Gionee GPad G5 5.5-inch hexa core phablet unveiled for Rs 14999

The Gionee GPad G5 phablet may have a hexa core processor, but it’s a downgrade in a manner of speaking when compared to its predecessor and this shows in the price of Rs 14999 attached to it. The GPad G4 is currently pegged at Rs 16999 officially even though it was launched for Rs 18999.

The only advantage the Gionee GPad G5 possesses at present is the fact that the Mi 3 has stepped away from the limelight temporarily. Otherwise, it’d be racking up a lot of criticism considering its price is Rs 1000 heavier than the Xiaomi phone’s tag.

And it’s not like the GPad G5 has anything spectacular to show in comparison. Apart from having a hexa core processor, its specs sheet isn’t too impressive. There’s 1GB of RAM onboard and 8GB of ROM, though it does come with expandability of up to 32GB unlike the Mi 3 and GPad G4.

The new GPad takes some design cues from the Mi 3 although it would have done better to borrow more tips on the internal components. The phone is sharp on all four corners and has an easy way about it on the back with its slightly curvy build which should offer a good grip.

This forthcoming Gionee phablet embeds dual SIM slots and 3G connectivity, but no 4G LTE. Its 5.5-inch IPS display which is protected with Dragontrail Glass would have been more interesting if it did full HD instead of sticking to 1280 x 720p resolution .

At least there’s Android KitKat inside and a decent capacity 2400mAh battery that will let you squeeze about 12 hours of 3G talk time out of it. You also get two SIM card slots and an 8MP camera with flash on the back. You’ll have to make do with a 2MP lens for video calls.

Gionee GPad G5 key specs at a glance:

- 5.5-inch 1280 x 720p IPS Dragontrail Glass screen
- Android v4.4 KitKat OS
- 8MP main camera w/ LED flash, 2MP front lens
- 1.5GHz hexa core Cortex A7 processor
- 1GB RAM, 8GB internal storage
- 32GB memory expandability
- 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS
- Dual SIM card slots
- 2400mAh battery, 12 hours 3G talk time
- 157.3 x 77.6 x 7.9 millimeters
- Black and white color options

The Gionee GPad 5 is not up for sale yet, but it will be made available soon enough through the company’s very own store as well as via other retailers.

Xolo Play 8X-1100 featuring 1.7GHz octa core SoC revealed in India at Rs. 14999

The all new Xolo Play 8X-1100 octa core Android gaming smartphone has been rolled out for a tempting price of Rs 14999 so soon after the company launched its Q700s Plus and Q1000s Plus handsets. The Xolo Play 8X-1100 is just one among a few other devices released by the brand with mobile gaming enthusiasts in mind.

We’ve also seen similar offerings like the octa core Xolo Play 8X-1200 and the hexa core Play 6X-1000 previously. As for the Play 8X-1100, it has yet to show up officially on the company’s website. It sports a 1080 x 1920p full HD display measuring 5 inches and ships with Android KitKat.

As you’re going to need powerful components to properly enjoy gaming on the Play 8X-1200, Xolo has stuffed it with an octa core processor accompanied by a 700MHz Mali 450 GPU and 2GB of RAM. There’s 16GB of ROM for hoarding all your entertainment as well as a microSD card slot for adding up to 32GB of extra space.

The Xolo Play 8X-1100 smartphone isn’t only built to please gamers, in case you’re asking. The company has also equipped the handset with a 13MP main camera enhanced by a Sony Exmor RS sensor and an LED flash unit. The webcam appears to be an impressive addition too, with its BSI sensor and 88-degree wide viewing angle.

Yet another highlighted feature of the 3G-capable Play 8X-1100 is its Hotknot file sharing that’s apparently speedier than regular Bluetooth. The system lets users transfer data files between compatible devices by simply touching their screens to each other.

Xolo Play 8X-1100 handset: Quick look at the specs

- 5-inch 1080 x 1920p touchscreen
- Android v4.4 KitKat OS
- 1.7GHz octa core processor
- 700MHz Mali 450 GPU
- 2GB of RAM, 16GB internal space
- 32GB memory expandability
- 13MP main camera w/ flash
- 5MP front lens
- Dual SIM card slots
- 2100mAh battery

The Xolo Play 8X-1100 is currently being sold through retail outlets across the country in white, though we have no doubt that it will hit online stores soon enough.

BlackBerry banks on QWERTY smartphones, lines up Passport and Classic for India

BlackBerry is back to its QWERTY formula that made the brand a success, and plans to launch its new Passport and Classic smartphones in India within the next few months. Apart from revealing this, the company has also announced its intention to keep its physical stores open instead of moving sales purely to the online medium.

Starting with the Passport handset, its interface does not stick to the whole BlackBerry format of a QWERTY keyboard paired with a trackpad. It adopts a 4.5-inch square touchscreen and a plain old physical QWERTY layout instead. The last mentioned is also built to support personalized commands by users.

The name of the odd-looking phone is inspired from, you guessed it right, the traveler’s passport which the company describes as a ‘universal symbol of mobility.’ It will be rolled out in two color options of black and white. Not much about the BlackBery Q20 has been unveiled so far, but we do know that it will be made out of premium materials.

BlackBerry Passport key specs list:

- 4.5-inch 1440 x 1440p IPS screen
- Quad core 2.2GHz Snapdragon 800 processor
- Adreno 330 graphics
- BlackBerry 10.3 OS
- 3GB RAM, 32GB ROM, 64GB expandability
- 13MP camera with flash
- 2MP front-facing lens
- 4G, 3G, 2G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS
- 3450mAh non-removable Li-ion battery

As for the BlackBerry Classic, you get a 3.2-inch 1440 x 1440p capacitive display, 2GB RAM, 64GB microSD card support and a 1.5GHz dual core Qualcomm chip. This smartphone runs on the same OS as its awkwardly shaped companion and was previously revealed as the Q20. The company maintains that users feel the hard buttons and trackpad are typical of the QWERTY experience provided by the brand, which explains the renaming.

There’s no word on pricing or exact release dates with regards to the roll-out of the BlackBerry Passport and Classic in India, but we’ll keep you updated as soon as we hear anything.

Samsung drops Google Maps, licences Nokia’s Here Maps for its Tizen powered devices and Galaxy smartphones

Samsung is slowly but surely severing ties with Google, and the company’s latest move had it signing up Nokia’s Here Maps for its Gear smartwatch and Galaxy smartphones. The application is being made available for Tizen devices and since the upcoming Samsung Gear S is the only wearable from the brand with a GPS chip, it will only work with this one as far as we know for now.

The beta version of Nokia Here Maps for Samsung Galaxy handsets will also be rolled out for free in early October, coinciding with the date on which the aforesaid smartwatch will be launched. As we’ve known for some time, Samsung is gearing up to become independent of Google even though it announced an Android Wear device for 2014.

Since Samsung owes a big part of its success to Android and continues to earn profits from its products running on Google’s mobile OS, it’s easy to see why the company is taking it slow. But this new move to incorporate Nokia’s Here Maps into its Tizen and Android offerings cannot be disguised as anything but an open snub against the Mountain View giant.

Nokia Here Maps will power an app dubbed Navigator on Samsung’s Gear S. This is designed to deliver turn-by-turn navigation for pedestrians as well as public transit routing. While it can work as a standalone software and allows people to store data on the smartwatch for offline use, the developers say that it may be paired with Here beta for Galaxy smartphones.

Samsung Galaxy smartphone owners can download the beta version of Nokia’s Here Maps for offline usage too. It offers turn-by-turn driving or walking guidance without a data connection for nearly 100 countries across the globe. It also manages to provide public transport maps for over 750 cities without needed Internet connectivity and live traffic information for more than 40 nations.

We bet Samsung is praying that Tizen will take off well, because who knows if decisions such as this move to Nokia Here Maps for its Galaxy phones and smartwatches will be taken kindly by Google.

Oppo Neo 3 handset out for Rs 10990, is competing with Asus ZenFone

For some weird reason, the Oppo Neo 3 thinks you’ll be willing to pay Rs 10990 for it when there are competitors with better specs costing much less. Take the new ZenFone 4 which has superior specifications on a few counts, but still asks you to cough up only Rs 6999 for it.

And then let’s not forget the Xiaomi Redmi 1S handset which is priced even more competitively at Rs 5999 in spite of featuring impressive components for a device of its ilk. So let’s tell you what you’ll be getting for Rs 10990 with the Oppo Neo 3 smartphone.

If you ask us what’s the difference between the Oppo Neo and the newer device, the addition of flash is the only major change we can spot. The latter handset works on Android v4.2 Jelly Bean mated with Oppo’s proprietary ColorOS user interface.

The dual SIM device sticks to a 4.5-inch FWVGA resolution touchscreen and works on a dual core 1.3GHz processor of unnamed origin, though MediaTek is the sensible bet. It limps along on 1GB of RAM and has 4GB of memory which can be expanded by up to 32GB via its microSD card slot.

Oppo Neo 3 specs at a glance:

- Android Jelly Bean with ColorOS
- 4.5-inch FWVGA 480 x 854p display
- 1GB RAM, 4GB internal memory
- 32GB microSD card support
- Dual core 1.3GHz processor
- 5MP rear camera w/ flash
- 2MP front lens
- 3G, 2G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NFC, GPS/AGPS
- 1900mAh battery
- 65.8 x 132 x 9.2 millimeters
- 130 grams

Facebook clears the air on rumors about its new Messenger application

If think you should be annoyed about all those rumors surrounding the new Facebook Messenger app, that’s nothing compared to what the company’s feeling. Not only has its recent and most irritating move to split its mobile version seen a lot of backlash, stories about it using the chat application to spy on users have also popped up.

In case you’re not in the loop, Facebook recently started coaxing people to download a separate tool called Messenger in order to make full use of chat that is already present within the social network’s mobile app. Since the company is trying to go big in the mobile applications’ scene, it made sense for it to try and coerce folks into downloading a standalone option for chats.

You can picture what it must have been like when those who were already feeling harassed by the need to install two separate Facebook apps on their phone, saw user reviews implying that the company was spying on them. Rumors about the software requesting permission to employ the concerned device’s camera and microphone for ‘sinister purposes’ starting snowballing.

This prompted Facebook’s Peter Martinazzi to tell those silly mortals to ‘Get the Facts About Messenger’ right. The post which sounds thoroughly unrepentant about dismantling the wholesome Facebook experience on mobile notes that it does ask leave to run features such as making calls and sending pictures, videos or voice messages.

But it’s only because when you send a photo via the application, it requires permission to turn on your handset’s camera and click the intended image. Martinazzi is assuring worried folks about the camera and microphone being left untouched by Messenger when it’s not running. He also had something to say about splitting theFacebook application.

Never mind that we want to expand our opportunity to serve you ads, was not what Martinazzi said. Instead, he chose to tell everyone about how people usually respond almost 20% faster when they have Facebook Messenger.

Google Glass app called SHORE detects human emotions in real time [Video]

How people will use Google Glass is a touchy issue for many though apps such as SHORE which detects human emotions in real time, may actually be helpful to those with disabilities. Created by the Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits IIS, SHORE which stands for Sophisticated High-speed Object Recognition, employs the Google Glass camera to analyze a person’s facial expressions and guess what they are feeling.

‘Guess’ may be the appropriate word to use since SHORE’s calculations are based on understanding structure-based features, learning algorithms and a data-set consisting of over 10000 annotated faces. The potential that Google Glass has to provide the wearer personal information of anyone walking down the street by simply scanning their faces and streaming their online information, has been troubling a lot of people.

The future of dating is set to get creepy indeed, and this Vimeo video called Sightsums it up very nicely. So the Fraunhofer researchers have emphasized on SHORE’s inability to determine a person’s identity. They’re not saying it’s impossible for the software to be modified to pull up the subject’s online data, but just that it doesn’t do this. The app is capable of detecting an individual’s gender and age too.

On the positive side, SHORE in combination with Google Glass, can help the visually impaired, those with disorders like autism and others who find it difficult to gauge emotions through facial expressions. Whatever information is incomprehensible to the wearer could be superimposed in their field of vision or via transmitted audio through the glasses. Fraunhofer thinks interactive games and market researchers will be able to benefit from applications like this one too.

Since Google Glass is not commercially viable yet, it will be some time before regular folks can get their hands on a pair and test SHORE and other such useful apps for themselves.

How to back up an iPhone: Use iTunes or iCloud to make an iPhone backup

No more lost data - we show you how to use iTunes or iCloud to make an iPhone backup

With any mobile device, it's hugely important to make regular backups to prevent you from losing data such as photos, text messages, notes, voice memos, contacts and more should something happen to it. Here, we show you how to back up an iPhone using iTunes or iCloud so you don't find yourself without a way to retrieve that precious data. 

How to back up an iPhone using iTunes

There are two main ways to make a backup of your iPhone. The first is through iTunes. All you need to do is connect your iPhone to the computer that you normally sync with using the USB cable, open up iTunes and then find your device in the Devices menu on the left of the iTunes window. 

In the 'Summary' field (which should be the default landing page when you click on your device), click Back Up Now. It might take a while, but when it's finished, you'll have a complete backup of your iPhone on the computer. Now, if you happen to drop your iPhone down the loo tomorrow, or you lose it on the way home, you'll still have all of the data that was stored on that iPhone stored on your computer. You'll be able to plug in a new iPhone and restore all of that data onto the new device.

Back an your iPhone using iCloud

The second way to back up your iPhone uses Apple's iCloud feature. It will back up your device whenever you're connected to a WiFi network, so there's no chance you'll forget to back up your iPhone, unlike the iTunes backup method. 

If you choose to use iCloud as your method of backing up your data, you'll need to go to Settings > iCloud > Storage & Backup and then toggle the iCloud Backup switch on. Your device will now automatically back up your camera roll, accounts, documents and settings content when it is charging, locked and connected to WiFi.

You only get 5GB of free storage in iCloud, though, so you may find that you want to pay a the extra to get an additional 10GB per year, 20GB per year or 50GB per year (£14, £28 or £70 respectively). Before you cough up the cash, though, check whether there's anything you can cut out of your backup.

iCloud automatically backs up the following:

• Photos and videos in your Camera Roll
• Device settings
• App data
• Home screen and app organisation
• iMessage, text (SMS) and MMS messages
• Ringtones
• Visual Voicemail

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Apple also stores the most recent 1,000 photos from your Photo Stream if you've turned on that feature. You can do so by going to Settings > iCloud > Photos and then toggle My Photo Stream. These photos don't count against your storage quota.

What isn't backed up with iCloud, though, is music and apps, though if you've purchased them from iTunes or the iOS App Store you'll be able to easily re-download them for free should you need to restore an iPhone from your backup.

If you find that you are running out of iCloud storage space, it's worth checking that you're not backing up anything you don't really need before you pay for more storage. Go to Settings > General > Usage on your iPhone and then scroll down to Manage Storage. Tap on your device, and go to Backup Options. Here, you can turn off backups for individual apps.

Videocon rolls out VStyle Smart phone for Rs 2950 and 4 other handsets

Videocon has gone full throttle and launched fournew feature phones called the V-Style Mega, V-Style Curve, V-Style Flip and V-Style Mini in India. Apart from these, the company has also let loose the V-Style Smart device running on Android, a competitor to the Intex and Spice Mozilla Firefox OS phones.

The Videocon V-Style Smart works on the very outdated Android 2.3.5 Gingerbread OS and costs Rs 2950. It has a 3.5-inch 320 x 480p HVGA resolution screen and a 1GHz processor. There’s a measly 128MB of RAM under the hood and 256MB of ROM along with 16GB microSD card support.

The dual SIM and dual standby handset is powered by a 1300mAh battery, has a basic 1.3MPback camera and a 118mm x 61.2mm x 9.6mm body. It can connect to GPRS, EDGE, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. In terms of looks, you couldn’t ask for any design more generic than the one sported by the V-Style Smart.

The V-Style Mini carries a price of Rs 1299 and a QVGA resolution 2-inch screen phone. It also offers the standard specs you’d expect of it such as a VGA camera, 16GB memory expandability, Bluetooth support, GPRS connectivity, FM radio and a decent capacity 1000mAh battery.

The Videocon V-Style Flip and V-Style Curve are each pegged at Rs 1749. The former has 16GBmicroSD card support, while the latter allows for double the expansion. On other counts, both feature phones are remarkably alike. The first mentioned handset also arrives with a flip cover.

Each has a 2.4-inch QVGA panel, 900mAh rechargeable cell, a 1.3MP snapper, GPRS compatibility and FM radio. The Rs 1999 Videocon V-Style Mega boasts of a 3-inch IPS display, a 1.3MP camera, 32GB microSD card support, FM radio, GPRS, Bluetooth and a 1000mAh battery.

Spice Fire One – Mi FX1 out for Rs 2229, is India’s 2nd Firefox OS phone

The Spice Fire One – Mi FX1 Firefox OS smartphone should technically be up for the taking at a price if Rs 2229, as announced previously. But online retailer Snapdeal, through which it was supposed to be made available initially, is still to add the device to its listings.

On the other hand, the Intex Cloud FX is already up for grabs as a Snapdeal exclusive for Rs 1999. Spice has yet to reveal all the details of the Fire One – Mi FX1, but we know you’re wondering about the difference in prices between the two handsets.

It starts with the fact that the Spice Fire One has a front camera of 1.3MP unlike its only other current Firefox OS rival in India. Owing to Mozilla’s partnership with Spectrum, we expect to see a processor from the latter inside the Mi – FX1, of course.

Spice Fire One Mi – FX1 main specifications list:

- Mozilla Firefox OS
- 3.5-inch 320 x 480p capacitive display
- 1GHz processor
- Dual SIM card slots
- 2MP rear camera, 1.3MP front lens
- 2G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth connectivity

As you can tell from the specs we’ve lined up above, the Spice phone is a very basic device which is almost totally based on the reference design dictated by Mozilla. A fun fact – just like the Cloud FX, even this handset is practically the first generation iPhone of 2014 if you compare the features.

We’ll give you the word as soon as the Spice Fire One Mi – FX1 hits availability status on Snapdeal. Meanwhile, here’s the link you can follow in order to buy the aforesaid Intex smartphone.

IRCTC brings ticket booking app to BlackBerry World

Available now on the BlackBerry World is the IRCTC ticketing app which will allow BB loyalists to ensure that their tickets are booked right through their smartphones. It’s only meant for BB 10 devices at the moment, and can be downloaded free of cost of course.

Describing it as an ‘easy and streamlined train booking service,’ Annie Mathew, who’s the director of the business development and alliance over at BlackBerry India has asserted that the company is ‘excited’ to bring the IRCTC app to BB World. ‘Increasing smartphone perpetration and the increasing dependence on mobile applications,’ is what has propelled the Indian body to release this product, according to her.

Apart from booking tickets, you can make use of the app for other important tasks as well, thus enhancing your travelling experience further. For instance, if you’ve booked a waitlisted ticket, your reservation status will be accessible from right inside the application, whereas the schedules and routes of trains will also be available.

And that’s not all, using the IRCTC app on your BlackBerry devices you can check the availability of tickets for a particular train or journey whenever you wish to. Other traits that form part of its offerings include the ability to cancel tickets, view stuff like booking history, recent history, favorites and the facility to add passengers as contacts.

Like we said, the IRCTC app is live now on the BlackBerry World storefront as a free download. The app is already available through the Windows Phone Store since late last year.

Uber slim Sony Xperia T3 outed at Rs 27990 in India

The Sony Xperia T3 has been launched in India with its price set at Rs 27990 pleasingly soon after the smartphone made its first appearance in June, ensuring fans over here aren’t left feeling like they got access to the device late. Equipped with the Android 4.4 KitKat OS, it kicks in mid-range specs and comes wrapped in a stainless steel frame.

The Xperia T3 features a 5.3-inch 720p HD displayand a Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 chipset bearing a 1.4GHz quad core processor. It’s a very slim device, with a thickness of just 7mm. An 8MP Sony Exmor RS camera forms part of its offerings as well, apart from a 1.1MP front-facing snapper.

Sony has granted this smartphone 8GB worth of internal memory which you can expand further by means of its microSD card slot that can accommodate up to 32GB. A 2500mAh battery has made its way into the Xperia T3 smartphone, providing it with 13 hours of talk time and 688 hours of standby time.

Here’s a quick glance at the full list of Sony Xperia T3 specs:

- Display: 5.3-inch, 720p HD
- OS: Android 4.4 KitKat
- Processor: 1.4GHz quad core Qualcomm Snapdragon 400
- Memory: 1GB RAM, 8GB storage (expandable up to 32GB)
- Camera: 8MP rear, 1.1MP
- Battery: 2500mAh
- Dimensions: 150.7mm x 77mm x 7mm
- Weight: 148gms
- Connectivity: Wi-Fi, Miracast, Bluetooth 4.0, DLNA, NFC, USB, GPS

Dubbed as the slimmest 5.3-inch smartphone right now, the Sony Xperia T3 will soon be seen arriving on store shelves in India. If you’re interested in purchasing it, be sure to set aside a sum of Rs 27990 before you charge forward.

Apple updates MacBook Pro lineup with more RAM and faster CPUs

Apple has updated its Retina display MacBook Prolaptop series with more RAM and faster processors, in keeping with rumors we’ve been hearing about the company pulling such a move. The improved hardware will be followed by the fall 2014 launch of the 11th major release of OS X dubbed Yosemite.

No cosmetic changes have been made to the 13-inch and 15-inch models, but you can expect them to be more powerful because of the upgraded internal components we’ve mentioned above. What’s more, the older 13-inch non-Retina laptop, the AppleMacBook Pro with an optical drive, is currently available for a reduced rate of $1099, its original specifications being left intact.

The 13-inch Macbook Pro gets a makeover in the RAM department, now featuring 8GB RAM instead of merely 4GB. The 512GB capacity version which houses a dual core 2.8GHz Intel i7 chip, costs $1799. You’ll have to cough up $1299 for a 128GB Retina MacBook Pro or $1499 for a 256GB option, with both being powered by dual core Intel i5 processors clocked at 2.6GHz.

If you want to go bigger with the screen, then the 2014 15-inch MacBook Pro comes with 16GB RAM which is up from 8GB. For $1999, you get a 4th generation 2.2GHz quad core Intel i7processor, Intel Iris Pro graphics and 256GB storage. $2499 will buy you a 2.5GHz quad core Intel i7 Pro variant with 512GB memory, Intel Iris Pro graphics and GeForce GT 750M muscle.

The updated 13-inch and 15-inch Apple Retina MacBook Pro notebooks have started shipping out to customers already. For more money, you can also choose to order these laptops with even faster processors and up to 1TB storage.