TechRockerz

Your potential. Our passion.

Friday, 5 September 2014

The Beast is Back: Samsung Galaxy Note 4 Unveiled

samsung-unpacked-galaxy-note-4-11_2040_verge_super_wide

The Beast is Back: Samsung Galaxy Note 4 Unveiled

The season of big ticket releases has been kicked off by Samsung in an optimistic fashion. The company flaunted an assortment of products at its pre-IFA event in Berlin. The company finally unveiled the Galaxy Note 4 which gets quite a few upgrades over its predecessor both on the hardware, as well as the software front.
The presentation was done by three presenters who were well prepared for the show, though it got a bit annoying when they tried to over-reach. Most of the features presented were affirmative of the leaks.

LOOKS

Image Credit: The Verge
The new generation Note flagship comes with a 5.7 inch Quad HD Super AMOLED screen. It has a thickness of 8.5 mm and weighs 176 gm. The device is LTE category 6 ready.
On the looks front, the device borrows the design language from the Samsung stable while going for an edgier design. The device is built on a metal frame which strengthens the device to minimize damage from dropping of the device. It has a soft textured back cover.

CAMERA

The cameras on the Note 4 get a lot better.
Image Credit: The Verge
The Galaxy Note 4 comes with a 16 MP camera on the back with Optical Image Stabilization (OIS.) With the OIS, Samsung claims, you’ll get professional quality HD videos with minimum jitters.
The company has gone out of its way to bring a superior selfie experience, and it was truly innovative of them. The 3.7 MP front camera has a wide f/1.9 iris which will ensure brightness of the image. To make selfie taking more convenient, the Note 4 utilizes the heart rate sensor on the back as a shutter release. To take a selfie all you need to do is hold the heart rate sensor and release, when you are ready for a click. For taking a wider selfie or a “Weefie” with multiple people, the device offers a wide 90-degree frame. There is also an option for Wide Selfie that lets you take an even wider 120-degree selfie by moving the phone till everyone is in view. The presenters took the photo of the entire auditorium using the feature.
The camera also has an extremely useful feature called the Snap Note through which you can take an image, and the phone will extract the data from it. So when sitting in a classroom you can simply click the photo of the board, and the phone scan the image and will take the information out. You can then add annotations to the information and have an easy learning experience.

S-PEN

The S-Pen also gets upgrades and added functionalities. The pressure sensitivity has been increased to give a more natural pen-like feel. The pen now also acts as a mouse with features like click and drag which lets you select multiple files at once.
The Smart select feature lets you select text and images from multiple sources and lets you bring them all together. It also lets you easily share them on the internet.

AUDIO RECORDER

The audio recorder on the device has also received some really handy and functional upgrades. The device can now track voices in 8 distinct directions so it great for getting quality sounds in multi-people environment. The interview mode on the device cancels out the unnecessary ambient noise and hence gives a clearer audio output.

MULTI-WINDOWS

Using multi-window gets easier with the new device. You can now access the multi-window feature through the recent apps menu. It has become a lot easier to resize, relocate or minimize the screens during multi-window usage.
Note 4 comes in four color options: White Black, Gold and Pink. It also provides customizability with 4 covers. There is the S-View, Flip wallet, S-view Flip wallet and LED cover which reminds of the Dot case by HTC. The device also comes with a back panel encrusted with Swarovski Crystals.
The device is sleeker and edgier than the Note 3.
Image Credit: The Verge

BATTERY

The device gets its juice from a 3220 mAh battery which is a slight increase over the predecessor. Samsung claims that with advanced optimization of their product, the battery will last longer than before. They have also brought the ultra power saving mode from the S5 onto this device.

MONT BLANC

As the phone flaunts its USP of a writeable screen, it was only natural for them to partner with a writing instrument manufacturer sooner or later. So Samsung has partnered with Mont Blanc to bring stylish writing instruments for the Note 4. The pens have multiple usability as they come with interchangeable refills for the paper and the screen. They also offer several nib options for different needs. The pen is connected with the device using a chip that lets the user have a fulfilling writing experience on the device’s massive 5.7 inch screen.
The Samsung Galaxy Note 4 comes with 50 GB of Dropbox storage for two years. The phone will be available in the market in the month of October.
Samsung has done well on its presentation, and this will help calm some of the criticism that it has been facing for a while. The Note 4 is without a doubt a new era for the company. This was a good launch event, and we’ll be updating you when more information surfaces.

IFA 2014 : Sony’s New Flagship Smartphone, The Xperia Z3 is Finally Here

sony-logo-1

IFA 2014 : Sony’s New Flagship Smartphone, The Xperia Z3 is Finally Here

AAKASH CHANDRA 
Sony is now here to add to the long list of phones being launched today. We’ve already seen Samsung starting the event right by introducing a revolutionary curved screen smartphone. Now, we have Sony lining up its contenders to fight this year’s flagship war.
 The company introduced its new flagship device, the Xperia Z3. This smartphone, will now go on to fight the highly-anticipated iPhone 6 and the newly released Galaxy Note 4.
As expected, Sony has integrated the new Xperia Z3 with the Playstation 4, by adding a new feature called PS4 Remote Play that will let you use the Xperia Z3 as “a remote screen to connect to and control your games on PS4.”
Sony Xperia Z3 will come with a 5.2-inch Full HD display that Sony claims is “the world’s brightest display of all the leading premium smartphones.” Other specs for the device include a 2.5 GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor, 3GB of RAM, a 20.7-megapixel camera and Android 4.4 KitKat.
Sony hasn’t yet provided a release date for the phone and will only say that it plans to launch the phone this fall. There are no pricing details revealed either.

KEY SPECS

  • Snapdragon 2.5 GHz Qualcomm Quad-core
  • Adreno 330 GPU
  • 5.2″ Full HD display (1920×1080 pixels)
  • TRILUMINOS™ Display for mobile
  • 20.7 megapixel camera with auto focus
  • 8x digital zoom
  • ISO 3200 maximum in manual mode
  • Sony Exmor RS for mobile image sensor
  • 4K video recording
  • Front-facing camera, HD 1080p for video chat and 2.2 MP for camera capture
  • Pulsed LED flash
  • 3 GB RAM
  • Up to 16 GB flash memory
  • Up to 128 GB microSD™ (card slot, SDXC supported)

IFA 2014 : Samsung Enters the Future With the Curved Galaxy Note Edge



Samsung

IFA 2014 : Samsung Enters the Future With the Curved Galaxy Note Edge

aakash chandra 
IFA 2014 : Samsung Enters the Future With the Curved Galaxy Note Edge
AAKASH CHANDRA ON 4TH SEPTEMBER,2014.


Samsung introduced a one-of-a-kind smartphone today. It stands out in the crowd for its unique screen, which extends and runs over onto the right side of the device. And if you’re thinking the curved panel is simply a marketing gimmick, you’re wrong.
The extended side screen is super functional as well – it has 7 scrollable panels which are customisable. When the Galaxy Note Edge is locked, the side-panel can be used to have a quick look at notifications and get faster access to certain features such as time and date display, flashlight, camera, messages and even a ruler.  Preferred apps can also be shifted to the side panel, frequent use of which will help users conserve battery life.
The Samsung Galaxy Note Edge comes as a pleasant surprise which was kept well under wraps. It is one of the few devices launched recently which left no virtual trail and had no ‘leakster’ tracking its every more.
Photo Credits: The Verge
So, the new bent display not only gives Samsung’s new smartphone a sleek look, but it actually might help keep the main screen clutter-free. Samsung has also announced that will release the API so that third-party app developers can make use of the new screen and create appropriate apps for the screen.
Specs-wise, the smartphone has a 5.6-inch, Quad HD 2560 x 1440 display and is powered by a 3,000 mAh battery. It comes with Snapdragon 805 or Exynos 5433 chipset, Android 4.4, 16MP OIS camera and S Pen stylus. With this launch, Samsung proved that it still has an eye for innovation.

Wednesday, 3 September 2014

Google May Introduce Android One in India on 15th September

android-one

Google May Introduce Android One in India on 15th September

AAKASH CHANDRA 
During Google I/O this year, Google announced an initiative that will help bring better user experience in the lower end price bracket. It was called Android One. Now it seems Google is ready to kickstart the initiative and might launch it in India soon.
google_invite_press
Google has sent out the invites for an event on Monday, September 15th which only talks about “an exciting announcement” from the company but doesn’t give out more details. It is speculated that it most probably will be the Android One announcement.
The Android One initiative was taken by Google to boost the smartphone adoption rate in emerging markets. This will also be helpful for Google to expand the user base of Android in India. It will also give a better user experience, close to what Android had hoped for and which got lost in a whole array of sub-standard hardware.
Through this initiative, Google will send out a standardized list for affordable phones to the mobile companies. The idea is to prevent heavy expenses for creating a new phone to smaller companies. Currently, Google is working with Micromax, Karbonn and Spice in India for these phones. The company intends to keep the cost of phones under this banner, under $100.
With Android One Google wants to bring a Standard User experience throughout Android Ecosystem
With Android One Google wants to bring a Standard User experience throughout Android Ecosystem
During his presentation at Google I/O, senior Vice President of Android, Sundar Pichai said, “I’ve been using this phone for a while, and it is really good,” Pichai said on stage. “When I go back home to India and other countries like that, it is exciting to see the impact phones have on people’s lives, but it’s disappointing that only less than 10 percent of the population has access to smartphones. We want to change that.”
This is a good initiative from Google especially at a time when companies like Intex and Spice are bringing in with the Firefox OS, which intends to bring the smartphone experience to the lowest mobile segment. Also, the Android market is extremely segmented, lot of phones running older versions of Android can be found in the market. With Android One, Google will be able to make devices that would be easily updatable. Even though, the initiative is inspired by business motives it will directly help a lot of folks to get connected to the information age. This is an appreciable step from Google.

Massive Celebrity iCloud Hack: Who’s to Blame?

icloud-ios-7-1

Massive Celebrity iCloud Hack: Who’s to Blame?

AAKASH CHANDRA 
The internet world went abuzz yesterday when one hacker picked up images from the iCloud accounts of celebrities such Jennifer Lawrence, Ariana Grande, Kate Upton and posted them online. This massive breach of privacy was taken very seriously as it hit some of the most prominent public faces and consequently raised concerns about the security of user data.
The fault of this massive leak lies on Apple. The failure of iCloud’s security features caused this breach. One of the main culprits of the heist is said to be the ‘Find My iPhone’ API, which let hackers try different passwords repeatedly without getting locked out. This fault was addressed by Apple after it came to light.
find_hero
Hackers accessed personal accounts through a loophole in Apple’s “Find My iPhone” service
The hacker said that he held hundreds of other nude and semi-nude pictures. He demanded $40,000 in Bitcoins for releasing more photos. Thankfully the world felt a lot better and saner when all that the guy got was 0.2 Bitcoins which amount to just $95. It is said that hacker got a whiff of Jennifer Lawrence using iCloud when she said at an award function that she doesn’t understand how to back-up on iCloud.
The important part to remember is that if you go looking for these pictures, you are becoming a party to the side that is harassing the actresses. The lesson was well-learnt by professional pain-in-the-butt of celebrities, Perez Hilton, who said that they were removing the images from their website. You can see how severe the privacy breach was; the guy who makes a living out of the misfortunes of others had the decency to bring down the violating images. So be good and stay away from 4chan for good.

REVIEW: Sandisk Ultra Dual On-The-Go Pendrive

Sandisk_Cruzer_6

REVIEW: Sandisk Ultra Dual On-The-Go Pendrive

AAKASH CHANDRA 
6.8
UNIQUE PRODUCT THAT GIVES COMFORT BUT HAS A LONG WAY TO GO
Ever since the inception of multimedia enabled phones, one question that has bothered the users is the storage space of these devices. Listening to the complaints, many companies have added the expandable storage feature, which is without a doubt, one of the most important feature of the phones. With the companies providing easy accessibility in terms of storing data as well as installing app data on the SD card, some of those issues are addressed. But what about devices which only have limited storage options like the blockbuster MOTO G which only comes in an 8 or 16 GB option. And what if you are a multimedia hoarder and even with expandable memory, you are not satisfied with the storage space. Here the SanDisk Ultra 16GB Micro USB 2.0 OTG Pen Drive
will come for your rescue.
The Sandisk Ultra is a boon for OTG devices with limited storage
The Sandisk Ultra is a boon for OTG devices with limited storage
The Sandisk On-The-Go Pendrive is a tiny dual sided flash drive that comes with a USB 2.0 jack on one end and a micro USB slot on the other end. It is available in 16,32 and 64 GB variants starting at Rs. 629. The drive attaches to your OTG enabled phones and is recognized easily on the phones we tested the drive on.
On the design front, this drive has a protective casing for both USB ends. The casing clicks when it completely covers the USB to secure the ends. But while dropping it head on to the ground for testing we found that the micro USB side would slide back on impact, exposing the head, which is a bit of a worry. The micro USB end is also a bit tiny so you may have to take off the protective casing on your phone to connect the device. The middle portion with is sturdy and easy to hold.
speed sandiskThe drive’s read and write performance though are not satisfactory. In our test we found the reading speed was 16.86 MB/s whereas the writing speed was 10.75 MB/s, which is almost a third of the USB 2.0 speeds. But with the convenience it offers, some may overlook the low transfer speeds.
SanDisk provides a downloadable app, Memory Zone. This sleek looking app has a user friendly interface and allows you to password-protect your content. It also lets you sync your data with cloud storage options like Dropbox, Google Drive or Box.
Overall the tiny, one of a kind device is functional with some  flaws. Considering its price and what it offers it can also be considered a value for money. Sandisk needs to work on the speeds of the device, immediately and make the casings better so they don’t expose the Micro-USB end.

GOOD THINGS

  • Convinence
  • Portability
  • Ease of Use
  • One of a Kind

BAD THINGS

  • Poor Speeds
  • Build quality of Micro-USB casing

THE BREAKDOWN


BUILD QUALITY
7
FEATURES
8
SPEED
5
VALUE FOR MONEY
7

Specs of the ‘World’s Slimmest Smartphone’ Gionee Elife S5.1 Leaked

gionee_elife_s51

Specs of the ‘World’s Slimmest Smartphone’ Gionee Elife S5.1 Leaked

AAKASH CHANDRA 
Back in July was when we first heard about the Gionee Elife S5.1 via its TENAA certification. While, the handset is yet to be officially launched, a set of very clear images has been leaked online.
 If you have a quick look at the Gionee Elife S5.1, you can easily mistake the device for an iPhone as it borrows all its design aesthetics. Along with its design and look, the handset’s specifications have also been leaked.
gsmarena_007
The Gionee Elife S5.1 will feature a 4.8 inch screen with a resolution of 1280×720 pixels. The AMOLED display is expected to be crisp and come in bright colour variants. The model is powered by a 1.2 GHz quad core Snapdragon 400 processor and 1GB of RAM.
However, one notable thing about the smartphone is that it doesn’t have a micro SD card slot for storage expansion and comes with 16GB of internal storage space. Furthermore, there is no news about the 32GB variant. These days with rapidly increasing size of apps and games, that may pose to be a problem.
The device has an 8-megapixel rear camera with LED flash and a 5-megapixel front camera. The phone supports 4G LTE connectivity, 3G, Wifi, Bluetooth and runs on Android version 4.3 layered by the company’s Amigo 2.0 interface.
It is said that when the device comes to the market, the company will offer four different color choices to choose from including Pink, Turquoise, Black and White. The pricing is yet to be revealed.

Monday, 1 September 2014

Samsung's Galaxy Tab 3 SERIES gets an update to the latest version of Android 4.4.2

Suddenly Samsung rolls out an update to Android 4.4.2 for its Galaxy tab 3 series.