Samsung's Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge:The best samsung's smartphones ever

   At the MWC 2016 ,Samsung is back with their flagships samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge.These phones are  the successors of previous years Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge.The s7 comes with 5.1-inch whereas S7 Edge comes with a slightly larger display with 5.5-inches.Both the phones have super AMOLED QHD 2560x1440 display.

    The Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge is powered with 1.6GHz octa-core and it comes with 4GB of RAM.The phone packs 32GB of internal storage that can be expanded up to 200GB via a microSD card.As far as the cameras are concerned.the Samsung galaxy S7 Edge packs a 12-megapixel primary camera  and a 5-megapixel front snapper for better selfies.

   It runs Android 6.0 Marshmallow and is powered with 3600mAh non removable battery.It measures 150.9 x72.6 x7.7 (height x width x thickness)and weighs 157 grams.

  The most stunning feature is both the phones are dustproof and waterproof of up to 1.5 meters for a maximum of 30minutes.It doesn't change the fingerprint sensor as well and overall the refinement of design of S6 would have been most attracting feature.The entire body is metal and glass finished which gives user a better on-hands expeiance.

   The Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge is a dual sim(GSM and GSM) smartphone.Connectivity options Wifi,GPS,Bluetooth,NFC,3G,4G.Sensors on the phone include Proximity sensor,Ambient light sensor,Accelerometer and Gyroscope.

The price of Samsung Galaxy S7 is Rs 48900/-

The price of Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge is Rs 56900/-
 

Vivo Xplay5:The first smartphone with 6GB RAM

The Brazilian smartphone makers are acquiring the smartphone market across the globe.Recently a Brazilian smartphone maker Vivo announced the world's first smartphone powered with 6GB RAM.It has the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor and Adreno 530 GPU and comes with the integrated non-expandable 128GB storage right out of the box.

     The 6'0 Inch mobile has the dual-curved display with AMOLED QHD 2560x1440 from which users will get better viewing angle from both sides of the screen.It comes with a whopping 4300mAh battery.

      As long as camera feature is concerned-Android phone to have 16mp rear camera with dual LED flash with extra add-on like phase detection AF plus an 8mp snapper at front for better selfies.

     It has the fingerprint sensor on back  with stunning design and the expected price of Vivo Xplay5 in India falls  between the range of 30-35k. 

      

 Galaxy S6 Edge Would Have Been The Right Throwback From Samsung

The Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge is a bit of a mouthful.I get that Samsung thinks this is a phone for the early adopters, that the added expense the next level screen technology will be prohibitively expensive at a time when the brand needs to get the basics right.

I guess I understand that... but hold this up down the pub and people will be desperate to take a look at your new SpacePhone. If Samsung had wanted to make a big splash with its flagship handset this year, the S6 Edge would have been the one to throw the spotlight on.

It's essentially just the Samsung Galaxy S6 but with slightly bent edges. It's 7mm thick, so fractionally less thin than the main version, but it's also lighter and has a 50mAh larger battery. 

I'll admit, the S6 Edge is ever so slightly less ergonomic to hold, as where the curved edges taper into the chassis is a little sharp, where the S6 is smoother and nicer to use in that respect.

But this is a very light phone, and is primarily screen across the front. It manages the very clever trick of being able to fit a massive screen (5.1-inch) into a frame around the size of an iPhone 6, which should settle the need for many to decide between a compact handset and one with a larger display to play with.

The camera protrudes slightly from the back, as Samsung has packed in an advanced sensor and didn't want to compromise on the specs to get to a thin, flat back.

But the main thing you'll feel when you pick up the Edge is just how premium it feels. Its curves blend perfectly with the chassis, and the combination of metal and glass really works well to convince that you that this phone is worth paying for.

It's going to be expensive, so elements like a translucent back in a variety of colours really help sell that ideal.

The display is something to behold. It's definitely the next generation compared the Galaxy Note Edge, for instance. That phone looked lopsided and the 'spine' screen looked like it was tacked on later.

With the S6 Edge, both sides of the screen are more subtle, not quite reaching to the bottom of the chassis to make it seem like the whole front is just well-designed.

It's also very impressive that this phone manages to pack QHD resolution into the smaller display and bend it at the sides. Although you could ask what those curves are actually for beyond a headline grabber.

It'd be a fair question to ask too. The Galaxy S6 Edge has a great screen, and things like being able to control the video player without having have the controls wipe across the main display are cool but not necessarily game changers.

This is a phone that does have some reasons to use the curved edges, but perhaps not enough to convince you to spend more than just buying the main Galaxy S6.

It's still here, but Samsung's overlay has at least been refined. Plus it comes with some nifty abilities to make use of the curved sides of the Edge.

For instance, when the phone is flipped on its front the sides will glow a specific colour when one of your favourite contacts calls in, so you can see who it is without having to turn the Edge over.

It's basically the same as having a notification light on the back, which doesn't sound that exciting when you say it in such a way.

However, sliding from the edge of the screen does allow you to get access to your favourite people anywhere in the phone, and apparently pick up things like missed calls and messages from the same people.

I assume the same touches from the Galaxy Note Edge will make their way over to this phone - this means being able to control your music at the side while still using the phone to browse Facebook, for example.

The TouchWiz interface has been cleaned up to be a little flatter and easier to use, with fewer menus and dialogue boxes to annoy you. It's still too garish and cartoony, but it's done some growing up in the last year.

MODULAR SMARTPHONES PROJECT ARA IS FINALLY COMING  OUT
                           

Project Ara, effort to bring to life a modular phone that you put together like Lego bricks, is coming to Puerto Rico in a pilot later this year.

At its second Project Ara Developer Conference on Google’s campus in Mountain View , Project Ara director Paul Eremenko discussed Google’s go-to-MARKET plans. Instead of putting it out there for everybody, Google is more comfortable doing a pilot. “We have a variety of unanswered questions, and the only way to get answers is to get actual data,” said Eremenko at the event.

Why Puerto Rico? According to Google, it chose Puerto Rico for its strong mobile penetration–75 percent of the population’s initial access to the Internet comes through phones. Puerto Rico has designated free TRADE zones where Google can import modules from around the world. The marketplace for mobile carriers is also diverse with competitors ranging from local, US-based and Latin America carriers. Google is working with two carriers: local carrier Open Mobile and Claro, a subsidiary of América Móvil, the largest mobile services provider in Latin America.

Eremenko talked about the need to get information around how to sell the unusual idea of a modular phone to the public. “Consumers actually crave choice, but when presented with choice, they seize up–and when they make a choice, they frequently have remorse about making the wrong one,” said Eremenko. “Ara is full of choices. We have to carefully curate and manage the experience. We have a variety of hypothesis, but we need to test them in the field.”

One way Google is approaching selling the smartphone modules in Puerto Rico is through a roving van using the food cart model. “We want to create a flexible retail experience,” said Eremenko. “We’re designing a food truck as a retail vehicle for the market pilot.”

Although Google was vague about listing what any of this is going to cost, it has in the past stated it’s planning the basic phone frame to cost as low as $50. From there, you can add in memory, application processors, cameras, sensors to create any smartphone to your liking. At the conference, Google said it would have 20 to 30 modules available for purchase when Project Ara officially launches. Google will roll out both online and physical retail locations for purchasing these modules.

Google is busy trying to recruit developers for making the hardware modules. To date, Project Ara has rallied 50 developers to its platform. Chipmakers such as Marvell, Nvidia and Rockchip are working on modules.

Google has captured a lot of attention so far with its Project Ara project. The idea of being able to buy modules to incrementally upgrade your phone could reduce a lot of unnecessary costs and waste associated with having the latest and greatest in smartphone technology.

NEARLY 70 PERCENT OF AMERICANS ARE NOT INTERESTED IN  BUYING APPLE'S WATCH 

                         

Apple Inc's new smartwatch may be a tough sell,with 69 percent of Americans indicating they are not interested in buying the gadget, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll.

However, the survey also showed limited awareness of the watch. The poll was taken after Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook rolled out the product on Monday, and only about half of respondents said they had heard news of the timepiece in the last few days.

Also, in an encouraging sign for Apple, roughly 13 percent of survey respondents who did not own an iPhone said that they would consider buying one in order to buy an Apple Watch, which needs an iPhone to work fully.

Apple overcame scepticism about the iPad and iPod when they first debuted, but the survey suggests that the world’s largest technology company has work to do to make the watch ubiquitous.

The new watch, a test of Cook’s leadership, is the company’s first new product in five years, and it hits stores on April 24.

It allows users to check email, listen to music and make phone calls from their wrist. Apple will sell various versions, from a $349 ‘sport’ edition to a $17,000 18-karat GOLD timepiece.

Ipsos surveyed 1,245 Americans online between March 9 and March 13. The data was weighted to reflect the U.S. population and has a credibility interval of plus or minus 3.2 percentage points. For poll details see: polling.reuters.com

Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the poll. More than half of respondents, 52 percent, agreed with the statement that smartwatches are a “passing fad.”

One-quarter of respondents said they were interested in purchasing the Apple Watch, but 69 percent said they had no desire, and 6 percent said they were unsure.

Initial demand for the watch is expected to come primarily from existing iPhone users, but its wider success is seen depending on whether developers create enticing apps tailored to the device, so-called killer apps.

Apple is among several large tech companies looking to jumpstart a new market for “wearable” electronic devices. Samsung Electronics, Sony Corp and LG Electronics have all released their own smartwatches, many of them powered by software developed by Internet company Google Inc. See graphic: link.reuters.com/gak82w.

But consumers have yet to cotton to the notion of wearable devices. Google recently halted sales to consumers of Glass, a $1,500 screen attached to glasses which were routinely mocked for their awkward appearance.

Roughly 4.6 million smartwatches were sold globally in 2014, according to research firm Strategy Analytics, a fraction of the more than 1 billion smartphones sold worldwide.

Many in the tech industry hope that Apple, famous for its marketing savvy and loyal fans, will have the power to transform the smartwatches into a product that appeals to the general public. Some 46 percent of respondents said that the Apple Watch had a “cool factor.” But only 29 percent said they were more interested in purchasing an Apple Watch than another brand of smartwatch.

Analysts expect that Apple will sell between 10 million and 32 million watches in 2015.

WhatsApp rolls out 'voice calling' feature for Android users

After multiple flip-flops, WhatsApp has finally released the voice-calling feature for all Android users. You will need to download version 2.11.528 from the Play Store or version 2.11.531 from the WhatsApp website.

According to AndroidPolice, the voice-calling can be activated is by receiving a call from someone whose voice-calling is already activated. After you get the call, you need to close and then reopen the app. After that, instead of seeing the most recent chats, you will get three tabs namely Calls, Chats and Contacts. The call tab shows incoming, outgoing and missed calls at the precise times.

This time around WhatsApp has decided to keep the invite-window open for longer duration. Unlike some weeks back when WhatsApp had kept the invite-window open only for a couple of hours.

WhatsApp has been beta-testing the voice-calling feature for quite a while now. We had earlier seen, how WhatsApp was testing this calling feature in India. A Reddit userpradnesh07, even got the feature activated on his phone. According to the images posted, users who receive the voice-calling feature will notice an icon for it, beside the Chats and Contacts tabs. The call interface seems to quite similar to a smartphone’s contact directory. The app keeps a record of recent WhatsApp calls as well.

Last week we read about a malware which was promising access to the WhatsApp voice-calling feature. According to the Daily Star, if users clicked on a link, they were taken to another website where they were asked to take a survey on behalf of the popular messaging service. However, the survey forces people to download applications and software that might contain dangerous malware.

Countering the Surface Pro 3  up against the new MacBook     

 

Apple wowed the world this week. Yes, there's apparently some sort of wrist-based timepiece or something, but that's not what I'm talking about. Apple also unveiled the new MacBook line Monday, and it looks like a very impressive, well-engineered laptop. So, how does the new MacBook stack up against the Surface Pro 3?

Well, let's take a closer look at that.

Apple's new MacBook is very thin. It's barely more than half an inch thick at its bulkiest end. The front edge is almost like a knife edge at just 0.14 inches. The footprint is 11.04 inches by 7.74 inches. The MacBook is also very light at just two pounds.

That all sounds very impressive until you look at the Surface Pro 3. The Surface Pro 3 has a slightly larger footprint -- 11.5 inches by 7.93 inches. However, it's only 0.36 inches thick across the whole device and weighs only 1.76 pounds. If you add a Type keyboard cover -- which you should, to keep things fair -- the Surface Pro 3 becomes 0.56 inches thick and the weight climbs to 2.4 pounds.

The new MacBook has a 12-inch Retina display with a resolution of 2304 x 1440. That's not too shabby. The Surface Pro 3 also has a 12-inch display. Its resolution is a little lower at just 2160 x 1440, but the Surface Pro 3 display is also touchscreen-enabled and comes with a Surface Pen for handwriting, drawing, and other input.

The new MacBook uses a less powerful Intel Core M processor, while the Surface Pro 3 line is built on a 4th generation Intel Core i3, i5, or i7 processor, depending on which model you choose. The two devices claim similar battery life, and both have 802.11ac Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.0 support. They both have cameras, but the MacBook has only a front-facing 480p FaceTime camera, while the Surface Pro 3 has front and rear-facing 5 megapixel cameras.

When it comes to ports and expandability, the Surface Pro 3 wins. The new MacBook has only two ports -- an audio jack for headphones and a USB-C port. The USB-C port can be used for charging, USB devices, or connecting an external display. There's only one port, though, so if you want to do all three of those things at once, you'll need an additional dongle that costs $80.00 (USD).

The Surface Pro 3 has an audio jack for headphones in addition to a USB 3.0 port, mini DisplayPort, and a microSD memory card slot. The Surface Pro 3 also includes a variety of features and functions lacking in the MacBook, such as an accelerometer, gyroscope, and magnetometer.            

     

What about price? The new MacBook is $1,299 for the 256 GB model, and $1,599 for a version with a 512 GB SSD. Tack on the extra $80 for the USB-C dongle, and you'll pay $1,379 and $1,679.

The Surface Pro 3 starts at $799 for a Core i3 model with only 64 GB of storage. That's not exactly apples to apples, though. The Intel Core i5 Surface Pro 3 with 256 GB SSD costs $1,299 -- the same as the MacBook. You have to add on the $129 for the Type keyboard cover as well, though, so it's $1,429.

You have to spend $1,949 to get the Core i7 Surface Pro 3 if you want a 512 GB SSD, so the 512 GB MacBook is a much better deal. On the other hand, you can add 128 GB of storage to the 256 GB Surface Pro 3 with a microSD card for under $100.                                                                           

For the most part, the two end up fairly even. There's a little give and take in the specs and capabilities, but in general, they're very similar -- all the way down to the cost. It basically boils down to spending $1,379 for the MacBook or $50 more for an equivalent Surface Pro 3.                                

Of course, the Surface Pro 3 can also be reclined to virtually any angle on its kickstand or detached from the Type keyboard cover and used as a tablet. I highly recommend that you don't try to do that with a new MacBook.

Your move, Microsoft. How are you going to raise the bar with the Surface Pro 4? What will Microsoft need to include on the next iteration of its tablet to win you over? Let us know in the discussion thread below.