Saturday, 2 August 2014

Fone Arena

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Fone Arena

Google Now Launcher now available for all devices running Android 4.1 or higher

Posted: 01 Aug 2014 07:16 PM PDT

Google Now Launcher arrived along with the Google Nexus 5 running Android 4.4 (KitKat) so that you can directly access Google Now from the home screen. Back in February Google released the Google Now Launcher on Google Play for its Nexus and Google Play Edition devices running Android 4.4 (KitKat). Today Google has released the Google Now Launcher for all devices running Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean) or higher. Even though you could side-load Google Now launcher APK on other devices before, the Google Play app would offer you instant updates. httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ma-DGvCajWM Features of Google Now Launcher Google Now on your home screen - it's easier than ever to get just the right information at just the right time. Just say "Ok Google" - when you're on your home screen, just say "Ok Google" to trigger voice input. Then say your search query. Or tell your phone what to do, like send a text message, get directions, or play a song. Faster search - tap the search box and you can enter your query immediately. Easy access to your favorite Google products and services, like Gmail, YouTube, and Maps. Larger viewing area - the status and navigation bars are now translucent, so your wallpaper pops from every pixel, and ...

HTC One running Windows Phone revealed in leaked press render

Posted: 01 Aug 2014 06:51 PM PDT

Rumors of HTC's upcoming Windows Phone handset have been going around for a while now. That the handset will be a play on the popular HTC One M8 was also expected. Today, we get a look at a leaked render of the handset that shows it to be nigh identical to its Android counterpart. The render emerged on Verizon's site and shows hardware that is very similar to the Android running HTC One M8. The all metal device can be seen in a slate grey color. Above and below the display are HTC BoomSound speakers but surprisingly the lower grill is skewed much further down. If it is an intentional design feature, we find it quite off putting but we'll retain our judgement till we've actually got some time with the phone. The device will also supposedly bring along the IR Blaster alongside the HTC TV application. Given Windows Phone's reluctance towards allowing a deeper level of customization, HTC has spun off BlinkFeed into an application. The live tile also shows how it would pull in the latest from chosen feeds and display them on the homescreen itself. The phone will run Windows Phone 8.1 Update 1 and will have onscreen controls. ...

Xiaomi reveals: 15,000 Mi 3 units up for sale on August 5

Posted: 01 Aug 2014 06:37 PM PDT

The first two Xiaomi flash sales left quite a few disappointed, after they were unable to purchase the device. Both times, the Mi 3 went out of stock pretty quickly; 39 minutes the first time, and an astounding 5 seconds is what the Xiaomi Mi 3 took to go out of stock during the first and second flash sales respectively. What left Indian buyers confused was the fact that Xiaomi failed to reveal the number of device that went on sale each time. The company has been in the flash sale business for quite some time, and it isn't often that they don't unveil the number of devices that were sold. However, the good thing here is that they've revealed the number this time. The next flash sale is set to happen on August 5th, registrations for which have been going on since 29th July. Xiaomi announced via their social feeds that 15,000 units of the device will be made available for the August 5th sale, which is believed to be more than either of the previous sales. A previous report suggested that 20,000 units of the device have been sold in both sales combined, so 15,000 for one is definitely on the ...

NomadPlus Apple wall charger doubles up as a portable charger

Posted: 01 Aug 2014 07:01 AM PDT

Nomad, popular for its ChargeKey, a keychain-sized USB cable has introduced NomadPlus, a wall charger for Apple smartphones that has a built-in battery to charge the smartphone even when you remove it. It has a 1500mAh battery that promises to charge your Apple smartphone up to 70% after you unplug it from the wall. Even though it packs a built-in battery, it weighs just 60 grams, lighter than portable battery pack and waller charger combined. Since it offers 5V / 1A output, it can even be used for charging other smartphones and tablets by plugging in a micro USB cable. Once you plug it in the wall, it charges the phone first, then charges the battery inside, offering consistent power for your device. The NomadPlus Apple wall charger costs US$39 and is available for pre-order. It would ship by November. The company recently introduced NomadKey, an upgraded version of the ChargeKey that has been re-designed with tougher materials and MFi certification. This costs US $29 and would ship in late August. The NomadClip, carabiner sized cable costs $39 and would ship  early October. Both the NomadKey and NomadClip would be available in Apple Lightning or USB variants.

Samsung Gear Live Unboxing

Posted: 01 Aug 2014 06:12 AM PDT

Samsung Gear Live is the company's first Android Wear smartwatch that has almost similar specifications as its Gear 2 smartwatch that runs on Tizen OS. The Gear Live was announced at the Google I/O in June and it was immediately listed on the Indian Play Store. It went on sale in India last month for Rs. 15,900, but it is currently out of stock. We already brought you the hands-on impressions and the photo gallery of the Gear Live from the Google I/O in June. Now we have the device for unboxing. Check out the unboxing and initial setup below. httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hjxJYF9yM10 Box contents Samsung Gear Live smartwatch in Black 2-pin USB charger Charging cradle Warranty guide and user manual The Gear Live has a 1.63 inch (320 x 320 pixels) Super AMOLED display, powered by a 1.2 GHz processor, comes with sensors to calculate fitness data and even has heart rate sensor on the back. The smartwatch has stainless steel body and a silicon rubber strap. It has built-in microphones so that you can use "Ok Google" voice commands to search. It has IP67 certification for water and dust resistance and packs a 300 mAh battery that promises one day battery life. It works with all Android smartphones ...

OnePlus One Giveaway

Posted: 01 Aug 2014 05:42 AM PDT

The OnePlus One is a great flagship device that comes at an affordable price, but it has made a name for itself in the industry for being almost impossible to attain. The folks at OnePlus decided to go through with an invite system that ensured limited availability since launch and the fact that it ships to only a few countries doesn't really help. We, after a long struggle, had got hold of, not one, but two OnePlus One devices. You might have seen us unbox one and show off another unopened box at the end of this unboxing video - httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6994zsq5eho We are giving that away. Yes, we are giving the elusive OnePlus One away, a 64 GB Sandstone black version, and all you have to do is - Subscribe to our YouTube channel (if you haven't already) Drop a comment on our YouTube video <-- If you have already subscribed, this will get you an entry Share it with your friends on Facebook and Twitter To help make sharing easier, Click this link for sharing on Twitter. So, what are you waiting for? Participate, and share this post with your friends to let them know about the FoneArena OnePlus One giveaway! Here's the video that can take ...

Android accounts for 85% of smartphone share in Q2 of 2014, Xiaomi hits fifth spot: Report

Posted: 01 Aug 2014 04:55 AM PDT

Android continued its dominance in the smartphone market and accounted for a record 84.6% share of global smartphone shipments in Q2 of 2014, according to research by Strategy Analytics. Global smartphone shipments reached 295.2 million units in Q2 said the report. "Global smartphone shipments grew 27 percent annually from 233.0 million units in Q2 2013 to 295.2 million in Q2 2014. We estimate worldwide smartphone growth has halved during the past year, from 49 percent a year ago to 27 percent today. " said Linda Sui, Director at Strategy Analytics in an official release. Android accounted for 249.6 million smartphones shipped in the quarter, up from 186.8 million a year earlier, and about seven times more than the 35.2 million Apple iOS phones shipped. The market share of Apple's iOS slipped to 11.9% in the quarter from 13.4% in the same quarter last year. Microsoft saw Windows Phone sales decline to eight million units in the quarter from 8.9 million a year ago resulting into a dropped market share to 2.7% from 3.8%. Giving insight about smartphone vendor market share Strategy Analytics said that Samsung remained the world's largest smartphone vendor, with an estimated 74.5 million phones sold as compared to 76.0 million a year earlier. ...

Samsungs launches flagship customer service plaza in Delhi

Posted: 01 Aug 2014 03:53 AM PDT

Samsung today opened its first flagship Customer Service Plaza in Delhi that aims to offer best in class after sales service for Samsung customers. It also has specialized zones for product demonstrations and customer interactions. Each Plaza will have three distinct zones – the Greeting Zone, Consulting Zone and Interactive Repair Zone. This also offers live repairs in front of the customer to ensure complete transparency in terms of repair charges and parts replacement. Located at Okhla in Delhi, the service plaza is huge at 26,000 sq. ft. After sales service is a huge concern in country like India, where several companies don't have service centres in all the cities in the country to serve the customers. Samsung has 2,800 service touch points, biggest service network in consumer electronics industry, supported by a network of nearly 50 parts warehouses and 4 world-class training academies, said the company. The company offers remote support through 3G technology for Smartphones and Smart TVs. It recently introduced pick and drop facility for select flagship Smartphone models. Samsung plans to extend the Flagship Plaza concept to major Indian cities in future. Speaking at the launch, B.D. Park, President and CEO, Samsung South-West Asia, said At Samsung, our strengths lie ...

Facebook’s Slingshot app gets updated with Reactions feature

Posted: 01 Aug 2014 03:40 AM PDT

Facebook rolled out its self destructing messaging app Slingshot globally in June. Today, the social network is updating the app with 'reactions', a feature that enables users to reply with a reaction to photos without having to first reply with another photo. We've heard (and seen) how much people love reacting to shots in their feed. So why should the fun end after one reaction? Today we're excited to announce that reactions to reactions are here! Starting today, you can reply to any reaction with a photo, video or text. said Facebook in a company blog post. The latest version of the app allows you to respond with a photo, video, or just text.  Users can now exchange an unlimited number of reaction messages. Facebook also made some performance improvements, letting you snap pics quicker among other small fixes. In addition to the reactions to reactions feature, Facebook also added a "My People" feature that shows other Slingshot friends. This displays friends from your contact as well as Facebook in a list form. Instagram rolled out its photo and video messaging app Bolt in selected countries earlier this week. You can download the Slingshot update from Google Play Store and Apple App Store.

Xolo Play 8X-1000 with HIVE UI set to launch on August 6th

Posted: 01 Aug 2014 03:15 AM PDT

Earlier this week we reported that Xolo would launch its Play 8X-1000 smartphone with HIVE UI in the first week of August. The company has just sent out press invites for the HIVE event. Even though the invite did not mention any details about the smartphone, the company already confirmed that Play 8X-1000 would be its first smartphone with HIVE UI. According to earlier rumors the Xolo Play 8X-1000 would feature a 5 inch HD display with Gorilla Glass 3 protection, powered by an octa-core processor and 2GB of RAM. The HIVE UI based on Android KitKat introduces a new user introduce such as new quick settings screen with circular controls to adjust brightness, controlling volume levels and setting the screen timeout, new lockscreen, Media Centre with last.fm integration for recommendations, new Contacts Book that lets you access all the conversations with a contact in a single thread, custom themes, customizable app drawer and more. We will bring you more details about the smartphone from the launch event next week.

OnePlus One Benchmarks

Posted: 01 Aug 2014 02:55 AM PDT

OnePlus introduced the OnePlus One smartphone earlier this year. It went on sale in select countries through invite system. We already brought you the unboxing and the complete review of the smartphone, here we have the benchmarks. It is powered by a quad-core Snapdragon 801 (MSM8974) 28nm HPm Krait 400 CPU clocked at 2.46 GHz per core and has Adreno 330 GPU. It comes with a 5.5-inch (1920 ×1080 pixels) Full HD LTPS display, 3GB  RAM and runs on Android 4.4 (KitKat) based CyanogenMod 11S . Check out the synthetic benchmark scores below. httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sHjCi6Bpzrc Quadrant Benchmark It scores 24331 points in the Quadrant benchmark and lies behind the One M8. AnTuTu Benchmark 4 In the AnTuTu Benchmark 4, it scored 37151 points and grabs the third spot, behind the Find 7. Vellamo 2.0 HTML5 It managed to scored just 1503 points in Vellamo 2 HTML5 browser benchmark. Vellamo 2.0 Metal It tops the Vellamo 2 Metal CPU subsytem performance test by scoring 1404 points. Linpack Single Thread It managed to clock around 406.9 MFLOPS in the Linpack Single Thread benchmark. Linpack Multi-Thread It managed to clock around 525.4 MFLOPS in Linpack Multi-Thread benchmark. NenaMark 2 It clocked 62.5 fps and topped the NenaMark 2 GPU benchmark. GFXBench 2.7 T-Rex (On screen) In GFXBench 2.7 T-Rex OnScreen benchmark, it clocked ...

Sony ,Panasonic, Japan Display and INCJ jointly launch JOLED Inc

Posted: 01 Aug 2014 02:35 AM PDT

Sony Corp, Panasonic Corp and Japan Display Inc has announced a joint venture to develop organic light-emitting diode (OLED) displays, with the government-backed Innovation Network Corp of Japan (INCJ) taking a majority stake. The companies have established a new entity that will be called JOLED Inc which will focus on medium sized OLED displays in tablets, smartphones mobile PCs and wearables. OLED technology enables displays to be lighter, thinner and more flexible. The new company is scheduled to be launched in January 2015. As a result of joint venture INCJ and JDI will respectively hold 75% and 15% of the voting rights in JOLED, and Sony and Panasonic will each hold 5%. In addition, INCJ and JDI plans to make additional investments to fund a pilot manufacturing plant when the technology is ready for commercialization. The venture will integrate Sony and Panasonic's OLED R&D functions with an aim to accelerate the development of OLED panels and become a leader in the global OLED display market. It aims to bring together technology from all parties including flexible displays, printing technology for OLED production and transparent amorphous oxide semiconductors.

Asus Zenfone 6 Review

Posted: 01 Aug 2014 02:08 AM PDT

Asus launched the Zenfone series of smartphones in India last month. We reviewed the Zenfone 5 recently. The Zenfone 6, top-end model in the series with a 6-inch HD display is priced at Rs. 16,999. It is one of the few large-screen smartphones in this price range to launch in India recently, apart from smartphones like the Xolo Q2500 PocketPad and Lava Magnum X604 from local manufacturers. Asus has been using Intel Atom processors for its Fonepad tablets, even the Zenfone smartphones are powered by Intel Atom processors. Is the Zenfone 6 one of the best large-screen smartphones in this range? Let us find out in the review. Unboxing We unboxed the Zenfone 6 recently. Check out the unboxing below. httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QAEQfU7E6dE Box Contents ASUS Zenfone 6 in black color Micro USB cable 2-pin charger Headphones with mic and extra sets of earbuds Information booklet Design and Hardware The phone has a huge 6-inch display at a resolution of 1280 by 720 pixels with a pixel density of about 245 ppi. With brightness of 400 nits, the display is bright and the colors are vibrant. Viewing angles are decent indoors, but sunlight legibility is not the best in outdoor conditions since the screen is reflective. It has Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection ...

Amazon expands App Store to 41 new countries

Posted: 01 Aug 2014 01:26 AM PDT

Amazon has expanded the reach of its app store in 41 new countries putting more focus on Africa, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia. The app store has now expanded its global presence in total 236 countries. "This expansion represents an opportunity for Amazon developers to target new areas in Africa, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia, including some of the most populous and connected nations in the world. Singapore, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Nigeria, Bangladesh, Egypt, and Turkey are just a few examples." said Peter Heinrich of Amazon Appstore in a blog post. The entire list of 41 new countries and territories where the Amazon App Store is now supported and accessible includes Algeria, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Brunei Darussalam, Burkina, Faso, Chad, Djibouti,  Egypt,  Eritrea,  Gambia,  Guinea, Indonesia,Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Niger, Nigeria, OmanPakistan, Palestinian Territories, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Sierra Leone,  Singapore,  Somalia,  Tajikistan,  Tunisia,  Turkey,  Turkmenistan, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, and Yemen. Not all apps within the Amazon Appstore catalog will be available in all regions due to local laws and restrictions on certain apps and content.  Amazon claimed in June that the Appstore hosts more than 240,000 applications for Android which is still way less as compared to the number of apps available in Apple's App Store and Google's Play Store, which are offering more than 1 billion apps each. Yesterday, ...

Samsung Galaxy S5 LTE-A (SM-G901) coming to Europe with full HD display

Posted: 01 Aug 2014 12:21 AM PDT

Samsung Galaxy S5 LTE-A was released exclusively in South Korea but now according to SamMobile, the phone is coming to Europe as well. The European variant which carries a model number SM-G901 had recently appeared on GFXBenchmark. The specs in the benchmarks stated that the phone runs on 2.5 GHz Snapdragon 805 processor similar to that of the South Korean variant. However, the Galaxy S5 LTE-A European version will sport a standard 1080p Full HD resolution instead of 1440 x 2560 pixels Quad HD on the Korean model. In addition, the display of the SM-G901 allegedly measures 5.2 inches which is an inch larger than that found on both the Galaxy S5 LTE-A and the regular Galaxy S5. It must be noted that the that benchmark tests are not always accurate and hence these features are prone to changes. Other specifications of the SM-G901 are  16 MP rear camera and a 2 MP front-facing camera. Also it will bear a 2 GB of RAM and 16GB of internal memory. It is not clear when Samsung might formally announce this model, but considering a European variant the Galaxy LTE-A might be announced at the IFA 2014 in Berlin in September. Earlier this month there were reports stating that Samsung Galaxy ...

Twitter buys password security start-up Mitro

Posted: 31 Jul 2014 11:09 PM PDT

Twitter has acquired password security firm Mitro for an undisclosed sum. Founded in 2012, Mitro's primary product is a web browser extension that allowed users to store and share passwords. Mitro is a secure password manager that lets users share password information within specified groups. The software uses encryption to ensure passwords stay safe. It will join Twitter and will focus on variety of geo-related projects as a result of the acquisition. "We've been working hard to build a secure, easy-to-use password manager for individuals and groups. We've made great progress and we believe that the community can help us accomplish even more" said Mitro in a company blog post. Mitro also announced that it is releasing its "server and client code" on Github for others to build upon. Twitter added two-factor authentication, similar to Google and Facebook last year in May. The latest acquisition comes a month after it bought mobile ad start-up Tap Commerce. via:Tech Crunch

Samsung Galaxy Alpha with Exynos 5433 Octa, 12MP camera could be announced on August 13

Posted: 31 Jul 2014 10:40 PM PDT

SamMobile stated just two days ago that the Samsung Galaxy Alpha will be launched on August 4.  However, a new report from AllAboutSamsung says that the company's first ever Android smartphone to sport a metallic design is now said to be launching on August 13. It looks like the Galaxy Alpha will be a little smaller than the Galaxy S5, but will be encompassed in a metal rim framing body. The mid-range handset is said to feature a 4.8-inch 720p screen, an octa-core processor, most likely the Exynos 5 Octa 5433, which has four Cortex A15 cores and four Cortex A7 cores. It is expected to boast of a 12 MP rear and 2 MP front camera. The German Samsung centric blog further touts that the Galaxy Alpha will have 2 GB of RAM, and 32 GB of non-expandable internal memory and will run on  Android 4.4.4 KitKat. It will also include a heart rate sensor and a finger print scanner. Live images of the smartphone surfaced online last week confirming that the phone comes with nano sim card slot. Samsung is also expected to announce the Galaxy Note 4 at the IFA 2014. via:PhoneArena

Microsoft updates Office for iPad with PDF exporting, third party fonts and more

Posted: 31 Jul 2014 10:00 PM PDT

Microsoft has updated Office for iPad with several features that makes the app more productive. For starters, the app now supports exporting files to PDF from Word, Excel, and PowerPoint and this can be done even without an Office 365 subscription. All the three apps has gained new Picture Tools that let users crop to focus on the right part of an image. Each of the app also gets support for third party fonts. Printing options have been expanded too and now allows users to choose from more scaling and paper sizes. Microsoft said that this update adds more power to Powerpoint as it now enables Presenter View when projecting to another screen, so that you can preview your notes and view next slide. PowerPoints can now be enhanced by background music or by adding videos. Additionally, new eraser and open settings make annotations even easier also hyperlinks can be edited. Excel 1.1 gets Flick to Select, allowing users to flick a cell's selection handle in any direction to quickly and easily select all the data in a row or column. Another important feature added to Excel is  PivotTables  that are key to helping explore that data. With Excel for iPad you can now sort, filter, expand ...

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