A mini review of the iPhone 6 Plus Jordan Golson shares his thoughts on the (gigantic) iPhone 6 Plus.

After using the iPhone 6 Plus as my full-time phone for a week, I definitely understand the appeal of huge phablets. I played with the 5.1" Samsung Galaxy S 5 earlier this year and enjoyed the large screen, but as a hardcore iOS user, I couldn't fully appreciate the phone until it had iOS installed.

First off, what a screen. Apple's team has really knocked it out of the park with this one. Packing a 1920 x 1080 display at 401 ppi, pixels are impossible to see by my eyes, and text and video look incredible.

Apps that have been redesigned to fully support the 5.5-inch screen of the iPhone 6 Plus are great, and the extra real estate really comes in handy when browsing the web, sending emails, or using Twitter. Unfortunately, at this early point, most apps haven't yet been updated for it, reminding me of when the iPhone 4 was first released with its Retina display, or when the iPhone 5 came around, running apps in a letterboxed form.

These days, apps basically run in a mildly enlarged form, with everything (including menu bars and the keyboard) made slightly bigger to fill the screen. It's a mild annoyance, but if prior iOS changes are any indication, developers will be quick to take advantage of the new space and abandoned apps will be few and far between.

Since I got the phone, I haven't used my iPad mini nearly as much, and I hope developers of iPad apps will consider moving their apps onto the larger screen of the iPhone 6 Plus. It's much closer to the iPad as far as screen real estate goes (and how it feels to use) than it is to an iPhone.

Holding the phone does make you look a little foolish, as -- it should be said -- does holding the iPhone 6. I work at home and make most of my phone calls with a hands-free headset, but those who make calls when they're out and about should be aware that they will be holding a large thing to their head. That's the cost of doing business, I'm afraid.

Battery life is excellent, and charging the phone with an iPad charger does seem to fill the battery bar more quickly than the included charger, but I have not done any scientific tests.

- - Read more at: http://www.techrepublic.com/article/a-mini-review-of-the-iphone-6-plus/?tag=nl.e101&s_cid=e101&ttag=e101&ftag=TRE684d531

One Plus One Coming to India Soon, One Plus Two Coming in Q2-Q3 2015

One Plus has managed to generate a lot of publicity and interest for a brand new company. Their first device – the One Plus One, was dubbed as the “Flagship Killer”. Extremely limited availability has prevented the device from registering even a blip in the world wide sales figures. However, the One did receive widespread acclaim for its high quality hardware and extremely competitive pricing. Today Carl Pei and David S from One Plus One answered questions from Redditors in an AMA. Here are some of the most interesting tidbits from their AMA.

On India Plans

One Plus had earlier indicated that it’s interested in following Xiaomi’s footprints and selling its devices in India. Although, Carl didn’t provide firm dates, he did promise to “have more concrete plans” in a few weeks. “We are aiming at doing so (launching in India) before the end of this year”, confirmed David.

On Android L

One Plus and Cyanogen intends to begin working on Android L as soon as the source code is available. “Earlier, we promised to have it done within 90 days of receiving the source”, noted Carl.

On One Plus One Successor

One Plus Two is expected to be released in the second or the third quarter of next year. The One Plus One is a really big smartphone that’s almost impossible to use with just one hand. In fact, that’s my single biggest gripe regarding the hardware. The good news is that a smaller device might be in the works. “We’ve seen a lot of people asking for a smaller device, and want to let everyone know that we hear you”, wrote Carl Pei. “We’re thinking about it.”

On Other Feature and Product Requests

Responding to a request from an user to include wireless charging, Carl ruled out including it in the immediate future. “I’m not impressed by today’s wireless charging technology. Its slow speeds lead to a subpar user experience, especially considering the huge capacity of our battery.”

One Plus will also not be making tablets anytime soon. “The Nexus tablets are pretty good. We don’t think we can make anything significantly better in the near future”.

One Plus has been teasing a big reveal this Friday. Many had speculated that they might be finally gearing up to ditch the invite system. However, David confirmed that One Plus will not be taking pre-orders anytime soon.

Read more at http://techie-buzz.com/mobile-news/one-plus-one-india-successor.html#kW1orWrE2fWLYCIl.99

Spice Android One Dream UNO Mi-498 priced at Rs. 6999 briefly appears on Flipkart

Spice teased its Android One smartphone yesterday, which would be launched exclusively on Flipkart tomorrow. Few hours back Spice Android One Dream UNO Mi-498, the company’s first Android One smartphone appeared on Flipkart briefly, before it was pulled. It has a 4.5-inch FWVGA screen, powered by a 1.3 GHz quad-core MediaTek processor and runs on Android 4.4 (KitKat). It has a 5-megapixel rear camera with LED flash and a 2-megapixel front-facing camera.

It comes with 35GB of Google Drive storage,  Spice Cloud app with 10GB of storage and pre-loaded apps such as Reverie Smartpad, Facebook and more.

Spice Android One Dream UNO Mi-498 Specifications

4.5-inch (854 x 480 pixels) IPS display1.3 GHz quad-core MediaTek processor with Mali-400 GPU1GB RAM, 4GB internal memory, 32GB expandable memory with MicroSDAndroid 4.4 (KitKat) OSDual SIM5MP rear camera with LED flash2MP front-facing camera9.15 mm thick3G HSPA+, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS3.5mm audio jack, FM Radio1700 mAh battery

The Spice Android One Dream UNO Mi-498 comes in black color and is priced at Rs. 6,999. It will officially go on sale on September 15th at 3:30 PM. Karbonn will launch its Android One smartphone on Snapdeal and Micromax’s smartphone would go on sale exclusively on Amazon.in tomorrow.

Read more..

What's missing in the Apple Watch

Here were a few major items missed in the upcoming product. Here are my big sore spots.

Actually work as a watch

While Apple offered no shortage of different styles for the watch, with multiple finishes and dozens of watch bands, the device still looks a bit clunky and un-watchlike. Beauty is certainly in the eye of the beholder, and I may change my tune once I strap one of the devices to my wrist, but the looks of the Apple Watch just didn't resonate as much as something like the Moto 360.

Mail notifications

There wasn't much said about how Apple Watch will intelligently manage notifications. Apple's current iPhone notification system is poor to the point of being useless. Other than visiting the notification window every few days to clear out the accumulated cruft, I don't find it very useful. 

Read more..

Gadgets Update: Date: 13-09-2014

• Nimbuzz for Windows Phone updated with new UI, Emojis and more
• Huawei Ascend Mate 2 Photo Gallery
• Unlocked Motorola Moto X Pure Edition reportedly launching soon
• Oppo Find 5 and N1 confirmed to get Android KitKat updates
• Lenovo A7-30 Unboxing
• Sony Xperia Z3 launching in India on September 19
• Xiaomi Redmi 1S Photo Gallery
• LG L Fino and L Bello global roll out begins this week
• Google buys online polling service start-up Polar
• Alcatel OneTouch Pop 8S Hands On and Photo Gallery
• Micromax Canvas Nitro A310 Benchmarks
• Yahoo News Digest arrives on iPad
• Intex Aqua 4X with 4-inch display, Android 4.2 launched for Rs. 2999
• Sony Xperia Z3 Compact up for pre-order in UK at 349 GBP
• HTC reportedly working on smartwatch, due early 2015
• Spider-Man Unlimited game released for Android, iOS and Windows Phone
• Sony Xperia L, M, C and SP not getting Android KitKat update
• HTC Sense 6 Lock Screen app hits Google Play Store
• Another 40,000 Redmi 1S units will go on sale in India on September 16
• SanDisk 512GB Extreme PRO SDXC world's highest capacity SD card announced
• Android apps like Vine, Evernote and more land on Google Chromebooks
• Leaked Windows 9 screenshots show redesigned Start Menu, new features and more

Nimbuzz for Windows Phone updated with new UI, Emojis and more Posted: 12 Sep 2014 08:32 PM PDT Nimbuzz for Windows Phone has received a major update to version 2.1 that brings several new features including a new user interface. It adds Emojis, offers better Chat Room experience for a quicker access to your ... Nimbuzz for Windows Phone updated with new UI, Emojis and more

Huawei Ascend Mate 2 Photo Gallery Posted: 12 Sep 2014 08:16 PM PDT Huawei unveiled the Ascend Mate 2 at CES 2014 in January this year. The successor to Ascend Mate that was launched last year, is a phablet that is 9.5mm thick and weighs 202 grams. We have already seen ... Huawei Ascend Mate 2 Photo Gallery

Unlocked Motorola Moto X Pure Edition reportedly launching soon Posted: 12 Sep 2014 08:10 PM PDT Motorola is planning to launch Moto X Pure Edition, which will be unlocked and unbranded, according to a report from The Verge. The Pure Edition will be sold by Motorola directly through its web portal and it ... Unlocked Motorola Moto X Pure Edition reportedly launching soon

Oppo Find 5 and N1 confirmed to get Android KitKat updates Posted: 12 Sep 2014 12:44 PM PDT Oppo had announced previously that the Find 5 that came to the market early last year would not be getting an update to official Android v4.4 KitKat. This sparked off a lot of controversy on ... Oppo Find 5 and N1 confirmed to get Android KitKat updates

Lenovo A7-30 Unboxing Posted: 12 Sep 2014 07:45 AM PDT Lenovo A7-30 tablet with voice calling went on sale in India back in June for Rs. 9,979. It is the company's latest budget tablet with 2G connectivity. Here is the unboxing of the 7-inch Android tablet. //www.youtube.com/watch?v=OpoUQEta6Io Box Contents Lenovo ... Lenovo A7-30 Unboxing

Sony Xperia Z3 launching in India on September 19 Posted: 12 Sep 2014 07:01 AM PDT Sony is all set to launch the Xperia Z3, the company's latest flagship smartphone in India on September 19th. It was unveiled at the IFA 2014 earlier this month and is currently on pre-order across ... Sony Xperia Z3 launching in India on September 19

Xiaomi Redmi 1S Photo Gallery Posted: 12 Sep 2014 05:58 AM PDT Xiaomi has been creating a lot of buzz in the smartphone market thanks to its devices that bear a very competitive price tag. The latest one from the Chinese smartphone maker is the Redmi 1S. ... Xiaomi Redmi 1S Photo Gallery

LG L Fino and L Bello global roll out begins this week Posted: 12 Sep 2014 04:33 AM PDT LG unveiled the L Fino and L Bello, budget Android smartphones with 3G support in the L series few weeks back. LG also showcased these smartphones at the IFA, today the company announced that it would ... LG L Fino and L Bello global roll out begins this week

Google buys online polling service start-up Polar Posted: 12 Sep 2014 04:13 AM PDT Google has acquired Polar, an online polling company for an undisclosed sum. Polar is a startup that allows anyone to create a visual poll for their website or app. As a result of the acquisition, Polar ... Google buys online polling service start-up Polar

Alcatel OneTouch Pop 8S Hands On and Photo Gallery Posted: 12 Sep 2014 03:31 AM PDT Alcatel launched the Pop 8 S tablet at IFA along with a couple of other smartphone and tablets. We got our hands on the device at the event and here is the sneak peak of ... Alcatel OneTouch Pop 8S Hands On and Photo Gallery

Micromax Canvas Nitro A310 Benchmarks Posted: 12 Sep 2014 03:22 AM PDT Micromax launched the Canvas Nitro A310, the company's latest high-end Canvas smartphone earlier this week. We brought the unboxing and the photo gallery of the Canvas Nitro recently, here we have the benchmarks. It is powered ... Micromax Canvas Nitro A310 Benchmarks

Yahoo News Digest arrives on iPad Posted: 12 Sep 2014 02:40 AM PDT Yahoo has rolled out New Digest App on iPad that delivers twice daily digests, each consisting of eight to 12 stories based on the day's biggest headlines. The new version will also include a weekly video segment ... Yahoo News Digest arrives on iPad

Intex Aqua 4X with 4-inch display, Android 4.2 launched for Rs. 2999 Posted: 12 Sep 2014 02:34 AM PDT Intex has launched Aqua 4X, the company's latest budget smartphones in the Aqua series. It has a 4-inch WVGA screen, powered by a 1 GHz dual-core processor and runs on Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean). It ... Intex Aqua 4X with 4-inch display, Android 4.2 launched for Rs. 2999

Sony Xperia Z3 Compact up for pre-order in UK at 349 GBP Posted: 12 Sep 2014 01:23 AM PDT Sony Xperia Z3 Compact that was unveiled earlier this month at the IFA 2014. The pricing was revealed as 429 GBP in UK, and online retailer Clove started taking pre-orders for the smartphone 432 GBP including VAT, now ... Sony Xperia Z3 Compact up for pre-order in UK at 349 GBP

HTC reportedly working on smartwatch, due early 2015 Posted: 12 Sep 2014 12:51 AM PDT HTC previously dismissed rumors about its plans on working on a smartwatch. According to a new report, HTC is still working on a smartwatch, which is expected to be announced in early 2015, according to ... HTC reportedly working on smartwatch, due early 2015

Spider-Man Unlimited game released for Android, iOS and Windows Phone Posted: 12 Sep 2014 12:20 AM PDT Few months after releasing the Amazing Spider-Man 2 game, Gameloft has released Spider-Man Unlimited, an endless runner for Android, iOS and Windows Phone platforms as it promised. The game is available for free, but it comes with in-app ... Spider-Man Unlimited game released for Android, iOS and Windows Phone

Sony Xperia L, M, C and SP not getting Android KitKat update Posted: 12 Sep 2014 12:09 AM PDT Sony has announced that its will not add further Android updates to Xperia L, M, C and SP. That means that for those of you who own these smartphones, an Android update will not be issued. The ... Sony Xperia L, M, C and SP not getting Android KitKat update

HTC Sense 6 Lock Screen app hits Google Play Store Posted: 11 Sep 2014 11:55 PM PDT HTC has launched Lock Screen Sense 6 app on the Google Play Store. With the new app, users can swipe right on the Lock Screen to jump straight into BlinkFeed, or swipe left to access ... HTC Sense 6 Lock Screen app hits Google Play Store

Another 40,000 Redmi 1S units will go on sale in India on September 16 Posted: 11 Sep 2014 11:54 PM PDT Xiaomi has announced that 40,000 units of Remi 1S smartphones would be available in their third flash sale in India, similar to the first two Redmi 1S sale. It took 4.2 seconds for the company to ... Another 40,000 Redmi 1S units will go on sale in India on September 16

SanDisk 512GB Extreme PRO SDXC world's highest capacity SD card announced Posted: 11 Sep 2014 11:08 PM PDT SanDisk is one of the first companies to introduce new technologies in the market. The company introduced the world's largest capacity microSD card for smart devices earlier this year, which was launched in India few months back. ... SanDisk 512GB Extreme PRO SDXC world's highest capacity SD card announced

Android apps like Vine, Evernote and more land on Google Chromebooks Posted: 11 Sep 2014 10:49 PM PDT Google was planning to bring Android apps to its Chromebooks for quiet some time now. Today, the company has finally taken its first steps and announced four Android apps for their Chromebook. "Chromebooks were designed to ... Android apps like Vine, Evernote and more land on Google Chromebooks

Leaked Windows 9 screenshots show redesigned Start Menu, new features and more Posted: 11 Sep 2014 09:49 PM PDT Earlier this month Microsoft China accidentally teased Windows 9 with a logo. Today, an array of leaked screenshots of the next iteration of Windows has been published by two German website WinFuture and Computerbase. The 20 leaked ... Leaked Windows 9 screenshots show redesigned Start Menu, new features and more