Google Android One smartphones

Google Android One smartphones to make India debut on September 18 

The competition in the Smartphone market in India is going to grow even more intense as Google is all set to launch its Android One Smartphone project in an event to be held on September 18 in India. Google’s Android One project was essentially the reference hardware design for making low cost Android Smartphones, for which the company has partnered with local vendors like Micromax, Karbonn and Spice Mobiles.

 

The company had announced the project at the I/O 2014, where it also shared features of the reference design mode. At its event in India, the company will finally pull the curtains to unveil Android One Smartphones by its aforementioned local partners. The announcement is likley to be made by Sundar Pichai, who is the senior head of Android and Chrome Platforms.

 

Read More: Android One smartphone will not come as cheap as expected in India

 

To give a quick recap of the key features of the Android One reference model as shown by Google, the Android One smartphones are expected to come with 4.3/ 4.5-inch display, run on quad-core chipset with 1GB of RAM, sport 5MP rear camera, and house 1,700mAh battery. These phones will support dual-SIM and come with expandable memory support using a microSD card. The most interesting part is that like the Nexus series of devices, these phones too will get first hand updates on the software front.

 

With the Android One, Google promised to offer the rich smartphone experience on low-cost smartphones, however the recent reports have hinted that these phones won’t come as cheap as expected. The Android One phones are speculated to cost between INR 7,000 to INR 10,000, up from initial expectation of INR 6,000.

 

Though Google’s Android One phones will most likely debut in September in India, it is likely that these phones might not come to the store in the same month considering that Google might launch these with Android L onboard, which is the company’s latest software iteration set to be released in October.

 

Android One launch in India is touted to be critical for Google, considering that the company is expected to launch similar handsets in other emerging markets on the basis of consumer’s response in India. 

 

Also Read: Moto G and Android One competitor Xiaomi Redmi 1S gets price cut, sale begins on Sept 2

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Nexus 9, Nexus X both leak online revealing specs

While the Nexus 9 tablet is being made by HTC, Motorola is working on the smartphone, which may be called Nexus X. Both the devices have shown some impressive specs and benchmark scores in leaks. - 

The next pure Android-based tablet from Google has been spotted on benchmarks once again. The HTC-made tablet, which earlier popped up on CPU-Z, has now been spotted on the AnTuTu benchmark’s database. The device, which will run on Android L (Lemon Meringue Pie), posted a highly impressive score of 45,923 on the benchmark.

 

The specifications of the tablet are pretty much known already. The device is powered by an Nvidia Tegra K1 64-bit SoC that has a max clock speed of 2.5 GHz. It has an 8.9 inch Quah HD display, with 2560x1440 resolution. The Nexus 9 is also expected to come with 16 and 32GB variants along with an 8 MP rear camera and stereo-speakers.

Further, the information received from AnTuTu also confirmed that the tablet will support LTE connectivity. It is expected to be launched sometime soon, perhaps within the next month or so.

While HTC is making the Nexus 9 tablet, the Motorola-made Nexus smartphone has also been leaked recently. In a report by BGR.com, the publication said that an online retailer put up a listing of the device. According to the listing, it will be called the Nexus X and will come with a 2.5 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 SoC along with 3 GB of RAM and a 5.3 inch display and a 13.1 MP rear camera.

Xiaomi Mi Pad 7.9 review: Up-and-comer

Introduction

Busy making a name for itself, Xiaomi must be hoping their first ever tablet will get the attention it deserves, following a couple of flagships that had the cheek to challenge the big boys. Just like them, the Xiaomi Mi Pad 7.9 will try and wow you with specs without making it too hard to guess who it is they've copied this time.

Sometimes referred to as the Chinese Apple, Xiaomi's approach to design isn't free from controversy but their devices have delivered a solid bang for the buck - hardly a surprise to users who are willing to look beyond the replica outfit.

The Xiaomi Mi Pad 7.9 is, at first glance, a cheap version of the Apple iPad mini 2 - it has the same 7.9" diagonal, the same 1536 x 2048 resolution and MIUI looks and acts more like iOS than Android, on which it is based. The design is almost identical too though they couldn't quite match the slim profile. Made of glossy plastic, the Mi Pad 7.9 looks like the lovechild of an iPad and an iPhone 5c.

   
Xiaomi Mi Pad 7.9

With a mix-and-match Apple design and a MIUI skin for Android 4.4.4 KitKat looking like a pretty convincing iOS clone you're probably thinking you know where this is going. But Xiaomi just loves proving people wrong. If the screen resolution wasn't a clue, the Mi Pad 7.9 has some specs that are sure to impress. This is the first commercially-available device to be powered by Nvidia's Tegra K1 chipset combining a quad-core Cortex-A15 processor and a 192-core GPU for desktop-grade gaming graphics.

Here's what else in on the list.

Key features

• 7.9" 1536 x 2048 IPS LCD of 324ppi, Gorilla Glass 3
• Nvidia Tegra K1 chipset, 2GB of RAM
• Quad-core 2.2GHz Cortex-A15 processor
• ULP GeForce Kepler GPU with 192 cores
• Android 4.4.4 with deep-running MIUI customizations
• 8MP back and 5MP front cameras
• Stereo speakers
• MicroSD card
• 6,700mAh battery
• Competitive price

Main disadvantages

• No cellular version
• Plastic build
• Sold exclusively online

Xiaomi most certainly want their first tablet to make it big for reasons other than its likeness to Apple's iPad mini. Yes, the similarities are just hard to ignore but Xiaomi probably thought there's no such thing as bad publicity, especially when it's their first tablet ever. Plus, they have the specs to silence the doubters. The Mi Pad has a stellar screen, a portable body, a chipset with great potential - especially for gaming - at a great price. Whether it's the 16GB or the 64GB version, a Mi Pad 7.9 will set you back some €100 less than any direct competitor.

It is obvious too that MIUI has seen a lot of hard work, both from Xiaomi and the developer community, despite of the looks, which would make Apple copyright lawyers cringe.

 
Xiaomi Mi Pad 7.9 at HQ

The company has given up brick-and-mortar retail and sells all its devices via its regional online shops. They won't sell to anyone residing outside of the official Asian Pacific markets. So if you don't happen to live in the handful of countries they do business in (China, India, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, and Taiwan), you'd have to go to a third-party online reseller to get one and hope nothing goes wrong or else you'll need to ship your product back to a service center abroad.

But back to the Mi Pad 7.9 - if you're interested in this device it doesn't hurt to read on and find out whether it is just another iPad replica or the best possible alternative that makes your budget.

Flipkarts New Tablets

Flipkart DigiFlip Pro XT911, XT811: A closer look at Intel-powered Android tablets

Flipkart, India’s biggest e-commerce website, today strengthened its presence in the devices segment by launching five new tablets in partnership with Intel. All five tablets have an Intel Atom Processor and are under the company’s Digiflip Pro branding.

The tablets launched include Digilip Pro XT911, Pro XT901, Pro XT811, Pro XT801 and Pro ET701. The ET701 is the cheapest one and costs Rs 5999, while XT911 is the most expensive and is priced at Rs 15,999. The Pro XT901 is the WiFi only version of the XT911 and costs Rs 13,999. The Pro XT811 is priced at Rs 10,999, while the XT801 which is the WiFi only version of this tablet costs Rs 8999. The tablets are available on Flipkart.

So what’s Flipkart offering with these tablets? All come with a free Digiflip book case, a 70 percent discount on 1-year subscription of any magazines from the India Today Group, an issue of Reader’s Digest India, discount of 35 percent on on shopping on Myntra’s App, 15 free best-selling eBooks worth over Rs 1,700 from Flipkart.

Flipkart’s tablets have the advantage of coming with an Intel processor where the brand name is concerned. They also come with voice-calling, 3G option and given that these tablets are under the Rs 16,000 price tag, it’s a fairly solid offer. But whether, specs and Flipkart’s name alone will help boost the sale of these tablets remains to be seen. At the moment, it’s lacking the X factor.

Apple's iWatch is coming on 9 September

Apple’s iWatch has been one of the most eagerly awaited products in the wearables segment, which already has some prominent players like the Sony Pebble and Samsung’s Gear. Given Apple’s design ethos, it is widely expected to up the game in the entire segment.

So tech enthusiasts and the media have been pretty much waiting to see whether 2014 will be the year we finally see the device. The answer seems to be yes. According to a report on Recode.Net, the iWatch will launch alongside the iPhone 6 on 9 September.

The report says that “Apple now plans to unveil a new wearable alongside the two next-generation iPhones we told you the company will debut on September 9.”

And what will the iWatch? The report speculates that it will be using the health and fitness platform in iOS 8 better known as the HealthKit app and it could also make use of HomeKit set up which would allow users to turn the lights on and off just from their watch.

Whether or not the watch will also come with control for Apple TV remains to be seen. Even with Homekit, there’s a possibility that it wouldn’t happen.

This isn’t the first time that someone has speculated that Apple will be launching the iWatch along with the iPhone 6 on September. Apple watcher John Gruber had caused quite a flutter earlier this month when he had ‘joked’ that Apple would be launching the iWatch on 9 September.

As far as Apple iWatch rumours go, it has been reported that the watch could be available in two sizes of 1.3-inch and 1.5-inch flexible AMOLED displays.As far as battery go, rumour mills had noted that Apple is testing newer and innovative ways for charging methods for the watch, which includes technology to enable inductive, solar, and motion charging of the wearable, thus minimising the constant battery consumption.

More about DOT BHARAT Domain

Web addresses are set to get multilingual in India. Soon you will be able to type in addresses in a web browser in the Devnagri script – with “dot bharat” standing in for the currently common “dot in” domain to begin with. The roll-out of the same begins on August 21.

In the 90-day “sunrise period” of the roll-out those with registered trademarks will be able to register domain names in languages that use the Devnagri script, such as Hindi, Marathi, Boro, Dogri etc. After the sunrise period, it will be thrown open to regular users of the internet.

The National Internet Exchange of India (NIXI), an autonomous non-profit organisation, is responsible for peering of ISPs and routing the domestic traffic within the country. The NIXI and the government’s Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) have worked on enabling this country code top level domain (ccTLD) of dot bharat. They say more such domains in different scripts and languages will eventually follow.

Currently, one can find content in various languages online. However, the URLs or web addresses are in English. With this rollout, even URLs would be in Hindi or Marathi. “Once the sunrise period runs smoothly, we will introduce other languages in other scripts such as Bengali, Punjabi, Kannada, Telugu etc. There is no timeline set for it yet, but we hope there will be enough pressure with the adoption of the Devnagri domains to implement it soon,” says Mahesh Kulkarni, program coordinator at the C-DAC, heading the language technology group.

A few government websites too will be a part of the launch next week by the union minister of communications and information technology, Ravi Shankar Prasad. “For example, the pmindia dot gov dot in will be pradhanmantri dot sarkar dot bharat,” says Dr Govind, CEO of NIXI.

While some quarters have welcomed the introduction of the new domain, others are doubtful of its success given the low internet penetration and low literacy rate in the country. A June 2014 report from research firm eMarketer, India had the third largest online user-base globally after China and the US but had the lowest internet penetration growth in Asia Pacific at 17.4%. Osama Manzar, who heads the Digital Empowerment Foundation, suggests getting more people and public institutions online rolling out local language domain names.

“This is not a bad move, but I doubt and wonder if it will encourage people to buy domain names in Indian languages. Is it in sync with the national digital infrastructure? It is important that the government encourage every department and village panchayat to get online with a website along with this,” says Manzar.

Sahitya Akademi-winning Hindi writer Uday Prakash finds the Devnagri domain a welcome move, but stresses on the importance of making quality content in regional languages available online. “It’s a good step and will help those who are not comfortable with English. However, the problem remains that most of the content online is in English. If I search for Robin Williams in English, I will find hundreds of webpages. But if I google the same name in Devnagri, I’ll hardly find anything,” says Prakash.

On the other hand, there is also the view that the move towards a multilingual web need not follow a set path. “If a poor person buys a mobile phone before he build a toilet, who are we to judge? It is a market phenomenon. Like a jigsaw, some pieces of the puzzle may be worked out in advance. There are things like Indic input keyboards, text to speech and speech to text that need to be in place before an Indic language speaker can have the same experience as an English language user of the internet,” says Sunil Abraham, executive director of Bangalore-based research organization Center for Internet and Society.

In October 2013, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) delegated generic top level domains in Arabic, Chinese and Cyrillic scripts. This was under the Internationalized Domain Name (IDN) fast track process of the ICANN, which began in 2009, inviting requests from countries for territory names in scripts other than Latin. Meanwhile domestically, the union government has made a push for the use of local languages.

Union Government launched Dot Bharat domain

Union Government on 27 August 2014 launched a new domain, Dot Bharat (.भारत) in Devanagari script in New Delhi. Initially the domain will cover eight languages like Hindi, Bodo, Dogri, Konkani, Maithili, Marathi, Nepali and Sindhi. The included languages are from the list of 22 languages that has been included in the Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of India.

Purpose of the domain dot Bharat
• Creation of the domain .Bharat is aimed to connect people with social media and provide contents in regional languages, especially to those who are not conversant with English.
• The domain will provide information to people in their own regional languages which will help in promotion of e - governance. The domain was launched by Union Communication and Information Technology Minister, Ravi Shankar Prasad.

The website with this domain would also in bringing revolutionary changes in economic activities at least of rural India resulting in creation of business opportunities andf jobs for almost all sections of the society.

The domain was developed by the joint efforts of National Internet Exchange of India and Centre for Development of Advanced Computing. For creation of the domain, they have worked on it for last two years.

Comment: The newly domain Dot Bharat (.भारत) would replace the commonly used top domains like .com, .in, .net and others. It would also give a push to creation of website content in local languages as well.