Xiaomi Manages To Sell Redmi 1S Smartphone In The Right Way

For those people who have been complaining about Xiaomi selling its Mi phones via unique flash-sale model; it’s no longer the case. The company’s most affordable smartphone, Redmi 1S can get the phone just by going across to Flipkart.

 

Yes, you heard that. No registration required, no waiting period mentioned, just click and buy that’s it. Redmi 1S from Xiaomi is an excellent value-for-money device that has found takers from all corners of the country. The likes of Motorola may have been an established name in the market (or known one for that matter) but for a newbie like Xiaomi, things have been unexpectedly positive.

 

The news that a Xiaomi device is going to be available through normal buying channel is expected to garner mass fanfare, resulting in quick sell outs. However, we’d like to highlight the fact that Xiaomi has not mentioned any specific numbers of Redmi 1S to be sold, hence we’d suggest you get your phone at the earliest.

Redmi 1S sports a 4.7 inch HD display, running on MiUi 5 over Android 4.3 Jelly Bean and packs a quad-core Snapdragon chipset with 1GB RAM. It comes with an 8 MP rear camera with flash and a 1.6MP front camera as well. All this and priced at Rs 5,999 is what that really clicks with the Indian buyers and now that the phone is easily available, is just the perfect icing on the cake.

Airtel Launches Wi-Fi Dongle During GOSF 2014

 

The last year’s GOSF wasn’t that exciting, but it seems that the GOSF 2014 might be different. A lot of interesting stuff has been lined up for the three day online shopping carnival. CouponzGuru is expecting that the event will have three lakh visitors in 3 days.

 

So, as we wait for the frenzy to be begin, here’s an interesting offer from the Airtel.

 

The telecom major will be launching a Wi-Fi dongle, which is called Airtel Infinity at the GOSF 2014. Now, what this Wi-Fi dongle will do, is let consumers connect their HD/HD+ and HD DVR set-top-boxes to the Internet using any of their existing Wi-Fi connection (with recommended speed of 2 Mbps) and that too without the need of any additional wiring for enabling the broadband/LAN access on their set-top-box.

 

Once they have connected, the Airtel DTH customers will be able to enjoy a host of services like Airtel’s video library service, On-Demand TV and even watch last 6 days of pre-recorded TV shows. It is noteworthy, that all these features were earlier available through IPTV services offered by various telecom providers including Airtel.

 

The price of Airtel Infinity is Rs849, which as per the company is an introductory price. It will be available through Infibeam during GOSF and later be available only through the Airtel portal

 

In addition, Airtel has also rolled out a self care app that will help the subscribers of Airtel Digital TV to monitor their accounts in real-time.

Sony To Bring Android TVs In Early 2015: Rumor

Google first announced Android TV back in June during the annual I/O event. It was said that a myriad of big ticket manufacturers will be on board to support the new media platform, with the likes of Razer being the first to announce it. A new rumor today is suggesting that Sony could also be one of the companies interested in launching hardware based on the platform, possibly during next month’s CES 2015 event.

 

Something like this would be suited for the CES event as a wide range of manufacturers will be present during the event to show off their latest innovations. Android TV based hardware is currently sold only by Google in the form of the Nexus Player, but the addition of Sony and other manufacturers could mean that the platform will be more accessible to consumers across the globe.

 

We don’t have specific information on what to expect from Sony’s latest offering, but it seems like it will be similar to previous Android TV (known as Google TV) offerings with the hardware integrated into their televisions. It is being said that Sony will offer Android TVs in varying display resolutions, ranging from 4K to 1080p depending on the market. Either way, don’t expect these televisions to go gentle on your wallets.

 

Android TV relies heavily on Google services and offers content through the Play Store, Play Movies, Play Music etc. Given the number of gaming titles available on Google’s app hub, the device can also be used as a gaming console when coupled with a wireless Bluetooth controller. Expect the likes of Samsung and LG to join the Android TV bandwagon sometime soon.

Report: Sony Leak Traced To A Bangkok Hotel

According to Bloomberg, the source of the huge Sony Pictures leak has been traced to a five-star hotel in Thailand’s capital. Leaching off of the St. Regis hotel’s high-speed wi-fi, the hackers, currently believed the work of the North Korea-linked group DarkSeoul, carried out their devastating and embarrassing attack, leaking 47,000 SSNs and other sensitive information.

 

The source, who remains unnamed in Bloomberg’s report, says it’s currently unknown if the hack was carried in a guest room or in a public area. Cybersecurity experts traced the “digital footprints” of the hackers to this location though these same experts are not ruling out the possibility that the leak was carried out remotely and only taking advantage of the hotel’s open network. Starwood Hotels & Resorts owns and operates the specific hotel that was used in the attack but has yet to issue any official statement regarding these claims.

 

Of course, the exact reasons why the attack occurred remains unclear, but it seems to be more a personal grudge than an attempt to make money, according to Bloomberg. Earlier today, North Korea denied allegations that they were involved but called the cyberattack a “righteous deed.” If the these attacks are deemed state-sponsored, it would definitely be a page turner in the big book of cyber warfare.

 

The only people attempting to lighten the mood surrounding these hacks are also the two people at the center of it-namely Seth Rogen and James Franco, staring in the film “The Interview,” which protrays the attempted assassination of Kim Jong-un. The duo appeared on SNL together last night to get “out in the open” all of the embarrassing information that was bound to leak soon.

 

Although these hackers probably have no interest in Rogen and Franco’s nearly nude Christmas cards, it’s still unclear how this crippling leak will impact Sony and cyber security in the future.

Three Reasons Which Make Lumia 730 A Terrific Mid-Range Smartphone

 

The ?10,000-?20,000 price band is the hottest smartphone segment in India. While the OEMs have the challenge of trading off features and specifications that go in their flagship devices, they have to squeeze in enough value additions than typical budget devices. Consumers, as diverse as college going students to young professionals to senior smartphone adopters, on the other hand, look for unique differentiators that add to the basic platform experience.

 

Lumia 730, one of the latest generation of Windows Phone 8.1 devices, is available for ?15,299 and as I noted in our review few weeks back, it is a solid, affordable smartphone for a diverse audience. The successor to the very popular Nokia Lumia 720, the Lumia 730 fills in those big shoes very nicely, and impresses in the following departments.

 

Display

While camera and hardware specifications usually make for the sales pitch, a gorgeous display impresses right away. The Lumia 730 sports a 4.7-inch OLED screen with 720p resolution and a pixel density of 316ppi. It’s not HD, but the display looks great with vivid colors without any oversaturation. There’s also Gorilla Glass 3 for best in class protection.

 

The viewing angles are pretty solid, and only at extreme angle you’d notice a minor shift in the contrast. Nokia’s ClearBlack technology offers deep blacks and helps minimize reflectivity. The display is very bright, and even at low brightness setting the outdoor performance is great. Sunlight readability on the Lumia 730 is arguably amongst the best.

 

Hardware

The Lumia 730 is powered by a quad-core 1.2 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor with 1GB of RAM. Interestingly, the mid-range Lumia 730 shares the same internals as the more expensive ‘affordable flagship’ Lumia 830.

 

That’s good enough to have a breezy Windows Phone experience, especially since the operating system is definitely lighter on resources. It doesn’t top the charts in benchmark tests against Android smartphones at similar price point, but the real word performance is lag-free and pretty smooth.

 

You might see a few frame drops while playing graphic-intensive games or a few seconds of the loading/resume screen while switching between apps, but it’s not much significant and would work for most non-power users.

 

Camera

While the marketing folks for Lumia 730 prefer to flaunt the front camera, the rear camera on the 730 is pretty good as well. The phone boasts of a 6.7-megapixel rear camera with Carl Zeiss optics and the photos captured are pretty good, easily better than most other smartphones in this price range. It doesn’t match the brilliance of the PureView camera on the Lumia 830 or the Lumia 930 obviously, but the color reproduction is great and the photos are nicely saturated.