Asus launches OnePlus 6 competitor Zenfone 5z at Rs 29,999

Asus has launched the Zenfone 5z here in India. The device will pose a direct threat to popular phones in the same segment. OnePlus 6 that comes with a base price of Rs 34,999 is expected to get a lot of competition from the new phone. The Asus Zenfone 5z was first unveiled at the MWC 2018. The device smartphone will be sold exclusively on Flipkart.

Flipkart had accidentally listed the smartphone one day before the official launch. The official price of the Zenfone 5z is the same as what was reported earlier. The device will be made available in three variants. The 6GB RAM, 64GB storage variant is priced at Rs 29,999. The second variant comes with 8GB RAM, 128GB of storage and is priced at Rs 32,999. The third variant comes with 8GB RAM and 256GB of storage is priced at Rs 36,999.


The Asus Zenfone 5z will start selling from July 9. Launch offers include flat discounts, cheaper mobile protection and no-cost EMIs. ICICI Bank credit and debit card holders can get a flat Rs 3,000 discount on the device. Flipkart's 'Complete Mobile Protection' plan worth Rs 2,299 is being offered at Rs 499. For buyers interested in purchasing the smartphone on installments, Flipkart is offering no-cost EMIs starting at Rs 3,333 a month. Reliance Jio will offering a 2,200 cashback and 100GB data with the purchase of Zenfone 5z.

To enhance the after sales service of the device , Asus will be providing free pick and drop of faulty devices, a substitute phone and invoice free walk-in.
Coming to the specifications of the device, Asus Zenfone 5z comes with flagship features. The device features a Snapdragon 845 chipset assisted by Adreno 630. The device features a 6.2inch IPS LCD display with a FullHD+ Super IPS+ display covered by Corning Gorilla Glass. The phone boasts a screen to body ratio of 83.6 per cent. Like most flagships from this year, the Asus Zenfone 5z also sports a notch to house the front camera and all the necessary sensors.

The camera on the device is a dual lens setup with one 12megapixel unit and the other with an 8megapixel sensor. The camera also gets EIS for stable videos. The front camera is an 8megapixel unit which also gets gyro EIS for stable shots.

The phone runs on Android 8.0 Oreo with Asus' ZenUI 5.0 on top. The device has a dual SIM slot (nano). One of the slot doubles up as a memory card slot that can hold a card of up to 400GB. The phone comes with a 3300mAh battery  and comes equipped with a USB Type C port.   

How to take care of Smartphone in Monsoon

You can't leave a gadget at home just because it is raining outside. But how do you stay connected and at the same time protect your gadgets during India's rather long monsoon?


SMARTPHONES

Since the phone is with you 24x7 they stand the highest risk of getting wet. Even if you are using a good cover to protect it from dust and scratches, it won't be good enough to stop the water from getting in. All smartphones have multiple ports through which water can seep in and damage the circuit board. 

You can get over this problem by buying covers like the Capedase for iPhone that come with plugs for these ports. There are also special covers that protect the phone from water damage, like the Grifiin Survivor Case. Such options are available for all smartphones, though at a cost. Prices start from Rs 1,500.

Dry Case for smartphones: Rs 2,699

This is a crystal waterproof case for smartphones and portable music players that offers full functionality. You can suck out all air with a hand pump provided in the kit.

TIPS:

A Bluetooth headset is made for these conditions. Keep your phone safe in the bag inside a zip pouch and continue to answer calls on the handsfree.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 with Snapdragon 625 expected to be launched in mid-January as per rumours

 xioami is planning to Launch its Redmi Note 4 to India as per online rumors. A company is launching the new version of the Note 4 in mid of January 2017. Redmi Note 4 is the successor to popular mid range smartphone Redmi Note 3, which was one of the bestselling devices for the company in India. Xiaomi itself has not confirmed any launch event for January.
For the Chinese technology company, the Redmi series has done well in India in 2016. The company claims to have sold over 2.3 million units of just the Redmi Note 3 smartphone. According to numbers from IDC, Redmi Note 3 was the most successful smartphone in India’s online channels.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 is quite similar to Redmi Note 3 in terms of design and specifications, but has a Type-C USB port.

The Redmi Note 4 comes in two storage options – 2GB RAM+16GB ROM and 3GB RAM+64GB ROM. The price starts at 899 yuan (Rs 9,000 approx) for the 2GB RAM variant and 1199 yuan (Rs 12,081 approx) for the 3GB RAM version.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 specifications
As far as the specifications are concerned, the Redmi Note 4 a 5.5-inch full HD (1920×1080 pixels) display with 2.5D curved glass. The Redmi Note 4 is powered by a MediaTek Helio X20 deca-core SoC, but the company is likely to launch a Qualcomm variant, considering the ongoing legal tussle with Ericsson that bars the company from launching MediaTek phones in India. According to maktech blog, Xiaomi will launch the Snapdragon 625 SoC version in India. The smartphone is expected to be available in 2GB, 3GB, 4GB RAM options.

On the camera front, the smartphone sports a 13-megapixel rear camera with LED flash, f/2.0 aperture and PDAF support. Up front, there is a 5-megapixel selfie camera with f/2.0 aperture and 85-degree wide-angle lens. While the Redmi Note 3 has a 16-megapixel primary camera, some of the camera samples shared by Xiaomi hint at a better picture quality than the Redmi Note 3. The smartphone is armed with a 4,100mAh battery that Xiaomi says is good enough to last for the day on a single charge. Connectivity options include dual-SIM card slots (hybrid setup), 4G with VoLTE support, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. On the software front, the Redmi Note 4 runs on Android 6.0 Marshmallow wrapped under MIUI 8.

To put the specification into perspective, the Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 was launched in two variants earlier this year — 16GB variant with 2GB RAM for Rs 9,999 and a 32GB variant with 3GB RAM for Rs 11,999. The phablet features a 5.5-inch full HD display, 1.8GHz Snapdragon 650 hexa-core processor, 16-megapixel rear camera with f/2.0 aperture, PDAF and dual-LED flash, and a 5-megapixel selfie camera with f/2.0 .

WhatsApp Introduces Video Calling

Some good news in this time of chaos all around! The most popular messaging app WhatsApp officially introduced video calling for its over 1 billion users worldwide on iOS, Android and Windows platform.

“We are introducing this feature because we know that sometimes voice and text just aren't enough. And we want to make these features available to everyone, not just those who can afford the most expensive new phones or live in countries with the best cellular networks,” WhatsApp said in a blog post.

To try out this feature, users can press the call button on the top right corner in a chat which will bring up two options: voice call or video call. To place a video call, click on the option from the screen. Users can also simply switch between the rear and front camera, mute conversations and disconnect the call as well.

While Facebook Messenger users have enjoyed voice calls for over a year and a half, many popular messaging apps like still don't offer the feature. With over one billion users, WhatsApp's video calls can connect people all over the world.

700 million smartphones sending data to China

Smartphone technology gets better and better each year. They have high-definition displays, professional quality cameras, and super fast processors, among many other great features.

These phones, and their monthly plans, can be pretty pricey. This may lead some consumers to turn to less expensive, prepaid phones. But are these types of alternatives safe for you to use?

Some Android phones were recently discovered to contain software that keeps track of the user's every use. Security firm Kryptowire says the software transmits all text messages, call logs, contact lists, location data and other information to a server in China. The software is preinstalled on the phones and users are not informed of the surveillance.

Who is at risk?

The software was written by Shanghai Adups Technology Company in China. It says the code runs on over 700 million phones, cars and other smart gadgets and was intended to help Chinese phone makers monitor the behavior of its users.

This is a type of firmware that tells phones how they should operate. Companies are given the code that allows them to remotely update its firmware, which happens behind the scenes unknown to the user.

The normal procedure with firmware is users are given a disclosure, letting them know if any personal information is being used. This wasn't the case with this Adups software.

Adups says the software was not intended for American phones, but it has been found on some of them. U.S. officials are not sure if this software is used for advertising purposes or an intelligence-collecting effort by the Chinese government.

Nearly 120,000 phones made by U.S. phone manufacturer BLU Products were affected. BLU Products says once the code was discovered, it eliminated the feature with a software update.

Even though Adups says there are over 700 million gadgets running this surveillance code, there isn't a list of known gadgets. Those mainly affected by the software are international customers and people using disposable or prepaid phones.

Adups' website lists ZTE and Huawei as two companies to which it provides software. These companies are based in China and are two of the biggest cellphone manufacturers worldwide.

What you should do

The best way to keep safe from this surveillance software is to stay away from the inexpensive, disposable phones. It's better to buy your gadgets from a known source with a good reputation.

Also, do not order a gadget directly from China. Google develops software for Android phones that phone makers are able to customize.

Google told Adups to eliminate the surveillance ability from gadgets that run services like the Google Play store. However, phones in China would not be protected from Google because it doesn't operate over censorship concerns.

Kryptowire discovered the surveillance software and reported it to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The DHS is looking into the issue. Hopefully, there will be a full list available soon of all gadgets that are affected.

Lenovo Phab 2 Plus and Xiaomi Mi Max

Big screen phones with display size of 5.5-inches or 5.7-inches have become mainstream but phone makers believe there is an audience that is open to the idea of using phones with screen size above 6-inches. Lenovo’s Phab Plus (6.8-inch display), Oppo R7 Plus (6-inch display), Xiaomi Mi Max and Mi Max Prime (6.4-inch display) and now Lenovo Phab 2 Plus (6.4-inch) are some of the phones that offers a truly big screen experience. The Phab 2 Plus is likely to be pitted against the Xiaomi Mi Max as it belongs to the same price segment and screen size.
The Phab 2 Plus comes with full metal body and a sealed back panel.

The Phab 2 Plus comes with full metal body and a sealed back panel. The two SIM slots (nano/micro) and the microSD slot have been put in a metallic tray along the side panel. It tips the scales at 218g and measures 9.6mm sideways. It also comes with a finger-print sensor that is placed on the back panel. The Xiaomi Mi Max is another metal clad smartphone with a unibody design. However, it looks a lot thinner and is lighter to hold too. It is just 7.5mm thick and weighs 203g. Its finger print sensor is placed on the back too. The Phab 2 plus is available in gold and a gunmetal grey variant will be available soon. The Mi Max, comes in dark grey, silver and gold.
Phab 2 Plus and the Mi Max have a 6.4-inch IPS LCD display with a screen resolution of 1,920x1,080p.

Both Phab 2 Plus and the Mi Max have a 6.4-inch IPS LCD display with a screen resolution of 1,920x1,080p. Both phones allow users to tinker with the display, adjust colour temperature for their convenience, but Xiaomi offers a few extra features such as Sunlight display and Reading mode. The Sunlit display automatically adjusts contrast levels in each pixel without causing any drastic changes in brightness levels when you move from a low lit environment to a bright environment. The Reading mode changes the display colour to orange to minimise the effect of Bluelight on eyes. The other area where the Mi Max looks better is the layer of Gorilla Glass it uses. It uses the more rugged Gorilla Glass 4 while the Phab 2 Plus uses Gorilla Glass 3.

The Phab 2 Plus is driven by MediaTek’s 8783 octa-core processor with 3GB RAM. This is a new processor and hasn’t been used in many phones. It supports 4G networks and VoLTE calling. The processor used in Mi Max belongs to Qualcomm’s new series of high-performance hexa-core processor known as Snapdragon 650 and has paired it with 3GB RAM. This processor has been used in Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 too and in real life scenario it can handle mist heavy tasks such as multi- tasking with consummate ease. The Mi Max supports 4G networks and VoLTE calling. Any comment on the performance of Phab 2 Plus can be made after it has been used for a few days.

Battery is another area where Lenovo has made the most of the phone’s big chassis. Phab 2 Plus comes with a 4,050mAh non removable Li-ion battery. The Mi Max has an upper hand over it as far as battery capacity is concerned. Its 4,850 mAh non removable battery is technically bigger but that doesn’t necessarily mean its battery backup is going to be better too, especially if we factor in the fact that its resource intensive MIUI I’d competing with plain Android of Phab 2 Plus.

Both Phab 2 Plus and the Mi Max run (6.0) Marshmallow version of Android with a a different user interface on top.Lenovo has gone with plain Android interface with no option for a secondary custom UI, as it has been doing in some of the Vibe series phones since last few months. This is likely to put less stress on the phone’s hardware. On the other hand the Mi Max runs its proprietary custom UI. It looks funky and offers plenty of cool themes but can be bit overwhelming to use for first time users.

Google stops AdSense attack that forced banking trojan on Android phones

Google has shut down an operation that combined malicious AdSense advertisements with a zero-day attack exploiting Chrome for Android to force devices to download banking fraud malware.

Over a two-month span, the campaign downloaded the Banker. AndroidOS Svpeng banking trojan on about 318,000 devices monitored by Kaspersky Lab, researchers from the Moscow-based anti-malware provider reported in a blog post published Monday. While the malicious installation files weren't automatically executed, they carried names such as last-browser-update.apk and WhatsApp.apk that were designed to trick targets into manually installing them. Kaspersky privately reported the scam to Google, and engineers from the search company put an end to the campaign, although the timing of those two events wasn't immediately clear.

"So far, those behind Svpeng have limited their attacks to smartphone users in Russia," Kaspersky Lab researchers Nikita Buchka and Anton Kivva wrote in Monday's post. "However, next time they push their 'adverts' on AdSense they may well choose to attack users in other countries; we have seen similar cases in the past. After all, what could be more convenient than exploiting the most popular advertising platform to download their malicious creations to hundreds of thousands of mobile devices?"

A Google spokesman said a fix for the auto-download vulnerability was being tested in Chrome version 54 and was expected to be "live 100%" in version 55. (He didn't respond to a request asking him to elaborate.) He also said an Android security feature known as Verify Apps provided warnings when people tried to install one of the malicious apps. He didn't explain how the malicious advertisements snuck by Google security checks or what company engineers are doing to prevent AdSense from running similar ones in the future. Last week, researchers from a separate security firm named Cylance disclosed a separate malvertising campaign on Google AdWords that targeted Mac users.

Kaspersky Lab researchers said it was clear from lulls in the campaign that someone or something inside Google detected and removed many of the malicious ads distributing the Svpeng installation files. But even after old ones were expelled, new ones managed to take their place.

"The high rates and abrupt changes in the number of detections are easy to explain: Google has been quick to block the ads that the trojan uses for propagation," the researchers wrote. "However, this is a reactive rather than proactive approach—the malicious ads were blocked after the trojan was already on thousands of Android devices. It is also worth noting that there were multiple occasions in the past two months when these ads found their way on to AdSense; similar attacks have been occurring up to the present time, with the most recent attack registered on 19 October 2016."

Monday's report is yet another reminder why it's generally a good idea not to change default Android settings preventing the installation of apps not carried in the official Google Play app bazaar. It also reaffirms the importance of remaining highly skeptical of webpages encouraging users to install files. Google deserves credit for quickly removing malicious ads and creating safety nets such as Verify Apps and a default prohibition on installing third-party apps, but as the Kaspersky Lab researchers point out, these approaches reactively treat the symptoms rather than curing the underlying disease.

Xiaomi Redmi 4 Prime

As the name suggests, it’s the prime or exclusive version of the Redmi 4 with some of the best features in this category.

The Redmi 4 Prime have a 5″ IPS screen but of the higher 1080p resolution. The upgrades continue with the chipset, which is Snapdragon 625 with an octa-core 2.0GHz Cortex-A53 processor and Adreno 506 GPU.

Also it comes in 32 GB variant with 3 GB of RAM. Further, it has better connectivity options as it is equipped with Full Netcom 3.0.

Xiaomi Redmi 4 Prime is already available on-preorder in China for CNY 899 or $133 and will go on sale on Monday.

Xiaomi Redmi 4 Standard

Talking about the Redmi 4, It consists a 5-inch HD (720×1280 pixels) display, and is powered by an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 SoC clocked at 1.4GHz coupled with the Adreno 505 GPU and 2GB of RAM. It embeds a 13-megapixel rear camera with an f/2.2 aperture, 5-lens system, PDAF, and dual-LED flash. On the front, it bears a 5-megapixel camera with an f/2.2 aperture.

It is bolted with a 13 MP camera on the back having phase-detection autofocus and comes with a dual-LED (but not dual-tone) flash. There’s a 5MP shooter on the front side. All its power comes from a 4,100 mAh battery which can sustain day and half easily on more than normal usage. It also have same Hybrid slot and 16 GB of Internal Storage.

Always on Fingerprint sensor is present on the back side of the device below the camera.

It is up for grabs in  gold, silver, or dark gray colors for CNY 699 and $104. Xiaomi Redmi 4 is already on pre-order in China and will go on sale in Monday, November 7.

Xiaomi Redmi 4A

Xiaomi Redmi 4A is the cheapest device with lowest lot of features as compared to other two. This metal clad device packs a 5″ IPS screen of 720p resolution and runs on the Snapdragon 425 chipset with a quad-core 1.4GHz Cortex-A53 processor, Adreno 308, and 2GB of RAM.

There’s 13MP shooter on the back with a 5 MP front side sensor. It is backed by 3,120 mAh battery and a 16 GB on board memory. Also there’s a dual SIM hybrid slot in which you can insert a microsd card with single SIM or you can adjust dual SIM cards. There’s no Fingerprint sensor on this variant of the device.

The phone will cost CNY 499 or $74 in China and will go on sale on November 11. It is available in two color options, Gold and Rose Gold.

Android One Smartphone with Nougat 7, General Mobile GM 5

Google’s Android One program has been pretty quiet over the past couple months. The last device released, the Sharp 507SH , landed in Japan but with Android Marshmallow out of the box. Since then Nougat has been released and now General Mobile has announced the GM 5 , the first Android One device to launch with the latest version of Google’s mobile OS.

Like other Android One devices , the GM 5 runs stock Android with updates direct from Google. As for specs, this device brings a 5-inch 720p display with Gorilla Glass 4, quad-core Snapdragon 410 processor, 2GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage with a microSD card slot, a 13MP rear camera, and a 5MP front-facing shooter.
The phone weighs in at 160g — by comparison,

the 5-inch Pixel weighs 143g — and packs a 2,500 mAh battery. The GM 5 will be available in Space Grey, Gold, and Black.
The GM 5 is designed for international markets including Azerbaijan, Albania, Afghanistan, Belgium, Bosnia, Croatia, Cyprus, Georgia, Ghana, Greece, Iraq, Kenya, Luxembourg, Moldova, Netherlands, Pakistan, Serbia, Tunisia, Turkey, and Uzbekistan. Pricing has not been announced yet, but we should hear more soon since the phone
goes on sale this month .

Also worth noting is that this is not directly related to the GM 5 Plus which was released earlier this year. Despite that phone also being in the Android One program, it isn’t the same as it brings higher-end specifications and a price tag which is presumably much higher.

Much Awaited Nokia Android Smartphones to be available only in 2017

Ever since the first of Nokia Android smartphones were spotted on the benchmarking websites, Nokia fanboys and prospective smartphone buyers have been eagerly awaiting the erstwhile feature phone king to launch its first Android smartphone.

After it was confirmed that the first of Nokia Android device, Nokia D1C was, in fact, a 13.8-inch tablet running on Android 7.0 Nougat , Nokia fans were awaiting the release of the tablet and other Nokia Android smartphones during the busy holiday season of 2016. However, new reports indicate that Nokia’s four Android devices (1 Android Tablet and 3 Android smartphones) will be available only in the first half of 2017.

The news was confirmed after a company called HMD Global purchased the rights to manufacture, sell and advertise all Nokia smartphones. According to a new report on
Adweek, HMD Global will kick off a huge marketing campaign for the four Nokia smartphones only in early 2017. This means that the Finnish smartphone manufacturer plans to launch its first Android smartphone only next year.

In fact, HMD Global has chosen the famous ad agency, Mother as its lead global agency to make advertisements for Nokia Android smartphones. Both companies have already confirmed the deal and offered comments on the matter.

“ Nokia is a truly iconic, globally recognized and trusted brand. As the exclusive licensee of the Nokia brand for mobile phones and tablets, our ambition was to find a like-minded agency who grasped both the opportunity and responsibility in bringing a new product range to market. We are confident that in Mother we have found a partner who can help us do so for a new generation of consumers around the world ,” said HMD Global CMO Pekka Rantala stated.

Rumors suggest that the Nokia Android smartphones will feature QHD displays, metal shells 22.6MP camera and top of the class batteries like the old Nokia feature phones. Also, Nokia smartphones are speculated to feature high-end Snapdragon 820 processors together with water and dust resistance features.

From the above news, it is confirmed that the first of Nokia Android smartphones will only be available to buyers in the first half of 2017. Those buyers who had been putting off buying new Android smartphones till the holiday season in expectation of buying Nokia’s first Android offerings will have to put off their buying plans till 2017.

Their patience would be well worth it provided Nokia comes out with quality Android smartphones like the rugged and long lasting Nokia 1100 and 3100 phones it is remembered for.

Xiaomi Redmi 4A, Redmi 4 Standard, and Redmi 4 Prime Officially Unveiled

Finally, Xiaomi Redmi 4 has made its way and is out of wraps. Xiaomi introduced not only a Redmi 4 single variant, indeed, there are three variants of the device. The names of variants are Redmi 4A, Redmi 4 Standard and Redmi 4 Prime.

All three phones are differentiated on the basis of specs. Let’s find what each phone packs.

The World’s First Tango Smartphone Lenovo Phab 2 Pro is now Available to Buy

Lenovo has finally made Phab 2 Pro world’s first Tango smartphone available to Buy. Earlier in June Lenovo has launched it in their Tech World event. It was first supposed to be released in September then it was delayed and now finally it is available to buy from the official website of the company.

The Lenovo Phab 2 Pro features a high performance octa-core Snapdragon 652 processor, 4GB RAM, and 64GB internal memory with microSD card slot, tucked behind a huge 6.4-inch QHD (2560×1400) display. The Phab 2 Pro also comes with a 4,050mAh battery, Quick Charge technology, and a fingerprint scanner on the back. It is packed with 16-megapixel rear camera, which among other things includes a depth sensor to aid the Tango experience, while the front-facing camera is an 8-megapixel offering. Phab 2 Pro runs on the Android 6.0 marshmallow out of the box.

Google’s project Tango Team has worked on apps and develop some apps with real time capabilities. Company has make special Tango App store in which there are 35 apps at present and that will increase up to 100 by the end of this year. Lenovo Phab 2 Pro users can also easily download the Tango app to see all available experiences.

Lenovo Phab 2 Pro is available to Buy on their Official Website and it will cost you $499.99.

Google Allo – Most Electrifying App

Google Allo, a next generation and Artificial Intelligent Social Messaging App, is here and is now available for download from the Play Store. Google has finally made it!! App is now available and we have found it very interesting and electrifying app but with some privacy issues.

What we Like in Allo

Today we have got full package of Allo, by initial impressions we have got to know upto what extent this app can be used to automate messaging and flow of information. There’s a lot of data that app inhales and shows up you the fascinating stickers, mesmerizing answers to your queries. Even If you’re bored you can play games, watch funny videos, can have jokes, quotes and some out of bound information. There’s lot more that you can do with this inbuilt Google Assistant clone in Allo.
You can even increase the font size of conversation to show the depth of your words. Also, There’s a third person or group integration with Google Assistant.

You can checkout mails from your Gmail within the app. Also you can plan, watch, eat and find direction by using the app. There’s lots of things it can do for you that even we have not imagined.
What We Don’t like

Despite having these tremendous overwhelming features, there are some issues also. As said for Artificial Intelligence, there’s a dire need to Data to make Artificial brain more intelligent. So the same is the matter with Google Allo. It needs more and more input from user to better understand us. So, Whatever your are typing in non-incognito mode is getting recorded and further it is used by Google Assistant to make connections in neurological way.

Google told us back at Google IO that the messaging app is going as a step forward for privacy. Alongside the end-to-end-encrypted Incognito Mode, the Allo team talked about bold new message retention practices, storing messages only transiently rather than indefinitely.

But now, they are storing it indefinitely for non-incognito chats. Google has came back from its sayings. The records will now persist until the user actively deletes them, giving Google default access to a full history of conversations in the app.

As per Google they have changed it to make Allo’s smart reply feature much more useful.

Google Pixel XL, The Best Android Smartphone So Far

Google Pixel XL Android smartphone is announced last October in the same year, 2016. Google Pixel and Pixel XL are said to be the Android phones that will beat the Apple iPhone 7 and 7 Plus. Many gadget reviewers said that the smartphones from Google is the best Android Smartphone so far and because of the fact that it is not too expensive and not too premium, these phones can really beat the other company's flagships.

The Outside Design

Pixel XL is a phone that uses various design elements we have seen in the phones in the last few years such as Apple, Samsung and HTC. Google is proud of the fact that it designed everything in-house and only used HTC as a manufacturer . But other than that, nothing really very strong design will attract you when you look at it.

It has front glass with a lot of space above and below the screen. The spec sheet lists 2.5D Corning Gorilla Glass 4, but curvature at the edges is extremely slight. There is no other use of the glass top. But it doesn't work that well. The glass part not only looks tacky but is also a fingerprint and smudges magnet.

The back casing is made from two materials, and with a dual color combination. The top half is a bit heavy and is covered by glass which hosts the camera without any bump, the flash, and a couple of other sensors, along with the fingerprint reader which is called Pixel Imprint. The bottom half of the back comprises brushed silver-coloured metal casing that is easy to grip.

The edge designs are a bit sharp. They are easy enough to hold. Pixel XL's design might not be the best for a phone, but it is unique. The phone stands out in a crowd when all smartphone designs are to compare.

The Screen

As reported by the India Today , the Pixel XL has a 5.5-inch screen that uses AMOLED panel. This is a brilliant screen when you use it indoor or outdoor. It shows rich colors and with resolution of 1440p. It is sharp enough to show clear text and without any fuzzy edges.
It is also, just like other good AMOLED screens, is very bright and contrasty. This helps when you are using the phone in bright sunlight. But this can be adjustable whenever.

The Software

The latest Android 7.0 is Nougat is already the world's best mobile operating system. It is better than iOS 10, which powers the iPhone 7 and the iPhone 7 Plus. The Android keyboard is better. The Google Assistant is so much more smarter than Siri. The way apps are installed are also better compared to iOS.

The Camera

The camera in the Pixel XL is one of its top features. It has a 12.3-megapixel rear camera and an 8-megapixel front camera. This rear camera is paired with an F2.0 lens and electronics image stabilisation. But the reason why it is so good is its large Sony-made IMX 378 image sensor. This sensor, due to its large pixel size and relatively large physical size, captures lot more data and light.
The video is also clear and sharp, with smooth motion at various resolutions and frame rates. One of the problems with recording 4K video is the amount of space they consume, but Google offers free unlimited cloud storage for photos and videos in their original sizes, including 4K.

Verdict

According to Gadgets 360 , it is clear that even though the style, design, and other features are borrowed from Microsoft and its Surface products, the Pixel XL are competing for the iPhone 7 Plus. You get exactly the same storage capacity at the same prices, but at least no features have been reserved for the more expensive model. Now, Apple fans have the most iPhone-like Android phone alternative. It might convince some to switch over.

Facebook’s teenager-only ‘Lifestage’ app comes to Android

Facebook’s teenager-only ‘Lifestage’ app was launched for iPhone users a few months back. The app is now available for Android users as well.

This app is targeted towards high-school goers who can use this app as a form of video diary. Users get to answer biographical questions about themselves and even share a visual profile with their school network.

One simply needs to fill out a profile and sign up with the app. The information is visible to the users’ peers.

Vine is going Discontinue its App Soon

Many a times Vine became popular but due to limitations and less sharing tools it descended time to time. Today, Vine has announced that they will be shutting down its app “in the coming months”.

This 6 seconds loop video service was launched in 2013 by Twitter. It offer users to share videos with different frames and filters. Due to limitations and inventions of other social platforms like Instagram and Snapchat, Vine lost its Sheen.

Now, due to low count of active users, management has decided to shut down the app permanently in the coming months.

Currently, team didn’t revealed any particular date or time when the App will went off. But do stay connected with us we will let you know about it.

Xiaomi Mi6 In Developement: Company Asks for Specs Via Poll

Recently, Xiaomi launched Mi Note 2 and kind of Bezelless device, Mi Mix at an event in China. Earlier, we were waiting global launch of Mi NOte 2, but recently a Xiaomi Official has stated that it will remain exclusive for China.

It’s been 6 months since the launch of the Mi 5 in the Global market. After that no other Xiaomi Device has been launched at such a GLobal scale. Now all eyes are on Mi 6. Xiaomi has started development for the same and they are asking for the suggestions via poll about what they want in the Mi 6.

They have given 3 options and here they are as follows:

First on the list is a Snapdragon 8xx-powered model with a 20-megapixel camera, 4 GB RAM, 32 GB storage and a ‘light metal body’. The second device would offer dual cameras with OIS, 4 gigs of RAM and 64 GB storage in a ‘curved glass body’, but it would be powered by a Snapdragon 65x SoC instead. The last option suggests another Snapdragon 65x-powered effort that would again included dual cameras, but no OIS. There would, however, be 6 GB RAM, 64 GB storage and a light metal body like the proposed Snapdragon 8xx model.

Well, If we see Mi 5 launch date, than we can expect the Mi 6 at the same time around February march launch.

Android 7.0 Nougat Rolling Out To Nexus Devices

Google has started rolling out Android 7.0 Nougat toi the Nexus Devices. The rumor of he 22nd 23rd has gone right and Nougat is here. The Huawei Nexus 6P, LG Nexus 5X, Motorola Nexus 6, HTC Nexus 9, Asus Nexus Player, Google Pixel C, and General Mobile 4G are receiving the update.

Exactly After the rollout of the final build of Android N Developer Preveiw about months ago, finally, Google is here at your doorsteps of Nexus devices with Android 7.0 Nougat.

There are lot of changes that have been done in the Android Nougat. It brings the ability to set multiple locales and languages, 72 new emoji, multi-window functionality, a way to quickly switch to the previous app , the Vulkan graphics API, a dedicated VR mode, Doze on the Go for even better battery life when you’re on the move, custom Quick Settings, direct replies from notifications, bundled notifications, a built-in mobile data saver, file-based encryption, and much more.

You can check all the features of the Android 7.0 Nougat here. Also LG V20 is going to be the first device, excepting Nexus devices to get Android Nougat.