priced at Rs 1,999

You got it right! Intex Technologies has released Cloud FX, a smartphone at a price as low as Rs 1,999. This is the first smartphone running Firefox  OS, and is loaded with features such as Wi-Fi, 2  MP rear camera and Bluetooth.

Key features of Intex Cloud FX :

• Spd 6821 1.0 GHz processor
• Display size  – 3.5” 
• Display resolution - HVGA
• Firefox OS
• 2 MP rear camera
• RAM- 128 MB
• ROM- 256 MB
• Memory expandable up to  4 GB
• Available in black and white colors

It is exclusively available on snapdeal.com

Captain Cook reveals the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus in Style

Giving a full stop to all rumors and speculations, Apple has finally unveiled the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. The iPhone 6 features 4.7” Retina HD display, while the iPhone 6 Plus sports a display size of 5.5”. Both models feature iSight and FaceTime HD cameras to enable you to capture memorable moments.

Both phones carry iOS 8, Apple’s latest operating system. It also features Apple Pay, a shopper-friendly technology for contactless payment. Moreover, iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus are bundled with QuickType keyboard and iCloud Drive. To help you keep an eye on fitness, both models are preloaded with a Health app. This app will keep you abreast with information such as distance you covered walking, number of stairs you climbed, and other relevant data.

The key differential of this generation of iPhones will be increased space. As for the first time it will available in 128 GB. Talking about the pricing, iPhone 6’s 16 GB, 64 GB and 128 GB versions will be available for $199, $299 and $399 respectively.  On the other hand, iPhone 6 Plus will be available for $299 (16 GB), $399 (64 GB) and $499 (128 GB) in the US market. Although there is no official word about the Indian pricing of iPhone 6 but it is speculated to be available in India by October end. Both the models are available in three colors  – gold, silver or space gray. It goes without saying that prices for iPhone 5S has been dropped!