The Mobile Wikipedia

Xiaomi 14 Ultra issue: "Microphone is blocked" appears when recording video, but video works fine. Why?

2025-03-08T00:41:00.000-08:00

Microphone Notification Explained

The notification you're seeing about your external microphone isn't a cause for alarm. It's a gentle alert about some minor, blocked features, put in place for your privacy.

Think of it like a helpful reminder – the system is blocking certain advanced microphone features (things like background noise reduction or echo cancellation) to prevent unauthorized access. It's a safety precaution, like locking a door.

These features, while useful for things like video calls, could potentially be misused. So, the system blocks them until you give the okay. It's a bit like a security gate; a little inconvenient to unlock, but it keeps things safe.

How to Adjust Settings

To stop the notification and use all your microphone's features, you'll need to adjust your settings:

Turning a feature OFF in this case actually unblocks it. You're telling the system you understand and choose not to use that specific feature right now. This removes the notification. If you need the feature later, you can always go back and turn it ON again.

This way, you're in control. You choose the balance between having all the features and keeping your privacy protected.

2025-03-08T00:23:00.000-08:00

My Apple Watch Says My Heart Rate is 42 BPM - Is This Normal?

So, my Apple Watch recently recorded my heart rate at 42 beats per minute (bpm). Naturally, I freaked out a little. Is this something I should be worried about? I took to the internet for some advice and received a mixed bag of responses, which I wanted to share with you all.

Some people reported similar experiences, particularly during sleep or periods of rest. Apparently, a low resting heart rate can sometimes be a sign of good cardiovascular fitness, especially for athletes. This was slightly reassuring, but I'm no marathon runner.

Others were more cautious, recommending a visit to a cardiologist. Their point was that peace of mind is priceless, especially if you're not in peak physical shape. This definitely made me think.

Then there was the technical side of things. Some suggested the reading could simply be a sensor error. They advised double-checking the data within the Health app and ensuring the watch is worn correctly. Others went further, dismissing the accuracy of wrist-worn heart rate monitors altogether. Below is screenshot from one of my friends Apple Watch

The most valuable advice, in my opinion, was to consider the bigger picture. A single low reading might not be cause for alarm. However, if it's accompanied by other symptoms like palpitations, dizziness, or a racing heart rate, then it’s definitely worth getting checked out by a professional.

I’m incredibly grateful for everyone’s input. It’s definitely given me some food for thought. What are your thoughts? Have you experienced anything similar with your wearable? Share your experiences in the comments below!

[XIAOMI 14 SERIES] FOGGY LENS FIX

2025-03-07T23:57:00.000-08:00

Xiaomi 14/14 Ultra Camera Lens Fogging Issue

Note: Possible Fixes Compiled

A few people have encountered a moisture issue with the Xiaomi 14 and Xiaomi 14 Ultra. The camera lens fogs up, especially in cold and damp weather. As an early tester of the Xiaomi 14, I encountered this issue myself. It recurred for a few weeks, but I can now say mine is resolved thanks to the fixes below. I will continue to monitor in case the issue returns.

Moisture Issue / Condensation / Foggy Lens

This is what my Xiaomi 14 looked like when I first opened it; the main lens was completely covered in fog.
The next day, the moisture issue recurred, but I noticed it was much less. Over the next few days, the fog lessened but didn't completely go away.
Very few Xiaomi 14 Ultra users are encountering this issue, but when it occurs, usually, multiple lenses fog up.

Photo Quality

You will notice some haze and glows in photos if you are experiencing this issue.

Probable Root Cause

This issue is possibly caused by excessive moisture trapped inside the phone during manufacturing, potentially from a small amount of glue under the battery that didn't dry out. The 13T Pro also had this same issue. Some people reported it going away after opening the SIM tray; others had prolonged moisture. However, it seems to be less severe than when they first unboxed the phone, which points to trapped moisture as the main cause.
For most, the issue resolves in a few days as the trapped moisture dissipates. If yours doesn't go away, here are some possible solutions that worked for a few of us. These solutions are also recommended for the Xiaomi 13T and other Xiaomi phones with moisture issues.

Recommended Fix 1 - This Worked For Me

Make sure the outside of your phone is dry and clean. Wipe it with a clean microfiber cloth if needed.
Open the SIM tray.
Pull the SIM tray out.
Leave it to air out for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
Try video recording for 10-30 minutes at 8K to heat the phone up slightly.
Put the SIM tray back in and observe.
The moisture issue should be resolved.

Recommended Fix 2 - Reported by Other Xiaomi 14 Users

Make sure the outside of your phone is dry and clean. Wipe it with a clean microfiber cloth if needed.
Open the SIM tray.
Pull the SIM tray out.
Download 3DMark.
Run a stress test for about 20 minutes.
This will heat up your phone, but it's completely safe as it will thermal throttle when the battery reaches around 45°C.
After the stress test is finished, leave the SIM tray out.
Test 8K video recording outside for 5-10 minutes.
If there's no fog, put the SIM tray back in.
The moisture issue should be resolved.

Test Photo after fixing the issue (See last photos)

Hope this helps! Please leave a comment if you were able to fix the issue so we can understand the likely cause.

What's the solution? SA-MP Mobile - App not installed as app isn't compatible with your phone - Poco X6

2024-10-18T09:15:00.000-07:00

After updating to HyperOS I am unable to install SA-MP mobile. Below are two methods which we can follow to install the app.

Method 1: Using an ADB command (no root required):

Download and extract “Android SDK Platform Tools” on your computer. The downloaded file can be extracted anywhere you’d like, I extracted it to the C drive.
Enable USB debugging on your phone. This is done in “Settings,” click on “About Phone,” then tap on the “Build number” seven times. This will display a message that you are now a developer. Go back to “System,” and you will see an option for “Developer options,” click it, then enable “USB debugging.” On your phone, you may see a prompt to allow USB debugging, select “OK.”
Connect the phone to your computer with a USB cable.
Open a command prompt window within the “Platform Tools” folder from step one.
Transfer the APK file to the “Platform Tools” folder. For ease, rename the file to a shorter name (app.apk).
Type in the following command replacing “app.apk” with the name of your downloaded APK. For instance, if you want to install Instagram, your command would be adb install --bypass-low-target-sdk-block insta.apk adb install --bypass-low-target-sdk-block app.apk
The application should download to your phone. If you receive an RSA key prompt, tap “Allow.”

Method 2: Using root (root required):

Root your device using Magisk. Please refer to some videos
Install the “LSPosed Framework.” Again refer videos.
Download and install “Disable Target API Block”.
Launch LSPosed, and go to “Modules.”
Enable the toggle next to “Disable Target API Block.”
Restart your device.

Poco X6 - How do I replace GetApps with Play Store?

2024-10-16T09:14:00.000-07:00

When I search for app by default it goes to GetApps, but I want to use Play Store. Below is the screenshot explaining the issue:

The best way to do is to remove the bloatware by following below steps. These steps require laptop to remove all the bloatware in Xiaomi completely.

Phone Preparations:

1. Enable Developer Options. This is done by going to Settings>About Phone>MIUI Version. Tap the “MIUI Version” item five to seven times until you get a pop-up message that says “No need, you are already a developer.”
2. Enable USB debugging by going to Settings>Additional Settings>Developer Options. Tap the “USB debugging” switch. You will receive an “Important Warning” message. Tap “Accept.”

Computer Preparations:

1. You need a computer, and two small files, latest_usb_driver_windows.zip and adb-setup-1.4.3.exe.
2. Install latest_usb_driver_windows.zip. Right-click and choose “Extract here.”
3. Install adb-setup-1.4.3.exe by double-clicking the file and then typing “y” and hitting “Enter” when asked if you wish to install ADB and Fastboot. Do the same for the next two prompts. A Device Driver Installation Wizard will pop up. Tap “Next,” and then “Finish.”
4. Go to your computer’s search bar and search for “Device Manager.” A new window will open. Scroll down the menu on the left and look for “Other devices.” Click on the triangle next to it to expand it, and then right-click “ADB Device.” Choose “Update Driver Software,” and then “Browse my computer for driver software.” Tap “Browse.” Locate the extracted “usb_driver” folder, and then tap “OK,” and “Next.” You will receive a message that says “Windows was unable to install your ADB interface.” This is OK.

Uninstall Process:

1. Connect your phone to your computer with a USB cord.
2. Make sure your phone is connected for “File transfer.”
3. Open the Command Prompt on your computer by pressing “Shift” and right-clicking the “adb” folder in File Explorer. Choose “Open command window here.”
4. Type “adb devices” into the Command Prompt. A message about the attached device will show up on your phone. Tap “Yes” on this message.
5. On your phone, locate the app you wish to uninstall. Long-press it and choose “App info.” Note the package name in the “App version” field.
6. Type the following into the Command Prompt, making sure that you substitute the package name of the app you wish to uninstall for the “com.xiaomi.mipicks” part of the string:

“pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.xiaomi.mipicks”

You will see a “Success” message when the app has been uninstalled.

Repeat these steps for each app you wish to uninstall.

Poco X6 PRO Could'nt add fingerprint. Any Fix or solution?

2024-10-12T09:14:00.000-07:00

Reason:

This may be due to hardware fault, because I tried re-installing the OS still it didn't fix. So you should go to the service center.

Below are some other solutions that I tried:

Solution 1: Check for hardware issues.

Open Settings.
Tap About phone.
Tap Detailed info and specs.
Scroll down to Kernel version.
Tap Kernel version several times. You should enter CIT or hardware test mode.
Scroll to Fingerprint sensor test, and tap Test.
Check if it says pass. If it does, tap Fingerprint enrol test to check if the sensor works.
If not, take the device to a Xiaomi service center for repair.

Solution 2: Clear fingerprint test apps cache and data.

Open Settings.
Scroll down and tap Apps.
Tap Manage apps.
Tap the three dots, and select Show all apps.
In the search bar, type “finger.”
Tap Fingerprint test from the results.
Tap Clear data.
Select Clear cache.
Tap OK.
Tap Clear all data.
Tap OK.
Clear the cache and data of other apps related to fingerprints, if applicable.
Restart your mobile.

Solution 3: Factory reset your device.

Open Settings.
Tap About phone.
Scroll down and tap Factory reset.
Tap Erase all data.
Enter your password or PIN, if prompted.
Tap Next.
Tap Factory reset.
Follow the on-screen instructions.

How to Use the Side Button as a Camera Shortcut on Android?

2024-10-11T09:13:00.000-07:00

Quickly access your camera even when your Android phone is locked! Just double-press the power button or side key.

This feature is usually enabled by default, but you might need to check your device's settings if it's not working. Here's how:

Open your phone's Settings app.
Search for "Gestures": The quickest way is usually to use the search bar within the Settings app and type "gestures," "buttons," or "shortcuts."
Look for Power Button/Side Button settings: You might see an option like "Power button," "Side key," "Buttons," or something similar. Tap on that.
Find the Camera Shortcut: Look for an option related to quickly launching the camera. Common wording includes:

"Open camera"
"Launch camera"
"Quick launch camera"
"Double press power button for camera"
Enable the shortcut: If the option is present but off, toggle it on.

Motorola Edge 50 Pro Auto-Connect Wi-Fi Issue - Known Networks Not Connecting

2024-10-10T09:12:00.000-07:00

Experiencing Wi-Fi connectivity problems with your Motorola Edge 50 Pro? Specifically, is your phone failing to auto-connect to known or saved Wi-Fi networks? This issue, also reported on the closely related Motorola Edge 50 Fusion, was previously impacting users. Fortunately, a recent software update has addressed this auto-connect bug. Ensure your device is running the latest software version to resolve this connection issue.

Check my latest update which solved this issue.

List of Phones affected by Green line

2024-10-07T09:10:00.000-07:00

Realme

Realme GT 2 Pro
Realme X7 Pro

Oppo:

Oppo Reno 5 Pro 5G
OPPO Find X5

Samsung:

Galaxy S20 series (S20, S20+, S20 Ultra)
Galaxy S21 series (S21, S21+, S21 Ultra)
Galaxy S22 series (less common than S20/S21)
Galaxy Note 20 Ultra
Galaxy A71
Galaxy A52/A53

OnePlus:

OnePlus 8
OnePlus 8T
OnePlus 8 Pro
OnePlus 9
OnePlus 9 Pro

Motorola:

Moto Edge 20
Moto G73 5G
Motorola G82
Motorola G52

Vivo:

Vivo X80 series
Vivo X70 Pro+

User Feedback of Infinix Zero Ultra

2024-06-06T06:05:00.000-07:00

💖 What People Like:

⚡ Super Fast Charging: Reviewers are blown away by the blazing-fast charging speeds, with the 180w charger juicing up the phone in under 20 minutes!
✨ Premium Design & Display: Prepare to be dazzled by the phone's sleek design and stunning display. The curved waterfall screens and vibrant colors are a feast for the eyes.
💰 Value for Money: You get a lot of bang for your buck with this phone! Its impressive features and performance exceed expectations for its price point.
📸 Good Camera: While not perfect, the camera, especially the 200MP main lens, captures impressive photos. Users love its image quality, portrait mode, and night mode capabilities.
🚀 Overall Performance: Experience smooth sailing with this phone's responsive performance. It handles everyday tasks with ease and delivers excellent performance for its class.

💔 What People Dislike:

🔋 Battery Life: The most common gripe is the battery life, which tends to drain quickly, particularly with heavy use.
📸 Camera Inconsistencies: Not everyone is sold on the camera. Some users find it inconsistent or not quite living up to the 200MP hype, especially when it comes to zoom and selfies.
🐛 Software Issues: A handful of users have encountered software glitches or expressed the need for software improvements for a smoother experience.
🗃️ Lack of External Storage: The absence of an SD card slot for expanding storage is a minor inconvenience for some users.
📱 Availability of Accessories: A very small number of users struggled to find cases specifically designed for this phone.

realme 12x 5G vs Vivo T3x 5G vs Samsung Galaxy F15 5G - Rs.14999

2024-05-27T09:30:00.000-07:00

Smartphone Showdown: realme 12x 5G vs Vivo T3x 5G vs Samsung Galaxy F15 5G

realme 12x 5G

I recently picked up this phone and overall, I'm pretty happy with it. For the price, it's a great deal. While it doesn't have all the fancy bells and whistles, like air gestures (maybe in a future update?), it gets the job done.

Honestly, I wasn't too fussed about the camera and bought it for other reasons. It's not bad, but it's not the phone's selling point. However, I was impressed by the performance – it's smooth and handles multitasking like a champ!

Pros & Cons

Pros	Cons
Great value for money: You get a lot of phone for the price.	Missing some features: Air gestures would be a nice addition.
Smooth Performance: No lag, even with multiple apps running.	Camera is just okay: Not bad, but not amazing either.
Fast charging: A real time-saver!	Could use more storage: 256GB would be ideal.

If you're looking for a budget-friendly phone with decent performance, I'd say go for it. However, if you're a photography enthusiast or need top-of-the-line features, you might want to explore other options.

Major Issues (Based on User Reviews)

Camera Quality: Dim photos, blurriness, underwhelming performance.
Battery Life: Drains quickly, described as "not good."
Overheating: Even with minimal use.
Software Issues: Bugs, glitches, hotspot connectivity drops, screenshot issues, automatic silent mode.
Sound Quality: Poor sound through speakers and during calls.

Minor Issues (Based on User Reviews)

Slow Charging
Display Brightness
Bloatware

Vivo T3x 5G

After using this phone for a couple of weeks, I can confidently say this is an incredible deal for the price. The Snapdragon processor is a beast – everything runs incredibly smooth, from switching between apps to playing demanding games. The battery life is another major plus; I can easily go a full day on a single charge, even with moderate gaming. The design is quite sleek and modern, and I really like the display – it's bright and colors pop.

That said, it's not perfect. The camera is decent, but don't expect flagship-level quality. It takes good pictures in well-lit conditions, but struggles a bit in low light. Some reviewers mentioned issues with the front camera, but I haven't noticed anything major. The charging speed is a bit slow for my liking, but it's manageable with the excellent battery life.

Pros & Cons

Pros	Cons
Amazing Performance: Snapdragon processor makes everything super smooth.	Average Camera: Decent but struggles in low light.
Battery Beast: Easily lasts a full day, even with heavy use.	Slow Charging: Takes a while to fully charge.
Sleek Design: Modern look and feel.
Great Display: Bright and vibrant colors.
Value for Money: You get a lot for the price.

Overall, if you're looking for a powerful and long-lasting phone without breaking the bank, this is a fantastic option.

Common Problems (Based on User Reviews)

Camera Quality: Poor low light performance, portrait mode issues, not meeting expectations.
Speaker Issues: Poor call quality, low volume, problems with dual stereo speakers.
Display Concerns: Subpar brightness, glitches, potential eye strain.
Software/Performance Issues: Hanging, slow charging, software update needed.
Battery Life: Some find it drains quickly despite large capacity.

Samsung Galaxy F15 5G

I decided to take the plunge on the Galaxy F15 during its launch sale, and after a month of use, here are my thoughts:

First off, the battery life is fantastic. I'm a pretty moderate user, and I can easily stretch it to two full days without needing a charge. This is a huge plus for me. The camera is a bit of a mixed bag. The main 12MP lens is surprisingly good, especially in good lighting. However, the wide-angle lens leaves a lot to be desired. The photos lack sharpness and detail. The selfie camera is decent, but I wouldn’t call it amazing.

I did experience some occasional glitches and heating when the phone was under heavy use, but it wasn't anything too concerning. The Super AMOLED display is beautiful and makes watching videos a treat.

One thing that bothered me was the lack of an always-on display. It seems like a missed opportunity for a phone with an AMOLED screen. I also noticed the fingerprint sensor could be a bit finicky at times.

Overall, the Samsung Galaxy F15 is a solid phone for its price point. If you prioritize battery life and a vibrant display and can live with a few quirks, it's worth considering.

Pros & Cons

Pros	Cons
Outstanding battery life	Wide-angle camera is subpar
Beautiful Super AMOLED display	Occasional glitches and heating
Good performance for daily tasks	No always-on display
Decent main camera	Fingerprint sensor can be unreliable

Common Problems (Based on User Reviews)

Performance Problems:
- Hanging/Freezing: Frequent unresponsiveness.
- Slow Performance/Lag: Slow app opening, dialing, touch response.
- Automatic Touch/Unresponsiveness: Phone acting on its own, requiring restarts.
Hardware Issues:
- Heating: Especially during charging, video calls, or moderate use.
- Heavy Weight: Uncomfortable for some users.
- Charging Problems: Slow charging or other charging-related issues.
- Display Issues: Automatic screen activation, malfunctions.
Other Issues:
- Software Problems: Glitches, bugs, causing hanging and erratic behavior.
- Network Problems: Dropped calls, internet connectivity issues.

POCO C65 review - value for money under Rs.7000

2024-05-13T10:58:00.000-07:00

POCO C65 (Pastel Green, 128 GB) Review

My POCO C65 (Pastel Green, 128 GB) Review

What I Liked ✅

Value for money: This phone is a steal for the price! It's packed with features that you'd expect from a much more expensive device.
Battery Backup: I can easily go a full day without needing to recharge. 🔋
Design: The Pastel Green looks so elegant. I've gotten a ton of compliments on how stylish it looks! 👍
Display: The screen is really smooth and the resolution is crisp. 👀
Performance: It does lag sometimes, but overall it's pretty fast, especially considering the price. The processor seems to be doing a good job. 💪
Large Screen Size: The 6.74-inch screen is perfect for watching videos and playing games. 📺

What Could Be Better ❌

Camera Quality: I was a little disappointed with the camera. It's a 50MP camera but sometimes the photos look like they were taken with a much lower resolution. 📷
Charging and Battery: The charging is really slow and the phone tends to heat up while charging. This is a bit concerning. ⚠
Sound Quality: The sound quality isn't the best. It sounds a bit muffled and lacks clarity. 🎧
Performance: I noticed some lag during normal use and the phone does heat up if I use it for too long. Multitasking can be a bit of a struggle.
Lack of Features: There are some features I miss, like a control center, split screen, and multi-window functionality.

Games

I tried playing BGMI and Free Fire on this phone. They must run pretty well!

Phone with wireless charging, 5G and Gorilla glass under Rs. 40,000 - 2023

2023-12-23T08:05:00.000-08:00

I was searching for a phone for my personal use, which has following features:

Wireless Charging
5G Indian Bands
Gorilla Glass

Why Wireless Charging?

I dropped my previous phone in water, and it entered the charging port. Now, the charging through wire is un-reliable. It works intermittently. Luckily my phone had wireless charging, I bought a wireless charger for Rs.700 from Amazon and spent my days. Though it was slow, at least my phone was usable. I don't want to repair my phone just to change the charging port, because I had bad experience replacing charging port for previous phone. To change the charging port, repair shop dude will rip open the phone, which creates entry for dust.

This makes wireless charging a viable option to keep your phone charged in case of emergency.

Why 5G?

With current 5G networks only available in Metro cities, we can live without this feature. But, paying 40K I expect my phone to last 3 years. Anything can happen in 3 years. 5G adoption may increase, this is just precautionary.

Why Gorilla Glass?

This is something to do with my past experience. I see Gorilla Glass 5 withstands accidental falls without screen protector. My previous phone had the Gorilla Glass 5 and not having a broken screen was the best thing.

Winners:

Nothing Phone 2
Google Pixel 7a

About Nothing Phone 2:

Nothing Phone 2 comes with Snapdragon Processor and this brand is owned by same guy who started OnePlus. And I observed it does good in many space like higher battery backup, decent camera, very good chip performance and young look with Glipphy lights on the back.

About Google Pixel 7a:

Pixel 7a does well in camera and has the smoothest OS experience. If you are a working professional and your office requires your phone to have Android Enterprise then Pixel 7a is go to phone.

Conclusion:

You won't be disappointed by choosing either of them. I filtered with the year 2023 and these are the only two phone that are available in India with those features.

m3u8 crossdomain access denied

2018-06-17T06:41:00.001-07:00

I got this error when I tried to play Live TV from a website. I fixed it by following this procedure:

You can ignore this error by changing the settings in internet options.

Step 1: Open internet explorer
Step 2: Go to "Internet Options"
Step 3: Click"Secuirty" tab
Step 4: Click "Internet" icon
Step 5: Choose "Custom Level" and scroll down to "Miscellaneous"
Step 6: One of the options should be "Access data sources across domain" - set this to "Enable".

Why I sold my iPhone X?

2018-03-16T14:06:00.000-07:00

I have been using iPhone X for almost 4 months. I switched to iOS from stock Android variants like Nexus which I used as my daily driver. I watched too many reviews about iOS before buying this phone. One thing which I noticed is that it has very good app optimization, apps won't hang these are the few reasons which made me to switch to iOS. One video which compared iPhone X with Pixel 2 to see how long the phone takes to open the app. At every test iPhone X won easily against all Android phone. I got convinced and I bought this for almost 90000 rupees.

Why I decided to sell this phone?

First thing is notch. In the reviews people said that we will be used to the notch. However in my case I watched lot of movies and TV series in phone and you can never miss the black patch that is left for notch. Because of this notch I feel the user experience is not so great. I felt I could have gone for MI Mix 2 which has edge to edge display.

The next thing which I hate in iPhone X is face lock. I have never faced issue with face lock but the user experience is not good. Once the phone gets unlocked we have to swipe again to get into home screen. This was not the case when iPhone 5 which came with touch id. You may think it is a simple task but think again it 1 lakh rupee phone. Also Oneplus 5t has came up with face unlock feature and it directly takes you to home screen.

I used to like old iPhones for their simplicity. The design was clever, the quick access control can be launched from the bottom swipe. Moreover the home button was very handy. In iPhone X we neither have home button and the quick access control launch method is changed.

Next problem is iPhone never comes with dual sim support. All the flagship phone from manufacturer like MI, Oneplus, Oppo and Vivo have dual sim. You may feel that dual SIM is useless but recently Jio has came with very good offers in that case I could have gone with Jio if I had a secondary sim support. I feel it is more practical to have dual sim or even triple Sim.

Apart from that I have very good experience with the iPhone X. It has wireless charging, good speaker, advanced camera and very good build quality. I was very happy with battery backup too.

Jio media cable M533 and M532

2018-03-16T13:32:00.001-07:00

What is Jio media cable?

This is a dongle to convert normal TV to smart TV. Using this cable you will get free data from Jio and you can watch free movies and TV channels. There are two variants in Reliance jio media cable. Phone comes with red colour packing and another comes with blue colour packing. The red colour box (model M 533) comes with HDMI input and the blue box (model M 532) comes with RCA cable input. You can find more information about the two variants in the back side of the box.

What is in the box?

In the box you will get a warranty card, manual, power cord and dongle. We use this dongle to connect to the TV and Jio phone

How to use this Jio media cable?

We need a TV, jio media cable dongle and Jio phone. In one end connect to the Jio phone and the other end connect to the TV. You need to use your jio phone to control the TV. There is no need for additional software or drivers.

Once Jio phone is connected, you can use the app in the Jio phone to stream the contents.

Android P features

2018-03-08T21:22:00.002-08:00

Google have released the developer preview for Android P on March 8 2018. Google haven't revealed what the letter P stands for. There are a lot of new features in this version but Google haven't shown of. This post contains some latest features from Android P. The features I am going to present in this post are from early developer preview.

Phones that support Android P:
At present developer preview is available only for Pixel phones. I have manually flashed in my Google pixel.

Features in Android P
First main feature that you will notice in Android P is the support for notch like you see in iPhone X. It has native support for notch, so we can expect many new phones with notches this year. There is option to change the notch size as well. The width of the notch can be changed to accommodate iPhone X or you can reduce the notch size to fit essential phone. Basically you have different option to tweak the notch size.

Changes to messaging app
The recent messages are available in the notification area so that you can directly reply from there. Another new feature in messaging app is smart replies. If you have used Gmail or Allo you might be familiar with smart replies. Smart reply provides a couple of options to reply based on the message you received. You can do smart reply directly from the Notification Shade. Smart reply is presented as couple of pop-ups. Now we have option to send stickers and images directly from the notification. I think this feature maybe extended to other messaging apps like Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp etc.

Changes to the design
They have moved the time to left side of the screen in Android P. The app drawer design is changed to rounded icons with blue and white shades. In older Android phones we used to see all the notification icon at the top of the screen but in Android P it is limited to 5 notification if it exceeds 5 you will get the dot symbol. There is no changes to the home drawer. Duo and Allo app comes pre installed with this version. They have added a settings to change the icon shape to square, rounded square, squircle and teardrop.

Auto rotate option
In old Android versions we have a Universal auto rotate option. With Google Android P you get auto rotate icon near the navigation icon once you rotate your phone to portrait to landscape or landscape to portrait.

Screenshot option
Now the screenshot feature is added to the power button. Once you press power button you get option to power off, restart and screenshot. This option comes by default in other Android versions like MI UI, Sony etc but not in stock Android. Now we also have option to edit the screenshot.

Volume bar
You get a volume bar once you press the volume keys. Also it provides a button to change the notification style to vibrate on silent. This is easier for one hand control.

Changes to battery settings
Now you have options like reduced power mode and you can directly add battery percentage from the settings. It gives some statistics like last full charge, screen usage since full charge. There is another option to extend the battery life bye clicking turn on low battery mode.

What Android P stand for?
Few speculations are
Android potato edition
Android pancake
Android Pokemon
Android peanut butter
Android Pee
Popsicle
Popcorn
Pistachio
Android pineapple pizza
Android peppermint

Best laptop under 50000 in India 2018

2018-03-06T05:09:00.000-08:00

People usually come by this question "which laptop to buy under 50000 rupees"? I would always suggest to go for Macbook Air which you can buy from the price range of 42000 rupees to 50000 rupees. Usually MacBook Air will be charged above 50000 but if you wait for offers you can definitely get for 42000 rupees. However, if you have no plans like which software you are going to use and if you use to open some documents daily internet browsing etc Macbook is the best.

If you are going to buy laptop for a specific need for example to run Tally software, electronics software like NI Multisim these software won't run in Mac. Before going to buy Mac check whether the software will support MacOS. If it doesn't support, I suggest you to go for a Windows laptop.

Why MacBook?
First reason is Apple's hardware performance is phenomenal. I have a 3 year old MacBook Air which still looks new. It worth every penny you pay for. The laptop is very lightweight and you can carry with you every time. The battery backup is also exceptional, on a single charge it comes for 10 hours. The form factor is rigid in Apple laptop which you can't get in other laptops like Dell, HP and Lenovo. If you want same form factor in Windows platform we need to go for premium models of Dell, HP and Lenovo which starts from 80000 rupees. The Macbook software and hardware are both developed by Apple so you can feel it's very fast and fluid. Moreover Apple laptops have higher re-sale value than Windows laptop.

This laptop is more stable and reliable. Even if you close the laptop lid on the mid way of your work your data won't be corrupted. I have never powered off my MacBook Air, I will just close the lid once my work is done. Windows laptop are designed to shutdown, there is always updates pushed my Microsoft which mandates you to poweroff.

How to choose a MacBook?
The problem with Macbook is all the versions look alike. If you are buying this year search for MacBook 2017 or any new Macbook that will be launched this year (2018). You don't have to worry too much because the performance wise all MacBooks are good.

Why I use MacBook?
I use Macbook mainly for video editing. I use Final Cut Pro software as I am more comfortable with this software than Adobe Premiere. You can do video editing very fast using Final Cut Pro and the performance is very good in Macbook as this software is developed by Apple. Again it is purely a personal choice, I have the feature what I like even though it cost little higher than software that runs in Windows platform. If you are comfortable with other software that runs on Windows then don't hesitate to buy a Windows laptop. Sometimes I have to do too many video editing on same day which I am comfortable doing in Final Cut Pro.

Can a college student buy MacBook?
If you are going to install any particular software then first check if that software runs in Macbook. During my college days most of the software runs only on Windows. The software which I use are related to electronics.

There are options to run Windows OS in Macbook but if you are specific needs runs only on Windows platform it is wise to choose a Windows laptop.

Why not Windows laptop?
The main reason I don't use Windows laptop is for screen quality and SSD disk drive. There are Windows laptop with SSD but Apple has calibrated hardware and software integration which is very fast. To get such speed we need to go for a premium Windows laptop.

When not to buy MacBook?
If your budget doesn't allow beyond 40k then it is better to go for Windows laptop. I will reiterate if the software you want to use doesn't support Mac better go with Windows laptop.

Also there are some ports like serial port which is used to connect to electronic device, MacBook won't come with them by default. MacBook is more minimalist, it has very limited ports compared to Windows laptop. You may need to buy extender or multiport to get additional ports.

I don't like MacBook what options do I have?
I understand many people still love Windows for its software compatibility. If you want to buy Windows laptop go for laptop with following features:

1. SSD
2. Core i5 or Core i7 Processor
3. 8 or 16 GB RAM

Some Windows laptop you can buy in 2018:
Dell Inspiron 13 5370:
This product is not available online. Price starts from 59,500. Key features are:
8th Generation Intel® Core™ i5-8250U Processor (6MB Cache, up to 3.4 GHz)
8GB, DDR4, 2400MHz, up to 32GB (additional memory sold separately)
256GB Solid State Drive (SSD)
13.3-inch FHD (1920 x 1080) Anti-glare LED-Backlit Display

Lenovo E470 i5 8GB RAM:
This laptop is available in Lenovo website. Please visit the link for more details about this laptop. Key features are SSD, Core i5 and 8 GB RAM.

Fitbit Alta HR review after 90 days

2018-03-05T04:28:00.000-08:00

I bought Fitbit Alta HR from Flipkart 3 months back. It costed me 17500 rupees at that time and now it cost 15000 rupees. I can see your listing with 17000 rupees in Flipkart. Currently there are few offers in for the same band and it cost about 12500 rupees. The word HR means heart rate so it has heart rate sensor.

What I noticed first in Fitbit Alta HR?
First thing I saw in this band is it has a traditional railroad style strap. It is a attractive device and people will mistake it for bracelet.

It is a basic fitness tracker watch which will count the number of steps taken and the distance travelled and the calories burnt. After using for 2 days you will notice that it also tracks your sleep.

The touchscreen doesn't work like traditional way, you just need to tap on the device to see various options. Typing is the only way you will be interacting with the device.

Fitbit app
The device itself gives very less information. To get more detail we have to install a app in your Android or iOS phone. The app shows you how many hours you have slept for each day and it also gives the different stages of sleep. It automatically create chart comparing weekly sleep pattern with weekend sleep pattern. I am not sure how accurate the metrics are but it is good feature.

It measures the distant you run using accelerometer instead of GPS. So we can't be sure whether the distance covered is so accurate.

Should you buy?
I won't say this is a innovative product. This is a basic health tracking device with stylish design. The main feature in this product is the heart rate tracking which many wrist band lacks. Another feature it has is it automatically detects the activity like jogging. In wristband like Xiaomi MI band 2 it measures the heart rate only when we request them, it doesn't monitor continuously. This is one of the reason where you see high cost in Fitbit wristbands.

If you have already used wristband without heart rate and you feel heart rate can be much better then go for this. If you are first time user I recommend to buy Xiaomi MI band 2 and if you really feel you need the heart rate sensor to be little more accurate then go for this Fitbit band wristbands. Xiaomi MI band 2 has all the features that Fitbit has for 1799 rupees.

Redmi Note 5 Pro Pros & Cons

2018-03-04T08:38:00.002-08:00

I bought my Redmi Note 5 on 22nd February on the Flipkart flash sale. I have been using this phone for almost 2 weeks. In this post I have listed the pros and cons of Redmi Note 5 Pro.

Key points
Launch date - February 2018
RAM - 6 GB / 4 GB
Storage - 64GB
Chipset - Snapdragon 636
Price - 17K rupee for 6 GB RAM variant and 14K rupee 4 4GB RAM variant

What I like in Redmi Note 5 Pro
The build quality of the phone is good and it looks modern with 18:9 screen ratio. It is easy to hold in a single hand even though the screen size is almost 6 inch. The front part of the phone look stylish with no physical keys and looks like a bezel less screen. In the back we have a dual camera which is placed like iPhone X.This phone has got an LED and lights up when you get the notification.

This phone has a single speaker at the bottom and it is loud. you also have 3.5 mm headphone jack at the opposite side of speaker.

The cellular network reception is very good in this phone. I can say this because I have two phone with Airtel sim, Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro had full tower while the other phone had half tower. Redmi Note 5 Pro supports Jio (Volte) and it allowed me to make calls without installing the voice app.

Redmi note 5 Pro has Snapdragon 636 processor which is new in the market. This is actually a good thing because many mobiles still use old Snapdragon processor. Redmi Note 5 Pro is the first smartphone to use Snapdragon 636 processor and has a new Adreno 509 GPU.

Since it has got the new processor I was very curious about the battery life. It has 4000 MA power battery. I can get the battery backup for almost 1 and half day. If we just consider that time the screen is ON, it is 8 hours. I am confident that if you don't connect to internet battery backup will last for almost 2 days.

Initially I was sceptical what an 10000 rupees phone can perform on its camera.This phone proved be wrong, the camera image quality is good and with its dual camera you can shoot portrait mode photos like you do in iPhone x. The front camera is best in class in this price range and even it supports portrait mode.

What I don't like in Redmi Note 5 Pro
Though the front view is awesome I am not happy with the back part of the phone. I feel the antenna design is not good. They could have placed the antenna like Redmi A1.

LED in the phone only lights up in white colour. I am not sure if we can enable multi colour LED in Xiaomi Redmi Note 5. We just have to wait for some ROM or software update to do this.

I have compared 4 GB RAM variant of Redmi Note 5 Pro with 6 GB RAM variant of Redmi Note 5 Pro. I feel so xiaomi is charging more cost for 6 GB RAM given the performance is almost same. With 6 GB RAM phone you can open additional apps but the price is not convincible. Moreover the gaming performance is same in both the variants.

Phone gets warm when I continuously use internet from mobile data. It get warm slower when I am connected to Wi-Fi. It may be due to the aluminium back but the good thing is it's not getting too much hot. However it doesn’t affect the performance.

The specification of Snapdragon 636 chipset supports 4K video but It is restricted to 1080 p videos. I feel video quality is poor as well.

Phone supports fast charging but in the box it comes with normal charger.If you want to buy fast charger go with Xiaomi charger. I tried with a charger certified as Qualcomm quick charge 3.0, but it is not charging fast. So it is better to go with Xiaomi charger (India Standard Adapter 9V 2A).

This device is still running on Android N, I think we need to wait for Android Oreo update.

My experience with Microsoft launcher

2018-03-03T09:28:00.000-08:00

I was a Google Nexus 5 user and recently I switched to Xperia XZ premium. By default Sony has their own launcher and it supports themes. I felt it was bit heavy as I am used to Google Now launcher. In all Nexus phone you will get Google Now launcher by default which gives you stock Android experience which feels really lightweight. Then I came to know Microsoft has launched their own launcher and I tried it for past 45 days. I have written my experience with Microsoft launcher in this post.

After I installed Microsoft launcher I expected to be slow but it was really fast and it has gesture options. I was used to gesture options as I was using BlackBerry Z3. You feel gesture is faster than navigating by clicking the icons. In Microsoft launcher, you can just swipe up to get to the home screen. After using the option for 4 or 5 days you feel it is natural. You can get to the quick launcher by swiping from the bottom of the screen just like the way it was in iPhone. If you have phone greater than 5 inch this option is really handy. Like Google Now cards Microsoft also provides feeds like most contacted person, news, frequently used apps, calendar and to do.

This app is available in Google play store for free. This launcher was previously known as Arrow launcher. You have lot of customization options available like you get in Nova Launcher.

Launcher settings
Microsoft has provided lot of options in launcher settings. First thing I did is to change the default search engine from Bing to Google. You can get to the launcher setting by force clicking the home screen and then you will find launcher settings. If you have a Windows PC you will be able to send SMS directly from Windows 10 PC. To control your phone from Windows PC you have to sign in to the Microsoft account.

I have already mentioned about the Gesture feature, you can customise them under the launcher settings. One of my most used gesture option is to double tap to sleep. You can still launch Google Assistant by long pressing the home icon even in Microsoft launcher.

Microsoft SMS Organiser app
It has one cool feature in SMS organiser app which made me to write it in a separate section. We are used to make payments from mobile and for each payment we need to enter OTP. Microsoft SMS organiser app automatically highlights the OTP and gives option to copy just the OTP number. This will come handy when you are saying from Chrome browser or any Browser in Android phone. This feature is also available in MIUI (Xiaomi phones).

This app categorizes the SMS into promotional, transactional and personal. So you will see only important messages in the personal section and things like bank balance, bank deduction will be received under transactional.The best parties all the junk and promotional SMS will be received under promotional section.This feature is similar to Gmail where the email get categorised based on the content.

Automatic wallpaper change
If you are in Windows 10 PC you might notice that wallpaper changes automatically every day. This launcher by default has this feature.We also have an option to manually change the wallpaper by taping the wallpaper icon in the home screen.

Snapdragon 835 phones under 20000

2018-02-27T10:34:00.001-08:00

Snapdragon 835

Snapdragon 835 is the flagship chipset from Qualcomm for the year 2017.
This chipset is used in the phones like Google pixel 2, Oneplus 5T and Samsung Galaxy Note 8.
Phones with this chipset have infinity display are commonly known as bezel less display.
This chipset is so powerful that it went head on head with iPhones Bionic chip.
Most of the flagship phone from 2017 used Snapdragon 835.
Below are the list of phone that uses Snapdragon 835.

Phones using Snapdragon 835

Nokia 8 Sirocco. Announced Feb 2018. Features 5.5″ P-OLED display, Snapdragon 835 chipset, Dual: 12 MP (f/1.75, 1.4 µm, OIS) + 12 MP primary camera, 5 MP front camera, 3260 mAh battery, 128 GB storage, 6 GB RAM, IP67 certified, Corning Gorilla Glass 5.
LG V30s Thinq. Announced Feb 2018. Features 6.0″ P-OLED display, Snapdragon 835 chipset, Dual: 16 MP (f/1.6, 1 µm, 3-axis OIS, PDAF) + 13 MP primary camera, 5 MP front camera, 3300 mAh battery, 256 GB storage, 6 GB RAM, MIL-STD-810G compliant, Corning Gorilla Glass 5.
Samsung Galaxy S8. Announced Mar 2017. Features 5.8″ Super AMOLED display, Exynos 8895 Octa chipset, 12 MP primary camera, 8 MP front camera, 3000 mAh battery, 64 GB storage, 4 GB RAM, IP68 certified, Corning Gorilla Glass 5.
Samsung Galaxy Note8. Announced Aug 2017. Features 6.3″ Super AMOLED display, Exynos 8895 Octa chipset, Dual: 12 MP (f/1.7, 26mm, 1/2.5″, 1.4 µm, Dual Pixel PDAF) + 12MP primary camera, 8 MP front camera, 3300 mAh battery, 256 GB storage, 6 GB RAM, IP68 certified, Corning Gorilla Glass 5.
OnePlus 5T. Announced Nov 2017. Features 6.01″ Optic AMOLED display, Snapdragon 835 chipset, Dual: 16 MP (f/1.7, 27mm, 1/2.8″, 1.12 µm, gyro EIS) + 20 MP primary camera, 16 MP front camera, 3300 mAh battery, 128 GB storage, 8 GB RAM, Corning Gorilla Glass 5.
Nokia 8. Announced Sep 2017. Features 5.3″ IPS LCD display, Snapdragon 835 chipset, Dual: 13 MP primary camera, 13 MP front camera, 3090 mAh battery, 128 GB storage, 6 GB RAM, IP54 certified, Corning Gorilla Glass 5.
Samsung Galaxy S8+. Announced Mar 2017. Features 6.2″ Super AMOLED display, Exynos 8895 Octa chipset, 12 MP primary camera, 8 MP front camera, 3500 mAh battery, 128 GB storage, 6 GB RAM, IP68 certified, Corning Gorilla Glass 5.
LG V30. Announced Aug 2017. Features 6.0″ P-OLED display, Snapdragon 835 chipset, Dual: 16 MP (f/1.6, 1 µm, 3-axis OIS, PDAF) + 13 MP primary camera, 5 MP front camera, 3300 mAh battery, 128 GB storage, 4 GB RAM, MIL-STD-810G compliant, Corning Gorilla Glass 5.
Xiaomi Mi Mix 2. Announced Sep 2017. Features 5.99″ IPS LCD display, Snapdragon 835 chipset, 12 MP primary camera, 5 MP front camera, 3400 mAh battery, 256 GB storage, 8 GB RAM, Corning Gorilla Glass 4.
Xiaomi Mi 6. Announced Apr 2017. Features 5.15″ IPS LCD display, Snapdragon 835 chipset, Dual: 12 MP (f/1.8, 27mm, 1/2.9″, 1.25 µm, 4-axis OIS) + 12 MP primary camera, 8 MP front camera, 3350 mAh battery, 128 GB storage, 6 GB RAM, Corning Gorilla Glass 4.
Sony Xperia XZ Premium. Announced Feb 2017. Features 5.46″ IPS LCD display, Snapdragon 835 chipset, 19 MP primary camera, 13 MP front camera, 3230 mAh battery, 64 GB storage, 4 GB RAM, IP68 certified, Corning Gorilla Glass 5.
Google Pixel 2. Announced Oct 2017. Features 5.0″ AMOLED display, Snapdragon 835 chipset, 12.2 MP primary camera, 8 MP front camera, 2700 mAh battery, 128 GB storage, 4 GB RAM, IP67 certified, Corning Gorilla Glass 5.
Sony Xperia XZ1. Announced Aug 2017. Features 5.2″ IPS LCD display, Snapdragon 835 chipset, 19 MP primary camera, 13 MP front camera, 2700 mAh battery, 64 GB storage, 4 GB RAM, IP68 certified, Corning Gorilla Glass 5.
Google Pixel 2 XL. Announced Oct 2017. Features 6.0″ P-OLED display, Snapdragon 835 chipset, 12.2 MP primary camera, 8 MP front camera, 3520 mAh battery, 128 GB storage, 4 GB RAM, IP67 certified, Corning Gorilla Glass 5.
OnePlus 5. Announced Jun 2017. Features 5.5″ Optic AMOLED display, Snapdragon 835 chipset, Dual: 16 MP (f/1.7, 24mm, 1/2.8″, 1.12 µm, gyro EIS) + 20 MP primary camera, 16 MP front camera, 3300 mAh battery, 128 GB storage, 8 GB RAM, Corning Gorilla Glass 5.
HTC U11+. Announced Nov 2017. Features 6.0″ Super LCD6 display, Snapdragon 835 chipset, 12 MP primary camera, 8 MP front camera, 3930 mAh battery, 128 GB storage, 6 GB RAM, IP68 certified, Corning Gorilla Glass 5.
Motorola Moto Z2 Force. Announced Jul 2017. Features 5.5″ P-OLED display, Snapdragon 835 chipset, Dual: 12 MP primary camera, 5 MP front camera, 2730 mAh battery, 128 GB storage, 6 GB RAM, Shatterproof.
Sony Xperia XZ1 Compact. Announced Aug 2017. Features 4.6″ IPS LCD display, Snapdragon 835 chipset, 19 MP primary camera, 8 MP front camera, 2700 mAh battery, 32 GB storage, 4 GB RAM, IP68 certified, Corning Gorilla Glass 5.
HTC U11. Announced May 2017. Features 5.5″ Super LCD5 display, Snapdragon 835 chipset, 12 MP primary camera, 16 MP front camera, 3000 mAh battery, 128 GB storage, 6 GB RAM, IP67 certified, Corning Gorilla Glass 5.
Nokia 9. Not announced yet. Features 5.5″ AMOLED display, Snapdragon 835 chipset, Dual: 13 MP primary camera, Dual: 5 MP (f/2.0, AF, 1080p) + 5 MP front camera, 3250 mAh battery, 128 GB storage, 4 GB RAM, IP68 certified, Corning Gorilla Glass 5.
Razer Phone. Announced Nov 2017. Features 5.7″ IGZO IPS LCD display, Snapdragon 835 chipset, Dual: 12 MP (f/1.8, 25mm) + 12 MP primary camera, 8 MP front camera, 4000 mAh battery, 64 GB storage, 8 GB RAM, Corning Gorilla Glass 3.
Samsung Galaxy S8 Active. Announced Aug 2017. Features 5.8″ Super AMOLED display, Snapdragon 835 chipset, 12 MP primary camera, 8 MP front camera, 4000 mAh battery, 64 GB storage, 4 GB RAM, MIL-STD-810G compliant, Corning Gorilla Glass 5.
Asus Zenfone 4 Pro ZS551KL. Announced Aug 2017. Features 5.5″ AMOLED display, Snapdragon 835 chipset, Dual: 12 MP (f/1.7, 25mm, 1/2.55″, 1.4 µm, 4-axis OIS, Dual Pixel PDAF) + 16 MP primary camera, 8 MP front camera, 3600 mAh battery, 128 GB storage, 6 GB RAM, Corning Gorilla Glass 5.
Xiaomi Mi 6 Plus. Features 5.7″ IPS LCD display, Snapdragon 835 chipset, Dual: 12 MP primary camera, 8 MP front camera, 4500 mAh battery, 128 GB storage, 6 GB RAM, To be confirmed.
Essential PH-1. Announced May 2017. Features 5.71″ LTPS IPS LCD display, Snapdragon 835 chipset, Dual: 13 MP primary camera, 8 MP front camera, 3040 mAh battery, 128 GB storage, 4 GB RAM, Corning Gorilla Glass 5.
ZTE nubia Z17s. Announced Oct 2017. Features 5.73″ LTPS IPS LCD display, Snapdragon 835 chipset, Dual: 12 MP (f/1.8, 1/2.55″, 1.4 µm, Dual Pixel PDAF) + 23 MP primary camera, Dual 5 MP front camera, 3100 mAh battery, 128 GB storage, 8 GB RAM, Corning Gorilla Glass (unspecified version).
ZTE nubia Z17. Announced Jun 2017. Features 5.5″ IPS LCD display, Snapdragon 835 chipset, Dual: 12 MP (f/1.8, 1/2.55″, 1.4 µm) + 23 MP primary camera, 16 MP front camera, 3200 mAh battery, 128 GB storage, 8 GB RAM, Corning Gorilla Glass (unspecified version).
Vivo Xplay7. Not announced yet. Features 6.0″ Super AMOLED display, Snapdragon 835 chipset, Dual: 12 MP primary camera, 16 MP front camera, 128 GB storage, 6 GB RAM, Corning Gorilla Glass (unspecified version).
Sony Xperia H8541. Not announced yet. Features 5.7″ IPS LCD display, Snapdragon 835 chipset, 19 MP primary camera, 13 MP front camera, 3420 mAh battery, 64 GB storage, 4 GB RAM, IP68 certified, Corning Gorilla Glass 5.
Oppo Find 9. Not announced yet. Features 5.5″ IPS LCD display, Snapdragon 835 chipset, 21 MP primary camera, 16 MP front camera, 4100 mAh battery, 128 GB storage, 6 GB RAM, Corning Gorilla Glass 4.
Archos Diamond Omega. Announced Oct 2017. Features 5.73″ LTPS IPS LCD display, Snapdragon 835 chipset, Dual: 12 MP (f/1.8, 1/2.55″, 1.4 µm) + 23 MP primary camera, Dual 5 MP front camera, 3100 mAh battery, 128 GB storage, 8 GB RAM, Corning Gorilla Glass (unspecified version).

Unfortunately there are no phones with Snapdragon 835 chipset under 20000 rupees.
The starting price of the phone with this chipset is 35000 rupees.
Mi Mix 2 is cheapest of all the phone in Snapdragon 835. It cost around 33 K in Flipkart.

Consider using Google GO apps if you have 1 GB or less RAM

2018-02-26T02:47:00.001-08:00

I have an old Lava tablet which has 1 GB of RAM. The specifications where not spectacular. I have only 8 GB of internal memory in which I have to accommodate all my apps. I will hardly get 6 GB to use it for myself. If you are one such user consider installing the following apps. The apps which I am going to mention in this post are all Google go app. With the launch of Android Oreo, Google came with set of apps which uses less memory and less space.

In this post I want to compare my previous Google apps with the new Android go apps. Here I will show how much space and memory I saved by using the new Android go apps.

Another advantage of using this go app is it consumes very less data. These apps are designed to run on the mobile which cost less than 5K rupees.

Below are the list of Android go apps that we can download from Play Store

Gmail go - lightweight version of Gmail
Assistant go - similar to Siri but consumes less RAM and space
Google go - Google search app which is lightweight and intelligent
Files go - File Explorer App with AI assistant
Maps go - lightweight Map app
YouTube Go - go version of YouTube app

Google go
Google's target is to replace the default Google search app. The normal Google Search app will consume 166 MB but the Google go app will consume only 12 MB. By deleting the old app installing Google go we will save around 150 MB. Also the RAM usage is 61 MB for Google go which is 250 MB for the old Google app. It is definitely improved my mobile RAM space. From the home screen of this app you can do voice search, image search, GIF search and has shortcut for popular website like YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Wikipedia. It also has an intelligent auto completion option which you should definitely try.

After installing this app you will find there is no need to have Chrome browser in your mobile. Chrome browser is a heavy application for smartphone with 1 GB RAM. I have removed all the existing browser and I am completely dependent on Google go.

On the downside you will be missing the Google feeds, it is responsible to get automatic weather update, traffic update, stock market update and news. But not everyone is dependent to these features.

Maps go
Maps go is a lightweight Google Map application with no support of navigation. When I measured the size, it was only 250 KB so I think this is just a browser page being loaded as app. The normal Google Map app is 90 MB and it has full-fledged features and they will be missing in Google go Map app. You can definitely use this app for day to day activities but if you are a avid driver it's better to have the normal Google Map app.

Does RAM usage is also very less and it uses 4 Mb whereas Google Map uses 185 MB on average. I would suggest to stay with normal Google Map app until more features are added to Google go Map.

Files go
Out of all Google go apps I liked files go very much. The installation size is 15 MB and it has many intelligent features. It automatically fetches low resolution images, duplicate files, WhatsApp videos and images and display it in a separate card. You can easily delete them and they are the files which consume lot of space in your phone. And it also shows the apps which are not being used for long time. I actually used to have a separate app to see my unused applications. As this is integrated with files go I have uninstalled my standalone app. You can also clear the cache without opening settings from Files go app.

Gmail Go
With the Gmail go app you can save around 12 MB from the normal Gmail app.

Gmail go - 25 MB
Gmail - 37 MB
The RAM usage is also very low in Gmail go app. It uses 70MB of RAM whereas Gmail uses 250 MB of Ram. Luckily this is not the web shortcut of Gmail. Because it has features like swipe to archive or delete, which is not available in Gmail web app.

YouTube go
YouTube go app doesn't actually stream the video instead it gives you option to download. The idea behind the option is to save the data. YouTube go is 30 MB in size and normal YouTube is 120 MB size in Disk. You can also share the downloaded videos via bluetooth this feature is again to ensure that you don't lost data.

Ram usages 70 MB on average for YouTube go and 100mb on average for YouTube.

Phone with battery life more than 15 hours

2018-02-24T09:09:00.004-08:00

Initially my search was for the phone with battery life close to 2 days. After my research I found the longest time the battery backup can be is 28 hours. And the name of the phone is Lenovo P2. There can be some other phone which can cross this feat but the chances are slim. Unfortunately this phone is not available for sale. Then I found few phones which gives battery backup close to 24 hours. But they are not powerful and it is a Samsung phone. I wanted to try something different from Samsung so I started my search again. Then I found another two phones from Oneplus but they are out of my budget. The two phones are Oneplus 5 and Oneplus 5t. Finally I found the phone which I can afford and it gives battery backup more than 15 hours. It is Motorola moto Z2 play. It is successor of Motorola Moto Z play which had phenomenal battery backup close to 24 hours (1425 minutes).

How the phone is tested?

To check the battery life we had play the video in 1080 p continuously and also we have opened apps like WhatsApp, Facebook in the background.

Test Result:

The phone lasted for 1100 minutes which converts to 18 hours. This is 3 hours more than I expected. I was also impressed with the specification Motorola offered. The phone offers turbo charging facility with it you can charge 80 percentage in 20 minutes. This is really a phone to expect long lasting battery life.

Motorola Moto Z2 Play Key features:
Launch date - June 2017
Camera - 12MP
RAM - 4GB
Screen - 5.5 Inch
Price - Varies between 22,000 to 28,000 Rupee
Battery - 3000 mAh

Cool features of Motorola Moto Z2 Play:

Once you carry the phone you feel it is lot slimmer than it looks. It has a premium finish with metal body. The biggest problem next to battery is the phone screen getting crack. This phone has 5 layer of screen which will protected the phone from accidental drops.
It support Moto mod, you can extend your phone with mods like camera, speaker, and power bank. But you need to pay extra for this mod. They can be easily attached and removed using the magnetic strip in the back cover.
The fingerprint sensor is located in the front and it can be used as home button. It also offers gesture in the fingerprint sensor.
It has 64 GB of storage out of which you can use 50 GB. Around 14 GB is used by internal apps and Google services.
It has super Amoled display which is the reason why we see a good battery backup. With AMOLED display you can light up only few parts of the screen which you can't do in other.
It is a dual sim phone with separate slot for SD card. Lucky to not have hybrid slot where we need to put SIM/SD card in same slot.
It has Android stock experience skin with little bloatware from Motorola. By default it will come with the launcher that is similar to Pixel. So when you tap on some icon it will give you more options for the that app like the way 3D Touch works in iPhone.
The phone runs Android Nogut so it supports split screen with which you can run multiple app at the same time.
This phone has Volte option so you can use Jio SIM and make calls from Jio directly without using the app. It also supports for 4G which I tested with Airtel and Vodafone SIM.
It still have the headphone jack.
It support gesture options like shaking the phone to turn the torch light and another guesture to launch the camera

Down points:
Moto Mod cool is a cool idea but they are expensive. Majority of the user won’t use this Moto Mod feature. For example for JBL Mod will cost 6000 rupees and will be compatible only with Motorola.

How long does it take to charge a Samsung Level U?

2018-02-10T05:29:00.000-08:00

My Samsung Level U is taking around 1.5 to 2 hours depends on the remaining charge. Upon charging I will use 6 days straight for 3 to 4 hours per day usage.

The charging time and battery backup will vary with device. I have spoken with other users using Samsung Level U and below is the charging time and battery backup range:

Charging time - 1 hour to 3 hours.
Battery Backup - 3 days to 7 days (with 3 hours per day usage)

If you see above metric the least charging time is 1 hour. It all depends on how often you charge and the power supply, charger your use. If you use direct AC power supply chances are it will charge fast. If you use power bank to charge then there will be delay.

Battery backup depends on the volume you use. If you use it with full volume then battery will drain faster. Also if you frequently disconnect and connect then the battery backup will be affected. It is always better to keep connected rather than connecting/disconnecting frequently.

Other common questions related to Samsung Level U:

Is it Samsung Level U waterproof?
No, it is not waterproof

Does it works with iPhone?
Yes, It works with iPhone.

Does it work other than Samsung Android phone?
I have personally used it with Nexus 5 and Sony XA1 Ultra and it works fine. It works with Windows 10 laptop as well.