Swipe smartphone

Swipe Sense is a Rs 9999 smartphone with a fingerprint sensor on its back

Swipe Sense has placed itself in the elite league of smartphones which look to offer an added layer of security to their users via a fingerprint scanner. This device has been launched at Rs 9999 in India, and it has the said sensor located on its rear surface.

Notably, another company named iberry had recently introduced a fingerprint scanner-equipped phone as well, in the form of the Auxus Note 5.5. But while that smartphone costs Rs 13990, this one is cheaper and it comes with not one but two batteries.

Yes, a duo of 2250mAh power units come bundled with the handset thus reducing the need for portable chargers. The dual SIM Swipe Sense runs Android 4.4.2 KitKat, and carries onboard a 5.5-inch qHD display. 1GB of RAM and a 1.3GHz quad core processor also form part of its offerings.

The device moreover, features an 8MP main camera with LED flash and a 3.2MP front shooter. There’s 8GB worth of stock storage onboard which can of course be further expanded till up to 32GB using its microSD card slot.

A look at the specs of the Swipe Sense:

- Display: 5.5-inch qHD, 540×960 pixels
- OS: Android 4.4 KitKat
- Processor: 1.3GHz quad core
- Memory: 1GB RAM, 8GB storage (expandable up to 32GB)
- Camera: 8MP rear, 3.2MP front
- Battery: 2250mAh (two)

The minimally named Swipe Sense will be out in the market in the coming days dressed in a black colored body. Like we said, its price has been set at Rs 9999.

Maruti stylish sedan

Spotted a stylish sedan from Maruti being transported in the capital!

Late in the wee hours of this past weekend, we spotted a silver chrome finished sedan while on our way to the International Airport. It was right outside our hotel and seemed to be in transit!

We snuck a closer look to find no logo or name on the car and none of us could recognize the make either - it could very well be the new CIAZ.

Judging from all the hype on twitter of late, this could very well be the same car that has been making headlines since last week. It had aerodynamic grooves on the side along with a pumped up rear bumper, which definitely makes it look cool.

The photograph clicked on our iPhone gives out some faint details of the car its still not confirmed whether this is the new sedan from Maruti or not.

If at all this is the new Ciaz, it might well be equipped to take on other cars in the same segment and is definitely going to be on the radar for all the sedan lovers.

Android One

The first Android One smartphones are coming in early september

New Delhi: Android One is Google's take on what affordable smartphones should be, and starting early next month the first wave of these devices should make their way to the market. According to the Economic Times, the devices will be priced between Rs 7,000 and Rs 10,000, which is slightly above the target price of $100 (approx Rs 6,000).

Google's partners – Micromax, Karbonn and Spice – will each launch at least one device initially, providing users an experience similar to that of mid-to-high-end smartphones. In an essence, Android One is a minimum hardware standard which the three Indian manufacturers have to follow.

The devices will be powered by quad-core processors, which will most likely be supplied by MediaTek, following news of Google tying up with the chip making giant. The devices will come equipped with 1GB of RAM, little internal storage, but will offer users the capability to expand memory.

Apart from this, smartphones being launched under the Android One umbrella will come with screen sizes ranging from 4.3-inch to 4.5-inch at first. The devices will run on Android 4.4.4 KitKat, but will receive the Android L update sometime in October, which is mighty close to the expected launch date of Google's new software.

Great performance and timely updates directly from Google is what should set Android One devices apart from the rest. The concept which the company is adopting is mighty similar to what has made Motorola so successful, especially in the low and mid-range smartphone markets.

The report adds that Google might roll out the Android One program in other emerging markets following its debut in India. The company chose the market as its first due to the fast paced growth, and an incredible demand for low and mid-range devices.

Android One may seem like a superficial term for a set of hardware standards for manufacturers, but Google will take it much further with other activities. The Internet giant made a mention that it would tie up with operators to provide cheap data packs for users of these devices, and will also spend Rs 100 crore on marketing activities.

Google is putting such a great amount of focus to make sure Android One will be successful, which in turn rewards it with a large number of users of its services. The move also future-proofs the dominance of Android, with many first-time smartphone users being inducted into the Google ecosystem.

Xiaomi MIUI 6

Xiaomi rolls out MIUI 6: Looks heavily inspired by Apple’s iOS 7 UI

Xiaomi has announced MIUI 6, the latest version of its popular custom Android UI, bringing a design change that will have more than a few people thinking of iOS 7.

A more colourful, minimalist interface with supposedly enhanced security features awaits developers who have booted the new OS. Devices such as the upcoming Mi 4 andhotselling Xiaomi Mi 3, will receive the MIUI 6 official update in the next couple of months after another round of developer testing.

Xiaomi claims to have made MIUI 6 less distracting and there’s definitely a big change when you compare the existing MIUI5 to the upcoming version. Xiaomi has chosen to use big white spaces accented with bright colours within its core apps, which immediately call for comparisons with iOS 7. In particular, the calendar, mail apps and the gradient-heavy iconsremind us of Apple’s mobile OS.

A lot of the skeuomorphic or real-world design elements have been toned down, which is evident in the clock, and calculator app, both of which sport a much cleaner look now. Similarly the camera app has been toned down, with the big target buttons replaced by clearer targets that float on the screen. It does add a great deal of cleanliness to the camera UI, which earlier had broad bands on top and bottom with the icons.

The lockscreen has changed as well. MIUI 6 shows you the number of pending notifications on the lock screen and users can get to the app showing it directly by pulling up on the number. Xiaomi has also added non-intrusive notifications for incoming calls and messages when you are already doing some other task.

The new features in the dialler

It’s not just the looks that have changed. The dialler app for example has been greatly enhanced. Now MIUI will show you caller ID for unknown numbers a la TrueCaller out of the box. In addition you can mark certain service numbers and also manage your carrier’s customer care hotline through the dialler, removing the need for you to listen to machine recording when getting in touch with them.

This wouldn’t be MIUI without a bunch of themes for the new version, but right now we expect only the few themes that the company has created in the new OS. As developers soak themselves in the testing, we could see more themes pop out.

Of course when it comes to Xiaomi, the big controversy is about how the company tries to copy Apple in its hardware and software design. Apple was by no means the first company to introduce a flat UI design, but it did get a lot of attention for its major redesign last year.

Mail app looks very much like the iOS app

It certainly doesn’t help that Xiaomi’s website for the new OS and its use of pictures is very close to Apple’s own website. So we are not surprised that many people are calling MIUI 6 a straight iOS rip-off, but there are some interesting features that are exclusive to MIUI such as customisable notification toggles, the themes store and the comprehensive permissions manager. So yes, there are similarities but there are enough differences for us to not just talk about MIUI 6 as an iOS 7 rip-off.

Moto G2, Moto X 2 and Moto 360

Motorola 4 September event invite teases Moto G2, Moto X 2 and Moto 360

Motorola is holding a media event in Chicago on 4 September, where it is widely expected to announce new versions of the Moto X and Moto G smartphones, as well as provide more details on the upc,ong Moto 360 smartwatch.

The event takes place on the same day as the IFA technology trade show in Berlin, where Samsung, Sony, LG, Huawei and others are expected to reveal new smartphones, tablets and wearable devices.

The invitation doesn’t explicitly say what the event will feature, but includes sketches of two phones with X and G written on them, along with a watch - these of course are thought to second-generation Moto X and Moto G handsets, and the Moto 360 watch.

Critics praised both the Moto G and Moto X for offering quality hardware and unmodified versions of Android on a budget, both at the mid-range and high-end of the smartphone market.

Specifications claiming to be for the Moot G2 leaked last week and point towards a 5-inch screen, up from 4,5in on the current Moto G, and an improved camera, up from five to eight megapixels.

Meanwhile, the second generation Moto X is, according to leaked specifications, set to have a 5.2-inch Full HD display with a resolution of 1920 x 1080, a quad-core processor with 2GB of RAM, 32GB of storage, a 2-megapixel front camera and a 12mp rear shooter.

As we all know, the Moto 360 is a smartwatch running Google’s Android Wear operating system, features a round screen, and a design widely acknowledges at the best-looking smartwatch to date. We expect to see a firm release date and price from Motorola.

Xiaomi Mi 3 fourth sale gets over in 2seconds,next on August 19

Xiaomi Mi 3 fourth sale gets over in 2.4 seconds, next on August 19

Still failing to provide the adequate stock for Mi 3 smartphone in India, Chinese smartphone Xiaomi today saw its fourth sale getting over in just 2.4 seconds. While the timing is 0.4 seconds more than last week, the company had also offered 5,000 more unitsthan the third sale of 15,000 units.

With around 150,000 registration for today’s sale, it is not surprising to see that it got over so fast but the registrations clearly show that it will take at least a couple of months to get some sort of normalisation in the demand and supply.

Xiaomi revealed that it is continuing the weekly sales and the next Mi 3 sale will take place on August 19 and the registrations of the sale are now open at Flipkart.

There is no word on how many units the company plans to import for the fifth sale but we hope that number is over 20,000 units.

If you are getting tired of waiting for the phone, we will suggest you check out Asus Zenfone 5 or Moto G smartphones as the alternatives.

Hyundai launches Elite i20, price starts at Rs 4.9 lakh

Hyundai Motor India today launched all new version of its premium compact car i20 priced between Rs 4.9 lakh and Rs 7.67 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi).

The second generation model -- i20 Elite -- would compete with the likes of Maruti Suzuki's Swift and Volkswagen Polo, priced between Rs 4.42 lakh and Rs 7.99 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi).

Commenting on the launch, Hyundai Motor India Ltd (HMIL) Managing Director & CEO B S Seo said since the launch of first generation i20 in December 2008, the company has so far sold 7.34 lakh units in the country.

"We remain committed to the Indian market. The all new Elite i20 would help further enhance the company's market share in India," Seo added.

The petrol versions of the car are priced between Rs 4.9 lakh and Rs 6.46 lakh while the diesel variants would retail between Rs 6.09 lakh and Rs 7.67 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi).

The company said the Elite i20, which is built on a completely new platform to replace the existing i20, would further add to the company's strategy of enhancing volumes.

The Elite i20 is being launched globally for the first time in India.

The Elite i20 was designed at Hyundai Motor's Design Centre Europe in Rsheim, Germany.

In the January-July period of 2014, the company sold 2,35,432 cars in India, translating into a market share of 21.6%.

During the same period last year, the company's market share was 20.4%.