Google Nexus 9 Review

After more than five years, HTC is back in the roster to build a Nexus device. The Taiwan manufacturer has taken over from ASUS and Samsung to produce the Google Nexus 9.

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The latest iterations of Nexus devices show the shift in Google’s strategy. While the Nexus series in the past came with an affordable price tag, the new ones – HTC Nexus 9 and Motorola Nexus 6 make no compromises and cost you a premium. We have spent high quality time analysing the slate and here’s our detailed review. Continue reading “Google Nexus 9 Review”

Xiaomi Redmi 2 Review

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Xiaomi’s grand entry into India was more to do with the Redmi 1s than any of its other devices. We had called it “one of the best budget smartphones ever made” and that it was, with a price point that shook the market. Over 6 months have passed since then, and the market has adapted to the threat, with a number of devices that now offer more or less the same, in terms of specifications. The Redmi 2, launched about a month back, is the sequel which faces renewed competition and tremendous expectations. With evolutionary changes, how does it fare this time? Let’s find out.

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Samsung Galaxy Note Edge Review

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In the past month, a lot of people have noticed me using the Samsung Galaxy Note Edge. May be it is the eccentric visual design, which immediately attracts your eyes to its curved edge, or maybe it is Samsung’s marketing blitz that made them aware of its existence, but it surely did get noticed, a lot. The fact that it is unattainable in price, for most people, adds a layer of curiosity as to what new things it can do. Being a variant of the mainstream Note 4, is the Galaxy Note Edge a successful innovation experiment? Let’s find out.

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Connected devices powered by Intel at MWC 2015

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It’s still very early days for the “Internet of things” movement which seems to have caught everyone’s fancy. Intel, like every other company today, wants in on it, so they had a whole section dedicated to connected devices at their MWC booth this year. We checked some devices out, to give you an idea of what Intel powered connected devices are like.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vImOJwgI-3g

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Intel Real Sense for tablets: a first look

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Starting out with laptops, the depth-sensing “Real Sense” technology from Intel has had slow adoption, mainly due to the fact that innovation was mostly around mobile. At this year’s MWC, we had seen how Intel is finally Moving Mobile, and as a part of this effort, Real Sense is now available in smaller devices, like the Dell Venue 8 7000 series tablet. We tried to find out what Real Sense is all about, on this device.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3gzGUG_oH8I

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An Interview with Rahul Sharma, Co-founder and CEO Yu

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We recently caught up with Rahul Sharma, the man behind Yu which has launched the Yureka device in the market and is having a tough time keeping up with demand on Amazon India.Yu is a new brand in the Indian smartphone market. The company is a 100% subsidiary of Micromax, one of the most popular names in the sub-continent.We had a chance to talk to Rahul Sharma – the co-founder and the CEO of Yu about the company’s progress and of course we asked questions that would answer all your queries. Continue reading “An Interview with Rahul Sharma, Co-founder and CEO Yu”

A closer look at the HTC One M9’s design

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Before announcing the One M9 at an event today in Barcelona, HTC was keen to emphasize design, with a video that detailed the company’s previous efforts. Starting with the M7 and eventually leading up to its latest flagship device, the video was meant to tell you only one thing – HTC is really serious about design. This has been evident in their products ever since the M7, the leading design that has trickled down really well in their portfolio, even with different materials in devices like the Desire 820. The Re camera is also an example of good design, where ergonomics have taken higher preference. In the One M9’s case, it’s metal. As we had mentioned in our hands on, the One M9 is a product of refinement, with subtle changes in design that easily escape attention. So here are some photos that give you a closer look at the HTC One M9.

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HTC One M9 Hands On and First Impressions

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The HTC One M9 has finally been made official here at a separate press event in Barcelona, just ahead of the Mobile World Congress. For HTC, the event is not just about the One M9, it’s about a bold new step they are taking, by revisiting their roots as a partner-company. But at the same time, the Taiwanese manufacturer is not letting its guard down in the smartphone space, which is slowly starting to get saturated with lack of useful innovation or differentiation. So, HTC has chosen to evolve its flagship in the most sensible way, by fixing the major flaws of its previous year’s flagship, and then some more.

All you need to know about the new HTC One M9, in this video

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TlMs8ta9iOU

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5G – What is it? What are the benefits? When will it launch?

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4G networks are being widely deployed around the world and although the technology continues to evolve, the focus now switches to 5G – the fifth generation of mobile networks. Dubbed 5G, the next generation network may still be several years away from being deployed but is the buzzword in telecommunications at the moment.

As part of a special tour of Huawei’s Chinese facilities, we learnt more about 5G and of Huawei’s role of making 5G a reality. Continue reading “5G – What is it? What are the benefits? When will it launch?”

Xiaomi Mi 4 Review

Xiaomi, the Chinese manufacturer entered the Indian market with its Mi 3 smartphone and the smartphone turned out to be a huge success in the country. The unbelievable price tag it carried helped the device sell like hot cakes.

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Now, the stakes are quite high for its successor and Xiaomi will hoping that its latest introduction, the Mi 4 will be able to replicate the sales performance of its predecessor. We had a chance to spend some quality time with the Mi 4 and here’s what we think about the smartphone. Continue reading “Xiaomi Mi 4 Review”

Huawei targets innovation in wearables, commits to Android OS

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At the beginning of a crucial year for Huawei – as they face new challenges from Chinese rivals Xioami and Gionee – the company has outlined a vision for the future that includes innovative products, an array of wearables and a commitment to using the Android OS.

In a special briefing at Huawei’s Shenzhen campus in China, Chief Marketing Officer at Huawei, Shao Yang, told us the company is looking to innovate to become noticed in the market, is committed to the Android OS and sees a lot of growth opportunities in the wearables market. Continue reading “Huawei targets innovation in wearables, commits to Android OS”

Huawei plans consumer focus, is considering curved displays

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The modern smartphone is trending toward 4K displays and curved screens and Huawei has ruled out the former but is considering using curved displays on future Huawei smartphones. In a special briefing, Huawei President of Handsets Kevin Ho, confirmed that 4K displays have a negative trade-off with battery life but the wraparound Edge Screen on the Galaxy Note Edge was a feature they’re looking into. Continue reading “Huawei plans consumer focus, is considering curved displays”

How Ford plans to decongest Indian roads and tackle other mobility challenges

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Ford is the fifth largest car company in the world. They manufacture a lot of cars, and selling them in many competitive markets is their game. So, when David Huang, Senior Manager at Ford Asia Pacific, told me about his company’s plans to decongest city roads and tackle mobility problems, especially in India, I was skeptical. I mean, for any car manufacturer to grow, they need to sell more cars, and for them, India is like a gold mine. Our country is developing at a rapid pace, which has led to higher purchasing power and naturally, massive vehicular congestion in tier 1 cities like Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru. Despite that, owning a car is still seen as a sign of prosperity here, not just a commuting vehicle one takes to work, so growth is inevitable and multiple cars per household is a reality we have to face, soon. But here’s a global car manufacturer claiming to be working on solutions that, instead of selling more cars, sells the idea of free-flowing metro traffic. Befuddled, I sat down with David, to find out how.

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Oppo R5 Review: Fashionably thin

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When touchscreens happened, the keys disappeared, and suddenly, we had a lot of sleek devices, telling us science fiction-to-fruition is indeed possible. It was simple, you didn’t need depth for even the thinnest of keyboards and it was just a screen and glass on top of other complicated electronics. So, then thinning of the other parts and refinement of the glass (did you know, Gorilla Glass 2 had a 20% reduction in thickness vs 1?) were the subsequent steps to get the slimmest device possible, and it seems the Chinese have broken new ground.

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Smartphone benchmarking – what do these numbers mean?

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Off late, we have been receiving a lot of requests from you folks asking us to detail about the smartphone benchmarking. We heard you and today, we try to explain what these numbers really mean to you. Continue reading “Smartphone benchmarking – what do these numbers mean?”