With its two screens, the Yota phone was a nightmare to use and it wasn’t easy to get anything done easily on either screen, writes Mala BhargavaThe idea of a phone with two screens has always got me excited. But beyond the thought of how good it would look, I never considered what I’d do with such a phone. And maybe it’s because there isn’t a killer reason to have one that no one’s worked too hard on producing two-screened phones. At least not full double screens. In a recent round-up of attempts to come with two screens or really a-screen-and-a-bit shows how most have been abject failures. The Yota phone (and later its second edition, the Yota 2) had two complete screens but the one on the back was an e-ink screen and was meant to let the user send some functions and tasks to it and keeping them handy. Such as a book you’re reading on the back while regular phone use stays in front. Or a map you want to consult on the back while you use the phone as usual on the front. It could have been useful, except that the Yota phone was a nightmare to use and it wasn’t easy to get anything done easily on either screen. Yota 2 never even made it to India – not that the original sold in the first place. There have been a whole lot of other attempts including sticking a square of screen in the middle of a split additional keypad. But again, usability is an issue and it makes the phone heavier and adds to the cost without adding hugely to the functionality. About the most successful two-screened phones have been Samsung’s Edge phones. In fact, the demand for the Galaxy S6 Edge is said to have taken Samsung by surprise. Samsung’s are not two full screens either but rather a strip of screen that spills over the edge –one, in the case of the Note 4 Edge, and both in its later phones with this feature. The strip is a second screen, technically, but because it’s just a thin strip there’s a limit to what it can be used for and Samsung hasn’t actually taken the functionality leaps forward since first coming up with the idea of the wrap around screen. LG has recently followed suit with a strip of screen on top, housing frequently-used apps on top of the upper bezel. I haven’t seen that phone yet, but my feeling is that it’ll constantly catch the user’seye like an ever-present notification that’s lit up and asking for attention and action.The kind of two-screened phone I dream of is one that has two proper fully functional same-size screens, both identical in capability. It’s undoubtedly crazy and would be like carrying two phones, but irrationally, I would probably have bought such a gadget. I would want it to be in an elegant understated case that opens up like a book. Both screens are instantly available though you should be able to customise whether both should wake up when opening the case. I would use this dream gadget to use one screen to work with a stylus on one side and consult notes on the other. Or keep a video on on one side while blogging on the other. Sadly though one may as well just glue two phones together or have them sit side by side because a book of two screens wouldn’t work either. With the back and all the edges having been explored for a second screen though, one wonders what the future holds for this idea. Perhaps it’s time for that foldable phone.
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The updated versions of these popular apps are even better than beforeby Mala Bhargava360-DEGREE STREET VIEWGoogle has released a standalone app that takes you to places all around the world. Google Street View is, in a sense, part of Google Maps and it lets you choose a place and head there to see 360-degree photographs put up by others. You can see different parts of the photograph, zooming in to see details. Most photographs are beautiful, but sometimes users don’t get the “stitching” right and parts of a picture don’t fit or are cut off, sometimes resulting in headless people as well. You can try your hand at creating your own 360-degree photos.Google has its own collection of photographs and these, of course, are of excellent quality. You swipe from down to up or sideways to move to the next photo from the place you selected.PUT THAT IN YOUR POCKETIt's time to reintroduce a long-existing app, Pocket, earlier called Read It Later. It’s an ultra useful app, available on iOS, Android and even the web. People think of it as the Save button for the Internet, because all you have to do, from a browser or a content aggregator app, you just send an article off to Pocket, where it’s saved for later reading. Pocket also saves audio and video, in case you have a YouTube video you want to keep aside to see later or a podcast to listen to. You can also listen to the articles you save because there’s a Listen button for just that purpose.A new recently added feature to Pocket is recommendations from the Pocket app based on what you like to read — a way of helping users discover more content. Pocket is a highly recommended app for anyone who consumes content.REDISCOVERING INSTAGRAMInstagram, the app that became a photo sharing network, needs no introduction but if you’ve been ignoring it, now’s a good time to get reacquainted. Not only does Instagram have more users than Twitter, it’s now available on just about any platform including the web. Recently, Instagram was updated to allow more than just square photos. More importantly, it’s about to finally allow for short ads, so brands need to sit up and take notice.Many brands are already leveraging Instagram very well to create visual experiences that help branding and also point to specific products. But Indian brands need to use Instagram more. As an app, Instagram now has better search and explore facilities and additional filters and photo editing settings that give visuals that special Instagram look.(This story was published in BW | Businessworld Issue Dated 19-10-2015)
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Asus’s ZenFone 2 Laser offers a lot including a decent fast camera for Rs 9,999By Mala BhargavaBarely a year ago, if you wanted a half-decent camera on a smartphone, you would have to be prepared to pay upward of Rs 30,000 for the device. There were a handful of great camera phones, and the rest were terrible. There are still only a handful of really good camera phones, but those have got better at what they do while the truly terrible ones have become fewer in number and have also gotten better at taking pictures.The Zenfone 2 Laser from Asus is meant to be the best camera phone in the company’s growing Zenfone 2 series. Right at the outset, I would say it’s not as great as one might imagine, but for the mere sum of Rs 9,999, it gives you a pretty good shooter — the laser stands for laser auto focus — for everyday Facebook-style photography.The review unit that came to me was a Ferrari red. The front is straightforward enough, with a nice stylised chin, but the back is a startling red with a rich sheen to it. That back panel is made of a soft synthetic material and can come right off, letting you get at the 3,000mAh battery, two SIM slots and a memory card slot. That’s already rather a lot for a budget phone.The 5.5-inch screen makes this a big phone, so anyone who still has a problem with the larger phones more prevalent today should think twice. The screen is a 720x1280, not the best by today’s standards, but very workable. Colours, angles, sunlight-friendliness, are all pretty good. Again, a while ago, a budget phone would have come with a truly compromised screen, looking every bit as cheap as it was.The screen comes on when you tap it twice. That’s one of the gestures that are part of the “ZenUI” interface that includes other tricks like drawing a C on the screen to open up the camera, or an E to get to email. The actual power button is on top of the phone, in a nicely awkward place, so it’s a good thing the double tap wakes up the phone. It’s a feature borrowed from LG, as is the volume button placed on the back of the phone.The Home, Back and Multitasking buttons on this phone are not backlit, which I find a huge annoyance as I do the fact that the back button is on the left.It’s too broad to be a one-handed phone, but there are software workarounds should you insist on using it that way. But I’ll say this again, we’re so accustomed to paying heavily for good phones, it’s a wonder to be getting full functionality for under Rs 10,000.One thing you get a little too much of though, are the apps preloaded by Asus, which you can’t remove. I think the beauty of Android is that you can customise as much as you like and it’s most annoying when a phone is taken over by a company to take away all your options as a user.The ZenFone 2 Laser performs very well on its 1.2 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 13MP rear camera, 5MP primary camera, 2GB RAM, dual SIM, memory card slotQualcomm Snapdragon 410 1.2GHz quad-core processor with 2GB RAM and 306 Adreno graphics. It runs on Android 5.0 Lollipop. It works smoothly has good battery life as well. It’s 4G capable and has good call quality and reception — when Airtel allows it.The centre piece on this phone is obviously the camera. There’s a 13MP on the rear and a 5MP in front. The camera opens up nice and quick when you draw a C on the sleeping screen. It also shoots fast specially in Auto mode. You could get highly saturated colours in that mode, but it varies widely with the light conditions. You can choose to go Manual and use the settings to tinker with white balance, ISO, etc., but I’m guessing that those who know what these will do to images will end up spending more on a better camera. There are many other modes to play with such as an HDR that mostly darkens the picture and a selective focus mode that allows you to get some depth of field into the image. The camera also takes 1080p video, but stabilisation works at 720p resolution.Overall, the ZenFone 2 Laser isn’t a bad deal at all and would have been brilliant if there weren’t other options, such as the Moto G, to choose from.mala.bhargava@gmail.com(This story was published in BW | Businessworld Issue Dated 19-10-2015)
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The RS 175 from Sennheiser are a good pair of headphones if you intend to use them only at homeby Kunal KhullarWireless Bluetooth headphones have been steadily gaining popularity and even managed to attract a lot of customers. But before these contraptions started making an appearance, home theatre wireless headphones were the only ones that one could use without having to sort out wires. For those who are unfamiliar with the latter category, there is a wireless receiver for the headphones which plugs into an audio source like a home theatre system, TV, or any other audio system that you might use at home.The RS 175 from Sennheiser is a fine offering that accepts a standard 3.5mm auxiliary input and also a digital audio input to provide rich sound whether you are watching a movie, listening to music or just gaming. The headphones come with a dock which is not very bulky so it can easily be stacked on a desk with your audio source. The dock has a power input, two audio inputs, and has three pins on the top where you can place the headphones for charging. There is a switch at the back to select your audio source (analog or digital) and two buttons on the front to enable or disable surround sound and to add some extra bass. Apart from the charger to power the dock, you get an optical cable for digital audio and a standard aux cable. SPECIFICATIONSAnalog and digital audio inputsTransmission range of up to 328ft/100m (line of sight)Multi-purpose transmitter, functions as charging cradle and docking stationRemovable AAA batteriesRich sound with surround and bass modes The headphones are large and the drivers are pretty huge that cover your entire ears. The padding is comfortable and surprisingly didn’t itch or hurt the ears after about 30 minutes of usage. The pads can be removed by simply twisting them to reveal an AAA rechargeable battery inside each ear-cup. The right ear-cup houses controls to enable or disable bass and surround sound, volume control keys and a power button with an LED light. Overall, the headphones have a sturdy feel about them, yet are comfortable for daily use.As mentioned above, you get two settings on the headphones, a bass mode and a surround sound mode. Turning on the bass mode gives a nice rich sound which is pretty good when listening to music, while the surround sound mode is good when you are watching a movie. However, the surround mode isn’t very impressive. One can also switch off both the modes giving a comparatively flatter sound but that's not something audiophiles would define as ‘flat’. The headphones do however leak a lot of sound so if you have people around you, there is a good chance they can hear what you are listening to. Also, when you crank up the volume close to full, you start hearing slight disturbance. The dock uses a frequency range of 2.4-2.8GHz to transfer the audio to the headphones and offers a good range of about 300-330 feet which is a lot better than Bluetooth. The connectivity is also seamless and didn’t show any signs of signal drops.The RS 175 is not the most impressive headphone set out there but it gets the job done well. It is reliable and offers a pleasing sound, but there is an issue of sound leakage which essentially kills the purpose of getting a headphone. Being dependent on the dock, the headphones are only suitable for use indoors, which limits the usage. However, if you want to invest in a good pair of headphones that you intend to use only at home and if you aren’t an audiophile and very fussy about the sound, then the Sennheiser RS 175 is where you should put your money. (This story was published in BW | Businessworld Issue Dated 19-10-2015)
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Microsoft Corp and Google Inc have agreed to bury all patent infringement litigation against each other, the companies announced on Wednesday, settling 18 cases in the United States and Germany. In another sign of the winding down of the global smartphone wars, the companies said the deal puts an end to court fights involving a variety of technologies, including mobile phones, wifi, and patents used in Microsoft's Xbox game consoles and other Windows products. The agreement also drops all litigation involving Motorola Mobility, which Google sold to Lenovo Group Ltd last year while keeping its patents. However, as Microsoft and Google continue to make products that compete directly with each other, including search engines and mobile computing devices, the agreement notably does not preclude any future infringement lawsuits, a Microsoft spokeswoman confirmed. "Google and Microsoft have agreed to collaborate on certain patent matters and anticipate working together in other areas in the future to benefit our customers," the companies said in a joint statement. They did not disclose the financial terms of the deal. The companies said they have been cooperating on such issues as the development of a unified patent court for the European Union, and on royalty-free technology for speeding up video on the Internet. One of the most bitter disputes between the rivals began in 2010 when Microsoft accused Motorola, later acquired by Mountain View, California-based Google, of breaching its obligation to offer licenses to its wireless and video patents used in Xbox systems at a reasonable cost. In July, a U.S. appeals court ruled that the low licensing rate Microsoft pays to use the patents had been properly set by a federal judge in Seattle. Wednesday's agreement is not the first among smartphone heavyweights to settle their patent disputes. In 2014, Samsung Electronics Co Ltd and Apple Inc agreed to drop all litigation against one another outside the United States. (Reuters)
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Tablets are slowly disappearing as consumers are either shifting to large screen smartphones or opting for a portable lightweight ultra-book or convertible. While Microsoft’s Surface convertible Windows tablet has finally started gaining a wider audience, Apple announced the large iPad Pro last month with a detachable keyboard that screamed the concept of the Surface itself.Google didn’t want to feel left behind now, did it? The previously announced Pixel Chromebook was the first attempt by the company to design and manufacture a laptop and it definitely was a sleek looking machine. Taking the Pixel brand further, it announced the Pixel C tablet on Tuesday (29 September) along with the new Nexus smartphones.The Pixel C is a 10.2-inch tablet with a similar looking aluminum build as the Pixel Chromebook. It also comes with a slim keyboard that can stick to the tablet with powerful magnets. The tablet can be removed and then docked onto the keyboard on a magnetic hinge that can be tilted into various angles ranging from 105 degrees to 135 degrees. It looks very solid and even the keyboard is said to offer similar travel and feedback as the Pixel Chromebook. The most exciting feature of the keyboard is that it connects to the tablet via Bluetooth and doesn’t require any external charging. It starts to automatically charge itself from the tablet via induction once you close the tablet.The Pixel C will, however, run on Android 6.0 Marshmallow and not Chrome OS which means that the Pixel brand will not be limited to any device format. In terms of specifications, the new Pixel C will run on an NVIDIA Tegra X1 chip with a powerful Maxwell GPU, 3GB of RAM, USB Type-C port, dual stereo speakers and a 10-hour continuous battery life all of which sounds impressive. It is, however. a little expensive as the 32GB version of the tablet will cost $499 (Rs 32,000) and the 64GB costs $599 (Rs 39,000) and the keyboard will have a separate cost of $149 (Rs 10,000).Practically speaking, the tablet doesn’t offer a lot in terms of functionality like the Apple iPad Pro nor is Android the choice of preference when it comes to productivity as much as Windows or even Chrome OS. The tablet certainly looks and sounds impressive but will be it as productive as a small ultrabook or a convertible tablet should be?
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WinMagic, a data security company, organised a roundtable on IT Security: ‘Are we leaving the main door open?’ which was chaired by Mark Hickman, Chief Operating Officer, WinMagic and Vipin Kumar, Group CIO, Escorts.The discussion was an effort towards understanding enterprise security landscape in India from CIO’s and security services provider perspective and centred on latest security trends both globally and in India. Various key trends pertaining to adoption of security solutions in different areas like cloud, BYOD, Internet of Things (IOT) and IT security scenario in India were discussed. During the discussion, Mark Hickman, Chief Operating Officer, WinMagic stated, “World has understood the importance of securing data as it the most valuable commodity. At WinMagic, we excel in securing your data through encryption and key management. Globally, the trend that has evolved over the years has been of adoption of cloud solutions for most businesses. The coming years will see the notion of security being a secure platform - rather than a series of point products or devices on the network – gaining traction. The expectation on security professionals will be to deliver a secure platform that allows the business to confidently run multiple applications, in a secure environment. He further added, “We will be happy to partner with Government of India for their various programs including Digital India.”Vipin Kumar, Group CIO, Escorts Ltd commented, “CIOs always are interested to choose best of breed solutions to secure data for their organization. WinMagic’s capability of offering efficient, robust and seamless solution is remarkable. As a CIO I also foresee the key trend in the coming few years will see a shift towards cloud solution, be it private, public or hybrid.”Rahul Kumar, Country Director and Manager, WinMagic India stated, “India is yet to see great innovations in the IT security space, but the trends that we are seeing now are also encouraging. The key trend in this domain is that customers are also looking forward to adopt cloud security services. The major drivers for security that we would notice in India will be across wide sectors like banks, FSIs, IT/ITES, manufacturing sector etc. One can see more budget allocation towards security equipment, and a shift towards overall comprehensive security.”(BW Online Bureau)
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Finally after a number of rumours and leaks the Nexus smartphones were officially announced yesterday by Google. This is the first time ever that two smartphones have been revealed by Google at the same time and it doesn’t come as a surprise as major players like Apple and Samsung have adopted this measure to cater consumers looking for a phablet and a regular sized smartphone. With the launch of the Nexus 5X and the 6P, Google has once again returned to the philosophy of providing a great experience without having you to shell out a bomb. This was something that last year’s Moto Nexus 6 faced when it was launched with a price tag of about Rs. 42,000 where customers were not very pleased to spend such a huge amount on a Nexus device. Nexus 6PThe 6P is not only the first ever Nexus smartphone with a full metal design, it is also the first one made by a Chinese vendor, Huawei. The 6P has a slim and attractive looking design and is the more powerful out of the two. It comes with a large 5.7-inch display but Google assured that it feels as big as most 5.5-inch smartphones. It also has a QHD AMOLED display with a 2560x1440 resolution which should be similar to last year’s Nexus.At the back there is a new 12MP camera with a new Sony sensor which was originally made for camcorders, and offers a higher pixel size making it absorb more light. There is also a laser guided auto-focus system which has proven to be quick fast in the business. Apart from taking great pictures in day and low-light conditions, the camera will be able to shoot pictures at a super-fast bust mode of 30 fps, 4K video and also slow-motion video with 240fps speeds. Even the front camera has been upgraded to an 8MP module which will support HDR mode to get brighter selfies.Google has chosen to put the fingerprint sensor called ‘Nexus Imprint’ on the back and said that this location will be perfect and will feel more natural when unlocking the device or while authenticating payments. The best part is, you won’t have to wake up the device to unlock it via the fingerprint sensor. A simple placing your finger will instantly unlock the device. There is also a USB C port which is of course reversible and will offer quick-charge technology to charge the smartphone faster. Hardware specifications include a Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 octa-core processor, 3GB of RAM, 12.3MP rear and a 5MP front cameras, USB Type-C port with fast charging, a 3450mAh battery and of course Android 6.0 Marshmallow. It will arrive in three colour options, Aluminum, Frost, Graphite with US prices starting at $499 (Rs. 32,000) for the 32GB version while the 64GB model is $549 (Rs. 36,000), and the 128GB model priced at $649 (Rs. 42,000). However, the Google Store in India is showing the Nexus 6P prices starting at Rs. 39,999, assumingly the 32GB version. The handset is expected to arrive in India by the second week of October.Nexus 5XThe Nexus 4 and the Nexus 5, both made by LG, were one of the most popular Nexus smartphones and Google has probably made the right decision by choosing the company again to make an upgrade of the Nexus 5. The 5X looks similar to its predecessor but has slightly grown to sport a 5.2-inch display with a full HD resolution. The design is again plastic and some with the same cameras as the Nexus 6P only that this time the camera slightly bulges out of the body and will offer 120fps slow-motion videos. Just like the 6P there is the Nexus Imprint fingerprint scanner at the back as well as the USB C port at the bottom with fast charging. Hardware specifications of the Nexus 5X include a Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 hexa-core processor, 2GB of RAM, 12.3MP rear and an 8MP front HDR-enabled camera, USB Type-C port with fast charging, a 2,700mAh battery and Android 6.0 Marshmallow. It will come in three colour options Carbon, Quartz and Ice with US prices starting at $379 (Rs. 25,000) for the 16GB version $429 (Rs. 28,000) for the 32GB version. The Google Store in India is showing the Nexus 6P prices starting at Rs. 31,900 which is similar to what the original Nexus 5 was launched at. The Nexus 5X is expected to arrive by next month along with the 6P.Google also announced the Nexus Protect program yesterday where it is offering an extra one-year support for physical damage as well as a replacement warranty. There is no confirmation if this will be available in India but for the US this plan can be bought for $69 for the Nexus 5X and $89 for the Nexus 6P. If Google does plan to get this to major countries, it could be a great point of attraction for customers.
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