Samsung brings Android powered Printers

Samsung, the South Korean tech giant is venturing into a whole new tech game, Printers powered by Android operating system. Samsung announced the launch of the 10 new Android powered printers at IFA 2014.   

The printers which are essentially launched for business are sure to evoke some interest in the tech fraternity.  For one, the printer can be used without without a PC. The all new ten Smart MultiXpress models come with a  10.1-inch touchscreen panel to search and print from web browsers, emails, maps, images and so on.

At the first impression the printers look neat and very user friendly. According to Samsung, these printers will help businesses stay efficient and productive with speedy document processing. At the press event, Mark Ash, General Manager, Print Division, Samsung Electronics UK and Ireland said, “Samsung’s concept printers are designed to be simple, mobile and quick to use. We developed our design concept printers to apply the mobile printing trend in the home and office and the increasing trend for eco-friendly technology. We are excited to be able to deliver a new printing experience for small businesses and home offices alike.”

The printers are available in four categories: The X4300 series of A4 Colour MFPs, K4350 series of A3 Monochrome MFPs, M5370 series of A4 Monochrome MFPs and the M4580 series of A4 Monochrome MFPs.

These printers are also NFC-enabled and offer compatibility with Samsung’s XOA printing platform and Samsung Cloud Print. This means, users can print documents remotely via phones and other mobile devices.

The company hasn’t disclosed the pricing and availability.

A Chromecast-like streaming dongle from Snapdeal called TEEWE available for preorder at Rs.1999.00 ($34.00)

If you have ever dreamed of owning a Chromecast but found its price bit expensive (Chromecast is priced at Rs.3300.00 upwards), Snapdeal has just launched Teewe, a desi version or a Chromecast-like dongle that can stream media from the Internet to your TV. Teewe hooks up with your TV through the HDMI port and can be controlled through dedicated App just like Google’s Chromecast and its cheaper than the Chromecast. Snapdeal is retailing Teewe dongle is priced at Rs.1900.00 ($34.00).  Teewe has been developed as a flagship product by Bangalore-based startup MangoMan Consumer Electronics.

Feature wise, Teewe is similar to Chromecast and lets you stream content from the web such as YouTube videos, and also access movies, photos and music stored on your PC if you are connected to the same Wi-Fi network for both Teewe and your PC. 

Like Google Chromecast, Teewe too is controlled by the Teewe App that has to be downloaded on your phone before playing content on your TV.  Teewe App gathers data from your smartphone, YouTube and other connected media accounts.  It also lets you access the media saved on your PC provided you are on same network. You can control the sound, play and and pause videos from the comfort of your sofa or couch. 

There’s also a ‘TV shows’ section that lets you catch up on the TV shows you’ve missed. Snapdeal says that the device works with Android and iOS,Windows and Mac operating systems but thus far the website of Teewe lists only an Android App.  Teewe is available here for pre-order on Snapdeal here.

Coming to the hardware part, the Teewe dongle is powered by a dual-core ARM Cortex A9 processor which clocks 1.5GHz and a DDR 3 RAM of 1GB. The configuration is pretty nifty for this device and Snapdeal is also giving an HDMI extension cable and a micro-USB charger along with the Teewe dongle. 

You can take a sneek peak at Teewe below if you are interested in buying Teewe.

HTC announces a mid range 4G LTE Android smartphone called HTC Desire 510

Taiwanese smartphone manufacturers HTC have announced their new mid range smartphone offering today.  Called HTC Desire 510 this will be the first mid range phone to support 4G, though final price of the handset has not been revealed by HTC. The affordable price may lure many customers but not much can be said at this stage regarding its market performance.  HTC which was one the top Android smartphone maker has been gradually losing its market share to Samsung world over.  The HTC official blog speaks of very promising specs but only time will foretell the future of Desire 510

HTC says the Desire 510 will be available in “selected regions in Europe and Asia as well as through select carriers in the US”  but as said above, there’s no word on the exact price yet.

The HTC Desire 510 which will have a 4.7 inch FWVGA screen, giving a resolution of  854 x 480 pixels.  It will run on Qualcomm's latest quad-core 1.2 GHz Snapdragon™ 410 processor.  It will have 1GB RAM and will be powered by a 2100 mAh battery. 

It will have an internal memory of 8GB with a microSD card slot for future expansion upto 128GB.  It will feature HTC's signature Sense UI and BlinkFeed™, and will be available in two colours, Terra White and Meridian Grey. 

Quick peek of new HTC Desire 510

MODEL	HTC DESIRE 510
OPERATING SYSTEM(OS)	Android KitKat with HTC Sense UI6.0
Display	4.7Inch FWVGA touch screen with854X480pixel
PROCESSOR	2 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 410
RAM	1 GB RAM and 2,100 mAh battery
STORAGE CAPACITY	8 GB internal storage and expandable Via  microSD  upto 128 GB
CONNECTIVITY	4G LTE, WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, DLNA, micro USB 2.0, HTC Connect, GPS with GLONASS
CAMERA	5 Mega Pixel Rear Camera and a VGA front Camera

Apple's iPhone 6 to be available for pre-order on 12th September, complete roundup of leaks and rumours of iPhone 6

With the most technical glitches save the screen snag fixed, Apple is most likely to announce the iPhone 6 on 9th September and will probable make it available for pre-order on September 12th.  The latest offering from Cupertino based company will have a larger screen than its predecessors iPhone 5s and 5c as many experts expect it to unveil the new iPhone 6 with both 4.7 inch (11.94 cm) and 5.5 inch (13.97 cm) screens.  

The 4.7″ inch iPhone screen will have a  HD resolution of approx. 1334 x 750 (332 ppi) and the 5.5″ inch model will have a HD resolution of 1920 x1080 (400 ppi).  Though this article is based on leaks and rumours, but expect many of the rumours to be true as was the case with iPhone 5c and 5s. iPhone 6 is to continue the colour coding used in iPhone 5s, it will be available in three stunning colours, viz Champagne, Space grey and Silver.  

As seen from the above image, one can notice a larger camera which in turn suggests higher resolution for iPhone 6.   The sources iPhone App development unit claim that iPhone will feature a all new A8 chip with a quad-core 64 bit-processor.  Remember, iPhone 5s sported a all new A7 chip with 64-bit processor.  This new chip is expected to  revolutionize the entire gaming industry for iPhone app development within the iPhone environment allowing them to bring more details and power to their games.  On the memory front, iPhone 6 is supposed to have three versions, 16GB, 64GB and 128GB internal memory.  There is no 32GB version.

The iPhone 6 will be unimaginably thin as per the rumours.  The new version are expected to be as thick as 6.2 mm. While the new iPhone may be super cool and super thin, it is going to be a very expensive smartphone in the market, keeping in tradition with the old Apple products. The 16GB version is expected to be $649,99 US, while the higher models such as the 32GB at $749.99 US and finally the 64GB at $849.99 US.

Another new concept being tried by Apple this time around with iPhone 6 is different sizes and chargers.  Apple is completely recasting the charges and it is expected to bump up the battery life of iPhone 6.

Apple is said to be facing snags at the screen manufacturing facility. Two supply chain sources said display panel production suffered a setback after the backlight that helps illuminate the screen had to be revised, putting screen assembly on hold for part of June and July. One said Apple, aiming for the thinnest phone possible, initially wanted to cut back to a single layer of backlight film, instead of the standard two layers, for the 4.7-inch screen, which went into mass production ahead of the 5.5-inch version.

Come September, and the iPhone 6 unveiling will be the most watched news in the world.

India's First Firefox OS powered Spice Fire One launched in India for Rs.2299.00

India is getting its first Firefox operating system run smartphone from Spice.  Called Spice Fire One, this smartphone will be available in India for Rs.2299.00 ($39.00).  

Mozilla’s Firefox OS had created quite a buzz when it was first showcased in February 2012 but was panned by techies at Mobile World Congress 2013 including tech blog CNET. When it was first announced, many smartphone manufacturers including Sony and Samsung were interested in carrying the Firefox on their products but nothing really worked out.  Telefónica launched the first commercial Firefox OS based phone, ZTE Open for $90.00 (Rs.5400.00), in Spain which was quickly followed by GeeksPhone's Peak+ which was marketed for $197.00 (Rs.11600.00).  However Firefox run smartphones  as a smartphone didnt create the buzz in terms of sales in many markets like India. In many ways it remained a developers OS and smartphone with only geeks to cater to.  

At Mobile World Congress 2014, Mozilla had announced plans to give a blueprint for any phone maker to make $25 Firefox OS smartphones  Spice became the first company in India to latch on to that offer and announced Spice Fire One, priced at Rs.2299.00.

Spice Fire One is a low specced entry level dual SIM smartphone and is meant to give users the basic experience without being too much geeky but at this price its a steal and will manage to have a major churn in the mobile prices in India.  It has a 3.5-inch HVGA screen and will be powered by a 1GHz processor. Spice has not divulged the internal storage capacity, RAM or the battery capacity.  Spice Fire One will feature a  2MP rear camera and a 1.3MP front shooter. 

It should have an expansion slot, however the external memory supported by the device has not been mentioned by Spice.  For connectivity it will have 2G Edge, Bluetooth and WiFi. Firefox OS is based on HTML5 and will offer Adaptive App Search or the Single Window Search.  It is also expected to be come pre-loaded with almost all web based Apps like Facebook, Twitter etc.  It supports Indian languages like Hindi, Tamil and Bengali.  Firefox has a dedicated marketplace from where users can download Apps.

Sneak peek at Spice Fire One Mi – FX 1 

• 3.5-inch (320 x 480 pixels) HVGA capacitive touch screen
• Dual SIM (2G + 2G)
• 1 GHz Processor
• 2MP rear camera
• 1.3MP front-facing camera
• 2G (EDGE), Wi-Fi, Bluetooth

The Spice Fire One Mi – FX 1 will be available for order from 29th August, 2014 exclusively on Snapdeal.  Spice later will make it available in all major retail stores, Spice HotSpot stores and Saholic. 

Microsofts cheapest Lumia 530 available in India for Rs.7349.00 with Windows 8.1 onboard

For all the Lumia and Windows 8.1 fans, Microsoft has officially launched its cheapest Lumia series smartphone, Lumia 530 on its official India store for Rs 7349.00 ($122.00). 

The Lumia 530 will have dual-SIM 3G support and a 4 inch FWVGA LCD screen which will give you 854 x 480 pixels resolution.  Lumia 530 will run on a 1.2GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 200 processor and have 512MB RAM.  It has internal storage capacity of 4GB and supports extended 128GB via micro SD card slot.

Lumia 530 has a 1430mAh battery which will give upto  22 days standby and 13 hours of 2G talk time as per Microsoft website. For connectivity, Lumia 530 has HSPA+ 21Mbps/5.76Mbps, Wi-Fi (b/g/n), Bluetooth 4.0 and micro-USB for PC transfer.

The real damper is that it will only sport a 5MP rear camera which is a shame for smart phones of this day and age.  This and the fact that it has only 512 MB RAM is likely to a bit too much for the prospective buyers even though it is the cheapest Lumia available. Motorola E which runs on Android and has 1GB RAM is available for Rs.7000.00 in India.  

However for those who are interested in owning a Lumia, the Lumia 530 will run the latest version of Windows Phone 8.1 and comes with features such as the one-swipe notification from Action Center, and the fast Word Flow keyboard. Users will also get an additional 15 GB of free cloud storage on Microsoft OneDrive. It is available in four colours, green, dark grey, white and orange.

Microsoft is offering free 500MB 2G/3G data package worth Rs.250.00 in collaboration with Airtel and this offer valid till 31st Oct, 2014.  At present the Microsoft website says that the Lumia 530 is out of stock.  Below are the detailed specs of Lumia 530.

General features

Sales package

Nokia Lumia 530 Dual SIM, Nokia Charger AC-18, Nokia Battery BL-5J, Quick guide

Model name

Nokia Lumia 530

Input type

Touch Screen

Form factor

BAR

Handset colors

Green

Camera

Primary camera

Yes, 5 MP

Video recording

Yes, 30 fps

Call records

Yes

Memory

Phonebook

Yes

Internal memory

Yes, 4 GB

Expandable memory

Yes, 128 GB

Card slot

Yes

Card slot type

MicroSD

Multimedia & entertainment

Music player

Yes

Supported format

3G2, 3GP, AAC, AAC LC, AMR-NB, FR, HE-AAC v1, HE-AAC v2, M4A, MP3, MP4, WMA, WMA 10 Pro, WMA 9, 3GPP formats (H.263), AVI, H.264/AVC, M4V, MOV, MP4, MPEG-4, VC-1, WMV

Video player

Yes

Fm radio

Yes

Games

Yes

Messaging

Yes

Mms

Yes

Platform

Operating system

Windows Phone 8.1

Processor speed

1.2 Ghz

Processor

Snapdragon 200

Processor type

Quad-core

Phone size

Dimensions (lxbxh)

119.7 x 62.3 x 11.7 mm

Weight

129 gm

Battery

Battery type

BL-5J

Talk time

13.4 (2G), 10 (3G) hrs

Standby time

22 Days

Internet & connectivity

Email

Yes

Browser

Yes

Wlan

Yes

Wlan class

IEEE 802.11 b/g/n

Gprs

Yes

Bluetooth

Yes

Bluetooth class

v4.0

2g network

Yes, 900/1800/850/1900

3g network

900/2100

Wi-fi

Yes

Usb

Yes, micro USB 2.0 High-Speed

Gps

Yes

Audio jack

3.5 mm

Java

Yes

Maps

Yes, Here Drive Plus , Bing Maps

Display

Touch screen

Yes

Screen size

10.16 cm

Screen resolution

854 x 480 Pixels

Colors

24 bits

Sounds

Ringtones & alert types

Vibration/MP3/WAV Ringtones

Loudspeaker

Yes

Sim type

Gsm

Yes

Dual sim

Yes

Warranty

Warranty

1 Year Manufacturer Warranty

ADATA XPG series Z1 DDR4 RAM modules to be available in India, Rs 7,400 for 4GB and Rs 14,900 for 8GB kit

World's top RAM module maker, ADATA Technologies has announced its XPG series DDR4 RAM modules for Indian market. As per the press statement issued by ADATA, it will offer 4GB and 8GB kits at Rs.7400.00 and 14900.00 respectively with a lifetime warranty.  The XPG Z1 DDR4 RAM modules will be available whole over India through authorized distributors and channel partners of ADATA.

This news assumes significance because Intel will be launching its Haswell-E platform and it is already showcasing its X99 boards through various mediums.  The Intel X99 which has a new socket and chipset, will need a new RAM kit to fill in.  As per ADATA, the XPG Z1 RAM modules will support the latest Intel Haswell E platform.   

RAM modules are must a for gamers and  overclockers because they let you get the full potential of the system. The XPG Z1 can reach speeds upto 2800MHz with timings of CL 17-17-17 and can handle transfer bandwidth upto 22GB per second. ADATA has also brought down the operating voltage of the DDR4 RAM modules from 1.5V to 1.2V making it energy efficient.

The XPG Z1 modules will be available in red and uses Thermal Conductive Technology and 10-layer PCBs and the chips in the XPG Z1 are in contact with the heatsinks directly helping keep the heating under control.

The speed of 2800 MHz comes at a price because the older ADATA XPG 4GB DDR3 1600MHz module was available in India for Rs 2800.00 while ADATA will be pricing the new modules at double the cost at Rs.7400.00.  But hardcore gamers and overclockers would know the difference that the extra 1200 MHz will give them.

If you are interested in buying this RAM module visit the ADATA website here to get more details about the channel partners.

GoTenna the new device to turn your Android or iOS device into a hifi walkie talkie

For all you gadget enthusiasts here is a new device called goTenna which may interest you. This particular device turns your Android or iOS run devices as walkie talkie even when there is no network. In fact this device can be great help for outdoor adventure seekers and sportsmen who like trekking, hiking or for homemakers who need to keep in touch with their maids and baby sitters.

These device pairs wirelessly via bluetooth  with Android and iOS devices via a  ‘’go tenna” App  and  turns your mobile devices to works as a walkie-Talkie even when there is no mobile coverage. In case if phone happens die, you can send messages along with location map to your  device paired partner. 

All together it allows you to send and receive messages, share map locations using GPS using low-frequency radio-waves over range up to 80 km.  The device is rectangular portable size and easy to carry. It is priced around $199.00 (Rs.12000.00).  The device is powered by a Li-ion battery which packs enough power to last about 72 hours and 150 days in standby mode.

"With goTenna, you can send messages to anyone within range who also has the device during an emergency," its developers, Brooklyn-based team of Daniela Perdomo and Jorge Perdomo, said in a statement on their website.

• Key app features
• ·         Send & receive text messages for free
• ·         Share locations on detailed offline maps
• ·         Instantaneous transmission within range
• ·         Automatic message retry & delivery confirmation
• ·         Individual & group messaging
• ·         ”Shout” broadcasts to anyone within range
• ·         Proximal friend map & location pinging
• ·         Emergency chat
• ·         End-to-end encryption (RSA-1024) & self destructing messages

·         Compatible with iOS & Android

• Key hardware specs 
• ·         Antenna
• ·         2-watt radio
• ·         Flash memory good for 1000’s of messages
• ·         Rechargeable Lithium-ion battery
• ·         Micro-USB connector
• ·         BluetoothLE data interface
• ·         Status indicator lights
• ·         Nylon attachment strap
• ·         Water-resistant
• ·         Dust-tight

If you are interested in this device developed by GoTenna Inc, visit their website here and get it now.  The website is offering a discount of 50 % for early supporters.

Sony Xperia C3 and Xperia C3 Dual Selfie-Focused Smartphones launched, check out the specs

Are you into big time updating selfies on social media? Do you love experimenting with selfies?  If you are, here is the all in one solution from Sony called Sony's Xperia C3. Sony Xperia C3 is a smart phone which specifically targets selfie lovers.

Once, the popular smart phone makers, Sony, which has been suffering a market lag, has come up with a new device keeping in mind, the new all generation trend SELFIES. The Selfies are so much a trend that US President Barrack Obama couldn’t resist posting his selfie.  Sensing the trend only last week, Crunchfish released a touchless selfie App for iOS devices.  Now Sony has officially launched Xperia C3 today and Sony says its "the world's best selfie smartphone."

The word selfie made it to the Oxford Dictionary in 2013 with a definition as referring to a picture taken of yourself, alone or friends. A selfie taken with your friends is known as a Groupie. Now to keep up with this latest trend and to survive in a competitive smart phone market, Sony has introduced a Sony Xperia C3 with front camera of 5 Mega pixel camera with LED flash.  Sony says that this camera can help you to take pictures even in compromised lightings. Xperia C3 will come with  pre loaded selfie camera Apps. These Apps will allow users to edit the pic, add graphics, add filters etc.  It also has a Time shift-burst which allows you to take 31 frames in seconds and helps you to choose the best one to upload on social media.

Calum MacDougall, Director of Xperia Marketing at Sony Mobile Communications stated in Sony’s official blog- that, “Xperia C3 is a unique new smartphone from Sony, created to offer the ultimate social sharing experience with a new powerful ‘PROselfie cam’. It also presents a combination of the best of Sony, with leading digital imaging technology and brilliant specs and performance all for a mid-range price.”

The Xperia C3 features a 5.5-inch HD (720x1280 pixel) Triluminos display supported by Bravia Engine 2 and is powered by a 1.2GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor coupled with Adreno 305 GPU and 1GB of RAM.

Device will be available in 3 colours,black,white and mint which would stand out in the crowd and become a status symbol.

MODEL	SONY XPERIA C3
DISPLAY	5.5” HD IPS display optimised with BRAVIA® technology.7.6mm Thin and weighs 150gm
PROCESSOR	Qualcomm Snapdragon 1.2 GHz quad-core processor. BatteryStamina Mode-Helps battery lost long by auto detecting if display is not being used by you and  auto turning off functions you are not using.
RAM	1 GB
STORAGE CAPACITY	Inbuilt 8 GB,Expandable upto 32 GB via MicoSD
CONNECTIVITY	4G LTE, Bluetooth 4.0, Wi-Fi, GPS, GLONASS, Wi-Fi, and USB charging. Dual Sim
CAMERA	5 MP front camera with soft LED flash and a 25 mm wide-angle lens, designed specifically for selfies. Rear camera-8 MP snapper featuring SteadyShot to help shoot smoother videos
Other Features	Soft LED and Superior Auto feature for front camera,which helps you take perfect selfies irrespective of lighting condition.

Introduction Video

Samsung launches Samsung Galaxy S5 Mini, Russians to get it first, rest of the world to follow

Samsung today launched abridged version of its flagship Samsung Galaxy S5 called S5 Mini.  Samsung has not managed to capture the imagination of the smart phone buyer with its flagship and this is a attempt to bring a cheaper, smaller version of S5 to its buyers and thereby resurrect its flagging fortunes.

S5 Mini has got all the trade mark features from its parent device Samsung Galaxy s5 like the IP67 certification for its display which means completely dust proof and water proof. The S5 Mini too can be submerged in water up to  1 meter for almost 30min in water.  It will also have the heart rate monitor and and S5 trademark fingerprint scanner at its home button.  Apart from typical parental features, it got few downsides to it as well,  go through the chart to get complete specs.

Availability and price has not been officially mentioned by Samsung but our digging up gives an idea that Samsung mini will be available in market may be from mid July globally and it will be rolled out in Russia starting of this month. Our research says that pricing will be approximately $ 750 (Rs.45000.00) which seems pretty expensive given that it will be only a mini version of S5.

Our reading is that at the above price, the success of Samsung S5 Mini is bound to be hampered.  The reason behind this is that there are lot of makes with better specs available in the market for a cheaper price.  

Anyways, for those who are interested in the S5 Mini, it will be availble in 4 colour varients-Charcoal Black, Shimmery White, Electric Blue and Copper Gold

Here is a quick peek on Samsung mini specs

MODEL	SAMSUNG S 5 MINI
OS	Android 4.4 KitKat
DISPLAY	4.5 HD Super AMOLED screen of 720p resolution.   Measures 131.1 x 64.8 x 9.1 and weighs 120g
PROCESSOR	1.4 GHz  quad-core processor 2,100 mAh battery.
RAM	1.5GB
STORAGE CAPACITY	16GB with microSd slot to increase the memory if needed.
CAMERA	8MP Rear Camera and 2.1 MP front camera
OTHER FEATURES	Ultra Power Saving Mode and Kids Mode, fingerprint and heart rate sensors