Author: Aniruddh

  • OPPO’s Super-Fast 15-Minute Flash Charge and World’s First SmartSensor Image Stabilization Tech Unveiled

    The current smartphones are becoming smarter and smarter. However, there is one area which bothers most. That is battery life. What if there is a option to fully charge the battery in just 15 minutes? Answer is OPPO’s Super VOOC Flash Charge technology.

    In the ongoing Mobile World Congress 2016, oppo unveiled Super VOOC Flash Charge technology which is said to fully charge 2500 mAh battery in just 15 minutes. According to company Super VOOC Flash Charge uses 5V low-voltage pulse-charge algorithm which ensures low-temperature charge that’s safe for the battery and dynamically regulating the current to charge the phone in the shortest time possible. This technology works when all-new algorithm pairs with a customizedsuper battery, a new adapter, cable, connector made using premium, military-grade materials.Super VOOC Flash Charge supports Micro USB or type-C interfaces, in line with the global standard.

    Oppo Fast charging

    SmartSensor Image Stabilization: The first ever sensor-based, pixel-level optical image stabilizer

    In the event, Oppo also unveiled a new image stabilization technology called SmartSensor Image Stabilization which company claims first ever sensor-based, pixel-level optical image stabilizer.

    There are two types of optical image stabilization. One is lens-based and another one sensor-based.  Due to size limitations of smartphone, all previous technologies are based on lens based stabilization. However, MEMS (micro-electro-mechanical system)  manages to bring sensor based stabilization to smartphones. Oppo claims that SmartSensor is the first-ever sensor-based solution for smartphones, as well as the smallest optical image stabilizer of any kind in the world!.

    The newly showcased Oppo’s SmartSensor technology addresses of the major flaws of lens based method- not reducing shake during roll. According to press release,  SmartSensor provides image stabilization on three axes, pitch, yaw and the all-important roll. Making split-second adjustments with its comb-shaped monocrystalline silicon MEMS, SmartSensor achieves full three-axis image stabilization in a mere 15 milliseconds.

    Oppo’s Smartsensor is power efficient as well. According company SmartSensor uses a voltage-driven sensor, reducing power consumption to as low as 10 milliwatts, 50 times less than the power consumption of lens-based solutions.

    Lens-based systems, with their increased power consumption, can quickly heat up the module, affecting image quality, especially during extended photo shoots. But the low power consumption of the fine-tuned MEMS keeps temperatures low and preserves image quality even in long shooting sessions.Meanwhile, whereas lens-based image stabilizers generally have a precion of between 3 and 5 μm, SmartSensor remains precise to a vibration of just 0.3μm. The size of a pixel is usually larger than 1 μm, meaning that SmartSensor is the world’s first pixel-level image stabilize.

    With SmartSensor, OPPO smartphones become like pocket-sized SLR cameras, able to capture life’s beautiful moments in breathtaking detail. Even when lighting conditions aren’t ideal, such as at a party or concert, SmartSensor ensures clear and bright images by allowing a longer exposure time.

    At MWC, OPPO also announced a growing emphasis on its “Camera Phone” strategy. Under the new strategy, OPPO plans to strengthen a well-deserved association between OPPO and great photography. Through continued refinement of its photography platform as well as new innovations like SmartSensor, OPPO aims to bring users technology that will allow them to better record their lives and share their experiences, so they can capture every moment as it really is: sharp, vivid and bright.

  • Sony Bags three prestigious International Business Awards at Asia Excellence Awards 2015

    New Delhi, 23rd February, 2016 – Sony India, one of the most recognized consumer electronics brand has been recognized with prestigious International Business Awards at the recently concluded, Asia Excellence Awards 2015. Sony was conferred with a Gold Stevie Award in the Online Marketing Campaign of the Year category, and a Silver Stevie Award in the Brand Experience of the Year – Consumer category.

    The awards were presented beating out significant competition in the categories for ‘Project Paladin – The Rise of Alpha Imaging’ Campaign. The campaign was designed to achieve brand loyalty towards Sony Alpha DSLT cameras, thereby reiterating Sony’s strategic interest towards interchangeable lens camera market. A seamless online platform for customers to discover, share and learn visual storytelling was created called – The Sony Alpha community.

    In addition to this, Sony Alpha Community a unique platform that encourages photography enthusiasts to share and discover amazing photos with like-minded people was awarded the Microsite of the Year 2015in the highly contested Asia Pacific Excellence Awards.

    Commenting upon the win, Tadahisa Baba, Head, Marketing, Sony India commented “We are honoured by Asia Excellence Awards acknowledgement of Sony’s unique and innovative campaigns stimulating the consumer community. It has been an overall effort in achieving this goal and promoting the art of photography.”

    About Sony India Pvt. Ltd.
    Sony India is one of the most recognized consumer electronics brand in the country, with a reputation for new age technology, digital concepts and excellent after sales service. In India, Sony has its footprint across all major towns and cities in the country through a distribution network comprising of over 20,000 dealers and distributors, more than 300 exclusive Sony outlets and 25 branch locations. Sony India also has a strong service presence across the country with 365 service outlets. Manned by customer friendly and informed sales persons, Sony’s exclusive stores ‘Sony Center’ are fast becoming the most visible face of the company in India. A distinctive feature of Sony’s service is its highly motivated and well-trained staff that provides the kind of attentive and sensitive service that is rare today.
    To learn more, please visit: http://www.sony.co.in.

  • Samsung Galaxy S7 Features and FAQ

    Samsung has unveiled much anticipated Galaxy S7, its flagship device for 2016. Like last year, this year too we have 2 different variants Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge. The preorders will begin from Tuesday and the device will be available to consumers starting March 11th in selected regions. Samsung also announced offer to provide free Gear VR headset bundled along with six games for those who preorder in some region.

    Galaxy S7
    Based on the information we have as of now, here is the few FAQ on the new Samsung Galaxy S7 smartphone. We will be updating this post in coming days as and when we get more information. If you want to ask any specific questions, feel free to use the comment section below.

     Samsung Galaxy S7 Features and FAQ

    What are different variants of Galaxy S7 available?
    Primarily there are 2 variants. One is Galaxy S7 and another one is Galaxy S7 Edge. There is also variant based on the Soc, single and hybrid dual sim variants. The different colour variants available are black onyx, gold platinum.

    What is the SoC is used on Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge?

    As mentioned above, there 2 different  SoC variants are available. One is based on  Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 820 processor and another one is  Exynos 8890 SoC. Based on the region, availability of these variant changes.

    How about Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge display?

    Samsung Galaxy S7 comes with 5.1-inch QHD Super Amoled display and Galaxy S7 Edge comes with 5.5-inch QHD Super Amoled display panel. Both smartphones feature Always-On display which allows you to check important notifications, time and date without having to wake up the device.

    Is there any changes interms of camera unit used in Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge?

    Yes. Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge comes with 12MP primary camera with f1.7 and 5MP front facing camera. Like we have seen in iPhone 6s, this also use display flash while taking selfies. There are plenty of camera tweaks such as Motion photo, Motion panorama  to name few.

    What are the storage option available?

    The device will be available in 32GB or 64GB variants depending on the region. There is also provision for additional storage through microSD card upto 200GB. All the variants of Galaxy S7 will come with 4GB of RAM.

    What about battery capacity of Galaxy S7?

    Galaxy S7 comes with 3000mAh battery and Galaxy S7 Edge has 3600mAh battery.  Both variants supports fast charging both on wired and wireless.

    What is the design and build quality change? 

    Aesthetically, both devices looks very similar to its predecessor. However, now both devices has IP68 rating for dust and water resistance.

  • Asus Zenfone Max Review – Pros and Cons

    Asus Zenfone Max is a lower mid range dual sim Android smartphone. The key highlight of the device is its massive 5000 mAh battery. The device can be used as power bank for charging other smartphones. The price of Zenfone Max in India is Rs. 9,999. For this price, it is one of the best value for money smartphone if you are looking for a smartphone with good battery life. This Zenfone Max review is segregated by questions and answers. This includes features and specifications, advantages and disadvantages and few simple tips.

    Asus Zenfone Max Dual sim

     Asus Zenfone Max Review and FAQ

    What are the box content of Asus Zenfone Max? 

    Box content of Zenfone Max includes Handset, user manual and warranty card, charger, USB to microUSB cable, USB OTG cable.

    How is the design and build quality of Zenfone Max?

    The device looks very similar to previous Zenfone 2 smartphones. The dimensions of the device are 77.5mm*156mm*10.55mm. The thickness at its thinnest edge is 5.2mm. This smartphone weighs 202 grams.  Unlike Zenfone 2, the volume and power buttons are placed in the right side of the device. The device comes with surrounding metal like edge which gives style factor to Zenfone Max.

    What are the different colour options available?

    Zenfone Max is available in two colour variants. One is Pure White with an elegant eggshell texture and another one is Osmium Black with the look and feel of embossed leather.

    What is display size and quality? Does it has any protecting glass cover?

    Zenfone Max sports 5.5 inch  HD (1280×720 pixels) IPS display screen. The viewing angles and colours reproduction are good. Even brightness of the device also decent but not great. If you are used to high ppi density display screens, you might observe bit of pixalation. As far as screen protection, it has Corning Gorilla Glass 4 with fingerprint and smudge-resistant oleophobic coating.

    How is the performance? Does Zenfone Max has any heating issue?

    Zenfone Max is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 SoC with 2GB of RAM. The device has 16GB of internal storage in which 10GB is user available. It also supports microSD card. The internals are very similar to Zenfone Laser. In general usage, i have not faced any lag while switching between the apps or opening a app. The gaming performance too decent. In my usage, I have not faced any heating issue.

    How is the camera performance?

    Asus Zenfone Max houses 13 megapixel, f2.0 aperture rear camera with dual tone LED flash. There is also a laser auto focus for quick focus on the object. The performance of camera in outdoor condition is good. In indoor and low light performance with auto settings is average. However, if you play with manual settings, it takes decent images.  The device also has 5MP, f/2.0-aperture camera with 85̊ wide-viewing angle. It does take decent images.

    P_20160220_084439

    What is the battery capacity of Zenfone Max? Does it has fast charging? 

    Zenfone Max comes with huge 5000 mAh battery. There is no fast charger out of the box. The bundled charger takes around 5 hours to charge completely. The battery life on this device is excellent. With my regular usage, I got more than 2 days of battery life with 4G/3G enabled all the time. The standby time also excellent.

    Can I use Zenfone Max as power bank? 

    Yes. You can use this device as power bank. Asus has bundled OTG cable along with the box.

    What are the connectivity features of this dual sim Zenfone smartphone?

    The connectivity features of the device includes 4G(on sim 1 only), 3G, WiFi, Bluetooth and USB.

    What are different sensors available in  Zenfone Max?

    Accelerator,E-Compass,Proximity sensor,Hall sensor,Ambient light sensor.

    What are the pros and cons of Zenfone Max?

    Pros:

    • Excellent battery life.
    • Decent performance and software.
    • Decent build quality.
    • Ability to use the device as power bank.

    Cons:

    • Bundled charger does not support fast charging.
    • Display could have been better.
    • Feels bit heavy in hand.
    • No Android 6.0 out of the box.

    How to download PC suite for Zenfone Max?

    There are 2 ways through which you can install Asus PC suite for Zenfone Max. One through directly from your phone. That is connect your device to PC. New drives shows up. Click and install the PC suite. Another way through directly downloading from official support page. You can read more on this in my previous post how to download Asus Zenfone PC suite.

    How to use Zenfone max as modem?

    You can use Zenfone Max as modem through USB tethering, Wi-Fi hotspot and through Bluetooth tethering. I have detailed post on this with title How to use Zenfone as modem.

    How to capture screenshot on Zenfone Max?

    I already covered it in previous post. You can refer to it here.

    When Zenfone Max will get Android 6.0 Marshmallow update?

    As per the recent announcement from Asus, Android 6.0 update for Zenfone Max will start from March 2016. You can read more about this here.

  • How to update Moto E 2nd Gen to Android 6.0 Marshmallow

    Motorola Moto E 2nd gen finally started to recieve Android 6.0  Marshmallow update in India. The size of the OTA update is around 450MB. So you need to have around double that space. The new Android 6.0  Marshmallow update for Moto E 2nd gen will bring new features like Now on Tap, Doze functionality which improves battery life, using microSD card as extension of internal storage etc.

    Useful links:

    How to take screenshot on Moto E

    How to use Moto E as modem

    Moto E 2nd gen pros and Cons

    How to update  Moto E 2nd Gen to Android 6.0  Marshmallow

    Before starting the update, it is better to fulfill some of the prerequisites. They are

    • Battery is charged at aleast 50%.
    • Have atleast 1GB free space.

    Now here is the update procedure.

    There are 2 scenarios.

    1. If you have received a notification message for this update:
      • Select “Yes, I’m in”.
      • After the software is downloaded, select “Install now”.
      • After the software is installed, your phone will re-start automatically.
      • Your phone is now updated to Android 6.0.
    2. If you have not received a notification message for this update:
      • Select the Settings icon in the apps menu.
      • Select “About phone”.
      • Select “System updates”.
      • Select “Yes, I’m in”. After the software is downloaded, select “Install now”.
      • After the software is installed, your phone will re-start automatically.
      • Your phone is now updated to Android 6.0.

    Motorola has released Android 6.0 update for its Moto G series(Starting Moto G 2nd Gen) and Moto X series. Now it is the turn for Moto E. Android 6.0  Marshmallow update as of now available through OTA in India only. But it expected to roll other parts of the world as well very soon.

    If you haven’t got the update, don’t be panic. The update will come in phases. With this update, Moto E 2nd Gen will be most affordable smartphone to run on Android 6.0  Marshmallow.  If you already recieved updated, don’t forget to share your experience with new OS in the comment section below.