News OnePlus Two Update : OnePlus 2 First Impressions - Brings In Some Design Finesse And An Improved Camera

OnePlus 2 was launched amidst much fan fare considering it was the first virtual reality launch of a smartphone ever. The phone packs in some impressive specifications and also has prices starting from Rs 22,999 for the 16GB version. The OnePlus 2 will launch in India on August 11. So before we start talking about performance numbers, here is a quick first impressions about the latest flagship phone from OnePlus which it has already touted as ‘2016 Flagship Killer’.

Build Quality and Design :

The OnePlus 2 has redesigned the edges to some extent but the rear side makes you feel at home. The sandstone black cover, which is now easily removable, has that familiar coarse feeling. The phone has a slightly curved design on the back which helps with the grip. The edges have got a metallic treatment with champfering on the edges to give it that classy look.

On the right hand side towards the top portion, you have the power/standby and volume rocker buttons. The top edge has the 3.5mm audio jack and at the base you have the USB Type-C port in the centre surrounded by two speaker grilles – which is new. On the left hand side you have notifications notch called the Alert slider, which has a nice feedback to it. It lets you control notifications by sliding it from bottom to top.

The OnePlus 2 comes with a 5.5-inch display and at the base of it you have a fingerprint scanner. It is not a button per se, but it has a clear rounded rectangular marking. This is surrounded by two soft keys which light up when the phone is on. On the rear side, the camera is placed bang in middle with a dual LED flash unit on top and the laser autofocus system below the 13MP rear camera.

Display:

OnePlus has stuck with the 5.5-inch full HD display for the OnePlus 2 instead of going for the QuadHD display. OnePlus makes use of an IPS panel and the display looks as good as the OnePlus One. The display looked sufficiently bright although glossy. We will need to watch movies on it to check for any backlight bleeding and use it in sunlight to test its legibility in bright outdoor situations.

Chipset, RAM, Storage :
The OnePlus 2 comes with impressive internal specifications. It is powered by Qualcomm’s flagship Snapdragon 810 SoC which has a quad-core Cortex A57 and a quad-core Cortex A53 and has the Adreno 430 GPU. This is paired with 4GB of RAM for the 64GB storage variant. The 16GB storage variant OnePlus 2 will come with 3GB of RAM. These are topline specifications, and naturally when using the review unit over a day, we did not notice any lag or slow down. Of course, we will be doing the complete real world testing of the phone.

OS, Connectivity :
Unlike the OnePlus One, the OnePlus 2 has no Cyanogen branding on its rear side. This is because, the phone comes with Android 5.1 with OnePlus’s own OxygenOS skin atop it. The OxygenOS skin looks quite similar to stock Android Lollipop design and has a few refinements, such as the frequently used apps and contact list on the left most swipe.

The OnePlus 2 supports a dual 4G nano SIM card slot which is accessible on removing the rear cover. Thanks to the slots located under the cover, you do not need a pin to remove the SIM card slots, you can just slide them using your nails. Apart from this, the phone supports Wi-fi 802.11 ac, Bluetooth 4.1, GPS with A-GPS, GLONASS and so on. One omission on the connectivity front is NFC, which could have been easily paired with the fingerprint sensor to verify NFC payments. Although this is a niche market segment in India and not really relevant, globally that is not the case.

With the USB Type C connection, the OnePlus 2 will be the first phone to be selling with that connector in India.

Camera :

OnePlus 2 has really spruced up the camera department. You now get a 13MP rear camera with a pixel size of 1.3 microns. Also the camera will come with an optical image stabiliser to help you take stutter free images and videos. We will need to see if this is as impressive as the one we had seen on the LG G4. Another impressive feature on the rear camera is the laser auto-focus mechanism. This should help improve the focus acquisition speed. However, the real test of the rear camera will lie with low light photography, which is was really not impressive at all on the OnePlus One. On the front you have a 5MP camera for your selfies. The camera user interface is quite different from the one seen on OnePlus One as well.

Battery:
The OnePlus 2 comes with 3,300mAh Li-polymer non-removable battery which is a bump up from the 3,100mAh battery that was seen on the OnePlus One. Ideally, one should be able to pull of a days worth of usage on regular use, but we will need to confirm that only after reviewing the phone. Also the OnePlus 2 does not come with the Qualcomm QuickCharge feature.

Conclusion:
The OnePlus 2 has certainly got off to a good start, after Carl Pei announced the price of Rs 24,999 for the 64GB storage variant of the phone. Considering the price of Rs 31,000 was doing the rounds of online forums before the launch date, this is a welcome change. However, we will have to see how OnePlus has tackled the apparent heating issues associated with the Snapdragon 810 SoC. There are lot of new things to try out on the OnePlus 2 such as the finger print scanner, interchangeable back and home softkeys, the improved camera and so on. You will have to check back for the full review of the OnePlus 2 which we have already started working on.

Posted by Unknown Thursday, August 06, 2015

News HTC Handset Update : HTC One ME Express Review - Another Flagship, But More Affordable

HTC One ME is actually the closest you can get to the original HTC One M9 which was never launched in India. 

HTC’s strategy now seems to be to carpet bomb the mid and high-end smartphone segment with as many models as possible. Of course, this means even the company might find it a bit difficult to keep tag on what it is selling. But the Taiwanese company has for sometime believed it is a good strategy to have flagships for different price points. So in the upper end of the shelf the company has the HTC One M9+ and HTC One E9+. Now, the company has launched the HTC One ME somewhere between these two devices.

HTC One ME
Rs 40,500

The HTC One ME is actually the closest you can get to the original HTC One M9 which was never launched in India. The HTC One M9+ was different in many ways, but the ME is seems more like the M9 with a plastic body and a fingerprint reader. It is also a stylish device, especially the all-black unit that I had for review.

Specs: 5.2-inch (1440x2560p, ~565 ppi) display | Mediatek MT6795 Octa-core 2.2 GHz processor | 3GB RAM 32 GB internal storage expandable up to 128GB | 20MP rear camera with dual tone flash + 4MP front camera | 2840 mAh battery | HTC Sense UI 7.0 with Android Lollipop 

Watch video: (App users click here)

Watch video: (App users click here)

What is good?
People will want to buy this phone just for the style quotient and I am convinced that is one reason why customers, at least some of them, don’t really mind paying a premium for HTC phones. The One ME has a matte finish rear panel that is good to hold and an extra large lens on it that makes people take note.

The QHD screen makes everything look good, especially the photos shot on this phone. I am not a big fan of watching long videos on the phone, but this 5.2-inch display paired with the dual speaker and Dolby Surround sound make it ideal for those who like this small screen experience. Making phones sound really good is something HTC has really mastered over the years.

The 20MP camera is really good and really fast. It can capture really subtle shots and that is expected, given that HTC has been good with its cameras of late. But I was more impressed by the quality of the selfie shots. However, by default the phone beautifies these front camera shots a bit and you will need to switch that off to look more natural.

The overall performance is really good and there is no lag or stutter. The phone does heat up a bit but not as much as the other flagships these days. The battery life is good enough to last a working day. I managed 12 hours on 4G which is an achievement.

What is not that good?
I like the HTC Sense UI as it is simple and intuitive. But the contacts app needs a bit of this intelligence to trickle in. I could not copy numbers from contact cards for instance. This is something I end up doing multiple times a day; not having a simple copy option was frustrating. Plus, I thought the app had to be much more intuitive when it came to search.

As I said before, the phone does heat up a bit though it does not breath fire like a Snapdragon processor. But when the heating starts, the phone loses battery life fast.

Should you buy?

At Rs 40,500, this phone gives you everything you need from a flagship — style, processing power and great camera. So if you are looking for a top-end phone that ticks all the boxes then this is a good buy. If you don’t want to spend this much, then I still think the HTC One E9+ is the best value for money phone in this range from HTC.

HTC One ME is actually the closest you can get to the original HTC One M9 which was never launched in India - See more at: http://indianexpress.com/article/technology/tech-reviews/htc-one-me-express-review-another-flagship-but-more-affordable/#sthash.wbmNgOBv.dpuf

HTC One ME is actually the closest you can get to the original HTC One M9 which was never launched in India - See more at: http://indianexpress.com/article/technology/tech-reviews/htc-one-me-express-review-another-flagship-but-more-affordable/#sthash.wbmNgOBv.dpuf

HTC One ME is actually the closest you can get to the original HTC One M9 which was never launched in India - See more at: http://indianexpress.com/article/technology/tech-reviews/htc-one-me-express-review-another-flagship-but-more-affordable/#sthash.wbmNgOBv.dpuf

HTC One ME is actually the closest you can get to the original HTC One M9 which was never launched in India - See more at: http://indianexpress.com/article/technology/tech-reviews/htc-one-me-express-review-another-flagship-but-more-affordable/#sthash.wbmNgOBv.dpuf

HTC One ME is actually the closest you can get to the original HTC One M9 which was never launched in India - See more at: http://indianexpress.com/article/technology/tech-reviews/htc-one-me-express-review-another-flagship-but-more-affordable/#sthash.wbmNgOBv.dpuf

Posted by Unknown Tuesday, July 21, 2015

News Update On Scientific Update : Scientists Develop Spectrometer That Can Be Fits Inside Smartphones.

WASHINGTON: MIT scientists have created a spectrometer small enough to fit inside a smartphone camera that could enable the devices to diagnose diseases, especially skin conditions, or detect environmental pollutants.

Spectrometers measure the properties of light and are widely used in physical, chemical, and biological research.

These devices are usually too large to be portable, but Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) scientists have created spectrometers small en ..

 "Such devices could be used to diagnose diseases, especially skin conditions, or to detect environmental pollutants and food conditions," said Jie Bao, a former MIT postdoc and the lead author of a paper describing the quantum dot spectrometers in the journal Nature.

Quantum dots, a type of nanocrystals discovered in the early 1980s, are made by combining metals such as lead or cadmium with other elements including sulfur, selenium, or arsenic.

By controlling the ratio of these starting materials, the temperature, and the reaction time, scientists can generate a nearly unlimited number of dots with differences in an electronic property known as bandgap, which determines the wavelengths of light that each dot will absorb.

The new quantum dot spectrometer, about the size of a US quarter, deploys hundreds of quantum dot materials that each filter a specific set of wavelengths of light.

The quantum dot filters are printed into a thin film and placed on top of a photodetector such as the charge-coupled devices (CCDs) found in cellphone cameras.

The researchers created an algorithm that analyses the percentage of photons absorbed by each filter, then recombines the information from each one to calculate the intensity and wavelength of the original rays of light.

The more quantum dot materials there are, the more wavelengths can be covered and the higher resolution can be obtained.

In this case, the researchers used about 200 types of quantum dots spread over a range of about 300 nanometres. With more dots, such spect ..

If incorporated into small handheld devices, this type of spectrometer could be used to diagnose skin conditions or analyse urine samples, Bao said.

They could also be used to track vital signs such as pulse and oxygen level, or to measure exposure to different frequencies of ultraviolet light, which vary greatly in their ability to damage skin.

Posted by Unknown Wednesday, July 08, 2015

News Tech Gadget Update : GoPro Shrinks The Camera Again: Hero4 Session Review

GoPro Inc., the popular maker of tiny video cameras, is making them even tinier.


How tiny? The new GoPro Hero4 Session is the size of an ice cube, about half that of previous GoPros. It can fit into the spokes of a bike, hang onto the end of a fishing pole or turn a toddler into a documentary filmmaker.

The Session goes on sale July 12, and GoPro gave me one to try over the past week. It isn’t the best-quality camera GoPro has ever made, but it’s so small and simple, I’m likely to keep using it.

Just brace for the sticker shock: $400. That’s the same price as an Apple Watch, not to mention last year’s Hero4 Silver, which has a touch screen and better picture quality.

With the Session, GoPro is going for its iPod Shuffle moment. In 2005, Apple upended its own booming music player business with the Shuffle, an iPod small enough to wear on a necklace. Its main selling point was what it lacked: no screen, no removable battery and no complex controls.

The Session is the first new design in nearly a decade for GoPro, which has an astounding 70% of the U.S. video-camera market, according to NPD. Like the Shuffle, the Session sheds features to slim down and broaden its appeal. It has no screen to view pictures, no extra buttons to change modes, no way to swap its two-hour battery.

But the refinements in the new design are, for the most part, worth the sacrifices. They go a ways toward addressing my longstanding complaint that GoPros require too much futzing.

The Session still takes full-HD video, but is pool-party ready without the waterproof housing its predecessors required. The Session’s lens is covered by a clear shield, and the USB ports for charging and swapping out memory cards are pressure sealed (safe to an undersea depth of 10 meters). The microphone drains like a human ear when you take it out of the water, so you can go from the pool to the picnic table in seconds.

The Session also cuts GoPro’s number of buttons from three to two—really just one big one you use regularly. Tap the shutter button once to power it up and start recording video, or hold it down for still shots. (A tiny digital readout next to the button gives you confirmation that it’s working.) Press the shutter again to stop recording and turn it off. This is a significant speed improvement over older GoPros and competing action cams from companies like Sony.

A few aspects of the new design did aggravate me. The 1.5-inch, 2.6-ounce cube is cute, but when all sides are equal, how can you tell which way is up? The Session can sense its orientation, and will flip its video in 180-degree increments. But it can’t rotate 90 degrees. I held it wrong initially, and took video you have to watch with your head tilted like a confused puppy.

The session holds enough power to shoot about two hours of HD video, and doesn’t waste any juice when it isn’t shooting. But the sealed battery means you must be conscientious about charging it. That takes about 90 minutes.

The big question, of course, is why you’d need a GoPro at all when you already have a smartphone. The answer is that you’re willing to stick them in places you’d never put your phone or regular camera.

I had no problem handing the Session over to a 2-year-old who, transfixed by its cute shape and blinking red light, produced incredible footage of his afternoon. Seen from the Session’s wide-angle lens, the tyke looked like a giant stomping around toy trains.

I also stuck it on the bottom of a skateboard, on a puppy and in a cocktail glass. GoPro Chief Executive Nick Woodman says he’s fond of holding it in between his teeth to document playing with his children.

Compared with other GoPros, the Session’s ruggedized, compact design made it easier to think of it as camera I can just keep in my bag. If you’ve got a pool in the backyard, it’s a no-brainer.

The Session’s design has plenty of appeal, but if you’re fussy about your cinematography, it isn’t the right choice. The image sensor GoPro put into the Session is fine, but not as good as the Hero4 Silver and Black, which can take higher-resolution shots and pick up more light in dark scenes.

The Session also requires you to be OK with filming without a screen to frame your shot. You get over this limitation when you realize the super-wide-angle lens does a remarkable job capturing whatever’s interesting. You can also use the Session’s second, smaller button to connect it to your phone via Wi-Fi to preview, download shots or change modes.

GoPro has long encouraged perspective creativity by selling an array of mounts, all of which are compatible with the Session when you clip on its included plastic frame. It has also introduced a few new ones, like a $60 glove called the Strap. GoPro has even announced plans for its own quadcopter drones and 360-degree virtual-reality rigs.

Now that the Session plots a new design direction for its cameras, GoPro’s biggest problem is that it doesn’t have an answer to what to do with all that footage. Sure, the camera comes with an editing program; it’s a bit buggy, but who even has the inclination to edit their videos anymore?

The Session ought to be smart enough to upload all your footage to the cloud as soon as you get home and plug it in, for storing and sharing those moments. Mr. Woodman says his company is working on such a cloud service. That GoPro can charge $400 for the Session without it is a testament to its quality design and powerful marketing, but it is sorely needed now.

GoPro’s marketing has always been about extreme athletes. Like Nike, I suspect the message is aspirational for most customers. Its actual base looks increasingly more like extreme parents. For them, the Session is the best camera on the market for documenting the rough and tumble of family life.

Posted by Unknown Monday, July 06, 2015

News SmartPhone Release Update : ARCHOS Unveils The 50d Helium Smartphone – Android 5.1, 13MP Camera, $129

If you aren’t familiar with French smartphone and tablet manufacturer ARCHOS, perhaps now is a good time to do so. Over the past few years the company has aimed to produce high-quality software and hardware for a low price point, and it looks like its new offering does just that. ARCHOS has just unveiled the budget-friendly 50d Helium smartphone that may actually give other low cost smartphones a run for their money.

The 50d Helium offers up a 5.0-inch IPS display with 1280 x 720 resolution, a quad-core 1.2GHz Snapdragon 410 processor, Adreno 305 GPU, 1GB of RAM, 16GB of on-board storage and microSD expansion. It also features a dual SIM card slot, 4G LTE connectivity, a 13MP rear-facing camera, a 5MP front-facer and runs Android 5.1 Lollipop out of the box. The non-removable 2100mAh battery is perhaps the worst specification this device brings to the table, but I’m pretty sure the price point will make up for it as far as many users are concerned.

The ARCHOS 50d Helium ships with two soft, “stone finished” interchangeable backplates in Storm Blue and Stone Grey color options, and will be available this July for just $129. ARCHOS didn’t reveal a specific release date for the device, so we’ll let you know when it becomes available.

So what do you think, is the 50d Helium worth $129? Or is that too much to ask? Be sure to let us know your thoughts in the comments.

Posted by Unknown Saturday, July 04, 2015