Asus to launch Zenfone 2 in India

Asus has announced to launch its new flagship phone, Zenfone 2, by the end of April in India.

The phone comes with a new ergonomic design, a 5.5-inch Full HD and a (1280x1920p) IPS display with a wide 178-degree viewing angle. Asus claims its TruVivid technology enhances display performance more with brighter colors. The display has a narrow 3.3mm bezel, giving ZenFone 2 a 72% screen-to-body ratio, and is covered with Corning Gorilla Glass 3.

The ZenFone 2 is powered by an up to 2.3GHz 64-bit Intel Atom quad-core processor Z3580 and has 4GB RAM to deliver up to seven times faster gaming performance than its predecessor. 

According to the company, the phone's 60ms touch response time ensures lag-free input, and OpenGL 3.0 provides enhanced gaming performance. The ZenFone 2 has built-in 4G/LTE connectivity for faster data speeds of up to 150Mbit/s in addition to 802.11ac Wi-Fi high-speed Wi-Fi. The phone supports Dual-SIM with Dual Active mode, allowing users to have two active phone lines on their device. It will come in 16,32 and 64GB storage variants.

ASUS ZenFone 2 sports a 13MP PixelMaster camera with an f/2.0 wide-aperture lens, and a 'real tone' flash for warm skin tones and accurate colour.

ZenFone 2 is also equipped with a 5MP front-facing camera with a wide, 85-degree field of view for taking selfies.

The phone runs Android 5.0 Lollipop with a new version of Asus ZenUI - which has a fully-customizable interface - and Trend Micro security software.

ZenFone 2 comes with a high-capacity, 3000mAh battery that provides more than a full day of use on a single charge as per the company. The phone's fast-charge technology enables recharges to 60% battery level in 39 minutes.

Asus ZenFone 2 has an all-new design with a brushed-metal finish and concentric-circle detailing. It introduces a curved case that tapers to 3.9mm at the edges. It also has a rear-mounted volume control key – ideally positioned for the user's index finger as per the company.

The ZenFone 2 comes in Osmium Black, Sheer Gold, Glacier Gray, Glamor Red and Ceramic White colours.

Apple to launch 3 iPhones this year

Apple usually releases its flagship Smartphone(s) in fall (September-October). However, it's only March and there is news related to this year's iPhone(s). 

Digitimes reports that Apple will launch three different iPhones - iPhone 6S, iPhone 6S Plus and a 4-inch screen-equipped device which is currently being referred to as iPhone 6C. The report cites industry insiders as the source to inform that Apple is likely to partner Wistron to assemble the iPhone 6C while the 6S phones will be made by Foxconn and Pegatron. 

The report mentions that all phones will feature LTPS panels. Japan Display, Sharp and LG Display will supply panels for iPhone 6S Plus and iPhone 6C while the iPhone 6S panels will be sourced from Japan Display and LG. 

Further, it adds that the phones will come with Corning Gorilla Glass, the iPhone 6S/6S Plus will be powered by Apple's new A9 chips and the iPhone 6C will feature the A8 chip. All new iPhones will have NFC connectivity and fingerprint scanning capability.

Apple may also use new camera technology embedding an advanced three-sensor based camera module within the iPhone. 

According to another report by Taiwanese website UDN, Apple will use a two-lens system in the camera of the next-generation iPhone. The dual lens setup will help the iPhone capture more light, resulting in better photos. It will also add optical zoom capability to the camera, which also gives better photos compared to cameras with digital zoom. 

It is also expected that Apple will use its Force Touch technology in the upcoming iPhones. This technology, already being used in Apple Watch, will allow the touch-screen distinguish between light taps and long presses, thus allowing the users to interact with their iPhones in several new ways. Moreover, the touch sensors said to be used in the new iPhones can determine the users' blood pressure and pulse more accurately. 

5 Sure Ways to Save Smartphone's Mobile Data

Here are some of the ways and techniques that can be followed to reduce mobile data consumption and check Smartphone’s bill.

Disable unnecessary push notifications

Push notifications can lead to higher data use, especially if you use a lot of interactive apps such as social network clients and messaging services. A number of apps also push promotional content that is not relevant to you. Modern Android devices and iPhone offer ways to disable push notifications through the system settings. You should also set your email to fetch mode and disable push unless you receive critical, time sensitive messages.

Track data use

The latest iterations of both Android and iOS allow you to track data usage for individual apps to identify the ones eating up your data allowance. You can also disable background data transfer.

Disable auto-download on WhatsApp

Most WhatsApp users who're part of some or the other group receive multiple forwards in the form of pictures, videos and audio. Whenever you receive these items you also incur data costs. Fortunately, you can choose to disable auto-downloads for all, none or a certain content type whenever you receive a multimedia message. You should ideally enable video and audio auto-downloads only when the phone's connected to Wi-Fi.

Offline viewing/listening

This is specially for those who watch a lot of videos on the go? Or stream music? Mobile data networks in India don't really offer good bandwidth plus data use is expensive. It's a good idea to subscribe to a paid plan of a music streaming service and sync your songs when connected to Wi-Fi. YouTube also lets you temporarily download music videos from most popular Indian record labels, valid for a period of 48 hours.

Use data compression
If you read a lot of online articles on your phone, it's a good idea to enable compression on your mobile browser. Google Chrome offers a 'Reduce data usage' setting to make the size of the web pages you visit smaller using Google servers. It even offers graphical statistics of data savings. Opera also offers Max, a free, data-savings and data-management app that compresses videos, images and media from apps and websites to reduce data use.

Microsoft launches Lumia 430, cheapest Windows Phone

It’s just another budget Smartphone to its Lumia range. Microsoft has launched Lumia 430, which is priced at approximately Rs 4,400. It is the most economical Smartphone in the Lumia series. 

The dual SIM Smartphone has a 4-inch WVGA (480x800 pixels) LCD display and sports a 2MP primary camera along with a VGA secondary camera. 

Powered by 1.2GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 200 processor and 1GB RAM, Lumia 430 offers 8GB of internal storage and can support micro-SD cards of up to 128GB. 

The Smartphone, like other phones in Lumia series, comes with 30GB of free OneDrive cloud storage. 

Lumia 430 runs Windows Phone 8.1 and packs a 1500mAh battery, which is replaceable. 

Available in two colours: Bright Orange and Black, the phone offers support for 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0 and GPS. 

Micromax launches Canvas Juice2

Indian mobile brand Micromax has launched a low-cost Smartphone with 3,000mAh battery in the Indian market. The new Canvas Juice2 has been priced at Rs 8,999 and is supposed to offer standby time of up to 18 days.

Being the latest Smartphone from Micromax, Canvas Juice2 comes with a 5-inch HD screen and is powered by Android 5.0 (Lollipop). The new model packs a 1.3GHz quad-core processor with 2GB RAM under the hood, has 8GB internal storage and supports micro-SD cards with capacities up to 32GB.

The successor of last year's Canvas Juice, this Smartphone sports an 8MP rear camera and a 2MP front camera.

In terms of connectivity, the Smartphone consists of standard features like Bluetooth, micro-USB and Wi-Fi, along with 2G and 3G internet.

The all-new Canvas Juice2 comes in fawn metallic colour.

Sony Xperia E4 dual launched in India

Sony has launched its budget Smartphone Xperia E4 (dual SIM) in India at Rs 12,490. 

It is targeted at price conscious consumers and will be available at all leading retail stores and Sony outlets. 

The phone, along with its single-SIM variant, was launched in black and white color options in February. 

Sony Xperia E4 sports a 5-inch qHD(960x540 pixels) IPS display. Powered by a 1.3GHz Qualcomm quad core processor, Adreno 330 GPU and 1GB RAM, the phone comes with 8GB internal storage expandable up to 32GB via micro-SD card. It's powered by a 2300mAh battery and the company promises talk time of up to 12hours and 43minutes and standby time of up to 696hours. 

The Smartphone runs Android 5.0 Lollipop, the latest iteration of the phone. Interestingly, no other phones from Sony feature this OS at this point in time. 

Xperia E4 has a 5MP rear camera (supports 1080p video capture) with LED flash and a 2MP front-facing camera. 

The phone supports Wi-Fi and WiFi Hotspot, 3G, Bluetooth 4.1, and GPS. 

The phone will compete with the likes of Motorola Moto E (second-gen) and Xiaomi Redmi 2. 

Snapdeal to acquire Freecharge

Snapdeal is in advanced talks to buy online mobile recharge platform Freecharge for $450 million (Rs 2,800 crore). This is going to be the biggest deal in India's consumer internet industry.

The deal will cement the Delhi-based marketplace's reputation as an acquisitive and ambitious company as it takes on Flipkart and Amazon for leadership in India's online retail business.

So far, Delhi-based Jasper Infotech, which owns and operates Snapdeal, has announced five acquisitions and is expected to match that number in the coming fiscal.

The biggest deal in the consumer internet space so far is Flipkart's acquisition of fashion portal Myntra for an estimated $370 million (Rs 2,300 crore) in May 2014.

Backed by Japanese conglomerate SoftBank, which invested $627 million (Rs 3,800 crore) in the company last October, Snapdeal is looking to build competence in the mobile and data analytics space.

Freecharge, founded in 2010 by serial entrepreneur Kunal Shah and Sandeep Tandon, head of technology conglomerate Tandon Group, is backed by Sequoia Capital and hedge funds Valiant Capital and Hong Kong-based Tybourne Capital Management which is also an investor in Snapdeal.

Last month, Freecharge, now led by CEO Alok Goyal, raised $80 million (Rs 496 crore) in funding, as it looks to increase its customer base by two to three times from the current 20 million. The Bengaluru-based company offers promotions or discounts from restaurants and retailers every time a customer uses its platform for a recharge.

Google to acquire India's InMobi

Google is in early talks to acquire Bangalore-based start-up InMobi, in a move that would strengthen its offering in the increasingly competitive mobile advertising space.

InMobi, which helps companies target phones and mobile devices in their advertising, was launched in 2007 and claims to have over 1 billion users across 200 countries. It counts Japan's SoftBank, an early backer of China's Alibaba, and early stage venture capital firm Sherpalo among investors.

According to a source, InMobi is expected to be likely valued at around $1 billion.

The Economic Times newspaper first reported news of these ongoing talks.

Lava launches Iris X1 Beats

Indian handset brand Lava has launched a new Smartphone, Iris X1 Beats, expanding its Iris X series. Available in White-Silver, White-Gold, and Ink Black colors, the Smartphone comes at Rs 6,552.

The dual SIM Smartphone features a 5-inch (480x854p) FWVGA IPS display. The phone boasts of a K-Class Amplifier combined with better quality speakers.

Powered by 1.2GHz quad-core processor, Lava Iris X1 Beats has 1GB RAM, and comes with 8GB of internal storage. Users can also install micro-SD cards of up to 32GB for more storage.

It sports a 5MP rear autofocus camera with LED flash and 0.3MP front-facing camera.

The phone runs Android 4.4 Kitkat and packs a 2200mAh battery that delivers up to 11 hours of talk time on 3G network and up to 134 hours of standby time on single-SIM.

Iris X1 Beats comes with smart gesture controls to use applications from locked screen, just like the other Lava Iris Smartphones such as Lava Iris Fuel 60, Lava Iris Grand and Lava Iris X8.

The Smartphone offers support for 3G, GPRS/EDGE, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and a micro-USB slot.

Motorola to launch Moto E (2nd-Gen) in India

After unveiling its second generation entry-level Smartphone, Motorola has sent media invites for the launch of the Moto E. The event is scheduled for March 10 in New Delhi. The company has not revealed the phone's pricing for India yet. It's not clear if Motorola will also release the 4G variant of the phone.

The Lenovo-owned manufacturer had announced the second-generation Moto E Smartphone in two variants - one featuring 4G LTE support, while the other compatible only with 3G networks.

The 3G version of the phone is powered by a 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 200 quad-core processor, while the 4G-capable variant has a 64-bit quad-core 1.2GHz Snapdragon 410 chip. Apart from these, both of the phones sport almost the same hardware.

The phone sports a 4.5-inch, 540x960p display and Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection, same as the one on the first-generation model; and run Android 5.0 Lollipop operating system.

A big change is the arrival of the 0.3MP (VGA) front camera; the original Moto E did not have a Selfie shooter.

Motorola has added autofocus capability to the rear camera. The battery capacity has also increased to 2,390mAh, up from the 2,080mAh powerhouse of the first-generation model.

The rear camera resolution and RAM remain constant at 5MP and 1GB, respectively; Motorola has still not added the flash on the back in the new Moto E. The 8GB of built-in storage can be expanded by micro-SD card up to 32GB.

If the company launches Moto E 4G, Motorola will join the race of budget 4G phones and will compete against the likes of Lenovo A6000, Xiaomi Redmi Note 4G, Micromax's YU Yureka and Microsoft Lumia 638.

Pebble unveils Time Steel, Smartstraps

After the launch of Pebble Time, the company's first colour-screen Smartwatch, Pebble has now unveiled Pebble Time Steel, a premium version of the watch within a week.

According to Pebble, Time Steel emphasizes on different design cues and brings a refined and elegant aesthetic. It features a CNC-finished 316L stainless steel case, a larger battery that offers up to 10 days of normal use and a colour e-paper display bonded directly to the top lens. The watch will be available in Gunmetal Black, Silver Stainless, and Gold colours.

Interestingly, the Gold version of the watch looks pretty similar to the upcoming Apple Watch Edition Gold Smartwatch.

The Time Steel Watch is water resistant, has a stainless Steel bezel with Gorilla Glass lens and comes with a standard 22mm watch band with quick release mechanism. It has a magnetic charging port with data connection for its new Smartstraps.

Pebble Time Steel runs Pebble's new Timeline interface which is used to display user-specific data, events, notifications and reminders in both the past and the future.

Smartstraps are straps that can contain electronics and sensors to interface directly with apps running on Pebble Time. This new initiative will allow hardware developers to make custom straps that extend the functionality of the watch. For instance straps with GPS, heart rate monitor, NFC, and battery extensions will allow users to add new features.

Time Steel has been listed on crowd-funding platform Kickstarter and starts shipping in July. Each reward package includes two straps (leather and stainless steel) for $250, exclusive to Kickstarter. The regular retail price for the package will be $299.