Moto Z to launch in India this Diwali season

Back in June, Motorola unveiled two new flagship smartphones, the Moto Z and Moto Z Force. Both the phones are only available in US, UK and Latin America up till now. Yesterday, Moto Z unlocked version was also made available in the United States (preorders).

Today Motorola India has confirmed that, Moto Z will come to Indian markets this festive season.

Sudhin Mathur, Lenovo India Executive Director Mobile Business Group told PTI: "We will launch 8 new devices, of which six we have already announced, in this festive season... This includes the Moto Z,"

Though the exact date or event hasn't been revealed but rumours has it that the device might actually launch in 1st or 2nd week of October which is when Google Pixels phones are set to launch.

Recently, we have been seeing a lot Lenovo centric changes to the Motorola devices. Interestingly, it is the first time since Lenovo acquired Motorola from Google back in 2014.

For those who are not aware, Moto Z is Motorola's this year's flagship with standard flagship top notch specs. In addition to the beastly specifications, Motorola has introduced its own concept of modular phones with the Moto Z. At the back of the Moto Z lies some unique magnetic ports which are used to connect easy to snap on Moto Mods.

As of now, Motorola has released Mods like camera optical zoom mod, camera shutter mod, battery pack mods etc. Though Motorola is pretty confident that there concept of modular phones is the future, it is still in the early stages with these Moto Mods being pretty expensive. Motorola has built the Moto Z as thin as a phone can be resulting in smaller battery but Motorola claims that it has Moto Battery Pack Mod for it.

As of now, Motorola has not revealed Moto Z's price for the Indian market but it should be on the higher side given its premium quality built and top specifications.

Google Pixel phones will be unveiled October 4

We've been hearing about Google’s upcoming Pixel phones for a very long time now, and finally, we know when they will be unveiled: October 4th. With a very cryptic teaser video, Google has now officially confirmed that the event will begin at 9AM Pacific Time on October 4th.

Google Pixel smartphones spotted on Geekbench, might come with dual camera

                                 Devices will feature 4GB of RAM

Google this year is expected to launch a new series - Pixel - instead of its Nexus series. Now the allegedGoogle Pixel series devices have been spotted on Geekbench website.

As per the listing, the devices have 4GB of RAM. The processor though is a mystery but it seems to be from Qualcomm and clocked at 1.59 GHz. A lot of rumours suggests that Google will introduce Snapdragon 821 in both the devices. Contrary to that, GSM Arena happens to go with the Snapdragon 820 (2nd Version) which is said to improve performance and battery optimisation.

Another confirmation is that both Google Pixel and Pixel XL will run on Android 7.1 Nougat which will be a minor yet important update over Android 7.0. The updates is said to bring some minor bug fixes and Google's own Nexus/Pixel launcher. Further this update, the OS is also likely to come with better Google Now integration which reports suggest that will be limited to Google devices only. So this year we might see Google's own Android Nougat.

Concluding the previous rumours, Pixel (codenamed : Sailfish) will be the smaller of the two with 5.2 inch screen and Pixel XL (codenamed: Marlin) will be the larger one with 5.5 inch screen. Both the phones are manufactured by HTC even though they will have Google branding this time.

Another report on GSM Arena reveals the possible cases/covers for both the phones with abnormally wide camera holes which might be an indication of implementing dual cameras. Well, that is being too ambitious as the case manufacturer is not authentic and no such rumour came out up till now. Nevertheless, a dual camera in Nexus (sorry Pixel) devices will be welcomed given it performs on par with other flagships.

Moto E3 Power with 3500 mAh battery set to launch in India today

The smartphone will be exclusively available through the e-commerce website Flipkart.

Motorola is all set to launch its new smartphone, the Moto E3 Power, in India today. The live streaming of launch is scheduled to start at 3PM today. The smartphone will be exclusively available through the e-commerce website Flipkart from 23.59 PM onwards.

Last month, Motorola launched Moto E3 Power smartphone in Hong Kong with a huge 3500 mAh battery for HKD 1,098 (Rs 9,470 approximately) and later it was found listed on Indian export import website Zauba as well.

The Moto E3 Power has a 5-inch HD (1280x720p) IPS display and is powered by a 1.0GHz quad-core Mediatek (MTK6735) processor. It comes with 2GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage, which can be further expandable up-to 128GB via microSD card. The smartphone comes packed with 3500 mAh battery.

The Moto E3 Power runs on Android 6.0 Marshmallow operating system. The phone has an 8-megapixel auto-focus rear camera, a rear LED flashlight and a 5-megapixel front camera for selfies and video chats. Besides, the smartphone offers Dual SIM, 4G/LTE, WiFi, GPS, a micro USB port, and a Rear ported speaker (1W).

The Moto E3 Power seems to be the upgraded version of Moto E3 which was launched in the UK earlier in July this year at Euro 99 (Rs 7,397 approximately).

Xiaomi to announce Mi 5S on September 27

Xiaomi is likely to announce the much speculated Xiaomi Mi 5S on September 27.

The Chinese company has just posted a teaser on its Weibo account that comes with the letter "S" and the date "2016.9.27" which indicates the purported Mi 5S is finally launching on 27 September 2016. The teaser however does not say anything about the specs of Xiaomi Mi 5S. The event will be held at the Beijing National Convention Center in China.

As per media reports, Xiaomi might also announce Xiaomi Mi 5s Plus along with Xiaomi Mi 5S. The Xiaomi Mi 5s Plus is rumored to come with a Snapdragon 821 processor and a 5.7-inch dual-curve screen display. The device is claimed to come with an ultrasonic fingerprint scanner. However, there is no information on its RAM, internal storage or camera resolution.

Recently, a live photo of Xiaomi Mi 5S was shared by a China based person Kjuma. It showed a circular home button which is quite similar to that of iPhones; two capacitive buttons are also there alongside the home button. The circular button is expected to double up as a fingerprint scanner.

Earlier reports claimed that the Xiaomi Mi 5S will have a Qualcomm's Sense ID ultrasonic fingerprint technology. The Ultrasonic Fingerprint Sensor technology can be used to works through materials like glass, plastic, steel, and aluminium as they use ultrasonic sound to recognize fingerprints. The fingerprints will reportedly work even when your hands are wet.

Xiaomi Mi 5S was recently spotted on Antutu benchmarking website as well as on the website of CCC (China Compulsory Certificate).

As per earlier reports, the Xiaomi Mi 5S has a 5.15-inch full HD (1920×1080 pixels) display, 6GB RAM and 256GB internal storage, 16 megapixel rear camera, and a 3,490 mAh battery. The device is said to have connectivity options like Bluetooth 4.2, USB Type-C, NFC and WiFi 802.11ac. Reportedly, it measures 144.5x69.2x7.2 mm and weighs 147 grams. The handset is expected to have Qualcomm's Snapdragon 821 SoC, Adreno 530 GPU, and Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow operating system.

Google Allo rumored to be launching on September 21

According to Evan Blass, Google might be launching the hotly anticipated Allo on Wednesday, September 21. Mark your calendars!

Google announced their brand new Allo messaging service at IO, this year. We didn’t know exactly when it would launch, but the Search Giant did mention it was coming “later this summer”. Well, summer is about to end and we haven’t heard a thing about Google Allo… until today.

Evan Blass was a very popular personality online, mostly known for his leaks track record. Now he has retired from that ninja life, but still pops up from time to time to give us some murmurs. Today he is taking it to Twitter to let us know Google Allo is launching this week.

Out of the loop? Google Allo is a messaging service that promises self-expression, Google Assistant features and security/privacy. Some people compare it to WhatsApp, as it pulls users from your contact list, but it has its own set of features. These include a plethora of emojis and stickers, as well as smart replies, a virtual assistant, an incognito mode and more.

It is looking to be a good service, so let’s keep our eyes open for more details. Just keep in mind this is a rumored launch, so don’t hold your breath on it. It does seem very likely, though, considering the summer is ending this week and we were promised a late summer release.

Samsung Galaxy J7 Prime launched in India at Rs 18,790

Samsung is holding an event in Gurgoan today where it is expected to announce a J series handset. Samsung has not revealed which handset it is going to launch at the event. However, it is most likely to launch recently spotted Samsung Galaxy J7 Prime. Meanwhile, the handset has been listed on SamsungIndia's estore at Rs 18,790. The smartphone comes in Gold and Black color options.

Earlier, the handset was spotted on Onlymobiles.com at the same price of Rs 18,790.

The Samsung Galaxy J7 Prime has a metal body and a 5.5-inch 2.5D glass display that comes with 1920x1080 pixels resolution and Gorilla Glass 4. It is powered by a 1.6 GHz octa-core processor, which is paired with 3GB RAM and 16GB internal storage. An expandable storage slot is there for a micro SD card of up-to 256 GB capacity. The smartphone runs on Android 6.0 Marshmallow operating system and also offers a fingerprint scanner, which is integrated on the home button.

The Galaxy J7 Prime has a 3300 mAh battery with S Power Planning mode to extend battery life and comes with S Bike mode. To activate S Bike mode, all you have to do is attach an NFC tag, which comes bundled with the phone, with your bike (like on the petrol tank). Just before getting on your bike, the user just needs to tap the phone with the NFC tag that will turn on the S Bike mode. Once activated, callers will hear a message that the person is riding and they can leave messages.

The smartphone offers a 13-megapixel rear camera. There is an LED flash in the back panel as well. The rear camera has f/1.9 aperture. For selfies and video calls, the phone offers an 8-megapixel front-facing camera with aperture f/1.9 and wide angle lens. Further, the smartphone offers Dual SIM, 4G, WiFi (b/g/n), Bluetooth 4.1, GPS/Glonass, and a micro USB port. The handset measures 151.7 x 75.0 x 8.0mm and weighs 167 grams.

PS4 Price dropped by Rs 5000 in India

After Sony announced the launch of PS4 Slim and PS4 Pro last week, the company has decided to reduce the price of its existing console, PS4. Though there have been no information about the price and launch date of PS4 Slim and PS4 Pro in India, but given this price drop we can expect it to be soon.

The PS4 500GB version which was earlier available for Rs 32,990 is now available for Rs 27,990. While the 1TB variant which was earlier available for Rs 37,990 is now available for Rs 32,990. One should note that the price of 500GB is of console only variant and not of any bundled variant. On the other hand, users get an option of two bundles in the 1TB model - one with Driveclub and The Last of Us Remastered while the other one comes with Uncharted 4 both priced same at Rs 32,990 as reported by NDTV Gadgets. Generally, Sony sells its gaming consoles which include a bunch of games and other accessories.

Though, it's a good news for all the game enthusiasts but e-commerce websites will take some time to get these prices listed on their websites but it should be sooner rather than later.

Talking about the specifications, the original PS4 has a custom single-chip processor that combines an eight core x86-64 AMD "Jaguar" CPU with a 1.84 teraflop GPU based on AMD's Radeon tech. That's backed by 8GB of mega-fast GDDR5 RAM, and a 500GB mechanical hard drive.

While the PS4 Slim variant is essentially the same on the inside, PS4 Pro will come with advanced internals competing head to head with Xbox One S.

Upcoming HTC smartphone launching on Sept 20

HTC has released yet another teaser of the device which it will be launching this September 20.

"It's coming. 9.20 #BeEdgier," HTC tweeted alongside the video.

In the new 17 second teaser video, the phone is shown having fingerprint sensors on its back. HTC will be revealing the smartphone at 8AM BST (which is 3AM EST, 12AM PST) on Tuesday, 20 September.

The earlier video showed a camera lens, the number 150, and then a date (09.20) with the hashtag BeEdgier. There was no other information about the handset nor there is any explanation about the number 150.

Though the HTC device's name is not known, many expecting it to be the previously leaked Desire 10 Pro. The Desire 10 Lifestyle is also expected to be announced at the same time.

Recently, HTC Desire 10 Pro was spotted on GFX benchmark website. As per the listing on GFXBench, HTC Desire 10 Pro has a 5.1-inch display that has QHD (2560x1440 pixels) resolution and 5 finger gesture support. Besides as per the listing, it has Qualcomm Snapdragon 2.1 GHz quad-core processor, 4GB RAM, 32GB of internal storage out of which 23GB is reserved for the users, Adreno 530 GPU and Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow operating system. In the listing there is no information about its battery or expandable memory.

Further, the HTC Desire 10 Pro was listed on the benchmarking website with 12-megapixel autofocus rear camera, 5-megapixel front camera, Bluetooth, GPS, NFC and WiFi. As per the listing, the device also has an LED flash light in the rear panel, accelerometer, gyroscope, light sensor and proximity sensor.

Prior to that, the Desire 10 Lifestyle smartphone was also found listed on AnTuTu website with HD display, a quad-core Snapdragon 400 processor, Adreno 305 GPU, 2GB of RAM, 32GB of internal storage, 13-megapixel rear camera, 5-megapixel front-camera and Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow operating system.

Marshmallow market share grows in new Android distribution stats, Nougat nowhere to be seen

Another month has passed, which means we get an updated chart that shows the Android platform's distribution in the world across all the different versions of Google's mobile OS.

Compared to last month, Marshmallow has grown some more, now having 18.7% of the market (up from 15.2%). The two Lollipop releases combined now command 35% market share, a .5% drop from August. KitKat keeps going down too, if very slowly - 1.5% in the past month, to be precise.

All of the Jelly Bean iterations combined now add up to 15.6%, 1.1% less than in August. Ice Cream Sandwich fell .2%, the same as Gingerbread. And, as usual in the past few months, Froyo is stuck at 0.1% of the market.

Obviously missing from this month's chart is any mention of Nougat, even though the final release of this version of Android started going out to supported Nexus, Pixel, and Android One devices on August 22 and the data you see in this report was collected during a 7-day period ending on September 5. According to Google's own admission, Android versions with less than 0.1% distribution are not shown on the chart. So that's where Android 7.0 Nougat is, currently. Hopefully it will manage the amazing feat of breaking past 0.1% by October.

Iphone 7 & 7S Launched

Apply has finally lifted the curtains off of their new flagship phone line. The Apple iPhone 7 and the iPhone 7 Plus will replace the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus in becoming Apple’s most selling new phones.

There are a bunch of changes with the new phones, for starters there is no 3.5 mm headphone jack, and it seems the rumours came true. Apple has removed the headphone jack from the latest iPhones and the iPhone 7 has stereo speakers.

Design wise there are slight changes to appearance, we have a new thinner design along with a revised set of antenna lines that sit at the edges of the phone instead of twisting around the back. The iPhone 7 and the iPhone 7 plus get a new camera setup.

The new Apple iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus have a new ip67 rating making them officially water and dust resistant.

Hardware wise Apple has added the new Apple A10 fusion chipset, with Quad cores, which offers upto 40% more performance and 50% faster graphics over the previous generation iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s plus. The graphics are now 240x the original iPhone.

The Apple iPhone 7 Camera  now has a f/1.8 6 element lens with a new 12 MP sensor color coded 4 LED flash a Flicker Sensor checks ambient light flicker and adjusts for that. New Image Signal Processor does 100 billion processes in 25 milli seconds. The new live photos editing is available to developers, who also get wide color RAW images which the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus  will now shoot.

The front gets a 7 MP FaceTime camera on both the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus. The Apple iPhone 7 gets a new dual 12 MP camera setup, just like the LG V20 you will get a wide lens and a tele lens. Allowing 2X optical zoom and new 10x software zoom.

Apple is also working on a new depth effect which much like the HTC One M8 from many years ago will allow the cameras to use both sensors to get great depth and shallow depth of field shots. You can live preview the booked before you click the picture, this is limited to the Apple iPhone 7 Plus , software update later this year

Since Apple has removed the 3.5 mm headphone jack, the included EarPods will now have a lightning connector, and you will also get a lightning to 3.5mm headphone connector in the box.

Apple has also launched new AirPods that offer wireless audio for upto 5 hours and have a included battery case that gives an additional 24 hours of charge, which can be charged via a lightning cable.

The Apple iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus have new displays that support wide color in true cinema style, no changes in resolution.The iPhone 7 will now sell in 32 GB , 128 GB and  256 GB capacities (jet black will be available in 128 GB and 256 Gb). The iPhone 6s and 6s Plus will now be available in a 32GB and 128GB capacity with the SE in 16GB and 64GB capacities. Everything else will go offline.The iPhone 7 Goes on pre -order Sept 9th and on sale Sept 16th starting US $ 649 for the 32 GB iPhone 7. The iPhone will be available at launch in a bunch of countries including US, UK, China, Ireland, Germany, France and Hong Kong among many others. It is expected to come to India late October.

Apple iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Specifications

Specifications

MANUFACTURER

Apple

MODEL / VARIANT

Apple iPhone 7
Apple iPhone 7 Plus

PRICE

iPhone 7 32 GB $ 649 / 128 GB $ 749 / 256 GB $849
iPhone 7 Plus 32 GB $ 769 / 128 GB $ 869 / 256 GB $969

DIMENSIONS

Apple iPhone 7 : 138.3 x 67.1 x 7.1 mm
Apple iPhone 7 Plus : 158.2 x 77.9 x 7.3 mm

WEIGHT

Apple iPhone 7 : 138 gm
Apple iPhone 7 Plus : 188 gm

DESIGN

Aluminum Unibody

COLORS

Gold
Rose Gold
Silver
Black
Jet Black

DISPLAY SIZE AND TYPE

Apple iPhone 7 : 4.7 inch Retina HD IPS LCD
Apple iPhone 7 Plus : 5.5 inch Retina HD IPS LCD

DISPLAY RESOLUTION

Apple iPhone 7 : 1334 x 750 px ~326ppi
Apple iPhone 7 Plus : 1920 x 1080 px ~401

CHIPSET

Apple A10 Fusion
M10 motion coprocessor

CPU

Quad Core

MEMORY STORAGE

32 GB
128 GB
256 GB

MEMORY EXPANDABILITY

N/A

OPERATING SYSTEM

Apple iOS 10

PRIMARY CAMERA

Apple iPhone 7 :12 MP f/1.8
Apple iPhone 7 Plus : Dual 12 MP f/1.8

CAMERA FEATURES

Wide Color
Quad LED Flash
Optical image stabilization
Six?element lens
iPhone 6 Plus : Optical zoom at 2x; digital zoom up to 10x

PRIMARY VIDEO

4K video @ 30 fps
Slo?mo video support for 1080p at 120 fps and 720p at 240 fps
Cinematic video stabilization
8-megapixel still photos while recording 4K video

SECONDARY CAMERA

7 MP Facetime Camera
ƒ/2.2 aperture

SECONDARY CAMERA VIDEO

1080p

NETWORK

LTE Advanced
TD + FDD Support
802.11a/b/g/n/ac Wi?Fi with MIMO
Bluetooth 4.2 wireless technology
NFC

SIM TYPE

Single nano

OTHER FEATURES

Touch ID With Haptic
3D Touch