Flipkart, Snapdeal, Amazon: Drowning in Deals!!

The idea of discounts and sales for Diwali is an old one - the phrase Diwali Dhamaaka Season Offer is as old as time itself or possibly even older since it used to be heard on Doordarshan. This year - possibly as a result of major investments for Flipkart and Amazon - we're seeing a huge number of deals and more buzz than ever.


There is too much on offer! If you're smart then you'll have worked out what you wanted to buy well in advance. You would have prepared a checklist, stored your card details online, bought gift cards or taken one of a dozen different steps to ensure a smooth sale. Some people are even distributing Excel sheets to help you track the best deals!

As problems go this is actually one of the better ones to have. The worst thing that can possibly happen is that you get a great deal on a product you wanted, only to realise that the next website over has the same thing for 10 percent less. If that is the worst thing that happens to you then you are leading a pretty good life.

Sure, that Rs. 24,999 iPhone 5s (which probably had exactly one unit sold judging by how quickly it got sold out!) on Snapdeal sounds amazing if you were lazy enough to miss all the Amazon sales. Flipkart is probably going to sell it at around the same price at some point today so pay attention next time and you might just have it. Meanwhile, people who're not getting deals are getting pretty angry.

Without the deal though, you probably wouldn't have bought anything at all. That's good for your wallet, but not the economy apparently. At least, that's what the experts tell us. You've got to keep money in circulation. The only problem is that our money seems to circulate itself into the experts' pockets. Still they must know what they're talking about - they're the experts.

And that is why we have spent an absurd amount of real money, to buy virtual money, to get a 10 percent discount, on future purchases. Let that sink in for a second. Real money is forever depreciating but Gift Cards last for one year before forever... disappearing. If the product you wanted gets sold out, then you'd better find something else to buy with all that money!

We're taking our baby steps into becoming more consumerist than the US of A with Flipkart giving us our own Cyber Monday. Amazon started its Mars-deals on Friday so let's just call that Black Friday for symmetry, although all the three big e-commerce players in India are carpet-bombing the media to make sure that no buyer gets left behind.

if you're sick of watching ten minutes of the same ad from Flipkart, followed by a quick ad by Amazon which points out that a week is bigger than a day (referencing Amazon's 10th-16th Diwali sale) then you're not alone. You can't avoid this by turning off your television, because wherever you look, Snapdeal has a big ad waiting. If you're reading this on our website without ad blockers installed, you would've also seen a 'gentle' reminder from our friends at Flipkart that the Big Billion Day Sale is on - just in case you missed all other reminders that have been everywhere.

Unfortunately everyone on Twitter and many people on Facebook seem to be infected by this deal mania, and perhaps the best thing to do right now is to unplug for the day. Right after you buy that phone you always wanted, of course.

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RAHUL ARORA

iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus

At Apple's California event on Tuesday were not surprising at all. Still, Apple managed to keep most of the specifics about its hardware and software improvements under wraps. Here's all you need to know about what makes the new iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus special.

Screen Size

Of course the most important difference is larger screens. Apple, which has steadfastly refused to follow industry trends in the past, has now seemingly bowed to pressure and gone in the direction that most Android device makers have gone. TheiPhone 6 has a new 4.7-inch 750x1334-pixel screen, which is considerably bigger than the one on the iPhone 5s, while the iPhone 6 Plus comes in at an even bigger 5.5 inches and 1080x1920 pixels. The 326ppi density stays the same on the 4.7-inch screen, although Apple now calls it a "Retina HD" screen, while the 5.5-inch model gets a considerable bump up to 401ppi. The iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c both have 4-inch 640x1136-pixel screens.

The larger of the two new devices borrows some software features from the iPad line, and takes advantage of its extra screen space by allowing more content on each screen. For the first time, you can use an iPhone entirely in landscape - the home screen will rotate, but unlike on iPads, all the icons stay in the same places. There's even an enhanced keyboard with dedicated keys for copy, cut and paste.

Dimensions

Of course the larger screens mean that both models are taller and wider than their predecessors, but Apple has made the most of that and reduced thickness to compensate. The iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus are 6.9 and 7.1mm thick respectively, as opposed to the 8.97mm of the iPhone 5c and 7.6mm of the iPhone 5s and 5, which had felt so much thinner than the 4S when it first launched.

The power button on both models has been moved to the upper right edge, which is easier to reach than the top.

Power
Some might argue that the iPhone 5s was thin enough, and that Apple should have used larger batteries instead of reducing volume further. The iPhone 6 promises up to 14 hours of 3G talktime while the iPhone 6 Plus is rated for an astonishing 24 hours. That's compared to 10 hours on the iPhone 5s and 5c. Standby time remains the same 10 days on the iPhone 6, whereas the iPhone 6 Plus can last up to 16 days on a single charge.

Cameras

One area in which Apple has not bothered trying to catch up to Android manufacturers is its cameras. In terms of raw resolution, we've got the same 8-megapixel rating as before. However, Apple says the sensor is all new, and has been designed to lock focus much faster. A new "Focus pixels" feature senses light intensity quickly, allowing the autofocus to lock that much faster.

Apple also touts improved colour accuracy and more advanced noise reduction algorithms. There is dedicated hardware for image processing.The iPhone 5s camera doesn't have these new features but is still superior to the iPhone 5c camera, which has a single LED flash.

The larger iPhone 6 Plus has optical image stabilisation, which physically adjusts the lens to compensate for shaky hands and sudden movements, leading to sharper images and video. The iPhone 6 and 5s use digital stabilisation, which is a method of achieving similar results through software. The 5c doesn't have any kind of stabilisation.

Video is still 1080p on the two new phones rather than 4K, but can be recorded at a smoother 60fps. Slow-motion video can now be recorded at 240fps. The iPhone 5s introduced 120fps slow-motion video, but the 5c cannot process even this. 

The front camera now supports a burst mode and you can panoramas up to 43 megapixels big with the primary camera, which uses the phone's gyroscope to automatically line up the edges of each frame.

Networks
On the less glamorous side, the new iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus have been upgraded with high-speed Wi-Fi ac support. They also work on more LTE bands around the world - the total is now up to 20, including the TD 2300 band used in India. The iPhone 5s and 5c also support the Indian LTE band but Wi-Fi n is the highest speed standard supported.

The two new iPhones gain VoLTE (voice over LTE) support and carrier aggregation, which allows multiple bands to be used simultaneously to increase throughput.

Pricing, variants and availability

The iPhone 6 replaces the iPhone 5s at the $199 price point (on contract in the US), but the iPhone 6 Plus comes in at a new $299 level. These are the starting prices for 16GB models, and the increment is still $100 for each bump in capacity.

Interestingly, Apple has discontinued the 32GB mid-tier models and you'll now get 64GB at the same price. Another $100 will get you 128GB instead of 64GB. Both models will be available in the same three colours as the iPhone 5s: gold, silver and space grey.

The iPhone 5s will continue to be available in 16GB and 32GB models. While the 16GB model drops to $99, the increase to 32GB will cost only $50 more. Only the 8GB version of the iPhone 5c will remain available, but it will be free on contract in the US.

Software

The new iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus will come with iOS 8 preinstalled. Owners of older iPhones (as far back as the iPhone 4S) will be able to download an iOS 8 update starting on September 17. The new OS introduces a number of features including Health, a new app that helps track your activity and nutrition; Photos, an all-new photo management and editing tool; more intelligent Spotlight searches; voice clips in the Messaging app; an improved keyboard with suggestions; and loads of new frameworks for developers to build on.

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RAHUL ARORA

Nokia Lumia 730 Selfie Phone

The selfie craze is going strong, so how could Nokia - which has long cemented its position as the maker of the best cameraphones - be left behind? The Microsoft-owned company has unveiled Lumia 730, a smartphone with a 5MP wide-angle front camera. So how is it using the selfie camera? Does the smartphone build on the strengths of its predecessor, Lumia 720, or not? Here are our first impressions of Nokia Lumia 730...

Camera

Let's head straight to the selfie part... You get a5MP front camera with a wide-angle lens so you can squeeze in more people in the same frame. It is pretty useful if you want to capture a lot of area in the self portrait. The Selfie app, an app that will make its way to all Lumia phones gradually, comes with a lot of effects that make you look prettier in selfies by touching-up your eyes etc. It also has a number of filters, so that you get additional effects (for Instagramphotos).

The selfie craze doesn't end here though. Selfie app also lets you capture selfies using the rear camera too. So the 6.7MP rear camera can also take self portraits, and it's actually pretty easy to use.

n terms of quality, the 5MP front camera does a great job of taking selfies. You get pretty nicecolours, the level of details captured by the camera is great (with sharp edges), decent contrast levels. In the demo area, we had to struggle a little with getting the lighting right, but most of the times we got decent photos.

Specs

 It has a 4.7-inch 720pscreen with Nokia's ClearBlack display technology, so you get pretty rich colours. The smartphone has Windows Phone 8.1 operating system, 1.2GHz quad-core Snapdragon 400 processor, 1GBRAM, 8MP internal storage and microSD card support up to 128GB.

 Looks

The smartphone carries on the design that Nokia introduced with Lumia 920 in late 2012. It is not as heavy, but has the same rounded edges, sharp corners and glossy back. The design looks okay, but there is nothing remarkable about it since this look has been around for nearly a year.

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RAHUL ARORA

Moto X (Gen 2) Unveiled

Motorola launched the second generation of its popular Moto G and Moto X devices on Friday, called the Moto G (Gen 2) and Moto X (Gen 2). 

While the company has announced India pricing and availability of the Moto G (Gen 2), it has yet to disclose the pricing for the Moto X (Gen 2) in India - though Motoroladid say it will be made available by the end of the month. The company however has disclosed US pricing at $499.99 (roughly Rs. 30,200) unlocked, and $99.99 (roughly Rs. 6,000) on a 2-year contract across select carriers.

Both phones are powered by Android 4.4.4 KitKat, and the company has confirmed it will roll out an Android L update for the two devices - however, there was no mention made of such an update for the previous generation.

Features

The Moto X (Gen 2) will be made available in two storage size variants - 16GB and 32GB, with no expandability via microSD card slot. It features a 5.2-inch (1080x1920 pixel) OLED display with a pixel density of 423 ppi, and Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection.

The new Moto X is powered by a 2.5GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 (MSM8974-AC) processor, coupled with 2GB of RAM. It comes with a 13-megapixel rear camera with a f/2.25 lens with 4K video recording and dual-LED ring flash, as well a 2-megapixel front-facing camera capable of 1080p video recording.

(Moto G2    -    New Moto G2 Launched )

Availaibility on Flipkart not yet confirmed !!

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RAHUL ARORA

Moto G (Gen 2) With 5-Inch HD Display Launched in India

Motorola has launched the second generation of its popular Moto G and Moto X devices on Friday, called the Moto G (Gen 2) and Moto X (Gen 2). The Moto G (Gen 2) will be available from Friday (at midnight) via Flipkart, priced at Rs. 12,999 for the 16GB version.

Both phones are powered by Android 4.4.4 KitKat, and the company has confirmed it will roll out an Android L update for the two devices - however, there was no mention made of such an update for the previous generation.

The Moto G (Gen 2) will be available in 8GB and 16GB variants. The biggest addition to the smartphone compared to the first-generation Moto G is the inclusion of a microSD card slot. The company hasn't yet specified the maximum supported card capacity however.

The Moto G (Gen 2) features a 5-inch HD (720x1280 pixel) display, and is powered by a 1.2GHz quad-core Snapdragon 400 (MSM8226) processor, coupled with 1GB of RAM and the Adreno 305 GPU.

The second-generation Moto G features an 8-megapixel autofocus rear camera, and a 2-megapixel front-facing camera. Notably, the smartphone - like the Moto E - features dual front speakers, above and below the display, apart from 2 mics. 

Peel the back of the Moto G off for access to the Micro SD card slot and Sim card slot and if you want to spice up the device you can connect a Motorola Shell. This includes a standard back and a back that includes a cover to protect the display.



Connectivity options on the Moto G (Gen 2) include 3G, Wi-Fi 80211.ac, Bluetooth 4.0LE, Micro-USB, and 3.5mm audio jack. It has measures 141.5x70.7x10.99mm, and weighs 149 
grams. It is powered by a 2070mAh battery

Buy Now-    http://po.st/motog2

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RAHUL ARORA

Panasonic Eluga U

Panasonic on Wednesday launched its flagship Eluga U smartphone for the Indian market, priced at Rs. 18,990. It will be available for purchase in the first week of August. The Eluga name is inherited from a series of smartphones introduced by the company in 2012. At that time, Panasonic had launched the Eluga DL1 and the Eluga Power for European markets.

Panasonic has high hopes for the revived Eluga brand. "Eluga is a perfect mix of sophisticated Japanese technology and Indian ruggedness. This latest product from our stable will provide consumers with elegant and sleek design, perfect and smart user interface, and efficient gateway for network services," said Mr. Toru Hasegawa, Divisional Managing Director, System Solutions Division, Panasonic India at the launch event in New Delhi.

The Panasonic Eluga U feels a bit like the Google Nexus 4 in terms of materials and proportions. However, it is larger, slimmer and less curvy. It also has three capacitive touch buttons rather than the on-screen buttons used by the Nexus and is less curved. As you too can see from the image above, the Eluga U has a bigger 5-inch (720x1280-pixel) IPS OGS display. Pansonic has used Corning Gorilla Glass 3 on the front of the device, while the back sports what the company describes as "anti-shatter crystal glass", though it appeared more like plastic to us. The build quality of the unibody Eluga U appeared to be decent for the price.

The Eluga U smartphone runs on Android 4.4.2 KitKat out-of-the-box with company's Fit Home UI on top. Users can switch to the stock KitKat launcher from the phone Settings if they wish to. The Eluga U smartphone packs a 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor coupled with 2GB of RAM. Considering the combination, we were not expecting it to perform exceptionally well and it was on par with our expectations. The Eluga U comes with 16GB of inbuilt storage space, which can be expanded by up to 32GB using a microSD card.

SPECIFICATIONS 

 .

The Eluga U smartphone feels too underpowered to be a flagship device.Connectivity options include 3G, Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi Direct, Wi-Fi Hotspot, Bluetooth 4.0, and GPS/A-GPS. The Eluga U sports a 13-megapixel autofocus primary camera along with an LED flash, and a 2-megapixel secondary front-facing camera. We took few images outdoors using the rear camera, and they looked good enough on the device's HD IPS screen. The detailing was fine, but colours appeared oversaturated. Overall, our first impressions of the camera are that it is quite average.

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RAHUL ARORA

Spice Stellar Glide Review

spice stellar Mi-438

DESIGN And FEATURES 

The Spice Stellar Glide is available only in silver or gold. In case of gold colour the golden rear has a brushed metal finish but the material used is plastic. The build quality of the phone is fairly decent and I don't have any complaints here.

The phone has thick bezels around the screen, which actually makes the 4-inch screen look smaller than it is. The Stellar Glide is compact by today's standards, and my thumb could easily reach all corners of the screen. The 3.50mm audio jack and the Micro-USB port are on the top of the phone. Spice has decided to place the power button right above the volume rocker on the right edge, which makes it inconvenient to use. I invariably hit the power button instead of the volume up button, which was very annoying. The three capacitive navigation buttons sit below the screen, and the front-facing camera and earpiece are above it. The speaker grill is on the rear, along with the primary camera and flash.

SPECIFICATION

The 4-inch screen has a resolution of 480x800 and its quality is really bad. Viewing angles are so bad that unless we looked at the screen dead on, it was washed out completely. Moreover, individual pixels are easy to spot and text is rendered poorly.

Under the hood is a dual-core Mediatek MT6572 processor clocked at 1.2GHz, and supporting it is 1GB of RAM. It has 4GB of internal storage of which only a paltry 1.1GB is available for users. Thankfully, there is a provision for adding up to 32GB of additional storage using microSD memory cards. The phone has a 2-megapixel rear camera with flash and a 1.3-megapixel front camera.

On the connectivity front, the Stellar Glide can connect to two cellular networks and accepts regular-sized SIM cards. Both cards can connect to 3G networks. It also has Wi-Fi b/g/n and Bluetooth 4.0 onboard.

SOFTWARE

The Spice Stellar Glide runs Android 4.2.2 (Jellybean), and the UI is tweaked slightly with colourful icons. Users accustomed to Jellybean will actually feel at home with the UI. Also, Spice has added a lot of third-party apps.

CAMERA

The phone has a 2-megapixel rear camera which is fairly ordinary for phones in this price range. 

 As I suspected, the captured pictures are of really low quality. There is no autofocus and I would be surprised if anyone could manage to capture pictures with a decent amount of detail using this camera. There isn't much more to say - you shouldn't really expect a competent camera at this price.

The phone can't play even 720p videos without skipping frames. In  battery test, the Spice Stellar Glide lasted us exactly five hours and one minute, which is average. The call quality was okay but suffered a bit because of low earpiece volume. Spice bundles the lowest quality in-ear headset we've ever tested. Even when using our reference headphones, sound quality was only slightly better. The built-in speaker is rather loud, though.

VERDICT

The Spice Stellar Glide is available for around Rs. 4,700 on e-commerce websites. If you are foraying into the world of Android for the first time, we would strongly recommend avoiding this phone, since it is bound to be disappointing. The Moto E and Micromax Unite 2 might cost a little more, but they offer far better value for money. 

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RAHUL ARORA

AMAZON FIRE PHONE : REVIEW

Amazon set out to do something different with the unveiling of its first smartphone!!

The feature makes use of four infrared cameras pointed at your face that help judge whether you're looking at the screen straight-on, at an angle and how close you are to the screen. The phone can then adjust the image accordingly. That gives you the ability to see depth in images, to see around objects in the foreground, to zoom in for a better look, and to toggle through websites, books and menus and even to play games by tilting the phone back and forth and up and down while you look at it.

Another feature called "Firefly" brings what's known as augmented reality to life in a new way, by turning your phone into a powerful tool that recognizes book covers, CDs, DVDs, songs, movies, grocery items, phone numbers and websites and pulls them into the phone so you can take action.

The major benefit of this is that it takes price comparison shopping to a new level, because any item you see while walking down the aisle of a Wal-mart or Target can get an instant price check. Amazon says the phone can recognize more than a hundred million items. And if you link your credit card information to the service, you can make a purchase with a couple taps.

I was both impressed and saw some flaws.The 3-D effect is quite stunning. Just imagine looking down a long hallway and putting your ear against each wall one after the other. Your perspective changes and straight lines will seem to disappear to a different point. To demonstrate the effect on the phone, Amazon made available a bunch of lock-screen images, like the cartoon ruins of a pyramid, some hot-air balloons and a jungle setting. Swiveling the phone around makes it seem like the images had a depth of an inch or two, allowing you to look around and beyond objects in the foreground.

Games also made use of the tool. One game allowed you to control whether the figure flew up or down based on essentially nodding your head or making the phone lie flat or upright. Another game, called Tofu Fury, allows you to get a 3-D perspective on the game level. It still essentially plays like Angry Birds, but it did something I've never seen before in a game.

One other neat thing: it does all this in relation to your face. So you could do this lying in bed or hanging upside down. I tried it out, taking a deep bow. The aforementioned game flew just the same depending on where the phone was to my face.

This phone has other features, and basically it's very nicely built. It has a solid heft in the hand while not being heavy at all. The buttons, which can activate the camera or Firefly from a cold start, are minimalist and comfortable. The 4.7-inch screen with a 16:9 aspect ratio is just right for holding and controlling with one hand. There are speakers on top and bottom for stereo sound when holding the phone sideways.

And it is packed with many of the features that Kindle Fire tablet users are familiar with, such as its Mayday live-help function.Yet it's the dynamic perspective feature  changes smartphones forever. 

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RAHUL ARORA