Xiaomi Redmi 5 and Redmi 5 Plus to arrive in 4 colors

10:47 AM

Xiaomi will announce the Redmi 5 and the Redmi 5 Plus on December 7, but we already know the color options for the phones. The company spokesperson Donovan Sung posted on Twitter a set of photos, revealing the Redmi 5 will arrive in Black, Pink and Blue while the bigger version will be available in Black and Gold.

Xiaomi Redmi 5 colors

The Xiaomi Redmi 5 phones are advertised as “A phone for a thousand”, meaning it will cost CNY1,000 or around $150/€127. For this price Xiaomi is expected to offer the Redmi 5 with 3 GB RAM and 32 GB storage (but more powerful configurations are also on the way).

Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus colors

Other alleged specs include 5.7” FullView display with HD+ resolution on the Redmi 5 and 6” tall screen with FullHD+ resolution for the Plus variant. The OS was already confirmed by Xiaomi to be Android Nougat 7.1.2 with stable MIUI 9 on top.

Read More ...

Life gets tougher for alternative mobile OSes Tizen, Firefox and Ubuntu

8:51 AM

Life gets tougher for alternative mobile OSes Tizen, Firefox and Ubuntu

An increased focus on affordable smartphones running Android
has left smaller operating systems behind

SamSung Tizen-baSed z1

The future doesn’t look very bright right now for alternative mobile operating systems Firefox OS, Tizen and Ubuntu. It’s always been difficult to attract developers to these platforms, and now smartphones powered by the OSes are also falling behind affordable Android devices on hardware specs. So not only must their users put up with a smaller selection of apps, but also with less powerful devices. Struggling to compete with Apple in the high-end of the smartphone market, the Android camp has increasingly turned its attention to mid-range and low-end products. While this has been good for consumers looking for more affordable products, it has turned up the competitive heat on Firefox OS, Tizen and Ubuntu. Case in point: Samsung Electronics’ Tizenbased Z1, which after many delays premiered this year in India, a country with a low smartphone penetration. But others also saw the opportunity, and today competition in India and many other developing countries is even more heated than in Europe and the US. The Z1 has a 1.2GHz dual-core processor and a 4in, 480x800-pixel screen. There is a 3Mp camera on the back and a VGA camera on the front. The price tag in India is now about 5,000 rupees (£51). For the same money, the new Honor Bee from Huawei Technologies has a 1.2GHz quad-core and a 4.5in, 480x854- pixel screen. The main camera has an 8Mp resolution and there is a 2Mp for selfies. The Bee, which runs Android, has twice the storage at 8GB. Consumers willing to spend another £30 on a more advanced model get a bigger HD screen and LTE. Firefox OS smartphones are also struggling to compete. Japanese mobile operator KDDI and LG Electronics have developed the FxO, a Firefox OS-based phone with a 4.7in HD screen and LTE. But it costs Y49,680 (£266), while Android-based smartphones in the same price range in Japan offer bigger full-HD screens, faster processors and more storage. There are signs that at least Firefox OS developer Mozilla Foundation and Ubuntu

developer Canonical are trying to step up hardware efforts. Mozilla is working to ensure future Firefox OS smartphones meet or exceed expectations in terms of performance and reliability, at all price points, CEO Chris Beard said in a recent email to the community. As part of this reboot, Mozilla CTO Andreas Gal, who co-created Firefox OS and wrote the first lines of code, is leaving Mozilla this week. The push to build £25 smartphones hasn’t been as successful as the organization had hoped. The lesson is that Firefox OS phones have to offer something more than just a low price. Meanwhile, Canonical is working with Spanish hardware maker BQ on a highend Ubuntu-based smartphone designed to double as a PC when connected to an external screen and keyboard, according to Cristian Parrino, vice president of Mobile and Online Services at Canonical. It will also be the first Ubuntu device that’s not based on a previously released Android smartphone. “For once we’d like to come out with a device at the same time as it comes out on Android,” Parrino said. For example, BQ launched recently its second device running Canonical’s OS, the €200 (£143) Aquaris E5 HD Ubuntu Edition, whose Android edition started shipping last year. The smartphone has a 5in HD screen, a 13Mp rear camera and a 5Mp front

camera. While the launch is a step in the right direction, the smartphone lacks LTE and features a low-end quad-core 1.3GHz Cortex-A7 processor from MediaTek. One development that would help all the OSes is wider support from smartphone manufacturers, but up and coming vendors such as Xiaomi and India’s Micromax Informatics have showed little interest in the newcomers, preferring Android instead. Xiaomi has its own MIUI user interface and Micromax is collaborating with Cyanogen. The alternative operating systems don’t have enough scale. When even Microsoft is struggling to compete, it’s hard to see how the smaller platforms can make a difference, Micromax chairman Sanjay Kapoor said in an interview earlier this year. To help with growth, Samsung has installed Tizen on smartwatches and TVs. The latter is a product category Mozilla is going after, as well. Panasonic has started rolling out its first Firefox OS Viera TVs. Success won’t come easier in these two sectors, but it could help raise the profile of the two operating systems. Still, with a combined market share of less than 0.4 percent, all three operating systems face an uphill battle, and if they disappear, it would be a loss for consumers, because it would mean less competitive pressure for Apple and Google.

Read More ...

OnePlus 2

9:57 AM

OnePlus 2

The new OnePlus phone is launching on 27 July.
Here we look at the already confi rmed features

Android Advisor Issue 16 - 2015

 

Unlike most phone launches, OnePlus long ago confirmed it would be bringing a new
phone to the market this year, and it wasn't long before we knew it would be the OnePlus 2.
OnePlus is gradually announcing the phone's new features on social media, including when we'll fi rst
see it, how much it will cost and specifi cations.Here we've rounded up all the o cial details about the OnePlus 2 so you know what's coming.

We know that the OnePlus 2 will be announced on 27 July and it will be the 'world's fi rst product launch in VR. The fi rm has made its own Cardboard for the event and the 30,000 units have sold out.

The fi rm has also announced that the OnePlus 2 will cost less than $450, which translates to around
£300 - we reckon the OnePlus 2 will cost £299.

The fi rst specifi cation OnePlus confi rmed is a Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 64-bit octa-core chip.
This is version 2.1 of the chip and the company promises there won't be any overheating problems.

Next on the list is a USB Type-C port, which is reversible, charges faster and can even be used to charge other devices.

For security, OnePlus is matching rivals including Apple and Samsung by putting a fi ngerprint scanner on the OnePlus 2. This will presumably be used to unlock the device and authorise payments.

Finally, the OnePlus 2 will come with a whopping 4GB of RAM, which is the most we've seen in a
phone. This phone will be a powerhouse!

Will I need an invite to buy OnePlus 2?

Yes. Well, o cially in any case. OnePlus has now made the OnePlus One available without an invite
any day of the week, but has at the same time confirmed that the OnePlus 2 will use the same
invitation-only system.OnePlus said: "With the experiences we’ve gained with the One, we will be far more prepared to make the same transition with the OnePlus 2. Yes, the 2 will initially launch with invites."We’re committed to maintaining razor-thin margins to give as much value as possible back to our users, and this drastically increases our risk. "The OnePlus 2 will bring the challenges that come along with a brand-new product and, initially, our invite system will help us to manage that risk. It also helps us to be sure that every OnePlus 2 user gets the amazing experience that they deserve."As before with the OnePlus One, however, it will be possible to buy the OnePlus 2 from a third party. Geekbuying has already confi rmed to us that it will stock the OnePlus 2 as soon as possible.

Read More ...

Samsung Galaxy S6

6:48 PM

Samsung Galaxy S6

 

Also known as Samsung Galaxy S6 SM-G920

Curved screen version available - Samsung Galaxy S6 edge

Available versions: SM-G9200 (Hong Kong), SM-G9208 (China), SM-G9208/SS (China), SM-G9209 (China), SM-G920A (AT&T), SM-G920F (Global), SM-G920FD (Pakistan, Philippines), SM-G920I (LATAM, Singapore, India, Australia), SM-G920S (Korea), SM-G920T (T-Mobile)

 

Link

 

Read More ...

Apple - iPhone 6

1:07 PM

Apple - iPhone 6

Bigger than bigger

iPhone 6 isn’t simply bigger — it’s better in every way. Larger, yet dramatically thinner. More powerful, but remarkably power efficient. With a smooth metal surface that seamlessly meets the new Retina HD display. It’s one continuous form where hardware and software function in perfect unison, creating a new generation of iPhone that’s better by any measure.
Watch the ads

iPhone 6 

5.5 inches & 4.7inches

iPhone 6 Plus

iPhone at its largest. And thinnest.

Developing an iPhone with a larger, more advanced display meant pushing the edge of design. From the seamless transition of glass and metal to the streamlined profile, every detail was carefully considered to enhance your experience. So while its display is larger, iPhone 6 feels just right.
Learn more about Design

6.9mm

iPhone 6

7.1mm

iPhone 6 Plus

Not just a bigger display. A better display.

It’s one thing to make a bigger display. It’s something else entirely to make a bigger Multi‑Touch display with brilliant colors and higher contrast at even wider viewing angles. But that’s exactly what we did with the new Retina HD display.
Learn more about the Retina HD display

1334×750

iPhone 6
RESOLUTION

1920×1080

iPhone 6 Plus RESOLUTION

Hugely powerful. Enormously efficient.

Built on 64-bit desktop-class architecture, the new A8 chip delivers more power, even while driving a larger display. The M8 motion coprocessor efficiently gathers data from advanced sensors and a new barometer. And with increased battery life, iPhone 6 lets you do more, for longer than ever.
Learn more about Technology

64-bit

ARCHITECTURE

A8

CHIP

M8

MOTION COPROCESSOR 

The camera that changed photos now does the same for video.

More people take more photos with iPhone than with any other camera. And now the iSight camera has a new sensor with Focus Pixels and new video features, like 1080p HD at 60 fps, slo-mo at 240 fps, and time-lapse video mode. So you’ll have more reasons to capture more moments on video, too.
Learn more about Cameras
View the iPhone 6 World Gallery

All-new sensor supports Focus Pixels and enables even faster autofocus.

ƒ/ 2.2

APERTURE

1.5µ

PIXELS

Faster wireless. Far and wide.

iPhone 6 has faster LTE download speeds,* and it supports more LTE bands than any other smartphone so you can roam in more places. And when connected to Wi-Fi, you’ll get up to 3x faster speeds.

Learn more about Connectivity

Security. Right at your fingertip.

The breakthrough Touch ID technology lets you securely access your iPhone with the perfect password: your fingerprint. You can also use it to approve purchases from iTunes, iBooks, and the App Store without having to enter your password.

Learn more about Touch ID

Your wallet. Without the wallet.

We completely rethought how you pay to make shopping easy, secure, and private. Apple Pay combines the convenience and security of Touch ID and Passbook with NFC technology. So you can use iPhone 6 to pay in stores and within apps with a single touch.

Learn more about Apple Pay

The biggest iOS release ever.

iOS 8 is the world’s most advanced mobile operating system. And with incredible new capabilities and features designed to make the most of a larger display, iOS 8 doesn’t just work seamlessly with iPhone 6. It makes every experience feel bigger and better.

Learn more about iOS 8

iPhone 6

From $199

Compare iPhone models

by : iPhone

Read More ...