Sony Xperia Z1 Compact or Apple iPhone 5s: Which is best?

Japanese Phone Maker Sony's Xperia Z1 Compact smartphone might be a miniature alternative to the flagship Xperia Z1, but it features the same top-end specifications as its larger sibling. With a 4.3in display and top-end features, this handset sees Sony challenging Apple's iPhone 5S in the smartphone market.

Design

The Sony Xperia Z1 Compact and iPhone 5S are worlds apart in design, but both devices have a premium look.

Sony's Xperia Z1 Compact measures 127x65x9.5mm and is crafted predominantly from plastic. But much like the flagship Xperia Z1, this is coated in glass and edged with aluminium, giving the handset an all around high-end feel.

The iPhone 5S measures 124x59x7.6mm and features the same boxy, angular design as the Xperia Z1 Compact. But Apple's handset differs from Sony's plastic and glass casing with a fully aluminium chassis, which both looks and feels premium. However, we have found the handset's metal casing is prone to picking up scuffs and scratches, much like the Xperia Z1 Compact is prone to picking up fingerprints.

Display

The Sony Xperia Z1 Compact has a 4.3 inch 1280 x 720 display with a pixel density of 342 pixels per inch. It’s a high quality, high definition screen and it uses Triluminos technology which does a good job of replicating natural colour shades.

The Apple iPhone 5S has a 4 inch 640 x 1136 display with a pixel density of 326 pixels per inch. It’s both smaller and marginally lower resolution than the Sony Xperia Z1 Compact’s screen, but not enough to be an issue. The overall quality of images on the iPhone 5S’s display is every bit as good in fact and the only major difference between the two is that the iPhone 5S is true widescreen 16:9, which is great for watching videos on but takes a little getting used to for everything else.

Power

The Sony Xperia Z1 Compact has a 2.2 GHz quad-core Snapdragon 800 32 bit processor and 2GB of RAM. It’s an enormously powerful phone, right up there with the likes of the LG G2 and the Sony Xperia Z1.

The Apple iPhone 5S uses a 1.3 GHz dual-core Apple A7 64 bit processor and 1GB of RAM. While that may sound worse it’s actually one of the most powerful handsets on the planet and should easily be able to match the Sony Xperia Z1 Compact for performance.

Operating system

Despite their similar performance, the Sony Xperia Z1 Compact and iPhone 5S mobile operating systems couldn't be more different, with the handsets running Google's Android 4.3 Jelly Bean and Apple's iOS 7, respectively.

It's always hard to compare Android with iOS, because most smartphone users already have their favourite, with some favouring Android's openness and ability to customise, and others preferring the simplicity of Apple's iOS.

On the Sony Xperia Z1 Compact, Android 4.3 Jelly Bean is coated with Sony's custom skin that overlays the stock user interface with the firm's custom apps and widgets. Saying that, Sony's custom user interface is much less obtrusive than Samsung's and HTC's skins, but it still has more of a learning curve than Apple's iOS 7 mobile operating system.

Camera

The Sony Xperia Z1 Compact has a 20.7 megapixel main camera, complete with a number of shooting options, such as HDR and burst mode. The combination of an Exmor RS sensor and wide angle G lens ensure that it lets in more light than most other phones and at the same time reduces noise, allowing it to capture sharp, detailed images.

The Xperia Z1 Compact also has a 2 megapixel front facing camera and can shoot 1080p video.

The Apple iPhone 5S only has an 8 megapixel camera. However it has a large active sensor area and uses a ‘True Tone’ flash, which ensures that pictures have natural colours. It also has a 1.2 megapixel front facing camera and can shoot video in 1080p.

Both phones are great for photo fanatics, but the Sony Xperia Z1 Compact is the better of the two.

Battery life and storage

Sony claims that the 2,300mAh battery battery on the Xperia Z1 Compact will last for 18 hours of constant talk-time, while Apple claims up to 10 hours.

We found that the battery on Sony's pint-sized smartphone way outlasted that of the iPhone 5S. We used both smartphones over the weekend, with both seeing average to heavy use, and while the iPhone 5S needed to be recharged towards the evening, the Xperia Z1 Compact easily breezed through into a second day.

The Xperia Z1 Compact storage trumps that of the iPhone 5S too. While it's only available with 16GB of internal storage, it boasts a microSD card slot, which means users can expand this by an additional 64GB. The iPhone 5S, on the other hand, is available with 16GB, 32GB, or 64GB of internal storage, but has no way to expand this further.

Price

The Sony Xperia Z1 Compact is available in the UK SIM free from £449, while the cheapest iPhone 5S is priced at £529. It's pretty clear which one is the winner in this category.

iPhone 4 available in India again!

iPhone 4 is available in India again, but Apple won't call it a 'relaunch'. There has been much excitement in the Indian press about Apple supposedly relaunching the iPhone 4 in India. Several media outlets have expressed dismay and derision at news of the company supposedly trying to push the four-year-old model because sales of the high-priced iPhone 5s and 5c aren't meeting expectations.

The current official MRP is Rs 22,900, although stores are offering it for around Rs. 21,999. Apple itself refuses to comment on speculated launches, but other well-placed sources in the industry confirm that the iPhone 4 is no longer being manufactured. Sales have continued only because stocks still exist, and there are no plans to push the iPhone 4 as a budget-friendly model.

In the same price band, buyers can opt for the Samsung Galaxy Grand 2, the HTC Desire 601, the Nokia Lumia 720, or Sony Xperia SP. The Samsung Galaxy S3 and Nokia Lumia 1320 are available for just under Rs 24,000 each.

It seems that the pricey iPhone 5s and uninspiring iPhone 5c aren't doing it for Apple in India where users aren't thrilled by the company removing the iPhone 5. The iPhone 4S looks a more reasonable smartphone at that price, even though it's over two-years old itself.

iPhone 6 design said to be 'locked down', including bigger 4.8-inch display!

While the launch of the next-generation iPhone is months away, the speculation around it is endless. And Apple may have finally decided how its upcoming smartphone will look, now, an analyst has claimed that the Cupertino based company has finalised, or internally "locked down" much of the design of its next iPhone, believed to be dubbed iPhone 6.

According to a research note by Cowen & Co analyst Timothy Arcuri, Apple has "locked down" the design for iPhone 6. He says that the model will have a 4.8-inch screen and will be compatible with the faster Wi-Fi 802.11ac wireless standard.

Further, Arcuri, citing Apple's supply chain, has revealed that this year's iPhone, apart from hardware upgrades, will bring along key software innovations with the next major iOS platform release. Prominent among them is expected to be mobile payments, which will use existing technologies like Passbook, Touch ID and iBeacon. 

He also said that the iPhone 5S, with technologies like fingerprint scanner and 64-bit processor, was a "set-up" for the next generation smartphone. He said that these technologies will enable the iPhone maker to debut new services that will give it an edge in the smartphone market.

Apart from iPhone 6, Arcuri also mentioned the next-generation iPad in the research note. He wrote that the next model will have a 13-inch screen and will "blur the lines between tablets and PCs." This is in line with previous reports about a large-screen, professional-grade iPad that will replace the Macbook Air.

Lenovo Yoga Tablet 10

Lenovo is back in the Android tablet market with two new tablets: the Lenovo Yoga Tablet 10 and the Yoga Tablet 8. Like the original Yoga and the new Yoga 2 Pro, the tablet works in several positions -- in this case, thanks to a built-in kickstand. It's rated for a staggering 18 hours of battery life, as well.

The first thing you'll notice about the Yoga Tablet 10 is that it's a 16:10 ratio display tablet, and that it's not completely flat, either. The round, bulky edge gives the tablet a stand to prop itself up, which is nice to have if you're watching videos or reading content while at a desk or table.

Hardware

The built-in kickstand and 9,000mAh battery (that's 6,000mAh on the 8-inch version) create a bulge on the back that prevents the device from lying flat. On a flat surface, it sits at a slight angle, with the bottom of the device raised higher than the far end. The Yoga Tablet 8 and 10 are both relatively light, at 0.88 pound and 1.33 pounds, respectively; they're definitely comfortable enough to hold for extended periods of time, and the cylindrical bottom makes for a comfortable grip.

At the bottom end, where the tablet is curved for the kickstand, there is the power button and headset jack opposite each other.The opposite side of the power button is the 3.5mm headset jack, and above that is the volume button and a small microphone.

The speakers will offer Dolby Digital Plus enhancement,flip the tablet over to reveal its backside, and you'll see a nicely textured back with a smooth panel at the bottom where the kickstand flips out.Open up that kickstand and you'll reveal the microSD card slot. The Yoga Tablet 10 will support up to 64GB microSD cards.

Software

The Yoga Tablet 10 runs Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean, so you aren't going to find the latest and greatest here. And just to throw this out, so far there hasn’t been any talk about having these updated with a newer version of Android. That aside, running Jelly Bean means features such as Google Now, which of course, also means the full suite of Google apps and services are included. That means Gmail, Hangouts and Google+ as well as the Play Store and many others.

Wrap-Up

We will admit we were more than a bit skeptical with the design here. And while we haven’t really gotten past the ‘strange’ look of the Yoga Tablet (as compared to a regular tablet). The bump provides a place for you to hold and wrap your fingers around, but it also balances the tablet. These feel very light when being held, which is partially because a good amount of the weight is actually in your hand — not spread across an 8 or 10-inch slab of glass and metal.For pretty much the same amount of money, you can buy a new Nexus 7, which is a superior tablet in every conceivable way. Or you can get a Kindle Fire HDX. We're hoping for big things from Lenovo in the tablet space, but unfortunately the Yoga Tablet 10 falls short in nearly every category. If you've had your eye on this tablet and were considering it, go with the aforementioned tablets instead.

iPad Air, Retina iPad mini launched in India

Apple launched its iPad Air and iPad mini with Retina display tablets in the Indian market today, bringing its latest products to the country soon after their global launch. The company held a launch event in New Delhi for the two tablets.

The iPad Air is the new full-sized tablet in Apple's portfolio and will be on sale alongside the two-year-old iPad 2. New features of the latest Apple tablet include the 64-bit A7 chipset, thinner profile and refreshed design.

The second-generation iPad mini comes with major upgrades over its predecessors, mainly the Retina display and the latest 64-bit A7 processor.

The prices for the 9.7 inch iPad Air starts at Rs. 35,900 for the base model 16GB variant without cellular connectivity and goes right up to Rs. 65,900 for the 128GB variant with built in LTE. The iPad Mini with Retina Display on the other hand starts off at Rs. 28,900 for the 16GB version with WiFi and goes up to Rs. 58,900 for the 128Gb WiFi + 4G LTE model.

iPad Air Pricing

• 16GB, WiFi only – Rs. 35,900 | WiFi + 4G – Rs. 44,900
• 32GB, WiFi only – Rs. 42,900 | WiFi + 4G – Rs. 51,900
• 64GB, WiFi only – Rs. 49,900 | WiFi + 4G – Rs. 58,900
• 128GB, WiFi only- Rs.56,900 | WiFi + 4G – Rs. 65,900

iPad Mini with Retina Display

• 16GB, WiFi only – Rs. 28,900 | WiFi + 4G – Rs. 37,900
• 32GB, WiFi only – Rs. 35,900 | WiFi + 4G – Rs. 44,900
• 64GB, WiFi only – Rs. 42,900 | WiFi + 4G – Rs. 51,900
• 128GB, WiFi only-Rs. 49,900 | WiFi + 4G – Rs. 58,900

iPad Air will compete against the likes of Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 (2014 edition) and Sony Xperia Tablet Z in the Indian market. Rivals of the Retina iPad mini in India include the second-generation Google Nexus 7 and Samsung Galaxy Note 510.

Apple charges Indians the most for iPhone 5S: Study

It is not a secret that Apple gadgets cost a fortune in India, where even the base variant of the iPhone 5S costs over half-a-lakh rupees. Now, a study has shown that Indians end up paying the most for the Apple smartphone - across the world!

According to data compiled by technology website Mobiles Unlocked, the iPhone 5S costs the Indians the most globally when compared with their purchasing power. In fact, buyers here have to shell out 22.3% of the national gross domestic product per capita (GDP PPP). The GDP PPP is a means of measuring how much each person earns in a country.

This means that Indian buyers shell out over 22.3% of their disposable incomes if they purchase the iPhone 5S.

China, another emerging country and Apple's fastest-growing market, stands fifth in the list and there it acosts buyers less than 10% of their purchasing power.

The study details the countries where the iPhone 5S is most and least expensive across 47 countries. It only included the basic 16GB model of the iPhone 5S and took the pricing via official channels, not grey market.

While iPhone 5S is the most expensive for Indians, it costs the least to citizens of Qatar, who only pay 0.76% of their disposable incomes for the device. The US, home market of Apple, stands fourth-last in the list; buyers only have to pay 1.36% of their incomes for the model, as per the data.

Despite the high price, Apple has enjoyed its best-ever sales for the iPhone 5S in India. The model has been out of stock ever since it was launched in the country and retailers are still struggling to meet the demand.

Source : http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/tech/tech-news/hardware/Apple-charges-Indians-the-most-for-iPhone-5S-Study/articleshow/26845974.cms?

Jolla smartphone with Sailfish OS!

The "Jolla smartphone", if you've never heard of it, a company formed by a group of former Nokia employees that refused to let go of MeeGo after the Finnish mobile manufacturer abandoned it, has announced the launch of the first smartphone based on the new Sailfish operating system, called Jolla. It will be launched on November 27 by Jolla in partnership with Finnish telecom operator DNA.

Jolla's website notes that the Jolla smartphone is priced at Euros 399. The company plans to handover 450 pre-booked Jolla phones on November 27 and the rest would be available at DNA Kauppa outlets in early December, the statement said.

Inside is a 1.4GHz dual-core processor made by Qualcomm and 1GB of RAM. There's 16GB of storage and a microSD card slot underneath the rear cover for adding more. A 2100mAh battery is removable, includes a 4.5-inch (540x960 pixels) display, the Jolla smartphone will sport an 8-megapixel autofocus rear camera alongside an LED flash, while there is a 2-megapixel front-facing camera as well. It also features changeable smart covers.

The Sailfish OS

Sailfish is closest in likeness to BlackBerry 10 OS. It's got no navigation buttons to speak of and is therefore gesture based.

Everything is about swiping, so apart from swiping up and down between the three aforementioned sections, there are three main things you can do. Swiping from the left or right edge of the screen will take you from an open app back to the homescreen, swiping from the top of the screen closes the app and swiping from the bottom displays your notifications.

The homescreen displays apps in a very similar way to BlackBerry 10, as you open more apps they get smaller to fit on the screen. However, if you have more than nine open, you can only see your most recent. The app tray at the bottom of the homescreen can be customised to your favourite apps.

From this initial hands-on we came away with the impression that Sailfish OS has a great deal of potential. It has a huge leg up from the core work already done by Intel and Nokia and its UI is genuinely innovative while taking a mixture of the best aspects from other platforms. On the hardware side whether the ‘Other half’ functionality of covers can be a genuine differentiator is less clear cut, but we can see it being popular in younger age groups. 

That said where the real battle lies for Sailfish is not in convincing people it is a viable platform, but that it is preferable to the existing heavyweights. Our feeling is Jolla will have to reduce its handset price to achieve that, provide tight Android app integration from the outset and pick its markets carefully.

Aside from this the other battle is with three more newcomers: the Samsung/Intel funded Tizen, Firefox OS and Ubuntu. The first two will also have phones out in 2013 with the latter expecting to debut in early 2014. 

Retailers launch exchange, buyback offers for iPhone 5C and iPhone 4S

It seems India is not so keen on buying the new iPhone 5C. It's been about two weeks since the new Apple iPhones went on sale in India and we are already learning about the exchange or buyback schemes for the iPhone 5C. The offer is on selected smartphones on whose exchange you can get minimum Rs.13,000 off on the price of iPhone 5c and iPhone 4S . (similar exchange offer for iPhone 5/iPhone 4S/iPhone 4 was quite popular and iPhone sales sky-rocketed with it and we think this new offer will do better due to its high exchange price).

This exchange offer is not available for the new iPhone 5s , the reason being simple , iPhone 5s is Apple’s flagship smartphone and is selling at a good pace irrespective of its high price and similar design to iPhone 5 (Fingerprint scanner one of the major reason) . Whereas the iPhone 5c , initially dubbed as an affordable price version of iPhone , is not selling like an Apple iPhone generally do . This is because Apple has kept this new color panel plastic smartphone’s price not so affordable. 

Here is a list of devices that are eligible for the scheme: BlackBerry Z10, BlackBerry Q10, HTC One dual-SIM, HTC One mini, HTC Desire 500, HTC Desire 600, Nokia Lumia 925,Samsung Galaxy S4, Samsung Galaxy S III, Samsung Galaxy Note 2, Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini,Samsung Galaxy Mega 5.8, Samsung Galaxy Mega 6.3, Sony Xperia Z1, Sony Xperia Z, Sony Xperia Z Ultra, Sony Xperia ZR, Sony Xperia C. The list also includes the Apple iPhone 4 8GB and 16GB models.

However, Business Today confirmed that the deal doesn't come as an official one from Apple but from the retailers on their own initiative. Even the distributor reportedly said that Apple has not yet introduced any such scheme.

Apple iPad Air and iPad mini with retina display launch date and price in India

Apple is reportedly set to launch its new iPads – the iPad Air and iPad mini with Retina Display – in India on November 29, NDTV claims. Apple announced the new iPads last month and started selling the iPad Air in the US and other countries on November 1 and the new iPad mini with Retina Display from yesterday. If the launch date is true, Apple would continue the usual four week difference between the US and India iPad launches.

Apple iPad Air price in India

WiFi only models

• 16GB – Rs.35,900
• 32GB – Rs.42,900
• 64GB – Rs.49,900
• 128GB – Rs.56,900

WiFi + Cellular models

• 16GB – Rs. 44,900
• 32GB – Rs.51,900
• 64GB – Rs.58,900
• 128GB – Rs.65,900

Apple iPad mini with Retina display price in India

WiFi only models

• 16GB – Rs.28,900
• 32GB – Rs.35,900
• 64GB – Rs.42,900
• 128GB – Rs.49,900

WiFi + Cellular models

• 16GB – Rs.37,900
• 32GB – Rs.44,900
• 64GB – Rs.51,900
• 128GB – Rs.58,900

The report also suggests that the first-gen iPad mini 16GB Wi-Fi will continue to retail for Rs 21,900 while the 3G version would get a price bump from Rs 29,900 to Rs 30,900. The iPad 2 16GB will continue to sell for Rs 28,900 and Rs 37,900 for the Wi-Fi and Cellular variants respectively.

Kindle Fire HDX tablet

The all-new Kindle Fire HDX tablets are sleeker, lighter and come with upgraded hardware specifications. The Kindle Fire HDX 7 tablet comes with 7-inch display with 1920x1200 pixels resolution and 323ppi pixel density, while the 8.9-inch model features an 8.9-inch display with 2560x1600 pixels resolution and pixel density of 339ppi. The Kindle Fire HDX 7 only sports a front-facing HD camera (unspecified megapixel count), whereas the bigger sibling comes with front-facing HD camera and an 8-megapixel rear camera. Both new tablets are powered by a 2.2GHz quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor alongside 2GB of RAM, and run the new Fire OS 3.0 based on Android Jelly Bean.

A 1.3MP camera will full HD video recording capabilities ensures that video chatting on this device is a breeze. Internal storage is decent at 16GB. Connectivity options include Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS and microUSB connectivity.

Credit : Slashgear

Amazon.com modifies Android so much that it no longer resembles Android. The company calls it Fire OS 3.0, or Mojito. Amazon's services are front and center on the Fire, and Google's are nowhere to be found. It's the other way around on the Nexus 7 and other Android devices. For a day or two, I even forgot the Kindle Fire can do much more.

Regular customers of Amazon will appreciate that integration. A row of tabs at the top of the screen offers quick access to various Amazon services, including e-books, music, videos and audiobooks, the latter from the Audible business that Amazon bought in 2008. Another tab gets you Amazon's shopping site, where you can buy television sets, vacuum cleaners and tennis rackets. The Kindle is already tied to your Amazon account, so it's easy - perhaps too easy - to just click and buy.

Kindle Fire HDX 7 tablet key specifications

• 7-inch display with 1920x1200 pixels resolution
• 323ppi pixel density
• HD front-facing camera
• 2.2 GHz Snapdragon 800 quad-core processor
• 2GB of RAM
• Fire OS 3.0 based on Android Jelly Bean
• 16GB/32GB/64GB storage variants

Kindle Fire HDX 8.9 tablet key specifications

• 8.9-inch display with 2560x1600 pixels resolution
• Pixel density of 339ppi
• HD front-facing camera
• 8-megapixel rear camera
• 2.2 GHz Snapdragon 800 quad-core processor
• 2GB of RAM
• Fire OS 3.0 based on Android Jelly Bean

As successor to the Kindle Fire, the Fire HDX lives up to expectations thanks to exceptional specs like the stunning display, awesome processor, good front camera and sufficient connectivity options. The colour options are limited, but that aside, this device is good enough for anyone seeking a powerful tablet that is capable of providing an excellent visual experience.

The best part of the new Kindle is its price. Amazon.com Inc. begins shipping it on Thursday,Nov 14 starting at $379. That's cheaper than the new $399 iPad Mini, which has a display that measures 7.9 inches diagonally. The full-size Kindle Fire HDX has an 8.9-inch screen, just short of the iPad Air's 9.7 inches. Even cheaper is the 7-inch Kindle Fire HDX, which costs $229.

Google Nexus 5 vs. Apple iPhone 5S

The Nexus 5 has finally arrived and it has already got plenty of smartphones to compete with. One of the major rival for Nexus 5 is none other than the iPhone 5S. In 2012, both the phones had arrived in the fourth quarter of the year but went to be the best smartphones of the year. Again, both iPhone 5S and Nexus 5 have arrived in the fourth quarter and come plenty of new features that will make the best smartphones of 2013. Google's Nexus 5 is the perfect blend of functionality and affordability but can it take on the powerful and fast iPhone 5S? 

Display and Dimensions

The Nexus 5 comes with a 5inch display screen that offers a display resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels with a pixel density of 445ppi. The handset is quite thin as its thickness is only 0.34 inches. The phone weighs only 130g. On the other side, Apple has continued to offer the same sized display that came with the older iPhone 5. It has got a 5inch display screen that offers a display resolution of 1136 x 640 pixels. It brings to you amazing clarity through the Retina Display technology. In comparison with Nexus 5, the pixel density of iPhone 5S is lower with 326ppi. However, compared to the Nexus 5, the iPhone 5S is thinner as it only 7.6mm thick and even weighs less with a weight of 112g.

Form

iPhone 5s - 123.8 x 58.6 x 7.6mm, 112g

Google Nexus 5 - 137.9 x 69.2 x 8.6mm, 130g

Neither Google nor Apple has gone for anything wildly different from their current ranges, with the iPhone 5S looking almost exactly like its predecessor, with the slight exception of it now being available in gold, as well as the standard Apple black and white. The device remains minimal and has the usual thin side-to-side bevel, with the larger bevel above and below the screen. As with previous models, the device is made of glass and metal, giving it a heavy, premium feel, if a little slippery in the hand.

Google’s Nexus 5 is possibly even more minimal than the iPhone, with no buttons on the fascia of the device and a minimal side bevel. The device is made of edge-to-edge toughened glass, giving it a high-quality feel and the updated Gorilla Glass 3 is especially thin, making the device tough without being bulky. Buttons are hewn from a ceramic material, which is a vast improvement on plastic from the previous Nexus smartphone, and they lend a real feeling of quality to the device.

Hardware

The Nexus 5 is powered with a Snapdragon 800 chipset with Krait CPU cores that delivers a clocking speed of 2.3GHz. It has got 2GB RAM board. The phone is available in two storage variants, namely 16GB and 32GB. It comes with 2300mAh capacity battery. As mentioned before, there is 64bit A7 processor that offers a clocking speed of 1.3GHz. It is coupled with PowerVR G6430 graphics and M7 coprocessor. It comes with 1GB RAM. The handset is available in storage variants of 16GB, 32GB and 64GB. It has got a battery of 1570mAh capacity.

Software

A much more important question than which hardware to go for is the ecosystem to pick – Android or iOS. Both phones run the very latest version of their respective systems – iOS 7 and Android 4.4 KitKat. 

These days, both are very fast and look good – before iOS 7 the Apple mobile OS was starting to look a little musty. The main benefit of iOS is that it offers the best apps and games selection. You just can’t beat the App Store. 

With Android, you get much more control. You can change keyboards, tweak the look of the system a whole lot more and can generally connect to other devices much more easily – whether a TV or just your computer.We could go on, but the debate around iOS vs Android is long enough, complicated enough and emotive enough to fill several volumes.

Camera

Both these phones have 8-megapixel cameras, a megapixel count that sounds a little low when the Samsung Galaxy S4 has a 13-megapixel camera and the Xperia Z1 a 20.7-megapixel camera. However, each has a few minor tricks up its sleeve. 

The iPhone 5S has a slightly larger-than-average sensor. It is 1/3 of an inch rather than 1/3.2 inches – the standard size, and that of the Nexus 5. Larger sensors result in less noisy pictures, given the same level of processing. 

The Nexus 5 also has a slower lens than the iPhone 5S – f/2.4 to the iPhone’s f/2.2. A faster lens again results in less noisy pictures, and better low-light performance. 

However, the Nexus 5 has one thing the iPhone 5S does not – optical image stabilisation. This buffers the lens to compensate for any movement made while you’re taking photos, and will reduce the number of blurry photos you take.

Connectivity

The Nexus 5 and the iPhone 5S both come with support for 4G LTE connectivity. The Nexus 5 will be available through AT&T, T-Mobile and Sprint but there is no info on whether the Nexus 5 will be made available by Verizon. The iPhone 5S is being offered by all the leading carriers in US.

When it comes to Wi-Fi, the iPhone 5S only offers 802.11n speeds whereas the Nexus 5 offers much faster internet connectivity through 802.11ac. Both the handsets come with Bluetooth 4.0 and GPS. Google Nexus 5 comes with NFC connectivity but Apple is yet to offer this feature on its iPhone.

When we compare the hardware specs of both the smartphones, the Nexus 5 seems to be a superior. However, it all boils down to how the hardware interacts with the operating system on the handset.

Battery Life

Battery life is one of those things that no one is ever happy with. With that said, you might be pleased to know that the battery life on both the Nexus 5 and the iPhone 5s are pretty decent. According to Apple, you’ll be able to get 10 hours worth of LTE surfing time, while Google says that the Nexus 5 will last seven hours on LTE. Of course, your mileage will vary, and each user will have their own experiences as far battery life goes, but it’s usually a safe bet to knock a couple hours off of what companies give you as far as battery life numbers.

Price

Nexus 5’s 16 and 32 GB variants are priced at Rs.28,999 and Rs. 32,999. On the other hand 5s 16GB, 32 and 64 GB variants are priced at Rs.53,500, Rs 62,500 and 71,500.

Sony Xperia Z Ultra

The Sony Xperia Z Ultra is a big ol' phone. It’s huge in fact. After the 5.7-inch Samsung Galaxy Note 3 and the 6.3-inch Samsung Galaxy Mega, Sony is pushing the limits of what is acceptable to carry in your pocket with this giant 6.4-inch Android smartphone.

Almost every smartphone seems to be small when you compare it to the Xperia Z Ultra. The smartphone/tablet hybrid is huge with 179 x 92 x 6.5 mm, but also very thin. The Galaxy Note 3 is considerably thicker with 8.3 mm, but also more than 40 grams lighter. The use of glass at the back should be the main reason for that additional weight since the case of the Galaxy Note 3 is once again completely made of plastic.

The physical button for stand-by and the volume rocker can easily be reached with one hand because they are on the lower half of the device - no risk for contortions. The build quality is on a very high level and the materials can convince us - even though the glass at the back attracts fingerprints. The torsion resistance cannot quite keep up with the HTC One because of the thin profile and results in a slight point reduction.

Similar to many other Xperia devices, the Z Ultra is also certified according to the IP55 & IP58 standards. This means you can submerge the phone for 30 minutes to a depth of 1.5 meters. Even though the Ultra Z is supposed to be equipped with a back of robust glass and a protective film, we already had a few scratches after a little while.

The Xperia Z Ultra packs a powerful quad-core 2.2 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 MSM8974 System-on-Chip which is paired with Adreno 330 graphics chip clocked at 450 Mhz. To make the best of this SoC, Sony has fitted 2 GB RAM in the phablet. We ran variety of popular benchmark apps just to satiate our itch for testing the new SoC breed. We weren't surprised for the Snapdragon 800 easily topped in several benchmarks such as 3DMark scoring 15899 in the Ice Storm game benchmark. Interesting bit is that the Samsung Galaxy S 4 LTE-A model with the same processor gets slightly more score than the Xperia Z Ultra. The secret lies in the optimization performed by both companies separately.

The Xperia Z Ultra packs an 8 megapixel camera at the rear with Exmor RS imaging sensor for fast capture. When you look at the back, Sony inadvertently repeated the same mistake that Apple did with the first iPhone and Samsung followed it with Galaxy S - no LED Flash. Now there goes an opportunity to offer great images with little bit of artificial light. The Camera app remains the same as it has been with the last couple of Xperia series handsets. In the camera app, the on-screen button in upper left corner can be tapped to get single tap access to various modes - Normal, Burst, Picture Effect, Sweep Panorama, Scene Selection (With sub-menus), Video Camera and Front Camera-video.

The Sony Xperia Z Ultra is large screen phablet promising great multimedia possibilities at Rs 39,000 approximately. Undoubtedly the Xperia Z Ultra is one of the best and powerful phablets in the Indian market. The waterproof nature and slim body design makes it attractive to those who love big devices that can comfortably stay in the overcoat or blazer pockets. There is no way that this phablet can comfortably rest in the trouser pockets and having said that, it is one of the uncomfortable smartphones in terms of size.

Fantastic screen, Incredible power and Good battery life : LG G2 is one of the best smartphone of 2013

Credit : Ubergizmo

It may have taken several years, but LG has finally released its first premium smartphone, the G2. And the flagship device ticks all the required boxes for a high-end smartphone.

It has a 5,2-inch full-HD display and packs in a 2,6GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 quad-core processor, a massive 3 000mAh battery and a 13-megapixel camera with optical image stabilisation. It also features 2GB of RAM, 16GB on-board memory (not expandable), 4G/LTE support, Bluetooth 4.0, near-field communication and a built-in infrared blaster that lets you control any compatible infrared remote-controlled device.

Competing with the likes of the HTC One, Sony Xperia Z1 and Samsung Galaxy S4, the G2 has stiff competition, but how does it really compare?

One of the G2’s unique selling points is that it has no physical buttons on its edges. Instead, at the back, where your index finger usually rests — whether you are left- or right-handed — you will find the power button and the volume up and down keys. LG placed all the buttons at the back after researching human behaviour for 18 months and decided that this spot was most comfortable for users.

The G2 is no slouch when it comes to power - it's packing the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 chipset that resides in the Samsung Galaxy Note III. This chipset features a quad-core 2.26GHz CPU which delivers blistering performance and is backed by 2GB of RAM. 

LG opted for a 5,2-inch screen, which makes it the only smartphone with a screen that size. It’s managed to cram a large screen into a phone size that is physically quite similar to the Samsung Galaxy S4, although it weighs 13g more than the S4’s 130g. It has a full 1 920×1 080 HD IPS screen and 16:9 aspect ratio that allows you to view it from any angle.

It almost goes without saying, but the G2 is insanely powerful. It doesn't stumble or stutter during intense tasks, and is even capable of running two apps side-by-side using LG's QSlide functionality.

On the connectivity front the G2 comes with 4G LTE, which means you can benefit from increased network speed, assuming your mobile contract supports it, of course. There's also Bluetooth 4.0, Wi-Fi and NFC – the latter of which can be used to make contactless data transfers. 

Storage consists of either 16GB or 32GB, depending on which model you pick up. Taking into account the aforementioned lack of a MicroSD card slot, you may wish to plump for the higher capacity version if you're keen on downloading loads of apps and games.

Credit : Ubergizmo

The G2 is one of the most well-rounded devices I have come across after a long time. Based on almost three weeks of using the G2 as my primary smartphone and almost a fortnight with the Galaxy Note 3 before that, there is not even an iota of doubt in my mind that high-end Android smartphones have finally reached the point where the iPhone starts looking massively behind the curve.

The G2 marries a handy form factor with stupendous performance at a very attractive price point. The 32GB variant is available for approximately Rs 37,999 at a time when competing products are priced significantly higher. The LG G2 will easily be on the top of my recommendation list when anyone asks me about buying a high-end Android smartphone.

Reliance's iPhone 5S and 5C plans with zero down-payment

credit : Phonearena

Reliance Communications will offer the 16GB iPhone 5s at a monthly fee of Rs. 2,999 and 16GB iPhone 5c at a fee of Rs. 2,599 at zero upfront cost. The monthly fee is inclusive of taxes. In lieu of the fee, consumers will get unlimited local and STD calls, SMS (up to 3,000 a month due to TRAI regulations), national roaming and 3G data. There's no fair use policy and iPhone 5c and iPhone 5s customers will not receive any usage bill for 24 months, except for usage related to international calls and international roaming charges.

The 32GB and 64GB variants of the iPhone 5s and the 32GB variant of the iPhone 5c would also be offered under the same scheme though consumers will have to shell out upfront charges. The 32GB iPhone 5s will come with upfront charges of Rs. 11,600 while the 32GB and 64GB variants of the iPhone 5s will be available following a downpayment of Rs. 10,992 and Rs. 19,992, respectively.

Commenting on the offer, Gurdeep Singh, President & CEO (Wireless), Reliance Communications Limited, said: "We are delighted to be amongst the first to launch the Apple iPhone 5c and iPhone 5s in India and are focused on growing this user segment with our novel iPhone offers, which break all ownership rules and put the customer first. The Apple iPhone has been a dream for users in India and overseas, and it is our endeavour to grow this market and make every Indian's dream come true with RCom's compelling and affordable iPhone ownership plan."

RCom has partnered with select credit card providers to extend the offer with a single swipe of a credit card enabling users to opt in for the contract for 2 years. RCom will reportedly offer the subsidy scheme to credit card users and has tied up with banks, including ICICI Bank and HDFC Bank for the same to ensure that consumers don't dishonour the contract. The Company has also launched special facilities for corporate users of Apple products who would like to migrate to the Reliance network through MNP, with their requests being fast-processed. It's also setting up a special dedicated helpline for Apple customers for assistance and inquiries.

It's worth pointing out that the 16GB iPhone 5s costs Rs. 53,500, while the 16GB iPhone 5c is priced at Rs. 41,900. If you buy the iPhone 5s under the offer, you'll end up paying Rs.71,976 at the end of 24 months, Rs.18,476 over and above the cost of the phone but the monthly rental effectively turns out to be Rs.769.83, so the deal seems quite fair.

Apple's iOS 7.0.3 update

iOS 7.0.3, which went out as a free update on 22nd October, brings back iCloud Keychain - a feature which Apple had initially announced when it first showcased the OS at the WWDC event in June, but did not make it into the final release. As mentioned, the iOS 7.0.3 update adds iCloud Keychain that allows users to save and sync account user names, passwords, and credit card numbers across all their approved iOS and Mac (the ones that run OS X Mavericks) devices in the Safari web browser.

It also brings the Password Generator through which Safari suggests unique, hard-to-guess passwords for users' online accounts. The update also brings back the ability to search the web and Wikipedia through Spotlight search, allowing users to search for keywords directly via iOS' universal search feature.

Credit : Apple

A number of users complained about iOS 7's motion graphics and animations and to address these issues, Apple has fixed calibration issues with the iPhone's sensor, which means your phone will no longer be a couple of degrees off. It also updates the Bold Text setting to change dial pad text.

The 7.0.3 update also delays the display of "slide to unlock" when Touch ID is in use, for iPhone 5s users.

Interestingly, there's also a security fix as Apple mentions that the update fixes a bug that could allow someone to bypass the Lock screen passcode.

Google stock crosses $1000 mark

Credit : Reuters

(Reuters) - Google Inc (GOOG.O) shares jumped past $1,000 on Friday as investors bet on the Internet company's continued dominance of the mobile and video advertising businesses despite aggressive competition from Facebook Inc (FB.O) and Yahoo Inc (YHOO.O).

Shortly after the markets opened Friday, Google Inc. shares jumped 14 percent to $1,015.46 and closed a day heavy trading at $1,011.41. The gains marked Google’s biggest one-day jump in more than five years.

At the $1,000 mark, Google shares were up 41% from the beginning of the year, and the company's market value reached $334 billion, still shy of leader Apple's $461 billion.

The company’s next big update could come in the form of Android 4.4 KitKat and the Nexus 5, which are expected any day now.

Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 edition

Last year’s Galaxy Note 10.1 promised to finally bring all the stylus power of Samsung’s Note smartphones to a big-screen tablet, but its upsides were utterly defeated by the device’s crippling performance issues. Samsung is back with a new and improved 10.1 that aims to win with its screen and new S Pen features.

Samsung has greatly improved upon many of the original's shortcomings; it even added more storage space! Unfortunately, though, Samsung also boosted the base price by $50 as a result. Sporting a 10.1-inch display, measured diagonally, the Note tablet goes on sale in the U.S. on Thursday at a starting price of $550.

Samsung also added a touch of elegance to the back of the device by swapping out the standard glossy plastic back,here, we have a soft, textured "leather-like" material that's meant to resemble a leather book cover.

The Note 10.1 sports a beautiful WQXGA (2,560 x 1,600) TFT LCD panel, which is precisely the resolution bump we wanted to see in last year's unit, and under the hood there is an octa-core Samsung chip clocked at 1.9GHz, and an impressive 3GB of RAM. The Note 10.1 2014 features an 8-megapixel main and a 2-megapixel front cameras. It will arrive in 16GB, 32GB and 64GB models.

The first of the multitasking features, called Multi-Window, has been available in Samsung devices for about a year, but it works with many more apps now. You can run two apps side by side, such as Facebook on one side and YouTube video on the other.You can change how much of the screen each one takes, a capability coming with Windows 8.1, but you can't choose to have a window take up just the top left corner, the way you can on PCs. In addition, Multi-Window isn't a universal feature. You currently have about 18 apps to choose from, including Facebook and a variety of Google and Samsung apps.

Credit : The Verge

At the center of the S Pen experience, on both the 10.1 and the Note 3, is a new widget called Air Command that gathers together a bunch of tools designed specifically for the stylus. The Air Command widget automatically appears when you remove the pen from its holster, or it can be invoked at any time by holding the pen near the screen and clicking its one button. The semi-circular popup provides quick access to five S Pen tools: Action Memo, Scrap Booker, Screen Writer, S Finder, and Pen Window.

Removing the stylus from its slot will start the Air Command feature, which allows users to quickly access features such as Action Memo, Scrapbook and S Finder.

For a pen-enabled tablet, it's not geared toward pen users, with its high price and sluggish performance, the $549.99 Note 10.1 feels old and clunky; it’s certainly not worth the price when the iPad costs $499 and the Nexus 10 $399.

BlackBerry Introduces the New BlackBerry Z30 Smartphone with 5” Display and BlackBerry 10.2 OS

Candian smartphone maker BlackBerry unveiled its premium flagship Z30 phone in India, pricing it at Rs 39,990, as it took on competition from iPhone and Samsung to save its dwindling market share. The company is also offering 12-month EMI options for purchasing its latest device.

The BlackBerry Z30 which features a 5-inch display with 720 x 1280 pixels resolution runs on Blackberry 10 OS version 10.2. It is powered by 1.7 gigahertz Snapdragon S4 Pro processor and has a 2880 mAh capacity removable battery.

It sports 8 megapixel rear camera and 2 MP front camera and comes with a 2880 mAh capacity removable battery. It has 2 GB of RAM and an internal memory of 16 GB that can be expanded to 64 GB with microSD card.

"BlackBerry Z30 is the ultimate smartphone for the urban youth and consumers who are looking for a bigger screen size, long-lasting battery and a best in class productivity experience, offers a unique and engaging user experience with features like the powerful BlackBerry Hub, its exceptional touchscreen keyboard and industry leading browser," BlackBerry India Managing Director Sunil Lalwani said.

Analysts feel that this festival season the Z30 will face strong competition from other flagship smartphones like the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 & Galaxy S4, Apple iPhone 5s, 5c, LG G2 and Sony Xperia Z1.

Sony Xperia Z1 review

After several years of missteps, Sony is on a comeback trail in the mobile phone market. The company is aggressively going after smartphone buyers. The idea is that Sony should make use of its expertise in design, imaging and display technologies to create smartphones that other companies, which do not have camera or display manufacturing experience, cannot match.

Xperia Z - launched in India in March this year - was the first phone following this approach. Now we have Xperia Z1 in the market. It is an update to the original Z. Is Xperia Z1 the flagship Android phone from Sony.

Sony Xperia Z1 is one of the first smartphones to be announced with Qualcomm Snapdragon 800. Running a quad-core CPU at 2.2 GHz, with 2GB of RAM, and 16 GB of internal storage. The Xperia Z1 is a fast phone, and there is no slow-down or stuttering in applications. That power does come at an energy cost so while the inclusion of a 3050 mAh battery might seem an attractive choice for the power user.

With 4G LTE connectivity, and a 1080p resolution screen, that shouldn’t be a surprise. The Xperia Z1 hardware can take up a lot of power, so it’s a smart decision to get as much battery capacity into the chassis as possible. Unlike Samsung’s Galaxy S4, the battery in the Z1 is a sealed unit, but most of the thinking will be down to the waterproof design.

The Z1 is waterproof and dustproof, to IP55 and IP58 standards.Xperia Z1 looks similar to the Z at the first glance. But look closer and some subtle differences are apparent.

The big change is the material used to make Z1. Unlike the original Z, which used glass and plastic, this phone uses aluminum and glass. The front and back of the device are covered in scratch-resistant glass, which feels sturdier than what was used in the original Z. The frame of the phone is carved out of the single block of aluminum.

20.7 megapixels in a camera

The camera is the big highlight of Z1. Z1 can shoot images in up to 20.7 mega pixels. These images are clicked and processed using a 1/2.3-inch image sensor, which in terms of size is similar to the sensor inside an average point and shoot camera! Z1 is also the first phone to utilize Sony G Lens and Bionz image processing, which are found in the company's point-and-shoot cameras. This G Lens has an aperture of F2.0, which is great for a smartphone. There is even a physical shutter release button. This button can also be used to open camera app without unlocking the device.

Sony Xperia Z1 price in India - Rs.39,989.

OS X Mavericks comes free

Apple’s prior OS updates had been coming down in price — costing as little as $29 for Snow Leopard and even less in recent years — but Cupertino making a major OS update free is still a big deal.

The next-gen OS, which breaks from Apple’s prior convention of using big cat names for OS updates (naming it after a surf break at Half Moon Bay, California,  instead), brings a raft of improvements, including an enhanced Finder, better multimonitor support, a standalone iBooks application, and improved power management to OS X-powered Macs.

New Macs aren’t all that’s shipping today. After being announced in June, OS X Mavericks is finally seeing release. The latest version of Apple’s operating system is an iteration on Mountain Lion, but it refines the software and adds what Apple promises are significant performance improvements. Even better, it’s free: Apple wants to get all users onto its latest operating system, so it’s handing out downloads to anyone with a Mac from the past several years. OS X has never been particularly expensive, but with previous versions shipping for $20 or $30, it’s a significant change in the business model.