Lava has added a new member to its Fuel line up, with the launch of Iris Fuel F2. Just like the other Fuel series smartphone, the Iris Fuel F2 also packs a bigger battery, with 3000mAh capacity.
The Lava Iris Fuel F2 sports a 5-inch FWVGA (480 x 854) IPS display and is equipped with 1.3GHz quad-core processor, 512MB RAM and 8GB internal storage, which can be expanded via microSD card up to 32GB. For imaging, there is 5-megapixel rear camera and 0.3-megapixel VGA front camera. The dual-SIM phone runs Android 5.1 Lollipop and supports 3G, Bluetooth 2.1, WiFi and GPS connectivity.
The Lava Iris Fuel F2 is priced at Rs. 4,444 and can be purchased from ebay.in. It comes in Black and White colors.
The Lava Iris Fuel F2 is the successor to the Iris Fuel F1. The Iris Fuel F1 came with a bigger 4000mAh battery, 2GB RAM, 8MP rear and 2MP front camera, rest of the specs being similar to the Iris Fuel F2. It was priced at Rs. 8,700.
Asus has launched its ZenBook flagship lineup in India which includes three models - UX305CA, UX303UB and UX305UA. All the three models run Windows 10, come with 13.3-inch displays and is powered 6th generation Intel Skylake processor, They come in Smoky Brown and Icicle Gold color options, and have metal finish and slim chassis.
The ASUS ZenBook UX305CA, UX303UB and UX305UA notebooks have been priced at Rs 55,500, Rs 71,500 and Rs 74,200 respectively, and will be available for purchase starting March 4 from Asus Exclusive Stores and online retailers.
Check out the specifications-
Asus ZenBook UX305CA-FC074T
13.3-inch (1920�1080 pixels) LED Back-lit 16:9 300nits display
Intel Core m3-6Y30 Processor (4M Cache, up to 2.2 GHz) with Intel HD graphics 515
Windows 10 (64 bit) OS
4GB RAM, 256G M.2 SSD storage
HD web camera
WiFi 802.11ac (Dual band), Bluetooth 4.0, Intel WIDI, micro HDMI, 3x USB 3.0 ports
SDXC card reader
1x Headphone-out & Audio-in Combo Jack, Built-in microphone, Sonic Master, MaxxAudio, Audio by ICEpower
44Wh 3S1P, 3-cell Li-ion Polymer Battery Pack
Asus ZenBook UX303UB
13.3-inch (1920�1080 pixels) LED Back-lit 16:9 300nits display
Intel Core i5-6200U Processor, 2.3GHz (3M Cache, up to 2.8GHz) with Intel HD graphics 520, 2GB NVIDIA GeForce 940M ( N16S-GT)
Windows 10 (64 bit) OS
4GB DDR3L RAM, 1TB 2.5? HDD storage
HD web camera
WiFi 802.11ac (Dual band), Bluetooth 4.0, Intel WIDI, HDMI, mini Display Port, 3x USB 3.0 ports
Samsung launched the Galaxy A9 in December last year, and soon after reports suggested that Samsung is working on a beefed up version of it, called Galaxy A9 Pro (model number SM-A9100). Since then, the Galaxy A9 Pro has surfaced on benchmarking websites (1, 2), revealing key specs.
Now, the Galaxy A9 Pro has been certified by China's Telecommunication Equipment Certification Center or TENAA, giving us the first look at the device and confirming the rumored specs.
As per TENAA listing the Galaxy A9 Pro will have a 6-inch 1080p Super AMOLED display and equipped with octa-core Snapdragon 652 SoC, 4GB RAM and 32GB internal storage (microSD card support). For imaging there is 16MP rear camera and 8MP front facing camera. The Galaxy A9 Pro supports 4G LTE and runs Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow.
For comparison sake, the Galaxy A9 comes with 3GB RAM, 13-megapixel rear camera and runs Android 5.0.1 Lollipop. The rest of the specs is similar to Galaxy A9 Pro.
It is also likely that the Galaxy A9 Pro will have a fingerprint scanner embedded into the home button and support Samsung Pay.
There are no details when Samsung will announce the Galaxy A9 Pro, but since it has passed TENAA, an official announcement is expected soon. Via
A rumor coming out of China suggests that Lenovo's sub-brand ZUK is reportedly working on mini phone that will sport a 4.7-inch 720p display. The mini ZUK would appeal to those who would prefer, smartphones with a smaller screen size instead of 5-inches and up screen.
The 4.7-inch ZUK will come in two variants, one will have 2GB RAM & 16GB storage, while the other will have 3GB RAM & 32GB storage. It is said to be equipped with 2GHz octa-core MediaTek Helio P10 processor w/ Mali T860 GPU and will have fingerprint scanner, though it's placement is unclear for now.
Apart from this not much is known of the mini ZUK smartphone. ZUK so far has launched only one smartphone, the ZUK Z1, and is yet to launch in India. The Z1 comes with 5.5-inch 1080p display, Snapdragon 801 w/ Adreno 330 GPU, 3GB RAM, 64GB inbuilt storage, 13MP rear & 8MP front camera, USB Type C port, fingerprint sensor, 4100mAh battery and 4G LTE support. The international version runs Cyanogen OS.
It is also not known whether the 4.7-inch ZUK will run Cyanogen OS or Android.
Sony introduces SNR1s [lx] as an index used to quantitatively evaluate picture quality at low illumination. SNR1s [lx] is a proprietary index advocated by Sony, and is limited to CMOS image sensors for security camera applications. A smaller value indicates better picture quality at low illumination. SNR1s [lx] is an acronym consisting of "SNR" (Signal-to-Noise Ratio), "1" (represents that the signal level when noise = 1 is 1), and "s" (for Security).
SNR1s measurement:
Two 3200 [K] light sources illuminate an 18% gray chart from different directions, and dimming is performed to 100 [lx]. A camera is placed so that the distance from the gray chart to the imaging surface of the image sensor is 1 m, the sensitivity [e-] and dark noise [e-] are measured, and SNR1s [lx] is calculated using the relational equation (1). The luminance when equation (1) equals 1 is SNR1s [lx].
SNR1s Values of Sony CMOS Sensors for Security Applications:
Ola has launched a new service called Ola Micro. It is a low-cost service, priced at Rs. 6/km, and aimed at taking on UberGo - priced at Rs.7/km.
The Ola Micro will be available in seven cities in India, which includes Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Chennai, Pune and Hyderabad. The time charges and per kilometre rates are consistent across these cities at Rs. 1 per minute and Rs. 6 per kilometer. The minimum fare is Rs. 60 in Delhi, and Mumbai, Rs. 50 in Bengaluru, Chennai, Pune, and Hyderabad.
By comparison, UberGo has a base fare of Rs. 40, minimum fare of Rs. 50, a per km charge of Rs. 7, and per minute charge of Rs. 1. UberGo has a lower base fare than Ola Micro, which means for a usual two to four kilometre drive UberGo would be slightly less expensive than Ola Micro, while for more than four kilometer Ola Micro would be cheaper.
Ola has also revealed the card models under Ola Micro will include Hyundai Eon, Wagon R and Datsun Go.
Ola also says that it has over 70 percent market share in the country with presence in over 100 cities. Ola Chief Finance officer Rajiv Bansal said that the company is focusing on growing its business rather than making profits.
After spending a hefty sum on drones, you wish that it does not crash into a tree, moving object or building while flying. Drone maker DJI's Phantom 4 does exactly that and that too without human intervention.
The drone has its own set of eyes that see obstacles in the path and avoid them for safer flights. This feature is called 'Obstacle Sensing System' that uses the two front facing sensors and cameras, that detect anything that comes in its path � allowing it to avoid collisions. To do so, the Phantom 4 captures image using the camera sensor and these images run through the computer vision software that constructs a 3D model of the world around it, so that the it can intelligently navigate.
The Phantom 4 comes with features like ActiveTrack and TapFly. With ActiveTrack, the drone can track a moving subject without a separate GPS tracker. Users will have to tap on the subject on the screen, and the drone will lock on it and automatically start tracking the subject from a distance. The TapFly feature allows users to tell the drone where to go, just double tap on a point on the live video feed in the controller and the Phantom 4 will fly there without bumping into any obstacles. It also has a "Speed Mode" that offers a top speed of 45 miles/ hour.
As for the specs, the Phantom 4 comes with a 4K camera, 1/2.3-inch sensor and can record 4K videos at 30fps and Full HD 1080p videos at 120fps for slow motion. It has a 5350mAh Li-Po battery that could last up to 28 minutes of flight time.
The DJI Phantom 4 costs $1399 and is now up for pre-order through DJI�s website and on Apple.com. Shipping starts March 15. Via
Google will soon open registration for its 2016 I/O developer conference, which is scheduled to take place between May 18 to May 20 at the Shoreline Amphitheater in Mountain View, California. The I/O 2016 website has gone live and registration windows open from March 8, and ends March 10.
The general admission tickets costs $900 (Rs. 61,000), while an academic admission tickets cost $300 (Rs. 20,000). Google will select applicants randomly after the registration period is over, and will send them an email with further details. Applicants can only buy one ticket if selected and can request for a refund any time before April 29.
For the rest, who are not able to attend the I/O event, Google will have a live stream of the event - I/O Live.
Every year, Google at it I/O reveal it plans for the upcoming years, and introduces the next version of Android, this year's version being Android N.
Popular messaging service WhatsApp has updated its app for Android, iOS and Windows 10 Mobile. While Android and iOS gets new features, Windows Phone gets minor UI tweaks. WhatsApp for Android finally gets the option to share document. Currently you'll be able to share PDF documents, and it is not known when Word documents and other formats will be available. The document sharing option appears in the sharing menu alongside other options. The update bumps the WhatsApp version to 2.12.454 and is being rolled out in phases, so it will take a while to reach you're device.
The new version of WhatsApp for iOS also get document sharing feature (PDF supported), and allows users to share images, videos and documents from third-party apps such as Google Drive, Dropbox and OneDrive.
The update also brings improved design for browsing photos and videos, gives you the option to add solid colors to chat background, and let's you zoom in on videos while they're playing. Another key feature is that you'll now see 'Blue Ticks' (indicating that the message has been read by the other party) directly from the main WhatsApp chat list. The update bumps the WhatsApp version for iOS to 2.12.14.
WhatsApp update for Windows Phone bring changes to the UI, minor tweaks to message spacing, improved notifications and change to a user's profile page, with the status now highlighted at the bottom of the page. Unfortunately the Windows Phone version doesn't get the document sharing feature. Download WhatsApp - Android | iOS | Windows Phone Via 1, 2
Google's I/O is a few months away, and now there are rumors of what we can expect from Google's next Android OS, Android N.
First up, an official video of Google Maps app has revealed a major design change in Android N - the app drawer. The mock up video shows the absesnce of app drawer on the bottom panel instead there are three apps - Dialer, Contacts and Camera.
Google has denied the changes, stating the that the video showed an inaccurate version of its UI and does not relate to future software changes. However, the removal of app drawer might be a trend being followed., the recently launched LG G5 did not have an app drawer, and Chinese smartphone makers such as LeECo, Huawei, Xiaomi and Lenovo's proprietary skins and ROMs don't have app drawers.
Meanwhile, Android Police says that Google's next Android OS version will have more than just cosmetic changes. The publication has shared a few-mock up screen shots of Android N, showing tweaks in notification tab and quick setting panel. As per the screenshot, the notification tab will show more details, while the quick settings panel gets an edit tab, so that users can make any changes to the toggles. One thing missing is the expandable WiFi and Bluetooth option.
Lastly, a recent finding on the Android's official developer site, reveals a screenshot showing Day-Night theme in the system settings and Hamburger Menu in settings app. The Hamburger Menu when tapped, open up side drawer, and displays all additional settings that can be accessed. The Day/Night theme mode lets users to change the background color of native applications. This featured was included in the Android M preview 1, but was removed in the final release.
Note that, the screenshots and shared video claimed to be from Android N, may be an early version of the OS and is not the final build. We can expect Google to bring a lot of changes to the OS in the final build. Earlier rumors also claimed the Android N will get split screen multi-tasking support
Oppo at MWC 2016 unveiled its SmartSensor image stabiliser and Super VOOC charging technology. The chinese smartphone maker is expected to utilize the new technology in its upcoming flagship, the Oppo R9, the sucessor to the R7. Oppo has skipped R8 and directly moved to R9.
Oppo has announced that the R9 (and R9 Plus) will be unveiled at an event in China on March 17. The Oppo R9 will be a camera-centric smartphone and is rumored to come with top of the line specs.
The invite teser confirms that the Oppo R9/R9 Plus will come with Android 6.0 Marshmallow-based color OS, fingerpint sensor embedded into the home button, 4GB RAM, 64GB storage and support VOOC Super Flash Charge technology.
We can also expect Oppo to use its proprietary, SmartSensor on the R9, which it touts to be the world's smallest optical image stabilizer that has been included in the camera sensor itself.
As per rumors the Oppo R9 will flaunt a 5.5-inch 1080p screen, 16MP rear camera, 13MP front camera and 3700mAh battery, while the R9 Plus will have 6-inch 1080p display, 16MP front and rear camera, and 4120mAh battery. As for the processor, the R9/R9 Plus is rumored to be equipped with Qualcomm's Snapdragon 820 SoC or MediaTel's Helio X20 SoC (w/ ten cores)
Google is now selling Cardboard VR viewer on its Official U.S store. You can now purchase it from the new dedicated VR section of the online Google store. Each unit costs $15, and there is also a 2-unit pack that will cost $25. The Carboard viewer holds Android and iOS devices with screen sizes ranging from 4-inch and 6-inch.
Google is also selling Mattel View-Master VR and Goggle Tech C1-Glass VR viewer on the store. Matter; View-Master VR is designed for kids and includes kid-friendly VR apps and videos and YouTube. The View-Master starter kit cost $29.95 and works Android and iPhone models that have 4-inch to 6--inch screen. It also includes a sepecial adapter for the iPhone 5, 5s and 5c.
The Goggle Tech C1-Glass VR viewer has a lightweight, portable design. It clips on to your smartphone to offer you with VR experience. It also works with Android and iOS handsets with screen sizes 4-inch to 6-inch. The viewer costs $14.99.
Huawei's upcoming flagship, the P9, last month appeared in render images, and now we've gotten the first look of the P9 in live photos.
The photos confirms that the P9 will have a dual-camera setup. The rear camera will be accompanied by LED flash and laser auto focus. There P9 will have a metal body and include a square-shaped fingerprint scanner at the back.
According to the leak, the Huawei P9 will sports a 5.2-inch 1080p display and powered by octa-core Kirin processor with 3GB RAM along with 32GB on-board storage (no details on expandable storage). The P9 will house USB-C connector at the bottom and will pack a large 3900mAh battery. The dual-camera on the rear are said to feature 12-megapixel sensor, that could be the first result of Huawei-Leica partnership.
As for the release date, the Huawei P9 is expected to be unveiled in Q2 2016. Via | Source
PRNewswire, BusinessWire: Toshiba announces the newest addition to its TMPV760 family of image recognition processors for automotive applications. The TMPV7602XBG is suitable for monocular cameras used in ADAS, and will help designers implement ADAS applications utilizing a cost-optimized camera system with a small form factor.
Featuring 13 hardware-based image recognition accelerators, the TMPV7602XBG incorporates ADAS features that will become part of the camera requirements for the European New Car Assessment Program (Euro NCAP) in 2018. These include Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB), Traffic Signal Recognition (TSR), Lane Departure Warning (LDW) / Lane Keeping Assist (LKA), High Beam Assistance (HBA), and Forward Collision Warning (FCW). In addition, the processor supports such new applications as Traffic Light Recognition (TLR) and night-time pedestrian detection.
ADAS applications are processed concurrently within a typical time window of 50ms inside the image recognition processor and with relatively low power consumption due to the purpose-built hardware accelerators and media processing units. The TMPV7602XBG can process up to five applications concurrently, with very low power consumption, and targets mid- to high-end ADAS designs. Optimizing the circuit to downsize the ADAS monocular camera module enables the device's reduced package size (17mm x 17mm BGA with 521 pins and 0.65mm ball pitch) and an anticipated 50-percent reduction in power consumption.
Samples of the TMPV7602XBG image recognition processor will begin shipping in March. Mass production is scheduled for January 2018.
BusinessWire: According to the latest report by Technavio, the CMOS sensors market is highly fragmented due to the presence of a large number of vendors. Sony is the market leader here followed by Samsung Electronics, OmniVision, Canon, and ON Semiconductor.
Sony
Sony is the market leader with a 27% market share. �The reason behind Sony's success is its strategy of purchasing many factories in order to boost CMOS sensor production to meet the demand for sensors incorporated in the global smartphone market. Their plan was to welcome any smartphone manufacturer to use its CMOS image sensor,� says Sunil Singh, a lead analyst at Technavio for computing devices.
Samsung Electronics
Samsung Electronics is the second major vendor in this market with a market share of 19%.
OmniVision
Omnivision is the third major vendor in this market with 17% market share. OmniVision is mostly driving benefit from the increasing adoption of smartphones in China and India.
Canon
Canon is the fourth major vendor in the CMOS sensors market with a 7% market share. Its strengths are that it always looks for innovation and invests a lot in production to cut costs. Its only weakness is the major competition from its rivals like Nikon, which forces it to invest more in advertisements, and which again indirectly leads to increasing the price of its products.
ON Semiconductor (Aptina)
ON Semiconductor is the fifth major vendor in this market with a market share of 6%. In August 2014, ON Semi acquired Aptina Imaging. In 2012, Aptina had almost an 8% market share in CMOS image sensors, which now belongs to ON Semi.
Apple is reportedly making the next iPhone thinner than the previous iPhone models. It was previously reported that Apple would be ditching the 3.5mm audio jack, and make some other changes to make the iPhone 7 slimmer.
Now according to Japanese tech blog Mac Otakara, the iPhone 7 will have a design same as the iPhone 6 and 6s model, but will be thinner by almost 1mm. To recall the iPhone 6s is 7.1mm thin.
In line with previous reports, the report claims that the iPhone 7 will ditch the 3.5mm headphone jack. This also means that the lightning port will be an all-in-one port supporting both charge and headphone. Apple is also said to do away with the small camera bump at the rear, so that the rear camera stay flush with the body of the phone. Also to make the iPhone 7 slimmer, the lightning port cutout will be thin, allowing reduction in size.
The new iPhone will come with aluminum material and the same level of water resistance as the iPhone 6s. The report also mentions that the iPhone 7 will sport a dual-speaker setup and will not have the antenna lines on the back.
As usual we can expect the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus at Apple's keynote event that happens in September. But before that, on March 21, Apple will host a media event where the 4-inch iPhone (iPhone SE), 9.7-inch iPad Pro (iPad Pro Mini) and new Apple Watch bands are expected to announce. Via
vivo has officially announced the Xplay5, the Chinese smartphone makers latest flagship, at an event in Beijing, China. It packs 6GB RAM, making it the world's first smartphone to come with that much amount of memory. The Xplay5 also has dual curved edges on either side of the display just like the Galaxy S7 edge.The handset is encased in a body that is made out of metal.
The vivo Xplay5 sports a 5.43-inch Quad HD (2560 x 1440 pixels) Super AMOLED dual curved edge display with Corning Gorilla Glass to protect the displays against scratches.. It is powered by quad-core Snapdragon 820 64-bit processor, coupled with Adreno 530 GPU and 6GB RAM. On-board storage is 128GB. For photography, the Xplay5 is equipped with 16-megapixel rear camera with dual-tone LED flash, f/2.0 aperture, Sony IMX298 sensor Phase Detection Auto Focus (PDAF) for focus speed of just 0.1 seconds. Selfie lovers will get an 8-megapixel front camera to snap selfies.
The dual-SIM phone runs Android 6.0 Marshmallow and supports 4G LTE, WiFi 802.11ac (2.4GHz and 5GHz), Bluetooth 4.1 and GPS connectivity. It is backed by 3600mAh battery that supports fast charging technology. It has a fingerprint sensor, that is placed on the back, that can unlock the phone in just 0.4 seconds. It also includes Hi-Fi 3.0 including 2 x ES9028 and 3 x OPA1612 chips that offers better audio experience.
There is also a cheaper version of Xplay5 that comes with Snapdragon 652 octa-core SoC w/ Adreno 510 GPU and 3GB RAM.
The vivo Xplay5 Elite (Snapdragon 820 SoC, 6GB RAM) is priced at CNY 4288, while the Standard Edition (Snapdragon 652 SoC, 4GB RAM) costs CNY 3699. They come in Champagne Gold and Rose Gold colors, and will be available for order starting March 8. Shipping begins March 16 in China. It is not known whether the Xplay5 will be made available globally
The Lenovo Vibe K5 Plus that was unveiled at MWC 2016, Barcelona, will soon be making it to the Indian shores, as the comapny has sent out invite for the launch event of Vibe K5 Plus in on March 15. Lenovo entered the Indian smartphone market in 2012, but became a serious competitor in the market lqast year (2015) with the launch of A6000 at Rs. 6,999. Since then Lenovo has launched a dozen of smartphones in the below Rs. 10,000 segment and has been enjoying a successful run in the market. One of the most popular handset to date remains the K3 Note.
The Vibe K5 Plus will aim to recreate the success run enjoyed by other Lenovo branded smartphones in the country. However the Vibe K5 Plus will face tough competition from LeEco's popular Le 1s and the highly anticipated Xiaomi's Redmi Note 3.
The Lenovo Vibe K5 Plus offers a premium metal unibody design. The specs include 5-inch 1080p IPS display, Snapdragon 616 SoC w/ Adreno 405 GPU, 2GB RAM, 16GB inbuilt expandable storage (up to 32GB), 13MP rear camera (w/ LED flash, 1080p video recording), 5MP front snapper, 4G LTE, Dolby Atmos and a 2750mAh battery.
The pricing will be the main factor here. Considering the specs, the price could be between Rs. 6,500 to Rs. 7,500, and Lenovo could opt for the flash sale model to sell the device, to create enough curiosity among buyers to buy the smartphone.
Recently Motorola started selling the Moto G 2015 and Moto G Turbo Edition on Amazon India. Now the Lenovo owned brand has brought two more devices to the e-commerce retailer �Moto E 4G 2015 and the Moto 360 smartwatch.
In addition, Motorola, as a part of inaugural offer, is also offering discount and cashbacks on Moto products. The discount period starts today and will last till March 3 or till stocks last. The offers will be available on both Amazon India website and app.
Apple's upcoming tablet is said to be the mini version of the 12.9-inch iPad Pro, that will have a screen size of 9.7-inch. As per new rumors the 9.7-inch iPad Pro may include camera specs that top the 12.9-inch sibling. 9to5Mac reports that the 9.7-inch iPad Pro might have a12-megapixel rear camera, with the same sensor found as iPhone 6s. To remind you, the iPad Pro (12.9-inch) has an 8-megapixel rear camera. And just like the iPhone 6s, the 9.7-inch iPad Pro's rear camera is capable of recording 4K videos. Besides, a better camera and smaller display, the 9.7-inch will have the same hardware features of the 12.9-inch iPad Pro, that includes Apple A9X SoC, a four speaker setup, Apple Pencil support, a Smart Connector
The 9.7-inch iPad Pro is expected to launch alongside the 4-inch iPhone SE and new Apple Watch bands on March 21. Via
