Tuesday, February 16, 2016

Astonishing! Freedom 251 Quadcore 1GB RAM Launched For Rs. 251 ($3.8)

Yesterday all hell broke loose when it became public that an Indian company called Ringing Bells was going tolaunch a smartphone for just Rs. 500 or $7!

Everyone, including us, were wondering that at this price, it will have extremely low feature set.

The company revealed the details of the phone, and no one could have imagined what was in store. The company launched the smartphone for just Rs. 251 or roughly $3.80. At that price even a sub-par spec'ed smartphone would have been a surprise.

But the Freedom 251 has specifications of a smartphone that currently costs over 20 times in the market. The smartphone is a 1.3 GHz Quadcore phone packed with 1GB RAM. Not only that, the screen is a 4-inch screen with qHD IPS display.

The phone has a very decent 8GB internal memory expandable to 32GB. On the camera front it has a 3.2 megapixel autofocus camera and a VGA front.

With 1450 mAh battery, the smartphone will easily last you more than a day.

And that's not all – the smartphone also has the latest Android lollipop 5.1 OS and comes with 1 year warranty!

This kind of smartphone currently costs upwards Rs. 5000 – and Freedom 251 is priced at just Rs. 251.

We have no idea how it is possible – and honestly, it is quite hard for us to believe.

Whatever way we think, the manufacturing cost of this phone itself cannot be less than Rs. 2500 to Rs. 3000 – so it is wonder how the company Ringing bell is able to sell this at such a low price!

Possibilities

The company has not mentioned anything about how they are able to price the Smartphone so low – but we think, it could be done with some tie-ups with app companies as well as with Government. The smartphone comes preinstalled with apps like Swachh Bharat, Fisherman, Farming related apps among other things.

It is possible that Government may have provided subsidy and other app companies may have offered them compensation for preinstalling apps. However, even in that case, the price is astonishingly low.

We still have doubts in our mind, and we are sure there is some catch. We will need to wait and see the reason behind such a low pricing.

Now, having said that – one thing is sure, if consumers are really able to buy this phone at Rs. 251, it will change the entire mobile ecosystem in India. Other handset brands will be left high and dry because no one will be able to sell their phones which are priced 20 times higher.

And if Ringing Bells is able to supply the demand for these phones, we will see India and Indians change drastically. Suddenly, we will have a billion people carrying smartphones and that's really something!

[Check out more details here.]

The post Astonishing! Freedom 251 Quadcore 1GB RAM Launched For Rs. 251 ($3.8) first appeared on Trak.in . Trak.in Mobile Apps: Android | iOS.

Apple iPhone 4s, iPhone 5c finally discontinued in India

Apple iPhone 4s, iPhone 5c finally discontinued in India: Report

Apple has discontinued the iPhone 4s and the iPhone 5c in India to raise its average selling price. With this move, the iPhone 5s is now the cheapest iPhone in the country.

Apple sees India has one its primary drivers of growth in the coming decade, and with that in mind it has taken a step to arrest the falling average selling price (ASP) and increase profits. Apple has discontinued the iPhone 4s and the iPhone 5c, two smartphones that were available in India in the sub-Rs 20,000 segment, ET reports. The iPhone 4s was on sale in India for around Rs 12,000, while the iPhone 5c was available for around Rs 20,000. Both the smartphones had been discontinued in the US and most other markets.

By discontinuing the iPhone 4s and the iPhone 5c, the cheapest smartphone in Apple's India portfolio is the iPhone 5s. Back in December, Apple announced a price cut for the iPhone 5s, which brought the price down to Rs 24,999.

The likes of the iPhone 4s and iPhone 5c were important for Apple to take on strong competition from global Android smartphone vendors as well as local and Chinese players. But with that, Apple's ASP fell, and so did profitability. By discontinuing the cheaper models, Apple is pushing people to opt for newer models like the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus. To boost sales, Apple recently also introduced attractive buyback offers for its latest iPhones with discounts up to Rs 25,000.

ALSO READ: Apple to set up a Rs 150 crore technology development center in Hyderabad

Apple has a paltry 2 percent market share in the world's second largest and fastest growing smartphone market, which is dominated by Samsung, Micromax and Intex. Even Xiaomi, which made a late entrance in the country has higher market share than Apple.

Apple CEO Tim Cook has acknowledged the importance of the Indian market, which registered a 76 percent growth in iPhone sales during the recent quarter. The company is undertaking initiatives to make its presence felt in the market, which includes opening Apple Stores, as well as manufacturing and selling pre-owned iPhones in the country.

Apple is expected to launch the iPhone 5se in March, which would be an enhanced version of the iPhone 5s and come with a 4-inch display. It remains to be seen when Apple brings it to India as it could push the price of the iPhone 5s further down and bring it to the sub-Rs 20,000 level.

Line is shutting down former Microsoft service MixRadio

Japanese messaging app Line has announced it's closing its music streaming service MixRadio, a year and two months after it bought the business from Microsoft in December 2014. Line says its decision to close the Pandora-like service is due to the subsidiary's "overall performance" and "the financial challenges posed by the music streaming market." The difficult of making money while streaming music is something that's hurting even the industry's biggest players, including Spotify. And MixRadio picked a difficult strategy, offering free access to its radio streams and offline mixes supported by ads, and focusing solely on mobile — there was no web or desktop player.

The closure is not solely due to financial reasons, though: Line notes that the "priorities of Line Corporation" also played a part in the decision. In June last year, the company's CEO, Takeshi Idezawa, said that after years of trying to attract users globally, Line's main priority is Asia. The app has some 215 million monthly users, but 65 percent of these are in its four core markets: Japan, Taiwan, Thailand, and Indonesia. As TechCrunch notes, the company has been developing localized services for these countries, partnering with Indonesian motorbike taxi app Go-Jek, for example. Similarly, although MixRadio is being shut, the company continues to operate its Line Music streaming service in Japan and Thailand.

Monday, February 15, 2016

moto

Thursday, February 4, 2016

News

Worldwide Android News 05/02/16 - Gionee, Huawei And More

Xperia M5 & M5 Dual Started Receiving Android 5.1 Lollipop

Sony has confirmed that the Android 5.1 Lollipop rollout for the Xperia M5 and M5 Dual has kicked off. The update brings better memory management, while there are some new features included here as well, and overall improvements to the OS. If the update did not hit your device just yet, be patient, it will roll out soon, and you can always manually check if an update is available through settings.

Gionee P5W Announced In India For Rs. 6,499 ($96)

Gionee P5W is the company's entry-level handset. This phone features a 5-inch 720p (1280 x 720) IPS OnCell display, along with 1GB of RAM and 16GB of expandable internal storage. The phone is fueled by the MediaTek MT6735 64-bit quad-core processor, and a 2,000mAh battery is placed on the inside. The 5-megapixel snapper is available on the back of this phone, and a 2-megapixel shooter can be found up front. The phone is available in White, Black, Red, Blue and Yellow color options for Rs. 6,499 ($96).

Huawei G8 Gets A Rose Gold Variant In China

The Huawei G8 was introduced back in July in China, and a higher-end variant of this phone has been announced in September. That being said, Huawei has decided to introduce yet another color options of this device to their consumers, the Rose Gold Edition of the G8 has been introduced. The specs remain unchanged, this phone sports a 5.5-inch fullHD display, 3GB of RAM and it is powered by the Snapdragon 616 64-bit octa-core SoC. The 13-megapixel camera is placed on the back of this phone, and a 3,000mAh battery is located on the inside. The phone costs $380, in case you were wondering.

Helio P10-Powered Gionee GN9011 Gets Benchmarked

MediaTek's Helio P10 SoC will be one of the most used chips this year. It hasn't exactly been available out in the market for long, but judging how many smartphone manufacturers already released, or will soon release, Helio P10-powerd phones, we'll get to see this chip quite frequently out there. The Gionee GN9011 will be one such device, and a Geekbench listing revealed that it will also sport 4GB of RAM, and ship with Andriod 6.0 Marshmallow out of the box.

BlackBerry Priv Now Available Through Optus Stores In Australia

BlackBerry Priv is the company's current flagship, and their first Android-powered handset. This phone has been introduced last year, and it has now become available through Optus stores in Australia. There are various of tariffs at your disposal, in case you're interested in getting one of these, all you have to do is visit Optus. The BlackBerry Priv features a 5.4-inch QHD AMOLED panel, 3GB of RAM, and is fueled by the Snapdragon 808 64-bit hexa-core processor. The full qwerty physical keyboard is also available here, and the device looks quite interesting overall.

Flyme 5.1.3 Meizu MX5 Update Rolling Out To Indian Consumers

In case you own a Meizu MX5 and live in India, we have some good news for you, the Flyme 5.1.3 update has started rolling out your way. The update brings a number of optimizations to the OS (around 1000), and is around 817MB in size. In case you're interested, you can download it by clicking here, and you can check the full changelog here. This isn't the first Flyme 5 build available for the Meizu MX5, but it does bring quite a few improvements to the table.

Google Play Carrier Billing Hits Finland, Hong Kong, Malaysia, And Denmark

Carrier billing isn't available to every country which supports Google Play Store, but Google is constantly expanding its availability. The carrier billing has just rolled out to three new carriers in three new countries. It is now available in Finland through DNA, in Hong Kong through Smartphone, Maxis supports it in Malaysia, and H3G in Denmark. Keep in mind that the carrier billing should be live already, but if it's not, it will be soon.

Kalaari Capital launches Kstart, a unique seed program for early stage startups

Kalaari Capital, a leading Indian venture capital firm, on Friday launched Kstart, a unique seed program for the next generation of Indian entrepreneurs with disruptive ideas. Kstart aims to empower startups and accelerate disruptive ideas to become market-leading companies.

Led by MD, Vani Kola, Kalaari Capital has been investing in early-stage, technology-focused startups since 2006. The venture capital firm has $650 million in assets under management. Along with capital, Kalaari also focuses on a long-term partnership with entrepreneurs to help them unlock large value through disruptive innovation.

Kalaari had launched a new fund in 2015 worth $290 million. YourStory Research shows that the firm made 14 early stage deals in 2015 (58% of their deals being early stage). Kalaari has a diverse list of startups and now mature companies in its portfolio. Some of them across different sectors are –

Ecommerce– Myntra, Snapdeal, Power2SME, Industrybuying, Urban Ladder

Fintech– Instamojo, RKSV, Rubique

Digital Media– YourStory, Scoopwhoop, PopXo

Mobile– Robosoft, Haptik, Apps Daily, Magster, Swipe

Khosla Labs, Kyron Global Accelerator, Microsoft Accelerator and Google's recently announced 'Launchpad Accelerator' along with incubators and accelarator programmes run by educational institutions are other popular choices among early stage Indian startups.

As India grows into a global economic leader, Kalaari believes that India should look at startups for next-generation solutions that align disruptive ideas, large markets and capable founders. Transforming young companies into successful, scalable and sustainable businesses requires community, capital, partnership, continuous learning and access to resources. Identifying these opportunities and providing the required support for founders is important. Hence based on their experience in helping early stage startups, Kalaari's Kstart program is based on five key components:

Fair Capital: Raising capital is one of the biggest challenges in the entrepreneurial journey. Founders at the seed stage are especially vulnerable to dilution and deserve better choices. Kstart offers fair capital to founders (up to $500,000) via a convertible equity instrument.

Catalysts: Founders often do not have access to experience-based advice, committed guidance or open networks. Kstart brings together founders with the right set of mentors – called 'Kstart Catalysts '– to accelerate startup growth. Kstart Catalysts are also co-investors in the companies.

Partners: Seed-stage founders often face resource and technology constraints. Partners are a key element of the Kstart support ecosystem, who will provide portfolio companies with access to their platforms, technology and expertise.

Kstart Institute: High-growth startups have a need to invest in continuous learning and commit to up-skilling. Kstart Institute helps the portfolio companies focus on some of the most important aspects of building and growing a technology-driven venture. Dr. Anil K Gupta, Professor, University of Maryland, will guide the development of the Kstart Institute curriculum.

Respace: Respace is a dynamic and participatory space that Kstart portfolio companies are offered. Consistent with the Kstart philosophy that environment fosters creativity, Respace is an outcome of collaboration with 15 artists from around the world. These artists have pushed the boundaries of a traditional corporate space to foster peer-to-peer learning. The event space will host meetups, workshops and industry events

Startups can apply to the seed program at www.kstart.in

From horseless to driverless: the future of the car

A hundred years ago, cities such as London and New York had a major crisis. They were literally drowning under the manure of the thousands of horses that were used for transporting both goods and people. The arrival of the petrol-powered car saved the day, relegating horse-drawn carriages to a mere tourist attraction. Today the automobile industry is facing its own moment of disruption.

The modern car is a magical thing, combining utility, aspiration and exhilaration. After a television and refrigerator, it's what every new middle-class family aspires to. For the wealthy, a car is the ultimate and most conspicuous status symbol. A car is so much more than a means of getting around. A car is freedom, it is identity and an object of desire. Governments, too, love cars. Automotive companies with their supply chains account for 5% of all manufacturing jobs. This is why the automotive industry is so incredibly important globally. However, five trends are combining to create a major disruption.

First, half the world's population now lives in cities. Especially in developing countries such as India, the explosion of car ownership is putting a huge strain on both roads and the environment. Air quality, traffic gridlock, shortage of parking and noise pollution is becoming unbearable in many cities, such as Delhi and Bengaluru. Cities and citizens are beginning to push back. City planners are beginning to wake up to the need for vastly better public transportation. Many cities around the world such as Delhi and Mexico City are beginning to use license plate numbers to ration the number of days when cars can be used. European cities are establishing low-emission zones where non-electric cars cannot ply. Citizens in Bengaluru are beginning to protest against the unregulated growth of vehicles. In Beijing, a driver who wants to purchase a car must first enter a lottery and can wait two years before receiving a licence plate. Such restrictions on car use are likely to become more stringent as cities struggle to deal with the exponential increase in the number of vehicles.

The rise of the sharing-economy is another big trend. The success of sharing services like Uber, Ola and BlaBlaCar raise the question of whether it is necessary to even own a car. The convenience, ubiquity and affordability of such services is persuading more and more people to forego driving and even car ownership. Uber is experimenting with carpooling. This promises to make it even less attractive to own a car and may be a real solution to reducing traffic congestion.

The rise of autonomous vehicles or self-driving cars, pioneered by Google and now being emulated by others, poses another challenge. This is no longer science fiction; partially autonomous cars are being sold today by Volvo and Mercedes. Tesla just introduced a software update that enables its cars to park automatically. The potential here is mind-boggling. Zero accidents. Less traffic congestion. Elderly people and people with disabilities who are able to hop into a car. The challenge for car manufacturers is that it requires them to become software companies and take on the likes of Google and Apple or risk seeing their profits erode. There are many unanswered questions around safety, ethics, regulation and liability. And the really big question is whether driverless cars encourage more car ownership or more car sharing.

If these trends were not enough, car manufacturers have to worry about the mindset shift amongst young people who are far more fascinated by smartphones and social media than cars. Sociological studies show that a driving licence and leaping behind a wheel is becoming less important as a rite of passage into adulthood and that among so-called millennials and digital natives, there is less fascination in owning big-ticket items such as cars. This may be particularly true when young people struggle to find well-paying jobs and as urbanization increases. Car companies have to be watchful. Is this really a trend? Is it more a rich-country phenomenon?

Finally, there is the impact of emission standards. Rapidly worsening air quality in our cities will have a huge impact on the technology of cars. Diesel engines, hugely popular for their fuel economy, are out of favour not just in Delhi but in many parts of the world. Car companies are facing a challenge meeting new emission standards affordably, tempting an unspecified number to experiment with defeat devices. The leader in electric cars is Tesla, started by a Silicon Valley entrepreneur. How much longer will it be possible to eke out fuel-efficiency gains from traditional combustion engines? Will the future car be all electric or hybrid and how fast will the mix change? All these questions add profoundly to the uncertainty faced by car companies.

There is no question that cars as we know them will be around for a long time. The real questions are some of these. With some of the most important innovations coming increasingly from technology companies such as Tesla, Google and Uber, what will it take for car companies to retain control of their destiny? At what point will a car become software on wheels? Second, will car companies embrace societal concerns such as air quality and traffic congestion and evolve innovative solutions or will they continue to merely grudgingly comply with regulations and legislation, thereby becoming victims of their own success? Is car ownership nearing a peak? Can the planet afford to have more people own more cars or is there a way to innovatively harness some of these trends to give billions of more people affordable and safe access to the joy and convenience of cars in a much more sustainable way?

Moments of industry disruption pose grave threats, especially to incumbents but they are also windows of opportunity to gain leadership for the next century. The key is to embrace fundamental trends rather than wish them away.