iPhone 6S vs 6 – In under 3mins (well depends how quick you are)

Dear friends,

Its been a while since we met. But what better occasion than an Apple launch event to talk and discuss the pros and cons of the newly announced gizmos at the world’s largest tech company. So in short here are the things Apple did announce yesterday at their annual pre-holiday season event.

1. Apple Watch
2. Apple TV
3. iPad Pro and iPad Mini 4 and accessories
4. iPhone 6S and 6S Plus

Although there’s so much to discuss, today I’m going to discuss only the difference between the iPhone 6 and 6S. I have used some mobile screenshots (from my OnePlus One) to show you the differences. So here goes:

The new iPhone 6S is slightly thicker in depth, slightly wider and slightly heavier as shown above. Just slightly!!

The iPhone 6S (and 6S Plus) come with an upgraded processor – A9 chip with a brand new M9 motion coprocessor.

Some more connectivity/network tech added.

Apple claiming having NFC (cheeky actually) when it is quite restrictive to only Apple Pay and not a generic NFC sensor.

Apple finally has upgraded its camera for the iPhone after three years of 8mp lenses. Your new iPhone 6S and 6S Plus come with a 12mp camera with larger pixel sizes. The camera is also capable of clicking ‘Live Photos’ which is nothing but a photo taken with some video content recorded 1.5 seconds of video before and after the clicked picture.

The iPhone 6S clicks a stunning 63mp (compared to 43mp before) picture when used to capture panorama shots.

Finally Apple has launched 4K video recording with the two new iPhones this year.

Slo-mo videos now support 1080p at 120 fps and 720p at 240fps. Previously it was only at 720p.

New feature (yet to be talked about or reviewed) – playback zoom. Not sure what this is yet. Will have to wait for reviews.

5mp front facing FaceTime Camera. Also uses the entire screen as a two tone flash called Retina Flash to act as a light source for night time shots.

4K video playback options included in the literature.

Now one of the most interesting feature I think WAS NOT ANNOUNCED and one that I cannot confirm yet to be true seems to be Siri. What I did notice in the new commercial for the iPhone 6S/6S Plus is this part where the user is trying to make some tortellinis and asks Siri to show some pictures of tortellinis. What’s so great about that, you ask! Well notice how he’s talking to the iPhone – HANDSFREE! That’s right.

But that feature’s been there for a while, you say! True, but that until now would work ONLY when the iPhone is plugged in to charge.

If the commercial were to be believed to be true, the iPhone 6s/6S Plus should have an always listening Siri. The phone shown below is with Siri activated without the user having to touch the phone and it is not connected to any power source. Unless of course they’ve secretly included a wireless charging feature on that wooden block behind. So if my guess is right, an Always On Siri might be a boon for those who are driving and want to turn on bluetooth without having to plug it in to charge.

Well that’s my quick assessment of the two new iPhones launched yesterday. Keep visiting this page for more news and reviews in the near future.

Here are the videos (not all are commercials) for all that was launched yesterday:

iPhone 6S and 6S Plus:

iPad Pro:

Apple Pencil:

Apple TV:

Apple Watch:

Keep the Obsession strong.

Regards,

SiD….

MSFT – AAPL (Relationship Status – ??)

Apple (AAPL) recently announced its quarterly earnings reports for Q2 of 2017. As a business focussed person, my eyes were looking at their performance indicators and I found something rather interesting. Their ‘Services‘ business has been witnessing steady growth in the last year or so. Although I know there is more to the services business of Apple’s, I wonder if part of it is also marketing related services Apple is offering Microsoft towards rebranding Microsoft’s Surface line of devices. Given Microsoft’s history with backing Apple during its rough times. Microsoft had invested in Apple way back in 1997 (a deal of $150 million in non-voting shares), which if Microsoft had held until date, would have been worth approximately $5.32B and a whopping $21.86B back in 2014.

Enough of the boring numbers! Let’s get to the fun and interesting part of what this post is all about. As noted above, Apple’s ‘Services’ business has grown significantly in the last year and it coincides with the time around which Microsoft has been improving its marketing efforts. Makes me wonder if these two are in bed with each other, again! Is Apple helping Microsoft with its design services and charging them for it? Now, where did I get this impression from? I’m certainly not pulling one out of my ————–

ears!     “I know what you were thinking there, dirty minds! Hahahahahah!”

Anyways, the reason I even began thinking on those lines is because I watched Microsoft’s new ‘Windows Surface‘ commercial and it struck me that there are so many similarities between this commercial and many of Apple’s iconic ‘MacBook Pro’ commercials in the past. Here is a collage of snapshots from their commercials. For convenience, I have noted in the caption of each image to indicate which image was from Apple’s ‘MacBook Pro’ and which ones are from Microsoft’s ‘Windows Surface’.

 

MacBook Pro – Screen

Windows Surface – Screen

MacBook Pro – Screen 1

MacBook Pro – Display Blow Up

Windows Surface – Display Blow Up

MacBook Pro – Intel Core i7

Windows Surface – Core i7

MacBook Pro – Horizontal Blow Up

Windows Surface – Angular Horizontal Blow Up

MacBook Pro – Keyboard Inner

Windows Surface – Keyboard Inner

 

I would like you to be the judge and tell me if I’m even remotely justified in assuming this possibility. Having said this, I have to note that Microsoft has been improving its product portfolio, both hardware and software in the recent past. Its Surface line of devices has captured a lot of people’s imagination as a turnaround in Microsoft’s design thinking, starkly different from what they used to be known for, for the longest time.

Disclaimer: Everything mentioned and written in this blog post is a work of fiction and not to be construed as factual or representative of the above-mentioned brands or their parent companies. It is written purely for entertainment purposes and not with the intent to harm or belittle a brand or company.

A “OnePlus” April – #OneGameChanger

Greetings readers,

April is going to be another OnePlus month by the looks of things. With their brilliant début into the smartphone industry – OnePlus One, the Chinese handset manufacturer has caught the attention of the world. In less than a year of having entered this market they already seem to show ambitions of disrupting yet another industry in April of 2015. Suggestive of this intent are the following three images that they have released on their own forum to indicate their intent to change things in another industry that is not the Tablet nor the SmartWatch category.

Guess No.01 – Game Controller (Smartphone Accessory):

Too early to say but my educated guess from their previous posts online and their discussions through the blog is that they are entering the Gaming Console or at least the Gaming Controllers industry. The gaming controller seems more of a likelihood considering OnePlus has noted that the smartphone industry has put a dent in the gaming consoles (casual gaming) industry. A controller that can slot the OnePlus One and/or other handsets in and make them mobile gaming consoles could be an interesting offering. Much like the “Samsung Gamepad” this could be one for the One or a universal android handset controller. Gamechanger – naaaah!

Related read: OnePlus Blog

“Smartphone Gaming: Is Casual Winning the Console War?”

Guess No.02 – Gaming Console:

The second and one of the most predictable guesses would be a gaming console (handheld) with smart capabilities built in, one is similar to the “NVIDIA Shield Portable”.

Although this is a rather obvious guess, I consider it less likely considering the company has shown proof that the casual gaming industry has taken a hit post the smartphone era. But having said that, there is nothing to stop them from taking it up as a challenge. One that OnePlus wants to face head straight and pull off another unlikely product hit. Only time will tell.

Guess No. 03 – AI Game Kit:

Now this is my favourite guess of all and probably the wildest of them all. What if (and its a huge “What If?”) OnePlus has decided to take the gaming industry by storm by introducing something like Anki DRIVE, an AI driven toy, board, game.

My reasons for such an audacious guess:

1. 

   Looks like an IR or similar sensor for a Gaming Device

   

   Looks like game tracks shown in super high shutter speed capturing the light trails of the toy cars.

   

   Need I say more? Phone as a controller.

   Well that’s as much as I can wrench my brains to predict what is to come in April from OnePlus. Whatever it is, I am sure it will be something worth the wait… They seem to be much more agile in terms of rolling out some products compared to their elder and bigger friends in the market who announce a product almost a year before release.

Here’s their own power-bank that is soon to hit the Amazon shores: Alleged pricing is in the range of Rs. 950 or $15. That is pretty damn awesome bang for buck for a 10,000mah battery pack.

Hope you had a good read…

Look forward to your comments below.

Regards,

TeCH_SiD

The Game of SmartWatches – 2015

Greetings Friends, It is March 01st 2015 and Mobile World Congress (MWC 2015) is upon us in Barcelona. While we wait for Samsung and HTC to announce their flagship devices for the year, Huawei has surprised a lot of tech pundits with the announcement of their arrival into the SmartWatch industry. Here’s a few snapshots of the device:

Business

Huawei SmartWatch

Accessories

Urban

Huawei Watch

Athletic

Signature

The specifications of the Huawei Watch are yet to be revealed and that includes any pricing information. Much is to be learnt about this device and the crucial details about its battery life, screen-resolution and handset compatibility. All that is known from the videos that were leaked is that the device sports a sapphire glass display and stainless steel unibody casing.

What is interesting is the fact that this device mimics the Android Wear front runner Motorola Moto 360 and the Apple Watch in some smart ways. They have borrowed the digital crown concept from the Apple Watch. Their notifications and interface albeit built on Android Wear has a striking resemblance to the Moto 360.

What could set this device apart is the fact that it does not have a compromised screen compared to the Moto 360 which loses a small portion of its circular screen to accommodate the sensors built in. Here’s a comparison of the two to understand what I am hinting at:

Motorola Moto 360

Huawei Watch

Huawei Watch

The videos of the device have since been pulled and made private. But luckily we have found alternative URLs and here they are:

Intro to Android Wear: As this is our first post on Android Wear and the Smartwatch category, we would like to give you readers a quick guide on the various brands and use cases of Android Wear devices. Google has taken a keen interest in connected devices off-late and this is evident from their acquisitions in the recent past with Nest Labs and Waze (GPS based location tracking system software). But over the past year or so, Google has dipped its fingers into the smartwatch category and seems to have got the right ingredients for partners to cook up the best recipes. Google has built a platform by the name “Android Wear”. You could find a lot more information on Android Wear by clicking the link. Some of the more prominent players already in the market are listed here:

Sony SmartWatch 3

Motorola Moto 360

Asus Zen Watch

LG G Watch R

Samsung Galaxy Gear

Some of the simple yet extremely useful use cases are shown here:

Needless to say that when two of the largest tech firms in the world are in this space already, it is one that will dominate the years to come in terms of innovation and money. With one of the largest organizations in China (and by some respect the world), Huawei getting into this space with some tasteful delight it is only going to make things more feisty with competition. In the end, we the consumers will be the winners with a plethora of choices available. If you are an Apple faithful then head down to this page for more information: Apple Watch Thank you for your time, I hope this post has helped you a bit in deciding which one to go for or not. Regards, TeCH_SiD

Samsung Galaxy S6 – “SIX APPEAL”

Samsung is hosting their next big event in Barcelona on the 1st of March 2015. This is surely going to be the reveal of their next flagship device or as they call it “The Next Big Thing” – Samsung Galaxy S6. A sneak peak into the device’s look has been revealed by Samsung on their twitter channel and is here for your viewing:

“SIX APPEAL” hinting (as big as these hints can get) towards the sixth iteration of the Galaxy S series. Clearly Samsung is riding high on its curved screen similar to the one on their Samsung Galaxy Note ‘Edge’. But industry sources have claimed this to be a dual edged screen. Which means no bezel on either side of the devices but a minuscule one on either edges which will not be visible to the not so observant eye.

Whatever it is, it surely is kicking up a storm amongst the Samsung loyal and others to a certain extent. I heard a couple of passengers who travelled alongside me in the train today – “did you hear about the next galaxy device, apparently it going to redefine smartphone screen technology forever”. Well we are just about a week away from knowing if this is going to be true or mere hype.

Typically Samsung has been known to push the limits of innovation (what they define as innovation is very subjective, however). According to the Samsung, innovation would be adding all possible features onto a form factor that otherwise has not been done before. Stay tuned for more information on the Next Flagship from the big S from the big K.

Till Then Keep Obsessing over Gadgets.

Regards,

TeCH_SiD…

OnePlus breathes new “OxygenOS” (Details & Poll)

It’s been sometime since we’ve seen any software updates from the latest darling of the android world – OnePlus. February it was announced that we would see some updates on the new ROM being built post the rough experience OnePlus has had with Micromax. Micromax (an Indian leader in handset manufacturing and sales) claimed to hold an exclusive deal with Cyanogen to sell its Micromax devices in India.

It was already revealed that the new ROM for the device would be called “OxygenOS” and that it would be bloatware-free or in other words as close to stock Android (5.0 Lollipop) as possible. Well they did deliver on that promise but not to everyones expectations. They revealed the team responsible in building the new ROM and they also revealed the new logo for the ROM

Besides this they also gave some information on the team members.

More on that can be found here: OnePlus Blog

Overall I think it is a good way to keep customers engaged by having your star team interact with them, but it would have been better had they done it on the date of the release. There’s a cute little note on why the release might take a little longer.

“Because this is our first major software release, we have to ensure that everything is solid and stable before making it available for download. We wouldn’t ask you to settle for anything less, and we appreciate your patience.”

However it is also widely known from their recent twitter account that the ROM build is currently already in testing phase and release is not too long away. So lets wait and watch when and how this release of “OxygenOS” pans out and how it turns out to be compared to the highly acclaimed CyanogenMod M11 ROM currently running on the OnePlus One.

Are you looking forward to the new ROM “OxygenOS” – Tell us by taking this quick poll below:

NFC Automation – Nearer Than You Thought!

Greetings Friends,

The focus of this post is on a relatively new technology in the consumer domain – NFC.

What is NFC?

Near field communication (NFC) is a set of ideas and technology that enables smartphones and other devices to establish radio communication with each other by touching them together or bringing them into proximity, typically a distance of 10 cm (3.9 in) or less. ~ wikipedia

Intro – ‘Apple Pay’

Recently Apple introduced a new payments technology called Apple Pay. This is not entirely a new technology, only new to Apple to be honest. It is something that has been available on Android devices for almost half a decade now. The only differences being that Apple Pay is restricted to Apple devices and runs along with their proprietary finger print recognition module called TouchID. Together they seem to make a formidable combination when it comes to security and hence it is bound to gain more traction than other players. However the introduction of Apple Pay is only going to boost the NFC tech industry according to industry pundits.

NFC on Android:

Google introduced its Google Nexus S with built in NFC capabilities almost half a decade ago in 2010. This is a technology that relies on close (hence ‘Near’) proximity between two sensors. This is similar to the technology used in the RFID tags you have seen at retail outlets while buying clothes.

It involves the following elements to make life easier in a variety of ways:

1. NFC Capable Smartphone
2. NFC Tags/Stickers and
3. NFC Controlling App to configure the tag to perform certain task(s)

In case you have all three of these, please read on. If you are missing any one of these or more, continue reading as it won’t kill you to know a little more about a relatively new technology that could potentially save you loads of time when it comes to deciding between phones that have NFC and those that do not.

What can NFC be used for?

Several tasks (usually quick yet mundane and involving several steps) can be automated quickly using NFC technology. Here are some of the basic examples.

Tasks: (Not comprehensive or exhaustive)

• Enabling/Disabling:
  • Wifi
  • Bluetooth
  • 3G/4G(LTE)
  • Auto-rotate
  • Airplane mode
  • Silent/Vibrate/Normal modes etc.
• Set brightness to high/medium/low

Actions:

• Direct browser to a particular URL/website;
• “Like” a particular Facebook page;
• “Follow” a particular twitter handle;
• Launch a particular YouTube video;
• Register interest in a particular product;
• Count the tap as a single unique unit;
• Load vCard details

Store Data:

• Store vCard details
• Location data
• Custom data
• Save text
• Configure WiFi network

and many such tasks, actions and data can be programmed onto an NFC tag. I hope this post has triggered some fresh ideas on how NFC can be used to make your lives better. Do feel free to add them down in the comments section and I shall probably make a video out of these suggestions.

Apps:

1. “Trigger” – to configure and perform tasks using NFC, Bluetooth and Wifi
2. “NFC Tools” – to configure NFC tags to perform desired tasks
3. “NFC Tasks” – to perform actions/tasks programmed using the ‘NFC Tools’ app onto an NFC tag

Tags:

1. “Tapto” from Amazon.in
2. “Topaz512” from Amazon.in
3. “NTAG213” by Tagstand on Amazon.com

NOTE: These are not my recommendations for best NFC tags/apps but just options I have seen on Amazon.in and .com

How to Configure An NFC Tag – Video

NFC – Video

I hope you have read most of my recent posts and have found them interesting. If you have any comments and/or suggestions, feel free to jot them down under the comments section below the blog post. I look forward to reading them and bettering my content.

Thank you for your time… “Keep Reading!”

Regards,

TeCH_SiD…

TeCH Update – 05th Feb 2015

Greetings Readers,

I thought of summarizing and presenting to you some of the most significant news that have been doing the rounds in the tech world yesterday. So here they are:

1. Xiaomi Does Not Intend To Enter The U.S. Market Anytime Soon:

Chinese hardware manufacturer and new poster child of the mobile masses – Xiaomi is conducting an SFO based event this 12th of February. However Hugo Barra, (one of the key figures at Google previously who then joined Xiaomi as VP-International) insists that they are not entering the US market anytime soon. This could very well be a check on the interest levels of the company’s products amongst American audiences, carriers.

For the sake of the ‘value-for-money’ seeking Americans I hope Xiaomi devices hit your shores soon.

Source: Technobuffalo

2. “Paper” Given Free To Promote “Pencil” Sales:

The popular drawing/sketching/painting app called “Paper” by 53 (Company name – FiftyThree or 53) yesterday announced that the so far paid ‘in-app purchase’ will be available free of charge from today.

Quick, download it from here: Paper App

They have done so to improve the sales of the hardware device by the name “Pencil”, shown above. The “Pencil” by 53 is a slick new device that when paired with the iPad can be used to draw practically anything.

Check out their awesome video: Pencil by 53

Source: Macrumors

3. Worlds Most Expensive “Typo” – By Ryan Seacrest

Ryan Seacrest (the popular TV Celeb of American Idol fame) had launched an external case for the iPhone with a physical keyboard. This case bears a stark resemblance to the keyboard that a lot of Blackberry devices have (refer image below). The courts had ordered ‘Typo’ to stop sales for the same reasons, yet the order was not honored by the company. This has now resulted in a fine of $860,000 that Typo must pay Blackberry. What needs to be mentioned however is that Blackberry had demanded a compensation of $2.6 million (in penalties) + legal charges, so its isn’t as bad as it seems. 

Fun Fact: $860,000 is just about 1/75th Ryan’s annual salary and about 1/350th his net worth according to CelebrityNetworth.com.

Source: Macrumors

4. Swatch Is About To Enter The Smartwatch Game Soon:

The swiss watch giant apparently has made it clear that they are entering the smart watch industry. Their first smartwatch is expected to be launched in the next two to three months. This puts it head-on against Apple’s AppleWatch release dates expected to hit shores around April 2015.

Game on Apple!

Source: Macrumors

5. Fresh Breath Of “OxygenOS” For OnePlus One Soon:

OnePlus, the Chinese manufacturer that has created a lot of buzz with their first device the OnePlus ‘One’ has announced their new ROM’s name – “OxygenOS”. This device although has been announced for more thanhalf a year has not seen widespread adoption, thanks in part to the extremely lean supply of devices. The new ROM OxygenOS is expected to be as close to stock android Lollipop (Android 5.0.X) as possible with as least bloatware as possible. This has a lot to live up to considering the freedom of customization CyanogenMod has given and users have gotten used to.

Source: OnePlus Facebook

Special Mention: Next post is going to be on Mr. Satya Nadella (CEO, Microsoft)

Thank you for your time…

Regards,

@TeCH_SiD

Placing Ads on Mobile – “Which Platform Do I Place My Ads On?”

Wondering who is still leading the numbers game between Apple and Android when it comes to Mobile ads revenue.

With over 60% of market share (Ad Impressions) amongst the smartphone market Android sure is garnering a lot more opportunity to earn revenue. But with less than half that Apple is still ahead of Android (read Google) with just above 51% share in terms of ad revenues.

Note: This is not to be mistaken as a Google Ads vs iAds comparison as Apple devices are the highest contributor to Google ads on mobile devices too.

Read the Techcrunch report here –
http://techcrunch.com/2015/02/03/apple-still-the-easy-leader-in-ad-revenue-on-mobile-for-2014-despite-android-gains/

Tech Design – Apple vs the new ONE on the block!

Greetings friends,

I have taken a very radical approach to thinking about product design today. I have decided to set my Apple biases aside (have done for close to a week or so now) and write an objective piece on how OnePlus has taken product design to a whole new level riding on the shoulders of many others. Let’s dive right into it, shall we?

Product Packaging:

Apple is known for its immaculate attention to detail for their products, including their packaging. Regardless of which product you choose amongst their line-up, they are the gold standard when it comes to packaging tech and quality. What Apple takes pride in with their packaging is the fact that it is minimal and avoids wastage in material and hence saves space while shipping. This plays a significant role in saving the planet by shipping more phones in fewer flights.

Well Bravo! But it is time to move on as other companies have started reducing their carbon footprints as well.

The OnePlus One comes in a slick new book-like case that is not only awesome to unbox but truly functional too. Argument could be that they haven’t put everything in one box. The charger block comes in a separate box.

The packaging is not only brilliant but so is the thought behind each and every item inside the box. The charging/USB cable for instance is flat and does not entangle like the ones you get with other devices. It even comes with a recoil band that helps keep it from wearing over time. The SIM tray removal pin comes inside a rubber cover of it’s own that can be clubbed on a keychain. Although why we’d log that around all the time puzzles me. However nice touch. They also have included a NanoSIM to MicroSIM adaptor for switchers from the iOS devices. “Smart or Cocky? You decide!”
Reference images – below.

Now for the more important bit which Apple seems to have ignored right from the beginning – ‘device comfort’ in the hand.  I bet you’ve not thought of this before. Over the years, the iPhone has come a long way in product design and it has almost set the standards with their product and packaging design. However, they now seem to have taken a break in developing breakthrough designs. The iPhone looks and feels incredibly sexy in your hand and even better in photos. But does it really serve the purpose of being a good phone while using it? Of course it is a very subjective topic but do you fell comfortable holding it WITHOUT A CASE? If your answer is Yes then you are a minority with sweaty palms.

To me it is far from a comfortable design to hold. Jonathan Ive is brilliant, no doubt but he’s designing great looking phones. Someone needs to remind him that the phones are going to be held and used, not only clicked pictures of. Right from the first iPhone the devices have had extremely smooth surfaces and have inevitably been slippery.
Now cut to the OnePlus One. This device has two variants – 16Gb white and 64Gb sandstone. The sandstone model feels like soft sandpaper and apparently the white model had the feel of baby skin. Besides these OnePlus also has a few other backs that can be bought to customize the look and feel of the device.

The gallery above shows us the difference in material design. The iPhone as always stellar in material design yet not the best fit for a human hand, read Slippery. Especially humans with smaller hands. The OnePlus One is not the most comfortable for smaller hands either but thanks to the slightly sharp edges and the soft sandpaper material (on the 64Gb Sandstone model) it feels extremely reassuring when taken out from a trouser pocket. Whereas the iPhones are dangerously slippery when picked out from one’s pocket. The Apple device accessories industry is thriving thanks to this fact.

However these are my personal opinions and do not stand true for ever user.

Conclusion:

Although a lot can be said about the design language Apple undertakes with its products and the quality of build being far superior to anyone (maybe HTC comes close with its One recently). It is a case of what feels premium does not necessarily be the best for the customer. My vote is for the OnePlus One for the sheer brilliance in choice of material for the back of the device which is what brings out the perception of quality in the consumers mind and also is a highly functional design element. Despite not using premium material like aluminium all around the device they have pulled off design magic with it.

However I would strongly suggest you try out both devices (yeah good luck finding a OnePlus One!) and then come to a conclusion yourself.

Note: I am and for the foreseeable future will remain an Apple Fanboy.