What's Hot in Mobile Phone Industry?

[nitin_k]

Micromax Goofs Up! Reveals Sensitive Data Of Canvas 4 Pre-Order Customers

Ok, it's official now. The much hyped "India's largest smartphone pre-booking" has gone horribly wrong for a bunch of Canvas 4 pre-order customers. We were wondering how so many of them who didn't get their pre-ordered Canvas 4 phones on time, were able to find each other and organize a mailing list. Gizmodo India now has the answer - the company itself gave it to them on a platter!

We have confirmation that many pre-order customers received an email (on the Canvas 4 launch date) confirming that the balance amount of Rs 13,000 (the initial 5k was deducted at time of pre-order itself) had been deducted from their credit cards. This email (which was forwarded to us with an authentic header file) shockingly contained the order receipts of nearly 130 other customers! And get this - it INCLUDED their shipping and billing addresses, phone numbers, email addresses and even the pre-order site's login and password for every customer!!! We've got to say that this is a mind-boggling level of carelessness on display.

"It is a high security threat as it was having details of customers' mobile numbers, login details with passwords to verify the order at the MMX website. And after login, one can change (shipping) address in their profile. What if such data would have gone in email of a person having destructive mind?" says one of these customers over email.

Well, customers thankfully did something constructive instead and alerted each other about the privacy breach. Eventually they began sharing updates on their attempts to contact the company and of course a Facebook group followed.

We forwarded the original offending mail from Micromax customer support back to the company more than 24 hours ago but are yet to hear from them. Here's what one of the receipts contained in that email looks like, minus the sensitive info which we've blurred out:

image http://www.gizmodo.in/photo/21368839.cms

source Micromax Goofs Up! Reveals Sensitive Data Of Canvas 4 Pre-Order Customers | Gizmodo India

 

[nitin_k]

Re: Android v/s Windows !

Samsung denies Galaxy S4 is designed to trick tests

Samsung has denied claims it deliberately designed its Galaxy S4 chip to perform better in tests used by reviewers than in real-life situations.

It issued a statement after researchers showed the handset achieved a higher graphics processing clock speed when benchmarked by specialist software than when it ran advanced games.

The company acknowledged the two situations created different scores.

But Samsung said its aim had been to prevent users experiencing a fault.

The tests involved the Samsung-designed Exynos 5 Octa chip used in South Korean and other international versions of the handset.

It is not featured in the US or UK editions, which use an alternative chip made by Qualcomm.

Overload protection
The issue was first raised by a contributor to the Beyond3D forum on Saturday.

"Oh hell Samsung, shame on you!" wrote the Luxembourg-based member, nicknamed Nebuchadnezzar.

"This GPU does not run 532MHz; that frequency level is solely reserved for Antutu and GLBenchmark among things."

The reference to the chip's graphics processing unit suggests it was operating 11% faster when running Android and 3D graphics testing programs than it would otherwise achieve.

The claim was then followed up by Anandtech, a review site famed for the detail of its computer chip tests.

Two of its researchers replicated the finding and confirmed the higher frequency only became available when carrying out specific benchmarks.

They pointed out that the discovery had only been made because Samsung made it relatively easy to monitor its mobile chip's GPU clock.

"This seems to be purely an optimisation to... deliver the highest possible GPU performance benchmarks," they wrote.

"We've said for years now that the mobile revolution has/will mirror the PC industry, and thus it's no surprise to see optimisations like this employed.

"Just because we've seen things like this happen in the past, however, doesn't mean they should happen now."

But Samsung has strongly denied the claim.

"Under ordinary conditions, the Galaxy S4 has been designed to allow a maximum GPU frequency of 533MHz," it said.

"However, the maximum GPU frequency is lowered to 480MHz for certain gaming apps that may cause an overload, when they are used for a prolonged period of time in full-screen mode," it said.

"Meanwhile, a maximum GPU frequency of 533MHz is applicable for running apps that are usually used in full-screen mode, such as the S Browser, Gallery, Camera, Video Player and certain benchmarking apps, which also demand substantial performance.

Exynos 5 chip
The Exynos 5 Octa uses GPU technology licensed from British firm ARM


"The maximum GPU frequencies for the Galaxy S4 have been varied to provide optimal user experience for our customers, and were not intended to improve certain benchmark results."

Public indifference?
The allegations have been repeated among much of the tech press, with some publications going so far as to say Samsung had "cheated", "fudged", "rigged" and "cooked" its results.

However, one analyst suggested that in truth such benchmarks and any controversy linked to them was unlikely to have any influence on sales.

"Most consumers look for a smartphone with a great camera, user interface and the apps that they want to use regularly," said Windsor Holden, a mobile industry expert at the consultants Juniper research.

"The criteria the public uses for handset purchase aren't necessarily those which might attract criticism and opprobrium in the technical press."

BBC News - Samsung denies Galaxy S4 is designed to trick tests

 

[Raja]

Re: Android v/s Windows !

Motorola Moto X hands-on: First look - GSMArena.com

First impressions


The Motorola Moto X is certainly an interesting device. Unlike most other Android flagships, this one is built more around experiences than specs. It doesn't even come close to the CPU performance of the current top dogs, let alone match those Snapdragon 800 monsters that are in the pipeline.

However, the Active Display and the always on voice commands leveraging on the always-improving Google Now really take the user experience up a notch. Motorola chose to spend more effort there than on fitting a beastly chipset or a 1080p screen inside the Moto X and these are not gimmicks, they work great. Only time will tell whether or not the gamble will pay off.

And it's a similar story with the customization service - it's never been done before so no one can predict how the market will react to it. The idea of making a smartphone exactly to your liking sounds great and is something none of the other flagships on the market can offer. The iPhone for example is only available in a pair of colors, the HTC One has three and even the Galaxy S4 is far from matching the choice, offered by the Moto X.

However, with the kind of asking price that Motorola has set on the Moto X, those gambles better pay off. Charging $100 more than its main rivals, while offering inferior chipset and screen, is a risky strategy that will only succeed if both the unique software features and the customization options get great market reception. Here's hoping, for the sake of variety and healthy competition, that this is exactly what is going to happen.

 

[nitin_k]

Re: Android v/s Windows !

After months & months of being rumoured & leaked(its been rumoured since 2012!), the Motorola Moto X smartphone is finally been announced by Motorola today. Although most of the specs have already been leaked days before this official announcement, there are always couple of things here & there to be known at the launch. Continue reading for the specs & few highlights of the phone.

Highlights:

1) Motorola is released this phone with the concept to give the customer to custom design their phone(few aesthetics). For that customize Motorola will start an online tool(or website) called Moto Maker which features a step by step customization process for building a phone with the ability to customize Back, front, accent color, and signature. But all these customization options are AT&T exclusive for the time being.

2) Along with the colour options, Motorola will also make four wood options(the back of the phone would be Wood!!), teak, bamboo, rosewood, and ebony at a later time as Motorola is still in testing & finalising the wood.

3) Motorola is using an in-house customized 'Computing System' inside this phone and Motorola names it as 'X8'. This in nothing but a combination of Qualcomm SoC(Snapdragon S4 Pro processor with 2 Krait 300 processors & four cores GPU, Adreno 320), a Natural Language Processor(for the always on Google Now features) and a Contextual Processor (for 'Active Display' & gesture enabled quick capture camera).

4) Although the display is 720p, Motorola for the first time using a new unique glass-plastic fusion(glass is fused into the plastic at the edge!! and rounds off nicely). The display is a SAMOLED with RGB(Sub-Pixel) arrangement instead of regular RGB stripe.

5) Its the first non-apple device(read Iphone 5) to use Nano-SIM(4FF) format.

6) Moto X has intelligently driven speakerphone,meaning some algorithms are used to monitor the tempeartures of speaker to generate a loud sound as possible without damaging the speaker.

7) Motorola using Ominvision OV10820 camer unit at back which is 10.5 MP. The speciality of this camera is that it uses RGBC(Red/Green/Blue/Clear) colour filter to produce exceptional low light & clear pictures. This is the first time this technology is being used in a smartphone. The sensor captures RAW images using a sensitive RGBC (red / green / blue / clear) color filter, and a companion chip automatically converts the resulting shots into the Bayer format that most imaging processors expect. The result is a high-performance camera that slots inside the Moto X without requiring any special effort. The sensor is a 1/2.6" size with 1.4µm pixels.

8) Moto X has an always on 'Google Now' feature, with which you can wake the phone by just saying 'Ok Google Now' even if it is in a deep sleep state. For this alone(along with language interpretation purposes) Motorola incorporate a special processor called 'Natural Laguage Processing' core.

9) The Contextual Processor is used to support 'Quick Capture', which is the quick enter camera gesture. Flick your wrist by holding the Moto X to enable Motorola’s camera UI of the Moto X.

10) The Contextual Processor is also being used to support 'Active Display' feature, which enables to view the last few(latest) notifications on the lock screen and gives the ability to dive into the app that the notifications come from(like new mail from gmail app) by swipping(drag) up the notification. Dragging(swipping) the notifications to left or right clears them.

Spec Sheet:

SoC: Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro (MSM8960Pro) 1.7 GHz Motorola X8 System (SoC+NLP Processor+Contextual Processor)
Display: 4.7-inch AMOLED (RGB) 1280x720
RAM: 2GB LPDDR2
WiFi: 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, BT 4.0
Storage: 16 GB standard, 32 GB online, 2 years 50 GB Google Drive
I/O: McroUSB 2.0, 3.5mm headphone, NFC, Miracast
OS: Android 4.2.2
Battery: 2200 mAh, 3.8V, 8.36 Whr
Size/Mass: 65.3 x 129.3 x 5.6-10.4 mm, 130 grams
Camera: 10 MP Clear Pixel (RGBC) with 1.4µm pixels Rear Facing & 2 MP 1080p Front Facing

http://anandtech.com/show/7197/a-quick-look-at-the-moto-x-motorolas-new-flagship

 

[Surfer]

Re: Android v/s Windows !

Moto X - Motomaker - YouTube

Moto X - Quick Capture - YouTube

Moto X - Always Ready - YouTube

 

[nitin_k]

Re: Android v/s Windows !

my next handset shows coming soon
HTC One dual sim Overview - HTC Smartphones

dual sim > cdma + gsm
cdma 3g (evdo) + 2g (edge) gsm
Quad Core
1.7 GHz processor
2 GB RAM
Available with 16 GB storage with 25 GB Dropbox
microSD up to 64 GB > deal maker
SIM1: Up to HSPA (900/2100 MHz) and up to EVDO REV. B(800 MHz) reliance zindabaad, will work with mts or tata out of the box
SIM2: Up to EDGE (900/1800/1900 MHz) any gsm sim
11.9 cm full HD 1080p display with real-time colour engine. Highest resolution dispaly of 468 PPI. Optical lamination to reduce glare and reflection. 800 viewing angle with IPS. Gorilla Glass 2

HTC BoomSound™
Dual frontal stereo speakers
Beats Audio™
2 amplifiers
Sense Voice
HTC UltraPixel Camera with HTC Zoe™
BSI, F2.0,Optical Image Stabilization (OIS)
Pixel size 2.0 µm, Sensor size 1/3'
Dedicated HTC ImageChip™ 2
Front Camera: 2.1 MP, wide angle lens
1080p HD recording, F2.0
battery Capacity : 2300 mAh

 

[Raja]

Re: Android v/s Windows !

Is Motorola Spying

One factor that we haven’t really spoken about yet but could have a big impact on the Moto X’s fortunes is trust. Up until a few weeks ago this wouldn’t have been a concern, but what a difference a few leaks can make.

Lest we forget, Motorola is now owned by Google, so would anyone really be that surprised if it turned out MoMo is spying on its users? Nope. Ever since the NSAgate scandal broke, a growing segment of people have become increasingly paranoid about using Google’s products and services, fearing the company spies on everything they do. None of this is proven of course, but it’s worth remembering when you hear Motorola boasting of a phone that ‘sets consumers free’.

We don’t have irrefutable proof of Google or Motorloa’s spying, but according to engineering expert Ben Lincoln, MoMo has indeed been collecting email addresses, usernames, passwords, GPS coordinates from pictures taken, and other information from users of Motorola devices for some time now. Though Lincoln has no proof yet as to the extent of MoMo’s spying, since he was only able to monitor his Droid X2 smartphone’s activities, he believes that other Motorola smartphones are also being spied on.

The worst part about MoMo collecting data is that the information obtained is not encrypted, and so the data is available for anyone to collect, putting users and their accounts at risk.

So is Motorola really offering a device that will set people free from the constraints of using a boring smartphone? Or is it just a ploy to entice more people to use their next flagship smartphone, and help feed the growing appetite of the NSA?

Motorola Release New Ad for Moto X, Another Device to Spy on People | SiliconANGLE

 

[nitin_k]

Re: Android v/s Windows !

Xperia Tablet Z Android 4.2.2 update now rolling out

Following on from the Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean release of the Sony Xperia ZR, it appears that the update is now rolling out for Xperia Tablet Z (SGP321) users i.e. owners of the LTE version of the tablet. The actual firmware version is build number 10.3.1.A.0.244, which is the same build that is now available for the Sony Xperia Z, Xperia ZL and Xperia ZR.

Xperia Tablet Z Android 4.2.2 update now rolling out | Xperia Blog

 

[edios]

Re: What's hot In Our Mobile Industry?

Time for some numbers and analysis. The story at the top is same Android and iOS rule the charts. But the third place is where things are getting a little bit interesting. Windows Phone the mobile platform being developed by Microsoft is showing some growth and potential, though it is not substantial or game changing but rather slow start but steadily gaining their ground.

Windows Phone Gains 59% Global Marketshare

According to the recent reports by Strategy Analytics Windows Phones now hold 3.9% of Global Market and have shipped 8.9 million units so far. These number might not throw any panic in iOS or Android camp, but they are surely going to boost the morale’s in the Microsoft and Nokia camp as it shows a 59% increase in Year Over Year growth which is second to Android at 68% and iOS being third at 20%. Headed by the Nokia’s Lumia family of phones the Windows Phone ship has started to gain some traction. Of those total of 8.9 million shipments Nokia alone sold 7.4 units leaving the rest for likes of HTC and Samsung.

Windows Phone Marketshare
Windows Phone Gains 59% Global Marketshare

The most important aspect of this report is Android’s large chunk of growth came for developing countries and low cost phones. It’s as if Nokia and MS had already predicted this by launching the Nokia Lumia 520, which the lowest costing Windows Phone till date and it yet has been a super hit. Only yesterday I covered on how Nokia Lumia 520 is spear heading the Windows Phone drive in various markets, be it developing countries like India or developed countries like USA. These two articles have clearly cut out the path for Windows Phones on where to focus.

Windows Phone Gains 59% Global Marketshare - GizmoLord

 

[edios]

Re: What's hot In Our Mobile Industry?

One gripe today common for most of the Windows Phone users is the lack of support for video codecs. Currently Windows Phone provides only a limited support, restricting users to uses only MP4, 3GP, MOV, AVI and WMV format, leaving out currently popular MKV and FLV video format.

VLC for Windows Phone - Next in the Pipeline

Sadly on top there is not even a single good 3rd party video player that can provide support for these file formats on the Windows Phone Store. For many it even turned out to be a deal breaker because many of they wanted to just copy paste their files in the memory card(since WP supports mass storage mode as opposed to iOS) and watch the videos on their phones, they didn’t wanted the hassle of converting the videos to compatible codec first and then transfer.

List of Video Codecs available for windows phone
List of Video Codecs

VLC for Windows Phone
So many turned their attention to one of the most popular video players on the Windows Desktop Platform, VLC player. As a result the guys at VLC started a kick starter campaign and turned toward crowd funding to support their work for VLC on Windows Phone and WindowsRT. VLC was successfully able to raise the expected amount within their timeframe and thus the project was well kick started. The project which started on Nov 29, 2012 reached their target of 40k pounds on Dec 27, 2012.

After that there have been constant updates from the VLC on what they have been working on and they also released some screenshot of their “Metro/Modern” styled app for Win8 and WinRT a while back showing us a glimpse of what to expect, but there was still no news on the Windows Phone version.

So one guy(@MSFTnadThings) took it to twitter and ask the guys on the progress. VLC guys replied that VLC for Windows Phone will soon follow as it shares the core with WinRT of which they are already sending out betas for testing to those who backed up the kick starter. This news will certainly provide some relief to Windows Phone users as it will be bringing the ability to view all kinds of video formats, and finally their video conversion days will be over. It will also act as a boost for all those video junkies who rejected windows phone based on the lack of video codecs support. Now only the question remains is when we will be seeing it.

VLC for Windows Phone - Next in the Pipeline - GizmoLord

 

[nitin_k]

Re: What's hot In Our Mobile Industry?

Lenovo Launches P780 Dual SIM Android With A Massive 4000mAh Battery At MRP of Rs. 17,899 in India

1.2 GHz Quad core, 1 GB RAM, 12.7cm(5") IPS screen, Android 4.2 Jelly Bean OS, 8 MP rear camera, Long battery life

Lenovo P780 Smartphone Tour - YouTube

KEY FEATURES
5" high resolution IPS display
Capacitive 5 point Multi Touch
1280X720 resolution
1.2GHz Quad Core Processor
Long Battery life (43 hrs non-stop talk time)
3 mics for noise cancellation
Sensors: proximity sensor, light sensor, gravitation sensor
Weight: 176 g
The Lenovo P780 smartphone is powered by a 4000mAh battery for up to 43 hours of talktime, so you can stay unplugged anywhere, anytime. It runs the latest Android Jelly Bean OS and comes with a 5” IPS display to give you a clearer and more accurate view from any angle. Add to this the 1.2GHz quad-core processor and you have a smartphone powered for productivity on the move.

PRODUCT PACKAGE 1.2 GHz Quad core, 1 GB RAM, 12.7cm(5") IPS screen, Android 4.2 Jelly Bean OS, 8 MP rear camera, Long battery life
COLOR Silver
CONNECTOR 3.5mm Audio Jack, microUSB connector
DATA CONNECTIVITY Bluetooth: 4.0 HS
WLAN: Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n, Wi-Fi hotspot
USB: microUSB v2.0 (w/OTG)
REAR CAMERA 8 MP, Autofocus, LED Flash with Geo-tagging
SCREEN SIZE 12.7 cm (5") IPS 1280 x 720 pixels
ROM 4 GB eMMC
SIM CARD SLOTS Dual
MEMORY (RAM) 1 GB
EXPANDABLE MEMORY SLOT microSD upto 32 GB
FRONT CAMERA 0.3 MP FF
CPU 1.2 GHz Quad core
BATTERY POWER Li-Po 4000 mAh Talktime: 43 hrs non-stop talk time Standby time: up to 35 days active standby
GSM BAND 3G: WCDMA 900/2100 MHz
2G: GSM 900 /1800/1900 + UMTS900/2100
Speed: HSPA+ 42Mbps(DL) / 5.76Mbps(UL) / GPRS / EDGE Class 12
OPERATING SYSTEM Android 4.2 Jelly Bean

P Series - P780 (Silver) - Smartphones

 

[Raja]

Re: What's hot In Our Mobile Industry?

Qualcomm shows off metal Lumia looking Nokia tablet with 16 camera sensors? Lytro-style? With Android or Windows? : My Nokia Blog

 

[nitin_k]

Re: What's hot In Our Mobile Industry?

Samsung Galaxy Mega 5.8 (White) @ Rs.20381
with Indiatimes coupon code : MOBDEALS

Samsung Galaxy Mega 5.8 (White) - Buy Online with Best Prices @ Shopping.IndiaTimes.com

 

[nitin_k]

Owners of Micromax mobiles arrested in a bribery case

CBI sources said they got a tip-off that Agrawal and Tuli had entered a deal with the engineers of the civic body to get clearance for construction of their banquet hall in the Wazirpur area in exchange of bribe of Rs 50 lakh.

CBI on Wednesday arrested the two owners of Micromax mobiles while they were allegedly giving Rs 30 lakh bribe to the engineers of North Delhi Municipal Corporation for clearance to a banquet hall construction.

Along with Rajesh Agrawal and Manish Tuli, both of Micromax Informatics, CBI sleuths also arrested two junior officials of the municipal corporation and carried out searches at 15 locations including residential and official premises of the MCD officers.

CBI sources said they got a tip-off that Agrawal and Tuli had entered a deal with the engineers of the civic body to get clearance for construction of their banquet hall in the Wazirpur area in exchange of bribe of Rs 50 lakh.

The sources alleged that Agrawal and Tuli negotiated with the MCD officials and brought down the alleged bribe amount from Rs 50 lakh to Rs 30 lakh.

It was also agreed that the illegal gratification will be allegedly paid to the two junior officials of civic body.

Soon after getting information that the alleged bribe is to be paid at the Timarpur office of Agrawal and Tuli, a team of CBI rushed to the site.

During the trap operation, the agency allegedly caught Tuli and Agrawal handing over Rs 30 lakh to the junior officials of the MCD who were their to collect the amount on behalf of a Superintendent Engineer, an Executive Engineer and two Junior Engineers, all allegedly part of the conspiracy, they said.

After catching Agrawal, Tuli and two MCD officials "red-handed", CBI teams carried out searches at 15 locations including the residential and official premises of the MCD officers, they said.

Officials of Micromax mobiles were not immediately available for comment.

CBI teams recovered cash worth Rs 40 lakh from the residence of an MCD Junior Engineer Kapil Dev.

The sources said searches are going on and agency is on the trail of other MCD officials.

Owners of Micromax mobiles arrested in a bribery case - India - DNA

 

[Raja]

LG G2 specs


Description
The LG G2 is a high-end Android smartphone - an embodiment of cutting-edge hardware and precision-polished software, sprinkled with a handful of innovative goodies all over. It comes with top-of-the-line specifications, including a 5.2-inch, 1080p display made using IPS LCD technology, a quad-core Snapdragon 800 chip running at 2.3GHz, and 2GB of RAM. In terms of performance, the device should rank among the best handsets to date. Further down the list we have an advanced 13MP camera that stands out with cool features like optical image stabilization and 1080p video capturing at 60 frames per second. A notable multimedia feature is the support for 24-bit, 192kHz audio. The design of the LG G2 is quite unusual for its volume and power buttons are placed on the back. Its thickness of 9 millimeters is acceptable considering that inside the phone you'll find a 3000mAh removable battery. 32GB of on-board storage are present, expandable further through the use of a microSD card (in some markets).