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Samsung Galaxy S5 leak tips price and specifications of metal, plastic models

Aditya 0 Gadgets, Samsung, Samsung Galaxy, Samsung S5, Smartphone, Technology 16.1.14

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A new leak has allegedly revealed the pricing and specifications of Samsung's much-anticipated next flagship smartphone, dubbed the Galaxy S5.</div>
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Sammobile in a report citing sources has revealed that the South Korean manufacturer will unveil two variants of the alleged Galaxy S5: a metal variant which will be priced at 800 euros (approximately Rs. 67,000), and a plastic variant at 650 euros (approximately Rs. 54,500). It's worth pointing out that earlier reports had suggested that Samsung has been working on two variants of the Galaxy S5.<br />
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The report also reveals some of the specifications of the yet-to-be-announced flagship smartphone, which include a QHD (1440x2560 pixel) Super AMOLED display, Exynos 6 (believed to be the successor of the Exynos 5 chipsets) or Snapdragon 805 processors; a 16-megapixel rear camera, and Android 4.4 KitKat. The alleged Samsung Galaxy S5 is also widely expected to come with iris recognition or eye-scanning technology for unlocking the phone. Unfortunately, the report sheds no light whether both the alleged Galaxy S5 variants will come with the same innards or not.<br />
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Notably, a Samsung SM-G900S device was earlier spotted boasting a screen resolution of 1440x2560 pixels (2K), which was believed to be the Galaxy S5. The device was said to come with a 5.0- or 5.2-inch display, making the pixel density an incredible 560ppi. In addition, a previous report revealed that the South Korean manufacturer had placed an order of 181 million 16-megapixel camera modules for next year, which was thought to be equipped in company's upcoming high-end smartphones, including the rumoured 2014 flagship, the Galaxy S5.<br />
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Further, Sammobile also claims that Samsung has plans to release the alleged Galaxy S5 mini and Galaxy S5 Zoom soon after unveiling the rumoured Galaxy S5; a strategy that the South Korean giant followed with the Galaxy S4 in 2013. Additionally, the report suggests that both the alleged Galaxy S5 variants will sport a Super AMOLED display and will run on Android 4.4 KitKat.<br />
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An earlier report has already indicated that Samsung is planning a global event in London scheduled around mid-March. Further, the event has been said to be for the unveiling of the company's next flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S5.</div>

Samsung Galaxy S5 leak tips price and specifications of metal, plastic models

A new leak has allegedly revealed the pricing and specifications of Samsung's much-anticipated next flagship smartphone, dubbed th...

Samsung Galaxy S5 not launching at MWC 2014: Report

Aditya 0 Gadgets, Samsung, Samsung Galaxy, Samsung Galaxy S5, Smartphone, Technology 16.1.14

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It seems there is no end to the speculations surrounding the Samsung's highly-anticipated 2014 flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S5.</div>
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Now, another Samsung executive has revealed that the company will not launch the alleged Galaxy S5 at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2014. ZDNet Korea in a report has cited a Samsung executive confirming that there will be no flagship smartphone unveiling at the MWC. Further, the unnamed executive revealed that the alleged Galaxy S5 can be expected to be launched in March at a New York event.<br />
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The new reported statement by Samsung executive denying the MWC 2014 launch contradicts an earlier claim by another company executive, who suggested that the MWC 2014 launch for the Samsung Galaxy S5 was about right.<br />
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Another recent report quoted Samsung mobile executive Lee Young-hee to say that a March-April launch for the Galaxy S5 was what the company was aiming for.<br />
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Other reports have detailed the launch venue, claiming that the South Korean handset maker would be holding a global event in London scheduled around mid-March.<br />
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Earlier on Tuesday, Samsung Galaxy S5 was leaked with price and specifications of both metal and plastic models of the device. The report suggested that the alleged Galaxy S5's metal variant would be priced at 800 euros (approximately Rs. 67,000), and the plastic variant at 650 euros (approximately Rs. 54,500).<br />
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The report also revealed some of the specifications of the yet-to-be-announced flagship smartphone, which include a QHD (1440x2560 pixel) Super AMOLED display, Exynos 6 (believed to be the successor of the Exynos 5 chipsets) or Snapdragon 805 processors; a 16-megapixel rear camera, and Android 4.4 KitKat. The alleged Samsung Galaxy S5 has been widely expected to come with iris recognition or eye-scanning technology for unlocking the phone.<br />
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A recent report has also suggested that Samsung has filed a new patent that tracks gestures via head tracking gesture controls. The patent described things like a nod of head and a wink of eyes being used to carry out a specific functions. Further, the report speculated that Samsung filed the patent in July last year and that the new feature would probably be featured in the alleged Galaxy S5.</div>

Samsung Galaxy S5 not launching at MWC 2014: Report

It seems there is no end to the speculations surrounding the Samsung's highly-anticipated 2014 flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S5....

Nokia Normandy budget Android phone leaked in purported live image

Aditya 0 Android, Gadgets, Nokia, Smartphone, Technology 16.1.14

Nokia Normandy budget Android phone leaked in purported live image

Nokia's rumoured Normandy smartphone, believed to be based on Android, has been in the news for months now, with leaked images hit...

Micromax Bolt A66 budget smartphone with Android 4.1 launched at Rs. 6,000

Aditya 0 Android, Gadgets, Micromax, Micromax Bolt, Micromax Bolt A66, Smartphone, Technology 16.1.14

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Micromax has quietly launched its latest budget Bolt smartphone, dubbed Bolt A66.</div>
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The smartphone is now available via the company's online store at Rs. 6,000, and the listing notes that the smartphone will be delivered in 7 to 10 business days. The Micromax Bolt A66 was listed on the company's site without pricing and availability details earlier this month.<br />
The Micromax Bolt A66 runs Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean out-of-the-box. The new budget Android smartphone is a dual-SIM (GSM+GSM) device, and supports regular SIM size. It comes with 4.5-inch TFT display with 480x854 pixels (FWVGA) resolution, and is powered by a 1GHz Spreadtrum SC7710G processor along with 512MB of RAM.<br />
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It includes 512MB of inbuilt storage which is further expandable up to 32GB with microSD card.</div>
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The Micromax Bolt A66 sports a 2-megapixel rear camera with flash, though there is no word on the front camera. The device packs a 1500mAh battery, which according to the listing can give a standby time of up to 116 hours, and talktime of up to 4.5 hours.<br />
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Connectivity options on the Bolt A66 include Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Micro-USB, GPRS, EDGE and 3G. The smartphone also comes preloaded with apps such as Hike, Opera, Spuul, Game HUB, Kingsoft Office and M! Live.<br />
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Micromax is also expected to rollout Android 4.4 KitKat update the Canvas series smartphones. An earlier report has revealed the domestic handset maker is working on Android 4.4 KitKat updates for the following smartphones: Micromax A110 Canvas 2, Micromax A110Q Canvas 2 Plus, Micromax A111 Canvas Doodle, Micromax A116 Canvas HD, Micromax A117 Canvas Magnus, Micromax A116i Canvas HD, Micromax A210 Canvas 4, Micromax A114 Canvas 2.2, Micromax A240 Canvas Doodle 2 and Micromax A250 Canvas Turbo.</div>

Micromax Bolt A66 budget smartphone with Android 4.1 launched at Rs. 6,000

Micromax has quietly launched its latest budget Bolt smartphone, dubbed Bolt A66. The smartphone is now available via the company...

Moto G Google Play Edition now available for $179 on US Play Store

Aditya 0 Android, Gadgets, Google Play Edition, Moto, Moto G, Moto G Google Play Edition, Smartphone, Technology 15.1.14

Moto G Google Play Edition now available for $179 on US Play Store

Motorola, a Google-owned company, which is nowadays popular for its Moto X flagship smartphone, has announced its Google Play Edition...

LG G2 to get international Android 4.4 KitKat update by end of March

Aditya 0 Android, Android 4.4, Gadgets, LG, LG G2, Smartphone, Technology 15.1.14

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LG G2 users might be disappointed to know that the company has announced a new rollout schedule for the device. According to LG Italy, the company will release the Android 4.4 KitKat update by end of March.</div>
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The Facebook official handle of LG Italy, while a replying a user on the social platform about the Android KitKat update for the LG G2 has said, "We have said it several times: by the end of March 2014. Have a nice day."<br />
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On Wednesday, LG Mobile Saudi in a tweet revealed that the company plans to release the Android 4.4 KitKat for the flagship smartphone by end of this month. However, the Twitter handle of LG Mobile for Saudi Arabia has now taken a U-turn from its previous claim, and has apologised for the wrong information. The new tweet said, "We apologize for the previous wrong tweet regarding G2 Kit Kat upgrade schedule, the date was for upgrading the KnockOn feature to Lii series."<br />
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LG announced that it will be introducing the Knock feature, previously dubbed KnockON, as a standard feature in the company's L series II smartphone line-up in December last year.<br />
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The company claimed that a global maintenance software release would be released in January for the current LG L series II smartphones, which would include the Knock feature. However, the company noted that the availability and specific models to receive the Knock feature would vary according to region and mobile carrier.<br />
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Earlier this week, an alleged video showed Android 4.4 KitKat running on the LG G2 smartphone. Notably, the 3-minute long video purportedly revealed the LG G2 with a completely overhauled interface. For now, LG has not provided an official changelog for the Android 4.4 KitKat update.<br />
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LG's L series II smartphones include LG Optimus L1II Dual, LG Optimus L7II Dual, LG Optimus L5II Dual, LG Optimus L3II, and LG Optimus L3II Dual.</div>

LG G2 to get international Android 4.4 KitKat update by end of March

LG G2 users might be disappointed to know that the company has announced a new rollout schedule for the device. According to LG Italy,...

Apple and Google CARS will see voice control, find my car and turn on heating apps in 2014

Aditya 0 Apple, automobiles, Cars, iOS, iOS Cars, Technology 15.1.14

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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SOJGbopnRQ4/UteD_OcTgTI/AAAAAAAAAAM/PN0hAAJCKts/s1600/iOS-in-the-car-3014411.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SOJGbopnRQ4/UteD_OcTgTI/AAAAAAAAAAM/PN0hAAJCKts/s1600/iOS-in-the-car-3014411.jpg" width="320" /></a>Apple and Google are both expected to bring their mobile operating systems to cars before the end of the year.<br />
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Google has already partnered with four major manufacturers to bring Android to vehicles in 2014.<br />
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Hyundai, Audi, Honda and General Motors will be the first to benefit from 4G internet connections and voice activated functions.<br />
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It's thought that the in-car system will hook up to the user's Android phone, so they can locate their car, check if you've locked the doors or even start the car remotely and turn on the heating - a huge bonus on frosty mornings.<br />
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There's also a suggestion that two-way communication between the search giant and in-car devices will vastly improve traffic prediction on Google Maps.<br />
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Apple are also deep in development of their 'iOS in the car' system, which would bring a version of the iPhone operating system to vehicles.<br />
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Pre-release versions of the next revision of the company's iPhone operating systems include options for 'car display' - fuelling speculation that Apple's in-car system will launch along with the iOS update.<br />
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Apple has teamed up with Honda, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Ferrari, Infiniti, Kia, Hyundai, Volvo, Acura, Jaguar, Opel and Cheverolet to offer iOS in the Car support.<br />
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Apple and Google CARS will see voice control, find my car and turn on heating apps in 2014

Apple and Google are both expected to bring their mobile operating systems to cars before the end of the year. Google has already partner...

Samsung Galaxy S5 'premium' model to be made of stainless steel, plastic: Report

Aditya 0 Gadgets, S5, Samsung, Samsung Galaxy S5, Smart, Technology 12.1.14

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Ahead of the much-anticipated debut of Samsung's next flagship smartphone, widely expected to be dubbed Galaxy S5, there is endless speculation around the device. Now, a report emerging from Korea has claimed that Samsung is adopting a blend of stainless steel, to increase the endurance, and plastic, to check the weight of the alleged 'premium' variant of the Samsung Galaxy S5.<br style="outline: none;" /><div style="outline: none;">
Further, the report claims that the rear panel covering the battery compartment will be made of metal, and will be cast alongside a plastic material. The report also suggests that the South Korean manufacturer is also working on aluminium and magnesium chassis with a sealed battery compartment for the alleged 'premium' variant of the Galaxy S5.</div>
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An earlier report had indicated that Samsung is been planning to release two versions of the alleged Galaxy S5: a premium variant which will sport a metal chassis and a flexible OLED, and a variant which will come with the usual plastic body, as found on other Galaxy smartphones.</div>
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Notably, the South Korean giant has also been rumoured to be working on the alleged Samsung Galaxy F, which would sport a metal body and could be launched in 2014 after the release of rumoured Galaxy S5. It can be expected that the current Korean report might be referring to the alleged Galaxy F. Earlier report revealed that Samsung's alleged Galaxy F's metallic prototype was manufactured in Europe and then was moved to South Korean giant's Vietnam production unit.</div>
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On Thursday, a report quoted a Samsung VP as saying the company was considering the inclusion of an iris-scanning feature on the Samsung Galaxy S5. The VP added that Samsung is hoping to launch the Galaxy S5 in April. alongside the company's successor to the Galaxy Gear. The eye-scanning/iris-recognition feature has not been introduced on any smartphone (from a major manufacturer) as an unlocking method, and if Samsung actually uses this, it would become the first handset maker to debut the feature on a smartphone.</div>
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Rumoured specifications of the alleged Galaxy S5 include a 64-bit Exynos chipset or a new Snapdragon chipset, 3GB of RAM, a 16-megapixel rear camera, a 4000mAh battery and Android 4.4 KitKat with TouchWiz UI on top</div>
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Samsung Galaxy S5 'premium' model to be made of stainless steel, plastic: Report

Ahead of the much-anticipated debut of Samsung's next flagship smartphone, widely expected to be dubbed Galaxy S5, there is endles...

Toshiba unveils world's first 4K Ultra-HD display laptops

Unknown 0 4K Laptops, 4k Ultra-HD Display, 4K Ultra-HD Display Laptops, Gadgets, Laptops, Technology, Toshiba, Windows OS 9.1.14

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Over the last two days, all major computing and mobile technology related firms have been making interesting showcases of their upcoming products and technologies at CES 2014. Jumping onto the bandwagon, Toshiba, on Tuesday unveiled what seem to be the world's first ever 4K laptops at the ongoing event in Las Vegas. The two laptops, Tecra W50 and the Satellite P50t will not only feature full 4K Ultra-HD displays but will also run the new Windows 8.1 operating systems. Pricing and availability were not revealed by the company.<div style="outline: none;">
While the target audience for the powerful devices are across a wide segment, if reports are to be believed then the devices are a little on the chunkier side, with the stunning display in tow. The announcement was further endorsed by Microsoft, which announced, "Today Toshiba has made 4K display technology more accessible to mobile professionals and enthusiasts by announcing two exciting new Windows 8.1 laptops that feature integrated 15.6" 4K Ultra-HD displays. These new Toshiba 4K laptops will take laptop screen resolution to the next level!", on their official blog.</div>
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The Toshiba Tecra W50 is designed for professionals working with graphically-intensive applications, packing an integrated NVIDIA Quadro K2100M graphics with 2GB dedicated memory, fourth generation Intel Core processor, and a 15.6-inch 4K Ultra-HD display (3840 x 2160), 282 PPI, colour calibrated display.</div>
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The second on the list is the Satellite P50t, which features the same display and resolution as the Tecra W50 and has an integrated touch functionality along with it. It could be safer to assume that the device will be targeted towards a more younger audience. The 4K Ultra-HD screen also features edge-to-edge glass with vibrant colour, crystal clarity, and higher contrast. Incidentally Toshiba didn't reveal any of the specifications for the P50t.</div>
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Both the Toshiba 4K laptops will go on sale in the middle of 2014. The pricing of the devices hasn't been revealed either. Toshiba might just charge top dollar for the two devices, as industry pundits are predicting. An interesting point in consideration to support this argument is that Panasonic will also be retailing their Panasonic Toughpad 4K UT-MB5, with its 20-inch 2840x2560 pixel resolution screen, in mid-February for $5,999 (Rs. 3,70,000) after first being revealed a year ago at CES 2013. While Toshiba is dealing with the laptop division they are certainly the first ones to announce a laptop and the pricing can be anybody's guess.</div>
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Toshiba unveils world's first 4K Ultra-HD display laptops

Over the last two days, all major computing and mobile technology related firms have been making interesting showcases of their upcomi...

Panasonic unveils new ruggedized Windows 8/Android Toughpads

Unknown 1 Gadgets, Panasonic, Panasonic Toughpad, Panasonic Toughpad FZ-M1, Tablets, Technology, Windows 8, Windows OS, Windows Tab 9.1.14

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If you want a tablet that can take anything you can throw at it -- or just throw it -- then the new Panasonic Toughpads are for you. Best of all, you get a choice of Windows 8 or Android.<br />
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The Toughpad FZ-G1 is a 10-inch Windows 8 Pro system packing a 1,920 x 1,200 display, 1.9GHz Ivy Bridge Intel Core i5-3437U processor, a 128GB SSD (upgradable to 2654GB), and up to 8GB of RAM. The system is powered by a battery listed as offering 8-hours of life.<br />
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The JT-B1 is a 7-inch tablet running Android 4.0 'Ice Cream Sandwich.' It features a 1,024 x 600 display, and comes equipped with a 1.5GHz dual-core TI OMAP 4660 processor, 16GB storage and 1GB RAM.<br />
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Both Toughpad have been put through -- and passed -- the rigorous MIL-STD-810G test for drops, fluid ingress and temperature, in order to ensure they can deliver reliable performance under conditions that would destroy normal tablets.</div>
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"For nearly 20 years, Panasonic has engineered the most reliable mobile computing devices on the market," said Rance M. Poehler, president, Panasonic System Communications Company of North America. "Because our customers know they can count on our products to deliver performance and return on investment, Panasonic – through its Toughbook brand – holds nearly 80 percent market share in the rugged mobile device space. We believe our engineering acumen, vertical market expertise and reputation for reliability, backed by our world-class service, will result in the Toughpad family being the leading B2B tablet solution in the coming years."</div>
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Panasonic hopes that the Toughpad will allow the company to grab 50 percent of the ruggedized tablet space by 2015.</div>
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The Windows 8 Toughpad will set you back $2,900 and will be available in March, while the smaller Android version has a $1,300 price tag and should hit shelves in February.</div>
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Full specs are as follows.</div>
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<strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Panasonic Toughpad FZ-G1:</strong></div>
<ul style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #252525; font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; margin: 0px 0px 15px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Operating System: Windows 8 Pro</li>
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Processor: 3rd Generation Intel® Core™ i5-3437U vPro™ 1.9GHz up to 2.9GHz with Intel® Turbo Boost Technology</li>
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Memory: 128-256GB SSD, 4-8GB RAM, optional micro SDXC</li>
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Rugged: MIL-STD-810G, 4' drop, IP65, 14° to 122°F (operational temp range)</li>
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Display: 10.1", sunlight viewable, touch screen and active digitizer, 800nit, WUXGA (1920x1200)</li>
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Battery: 8.0 hours (user-replaceable)</li>
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Dimensions: 10.6" x 7.4" x 0.75"</li>
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Weight: 2.43lbs</li>
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Wireless: Bluetooth V4.0, 802.11 a/b/g/n Wi-Fi, optional embedded 4G LTE or 3G</li>
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">I/O: Full size USB 3.0, HDMI, optional micro SDXC, Full size USB 2.0, wired LAN, true serial port or dedicated GPS.</li>
</ul>
<figure style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #252525; font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><img alt="" height="296" src="http://cdn-static.zdnet.com/i/r/story/70/00/009586/09-01-2013-14-35-07-620x296.jpg?hash=AzMuZGZ4BG&upscale=1" style="border: 0px; display: block; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; height: auto; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px auto 15px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; vertical-align: top; width: auto;" title="" width="620" /></figure><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #252525; font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Panasonic Toughpad JT-B1:</strong></div>
<ul style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #252525; font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; margin: 0px 0px 15px 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Operating System: Android 4.0</li>
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Processor: TI OMAP4460 1.5GHz Dual core</li>
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Memory: 16GB ROM, 1GB RAM, micro SDHC</li>
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Rugged: MIL-STD-810G, 5' drop, IP65, 14° to 122°F (operational temp range)</li>
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Display: 7", daylight viewable, 500nit, WSVGA (1024 x 600)</li>
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Camera: Front: 1.3Mp fixed focus, Rear: 13.0Mp auto focus w/ LED light</li>
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Battery: 8.0 hours - Large 5,720mAh battery (user-replaceable)</li>
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Dimensions: 8.7"x 5.1" x 0.7"</li>
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Weight: 1.2lbs</li>
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Wireless: Bluetooth V4.0, 802.11 a/b/g/n Wi-Fi, optional embedded 4G LTE + 3G</li>
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">I/O: Micro USB</li>
</ul>
<figure style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #252525; font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><img alt="" height="371" src="http://cdn-static.zdnet.com/i/r/story/70/00/009586/09-01-2013-14-36-06-391x371.jpg?hash=A2IuLzL2ZG&upscale=1" style="border: 0px; display: block; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; height: auto; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px auto 15px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; vertical-align: top; width: auto;" title="" width="391" /></figure></div>

Panasonic unveils new ruggedized Windows 8/Android Toughpads

If you want a tablet that can take anything you can throw at it -- or just throw it -- then the new Panasonic Toughpads are for you. Best o...

Panasonic unveils Toughpad FZ-M1 7-inch Windows 8 tablet

Unknown 0 Gadgets, Microsoft, Panasonic, Panasonic Toughpad, Panasonic Toughpad FZ-M1, Tablets, Technology, Windows 8.1, Windows OS, Windows Tab 9.1.14

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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XzOjvjqGbq4/Us5gpy8ioGI/AAAAAAAAAGk/JEfsSRLJMPE/s1600/panasonic-fz-m1-toughpad-windows-tablet-rugged-ces-2014-620x430.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="221" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XzOjvjqGbq4/Us5gpy8ioGI/AAAAAAAAAGk/JEfsSRLJMPE/s1600/panasonic-fz-m1-toughpad-windows-tablet-rugged-ces-2014-620x430.jpg" width="320" /></a>Over the past year or so, Panasonic has carved out a niche for itself in the tablet market with the Toughpad series of ruggedized units, from 10-inch Windows and 7-inch and 10-inch Android models to a massive 20-inch slab with 4K resolution. Now the company is expanding into the burgeoning Windows mini-tablet space with the new FZ-M1.<br />
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Toughpads aren't designed for the consumer market, so this isn't a 7-inch tablet with measly specs. It will be the first Toughpad to use an Intel fourth-generation Core (or Haswell) processor -- in this case, the Core i5-4302Y -- and includes a hefty 8GB of RAM and either 128GB or 256GB of solid state storage. Those parts are needed to run Windows 8.1 Pro and power the 1,280x800 touchscreen.<br />
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The "tough" in Toughpad means that it's also certified to handle the MIL-STD-810G and IP65 specifications for drops (up to 5 feet), water and dust resistance, and temperature and climate extremes. It also includes security features like a Trusted Platform Module v1.2 chip, along with Computrace and Intel anti-theft technology.<br />
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Ruggedizing means that the FZ-M1 doesn't exude the sex appeal of other mini-tablets (just check out the image above for proof), but Panasonic still claims that it's the "world’s thinnest and lightest fully-rugged 7-inch Windows tablet," weighing in at 1.2 pounds and 0.71 inches in thickness. That factors in a raised bezel designed to protect the screen from impact.<br />
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It may also be tough to swallow the FZ-M1's starting price: $2,099, which is before you add options like 4G LTE connectivity, long-life battery, and other accessories. Of course, some occupations require rugged mobile devices like the Toughpad, so if you are need of one, starting saving for when the FZ-M1 becomes available in the spring of this year.</div>

Panasonic unveils Toughpad FZ-M1 7-inch Windows 8 tablet

Over the past year or so, Panasonic has carved out a niche for itself in the tablet market with the Toughpad series of ruggedized units, fr...

Panasonic Toughpad FZ-M1 rugged tablet with Windows 8.1 Pro launched

Unknown 0 Gadgets, Microsoft, Panasonic, Panasonic Toughpad, Panasonic Toughpad FZ-M1, Tablets, Technology, Windows 8.1, Windows OS, Windows Tab 9.1.14

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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-592wovrzrBk/Us5gFs1dYzI/AAAAAAAAAGY/0qwHBgHeG-0/s1600/2o4rxgorhix52i4op749bd665a2212e_shin-chan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-592wovrzrBk/Us5gFs1dYzI/AAAAAAAAAGY/0qwHBgHeG-0/s1600/2o4rxgorhix52i4op749bd665a2212e_shin-chan.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Panasonic, expanding its Toughpad range of tablets, has launched the Toughpad FZ-M1 tablet at CES 2014. The rugged tablet, unlike previous iterations, is targeted at the enterprise segment.<br />
The Panasonic Toughpad FZ-M1 will be available at a starting price of $2,099 (roughly Rs. 1,30,500) and is expected to hit markets in early spring 2014, although there is no word yet on specific market rollout.<br />
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The new Panasonic Toughpad FZ-M1 is based on Windows 8.1 Pro (64-bit) and features an IP65 fully sealed fanless design. For those interested in the ruggedness of the Toughpad, should note it has a MIL-STD-810G rating, with a 5-foot drop certification. The tablet comes with a 7-inch touchscreen with a resolution of 1200x800 pixels with glove touch technology and also comes with stylus support (optional).<br />
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The Toughpad FZ-M1 includes a 128GB SSD storage, while also comes with a 256GB SSD option. It is powered by a fourth-generation Intel Core i5 vPro chipset clocked at 1.6GHz alongside 4GB of RAM, which can be further expanded up to 8GB. Connectivity option on the tablet includes USB 3.0, microSD card slot, SmartCard, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NFC (optional) and LAN.</div>
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The tablet sports a 5-megapixel rear camera with LED Flash and a 2-megapixel autofocus webcam for video calling. It packs a 3220mAh battery that according to the company can provide up to 8 hours of battery life. The Toughpad FZ-M1 measures 203x132x18mm and weighs 540 grams.</div>
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Commenting on the launch, Manish Sharma, Managing Director, Panasonic India said, "With its high-class tough performance, connectivity, long battery life and advanced technology, this device is the perfect work companion for all business professionals leading a rugged life. With a long standing commitment towards providing value to consumers with our products, we have been successfully setting new bench marks across product categories. In line with this, the brand will continue to meet the expectations of its customers across the spectrum, in 2014.</div>
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Panasonic Toughpad FZ-M1 rugged tablet with Windows 8.1 Pro launched

Panasonic, expanding its Toughpad range of tablets, has launched the Toughpad FZ-M1 tablet at CES 2014. The rugged tablet, unlike previou...

Asus unveils three smartphones in new mid-range ZenFone lineup

Unknown 0 Asus, Asus ZenFone, Gadgets, Smartphone, Technology 8.1.14

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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fWFHbt5hXDs/Us5Lzike48I/AAAAAAAAAGI/z7piqpDFSuo/s1600/asus-ZenFone-4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fWFHbt5hXDs/Us5Lzike48I/AAAAAAAAAGI/z7piqpDFSuo/s1600/asus-ZenFone-4.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #4e4e4e; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">Asus has unveiled its new line of low-end smartphones on Monday at the ongoing CES event, called the ZenFone range, which includes three handsets ranging from 4-inch to 6-inch screen sizes. The three single SIM smartphones revealed are namely Asus ZenFone 4, ZenFone 5 and ZenFone 6. However their price and availability has not been revealed by the manufacturer.</span><br />
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The Asus ZenFone handsets come with the new ZenUI skin. According to Asus, ZenUI is built with simplified, easy-to-access icons and menus, select themes to match the device colours, and a What's Next feature to keep a track of a user's daily schedule. The ZenUI is coated over the Android 4.3 Jelly Bean OS, which will be upgradable to Android 4.4 Kitkat on the three announced smartphones.</div>
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<span style="color: #4e4e4e; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">As the name suggests, Asus ZenFone 4 sports a 4-inch WVGA (800 x 480 pixel) resolution display supported by a dual-core 1.2GHz Intel Atom Z2520 processor with Quad-Thread Hyper-Threading Technology and 1GB of RAM. The smartphone also features a 5-megapixel rear and 0.3-megapixel front-facing camera optics. The internal memory storage is not mentioned by the firm but it can be expanded up to 64GB via microSD card. Since it's a low-end smartphone, the device misses out on 4G connectivity and settles for a DC-HSPA+ network with a high speed of 42/5.76 Mbps. Integrated Wi-Fi and Bluetooth options are also available with the handset. The Asus ZenFone 4 comes with 1170mAh battery capacity and has a dimensions of 124.4 x 61.4 x 11.2-6.3mm. The smartphone is available in 5 colour variants - Charcoal Black, Pearl White, Cherry Red, Sky Blue and Solar Yellow.</span></span></div>
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<span class="mt-enclosure mt-enclosure-image" style="color: #4e4e4e; display: inline; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; outline: none;"><img alt="asus-ZenFone-5.jpg" class="mt-image-center" height="475" src="http://cdn.ndtv.com/tech/images/gadgets/asus-ZenFone-5.jpg" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 20px; outline: none; text-align: center;" width="635" /></span></div>
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Asus ZenFone 5 features a 5-inch 720p IPS display and is supported by a slightly better processor - dual-core 2GHz Intel Atom Z2580 with Quad-Thread Hyper-Threading technology and 1GB of RAM. ZenFone 5 sports an 8-megapixel rear camera and a 2-megapixel front facing camera for video chatting. The handset's storage memory is also expandable to 64GB via microSD card. While the connectivity options are the same as ZenFone 4, the battery capacity is bumped to 2050mAh along with increased dimensions - 148.2 x 72.8 x 10.3-5.5mm. ZenFone 5 will be available in Charcoal Black, Pearl White, Cherry Red, and Champagne Gold.</div>
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<span class="mt-enclosure mt-enclosure-image" style="display: inline; outline: none;"><img alt="asus-ZenFone-6.jpg" class="mt-image-center" height="475" src="http://cdn.ndtv.com/tech/images/gadgets/asus-ZenFone-6.jpg" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 20px; outline: none; text-align: center;" width="635" /></span></div>
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Asus ZenFone 6 sports the similar Android Jelly Bean OS which can be upgraded to Kitkat a similar IPS display of 720p resolution but on a 6 inch screen. While the processor and RAM are similar to that of ZenFone 5, the camera sensor size has been revamped to 13 megapixel (rear) and 2 megapixel (front). With similar expandable storage features as ZenFone 5, Asus ZenFone 6 includes a 3230mAh battery capacity and is bigger in size than ZenFone 4 and 5 - 166.9 x 84.3 x 9.9-5.5mm. ZenFone 6 is available in Charcoal Black, Pearl White, Cherry Red, and Champagne Gold.</div>
</div>

Asus unveils three smartphones in new mid-range ZenFone lineup

Asus has unveiled its new line of low-end smartphones on Monday at the ongoing CES event, called the ZenFone range, which includes three ha...

Nokia means business; launches 'affordable' Lumia 1320, Lumia 525 smartphones

Unknown 0 Gadgets, Nokia, Nokia Lumia, Nokia Lumia 1320, Nokia Lumia 525, Smartphone, Technology 8.1.14

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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mHjYaLv_3PA/Us5LUtWyR6I/AAAAAAAAAGA/zFOwCNVssJ4/s1600/1946800.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; font-family: MuseoSlab500Regular, helvetica, arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mHjYaLv_3PA/Us5LUtWyR6I/AAAAAAAAAGA/zFOwCNVssJ4/s1600/1946800.gif" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: MuseoSlab500Regular, helvetica, arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">Nokia India announced its Lumia 1320 and Lumia 525 smartphones on Tuesday with the aim of making innovate smartphones “more affordable”. While the Lumia 1320 boasts of new features such as Nokia Storyteller and a super sensitive 6-inch touchscreen, the Lumia 525 hopes to build on the success of its</span><span style="font-family: MuseoSlab500Regular, helvetica, arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">predecessor Lumia 520. </span><br style="font-family: MuseoSlab500Regular, helvetica, arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><span style="font-family: MuseoSlab500Regular, helvetica, arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">Nokia India is aggressively pushing both the phones with offers of free games and more space on its Skydrive. </span><br style="font-family: MuseoSlab500Regular, helvetica, arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><br style="font-family: MuseoSlab500Regular, helvetica, arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><strong style="font-family: MuseoSlab500Regular, helvetica, arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">Key features of the Nokia Lumia 1320</strong><br style="font-family: MuseoSlab500Regular, helvetica, arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><strong style="font-family: MuseoSlab500Regular, helvetica, arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">Screen: </strong><span style="font-family: MuseoSlab500Regular, helvetica, arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">The phone’s six-inch, 720p supersensitive screen allows users to do more even with gloves on and is faster. The larger screen paves the way for a third column of tiles on the home screen. On standby, the screen shows notifications for missed calls and new emails.</span><br style="font-family: MuseoSlab500Regular, helvetica, arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><strong style="font-family: MuseoSlab500Regular, helvetica, arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">Nokia Storyteller:</strong><span style="font-family: MuseoSlab500Regular, helvetica, arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;"> This feature integrates images with location information into a chronological picture journey on a map, allowing users to easily share their visual stories. The feature becomes available from late January. </span><br style="font-family: MuseoSlab500Regular, helvetica, arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><strong style="font-family: MuseoSlab500Regular, helvetica, arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">Apps: </strong><span style="font-family: MuseoSlab500Regular, helvetica, arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">While the 1320 has the best of Lumia smartphone apps, such as unlimited and ad-free music on the Nokia Mix Radio, Nokia India makes it a sweet deal by offering a complimentary three-month subscription of Vimeo Pro. </span><br style="font-family: MuseoSlab500Regular, helvetica, arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><strong style="font-family: MuseoSlab500Regular, helvetica, arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">Bottomline:</strong><span style="font-family: MuseoSlab500Regular, helvetica, arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;"> The 1320 will retail at Rs 23,999 from January 13 onwards. It will be available in orange, yellow, white, and black. </span><br style="font-family: MuseoSlab500Regular, helvetica, arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><br style="font-family: MuseoSlab500Regular, helvetica, arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><strong style="font-family: MuseoSlab500Regular, helvetica, arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">Key features of the Nokia Lumia 525</strong><br style="font-family: MuseoSlab500Regular, helvetica, arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><strong style="font-family: MuseoSlab500Regular, helvetica, arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">Screen:</strong><span style="font-family: MuseoSlab500Regular, helvetica, arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;"> Four-inch, super sensitive touchscreen </span><br style="font-family: MuseoSlab500Regular, helvetica, arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><strong style="font-family: MuseoSlab500Regular, helvetica, arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">Camera:</strong><span style="font-family: MuseoSlab500Regular, helvetica, arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;"> The 525’s five-megapixel, autofocus camera is supported by the Nokia Camera and Cinemagraph apps. The Smart mode allows users to remove ‘unwanted’ people from group pictures. </span><br style="font-family: MuseoSlab500Regular, helvetica, arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><strong style="font-family: MuseoSlab500Regular, helvetica, arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">Games:</strong><span style="font-family: MuseoSlab500Regular, helvetica, arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;"> Nokia India will offer free games from Gameloft, worth Rs 2,025 to subscribers of Airtel, Vodafone, Aircel, Reliance and Idea networks till March 31.</span><br style="font-family: MuseoSlab500Regular, helvetica, arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><strong style="font-family: MuseoSlab500Regular, helvetica, arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">Apps: </strong><span style="font-family: MuseoSlab500Regular, helvetica, arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">525 users will no longer be required to register for Nokia Mix Radio — an unlimited, ad-free music stream. The phone’s new ‘Play Me’ button will take users directly to their personal radio station with one touch. </span><br style="font-family: MuseoSlab500Regular, helvetica, arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><strong style="font-family: MuseoSlab500Regular, helvetica, arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">Bottomline: </strong><span style="font-family: MuseoSlab500Regular, helvetica, arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">The Lumia 525 will retail at Rs 10,399, and will be available in gloss orange, white, yellow and matte black.</span><br />
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Nokia means business; launches 'affordable' Lumia 1320, Lumia 525 smartphones

Nokia India announced its Lumia 1320 and Lumia 525 smartphones on Tuesday with the aim of making innovate smartphones “more affordable”. Wh...

Alcatel unveils new One Touch smartphones and tablets

Unknown 0 Alcatel, Alcatel Smartphones, Gadgets, Smartphone, Tablets, Technology 8.1.14

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<span style="color: #4e4e4e; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">Alcatel has launched two new smartphones dubbed One Touch Idol X+ and One Touch Pop C9, and has also announced two budget tablets, One Touch Pop 7 and One Touch 8 at the CES 2014.</span></span></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-a4FOIoUsTkE/Us5K7oTvevI/AAAAAAAAAF4/MliO0WZiP7E/s1600/alcatel-one-touch-pop-c-9-ces-launch-635.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="251" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-a4FOIoUsTkE/Us5K7oTvevI/AAAAAAAAAF4/MliO0WZiP7E/s1600/alcatel-one-touch-pop-c-9-ces-launch-635.jpg" width="400" /></a><span style="color: #4e4e4e; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">The Alcatel One Touch Idol X+ will be available in China starting January 15 and has been priced at $330, with no word on global availability, while there is no mention of the pricing and availability details of the Alcatel One Touch Pop C9. Further, the company has priced the Alcatel One Touch Pop 7 tablet at 149 Euros and the Alcatel One Touch Pop 8 tablet at 199 Euros.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #4e4e4e; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">The Alcatel One Touch Idol X+ runs Android 4.3 Jelly Bean out-of-the-box. It features a 5-inch display with a resolution of 1080x1920 pixels, which translates to a pixel density of 441 pixels per inch (ppi). The smartphone is powered by 2GHz octa-core MediaTek MT6592 chipset with ARM Mali450 GPU and 2GB of RAM. The Alcatel One Touch Idol X+ sports a 13.1-megapixel rear camera and also houses a 2-megapixel front-facing camera. It packs a 2500mAh battery.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #4e4e4e; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">The Alcatel One Touch Pop C9 runs Android 4.3 Jelly Bean. It features a 5.5-inch LCD IPS display with a resolution of 540x960 pixels and boasts a pixel density of 200ppi. The One Touch Pop C9 is powered by a 1.3GHz quad-core processor (unspecified chipset) with 1GB of RAM. It sports an 8-megapixel autofocus rear camera and also houses a 2-megapixel front camera. The Alcatel One Touch Pop C9 packs a 2500mAh battery.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #4e4e4e; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">Commenting on the launch, Chief Marketing Officer for Alcatel One Touch, Dan Dery said, "The Idol range has gained a reputation for offering the best balance of features, performance and design. The Idol X+ continues this tradition and is set to surprise and delight with its image capture and display credentials."</span></span></div>
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On the other hand, the Alcatel One Touch Pop 7 and One Touch Pop 8 tablets run Android 4.2 Jelly Bean. The One Touch Pop 7 features a 7-inch TFT display with 1024x600 pixels resolution. It is powered by a 1.3GHz dual-core MediaTek MT8312 processor along with Mali 400 GPU and 1GB of RAM. The tablet sports a 2-megapixel rear camera and also includes a 0.3-megapixel front-facing camera. The tablet comes with 4GB inbuilt storage, which is further expandable up to 32GB via microSD card. The Alcatel One Touch Pop 7 tablet packs a 3240mAh battery.</div>
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The Alcatel One Touch Pop 8 tablet comes with an 8-inch 1280x800 pixels resolution. It is powered by a 1.3GHz quad-core processor (unspecified chipset) with 1GB of RAM. It sports a 2-megapixel rear camera and also houses a VGA front-facing camera.</div>
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"The Pop 7 and Pop 8 are great first steps in our product alignment for smartphones and tablets. The unique characteristics of the POP series are fun and colourful and offering a smart but simple user experience. There's much more to come as we implement this product strategy across our range of devices," further added Dery.</div>
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Alcatel unveils new One Touch smartphones and tablets

Alcatel has launched two new smartphones dubbed One Touch Idol X+ and One Touch Pop C9, and has also announced two budget tablets, One Tou...

Nokia Asha 503 with 3G support now available at Rs. 6,683

Unknown 0 Gadgets, Nokia, Nokia Asha, Nokia Asha 503, Technology 8.1.14

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Nokia recently expanded its range of low-end Asha handset models by introducing Nokia Asha 500, Asha 502 and Asha 503 models, which are expected have a great potential in the Indian market.</div>
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While Nokia Asha 500 and Asha 502 models have been available in the Indian market for a while now for around Rs. 4,499 and Rs. 5,969 respectively, the firm has finally let Nokia Asha 503 hit the shelves. While Nokia had earlier announced a price tag of Rs. 6,799 for the Asha 503, the phone can now be ordered from Nokia's website for Rs. 6,683 in Black, White, Yellow and Red colour variants.</div>
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Introduced in October 2013 at the Nokia World event, the Nokia Asha 503 operates on Asha platform 1.2, which is an update to Asha Platform 1.1 running on Asha 500 and Asha 502 handsets. The device also includes a Swipe user interface and features a 3-inch QVGA (240x320) resolution display mounted by a Corning Gorilla Glass 2 protection. It sports a 5-megapixel rear camera with LED flash.</div>
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Much like Asha 500 and Asha 502, the Asha 503 is also dual-SIM device (in India at least) with dual standby support. It comes with 64MB RAM and supports expandable storage up to 32GB via microSD card. The connectivity options include 3G, a Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 3.0 with SLAM and FM Radio. </div>
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The Asha 503 packs an 1110mAh battery which can deliver up to 12 hours of talk time and up to 480 hours of standby time. The handset also features the updated Fastlane app, which was introduced in Asha 501, one-swipe access to camera app and one-touch sharing feature on Whatsapp.</div>
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Nokia Asha 503 with 3G support now available at Rs. 6,683

Nokia recently expanded its range of low-end Asha handset models by introducing Nokia Asha 500, Asha 502 and Asha 503 models, which are ...

Samsung's new smartphone UI purportedly revealed in leaked screenshots

Unknown 0 Gadgets, Samsung, Samsung's New Smartphone UI, Technology, UI 8.1.14

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Samsung may have been busy with CES 2014 announcements, but a new rumour claims that the company is also working on the next-generation of its smartphone user-interface (UI), TouchWiz.<br />
Popular phone tipster, @evleaks has posted a bunch of screenshots which show three homescreen panels of a smartphone purportedly running Samsung's yet-to-be-named new UI.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ep5IDScM9Y8/Us5KL76qxOI/AAAAAAAAAFo/xFwCHMwU3nw/s1600/samsung-ui-leak-635.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="183" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ep5IDScM9Y8/Us5KL76qxOI/AAAAAAAAAFo/xFwCHMwU3nw/s1600/samsung-ui-leak-635.jpg" width="320" /></a>The leaked screenshot shows new fonts, icons and design for the UI, which seems totally re-worked compared to the TouchWiz UI running on top of Galaxy Android smartphones. The leaked screenshots show a cartoonish UI theme on all the homescreen panels. According to the leaked screenshots, the alleged redesigned smartphone UI will include apps like dialler, message, Internet, Gmail, PlayBooks, Samsung Hub, Play Store, S Health, Gallery, Maps, Samsung Links and S Memo. Further, the leaked screenshot for lockscreen also show that the UI might offer users an option to browse through various updates, similar to the HTC's BlinkFeed UI.<br />
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The tweet by @evleaks reads, "Samsung exploring new smartphone UI." Unfortunately, the tipster has not revealed any release date for the alleged new smartphone UI, or even if it will still be called TouchWiz.<br />
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Notably, Samsung recently 'confirmed' that the Samsung Galaxy S5 launch would happen in February at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) event held in Barcelona, Spain. We assume that Samsung might be developing a completely re-worked UI for its next flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S5.<br />
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An earlier report had suggested that the South Korean manufacturer has plans to release two versions of the alleged Galaxy S5. As per the report, there would be two variants of the Galaxy S5: a premium variant sporting a metal chassis and a flexible OLED, and a variant which would come with the usual plastic body, as found on other Galaxy smartphones.</div>

Samsung's new smartphone UI purportedly revealed in leaked screenshots

Samsung may have been busy with CES 2014 announcements, but a new rumour claims that the company is also working on the next-generation of ...

2014 Honda City diesel review: Promises to be another bestseller

Unknown 0 automobiles, Honda, Honda CIty, Technology 8.1.14

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2014 Honda City diesel review: Promises to be another bestseller</h1>
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aXClJnZvJJU/Us5JfIjTEeI/AAAAAAAAAFc/ynLUyscb-vU/s1600/download+(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aXClJnZvJJU/Us5JfIjTEeI/AAAAAAAAAFc/ynLUyscb-vU/s1600/download+(1).jpg" /></a> <span style="background-color: white; color: #3c3d3d; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">Honda has finally launched the much awaited City in India, and this shows how important the C sedan is for the Indian market. After all, the City has been Honda India's bestselling nameplate. In the last few years, the car lost out to a few rivals since it lacked a diesel motor and missed out on some vital features. Honda, however, hopes to regain top position with the new car. But does the new City then have the right ingredient to make it yet another best-seller?</span><br />
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<b style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Exteriors</b></div>
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The previous three Honda Citys looked completely different from each other, like they didn't belong to the same family. The first gen model was a simple yet good-looking three box car, the second version looked odd because it was more of a hatchback with an added boot than a sedan but the third new model was smart and attractive. This design worked for Honda and is the reason why it has evolved from there to the new City. It's actually an all new car and shares nothing with the outgoing model but there is a feeling of familiarity. Honda designers have used the new exciting H design language that debuts in India and will soon be seen in the new Jazz.</div>
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The new design philosophy's wing face is clearly seen in the City. It's dominated by a large chrome strip grille that contrasts well with darker shades while the lower half is the only opening. The grille neatly merges with the sharp headlamps that look very heavily inspired by the new Civic sold internationally. The headlamp itself is split in three sections that accommodate the blinkers, low beam and high beam lamps. The bumper too is angular and features two pointed sections while the fog lamp inserts are large and mimic a sporty air dam. It isn't an attractive face but quite smart.</div>
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Despite the car being exactly the same length as the older City, the car does look slightly longer. This is because the wheelbase has grown by 50mm. The height has gone up slightly as well. However, the gap between the wheel and the arch is slightly on the higher side. While the older City featured a rather flat side, the new car has more character. Just like in the concept, the front fender features a prominent curvy line that runs from the bumper to the front door. It ends there because a deep shoulder line starts at the door and goes all the way to the taillamp.</div>
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A similar curved line is present on the rear fender too, it flows below the shoulder line to the rear bumper and then drops down to give a it a flat sided look. The roofline slopes down more and the silhouette is more coupe like. The only downside to the side is the wheel design, Citys have had striking wheels in every generation but the new wheels are bland and don't go well with the car's styling.</div>
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The rear end in our opinion is the most striking side of the car, it is unique and unlike any Honda we've seen before. The wraparound tail lights features sharp as well as curved sides that look very European. The unit is much shorter and wider than before and is split in two parts, with one half mounted to the trunk lid.</div>
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A thin chrome strip neatly sits between the lights while the lower section of the bumper has a lot of lines running across and runs through sleek reflectors. The car's overall width hasn't increased and with wider lights and increased height, the car looks narrower than before.</div>
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<b style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Interiors</b></div>
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Step inside the car and one will notice one of the best cabins in a C-segment car today. The design is modern yet not overdone. The all black dashboard uses a flat front that's detailed by a piano black panel all the way from the driver side air vent up to the centre console. The centre panel houses the touch screen stereo while a segment first touch screen climate control panel sits below.</div>
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It is covered by a matte layer to prevent fingerprints but the piano black housing is a finger print magnet. The air vents are unique since they are slim and still function well. A contrasting and sporty metallic element runs along the top and around the centre console.</div>
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The steering wheel is the new design three-spoke wheel that takes inspiration from the CR-V, while it gets the same steering controls for audio, telephone and cruise control (first in segment in a manual transmission) among other features. The quality of materials used and overall fit and finish is impressive too. The door pads and pillars are finished in the same beige seen in the older City. Top end variants even get a leather interior.</div>
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In terms of space, the increased wheelbase has liberated a lot of room up front and at the back. The rear passengers get segment best knee room. And despite no increase in width, shoulder room is now up by 40mm. The front seats are wide and offer sufficient support while headroom has gone up too making it ideal for taller passengers. Boot space has increased to 510-litres while the opening has been widened as well. In fact the space is comparable to a few larger sedans.</div>
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<b style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Engines</b></div>
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<i style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Diesel</i></div>
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The most important addition to the City however is the diesel motor, it's the same all aluminium 1.5-litre i-DTEC engine seen in the Amaze and the power figures haven't changed, max power is 100PS@3600rpm while max torque is 200Nm@1750rpm. However the engine is mated to a new 6-speed manual transmission with optimized gear ratios. Honda engineers felt that the torque was sufficient for the car and have focused more on the driveability and efficiency of the engine. Whether it's driving in town or on the highway, the engine feels effortless.</div>
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Turbo lag is minimal and the car accelerates easily in any gear. The gear shifts are notchy but are precise. In terms of performance, the car hits 100kmph in 12.8 seconds. Unlike the Amaze that's limited to 140kmph, the City diesel maxes out at 163kmph, however compared to competition, the top speed is still much lower. What the car excels in is fuel efficiency, the ARAI claimed figure is a shocking 26kmpl making it more efficient than the Amaze even and as a result, the most fuel efficient car in India.</div>
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While both the petrol and diesel variants get added sound and vibration absorption material, the latter gets a lot more. The damper, dashboard, trunk, doors, roof, engine bay and hood get extra insulation. Even the side glass is thicker and different from the petrol variant. All this has definitely helped in keeping the NVH levels low but at idle and higher engine speeds, cabin noise is slightly higher than a few rival diesel cars. The cabin does get quiter as the engine settles down.</div>
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The petrol City uses the same L15A i-VTEC engine seen in the earlier model but receives a few updates. Power has improved slightly while efficiency has gone up too. This has been possible by optimizing the valve timing and the use of a double needle plug. The piston gets a special coating to help reduce friction. Max power is now 119PS@6600rpm while maximum torque of 145Nm is available at 4600rpm.</div>
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The engine is a rev happy unit and redlines at 6800rpm. Power delivery is impressive and performance is still best in segment. The 5-speed manual transmission is the same slick unit seen before but with changes made to the gear ratios. The sprint to 100kmph now comes up in just 10.67 seconds making it quicker than the previous City by a second almost.</div>
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An automatic variant is also on offer but unlike the previous generation car that used a 5-speed automatic transmission with a torque convertor, the new City automatic features a CVT. The new transmission has been developed using Honda's Earth Dreams Technology.</div>
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The unit is light and compact and is claimed to improve fuel efficiency and acceleration. Paddle shifters are standard and can be used in either D or S mode, the shifts are quick and there is hardly any delay in upshifts as well as downshifts.</div>
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In S mode, one can even shift gears at the redline. Acceleration is impressive too, the car crosses 100kmph in 12.3 seconds making it one of the quickest automatic cars in the segment. The automatic variant gets an ECON button similar to the CR-V that helps improve fuel economy. Surprisingly the ARAI claimed fuel efficiency of 17.9kmpl is 0.1kmpl more than the MT variant.</div>
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2014 Honda City diesel review: Promises to be another bestseller

2014 Honda City diesel review: Promises to be another bestseller Honda has finally launched the much awaited City in India, and this sh...

Review: Samsung Galaxy Note 3 and Galaxy Gear

Unknown 0 Gadgets, Note Series, Phablets, Reviews, Samsung, Samsung Galaxy, Samsung Galaxy Gear, Samsung Galaxy Note 3, Smart Watch, Smartphone, Technology, Wearable Gadgets 8.1.14

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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12px; line-height: 12px;">Meet Samsung's luxurious Galaxy Note 3, the sleekest blend of style and do-it-all features on the always-crowded smartphone market.</span><span style="border: 0px; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12px; line-height: 12px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /><br /><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span><br />
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12px; line-height: 12px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: white;">Samsung Galaxy Note 3 (left) and Galaxy Gear work together to make the stylus and ‘smartwatch’ cool.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 12px;">Styluses and watches weren't supposed to be "cool." Until now.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 12px;">Meet Samsung's luxurious Galaxy Note 3, the sleekest blend of style and do-it-all features on the always-crowded smartphone market. Samsung's Galaxy Note 2 was my favorite smartphone of 2012, the only device I wanted to use more than that old reliable iPhone. In 2013, Samsung somehow makes things even better, yielding an absolutely splendid device.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 12px;">It's all about innovation. In recent years, Samsung has been at its best when it's delivered unique devices (think the Note 2 and last year's Galaxy Camera) instead of merely following a crowd focused on battery power (yawn) and "thin and light" (sigh). So this time around, it focuses more on its S Pen stylus and crafts an optional Galaxy Gear, a completely pointless (yet totally cool) watch accessory, just for good measure.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 12px;">The resulting smartphone is the best Android device this year, even if you don't shell out the exorbitant $299 extra for the Gear.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 12px;">At a whopping six inches long, the Note 3 is far larger than even oversized devices such as the HTC One and Droid Maxx, but it never feels that way, still fitting easily into my jeans' back pocket. Samsung uses the real estate well, too, delivering a beautiful 5.7-inch full-HD display that makes movies and games look fantastic.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 12px;">The Note 3 never feels or looks clunky, either. Samsung smartly ditches the cheap-feeling plastic back of this year's Galaxy S4, giving you a faux-leather back on the Note 3. No, it's not real (it's plastic, too), but, combined with the silver etching around the border, it adds a slight elegance to this phone. The grip and resistance against fingerprints help, too.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 12px;">The guts of this phone are impressive. A 2.3-GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor runs Android Jelly Bean (sorry, not KitKat), and there's a solid 3 GB of RAM. In practice, that means swift handling of everyday processes and easy Web browsing. The Snapdragon is so powerful it lets you balance two apps at once via Advanced Multi Window, a setup that's perfect on this oversized phone.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 12px;">RELATED: REVIEW: SAMSUNG GALAXY S 4</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 12px;">The Snapdragon allows the Note 3 to run games easily, too. That last bit is especially worth noting when you consider the size of the Note 3. As a handheld gaming device with on-screen controls, it feels natural.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 12px;">Not that Samsung intended this to be a gaming machine. The focus here is on productivity. To that end, there's a solid 13 megapixel camera. Like the S4, the Note 3 cam is loaded with software features and it functions well.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 12px;">And then there's the S Pen, and this is truly the game changer. I fell in love with the S Pen last year and I haven't killed trees with awful reporter paper waste since. And this year's pen is even more appealing.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 12px;">The S Pen itself is slick and responsive once you remove it from its unnoticeable slot on the bottom right side of the Note 3. Removing it from this slot instantly brings up a menu of stylus-compatible apps for use.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 12px;">You can easily take notes with S Note or you can give Action Memo a try. This app converts your handwriting into texts or emails or contacts, and while it struggled to translate my reporter chicken scratch, in the right hands, it is a powerful, easy-to-use tool. The S Pen, meanwhile, is so easy to use that this phone is easy to recommend to students or reporters or anyone who takes plenty of notes.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 12px;">It's a shame that Samsung's user interface isn't quite that good. This used to be my favorite Android UI, but it takes slight steps backwards here. On the positive side, the WatchON app, designed to let you control your TV via the Note 3's IR blaster, is brilliant and easy to set up, and it finally smoothly integrates AV receivers. The Note 3 also incorporates a numerical row of keys on its onscreen keyboard, a smart use of its real estate when you are texting.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 12px;">But the drop-down menu has gotten overcrowded and, especially if you use WatchON, and there are so many apps that it is easy to lose track of things. It is good to give users options, but stuffing all of them onto the easy-access drop-down is overwhelming. You will want to tweak this early on. Air Gestures, which lets you command the phone without actually touching it, are needless and the eye-tracking capabilities are as useless here as they were on the S4.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 12px;">RELATED: REVIEW: SAMSUNG GALAXY S4 ACTIVE SMARTPHONE</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 12px;">Still, all that stuff is customizable, so it is more annoyance than anything on a tremendous phone. At $299 on contract, the Note 3 is the class of premium smartphones, a dynamic performer, and it only gets better if you add the Galaxy Gear, too.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 12px;">To be clear, you don't need a Gear because this device is completely unnecessary. But anyone who has ever wanted to feel like a secret agent or Michael Knight from "Knight Rider" will have a blast with this smartwatch, which links easily to your Note 3 via Bluetooth and stays connected. You can take calls from the Gear and you can take pictures using the Gear's camera (yes, slightly creepy), and eventually, you will be able to add other apps to the Gear.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 12px;">It's a fun little add-on for those with a little extra income, although it's not quite there yet. The Gear takes calls easily and fluidly (and there's nothing quite like a bystander watching you talk to your watch), and the camera takes surprisingly solid shots. The Bluetooth pairing with your Note 3 is easy, too.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 12px;">But at the moment $299 is just too much to pay for a device that doesn't have a full library of apps just yet. If you could, say, read your Twitter feed and text messages from your watch, that would be cool, and it would help eliminate the need to constantly pull out your oversized cellphone all the time. But as of this printing, there are no reliable apps that do that.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 12px;">The Gear, therefore, is an extraneous gadget that's cool but not necessarily worth the cash — but you can't fault Samsung for giving it a try. It's innovative and different, and it'll strike a chord with at least a few people who have the extra income, which is increasingly becoming Samsung's way. Just look at the newly released Galaxy S4 Zoom phone, or the company's expanding line of tablets.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 12px;">It's nice to see a company truly innovating, trying to develop interesting tech instead of simply copying and restyling the features that have been on the market for years. It's nice to see something different and unique.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 12px;">And it's nice to use the Note 3, the finest Android smartphone to date.</span></span><br />
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Review: Samsung Galaxy Note 3 and Galaxy Gear

Meet Samsung's luxurious Galaxy Note 3, the sleekest blend of style and do-it-all features on the always-crowded smartphone market. ...

Review: Samsung Galaxy S 4

Unknown 0 Gadgets, Reviews, Samsung, Samsung Galaxy, Samsung Galaxy S4, Smartphone, Technology 8.1.14

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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RUD9_Wqop6c/Us5IYdWQpxI/AAAAAAAAAFE/EoptqfT_6u0/s1600/galaxy23f-1-web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RUD9_Wqop6c/Us5IYdWQpxI/AAAAAAAAAFE/EoptqfT_6u0/s1600/galaxy23f-1-web.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">Meet the Samsung Galaxy S 4, the latest most-anticipated smartphone on the market, and a pretty impressive device on its own merits. But it's evolution instead of revolution this time around, and that places the S 4 in a tricky spot.</span><span style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span></div>
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So this is what it's come down to for the evolution of the smartphone: A device can suddenly be defined as much by its software as its hardware, and the line between last-gen and next-gen is as blurry as a photo taken on some old VGA camera.</div>
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Meet the Samsung Galaxy S 4, the latest most-anticipated smartphone on the market, and a pretty impressive device on its own merits. But it's evolution instead of revolution this time around, and while that's beautiful and enjoyable to have, that's not something that you MUST have.</div>
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None of this is meant to knock the S 4, because it's certainly a solid phone. But Samsung doesn't quite do enough to make the device distinct. This phone has an ever-so-slightly larger, 5-inch screen, 0.2 inches bigger than the S3's screen, but a slim bezel keeps the device just about the same size. It looks thicker, yet weighs in at just 4.6 ounces, plenty light enough to disappear into a back jeans pocket.</div>
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The S 3 and  S4 are designed so similarly that you'd be hard-pressed telling them apart. That's not necessarily a bad thing; a series of iPhones have dealt with the same issue. But the S 4's design lacks the edgy beauty of the HTC One, or the sleekness of Sony's latest Xperia phone.</div>
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It's all glossy plastic, not exactly the most attractive stuff, but what it lacks in beauty it makes up for in utility. You won't feel quite as compelled to purchase some overpriced, glove-like case for the S 4 because of the design simplicity. (I did love Samsung's S View cover, however, and if you have $59.99 to spare, that's the way to go, coating your S 4 in a cover just as intelligent as the iPad's brilliant Smart Cover.)</div>
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Back to the S 4. The design may be simple, but under the hood is a phone that runs with the finest devices on the market. You get a 1.9 gHz Snapdragon processor, and a 2 GB of RAM. And the battery on the S 4 is a serious step up from most smartphones; I'm a pretty heavy Bluetooth user who's addicted to Google Play music and surfs the internet for fantasy baseball info far too often, and I still got a little over a day out of a full charge.</div>
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The frame also surrounds one of the finest screens on a smartphone today. Apple's Retina screens are officially battling heavy competition these days, from the HTC One, to last year's brilliant Xperia Z screen (one of the more underrated screens on the market) to the S 4's full 1,920x1,080 Super AMOLED panel.</div>
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Text is a dream on here, just as clear and full as it is on a Retina-equipped device, and colors are tremendously lush and vibrant. Colors really pop, and yet you get strong, deep blacks on the S 4. This is a definite step up from the S 3 and the Samsung Galaxy Note 2, and video viewing is strong, even if I am traditionally a proponent of the larger Note 2 for movies.</div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 12px;">Samsung also leaves you a microSD card slot, a key advantage when matched against such phones as the HTC One and that venerable iPhone.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 12px;">Samsung also makes an underrated move to include an IR blaster on the S 4. Paired with a new WatchON app, this allows you to remotely control your TV with your S4. It's a feature we're seeing in more and more cell phones and tablets, and it's executed solidly here. Unfortunately, it can't quite match the depth of what we've seen from Sony the last two years, and the S4's WatchON app still doesn't play nice if you own a high-end home theater surround sound.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 12px;">The camera on the S 4 is another tremendous advantage. The main camera is a 13-megapixel monster, and it takes some truly beautiful shots. Lowlight photos are solid, although they don't quite reach the level of Nokia's Lumia 920, and Samsung gives you an extensive suite of software options filled with photo magic.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 12px;">On the whole, many of the new modes lack the practicality of the shooting modes that helped define the S 3. Some of them feel a bit gimmicky, such as Samsung's Dual Shot mode, which essentially lets you take shots with the front and rear cameras on the same photo. And I've never been a huge proponent of simply removing things from photos, or moving pieces of a photo here and there. But it's nice to have options, and Samsung gives you a load of them here.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 12px;">Options, of course, are a key theme of the S 4's software. The S 4 aims to be the most highly customizable Android experience on the market, backing up a solid TouchWiz UI with loads of unique options.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 12px;">Don't want to go through the trouble of using your thumb to scroll up and down web pages? The S 4 can watch your eyes, and when the screen tilts in a certain direction, the page will scroll automatically. This feature winds up being impractical and unreliable, but Smart Pause, another eye-tracking feature, fares better. Look away from the screen during a video, and the S4 video automatically pauses.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 12px;">Such features can be turned on and off, although honestly, I turned most of them off. Such eye-tracking features are technological accomplishments, but are they truly necessary? Samsung is automating plenty of processes that truly don't need automation, and it's all part of their attempt to bring innovation to this smartphone.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 12px;">The S 4 tries to do that in other ways, too, with some S Health software that can pair with a Nike Fuelband-like wristband, and a surprisingly handy S Translator devices that has me chronically texting things in other languages just for fun. These pieces of software stand out and function well.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 12px;">But they're pieces of software, things that could theoretically be applied to other phones, not gamebreaking pieces of technology. And that's the latest sign of just how hard it is to innovate in this field these days. The S 3 pushed Samsung to the Android market's forefront, and the Galaxy Note 2 is the finest Android device I've ever tested.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 12px;">The S 4? It's not leaps and bounds ahead of either of last year's devices. Instead, it's a hop forward, solid hardware and interesting, innovative software all rolled into one, the kind of device that just might convert an Apple user to Android. But if you have an S 3, or even a Galaxy Note 2, I'm not sure an upgrade is essential just yet.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 12px;">Samsung's S 4 certainly gets the job done, and it's a prime target for anyone ready for an upgrade. And the S 4 also proves one thing: It's getting evermore challenging to get the job done building a captivating Android smartphone.</span></span></div>

Review: Samsung Galaxy S 4

Meet the Samsung Galaxy S 4, the latest most-anticipated smartphone on the market, and a pretty impressive device on its own merits. But...