GizChai

Xiaomi Redmi Note 4X with Snapdragon 653, 4GB RAM to launch in India?

2016-12-28T13:58:00.000+05:30

Seems like the use of Mediatek chips in Xiaomi phones will remian as it enters 2017 and a new slew of releases as the Redmi Note 4 that was unveiled in China earlier this year is all set to make its India appearance in a brand new bumped up "pro" avatar.

Named the Redmi Note 4X the device will share the same aesthetics as the original chinese version of the Redmi Note 4, what will change is the chipset from the Decacore Helio X20 chipset this Indian Redmi Note 4 pro device will reportedly feature a snapdragon 653 chipset and going by what we have seen it perform in the Xiaomi Mi Max (Snapdragon 652) and Redmi Note 3 pro (Snapdragon 650) the SD 653 promises to be a performance beast with all other goodies of the original Redmi Note 4 like the all metal body with chamfered edges, Big battery of 4100mAH, Dual sim (hybrid) and more.

Rumored changes also include a bumped up 16MP primary camera (like the Redmi note 3 pro), 4GB RAM variant with 64GB inbuilt storage, and the latest Blue and Black variants of the device (including the silver, grey and Gold standard variants). The big question remains if the pricing will hit the sweet spot of 11-15k INR?

All in all this seems to be an exciting start for the Chinese phone maker provided it follows it up well with the Mi6 and Mi Max 2 in India.

Redmi Note 3 Pro with Snapdragon 650, 16MP camera, 4000mAH battery coming to India!

2016-01-14T13:52:00.001+05:30

The cat is out of the bag, the empire has striked back and in style too. For all the fans (including ourselves) Xiaomi has hit back in style with the Redmi Note 3 Pro "made for India". While the 4000mAH battery remains, and so is the gorgeous metal build and fingerprint scanner what's improved is the bump up to a 16MP camera with 0.1s ultra-fast PDAF (Phase Detection Auto Focus) system (a first for any Xiaomi product) and Adreno 510GPU (halleleujah to gaming fans).

We should remember that this is the same chipset that powers the upcoming Samsung Galaxy A9 and which is priced close to 30K INR. Given that price range we can expect the 16GB version to retails close to the 10K INR range in India and the 32GB version at 12-14K INR.

Xiaomi has started the Redmi Note 3 Explorer challenge in India, where 100 chosen Mi fans will get the phone if they complete the 100 missions.

Excited? well we are picking this up as soon as it arrives in the market (Or earlier if we are one of the 100 explorers for MI- Fingers crossed!)

Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 Pro specifications

Screen: 5.5-inch (1920 x 1080 pixels) Full HD IPS display, 178-degree viewing angle
Chipset: Hexa-Core Snapdragon 650 ( 4x 1.2GHz ARM A53 + 2 x 1.8 GHz ARM A57 ) 64-bit processor with Adreno 510 GPU
Storage Variants: 2GB RAM with 16GB storage / 3GB RAM with 32GB storage
ROM: MIUI 7 based on Android Lollipop
SIM: Dual SIM (No Hybrid SIM Slot)
Camera: 16MP rear camera with PDAF, dual-tone LED Flash, f/2.0 aperture, 1080p video recording, 120fps slow-motion: 5MP front-facing camera, f/2.0 aperture, 1080p video recording
Dimensions: 150x76x8.65 mm; Weight: 164g
Infrared sensor, Finger print scanner
4G LTE, Wi-Fi 802.11 ac/b/g/n (2.4 / 5GHz), Bluetooth 4.0, GPS + GLONASS
4000mAh (minimum) / 4050mAh (typical) battery with fast charging

Source

Redmi 3 announced with 13MP camera & massive 4100mAH battery at 7000INR

2016-01-11T11:16:00.000+05:30

Xiaomi surprised Industry watchers and fans alike by quietly taking the wraps of the newest iteration of their Budget phone the Redmi 3. In a crowded marked where fingerprint scanners, High resolution displays under the 10k price mark (read Lenovo K4 Note and Coolpad Note 3) are making disruptive waves the quiet release of the Redmi 3 seems to be acknowledgement of sorts that this phone is not a gamechanger many were hoping it would be.

And yet the Redmi 3 marks a series of firsts for Xiaomi as well as the budget phone Industry such as:

Budget build quality gets a new definition with the slim and metal build of the Redmi 3

1) Premium Metallic Build Quality:

The phone boasts of an all metal back which comes with a unique metal build with a design pattern boasting of unique pattern of 4166 stars etched together to give a lattice design effect. The new metal body will come in Fashion gold, Classic Gold, silver or grey colours

Lattice metal design on the Redmi 3 is surely eye catching

2) Battery of 3 days with a 4100mAH battery:

The Redmi 3 boasts of close to 3 days of Battery life with normal usage thanks to its massive 4100mAH battery which despite the heft with fit in a rather slim 8.5mm profile of the device.

The Redmi 3 will also have 5V/2A fast charging extending talk time by as much as 80%. thanks to Optimizations to MIUI 7 this would roughly translate to a 25% more usage from the Redmi 3 on a single charge compared to the Redmi 2 which is a big boost to the users planning to upgrade to this device

3) 13MP Camera with PDAF and Qualcomm Snapdragon 616 chipset

The Redmi 3 also has an upgrade to its optics as it now has a 13 mega-pixel camera with PDAF fast autofocus (like the Redmi Note 2 and 3) with F2.0 aperture. This is a big update over previous Redmi rear cameras which were at 8MP. The front camera is a 5 mega-pixel F2.2 camera for better selfies.

The device is also powered by an all new Snapdragon 616 chipset which makes the Redmi 3 now even bettery a deal than the Mi 4i. However the rest of the features are not greoundbreaking namely

Redmi 3 Full specifications

5", 1280*720 HD display with front screen protection
Qualcomm Snapdragon 616 octacore chipset, Adreno 405 GPU
13MP primary camera with Phase Detection Auto Focus and 5MP secondary camera
Dual hybrid SIM slots
4100mAH battery with fast charging supported
16GB inbuilt memory (expandable upto 128GB via hybrid SIM slot) and 2GB RAM

The misses are omnious as you do not get a fingerprint scanner, Dual SIM's and expandable storage (due to the hybrid SIM Slot) and Snapdragon 615 had proven to be a toaster of a chip and the 616 is yet to prove its worth.

But at a launch price of $106 (roughly translating to 7000INR) and MIUI, Xiaomi plans to lure then budget seeker with a Midrange offering with some aces up its sleeve.

Is it worth for an Redmi 2 user, we would say yes. But then we would also prefer a Redmi 3 Prime with an extra gig of RAM and 32GB internal storage at under 10K. What is your take readers? eveolutionary jump or another laclustre product from Xiaomi?

Redmi Note 2 with 1080p Screen, Helio X10 Chipset launched!

2015-08-13T13:43:00.002+05:30

The wait is finally over and while Samsung is prepping to launch its new phablet line the famed Galaxy Note 5 one other comapny is already creating ripples- the Xiaomi Redmi Note 2 is finally live! And keeping up with the Redmi Philosophy of affordable yet powerful phones this baby promises more bang for the buck as usual.

The Redmi Note 2 comes with a beautiful 1080p display, which is a good upgrade from the last generation 720p screen, has a 13MP Samsung Camera with Phase Detection Auto Focus making it the most affordable phone in its price category to have this advanced imaging feature. The PDAF was last heard of in the much hyped launch of the OnePlus 2. Another stand out feature is the inclusion of the Mediatek helio X10 Chipset, which is touted to give many a Snapdragon chip a run for their money.

MIUI 7 will be seen debuting in this phone even though the phone will intially ship with MIUI 6 out of the box. Users will get to choose between 16GB and 32GB "Prime" models with slight price differences.

Apart from these stand out features the phones comes with standard features as in the original like 5MP front facing Omni Vision camers, 2GB RAM, 3020 mAH removable battery and a Micro SD Card slot for added memory expansion.

Looking at the price range it would be safe to expect a launch price of 12-14K for the prime version in India while looking at the more traditional (and widely selling) 9999INR for the 16GB version.

Breaking: OnePlus 2 to feature finger print sensor, Android L imminent!

2015-06-29T22:52:00.001+05:30

In the latest of their series of staggered feature leaks for the upcoming OnePlus 2 the team has just announced that the device will feature an Finger print sensor which boasts to be even faster than Apple's TouchID.

The post in the forums by Admin Pete confirms this fact and what's more interesting is the fact that the fingerprint sensor will not only help you unlock the phone and take you to the home screen but also boasts of storing upto five finger print profiles! This hints at integration of the latest Android M as Google's latest mobile OS has this feature natively supported.

This comes just weeks after revealing an upgraded camera unit, Snapdragon 810, USB Type C and a VR launch for the device.

All in all for a price touted to be slightly higher than the One the whole package seems to be developing quite well. What would you like to see next? A monster 6000mAH+ Battery perhaps?

Stay tuned!

Source

Iberry Auxus Beast is a re-branded beefed up version of Mlais M52 Note

2015-04-13T21:55:00.002+05:30

Iberry which is slowly but surely coming of age with their diverse and unique offerings in the Indian market announced their latest product which is not only a surprise at its price point but also seems to carve a niche for itself. In a market crowded with the Who's who of budget Chinese manufacturers offering their products directly in India its becoming increasingly difficult to provide a way to differentiate between competition.

Rebranding popular Chinese phones and selling them at a premium had been the name of the game for many a popular local brands like Micromax, Karbonn, Xolo, Wickedleak et al. but with Xiaomi releasing its popular Redmi Note and OnePlus releasing the One in the Indian market its been almost next to impossible for Indian companies to charge hefty price tags for its devices.

Iberry was so lazy that it left the big 4G symbol on the front as is... Or at second thought that does makes good branding sense here!
Auxus Beast Official image on top and Mlais Note 52 in the bottom

In come the new wave of strategies to beat the chinese in their own game- Better hardware at lower prices- often at the cost of profitability. The Yu Yureka (again rebranded Coolpad phone)is one such example, selling close to no-profit no-loss scenario just to regain lost ground to the Chinese onslaught.

Iberry seems to have followed a similar strategy here by rebranding popular Chinese phone Mlais M52 Note and bumping up the RAM by a gig effectively offering India's cheapest available 3GB RAM android smartphone in the form of the Iberry Auxus Beast at 13990INR from Snapdeal.

The Company in its official note said that it will be releasing 3 colored back panels (Apart from black) for the phone, no prizes in guessing which were those :)
Auxus Beast Official image at the bottom and Mlais Note 52 multi color back panels on top

The Auxus beast comes with a 5.5-inch HD Miramax display with OGS Full lamination technology & Gorilla Glass protection. The Beast is powered by a 1.7 GHz Octa-Core 64bit MediaTek MT6752 processor and runs on Android 5.0 (Lollipop) OS. It has a 13-megapixel rear camera with LED flash and a 8 megapixel 88° Wide-angle Front-facing Camera.

The official Iberry video shows the phone withstanding a lot of abuse and working at ease with gloves on (although one must keep in mind that these are lab conditions we are taking about here)

So where does it leave potential buyers of the new device? Well from our long expereince with Chinese re-brands all we can suggest is that if you are a pioneer in tech and don't mind shelling 13K for a phone with limited service options and would love to get the best hardware in the market topped with the latest of Android's Lollipop goodness then the Iberry Beast is the phone for you-

Although its always a hands on that gives you the clearest perspective of a device no matter how gorgeous it looks in the demo videos and sites. But the device does gives any current phone in the Indian market a run for its money if it comes down to a battle of the hardware spec sheet alone.

Others can hang on to their current devices for 6-8 months and we will have similar spec'd phones coming from Xiaomi. Yu and many more.

What's your take? would you buy this phone?

Meizu enters India with the M1 Note priced at 7000INR

2015-03-19T17:14:00.004+05:30

Meizu one of the more stylish and sophisticated manufacturer's in the Chinese phone market are reportedly prepping the decks to launch their budget monster the Meizu m1 Note in India in April.

While overtues were evident in its social media posts for quite sometime now its now been confirmed that the m1 Note will be the first salvo that the smartphone maker will fire in India.

The m1 Note boasts of Spec that will easily put a mid-ranger to shame, namely:

5.5-inch 1080p Sharp IGZO display
MediaTek MT6752 64-bit 1.7GHz Octa-core
Mali-760 MP2 GPU
2GB of RAM
16GB or 32GB internal storage, no microSD card support
3,140mAh battery
Android 4.4.4, Flyme 4.0 skin
13MP rear-facing camera, LED flash
5MP front-facing camera
150.7mm tall x 75.2mm wide x 8.9mm thick, weighing a mere145g

This launch is aimed squarely at the growing popularity of entry level budget "Power-droids" like the Xiaomi Redmi 2, Asus Zenfone 5 and Moto G (V 2.0)

Meizu holds the upper hand clearly over these phones in terms of Battery life, Camera and style (If you are a fan of the Apple iPhone inspired knockoffs) but the phone will lose points on the fact that only the 1GB RAM version is being released and that the internal memory is non expandable.

Are you excited? We surely are!

Xiaomi Ban: This is just a bend and not the end for the Chinese Tech-tsunami

2014-12-11T22:42:00.001+05:30

Just yesterday I registered to buy my 3rd Redmi Note for a colleague of mine, after buying one each for 2 managers at the place of my work and its seemed like the Note would make waves like its predecessors the MI3 and the Redmi 1S.

Sadly this will not be the case, atleast for the next few weeks (Or days) as the Patent infringement suit by Ericsson and the subsequent ban by the Delhi High court has put a minor halt to the tech expansion as confirmed by Mi India through their official FB page:

This however has not stopped the tech giant,which has kept its sights firmly on India, from its R&D as news from the mainland trickle in the Redmi 2 is ready and may be ready to ship with almost same specs, a slimmer profile over the Redmi 1S.

Our support is with you Xiaomi- we look forward for even more awesome products from your stable and your return to India ASAP.

Hugo Barra on update to Redmi owners in India to solve heating/ RAM issues and more!

2014-10-14T08:38:00.002+05:30

A detailed post by Hugo Barra (VP Xiaomi) adressed the Indian buyer on multiple issues of the Redmi 1s. Hugo spoke at length on the heating issue reported by many users in India, the RAM availibility and the processor/ battery data in the update. This should put the minds of many at ease who are participating in today's mega flash slae of over 1 lac units:

Here is full update for your reference:

A quick update to India Mi fans using the Redmi 1S:

1) OTA UPDATE: Today we released an over-the-air system update (v45) for the Redmi 1S. This release incorporates feedback received from a large number of users and addresses a few important issues:

Issue #1: Heating & battery life

Many users in India tell us that their Redmi 1S gets very hot (sometimes above 45C), particularly in warmer areas of the country. We’ve improved our thermal control algorithm to better regulate temperature and keep it under 38C in normal usage conditions. In our internal tests as well as with our feedback group, we’ve found that these changes significantly reduce the device’s overall temperature while also improving battery life. We’re going to continue to optimize temperature control in future builds so please keep sending us your feedback.

Issue #2: RAM availability

Some users in India have pointed out that background apps are sometimes getting killed more aggressively than they would expect (for example, music player stopping while user is playing a 3D game). We have looked at this closely and made a few significant improvements in how MIUI manages RAM on a 1GB device, which has resulted in noticeable improvements.

Issue #3: UI performance

We also received some feedback from users whose devices were suffering from performance issues such as frame rate drops and UI lag. These issues were particularly prevalent during computationally intensive tasks like gaming. The majority of these problems were a result of CPU throttling due to overheating and lack of RAM availability, which the fixes above have addressed. We will continue to monitor user feedback in this particular area.

2) DEVICE SPECS: Many users had concerns that the Redmi 1S device specifications for the processor and battery were not correctly represented on Flipkart, Mi.com and the device itself. We wanted to clarify.

Processor specs

The Redmi 1S comes with a 1.6 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 MSM8228 as correctly noted on Mi.com and Flipkart but some 3rd party apps report a MSM8226. Typically, these apps get their information from the build.prop file inherited from the chipset driver, which represents itself as MSM8226 in both processors (MSM8228 is based on the original hardware and driver of the MSM8226). This is the reason why you see MSM8226 in apps such as CPU-Z even though the actual processor is indeed a MSM8228. This situation is also seen in other devices with the same chipset, such as the Xolo Q1100.

Battery

The Redmi 1S has a Lithium-ion Polymer (sometimes shortened to lithium polymer or li-poly) battery. While the spec on the battery label is correct, our product page on Mi.com incorrectly listed “Li-ion.” We have updated the website to reflect the correct battery specifications. Additionally, some 3rd party apps incorrectly reported a “Li-ion” battery, which was the result of a similar issue to the processor mismatch described above. In this case, we were able to find a simple fix and will be rolling that out in the next OTA.

ECOO aims to be the Xiaomi Redmi 1s Killer with its first phone?

2014-10-13T22:19:00.000+05:30

The cool thing about startups is the abundant interest and enthusiasm it generates. I remember being one of the few following OnePlus when it first started off and excitedly telling everyone in office what a cool phone it was when hardly anybody knew about it!

ECOO a chinese "new smartphone start up bringing you powerful phones at fantastic prices!" (As described on its facebook page) aims to bring about a similar wave of enthusiam especially with its first spec teaser which reads:

Well good start ECOO, now for the essentials like Build quality, ROM, Internal memory and screen protection. We are still not talking about cameras cos based on the empty grey space in the teaser we are hoping there are more details to come in the following days.

With Redmi 1S being firmly established as the Gold Standard for Budget phones in Indian with premium features there exists an whole market out there for the smartphones which can compete with the Redmi buck to buck, hence it would be very cruicial to monitor this company in the days to come, who knows? this be the poor man's One Plus!

Agree? Lets us know your thoughts in the comment section below.

Source: ECOO Facebook page.

Karbonn Titanium S19: India's Cheapest Camera Smartphone with HD Screen, 13MP at 8999INR

2014-07-31T02:23:00.002+05:30

Call it the Xiaomi effect but smartphone manufacturers across India are scrambling in the price and feature departement to counter the irresistibly yet insanely powered Xiaomi phones and the first in the crop comes int the form of the latest offering by Karbonn- the Titanium S19 that boasts of a 13MP primary camers, 5MP secondary camera, 1.3ghz Quad core Mediatek processor and yet is priced at an affordable 8999INR!

To make things even more premium the Titanium S18 5-inch (1280 x 720 pixels) HD IPS display based on one-glass-solution.It has dual SIM support,has 1GB RAM, 8GB of internal storage with expansion slot and a 2000 mAh battery.

Looks like for the Budget buyer- Acche din aane waale hai!

Karbonn Titanium S19 specifications

5-inch (1280 x 720 pixels) HD IPS OGS display
1.3 GHz quad-core Mediatek processor
Android 4.4 (KitKat)
Dual SIM
13MP rear camera with LED Flash
5MP front-facing camera
3.5mm audio jack, FM Radio
1GB RAM, 8GB internal memory, 32GB expandable memory with MicroSD
3G HSPA+, WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS
2000 mAh battery

Xiaomi clarifies: "We are not Chinese spies!"

2014-07-31T01:05:00.003+05:30

While on one end Xiaomi is celebrating its successfull launch in the Indian market its origins and the ghosts attached with them does not seem to let them rest at ease.

From a few days the internet was abuzz with rumors that Xiaomi was secretly sending user data and photos to the Chinese government! This was quickly copy pasted by several blogs leading to a mild panic amongst quite a few new Mi3 owners.

Xiaomi on the other hand has been swift to counter these rumors and posted a detailed list of clarifications on their FB page, we have reproduced the same to quell the doubts you may have
_______________________________________________________________________________

Q: Online articles recently referred to some privacy issues with the Redmi Note, claiming that photos and text messages are sent to China secretly. Are they true?

A: An article severely misinterpreted a discussion thread asking about the Redmi Note's communication with a server in China. The article also neglected to refer to a Chinese version of this Q&A already posted on the Xiaomi Hong Kong Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/Xiaomihongkong/posts/799059896795602). MIUI does not secretly upload photos and text messages.

MIUI requests public data from Xiaomi servers from time to time. These include data such as preset greeting messages (thousands of jokes, holiday greetings and poems) in the Messaging app and MIUI OTA update notifications, i.e. all non-personal data that does not infringe on user privacy.

Q: Does Xiaomi upload any personal data without my knowledge?

A: Xiaomi offers a service called Mi Cloud that enables users to back up and manage personal information in the cloud, as well as sync to other devices. This includes contacts, notes, text messages and photos. Mi Cloud is turned off by default. Users must log in with their Mi accounts and manually turn on Mi Cloud. They also have the option to only turn on backup for certain types of data. The use and storage of data in Mi Cloud fully respects the local laws of each country and region. Strict encryption algorithms are implemented to protect user privacy.

Q: Can I turn Mi Cloud off?

A: Yes. Just go to Settings > Mi Cloud to turn it off. If you would like to use a cloud back up service from another provider, there are options from Google, Dropbox and many others.

Q: Why should I believe you?

A: Xiaomi is serious about user privacy and takes all possible steps to ensure our Internet services adhere to our privacy policy. We do not upload any personal information and data without the permission of users. In a globalized economy, Chinese manufacturers' handsets are selling well internationally, and many international brands are similarly successful in China – any unlawful activity would be greatly detrimental to a company's global expansion efforts.

________________________________________________________________________________

We could not but agree with Xiaomi a company which is now ranked 2nd in China in smartphone sales!

This kind of negative publicity planted in seemingly innocuous blogs/sites and forums is aimed to derails the Xiaomi Tsunami that threatens to sweep the Samsungs and Apples of the world.

What do you think? Let us know in the comments section below!

Xiaomi to Launch Redmi 1S with Snapdragon 400, Gorilla Glass protection on Flipkart in July at 6900INR!

2014-06-27T00:01:00.001+05:30

Annnndddd here we go, the biggest and probably the best news Android fans in India where waiting for all this while has arrived: Xiaomi will be launching two of its best products in India in its first bid to capture the "Next Billion" market.

The first phone will be the Xiaomi Redmi 1S 1.6GHz Quad-core Snapdragon 400 (MSM8228) processor with 1GB of RAM, Adreno 305and 8GB of storage. The phone also boasts of an array of colourful black panels though initially only the grey version will be launched followed by the black and subsequently other back panels.

Other specs of the Xiaomi Redmi 1S include an expandable memory card slot which supports upto 64GB expandable storage, Corning Gorilla Glass 2 protection for its impressive 720 x 1280 pixels, 4.7 inches (~312 ppi pixel density) display.

The phone also comes with an 8MP primary camera with Autofocus and LED flash.

The phone will be powered by an equally impressive 2000mAH Battery which means this phone at 8500INR (Expected price) will just blow away the Micromaxes out of the water!

Are you looking to buy this beauty next month?

Lenovo 920 to roll with Snapdragon 801,QHD Screen, 3G RAM+16MP Camera and 4G LTE Support

2014-06-12T19:34:00.000+05:30

Lenovo is spicing up the premium phone game with some really classy releases and the Lenovo 920 is all set not to disappoint

With Specs like the Lenovo 920 and the Gorgeous QHD Screen Lenovo is set to take the Flagships heads on

The 6.0" phone boasts of a 2560x1440 pixel screen powered by a 2.5Ghz Snapdragon 801 Chipset, 3gigs of RAM, 16MP primary and 5MP "Selfie Camera".

The phone also boasts of NFC, 4G LTE and all the knick knacks of today's most famous flagship devices.

With the Original K900 selling at a ultra low price of 19999INR seems like a clearance sale is on just in time for the 920 to step in and fill some empty shoes and pockets of Lenovo India!

Source

1500INR Mozilla OS Smartphones coming to India!

2014-06-12T19:15:00.000+05:30

With Android and iOS Ruling the Roost when it comes to Smartphones while Windows strongly playing catch in the market share segment where the likes of Jolla and Tizen also making the right noises and moves to grab as much eyeballs and users as possible its only logical that another competitor who steps into this OS war has to have a solid Value/Feature proposition.

That is exactly what Mozilla plans to do with its "Ultra Affordable" 1500INR (25$) Smartphones in India.

“Mozilla is dedicated to putting the power of the web in people’s hands, and Firefox OS frees consumers, developers, mobile providers and manufacturers from the limitations and restrictions of proprietary platforms,” Mozilla Chief Operating Officer Li Gong said in a statement.

The Mozilla OS had made its debut at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona in February, targeting developing countries including India and China. And with signing up of popular local mobile sellers Intex and Spice to market this device in India Mozilla seems to be living up to its commitment

Commenting on this association Intex Technologies Business Head (Mobile) Sanjay Kumar Kalirona said“The platform will give us an edge in upgrading buyers from feature phones to smartphones while making it affordable for the mass market. This will propel our devices to be much more than a way to use the web, but take the engagement further and develop the web as a mobile platform”

“These phones will be affordably priced to ensure everyone can enjoy and experience the power of the Firefox OS phone,” said Dilip Modi, co-founder and CEO of Spice

This indeed seems to be a great way to enter markets like India and China where price still plays a great deciding factor when people decide to get a new phone. And with Peer pressure high on almost everyone having a "touchscreen Smartphone" Mozilla seems to have hit the nail in the head with its pricing strategy.

Here's wishing all the best for this new addition to the burstling India Smartphone market!

An Interactive 'Rubiks Cube' Doodle is Google's tribute to its 40th Anniversary!

2014-05-19T09:16:00.000+05:30

Google is constantly been on the lookout of cool and innovative ways to bring newer doodles to celebrate momentous events of history and today's doodle is one such great one.

The original cube was created by in 1974, when Erno Rubik, a young professor of architecture in Budapest, Hungary, created an innovative solid cube that twisted and turned but did not break or fall apart.

The first model was used to help him explain spatial relationships to his students. With colourful stickers on its sides, the cube got scrambled and thus emerged as the first 'Rubik's Cube.' with nine coloured squares on each face. The object is to move the pieces around until each side of the cube is a solid colour.

The original Rubik's Cube - which won "toy of the year" in Britain in 1980 was as a mobile sculpture symbolising the stark contrasts of the human condition-bewildering problems and triumphant intelligence, simplicity and complexity, stability and dynamism, order and chaos-it ended up becoming the world's best-selling toy ever.

Do you have fun playing with the Cube? Share your experiences about the countless hours you might have spent solving the cube in the comments section below!

The Human Cost of your new Apple/Samsung/Nokia Smartphone: Cancer!

2014-04-11T09:32:00.000+05:30

We all know today that more than 50% of our electronics found worldwide and close to 70% of the cell phones and tablets be it from local sellers like Micromax, Xolo, Gionee, et al or the Biggies like Nokia, Samsung, Apple are made in China.

The modern age sweatshop? Image Credit

You might have heard of so many news splashes in the past where the human impact of poor wages, long working hours and inhumane working conditions of these poor workers were often highlighted in International media: Foxconn being a good example.

And yet as we go happily buying your next shiny phone do we have any idea how much blood it has of hundreds of nameless, faceless, innocent workers to produce it?

This documentary provides what is a mere glimpse of the "Human Cost Of Electronics" we are using worldwide today: Prepare to be shocked

Micromax, Gionee, Xolo, Karbonn and all Mediatek Running phones will get Android 4.4 KitKat by May 2014!

2014-04-06T10:43:00.000+05:30

You may be running Android 4.4 KitKat on you Micromax Canvas Knight very soon!

Micromax Canvas Knight, Gionee E Life S5.5, Karbonn Titanium Octane, Xolo Q2000- What have all these phones in common?

These are current company flagship phones
They are powered by MediaTek Processors
They have best in class/price features
They all run on Android 4.2!

Well the answer is all of the above! But perhaps the most frustrating grouse people out there who have taken the risk of buying an Indian flagship phone over a Samsung, Sony or Apple is the fact that all these phones, despite great hardware, still run on the antiquated Android 4.2 version of Android.

All this is about to change as per a recent report which claims that the the Taiwanese Chip manufaturing firm will be pushing out the Android 4.4 update compatibility soon to its now famous Quad Core MT6589, octa-core MT6592 and others.

A premature leak in the internet had already confirmed that all the Micromax Canvas Series phones, with 1GB RAM and above will be getting the Android 4.4 update. This will also be the case for other makers like Gionee, Xolo and Karbonn. This is indeed an exciting development as this promises more action in the software front and Value for Money proposition in comparison to the comparatively hugely overpriced Snapdragon models from other Smartphone makers.

Are you excited about this news? Lets us know your thoughts in the comments section below.

iBerry Auxus Nuclea N2: Review, Benchmarks & Gaming user reviews!

2014-02-08T16:45:00.000+05:30

The iBerry Auxus Nuclea N2 was released amidst much hype and hoopla and currently holds the coveted title of the first Mediatek Octacore phone actually available to consumers. Consumers have already started to upload their reviews online and from the looks of it the Auxus Nuclea N2 is finally the flagship phone iBerry had been looking for all this while.

Right from the boot the phone shows off it prowess by booting in about 1-3 seconds which is indeed something we are yet to see in any smartphone of any price range in the country. The display with its 1080p quality is indeed a beauty and handles 720p or 1080p videos with ease as shown by a hands on video by Raghu

Also its great to see that the NFC feature and the Wireless charging capability of the phone works flawlesslessly as advertised.

Interems of Benchmarks the phone scores a decent 26526 in AnTuTu benchmark and 15975 in Quadrant Benchmark. The phone unlike its predecessor the Auxus Nuclea N1 handles Gaming with ease and runs the games like Modern Combat 4 and Asphalt Airborne without frame drops!

Stay tuned for more updates on the Camera performance and other cool features of the Auxus Nuclea N1 or head over to the iBerry Site to book one for yourself!

Got the Nuclea N2 yourself? Submit your review links in the comment section below to have it featured in GizChai!

Special Thanks to Raghu Reddy and Kamalakanth for the review videos!

iBerry Auxus Nuclea N2 with Octacore processor, 2GB RAM, 1080p screen aims to be be "Aam Aadmi's Note 3"!

2014-01-20T14:56:00.001+05:30

Lets face it- How many times have you drooled over the Note 3 from Samsung and held back your buying aspirations thanks to its prohibitive price tag? Well Indian manufacturers know this and there are starting to flood the market with Note 3 clones and the newest iteration from iBerry aims to be exactly so!

The company is going all out in terms of the publicity campaign for its latest offering titled the iBerry Auxus Nuclea N2- essentially a Galaxy Note 3 clone.

The Auxus Nuclea N2 is a successor for the not so successful Auxus Nuclea N1 and from the specs it seems that iBerry seems to have their recipe this time around. Powered by a 1.7Ghz Octacore Mediatek MT6592 chipset, 2GB RAM and a ARM MALI 450MP4 Quad core graphics chip.

The Auxus Nuclea N2 screen may not boast of a SuperAMOLED screen like the Note 3 but it boasts of a 5.7" 1080p full HD screen with 1920*1080p ably protected by Gorilla Glass 2. And we almost forgot the screen has OGS Technology.

There are a bunch of sensors inbuilt like Gravity, Proximity, Light and Magnetic Sensors apart from the usual list of connectivity options like- Bluetooth 4.0, WIFI 802.11 n/b/g and surprisingly NFC!

The primary camera is a 13MP unit with BSI sensor and LED flash unit capable of fullHD capture at 30fps. The f2.0 aperture ensures you get great photos regardless of the lighting conditions. And there is a 8MP front facing camera too for those great selfies you may be planning to click!

To power this unit there is a generous 3500mAH unit which has wireless charging capability too! This comes has a pleasant surprise as this kind of unit in the budget phone scenario!

The Android 4.2.2 system is upgradable to 4.3 in the coming months and for the current asking price of 19990INR seems to be a steal of a deal, but we request interested buyers to hang on until the hands on reviews are out because the Auxus Nuclea N1 turned out to be a damp squib.

So are you excited about the Nuclea N2? Let us know about it in the comments section below.

Micromax A350 "Hero" with Octacore processor, 1080p screen and 16MP camera coming soon?

2014-01-05T20:32:00.000+05:30

With the launch of the Intex Aqua it was a matter of time before Micromax Launched its own Octacore Avatar. While the Intex Aqua Octacore boasts of a 6-inch (720x1280 pixels) HD OGS (One-Glass Solution) IPS display, dual-SIM (GSM+GSM) capability, Android 4.2 Jelly Bean, MediaTek's MT6592 octa-core chipset clocked at 1.7GHz with 2GB of RAM and 16GB of inbuilt storage, the Micromax Octacore plans to trump the same.

A crazy concept render of the Canvas 5 is clearly too much to expect from the Indian company but then what's there to dream eh? (via concept-phone)

Rumored specs point out a octa-core processor clocked at 1.7GHz, full HD display and 2GB of RAM. Other rumored specs include a 16MP primary camera and 5MP front facing camera. It will be interesting to see if the device dubbed as "Hero" devices will be in the sub 6" category.

A leaked AnTuTu benchmark score of 26886, which incidentally is higher than the Samsung Galaxy S4 (26147) and the HTC One (26556) also points that the device may be closer to reality than so far rumored.

Micromax is expected to price the phone well below 25000INR giving direct competition to the market pioneers Gionee (E7 Mini) and Intex.

With the Introduction of the 1.3 Ghz MT6582 chipset ( Micromax Canvas 2.2) which is showing benchmark results trumping the older and costlier MT6589T chipsets ( Used in Canvas Turbo, Canvas Magnus) and the Octacore MT6592 chipset it will be an exciting year for Micromax and other smartphone manufacturers as well. Getting a Quad Core with 8MP camera and 1GB of RAM well under 10000INR should easily be a reality in 2014.

Via Thinkdigit

Nokia Asha 500 with Dual SIM now available online for 4649INR

2013-12-27T13:18:00.001+05:30

While Nokia may still be looking for its saviour in the smartphone business through its Lumia line of phones it is still not abandoning its popular ASHA line of phones and has added the newest member to its lineup the Nokia ASHA 500, this is in addition to the Nokia ASHA 502 and 503 which were released last week.

The ASHA 500 has a 2.8 inch QVGA Capacitive Multipoint Touch Screen that has an LCD Transflective display technology. With a pixel density of 142 ppi you can see images with much more clarity and brightness running on Nokia Asha Software Platform version 1.1.1. Being based on the Nokia OS.

The Asha 500 comes with a 2MP camera on the rear side of the phone and comes with 4X Digital Zoom. The camera has a resolution of 1600x1200 pixels. This Dual SIM phone has been enabled with various connectivity features such as Wi-Fi, GPRS, and 2G. You can also share files with ease as it has USB and Bluetooth too. The ASHA 500 also boasts the media basics like Radio, Music Player and Video Player.

This phone has been powered by 1200mAh BL-4U battery that Nokia claims will give you 14 hours of talk time and upto 22 days of standby time. It comes with 64MB internal memory which you can expand utpo 32GB via Micro-SD card

The Nokia ASHA 500 boasts of a new crystal-clear look fusion of ice-like transparency and bold inner colors. Nokia offers free Nokia Music for 3 months and comes with free WhatsApp access for Tata Docomo customers for 3 months. After the offer period Tata Docomo customers can access WhatsApp for 9 months at Rs. 17 per month.

The ASHA 500 is priced at 4649INR and is available online at Infibeam

Nokia Asha 500 specifications

2.8-inch QVGA (320 x 240 pixels) display
2MP rear camera
Dimensions: 100.3mm x 58.1mm x 12.8mm; Weight: 101.3 g
Dual SIM (optional), with 2G, WiFi, Bluetooth 3.0 with SLAM and FM Radio
Nokia Asha software platform with Swipe UI
10 free Games downloadable from Nokia Store
64MB RAM; up to 32GB micro SD card support
1200 mAh battery with up to 14 hours of talk time and up to 22 days of standby
Colors: Bright Red, Yellow, White and Black

Xolo Play Tegra Note to get Android 4.3 by January 2014

2013-12-26T22:30:00.002+05:30

Good news for all early adopters of the Xolo Play aka NVIDIA Tegra Note- Android 4.3 is now rolling out for all the Tegra Note versions around the world.

The Xolo Play which debuted a few months ago came packed with a 7-inch (1280 x 800 pixels) IPS display with support for NVIDIA DirectStylus technology and a stylus pen. Powered by a 1.8 GHz quad-core NVIDIA Tegra 4 CPU with 72 Core NVIDIA GeForce GPU and running Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean). NVIDIA had promised that the Xolo Play Tegra Note would get OTA updates and it seems that the company is living up to its promise.

The new firmware comes with the usual share of Goodies from the original google Android 4.3 improvements along with a couple of new features

The Xolo Play Tegra Note stylus now has better support for left handed users and is a lot sensitive. There is now a DirectStylus option under the setting’s menu, stylus removal and insert notifications.

In terms of the 5MP camera the Android 4.3 Jelly Bean update has turned the Xolo Tegra Note's camera to support always-on high dynamic range (AOHDR) option, which helps you to take quality images across different lighting conditions. The update also comes with video stabilization along with minor tweaks to improve the overall performance.

You can now transfer app and data files from the internal memory to an external microSD card.

The Global rollout has now commenced while the India rollout is expected to commence in January 2014.

Xolo Q3000 comes with 1080p Display, 1.5Ghz Quad Core,2GB RAM and 4000mAH monster battery!

2013-12-20T09:28:00.000+05:30

When we see phones today in the market very few of them qualify as Allrounders.

If there is a Phone with an Awesome Camera, build quality and Screen it may lack a Battery (Gionee E7)

or if it comes with a huge battery (>3000mAH) then all other features may be compromised to accomodate the price tag.

But one look at the Xolo Q3000 Spec sheet and you would be forgiven if you think its the ultimate phone in terms of an All round Android Experience out there! Well for starters the 1.5Ghz Quad Core MT6589 Turbo Chipset powered phone has 2GB RAM (A rarity still in the Indian budget mobile scene) come packing a 1080p full HD 5.7" display and comes with a standard 16GB internal memory expandable upto 32GB via micro SD card slot! The Android 4.2 powered Xolo Q3000 comes with PowerVR SGX544 GPU on board.

But what excites us most is the addition of a massive 4000mAH battery to the Xolo Q3000 which puts it right on top of the mobile Battery food chain. Xolo claims this gives it a 21 hours talk-time on 3G and 33 hours on 2G networks!

One should appluad the efforts of Xolo here for bringing such a phone to the Indian market scene which seems stuck to 2000mAh batteries which run out in no time.

Well that's not all the Xolo Q3000 comes with a 13 MP Rear Camera with BSI 2 Sensor which boasts of Auto Focus, Burst Mode, Scene Detection and Tuning, High Dynamic Range (HDR), Low Light Enhancement, Face Recognition( For Focussing as well as in Gallery), Panorama Capture, Geo-tagging and 2 MP Front Camera with BSI Plus Sensor! BSI sensors for the front cameras is definately a big plus!

Other features of the Xolo Q3000 are 3G(42Mbps), Wi-Fi (b/g/n), Bluetooth 4.0 and GPS with A-GPS. There is accelerometer, magnetic, proximity, gyro and light sensors. Xolo is also offering free Flip Cover, USB OTG Cable as part of the package.

With a pricing tipped between 20999INR Xolo seems to have struck the right balance in terms of Specs and usability, what remains to be seen if the phone performs equally well in real world tests till then a Big thumbs up for the Xolo Q3000!

Gionee Elife E7 mini with Octacore processor, 13MP Swivel Camera!

2013-11-26T15:43:00.000+05:30

Gionee is hotting up the stakes and is slowly but surely building up the anticipation especially in India with its newest slew of releases.

Just Hours before the official unveiling of the Gionee E7 in Shanghai the Gionee E7 mini is already leaked and the specifications will take many by surprise.

For starters the Gionee Elife E7 mini will feature a 4.7-inch 720p display and be powered by a 1.7 GHz octa-core MediaTek MT6592 processor. This would have a 13-megapixel swivel camera, just like the Oppo N1. Both these phones are expected to run on Android 4.3 (Jelly Bean) with Amigo UI.

The internal memory of the phone will be 16GB with 1GB ROM. The battery will sadly be a mere 2100mAH capacity which explains the ultra thin form factor of 7mm of the phone. This puts its more of an upgrade of the current Gionee E6.

With an expected pricing of 20000INR the Gionee E7 Mini is sure to take the Mediatek Octacore storm to the head in India! Happy times ahead!

Gionee Elife E7 mini rumored specifications

4.7-inch (1280 x 720 pixels) IPS display
1.7 GHz octa-core MediaTek MT6592 processor
Android 4.3 (Jelly Bean) with Amigo UI
13MP auto focus swivel camera with LED flash, 1080p video recording
3.5mm audio jack, FM Radio
1 GB RAM, 16 GB internal memory
3G, WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS
2100 mAh built-in battery