Monday 8 September 2014

Sony is giving away the entire Xperia Z3 family along with a SmartBand Talk

Sony has started a new contest over on its Facebook page, and the prize for this one is rather insane. One person will win the entire Xperia Z3 family, and a SmartBand Talk on top of that.
So this lucky individual will get the Xperia Z3, the Xperia Z3 Compact, and the Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact, as well as the new wearable.
To enter the contest, you need to like Sony’s page, if you haven’t already. Then you simply go here and watch the promo video for the new devices Sony unveiled at IFA this week. Underneath the video you’ll find a very simple question you need to pick an answer for, along with a different question that requires a more creative answer.
After you’ve provided that, you fill in your data and wait. The contest runs until September 11. Unlike most, this competition seems to be open to many places across the world. The rule here is that if you can access the Facebook page of the contest, it’s all good for you. If it’s not available for your location, you’ll know straight away. That said, if you’re a resident of Turkey, Puerto Rico, or Quebec, you shouldn’t bother, because for whatever reason you simply can’t participate.
To properly get to know the devices you can win, you should read our hands-on straight from IFA in Berlin.

Smartwatch bonanza: hottest smartwatches at IFA compared

IFA used to be dominated by smartphone announcements, then tablets moved in and now wearables are the new hotness. Many companies have various smartbands but we’re only interested in proper smartwatches – ones with big screens for notifications and with a proper OS to run apps.
This cuts the number of contestants down somewhat but not enough, it can still take you a while to wade through specs and price not to mention looks. There’s a battle shaping up versus practical square watches and aesthetically pleasing round watches. Here are all the specs in one place to make things a little easier.
Samsung
Gear S
Motorola
Moto 360
LG
G Watch R
Sony
SmartWatch 3
Asus
ZenWatch
Screen size2″1.56″1.3″1.6″1.63″
Screen res360 x 480320 x 290320 x 320320 x 320320 x 320
PPI300ppi205ppi245ppi282ppi278ppi
Screen typeSuper AMOLEDLCDP-OLEDTransflective TFTAMOLED
OSTizenAndroid WearAndroid WearAndroid WearAndroid Wear
CPUDual-core 1GHz? (OMAP3)Quad-core 1.2GhzQuad-core 1.2GHzQuad-core 1.2GHz
RAM512MB512MB512MB512MB512MB
Storage4GB4GB4GB4GB4GB
3GYesNoNoNoNo
Battery300mAh320mAh410mAh420mAh369mAh
IPIP67IP67IP67IP68IP55
OtherGPS with SatNav,
IR, heart rate
heart rateheart rateGPS-
Price?€249?€229€199
The table mostly speaks for itself but it does need some clarifications. For one, Android Wear recently added support for GPS but it’s not clear if all devices have a built-in receiver. Sony has confirmed the SmartWatch 3 does have GPS and the Samsung Gear S has GPS and standalone navigation courtesy of Nokia HERE Maps.
The Gear S is the only Tizen-running watch in this comparison but it’s also the most independent – with a SIM card slot and 3G connectivity it can be used without being connected to a phone. The Gear S also has an IR blaster, which the others lack.
The same Android Wear update allowed some freedom for the watches – they can talk to accessories, like Bluetooth headphones. This means you can go on a run and listen to music from the watch, which is where the built-in storage comes in.
Here’s a quick refresher on IP ratings as that’s much more important for a watch than a phone. The first digit signifies dust tightness – 5 means dust can only cause cosmetic damage, 6 means the device is completely dust tight. The second digit is water resistance – 5 means water jet resistance, 7 means submersion up to 1m of water for half an hour and 8 goes beyond that (generally up to 3m but may vary).
So, which one is your favorite smartwatch of this IFA?

Angry Birds Stella’ for iOS and Android game review

Rovio recently released a new Angry Birds game. The 48712721317th game in the series, Angry Birds Stella features brand new characters and story. Let’s take a look.

Gameplay

At it’s core, Angry Birds Stella is still essentially the physics based bird flinging game. The difference here is the presence of brand new characters, each of which have unique abilities.
There are five birds in total: Stella, Poppy, Luca, Willow, and Dahlia. After you fling each of these birds, you have to press and hold on the screen to unleash their special abilities. Time slows down temporarily when you press and hold, allowing you to aim your special attack, before speeding up again.
Stella can bounce off surfaces. You can press and hold on the surface you want her to bounce off and the game shows the path she would bounce on so you can use the temporary slowing of time to aim your attack. Poppy can drill down vertically and even break through stone to get those hard to reach pigs. Luca can emit a high pitch scream that cuts through glass. His scream can pass through wood but not through stone. Willow can shred through anything and Dahlia can do pretty much the same.
All the abilities are fairly fresh and the implementation is also unique to this game, which makes what would have otherwise been yet another Angry Birds game seem new and interesting.
As before, you get up to three stars for each level. One good thing is that this time you are shown how much points you need to get all three stars and it’s not vague like it is on older Angry Birds games. The stars you collect unlock additional items. Also, depending upon the total stars you have, you get the birds for each level. If you don’t have enough stars, you get fewer birds, which in effect reduces your top score, which reduces the number of stars you get. Fortunately, getting at least two stars is not that difficult and you should get all three with some practice.
The stars also unlock outfits for the birds, which you can use within the game. The game also has support for Telepods and you can purchase Telepods of in-game characters that you can place on the device’s camera and the character gets unlocked within the game. (This is why the game requires access to camera, and not to spy on you.)
Angry Birds Stella is a free game. Although there are no ads, you pay in other ways, to be specific, through in-app purchases. After every few levels, the game would just stop and tell you to come back after a few hours. The alternative is to pay using in-game currency, which you earn as you play the game and get more stars. If you run out of in-game currency, which is almost never enough, you have to pay real money.
The ‘pay now or come back later’ system is annoying and really breaks the gameplay experience. This is sad because the game is actually good.

Graphics and Sound

Angry Birds Stella actually looks amazing. The standard Angry Birds visual design has been given a nice overhaul, with sharp, vibrant visuals that look very pretty. The animations for the birds and pigs are also cute.
There are some minor issues with the visuals. On iOS, there are some ugly non-Retina assets that stand out like sore thumb on an otherwise attractive game. On Android, there is no immersive mode and you have to deal with the navigation buttons on the side, which is annoying.
Sound-wise, there is not much to talk about. The music, if at all it exists, is entirely forgettable (I literally don’t remember what it sounds like). I like the sound effects, but even those weren’t particularly great.

Verdict

Angry Birds Stella is a fresh take on an ageing game. The new characters and gameplay mechanics breathe new life into the series and the latest iteration is genuinely fun. The refreshed graphics are also quite attractive.
Unfortunately, greedy money-making tactics prevent you from really enjoying the game, unless you keep throwing money every now and then. Giving the game away for free and then stopping you every now and then to pay is like a restaurant giving away a meal for free and then stopping you after every two bites to either pay or come back later to finish the meal. Eventually you stop and don’t go back, which is what will happen with this game.
Unfortunately, this is what gaming has come to these days. Best thing to do would be to not give in and pay such developers. If at all you care about gaming as a whole, that is.

Microsoft Lumia 830 expected in India around October for $430

Microsoft will be releasing the newly announced Lumia 830 in India soon. According to IBN, the phone will be released in the month of October for a price of INR26,000 ($430).

The Lumia 830 is a mid-range smartphone but according to Microsoft has high-end features. The build quality and camera aside, the specs of the Lumia 830 aren't far off from those of the Moto G, which costs INR12,999 in India and runs on the far more popular Android OS.
If Microsoft wants to make a bigger dent in the Indian market, they need to get more aggressive with the pricing.

Friday 5 September 2014

Nokia X2 Dual SIM With 4.3-Inch Display Launched at Rs. 8,699

nokia_x2_india_launch.jpg
Microsoft has launched the Nokia X2 Dual SIM in India, priced at Rs. 8,699. The smartphone was first unveiled globally in June, with immediate availability for 'select' countries - which were never announced.

(Also seeNokia X Dual SIM vs. Nokia X2 Dual SIM)

The new Nokia X2 is a dual-SIM smartphone and does not has a single SIM variant. The new Nokia X series phone will be available in Glossy Black, Green, Orange, Dark Grey, White and Yellow. The Nokia X2 now sports a translucent outer layer, reminiscent to the ones seen on Nokia's Asha range of handsets.

Microsoft Mobile reiterates that the all new Nokia X2 can run Android apps and comes preloaded with the latest version of Nokia Store that now incorporates third-party app stores.

Nokia earlier this week started rolling out the Nokia X Software Platform v2.1.0.11 for the X2 Dual SIM (RM-1013) smartphone users over-the-air. The smartphone was launched in June running the Nokia X Platform v2.0, based on the Android Open Source Project (AOSP).

The highlight of the Nokia X Software Platform v2.1.0.11 is the support for Google-based services, namely Google Contacts sync and access to user's Gmail inbox. Notably, these features were missing from the previous Nokia X Software Platform v1.2 update for Nokia X, Nokia X+, and Nokia XL handsets. More details about the update can be found in ourprevious coverage.

Microsoft says, "The Nokia X2 is also equipped with another navigation option; the brand-new 'apps list', which keeps your home screen clear for your most used apps, bringing Nokia X2 in line with the existing Lumia experience."
One of the prominent additions in the design of the Nokia X2 is the new home button that takes you back to the start screen and is accompanied by the back button that allows flipping through most recent actions, and long pressing shows what apps are open. 
The new Nokia X family member features a 4.3-inch ClearBlack LCD display with WVGA resolution (480x800 pixels) that offers a pixel density of 217ppi. It is powered by a dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 200 processor clocked at 1.2GHz clubbed with 1GB of RAM. Notably, last generation's Nokia X+ and Nokia XL had just 768MB of RAM, while the Nokia X had 512MB of RAM. All three last generation Nokia X phones ran on a dual-core Qualcomm MSM8225 Snapdragon S4 chipset, and can therefore can be considered an upgrade.
The Nokia X2 sports a 5-megapixel autofocus rear camera with LED flash, while there a front-facing camera (unspecified resolution) also onboard. The smartphone is backed by an 1800mAh battery that's rated to deliver up to 10 hours of 2G talk time and up to 86 hours of continuous music playback. The Nokia X2 features 4GB of built-in storage, which is expandable via microSD card (32GB).
The Nokia X2 also comes preloaded with a bevy of Microsoft apps such as Skype, Outlook.com, Bing Search app, WeChat, Path, Facebook, Facebook Messenger, Yammer and Xbox games. The all new OneDrive is also preinstalled with 15GB cloud storage available right out-of-the-box. Games include SnapAttack, Wordament and Kinectimals. The note-taking app, OneNote, is also present. For the socialites, Line, WeChat, Path, Facebook and Facebook Messenger are also available.

Display

4.30-inch

Processor

1.2GHz

Front Camera

 Yes

Resolution

 480x800 pixels

RAM

 1GB

OS

 Nokia X platform

Storage

4GB

Rear Camera

5-megapixel

Battery capacity

1800mAh

Maxx AXD11 GenxDroid7 With Android 4.4 KitKat Launched at Rs. 3,890

maxx_axd11_genxdroid7.jpg
Maxx Mobiles has launched the AXD11 GenxDroid7 in India at Rs. 3,890. The smartphone is available to buy from online retailers across India.
The AXD11 GenxDroid7 is a dual-SIM (WCDMA+GSM) smartphone running Android4.2.2 Jelly Bean. The company however promises to upgrade the smartphone to Android 4.4 KitKat.
The handset features a 4-inch WVGA (480x800 pixels) display, translating to a pixel density of 233ppi. A 1GHz dual-core MediaTek MT6572M processor powers the AXD11 GenxDroid7, coupled with 512MB of RAM.
The Maxx AXD11 GenxDroid7 sports a 3.2-megapixel autofocus rear camera with flash, while it also houses a 0.3-megapixel front-facing camera. The smartphone includes 4GB of inbuilt storage along with a bundled 16GB microSD card (maximum supported capacity 32GB).
The smartphone is currently available in Black and White colour variants, measures 122.3x62.3x10.4mm, and weighs 71.1 grams. The AXD11 GenxDroid7 packs a 1400mAh Li-ion. The smartphone comes with GPRS/ EDGE, 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, and Micro-USB connectivity options.
"We are pleased to launch the AXD11 Genx Droid 7 android phone. This handset is a perfect blend of great features, best quality and attractive price. It is an affordable android phone and is capable of providing the consumer a great experience," stated Ajjay R Agarwal, Chairman and Managing Director of Maxx Mobile in a press event.
In July, Maxx Mobiles launched its first Android 4.4 KitKat-based smartphone, AXD21 MSD7 Smarty, at Rs. 4,020 for the Indian market. Some of the key specifications of the smartphone are Android 4.4 KitKat, a 4-inch WVGA (480x800 pixels), a 1GHz dual-core MediaTek (MT6572M) processor, 512MB of RAM, a 3.2-megapixel rear camera with LED flash, a 0.3-megapixel front-facing camera, 4GB of ROM which can be expanded via a microSD card (up to 32GB), and a 1450mAh battery.

Display

4.00-inch

Processor

1GHz

Front Camera

 0.3-megapixel

Resolution

 480x800 pixels

RAM

 512MB

OS

 Android 4.2.2

Storage

4GB

Rear Camera

3.2-megapixel

Battery capacity

1400mAh

Adcom Thunder A440+ With Android 4.4 KitKat Launched at Rs. 3,499

adcom_a440_plus.jpg
Adcom announced its first Android 4.4 KitKat smartphone in India, the Thunder A440+, priced at Rs. 3,499. The smartphone is yet to be listed on the company's website, but will be available in markets from Saturday.
The Adcom Thunder A440+ features a 4-inch WVGA (480x800 pixels) display and is powered by a 1.2GHz dual-core processor (unspecified) alongside 512MB of RAM.
The budget smartphone sports a 3-megapixel rear camera, while it also houses a 0.3-megapixel front-facing camera. The Thunder A440+ includes 4GB of inbuilt storage which is further expandable via microSD card (up to 32GB).
The Thunder A440+ is 8.8mm thin and weighs 135 grams. The handset packs an 1350mAh battery. The smartphone comes with 3G, GPRS/ EDGE, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and Micro-USB connectivity options. It will be available in Black, White, Pink, and Yellow colour variants.
"Adcom is pleased to announce its first Android KitKat 4.4 smartphone. With the launch of our newbie we have once again extended the bar of affordability with Thunder A440+ being the fiercest smartphone under the 5K Category. It boasts of all the advanced features, giving buyers a delightful experience," stated Sanjeev Bhatia, Director, Adcom.
Notably, the Adcom Thunder A440+ is the second entry-level smartphone from the company that comes with 3G connectivity. In July, Adcom launched the Thunder A430+budget smartphone at Rs. 3,399. Some of the key features of the Thunder A430+ are Android 4.2 Jelly Bean; 4-inch WVGA 480x800 pixels; 1.2GHz dual-core processor; 512MB of RAM; 3.2-megapixel rear camera; 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera; 4GB of inbuilt storage; 32GB via microSD card, and 2000mAh battery. Apart from 3G connectivity, the smartphone comes with GPRS/ EDGE, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS and Micro-USB connectivity options.

Display

4.00-inch

Processor

1.2GHz

Front Camera

 0.3-megapixel

Resolution

 480x800 pixels

RAM

 512MB

OS

 Android 4.4

Storage

4GB

Rear Camera

3-megapixel

Battery capacity

1350mAh