Micromax Launches the Yureka Smartphone With Cyanogen OS 11
AAKASH CHANDRA
As many of you already know about the Yu Televentures, Micromax’s new subsidiary has launched its first smartphone with Cyanogen under the Yureka brand. This is a whole new step for the Indian tech industry as this very launch marks the end of the dominance of the foreign brands in India.
The dual-sim, LTE enabled device will be available on a flash sale model, similar to Xiaomi devices, but on Amazon India from January 8. Registrations on the Amazon website to buy the device has began on Friday (19th December) at 2 pm. The new YU device is priced at Rs. 8,999 and comes with a 5.5 inch HD screen, 2GB RAM, A 53 cortex, Qualcomm Snapdragon processor 615 octa core 64 bit chipset and 16 GB expandable memory.
Early adopters will get a leather back cover worth Rs. 999 free. Notably, the company is also touting “free replacement or repair” at the user’s doorstep. The Yu Yureka (AO5510) smartphone runs on a custom-build Cyanogen OS, Cyanogen OS 11.
The device comes with a 2500 mAh battery. The new Yureka sports a 13 megapixel rear and 5MP front camera. According to the company, the device will be ahead of the popular competition as it will provide faster processing, better download speeds even in patchy areas and the A53 cortex will lower power consumption, meaning the phone will last longer on a single power charge.
The company also revealed that in 2015 more devices will be launched with some new cool features. Some of the features include blocking of spam or unsolicited phone calls, finding and wiping data off the device if lost, encryption of the device besides enhancements on camera, securing apps and making phone usage more intuitive.
Besides sync of data across different devices, features in the phone also allow users to save game scores, levels and setting on all apps get saved on the cloud. Yureka device users will also be the first ones to get the upcoming Cynogen L update, which will be based on Android Lollipop.
SPECS
YU YUREKA AO5510
Display
5.50-inch 720×1280 pixels
Processor
Qualcomm Snapdragon processor 615 octa core 64 bit chipset
RAM
2GB
Storage
16 GB (expandable)
Camera
13MP Rear, 5MP Front
Battery
2500 mAh
Operating System
Cyanogen OS 11
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It seems that trending smartphones aren’t easy to get their grasp on for Indian consumers. After Xiaomi, now its the Chinese device manufacturer OnePlus who has been banned by the Delhi High Court from selling, promoting or for that matter, even importing its devices on Indian soil. Thanks to Micromax, the order has come a day after the Indian manufacturer appealed to the Delhi High Court that OnePlus infringed on their India exclusive agreement with Cyanogen.
Micromax said-
We incurred major expenses for creation of a brand exclusivity for providing to Indian customers mobile phones with Cyanogen operating systems it would suffer irreparable harm and loss if the defendants (OnePlus) are permitted to continue with their illegal acts in violation of the agreement between Micromax and Cyanogen
Cyanogen had apparently signed a deal with Micromax for exclusively offering CyanogenMod OS devices in India. Owing to this exclusive agreement with Micromax, Cyanogen stated that OnePlus devices in India would not be receiving CyanogenMod updates from the company either. In addition, OnePlus One units sold in India would also be deprived of Cyanogen branding as well.Cause of this ban OnePlus One has come without Cyanogen Mod.
Micromax also has an exclusive license for the whole of South Asia, while OnePlus has a non-exclusive license for the entire world except China. Meanwhile, OnePlus argues that CyanogenMod informed them of the termination of their collaboration, just a fortnight before their launch in India. Cyanogen, on the other hand states that their agreement with Micromax technically cancels all prior agreements.
It will be interesting to observe whether OnePlus follows the same path of their Chinese compatriot Xiaomi, who face a similar ban.
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Top 4 Ways to Make Sure You Score a OnePlus Plus Invite in India
AAKASH CHANDRA
Well, the ‘Flagship Killer’ has landed in India. The 2nd December event created much excitement among the smartphone lovers. However, the fact that you need to get your hands on an invite to get the OnePlus One has left many confused about how to get the same.
Although, Amazon and OnePlus have integrated their account services to make it simple for those with invites to purchase their smartphones. There is still some confusion about the invite system. Well, the company has been known for its mismanaged marketing strategy, however, this time around it seems everything is going smooth.
If you are still wondering how to get hold of an invite, there are quite a few ways to get it. Read on for more:
1. AMAZON CONTESTS
Amazon and OnePlus are currently running a couple of contests to help you grab the One. Amazon users can earn invites by spotting and clicking on the ‘One in a 1000′ contest across the internet, including select social media websites. A total of 1,000 users that spot and click these contest ads will win an invite. Another method to win one of the 4,000 invites runs involves simply connecting your Facebook account to Amazon India.
2. ONEPLUS ACCOUNTS
The company will be running marketing or engagement events on its social media, same as it did in other countries, through which it will give out invites. So make sure you like or follow the official accounts on Facebook, Google+ and Twitter.
3. GET A FRIEND TO BUY ONE
Same as in other countries, anyone who has managed to get a OnePlus One smartphone will also receive an invite that can be shared with friends, family or anyone. These invites are valid typically up to 3 and 6 weeks of purchase.
4. ONEPLUS FORUM
The website forum is the most famous and efficient way to get an invite. Users who join theOnePlus One forum can either win an invite via an engagement event or contest, or through other forum members distributing the invites. However, there is no way to check the authenticity of the forum members giving out the invites.
Need to know more about the OnePlus One before you start hunting for invites? Watch our full review here:
OnePlus Finally Launches the One in India for Rs. 21,999
AAKASH CHANDRA
Chinese Flagship decimator, OnePlus One is finally ready for purchase by the Indian consumers. It has been a long wait for the enthusiasts of the One. The phone’s high specs low price formula has impressed folk’s world over and has caused a virtual stampede of folks trying to buy this exceptional device.
The device has been much talked about, if you are one of the last few who don’t know about the device then let us take the opportunity to blow your mind. The device runs on a quad-core Snapdragon 801 processor clocking at 2.5GHz . It comes with 3 GB RAM. The device is available in a 64 GB variant. The device gets its juice from a 3100 mAh battery.
The 5.5 inch Full HD display will make it a multimedia enthusiast’s delight. The device offers a 13 MP main camera and a 5 MP Selfie shooter on the front. Coupled with CyanogenMod’s awesome camera features, the phone will deliver great image output.
Running on Cyanogenmod, the phone gives you amazing features in camera and for customization. Unfortunately, Indian consumers will be devoid of the biggest strength of Cynogenmod. The custom ROM is known for regular updates and bug fixes. But the company’s exclusive partnership with Micromax will prevent it from offering updates on the Oneplus device. Though CM11S OS is great in itself and the functionalities it offers will make you fall in love with the device. OnePlus also promises their own firmware in the coming future which will be based on Android Lollipop. This definitely makes the device a future proof purchase.
The device is priced at Rs. 21,999 for the 64 GB variant. The device is truly one of a kind device and we expect them to fly off shelves in moments of its launch. The One has arrived and looks like it will stay for a good while.
The company will continue the invite system for the Indian market and those interested in an invite will be able to get one from oneplus.net/in starting right now.
If you are successful in getting an invite a spanking new OnePlus One will await you at : www.amazon.in/oneplusone on the 2nd of December 2014. Excited yet?
ONEPLUS ONE SPECIFICATIONS
Color
Silk White/Sandstone Black
Dimensions
152.9 x 75.9 x 8.9 mm
Weight
5.71 ounces (162g)
Operating System
CyanogenMod 11S based on Android 4.4
CPU
Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 801 processor with 2.5GHz Quad-core CPUs
GPU
Adreno 330, 578MHz
RAM
3 GB LP-DDR3 @1866MHz
Storage
16/64 GB eMMC 5.0, available capacity varies
Sensors
Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Proximity and Ambient Light
Battery Capacity
Embedded rechargeable 3100 mAh LiPo battery
Display
Size
5.5 inch JDI
Resolution
1080p Full HD (1920 x 1080 pixels), 401 PPI
Type
LTPS IPS with TOL
Protection
Corning® Gorilla® Glass 3
CAMERAS
Sensor
13 Megapixel – Sony Exmor IMX 214
Lenses
6 lenses to avoid distortion and color aberration
Flash
Dual-LED
Aperture
f/2.0
Front Camera
5 Megapixel – Distortion free
Video
4K resolution video with stereo recordingSlow Motion: 720p video at 120fps
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Microsoft Officially Launches the First Lumia Without Nokia Branding
AAKASH CHANDRA
We all knew it was coming. But today finally, Microsoft has officially unveiled the first Lumia device without the Nokia branding. The new Microsoft Lumia 535 is essentially an entry-level device and is somewhat similar to the Nokia devices that have come before it.
One of the most evident differences is that the handset has dropped the Nokia branding in favour of Microsoft at the rear and front, and a company logo has been incorporated on the colourful removable shell. All future Lumia devices will be launched with Microsoft branding, and the existing Lumia phones with Nokia moniker will continue to be known as Nokia handsets.
Microsoft Lumia 535 has been designed as an alternative of Nokia Lumia 530 and will be targeting users from Russia, India, China and other parts of Asia. It is clear that the company wants to push Lumia sales and Windows Phone market share by betting on this low-end device.
Even though, Lumia 535 comes with a low-end specification, Microsoft has tweaked the handset with some considerable changes which, according to the company, will not compromise their experience as much as some other budget Lumia devices. The Lumia 535 comes with 5-inch qHD display with the insufficient resolution of 960×540 pixels. The company claims that it has tweaked the display for outdoor readability. Even if it is true, the miserly pixel count is pretty hard to ignore.
Microsoft has added 1 GB RAM in the Lumia 535 instead of the usual 512 MB, which is an appreciable move as many users, especially Windows Phone gamers, have been complaining about low RAM in their devices. Microsoft has also included auto-brightness, and a 5-megapixel forward-facing camera. The front-facing camera includes a wide-angle lens with a 24 mm focal length, just like the Lumia 730/735.
The Lumia 535 runs on a 1.2GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 200 processor and a 1,905mAh battery. There’s 8 GB of onboard storage, coupled with a microSD card slot for up to 128 GB of extra capacity. Like all other Lumia devices, Lumia 535 is available in many colour options – green, cyan, orange, black and white. The backplates of this handset are interchangeable and Microsoft will be offering flip covers in matching shades for those who like to give their handsets a little extra protection.
Microsoft said that the Lumia 535 will launch later this month in Asia-Pacific territories, with Russia, India and China at top of the list, ahead of Africa and Europe. The handset will sell for roughly around Rs. 8,000 (the price will vary between countries).
Moto X and Moto G First in Line to Get Android Lollipop Update
AAKASH CHANDRa
Surprisingly, according to the recent reports, some 2014 Moto X users have already received the Android 5.0 Lollipop update notification. It is said that the company posted and then pulled out documents for the Moto X and Moto G Lollipop update on its website.
“The very first Moto X variant getting the update is the ‘Pure Edition’ — an unlocked version of the phone, and for right now it’s going out to people who signed up for the ‘soak test’ — a limited rollout in preparation of a wider release,” Ars Technica reports. “Next up for Moto will be making sure none of the soak testers report major problems over the next day or two and getting carriers on board to approve the update.”
Earlier, Motorola announced that they will be rolling out Android 5.0 update for Moto X and Moto G devices soon, and the company may roll out the official update for these handsets soon after upgrades for Google’s own Nexus devices.
Meanwhile, Ar Technica pointed out that there hasn’t been any Lollipop update for Google’s Nexus devices, presumably because Google didn’t want to steal the Nexus 6’s thunder, which will be released on November 12.
New LG AKA is a Geeky Smartphone With a Personality of its Own
AAKASH CHANDRA
LG has announced a brand new Android smartphone called AKA. Launched in the company’s home market South Korea, the AKA is targeted at young customers, and comes with four unique cases that transform it into different characters: Eggy (yellow case), Wookie (white case), Soul (blue case) and YoYo (pink case).
The front of the phone, when covered with theses interesting cases, shows animated eyes of the four characters. The eyes are more than simple animations as they can provide info including notifications and battery status.
On the hardware front, the LG AKA offers a 5-inch IPS display with 720×1280 pixel resolution, LTE, 8 MP rear camera with laser auto focus, 2 MP front-facing camera, quad-core 1.2 GHz processor (unknown maker), 1.5 GB of RAM, and 16 GB of expandable memory. The handset comes with a 2610 mAh battery and weighs 135.5 grams without the front cover.
LG AKA’s connectivity options include 4G LTE, Bluetooth 4.0, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, NFC, GPS, AGPS, and USB 2.0. and measures 138.7×71.9×9.9 mm. According to the official blog post, LG AKA is available starting today in South Korea via all three carriers running Android 4.4 KitKat out of the box. However, there’s no word on how much the smartphone costs. It seems unlikely that the new AKA will be launched in any other market apart from South Korea.
The South Korean electronic giant on Monday started rolling out its KizON wristband in Europe, which was launched in July. LG KizON is a wearable device exclusively designed to help parents track their pre-school and primary school children.
Revisiting Nokia : Discovering Everything That the Fallen Titan Did For the World
AAKASH CHANDRA
With the release of the new Lumia branded phones by Microsoft, Nokia died as a mobile phone brand. For most, it’s not just a phone brand; it was a revolutionary change maker. It created, nurtured and took the mobile business to its maturity. We have now reached a point of tremendous concentration and the company who started it all has bid farewell. Nokia is like a grandparent; it did its part and then departed, leaving behind a lasting legacy of communication infrastructure that has brought gigantic leaps in the growth of human civilization.
JOURNEY TO THE MOBILE BUSINESS
Nokia’s paper mill on the banks of River Nokianvirta in 1868.
Nokia began as a paper mill back in 1865 with its second mill going up in the town of Nokia in Finland in 1865. The name ‘Nokia’ is derived from the river Nokianvirta, on the banks of which the company was established.
The company expanded to working with rubber, electricity, and cables. Nokia rubber boots become a bona fide design classic, still on sale to this day by the name Nokian, albeit under new owners.
Let’s fast forward to ’60s when the company made its foray into electronics. Nokia developed a host of electronic devices including radio telephones for the army. In 1979 Nokia took its first steps into telephony by creating Mobira Oy in a JV with Finnish TV maker Salora, and they created the Nordic Mobile Telephone (NMT) service. This was the world’s first international cellular network and in the 80s, Nokia launched its first car phone called the Mobira Senator.
The Mobira Senator was the companies first car phone.
In the 1970s and 1980s, Nokia developed the Sanomalaitejärjestelmä (“Message device system”), a digital, portable and encrypted text-based communications device for the Finnish Defence Forces.
In 1987, Nokia launched the Mobira Cityman, the first mobile phone that would run on the company’s NMT network. At 800 grams and priced at $6,308, it may be heavy and pricey by today’s standards, but the device soon hit cult status when Mikhail Gorbachev was photographed using the device.
Nokia also tried its hands at personal computing.
In the 1980s, Nokia’s computer division Nokia Data produced a series of personal computers called MikroMikko, which it later sold to Fujitsu. It briefly tried its luck again in the personal computer market in August 2009 with the introduction of the Nokia Booklet 3G mini laptop. It was not commercially successful but was appreciated for its integrated 3G modem, high-resolution screen, exceptional battery life and its fan-free design.
World’s first commercial GSM call was made in 1991 in Helsinki over a Nokia-supplied network, by Prime Minister of Finland Harri Holkeri. Also, the first device to be used to make a satellite call in 1994 was a Nokia device. Nokia truly started the mobile revolution.
THE DEVICES
Nokia 1011 was the first mass-produced device from Nokia. The design of the device was quickly copied into making pencil boxes for kids. The memory could hold 99 numbers and had a price tag of $1600.
Nokia 3310 announced on 1st September 2000, has now become a cult classic. There are unlimited internet memes based on the “Hulk-ness” of the device. Touted in humor as the only Man-Made thing that can incapacitate the Hulk. Nokia sold over 126 million pieces of the 3310 which had a 96×48 pixel display. You could take off the front and back panel and replace it with the color of your choice. It was the first phone to allow 459 character SMS messaging.
Nokia 2110 was the first phone to come with the Nokia tune. It is estimated that the Nokia Tune is heard worldwide an estimated 1.8 billion times per day, approximately 20,000 times per second. It has been the icon of Finnish corporation Nokia since the 1990s.
Introduced in 2002, the Nokia 3510 was the first color phone from the company. It was also the first mass market GPRS device.
The 6600 was one of the most popular devices and was almost the star of the movie, Cellular.
The Nokia 6600 was a prolific device that was launched in 2003. The owners of the phone flaunted its VGA camera, Bluetooth and expandable memory. It was the first Nokia and Symbian device to sell over a million.
The devices from Nokia were also known for its superior camera performance. Thanks to its popularity amongst the users worldwide, at one point Nokia was the biggest digital camera manufacturer in the world. It surpassed all other conventional camera makers.
The company has set records after records during its stint at the top of the food chain. In fact, the Nokia 1100 is the bestselling phone yet, selling over 250 million devices. At its peak the company sold 475 Million devices back in 2008, a feat that is still unchallenged.
SO WHAT REMAINS OF NOKIA
Following the departure of the mobile and services division of the company, the company is now has three business groups: Mobile Solutions, HERE, and Technologies. The company is currently headed by India-born Rajeev Suri.
Nokia’s Mapping service Here is one of its remaining businesses.
In 2007 Nokia acquired Chicago-based company NAVTEQ, which was the largest maker of automotive. This set the path to Nokia’s Here Maps. The mapping system is one of the few business retained by Nokia following its acquisition by Microsoft. Nokia will be now selling the mapping data to navigation providers like Garmin, BMW, Oracle and Amazon.com. It will now be available as a service across multiple platforms like Android and iOS.
India born Rajeev Suri will be heading Nokia in its new era.
Nokia Networks, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Nokia will also stay back with the company. It is a multinational data networking and telecommunications equipment company. They provide business services like Customer care support, fixed-mobile convergence, Hosting, IPTV, Mobile TV, WCDMA frequency reforming. It also provides connectivity solutions to governments, railways and airways.
Nokia had developed a new operating system called MeeGo. When it shifted to Windows phone, the MeeGo team left Nokia to form an independent phone company called Jolla. The phones recently arrived in India.
Another brand that is the offspring of Nokia is the luxury smartphone maker, Vertu. It was established by Nokia as a wholly owned subsidiary in 1998. For long the company used Symbian OS before shifting to Android recently. The phones are known for their stratospheric price and handcrafted luxury devices.
The journey of Nokia was long, arduous and for the most part rewarding. The company deserves credit and respect for spearheading the mobile revolution across the world. For the folks who saw the transition of the mobile world in the past two decades, the name Nokia brings a lot of memories of personal communications through what are now archaic devices. The mobile world has come a long way, but the fingerprints of Nokia will be visible everywhere. We don’t know what the future holds for Nokia, but we sure hope that it pulls a ” Motorola” and has a chance to rise from its ashes. RIP you Tech Giant.
TIMELINE
1982: Nokia created the world’s first car phone, the Mobira Senator. It was paired with the Nordic Mobile Telephone analog standard and weighed around 22 pounds.
1987: the portable Cityman was Nokia’s first handheld mobile phone. It weighed a little over 1.7 pounds and cost about $5,456.
1994: Nokia launched the 2100 with the now iconic Nokia ringtone.
1997: Launches Snake, one of the most widely recognized mobile games of all time.
1996: The Communicator 9000 of was the first all-in-one phone of Nokia’s kind. It had email, web browsing, fax, word processing and spreadsheet capabilities came for $800.
2000: Nokia 3310, the hulk of the mobile world is launched, and it sells 126 million units sold worldwide. Later becomes a popular internet meme.
2002: Nokia 7650 for around €600 was Nokia’s first Camera phone.
2003: N-Gage, World’s first gaming phone.
2008: 5800 Xpress Music release was Nokia’s first all-touch smartphone, but Apple was out with its iPhone and Android was coming up around this time.
2011, Nokia debuted its first Windows Phone, the Lumia 800.
2014, Microsoft acquires Nokia’s Mobile and Services business and puts an end to Nokia’s existence as a mobile brand.
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