iPad Mini deal: available at Rs. 12,900

E-retailer giant Flipkart is offering the first generation iPad Mini for as low as Rs. 12,900. It was recently spotted that the 16 GB WiFi variant of the iPad Mini was available for Rs. 21,900 (without offer) and Rs. 12,900 (with offer). The offer is available for users who are willing to exchange their old gadget for the iPad Mini. Gadgets include a Smartphone, Tablet or a Laptop. The discount ranges from Rs. 5,000 to Rs. 9,000, depending on the gadget you are exchanging it for (laptops exchange gives you a maximum discount of Rs. 7,000). 

The website has given the list of eligible devices for exchange.

The iPad Mini packs in the same specs as the iPad 2. An Apple A5 dual core processor, 512 MB RAM, 7.9 In screen with a resolution of 1024x768 with a pixel density of 160 ppi. A 5 MP iSight rear camera and a 1.2 MP front camera and iOS 7.0.4.

Facebook buying Whatsapp for $19 billion.

Mark Zuckerberg recently announced that facebook will acquire Whatsapp for $19 billion.Stocks worth $12 billion , $4 billion in cash and $3 billion Restricted stocks to whatsapp employes. Mark Zuckerberg wrote 

"I’m excited to announce that we’ve agreed to acquire WhatsApp and that their entire team will be joining us at Facebook.

Our mission is to make the world more open and connected. We do this by building services that help people share any type of content with any group of people they want. WhatsApp will help us do this by continuing to develop a service that people around the world love to use every day.

WhatsApp is a simple, fast and reliable mobile messaging service that is used by over 450 million people on every major mobile platform. More than 1 million people sign up for WhatsApp every day and it is on its way to connecting one billion people. More and more people rely on WhatsApp to communicate with all of their contacts every day.

WhatsApp will continue to operate independently within Facebook. The product roadmap will remain unchanged and the team is going to stay in Mountain View. Over the next few years, we're going to work hard to help WhatsApp grow and connect the whole world. We also expect that WhatsApp will add to our efforts forInternet.org, our partnership to make basic internet services affordable for everyone. 

WhatsApp will complement our existing chat and messaging services to provide new tools for our community. Facebook Messenger is widely used for chatting with your Facebook friends, and WhatsApp for communicating with all of your contacts and small groups of people. Since WhatsApp and Messenger serve such different and important uses, we will continue investing in both and making them each great products for everyone.

WhatsApp had every option in the world, so I’m thrilled that they chose to work with us. I’m looking forward to what Facebook and WhatsApp can do together, and to developing great new mobile services that give people even more options for connecting.

I've also known Jan for a long time, and I know that we both share the vision of making the world more open and connected. I'm particularly happy that Jan has agreed to join the Facebook board and partner with me to shape Facebook's future as well as WhatsApp's.

Jan and the WhatsApp team have done some amazing work to connect almost half a billion people. I can’t wait for them to join Facebook and help us connect the rest of the world."

Whatsapp will operate as an independent service. 

Whatsapp is an online messaging service  through which you can send/receive texts, photos, videos, etc. Whatsapp is free for the first year and then charges $1 per year. Currently, Whatsapp reported that around 450 million members are online every month. 

So what do you think? Is this a good deal? Or is facebook out of ideas and just wants to stay in the league? Well, start commenting!

What changes we are willing to see in the Galaxy Gear 2

Samsung released the Galaxy gear, a wearable smart watch which acts as a companion for your Samsung (High End) device. You could receive calls, record video read messages and so on....in short, you could leave your phone in your car while you enjoy the party and never miss a call again... Though i loved the watch but i would really really like samsung to do some changes which would make users as well as samsung happy (profit!!)

1. COMPATIBILITY

The Galaxy Gear as of now, supports only a couple of devices namely Galaxy Note 3, Note 2, Galaxy S3, Galaxy S4 and the Galaxy Mega. But Samsung , you got it all wrong! Had the Gear been supported on all Android devices , the sales would've tripled and every one could've owned it instead of just some particular users. I'd really like to see Samsung make this change happen in the next version.

2. COST

The Galaxy Gear costs a ridiculous Rs. 15,290. This price tag got many people to think ten times before buying it. Rs 15,290? Seriously Samsung!? Hell, if i had 15,290 to spend on something, i'd rather buy a brand new Android smartphone with a quad core processor or a tab... There's plenty of 'em in this price range (See also: Which tablet to buy under Rs. 20,000). Though i would've preferred buying gear if it sold for around Rs. 8000..

3. DESIGN

Everyone knows about the Apple iPod touch nano (6th generation), right? That square shaped iPod with capacitive touch which could be worn on the wrist and become an uber cool watch. One of my cousins had it and i wore it once and everyone around me was like "Dude, where'd you get that thing, it looks so high tech". Well, the galaxy gear looks good but isn't all that elegant and stylish as i'd like it to be. Samsung should make the band detachable so that people could buy different colored bands (or even bands made of different material) and make it a little more stylish.

4. BATTERY

The Galaxy Gears currently runs on a 350 mAh battery and lasts about 2 days. Although this is not bad, but being a wearable smart watch, the Gear should last at least 8-10 days as people would like to wear it and forget when it is about to run out. 

(See also: Samsung Galaxy S5 rumor round up)

According to the New York Times, the Samsung Galaxy S5 and the Galaxy Gear 2 might launch in just about 2 weeks, that's right! Samsung might unveil these 2 devices at MWC instead of it's own special event.

  

That's it, if Samsung does these Necessary changes, it might be a marvelous product which everyone would want to buy. Got your own suggestions? Tell me in the comments! 

What could be the next Samsung Galaxy S5

Samsung is known to integrate the latest technology into its high end flag ship phones such as the Galaxy S series, the Galaxy Note series and so on.... And it won't be any different with the much anticipated Galaxy S5. It is unlikely that Samsung will announce the phone at the Mobile World Congress because MWC might overshadow it's product . It is also anticipated that Samsung might launch two variants of the phone: One in a plastic casing and the other in A premium metal casing.

Jumping to the specs, the phone might be equipped with Exynos 6 or a Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 (the processor will most probably be a 64 bit processor) processor along with atleast 3 GB RAM or maybe even 4 GB. The S5 may boast a 2K QHD AMOLED display with a very high pixel density. The Galaxy S5 is also rumored to have a RETINA scanner which will unlock the phone just by looking at it... It is also said to get a 2900 mAh battery instead of the previously rumored 4000 mAh. The camera might be a 20 MP with 4K QHD recording support and the phone might come with Android 4.4 Kitkat and an updated TouchWiz UI.

If these specs come true, then the phone will be unbelievably fast and push the limits of mobile hardware. The Galaxy S4 released last year is still 'one of the top' phones one can buy. In this technological era, a 1 year old phone is considered outdated but the Galaxy S4 fought for what it stood i.e. a POWERHOUSE. Also Samsung might launch a special wearable gadget exclusively for the S5.

In the end, my mouth is full of water after seeing these specs but they are just a rumor and Samsung hasn't officially announced anything about the GS5.

It's highly unlikely but I really wish Samsung does something INNOVATIVE with the S5 other than just putting in the latest and best hardware and an iris scanner because Samsung, I think there is more to you than this.

So what do you think? Will Samsung introduce the Galaxy S5 in a couple of months and if yes, then what do you think/want the specs will/to be? Comment in the comments Section!

Top 2 Tablets under Rs. 20,000

Tablets have become as common as a Smartphone due to their decreasing prices and attractive features. Micromax and Lava are dominating the Indian Tablet and Smartphone Market under 10K segment. The real question arises when you have 20K in Hand and can't decide which product is a BANG for the buck. Well, I am here to help you with just that and hence suggest you the top 2 tablets currently available in India under Rs. 20,000. You must be thinking , "Why 2 tablets? why such an odd number? Other sites always suggest 5 or 10 but why only 2 here?" Well , because I found only these two tabs interesting enough under Rs. 20,000 and there was no point in suggesting 5 or 10 tabs. Less Options = Less Confusions, right?

1. The Xolo Play TEGRA Note

Well, this had to be in our list. It is the best performing tablet under Rs. 20,000 and comes at an unbelievably attractive price of 15,499 (Flipkart) . Wait till you hear the specs. This beast is powered by Nvidia Tegra 4 Quad Core Processor clocked at 1.8 GHZ + 1 Cortex A15 power saving core. Its got a 72 core Nvidia GeForce GPU and 1 GB of DDR3L RAM. 16 GB internal memory has been provided which can be expandable upto 32 GB via micro SD. The Screen is a 7 inch HD (1280 x 800) IPS display with a pixel density of 216 ppi. A 5 MP rear camera has been provided which features Auto Focus and Instant HDR along with a VGA front camera. The Tablet also supports Nvidia Direct Stylus Technology. Connectivity options include WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, WiFi Direct, Bluetooth v 4.0 LE, WLAN and  GPS/GLONASS. Sensors include Accelerometer,  Direction Sensor, Proximity Sensor, Ambient Light Sensor, E-compass, Gyroscope and Rotation Vector Sensor. Battery looks promising packing in a 4100 mAh. The Tablet also supports 4K HD Video output via HDMI. The Tablet ships with Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean and upgrades will be available.  For overview head to the Main Site.

There's no question as to whether this tablet performs good or not provided that games which are featured in Tegra Zone run flawlessly on extreme settings. I didn't even notice a lag while using this tab with 8 apps open (one of them being NFS Most Wanted) . So you can blindly trust and snatch this offer.

(Also read Google Nexus 5: The Bold, The Smart, The Affordable)

2. Google Nexus 7 2013

Google started releasing the Nexus phones and tablets a while back with only one motive, 'PURE ANDROID EXPERIENCE WITH THE BEST HARDWARE' . Well, it has kept its promise and 2013 version of the Nexus 7 is just awesome. The Nexus 7 is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro clocked at 1.5 GHZ and Adreno 320 GPU clocked at 400 MHZ and 2 GB RAM.It boasts a 7 inch (1920x1200) HD IPS display with a pixel density of 323 ppi and is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass.The user can choose between 16 GB or 32 GB of internal storage. This tablet features a 5 MP rear camera with a large f2.4 aperture and Auto Focus and a 1.2 MP front facing camera. Connectivity options include WiFi (2.5/5 GHZ) 802.11 a/b/g/n , Bluetooth v 4.0 ,NFC and GPS. The built in sensors are Gyroscope, Accelerometer, Proximity Sensor and Light Sensor. The battery is a 3950 mAh which promises upto 9 hours of active use. The Nexus 7 2013 16 GB variant is available for Rs. 20,999 (Flipkart) but i am sure you can find cheaper rate at your local shop. Head on to the main site to know more.

This tablet performs well and the given 2 GB RAM is more than enough to handle at least 10-14 apps running in the background and games such as GTA San Andreas ran smoothly an
d without any lag.

(Also read The best Android Smartphone under Rs. 10,000)

LG G FLEX:The world's first curved smartphone

LG announced the G Flex a while back and since then it has been gaining much attention, mainly because of it's curved screen.
LG seems to be liking curved things such as the Curved TV , a curved Phone and even a curved battery!

The G Flex sports a large 6 inch 1280x720 Curved P-OLED display which can be straightened ( but it will return to it's original shape automatically) with a pixel density of 245 ppi. It boasts a Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 procesor clocked at 2.26 GHZ along with Adreno 330 GPU and 2 GB RAM. The primary camera is a 13 MP one, with support for 1080p @ 60 fps as well as 4K video recording and other standard camera features, whereas the secondary camera is a 2.1 MP with 1080p video recording capability. The connectivity options inculde Wifi, Wifi Direct, Bluetooth, DLNA, NFC and Infrared. The phone supports 2G/3G/4G LTE and packs in a 3500 maH battery. Sensors include Accelerometer, Proximity sensor, gyroscope, hall effect sensor, temperature sensor, hygrometer,gesture sensor and magnetometer.

The phone is yet to be released around the world and no official announcement has be been made in India.

Sony announces Xperia T2 Ultra and E1 walkman

It has been a busy week for technology giants, introducing new tech at CES. And just when i thought all the important announcements had been made, Sony surprisingly announced two new products: The Xperia T2 Ultra and the Walkman E1.

The T2 Ultra sports a 720p 6 inch screen with TRILUMINOUS technology and Bravia Engine 2 and packs in a Snapdragon Quad core processor clocked at 1.4 GHZ along with 1 GB RAM. There's also a micro SD expansion slot along with 8 GB internal memory. The primary camera is a 13 MP one whereas the front camera, a 1.1 MP.

The E1 Walkman sports a 4 inch (480x800) display, a dual core processor and 512 MB RAM but a 100 dB speaker which is really powerful.

Both the phones will be shown at the  Mobile World Congress which will take place in February.

CES 2014: Sony's new 4K ULTRA SHORT THROW PROJECTOR

Sony recently announced a new kind of projector at CES 2014. The **4K Ultra Short Throw** projector can project upto 147 inches diagonally supporting 4K resolution. The catch? Well, normal projectors have to be attatched on the roof in the rear of the room but this special little projector needs to be placed just below the wall you want to project onto and voila! the projector will project on the wall above it! Isn't it amazing?! But (i know , there's always a heartbreaking 'but' ), the projector itself will cost a hefty $30,000-$40,000 OUCH! Well you can't do anything about it. But i seriously loved the concept of the projector. At 4K resolution, the details would be ultra sharp and 147 inches is really BIG.

Sony is promising that this projector will be available around the summers.

Stay tuned for more CES 2014 news and reviews!

iPhone 5S: Beautifully designed, Perfectly crafted, Just For You

Apple introduced two new iPhones last year: The iPhone 5S and the iPhone 5C. While the 5S was its new flagship phone and had updated internals and externals, the 5C merely received any updates other than the new plastic body and a slightly updated camera. Nonetheless , Apple introduced many exciting features with the iPhone 5S which made the best phone even better!

Processor

The iPhone 5S is powered by the world's first 64 bit processor, the A7 (dual core clocked at 1.3 GHZ) along the Motion M7 coprocessor. Apple claims that the A7 is 2X faster than the A6. The A7 is very very fast and you won't notice any lag at all. Applications open in a snap and game load times have reduced. Playing Infinity 3 on iPhone 5S amazed me. Those graphics, those shadows were just damn good. The game didn't lag at all and response time was great too! The game felt like a console quality game, especially when playing it on the iPhone 5S. The updated PowerVR GPU now supports Open GL/ES 3.0.

Camera

The 8 MP iSight camera now has larger pixels (1.5µ) with five element lens, f/2.2 aperture, Auto focus, Tap to focus, Geo tagging ,Panorama(and other common features) and what sits besides the camera is a true tone (dual LED) flash. The camera captures amazing photos as usual and supports slo mo(slow motion@120 fps) video@720p as well as full HD 1080p @30 fps. It's really cool to watch your epic basketball shot in slow motion ( believe me, it is).Low light photos have good color reproduction (thanks to the true tone flash).The photos are crisper and have more detail. The front camera is a 1.2 MP with 720p HD video support.

Touch ID

This is the main feature that Apple is proud of. The iPhone 5S' home button is not just an ordinary button, but a fingerprint scanner that Apple is calling, the Touch ID. The user simply places his finger or thumb on the home button and voila! the iPhone is unlocked! Isn't it amazing? It's pretty easy to setup and simple to use. And once you start using it, you won't feel comfortable with those old pattern/passcode locks.

Other Specs

Other features include a 4 inch IPS 1136x640 display with a pixel density of 326 ppi(same as the iPhone 5), 1 GB RAM, Wifi 802.11 a/b/g/n , Bluetooth v4.0, GPS with GLONASS, proximity sensor, ambient light sensor, compass, accelerometer and three axis gyroscope.The iPhone 5S comes with iOS 7. It supports 2G/3G/4G LTE and Apple promises battery backup of Talk time: up to 10 hours on 3G
Standby time: up to 250 hours
Internet use: up to 8 hours on 3G, up to 10 hours
on LTE, up to 10 hours on Wi‑Fi
Video playback: up to 10 hours
Audio playback: up to 40 hours.

The iPhone 5S comes in 16GB/32GB/64GB and retails at Rs. 52366/Rs. 62450/ coming soon respectively. Color options include Gold, Silver and Space Gray.

Pros

World's first desktop class 64 bit A7 processor, Slow Motion video capture, amazing camera, Touch ID, iOS 7.

Cons

A 4.5 inch screen would've appealed to a wider audience, Full HD display is the standard but Apple stayed at 1136x640, Expensive.

Verdict

Apple just made their best phone even better. Touch ID is appealing and the 64 A7 has a lot of advantages (though there aren't many apps that make use of its potential yet). But Apple has started to loose that INNOVATION, and we expect it does something incredible with the next iPhone. But this iPhone is incredibly great with all that potential waiting to be exploited. Go for it if you have the money, you definitely won't regret buying the best Apple product yet.