Thursday, September 29, 2016
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This is how surgical strikes are conducted at mid night by Indian Army
Indian army's surgical strikes across the Line of Control against terrorists prepping for attacks in India were conducted after midnight on Wednesday and went on till 4.30 am
The strikes were conducted upto 3 km in Pakistani territory, army sources have said.
Eight terrorist launch pads were targeted across different sectors. These camps had been under surveillance for about a week.
The army said there were "massive casualties of terrorists, their guides and handlers." Sources say India has evidence of damage inflicted, which will be released when appropriate.
"Our forces have gone deep in and come back before sunrise," government sources said.
A combination of ground forces and helicopter-borne troops were involved in the strikes.
According to the army, the terrorists were planning major attacks in Jammu and Kashmir and in metros.
All forces along the Line of Control including the Indian Air Force have been kept on high alert.
Villages near the border in Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab are being vacated as a precaution.
Home Minister Rajnath Singh spoke to Chief Ministers and senior political leaders and briefed them on the strikes.
The government has informed the President, Vice President and former prime minister Manmohan Singh about the surgical strikes.
Google Pixel and Pixel XL: Specs, price, screen size, news and rumours about Google's new Android smartphones
The search giant has nixed the Nexus brand for its 2016 smartphone - here's everything we know about the upcoming iPhone 7 rivals
Google is set to reveal two new phones next week that will offer an alternative to Apple's popular iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus.
The search giant has been producing its own Android-based phones for the last few years under the "Nexus" brand - but that looks set to change.
According to the latest rumours, Google is planning to ditch the Nexus brand in favour of the Pixel moniker. In the past, the company has used the Pixel name on its tablet and laptop products.
Early rumours suggest the Pixel and Pixel XL phones could be revealed in early October.
Google
Nexus 6P
Although they won't be manufactured directly by Google the company will oversee the entire design process to help it integrate with Android's latest software as closely as possible.
Now the iPhone 7 launch has been and gone, the internet rumour mill is churning out plenty of information on Google's next gadget. Here's what we know about it so far.
Latest news
A leaked image supposedly showing a finished render of the Google Pixel has given us our clearest look yet at the new phone.
It was posted on Twitter and tech site VentureBeat before being swiftly picked up and circulated around the rest of the tech industry press.
Release date
The unveiling for Google's new phones seems pretty clear cut - the company itself has just revealed a teaser video for an event on October 4th.
The video (see above) is a simple one: A standard horizontal search box slowly morphs inwards and upwards until it resembles the outline of a typical smartphone. Finally the date October 4 appears alongside Google's logo.
The caption to the video, posted on YouTube, simply reads "Something new to love on Oct 4."
As for the release date, things are a little murkier. Google will want to have the phones in store as soon as possible to compete with Apple's iPhone 7. Therefore it's reasonable to expect the new Pixel phones to land towards the end of October. If not, expect to see them around the first week of November.
Like the unveiling date, the name of the two new phones seem certain to be the Pixel and the Pixel XL. The Pixel will have 5-inch display, and the Pixel XL will come in at 5.5 inches.
“Speaking to two independent sources, we now strongly believe that Google's formerly-maybe-Nexus-phones, Marlin and Sailfish, will be marketed as the Pixel and the Pixel XL,” wrote David Ruddock fromAndroid Police .
While it's not yet confirmed who will be making the handsets, Android Police have suggested that HTC will behind both of the handsets, while other rumours have suggested it will be split between HTC and LG.
The only things to distinguish the Pixel from the Pixel XL will be screen and battery size, with both models boasting quad-core Qualcomm processors, 4GB of RAM, and 12-megapixel cameras.
By ditching the Nexus name, Google is no doubt trying to put more of its own stamp onto its smartphones.
There have even been suggestions that Google follow Apple's lead and take manufacturing completely in-house - so that it has complete control over the over the design and engineering of its devices, as well as the software.
Design
So far it seems unlikely that Google will follow Apple's lead and ditch the headphone jack on the bottom of its new phones.
In fact, leaked images supposedly showing the upcoming Pixel phones give us an idea of what to expect.
Both have a similar design to last year's well-received Nexus 6P albeit with a thinner bezel that means a near edge-to-edge display.
The images appeared on German site WinFuture and are believed to have come from a Hong Kong-based parts dealer.
Interestingly, some tech commentators are saying the phones will have a dual-lens camera similar to the iPhone 7 Plus.
Price
There are two schools of thought when it comes to the pricing for Google's next fleet of phones.
Firstly, it may follow Apple's model of simply swapping the new phones in to the existing prices. That would mean the Pixel would launch at £299 for the 16GB version and £339 for the 32GB model.
The Pixel XL meanwhile would take the place of the Nexus 6P at £449 for 16GB, £499 for 64GB and £579 for 128GB.
The second school of thought is that Google will up the premium-ness of its phones (as it did with the Pixel brand of Chromebook) and therefore raise prices. We're not sure what kind of prices that means, but it probably won't be cheap.
Specifications
One thing we do know about the new Pixel phones is they will ship with Google's latest version of Android. That means improved efficiency and (hopefully) better battery life.
Our friends at Alphr have an idea of what kind of power the new blowers will be packing.
"The Pixel XL will have a 5.5in 2,560 x 1,440 AMOLED display with a quad-core Qualcomm processor, 4GB of RAM, USB Type-C, rear-facing fingerprint reader, 12-megapixel rear camera and a 8-megapixel front-facing one. It will also have a beefy 3,450mAh battery and standard 32GB of storage, with the option to upgrade to a 128GB if needed," the site claims.
"The Pixel has similar specs, but it’s clearly the lower-end of the two flagships. It will sport a 5in Full HD AMOLED display, quad-core 2.0GHz 64-bit processor, 4GB of RAM, the same cameras as the XL and a smaller 2,770mAh battery. As expected, it will also come with a rear-mounted fingerprint reader and a USB Type-C port."
Should you buy it?
If you don't like the idea of an iPhone 7 there's a lot to suggest Google's phones will offer a decent alternative. These phones will be developed to Google's spec so should have the best integration with Android on the market.
What's more, they're going to be entirely free of the third-party bloatware commonly loaded onto Android phones by other manufacturers.
We'll have to wait until October 4 to really find out what Google has planned.
Moto Z series and G4 Plus getting Android 7.0 Nougat update in Q4
Android 7.0 Nougat is official and LG has already announced the first smartphone running the latest Google-branded OS. While Android Nougat is available only on Nexus devices, Motorola could become the first OEM to roll out an update.
According to Droid Life, Motorola plans to roll out Android 7.0 Nougat at the beginning of Q4. The update will be pushed to Moto Z family and Moto G4 beginning in Q4. Readers must note Q4 starts in just couple of days and lasts through the end of the year. It is unclear when exactly Motorola plans to bring the new OS to its latest smartphones.
Motorola is currently planning to bring Android Nougat to Moto Z, Moto Z Force, Moto Z Play, Moto G4 and G4 Plus. If you have any other Moto smartphone then you are probably out of luck.
Google is hosting its ‘Made by Google’ event on October 4, where it is likely to announce Android 7.1 Nougat. The new version is coming at a time when the older version is yet to reach all the devices already available in the market.
Google is yet to update its dashboard with numbers indicating Nougat marketshare. The dashboard indicates Android Marshmallow being available on 18.7 per cent devices while KitKat and Lollipop are running on 27.7 per cent and 35 per cent Android smartphones.
Motorola has been one of the consistent OEMs when it comes to Android updates. The company has been significantly ahead of other OEMs with software updates. However, this time the details have been unclear. Now, Motorola is coming clean on its plans for Android Nougat updates.
Tuesday, September 27, 2016
Android Nougat Coming Soon To Huawei, HTC, LG And More: List Includes HTC 10, LG G4
(Photo : Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images)
Android users behold, the Nougat update is rolling out to more devices beginning October. Recent rumors suggest that mobile phone manufacturers are expected to release the Nougat update to eligible devices within the coming weeks. Here's what you need to know about the release date of Android Nougat to some mobile phone brands, and which models are included:
Android Nougat Rolling Out To HTC Phones
HTC confirmed that HTC 10, HTC One A9 and HTC One M9 are all getting the update,IBTimes reported. Furthermore, HTC states that a device will continue to get new updates for two years after the model's release. The company has also confirmed that they have received the Android Nougat software. According to a source, HTC expects to begin the roll out beginning 4th quarter of this year.
Android Nougat Rolling Out To Huawei Phones
For Huawei phones getting the Android Nougat update, the list might include Huawei P9, Huawei G9 Plus, Huawei P9 Lite, Huawei P9 Plus, Huawei Mate 8, Huawei Mate S, Huawei P8, Huawei P8 Lite, Huawei G8, Huawei G7 Plus and other devices released mid-2015 and earlier. As for the release date of Android Nougat to Huawei devices, the specifics are still uncertain. However, the company is probably rolling out the Nougat update at the same time frame as the others, around October December
Android Nougat Rolling Out To LG Phones
Sure enough, LG's latest flagship LG V20 will run the Android Nougat update from the box. For older devices like the LG G5, LG G4, LG V10, LG X Cam, LG X Screen, LG X Power, LG X Max, LG G4 Stylus, LG K8 and more, the Android Nougat update is expected within the same release dates as mentioned. For the Android Nougat release to LG phones, it would probably start within a couple of months. Just keep in mind that newer devices tend to receive the update sooner than older models.
Other Mobile Phones Getting The Android Nougat Update
Asus expects to release the Nougat update to its Zenfone 3 series and some of its Zenfone 2 models. Samsung might extend the Nougat update up to the S6 series alongside the Galaxy J5, J7, A3, A9, C5, and other phones released within the same time frames. Not all companies have confirmed their list of Nougat eligible devices, but if your Android device is relatively new, you are most likely to receive the update.
Monday, September 26, 2016
8 great Android features that iOS needs to steal
From native gesture typing to the ability to clear your app windows in one tap, and much more.
Not that long ago, I used to feel sorry for Android users and their clunky, sluggish devices—the thought of giving up my iPhone never crossed my mind. Recently, though, I’ve been the one green-eyed with envy, as snazzy new Android features make my once-precious iOS handset feel old and tired by comparison.
Below I’ve highlighted eight of the most notable Android features that iOS needs to steal (there are plenty more, mind you), from automatic power-saving mode and installing apps from the web to smarter keypad shortcuts and the ability to clear storage-hogging app caches with a single tap.
1. Gesture typing for the stock keypad
Sure, iOS has allowed third-party keyboards with swipe-to-type capabilities for a few years now, but I’m continually frustrated how non-Apple keypads tend to grow sluggish, fail to appear, or even crash altogether on my iPhone.
Ben Patterson
The stock Android keyboard supports gesture typing, but there’s no swipe-to-type support for the standard iOS keypad.
All too often, I find myself giving up and going back to the stock iOS keyboard—and I could live with that, except for the fact that I’m a dedicated gesture typist now, and the standard iPhone and iPad keyboard stubbornly demands tapping rather than swiping.
The stock Android keyboard, on the other hand, has long supported gesture typing (just tapSettings > Language & input > Virtual keyboard > Google Keyboard > Gesture typing), making it a compelling choice for any Android device. Why Apple won’t add gesture typing support to the stock iOS keypad is a head-scratcher, for sure.
2. Number and symbol shortcuts visible on every key
Speaking of the Android keypad, here’s another clever feature that, once you turn on, you’ll never turn off: the ability to display number and symbol “hints” on every key (Settings > Language & input > Virtual keyboard > Google Keyboard > Preferences > Long press for symbols).
For example, you can opt to have the Android keypad show tiny numbers in the top corner of every letter key in the top row; just long-press one of those keys to type the number rather than the letter.
Meanwhile, other keys on the keypad boast hints for symbols that are usually hidden until you tap the symbol key, such as the “@” sign in the corner of the “a” key and the dollar sign over the “d” key.
Those number and symbol “hints” come in handy when you’re trying to tap out a quick message, and they’re sorely lacking on the stock iOS keypad.
3. Auto battery-saver mode
One of the smarter Android features in the past few years is its Battery saver setting (Settings > Battery > Battery saver), which turns off background app activity, automatic email fetching, and other battery-draining activities, perfect for conserving battery power when your device is about to run out of juice. Apple wisely followed suit with its own low-power mode, which made its debut with iOS 9.
Unfortunately, the iOS version of battery-saver mode is missing a crucial component of its Android counterpart: a setting that turns on low-power mode automatically once your battery meter falls below a certain level.
On Android devices, you can set the battery saver feature to snap on the moment your remaining battery power falls below 15 percent or 5 percent. With iOS, on the other hand, lower-power mode must be turned on manually, although at least you’re prompted to turn it on once your iPhone’s battery level falls below 20 percent.
So, why doesn’t iOS’s low-power mode boast an automatic setting like battery saver for Android? Beats me.
4. Install apps from the web
Apple’s App Store changed the game when it arrived on the scene back in the early days of the iPhone, but in many ways, it seems to be standing still. My biggest frustration with the App Store: It’s best browsed from an iOS device rather than the web.
The Google Play app store, on the other hand, works quite nicely in a desktop web browser—and best of all, you can install apps remotely over the web.
With iOS, the closest you can get is to click the Getbutton in the App Store on iTunes, which only adds the app to your iCloud app library. To install the app, you’ll still need to search your app library on your iOS device and download it manually. Ugh.
5. Turn on ‘Do not disturb’ for just an hour
I loved Do not disturb mode when it landed on my iPhone with the iOS 6 update, but it’s in dire need of a revamp. Not only does Android offer multiple quiet periods through its DND mode (versus just one for iOS), it also boasts a handy feature for those of us who want some immediate but temporary quiet time.
If you tap the Do not disturb “quick setting” in Android, one of the options you’ll find is a For one hour setting. Select it, and DND mode will turn on and then switch itself off automatically in an hour (or for a custom period, if you tap the “-“ or “+” buttons).
With iOS, you can quickly turn on DND mode manually (by flicking up from the bottom of the screen and tapping the Do not disturb button), but you’ll need to remember to turn it off—and with all that peace and quiet, it’s easy to forget.
6. Clear all app caches
It’s amazing how quickly some apps can become storage hogs. The “cached” data used by your social apps alone can easily gobble up hundreds of megabytes or even a few gigs if you’re not careful, leaving you tight on storage space when you need it the most.
Sunday, September 25, 2016
Google confirms Android 7.0 Nougat for Nexus 6, Nexus 9 LTE to be available soon
Google finally introduced their latest Operating System, the Android 7.0 Nougat.
The unveiling of Google's latest OS, intentionally, was around the same time with Apple's iOS 10.
However, Android users should not get too excited. Especially if your smartphone is not Nexus. But do not be surprised, as historically, Google usually starts rolling out the update to their own smartphones brand first.
Also, Sony, Huawei and other smartphone brands are also working on their personal tweaks in the Android 7.0 Nougat. So, if you are not a Nexus user, you may expect the latest OS before the year ends, at the earliest.
Android Police got a confirmation straight from Google that Android 7.0 Nougat will be available for Nexus 6 and Nexus 9 LTE. Although, exactly when it will be available is still a big question.
For Nexus 6P, Google already distributed the Android 7.0 Nougat factory images.
Android 7.1 Nougat is also expected to be available for Huawei Nexus 6P, HTC Nexus 9 tablet, LG Nexus 5X and Motorola Nexus 6.
What is taking Google so long? There are no direct confirmations or statements from Google. However, it can be speculated that the company is still refining some things and fixing some bugs.
If you want to check if Android 7.0 Nougat is indeed worth the long wait, you can try it out firsthere. Google's Android Beta Program lets users check out pre-released versions of Android.
However, issues may arise during the use of the Android Beta Program. Users can in turn provide their feedbacks to Google.
Just take this note from Google seriously, "If you opt-out when your device is running a beta version of Android, all user data on the device will be wiped".
The devices that are eligible for Google's Android Beta Program for Android 7.0 Nougat are Nexus 6, Nexus 9, Nexus 5X, Nexus 6P, Nexus Player, Pixel C, General Mobile 4G (Android One).
Saturday, September 24, 2016
Samsung Galaxy On8 with 1080p Super AMOLED display to launch in India exclusively on Flipkart
Samsung introduced its new Galaxy On7 (2016) smartphone in China and also teased the Galaxy On5 (2016) yesterday. Now Samsung is gearing to launch the Galaxy On8 smartphone in India. Flipkart has started teasing the phone as #TheNextON on itswebsite and also says that it will be available exclusively available on Flipkart.
It has also teased 1080p Super AMOLED display for the smartphone, even though the On7 (2016) features only a 5.5-inch 1080p TFT display.
The teaser image doesn’t confirm any other features, but the “Big Billion Days Sale” page mentions the Samsung Galaxy On8 as a partner, so the phone will likely go on sale on or after October 3rd when Flipkart offers discounts on “Mobile and Accessories” as a part of the sale.
We should get more details about the upcoming Galaxy On series smartphone next week.
OnePlus 4 to be an awesome smartphone if these rumours come true
While we are not still completely over OnePlus 3 smartphone, OnePlus has reportedly started working on its next flagship. And as per reports, the phone will be called as OnePlus 4 (were you guessing otherwise!). Meanwhile, people have started guessing about its specs as well and if those became a reality next year, then the next OnePlus phone will be an awesome one.
As per rumors, OnePlus 4 will come with 8GB of RAM. And it might as well considering 4 GB is quite common now while companies are 6 GB RAM has started featuring in some phones. A 23 megapixel rear-facing camera and an 8 megapixel front camera is expected inOnePlus 4 which is quite likely considering that OnePlus 3 has 16 MP rear camera and 8 MP front shooter.
However, it is hard to believe that theOnePlus 4 will come with an expandable storage slot of 256 GB capacity as we didn't get one in the current OnePlus flagship. Perhaps, OnePlus go Apple's way and bring a 256 GB internal storage variant of its next flagship. Meanwhile, reports claimed that the phone will have an Optic AMOLED display and a Snapdragon 830 processor. Note that Snapdragon 830 is yet to be released and it is expected to be much more powerful than the current Snapdragon 820. Moving forward, with Android Nougat just released, the OnePlus 4 will definitely have the latest Android software unless something dramatic happens.
The alleged OnePlus 4 is expected mid next year but some are assuming an early release at around $400 (approximately Rs 26,809). But dear readers, these are just speculations and the actual product might be way too different. And it won't be the last rumour either; many such speculations and leaks are likely to come with each passing day.
Just to recall, OnePlus 3 which is the 1st smartphone of India with 6 GB RAM waslaunched for Rs 27,999 in June this year in India. The OnePlus 3 has a 5.5 inch Optic AMOLED capacitive touchscreen that has full HD resolution. Just below the screen lies a home button which also acts as a fingerprint sensor. It has Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow operating system based Oxygen OS. The OnePlus 3 has the powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 quad core processor, Adreno 530 GPU, huge 6 GB RAM and 64 GB of internal storage.
There is a 3000 mAh Li-Po non-removable battery which has state-of-the-art Dash Charge technology that claims to replenish over 60 per cent of the battery within 30 minutes. OnePlus 3 boasts a 16 megapixel rear camera with f2.0 aperture, 1.12 µm Pixels, phase detection auto focus feature and Optical Image Stabilisation. An 8 megapixel camera is there in its front for selfies.
The all-metal OnePlus 3 is just 7.3 mm thin and comes with an alert slider key as well. Besides, it has dual SIM, GPS, WiFi, WiFi Hotspot, Bluetooth, Hall sensor, Accelerometor, Gyroscope, Proximity sensor, Ambient light sensor, and eCompass.
Android roundup:Note 7 Nightmare Continues, Pixel Kills Nexus, Massive Galaxy S8 Leaks
Taking a look back at seven days of news and headlines across the world of Android, this week’s Android Circuit includes a timeline of the flawed Galaxy Note 7 battery issue, the financial damage to Samsung, how the Galaxy S8 can save the South Korean company, Blackberry improving handset security with Zimperium, the latest leaks about the Google Pixel smartphones, Android’s new gesture based UI that mimics 3D Touch, more UK banks signing up to Android Pay, and the launch of ‘all you can read’ with Google Play Books.
Android Circuit is here to remind you of a few of the many things that have happened around Android in the last week .
Who Shall Rid Me Of These Galaxy Note 7 Woes?
Samsung’s situation with the Galaxy Note 7 batteries, the corporate reaction to the events and the fallout in the markets will be ‘teaching moments’ for business classes over the next few decades. The narrative is still being set, although some elements are becoming clearer. Yoolim Lee and Min Jeong Lee have taken a long and in-depth investigation on the Galaxy Note 7 issues for Bloomberg:
Samsung engineers rushed to determine the cause of the problem, working through the Harvest Festival holiday last week. The company’s most complete explanations so far have come in reports to government agencies in Korea, China and the U.S. The initial conclusions indicated an error in production that put pressure on plates within the battery cells. That in turn brought negative and positive poles into contact, triggering excessive heat that caused the battery to explode.
The chairman of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission was more explicit when his agency announced an official recall on Thursday. He said the phone’s battery was slightly too big for its compartment and the tight space pinched the battery, causing a short circuit. “Clearly, they missed something,” said Anthea Lai, an analyst with Bloomberg Intelligence. “They were rushing to beat Apple and they made a mistake.”
It’s a long read, but it sets out a plausible timeline for Samsung’s woes.
Samsung Galaxy Note 7 (Image: Samsung Press)
The Financial Damage Of The Galaxy Note 7
How much financial damage will the Note 7 debacle inflict on Samsung? How about an eight percent drop in operating profits for the current quarter? That’s the figure put forward by a number of analysts, as SamMobile reports:
Analysts in South Korea believe that Samsung Electronics is going to bring in an operating profit of 7.4 trillion won ($6.7 billion) which will mark a decline of 8.6 percent when compared to the previous quarter. Samsung posted 8.14 trillion won ($7.23 billion) in operating profit in the second quarter of this year which happened to be its highest in two years. This sequential estimate has been adjusted following the Galaxy Note 7 recall which was confirmed on September 2. Prior to the recall analysts were expecting status quo to be maintained, with many predicting as many as 8.5 trillion won in third quarter operating profit for Samsung.
Q4 is a bit harder to predict as customer loyalty might kick in, as might a forgetful public. Nevertheless the expectation is that the Galaxy Note 7 will now only reach half of the sales it was on course to deliver before the battery issue surfaced.
The Galaxy S8 Is Bigger, Better, And Could Be Early
As the Galaxy Note 7 looks to salvage whatever it can in terms of sales, Samsung will be looking towards its ‘next big thing’… which will be the Galaxy S8. More details on the flagship smartphone were discovered this week, including the idea of a massive 4K resolution screen (which will have the dual curved edges of the Note 7 and S7 Edge) alongside the aforementioned dual-lens camera and potentially dropping the 3.5 mm headphone jack for USB-C. But there is a bigger issue… when will the handset be released?
I would expect Samsung to already know the launch date for the Galaxy S8. Looking at the choices made by Samsung’s DJ Koh over the last year, his tendency is towards aggressive and the pro-active use of launch dates to weaken the opposition. MWC 2016 started on February 22nd, and the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge was announced the day before on the 21st. Samsung’s form book rarely varies, so Sunday 26th February would be a safe bet.
But that was before the Galaxy Note 7 became an awkward distraction. The quicker that the Galaxy S8 can reach the market the better. WIth a need to get a new flagship to market as quickly as possible, a desire to bolster the sales figures in the first calendar quarter of 2017 and the constant challenge of trying to stay ahead of the opposition (both Android- and iOS-powered), I think Koh will take the gamble, cut out some slack in the schedule, and bring the Galaxy S8 launch date forward.
Blackberry DTEK50
Zimperium Boosts BlackBerry’s Security Software
BlackBerry has increased the software protections for its Enterprise and Government customers though a partnership with Zimperium. The Californian based Zipermium will contribute its mobile threat management platform into BlackBerry’s expanding suite of Android (and iOS) apps. The partnership was announced on Wednesday:
“Good Dynamics and BES12 integrated with Zimperium zIPS offers comprehensive threat detection, visibility and protection against network, device and application mobile attacks on corporate apps and data,” said Dave Kleidermacher, Chief Security Officer at BlackBerry. “This is another example of how BlackBerry is working hard, every day, to secure, connect and mobilize the enterprise.”
Can You Spy The Refreshed Pixel?
With Google ready to launch the Google Pixel and Google Pixel XL smartphones early in October (killing the much-loved Nexus brand-name in the smartphone market), details on the two ‘clean’ Android-powered handsets are leaking out. Jacob Kleinman has more on the latest rumors, including some remarkably clear images:
Google is expected to position the Pixel and Pixel XL as premium smartphones. Both devices allegedly pack a Snapdragon 821 chip, a fingerprint scanner, USB-C and 4GB of RAM. The Pixel XL may also offer a 5.5-inch Quad HD display and a 3,450mAh battery, while the smaller Pixel sports a 5-inch 1080p display and a 2,770mAh battery.
…The rear panel features a shiny aluminum frame with a smaller glass rectangle covering the top third of the device. The fingerprint scanner, rear camera, flash module and a few other sensors are all located inside that glass section. The front panel is pretty standard with thick white bezels above and below the display.
Android N Devices (image: Google.com)
When 3D Touch Arrives On Android…
As well as debuting Google’s new hardware, the Pixel handsets are likely to run the latest version of Android. 7.1 Nougat will be pre-installed in the handsets. Looking through the available code there may be an interesting UI feature that will be familiar to iOS users, shortcuts in the launcher offering pop up menu choices direct from an icon – which sounds remarkably like 3D touch in iOS. Cody Toombs has more:
So, this probably revitalizes the comparisons and questions about how Launcher Shortcuts will be surfaced to users. Will there be pressure sensitive screens? Will we have to use gestures like a long-press or swipe? Will launchers offer special modes to access shortcuts? The answer to every one of these questions is yes, or at least probably.
We’ve heard nothing about pressure sensitive screens in the upcoming Pixel and Pixel XL handsets. That doesn’t mean they can’t have specialized hardware, but at this point, the rumors probably would have exposed that detail. This means we should probably expect a gesture on these phones.
More thoughts on the UI change at Android Police.
Android Pay In The UK
When Android Pay launched in the UK, it was without three of the major banks, Barclays, RBS and Santander. The latter two have now switched on support for Google’s touch-and-pay cashless system. Chris Merriman for The Inquirer:
Google has unleashed the Android Pay phone payment system to a number of new banks in the UK and around the world, continuing its rapid adoption after coming from behind.
…This leaves Barclays as the last major bank not to take on the resident NFC payment options from the major operating systems. The company resisted Apple Pay too, continuing to promote its own Bpay service that works with dongles and wrist bands as well as phones.
Harry Potter eBooks for your smartphone
And Finally…
If the future of media services is a world of ‘all you can consume’, then Google has stepped up to challenge Amazon Prime’s lending library. Google Play Books has now launched worldwide. Full details can be found on Google’s Android blog.
With more than 5 million books to read on the go, what will you discover next? Google Play Books is introducing Discover, a new way to find books by browsing the latest reviews, news, lists, videos and more.
Available in 75 countries on both iOS and Android and the web, Google Play Books is the world’s largest ebookstore and offers readers like you smart technology that caters to your lifestyle — where you can start reading a book on your tablet at night and pick up where you left off the next day from your smartphone, as well as easily browse, skim, highlight and make notes.
The updated app is available now for Android and iOS.
Android Circuit rounds up the news from the Android world every weekend here on Forbes. Don’t forget to follow me so you don’t miss any coverage in the future, and of course read the sister column in Apple Loop! Last week’s Android Circuit can be found here, and if you have any news and links you’d like to see featured in Android Circuit, get in touch!
Friday, September 23, 2016
Moto E3 Power: Initial Tests, Performance Comparison and Camera Samples The Moto E3 Power is Motorola's newest smartphone in the budget segment, but will its promise of experience over specifications hold this time?
Motorola’s promise has always been to provide top-class user experience on its smartphones. The company has routinely ignored the specs race, arguing that its phones don’t need the newest specifications to match competitors. And for the most part, Motorola has succeeded in maintaining that promise. But the smartphone market today is at a different level, and it’s becoming tougher and tougher to justify Motorola’s ignorance of the newest specs.
At Rs. 7,999, the Moto E3 Powercompetes against the Xiaomi Redmi 3sand the Lenovo Vibe K5. All three devices have 2GB of RAM, but the Mi and Lenovo devices run on Qualcomm SoCs (Snapdragon 430 and 415 respectively). Motorola, however, has chosen the MediaTek MT6735P SoC. On paper, the Snapdragon 430 and MT6735P both have Cortex A53 cores, clocked at 1GHz on the Moto E3 Power and 1.4GHz on the Redmi 3s. The Lenovo Vibe K5, on the other hand, has two quad-core Cortex A53 clusters, clocked at 1.5GHz and 1.2GHz.
So, does the Moto E3 Power live up to the promise of good user experience? We performed some of our initial tests on the device to determine the same.
https://youtu.be/T17WggMGp10
Android seems far removed from what the Lenovo Vibe K5 and Xiaomi Redmi 3s offer. The Moto E shows visible stutters and lags when you launch the camera, run a heavy game, or press the home button to come out of a heavy game. There’s a certain sluggishness about the phone, which we don’t really like.
The real world performance of the Moto E3 Power is reflected in benchmarks as well
To be clear, such performance from a phone in this price range would have been acceptable last year. However, in relation to competition, we can’t say that the Moto E3 Power really makes the mark. This isn’t the experience that users should get when there are better options available out there.
The Moto E3 Power is much weaker on graphics performance, compared to both the Redmi 3s and Vibe
In general, the Xiaomi Redmi 3s is about 70% more powerful than the Moto E3 Power in graphics related tasks, and it is 35% faster on the single-core Geekbench 4 test. You also get nearly 60% faster results on multi-core tests, from the Snapdragon 430-powered Redmi 3s.
The Moto E3 Power is much closer to the Lenovo Vibe K5, though. The two generate similar results on benchmarks, and the real world performance also seems more or less similar. Keeping the Redmi 3s as the benchmark, you can see similar differences when comparing side-by-side against the Moto E3 Power and Lenovo Vibe K5.
It is also worth noting that you can't record video over HD resolution on theMoto E3 Power. This, again, is a minor compromise in this budget, but one wonders whether the user experience would have been better with FHD recording, which is available in the Redmi 3s and Lenovo Vibe K5.
Build and Design
Motorola may have used a plastic casing for the Moto E3 Power, but we really don’t penalise the phone for the same. At this price, the Moto E3 Power’s matte-ish plastic back differentiates itself from the crowd. The Redmi 3s and Lenovo Vibe K5 feel similar when you hold them, whereas the Moto E3 Power has a personality of its own. Plus, the fact that it has a removable back and battery would be appreciated by many.
Removable back. Yay!
However, we wish Motorola could have put slimmer bezels on this one. For a 5-inch device, the E3 is too big. It’s not quite ergonomic, and while you can use it with one hand, you will have to shift your grip around.
Display
Sticking with the theme of experience over raw specs, the Moto E3 Powerhas a 5-inch HD display. Here though, the Moto E3 Power is considerably ahead of the Lenovo Vibe K5 in terms of brightness. The latter scores 553 Lux compared to the Vibe K5’s maximum brightness of 340 Lux. However, the Redmi 3s against comes out ahead, with a brightness rating of 610 Lux.
The maximum brightness of the Moto E3 Power is 553 Lux
Testing the colours and contrast on the display, the Redmi 3s again comes out in front, however, we prefer the Moto E3 Power’s display to the Vibe K5, due to better viewing angles. 720p resolution can still be forgiven at this price, but we don’t like the yellowish tint on the Vibe K5’s display, when viewed from an angle.
Having said that, the Moto E3 Power’s display does seem slightly reflective, which would affect the device’s sunlight visibility.
Camera
If you’re using earlier generations of the Moto E, then the Moto E3 Power’s 8MP camera is a huge improvement. However, this is still a pretty weak camera by current standards. Images look passably nice on the phone’s own screen, but put them on a calibrated display, and you see definite issues. It’s acceptable at the budget price, but if you are looking for the best camera, we would once again have to choose the Redmi 3s over this one.
The camera is much improved from earlier Moto E smartphones
We will have a more detailed analysis of the Moto E3 Power’s camera in the review. For now, here’s a gallery of sample photos taken by the device.
