Swipe Technologies introduced Swipe Sense phablet in August. Priced at INR 9,999, the phone comes with fingerprint scanner. We have already seen unboxing of the phone and now lets take a detailed look in the full review. Continue reading “Swipe Sense Review”
Xiaomi entered India with hopes of making a decent foray into the highly competitive smartphone market where right pricing equals massive success. Traditionally, Samsung knew this and Motorola stumbled upon it, Xiaomi should have known better. With the Mi3, the company woefully underestimated online demand and ended up discontinuing its sales soon, only to introduce a much cheaper model into the market, the Redmi 1S. On paper, the device is just too good to be true at the price point it comes at. For a shockingly low price of Rs. 5,999, the Redmi 1S comes with a large 720p screen, a powerful quad core processor, a 8 MP camera, 8 GB of memory and so on. No other phone currently offers these kinds of specifications at this price point, but the natural reaction for something that’s too good to be true is always this – Is there a catch? With the same doubt in our minds, here is the review of the Redmi 1S.
Continue reading “Xiaomi Redmi 1S Review: One of the best budget smartphones ever made”
Motorola stands as one of the old ones, the leaders in mobile technology that somehow got sidelined amidst the confusion and chaos as everyone aimed for the race to the top. With the launch of the first generation Moto X, they proved that they still have the mojo to create a product that stands out despite not having top of the line specifications. With genuinely useful software additions to stock Android, top notch build quality and near infinite customization possibilities, the handset was unique and consumers noticed it. Enough to warrant a second run and enough for Motorola to kick things up a notch and launch the 2nd generation Moto X that takes all the best things from the first generation phone and supercharges it with top of the line specifications. So is the Moto X (2014) a winner? Read on to find out. Continue reading “Moto X 2014 Review”
In the current technology landscape, wearables are touted as the next big thing. It succeeds the smartphone, in one way or the other, so a lot of companies that bet on the smartphone are betting on the smartwatch too. This includes Apple, who unveiled their idea of a Smartwatch, with a focus on making tech fashionable, rather than just utility-focused. The utility is achieved with software, and that’s where platforms come in to play. Just like Smartphones, there is already a battle of ecosystems brewing, in which Google is obviously a major player. As we had explained in our Pebble review, Smartwatches are basically companion devices to our Smartphones and it actually makes sense if both of them are tied together with highly coherent software. So naturally, a Google-blessed platform will work great with Android. Enter Android Wear.
The Advanced Gaming Eyewear product, we unboxed a while ago, is specialized eyewear from Gunnar Optiks, an American company, entering the niche market here in India. Eyewear products are tricky, because the ones without prescription lenses tend to appeal more towards fashion than utility. Gunnar’s products fall in the second category, utility, which is focused on the safety aspect. Their glasses help better the vision, or rather, compensate for the poor vision adjustments of our eyes, in specific conditions. One of them is gaming, for which Gunnar has designed this product. Is it good? Lets find out.
Samsung launched the Galaxy S4 zoom last year, to place their bets on the cameraphone market. It didn’t work out so well, as the S4 zoom was basically two devices slapped on together. The sequel announced this year, the Galaxy K zoom, is visibly better, with a slimmer profile and a lens unit that is more pocketable. The megapixels are higher and the phone itself gets a decent spec boost, but does Samsung get the formula right this time? Or is the company going to need a third time lucky? Let’s find out in our full review.
Continue reading “Samsung Galaxy K zoom Review: Almost there”
While there is no doubt that the US is the technology center of the world, it is also true that India is widely considered as the hotbed of smartphone competition. The country offers great opportunity to smartphone manufacturers both big and small to compete for a share of the untapped masses and get a share of the pie. With that in mind, Panasonic shifted its global headquarters for it’s smartphone business a while back. With the launch of the Eluga U, the company is bringing its flagship brand here. Is it worth the hype? Find out in our review. Continue reading “Panasonic Eluga U Review”
Obi Mobiles is a relatively new and unknown brand in India. Riding on a media wave created by one of its investors, ex-Apple CEO John Sculley, the newly founded company launched its first ambitious product for the Indian market, a mid range device called the Obi Octopus S520. Sporting a 5 inch HD display, an 8 MP camera and the MediaTek Octa core processor (hence the name), the device is priced at Rs. 11,990, which is less for what it offers. By undercutting the competition, Obi aims to stand out, but will that be enough for people to notice a new brand? Lets find out in our full review.
After the iPad happened, Samsung was the first company to release a 7 inch tablet that could make calls. A new form factor was born, and a long time has passed since then. They are now the biggest tablet maker in the market, mainly thanks to the various mid range calling tablets that the company eventually released. However, Samsung’s desire to completely 1-up the Apple iPads is still here, which has transpired into the Tab S series of tablets, squarely aimed at the iPad Air with the 10.5″ version (our review) and the iPad mini retina, with the 8.4″ version. Yes, the Galaxy Tab S 8.4 is Samsung’s latest “mini” tablet for the high end market. The “S” here is all about the screen, which is a WQXGA AMOLED panel that proves to be its USP and is central to the whole experience. Launched in India for a price of Rs. 37,800, the 3G data and voice enabled tablet aims to offer the best mini tablet experience for the premium buyer. So, is this the best mini tablet money can buy? Lets find out in our full review.
The market for wearables is clearly divided. Smartwatches have lined the upper end of the spectrum with Samsung’s Gear line of devices and now Android Wear based watches being the most prominent ones. The other end of the spectrum includes the standalone fitness focussed wearables. These wearables are then focussed on tracking your fitness related activities and include basic time keeping functionality. Due to the price, functionality divide between the categories, neither of them really have the potential to democratize wearables. And so step in indigenous manufacturers that try to bridge that gap by introducing a device that cherry picks features from higher end smartwatches and makes them available at a very accessible price point. Today we take a look at the Spice Smart Pulse, a device pegged as a smartwatch for the masses by the company. Worth it? Read on to find out. Continue reading “Spice Smart Pulse review: A not so smart watch”
Ever since the Nexus 4, LG has been consistently upping its flagship game. The company’s first decent flagship device, Optimus G, was the start of a wonderful intra-company relationship in which LG started pulling resources from within its own divisions, like the one for display, the one focused on Chemistry for battery technology, etc. It then culminated into the G2, which was, in fact, as popular as the Nexus 4 at some point, known for its edge to edge design, good camera, screen and great battery life. The G3 is the LG’s ambitious successor, which fixes the few complaints the G2 had related to storage expansion and a removable battery, and adds interesting new technologies to differentiate itself. LG boasts itself as one of the firsts in the industry to have a quad HD display on a smartphone and also touts the new laser autofocus system that can be reliable, even in low light. Armed with all these features, can the LG G3 take on the Galaxies and the iPhones of this world? More importantly, is a Quad HD display really necessary? Lets find out in our full in-depth review.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=plLo-HdsWKk
LG G3 prices announced for India – 16 GB – Rs 47,990 – 32 GB – Rs. 50,990
The idea of a Smartphone flagship is a race to the top where companies constantly try to 1up each other with class leading technology and innovative new additions to their top end smartphone, every year. The Find 7 is Oppo’s entrant into this increasingly crowded flagship rat race, meant to appeal to the buyer seeking cutting edge technology. The Chinese manufacturer has been playing this game since the Find 5, and for the second time, they have captured the pole position by introducing a Quad HD display in a smartphone way ahead of any one else. But the race has already started and the gap has closed, with new uncertainties and the competition rapidly stepping up its game. One of the major uncertainties is the need for a Quad HD display on a smartphone. With a 1080p display on its younger sibling (the cheaper Find 7a, read the review here), the Find 7 finds itself facing a tough argument from the user “Is a Quad HD display really needed?”. But even then, as a top end flagship, can it endure the onslaught from the competition and retain the pole position it wanted initially? Find out in our full review of the Oppo Find 7.
Oppo Find 7 is available in India for a price of Rs. 37,990
Continue reading “Oppo Find 7 Review: Leading the race to the top”
Asus announced three devices under the Zenfone series at the CES in January this year. These phones come in screen sizes ranging from 4 to 6 inches. Asus launched Zenfone 5 in 8GB and 16GB variants today in India that starts at Rs. 9,999. We got a chance to experience the ZenFone 5 before the launch today. Our review unit is 8GB gold colour variant. Continue reading “ASUS Zenfone 5 Review”
Xiaomi made its name in the global scene from its home market, China. The company, initially making its own custom ROMs (MIUI) for Android devices, entered the highly competitive world of hardware with its Mi range of smartphones. After a few iterations, the company unveiled Mi3, Xiaomi’s latest flagship device, packing top end specifications, but at a very low price unmatched by the competition. This is all thanks to Xiaomi’s business model where it sells to its consumers directly, without the overhead of a distribution channel on the price. After hiring Android VP Hugo Barra, the company recently took its operations to other countries like Singapore and Malaysia, where it saw success, and is finally here in India, where its flagship Mi3 will go on sale the 15th of July, at a shockingly low price of Rs. 14,999 (Update: Now Rs. 13,999) Even just by looking at the on-paper specifications, one can say it is already worth it. In fact, it could even be perceived as undervalued, but what about the details, you ask? That’s where our in-depth review can help, read on.
Video Review
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b3duNKIDsVc
When we first reviewed the Nokia X, we called it a geek’s dream considering it married the Finnish company’s legendary hardware with a much more accepted and liked operating system. As we found out in our Nokia X review, the actual implementation fell well short of our expectations. With the Nokia XL, the company took yet another shot at gathering a bigger foot hold in the critical entry level segment in emerging markets like India. Will this phone meet the same fate as the Nokia X? Find out in our review. Continue reading “Nokia XL Dual SIM Review”
