Posts made by Mrinal Chauhan

The second generation of OnePlus phones, OnePlus 2 has finally received VoLTE support with OxygenOS 3.5.5 OTA update. The 2015 flagship smartphone with the latest OxygenOS 3.5.5 OTA update has got many new features except the promised Android Nougat update.

As per the report, the new update is rolling out in a phased manner. The latest OxygenOS 3.5.5 update is about 1.25GB in size and brings about a whole range of new features including Battery Saving Mode, Gaming Mode, App Lock, new Alert Slider options and other minor redesigning aspects.

Secret Santa Gift from OnePlus:

VoLTE is enabled on certain carriers and the company has not disclosed whether Reliance Jio is one among them or not. However, it is confirmed by a few OnePlus 2 users that VoLTE calls are working on Reliance Jio. This is undoubtedly a Santa gift for OnePlus 2 handset users.

With the VoLTE support, OnePlus 2 mobile users can now enjoy unlimited free calls and data under Reliance Jio Happy New Year Offer. As the update is being rolled out in a phased manner, so don’t worry if you didn’t receive the update yet.

The Taiwan-based electronics giant ASUS has announced its ZenWatch 3 in the Indian market. Starting today, ASUS ZenWatch 3 can be pre-ordered on Flipkart. However, the stock will be available only from January.

The device comes in two strap variants – leather and rubber. The rubber strap variant costs ₹17,599 and the leather model is priced at ₹18,999.

In fact, ASUS has redesigned the Android wear watch by making it circular instead of its square model. Looks wise, ASUS ZenWatch 3 gives a run for the money as it has a jewellery grade steel and diamond cut bezel. The premium Italian leather and a high-quality rubber band in dark brown and beige colour make it grab one.

ASUS ZenWatch 3 Specifications:

ASUS ZenWatch 3 is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 2100 processor coupled with 512MB RAM has 4GB inbuilt storage. Moreover, the device has 50 exclusive designer watch faces that can be customizable using ZenWatch Manager. The company claims that it is the first Android Wear watch to include 3 physical buttons to have greater control.

Addressing the launch, Mr Peter Chang, Region Head – South Asia and Country Manager, ASUS India, said ”The powerful ‘ZenWatch 3’ allows the user to manage their lives comfortably. We are sure that the combination of specs and design in this smartwatch will be appreciated by our users”.

Backed by a 341mAh pack, the company claims to give two-day battery juice. And an optional magnetic charger is also available that provides additional 40 percent of battery life. In simple words, ASUS ZenWatch 3 is a full-featured Android Watch that records all your workouts including running.

The largest domestic handset maker Micromax has launched low-cost 4G VoLTE smartphones bundled with Jio Happy New Year Offer. The new range of smartphone models are titled as Vdeo and are pre-installed with Google Duo for simplified video calling. The new Vdeo range of budget smartphones includes a pre-activated Reliance Jio 4G SIM card to offer unlimited free voice calls, data, and SMS till 31st March 2017.

Specs of Vdeo 1 and Vdeo 2 Smartphones:

The Vdeo series of smartphones will right now have 2 models and will be available in the offline market. The Vdeo 1 and Vdeo 2 are priced at ₹4,400 and ₹4,990 respectively. Regarding the specs, the Vdeo 1 sports a 4-inch WVGA display and Vdeo 2 comes with a 4.5-inch FWVGA display.

Both the budget handsets run on Android 6.0 Marshmallow operating system and are powered by 1.3GHz quad-core processor from Spreadtrum and 1GB RAM. Except for the screen, every other spec looks common for both the handsets.

Equipped with 8GB internal storage, the smartphones can be expandable up to 32GB via microSD card. On the camera front, the handsets sport 5-megapixel rear camera and 2-megapixel front camera. Connectivity wise, the handsets are 4G VoLTE enabled along with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, FM Radio, GPS etc. The Vdeo phones carry a metal rear panel and are backed by 1600mAh and 1800mAh batteries respectively.

Addressing the launch of Vdeo phones, Mr. Shubhajit Sen, Chief Marketing Officer, Micromax Informatics, said: “The Vdeo range is fully loaded with best-in-class features for an entry level Smartphone – including 4G VoLTE, Android Marshmallow, Quad core processors, great battery performance and housed in a premium and stylish metal body. We think that this new series will revive sales in the sub ₹6,000, which has shrunk by 30% on-year in the last three-quarters.”

What’s Your Opinion?

By comparing with the latest phones in the same 5K market, Micromax new Vdeo series is not up to the mark. The Micromax team should retrospect the situation prevailing in the telecom sector and should come out with higher specs to compete with foreign manufacturers. Or else, it should develop plans to provide feature rich phones at a lesser price to support digital economy.

Chinese multinational technology company Lenovo announced huge discount offers and exchange deals on its new K6 Power smartphone. Priced at ₹9,999, the new Lenovo K6 Power will be on sale starting December 6 through its exclusive online partner Flipkart.

Lenovo K6 Power Launch Day Offers:

According to the report, the exchange deals and discount offers are enabled by Flipkart only on the launch day. A special exchange of up to ₹8,000 on an old phone means the user can buy the power-packed smartphone only for ₹1,999.

First 100 lucky users will get a chance to win ₹10,000 Flipkart Gift Vouchers upon registration. Just click on ‘Notify Me’ button at the start of the sale of the newly launched smartphone. The winners of the lucky sale will be intimated through email on December 31, 2016.

Moreover, the handset can also be purchased through an affordable Easy Monthly Instalment (EMI) option starting at ₹485 per month for 24 months at the interest rate of 15% per annum. If the user has Axis Bank Buzz credit card, then there is an instant 5% discount on the purchase of Lenovo K6 Power smartphone.

The consumers can gain Moto Pulse2 over-the-ear wired headphones worth ₹1,499 for just ₹499 only along with the purchase of Lenovo K6 Power.

Lenovo K6 Power Specifications:

Specs wise, the latest phone sports a 5-inch full HD IPS display screen, powered by 1.4 GHz octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 processor, 3GB RAM with 32GB internal storage expandable up to 128GB, 13-megapixel primary camera, and 8-megapixel secondary camera. It’s a 4G VoLTE handset built on Android Marshmallow 6.0.1 and backed by a massive 4000mAh battery that can last up to 2 days.

Re: Telecom Operators Waive Off USSD Charges on Mobile Banking Till Year End

The state-owned telecommunications company Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited waived off mobile banking charges till January 31, 2017. This comes as a big relief to BSNL subscribers after the Government’s surprise ban on large value currency notes.

Boosts Mobile Banking Services:

Since the overnight currency ban, there’s been a shortage of the new notes and some branches still, face cash crunch. With an aim to increase mobile banking services, BSNL has waived-off tariff of National Unified USSD Platform (NUUP) until Jan 31, 2017. In a statement, Mr. R.K.Mittal, Director (CM), BSNL, said, “The free usage of this facility will boost Government’s objective to move toward a less-cash society. This will enable the use of electronic banking facility and reduce difficulty for the common man.”

Those who do not know NUUP is a mobile banking service based on USSD technology. Here, the mobile user can access banking services by just pressing *99# from any mobile phone. The communication takes place through USSD between the bank and the customer’s telecom operator. Recently, the top three telecom operators including Bharti Airtel, Vodafone India, and Idea Cellular waived off mobile banking charges for their subscribers till December 31, 2016.

Panasonic, the Japanese multinational electronics corporation, launched its latest 4G VoLTE smartphone in the Eluga series. The handset is priced at ₹8,990 and is in tough competition with Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 and Lenovo Vibe K5 Plus that are well received in sub-₹10,000 smartphone market.

Panasonic ELUGA Tapp Specifications:

Panasonic Eluga Tapp comes with a minimalistic design and 5-inch IPS display. Powered by 1.25GHz quad-core processor and 2GB RAM, the phone packs 16GB internal storage that can be expanded up to 32GB via microSD card. The smartphone runs on Android 6.0 Marshmallow sporting 8-megapixel primary camera and 5-megapixel front shooter. It is enough for capturing pictures in daylight but not under low-light conditions.

Powered by 2800mAh non-removable battery, Panasonic Eluga Tapp smartphone keeps you connected for a day with moderate usage. For heavy users, it is always advisable to carry a power bank in the pocket. This dual SIM 4G smartphone offers VoLTE capability to ensure good call quality.

Panasonic Eluga Tapp is equipped with a security feature called ‘Android for Work’ that allows the user to isolate the business apps from personal apps. It prevents data leakage as the apps in work profile can’t correspond with user’s personal apps. This is an interesting feature when one has to protect his data. Above all, the front fingerprint scanner makes your phone easier to access.

In Conclusion:

The handset comes in Champagne Gold, Gold and Silver Gray colors and is available in all retail outlets across the country. In a nutshell, this is a decent phone from Panasonic India meant for daily use. Definitely, one can’t expect everything to be great on a 9K phone.

Gurgaon-headquartered Micromax Informatics is all set to start to Make in India smartphones by March next year. By doing so, the phone maker Micromax will be the first local manufacturer to make smartphones on a completely knocked down approach in India.

Confirming the news, Micromax Informatics co-founder Vikas Jain said, “We are on the verge of importing our first set of CKD units and the company is working on logistics and building infrastructure.” As per the sources, the new facility will begin at either at Telangana or Bhiwadi. Though the company is yet to decide the production capacity, it is expecting the first shipment of CKD units soon.

A Milestone and Value Addition:

Definitely, this move is a big milestone in the journey of Micromax as it creates value addition. As of now, the company makes 3 million phones a month in factories of Rudrapur (Uttarakhand) and Telangana. More than a half of the production accounts the smartphone category. The company also plans to set up a manufacturing plant in Bhiwadi (Rajasthan) and Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh).

As of now, the Indian consumer electronics company plans to invest ₹2,000 crores over the next 5 years period for making handsets, and electronics such as LED televisions, tablet computers, data cards, laptops, and accessories indigenously.

Currently, most of the companies either import fully built or semi-knocked down (SKD) phones from the Chinese market. These are assembled in India with little manufacturing requirement. As the process is labor intensive, the assembling units hire low-skilled workers in large number. While the completely knocked down (CKD) version involves mounting of components onto a printed circuit board (PCB) mechanically. All the PCB and other components are imported from China.

CKD is a value addition as it aids in quality control, provides 2% cost improvement on the bill of material and in turn reduces the overall cost of the phone. With this move, hope the desi company Micromax will focus on competing with international brands.