Category Archives: Mobiles

Motorola India launches #Motography Contest

#Motography Contest

In the weeks leading up to the Indian Independence Day on August 15, Motorola India has launched #Motography, a four week long innovative photography contest on Twitter. In this contest, Motorola handset users can share their love for India with the rest of the world by clicking pictures with their Motorola handsets.

Motography nurtures curiosity about India and challenges Moto Smartphone users to discover India on their own terms. In a world where high-definition and pixels scream out at consumers, Motography is a concept which instead propagates the meaning in photographs that we take.

The Twitter handle of Motorola India @Motorolaindia exhibits emerging and amateur Motographers and presents their work based on meaningful photography on themes that are loved by Indians.

The Themes of the #Motography Contest are #FoodOfIndia, #BeautyOfIndia, #CultureOfIndia and #IndianTricolor.

The Contest started last week with the theme #foodofindia. The current week’s theme is #BeautyOfIndia which will be followed by #CultureOfIndia and finally the #IndianTricolor.

The #Motography Contest rules are simple, viz.

  1. Follow the @MotorolaIndia handle on Twitter
  2. Post a picture using @MotorolaIndia #Motography and the theme hashtag;
  3. Each week, two winners will receive a Moto E handset and a mention on Motorola India’s official Twitter page.

So go ahead, explore, motograph with your Moto and win.

Panasonic launches ELUGA U Smartphone in India

Panasonic Eluga U

Today, Panasonic  launched its ELUGA U Smartphone in India.

ELUGA U is Panasonic’s first Smartphone in the Eluga series, to be launched in India.

The ELUGA U Smartphone sports a 5 inch IPS HD (720×1280) Display with Corning Gorilla Glass 3 integrated as an On-Glass solution. The “ELUGA U” has a slim 7.95mm Unibody, unique Textured Glass Design and its Back Cover has a Premium Mirror Printed Texture on an Anti-shatter Crystal Glass for classy looks and durability. The ELUGA U is priced at Rs. 18,990/- and is available in textured Black and White Colors.

The ELUGA U is a Dual SIM Smartphone. It runs on the Android KitKat 4.4.2 OS. The “ELUGA U” is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 Processor (SoC). Its Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 Processor features a Quad-Core CPU, Adreno GPU and a Low Power Display Engine which produces Beautiful Visuals. The “ELUGA U” has 2 GB RAM and 16 GB in-built Storage which is expandable using an external SD Card. The phone is equipped with a 2500 mAh Battery. It is equipped with the following Sensors :

  • 3 Axis Gyro-Sensor,
  • Light Sensor,
  • Proximity Sensor,
  • e-Compass and an
  • Accelerometer.

The ELUGA U is equipped with a 13 MP Full HD capable Auto focus Camera on its rear and a 2 MP Camera on its front. Its Rear camera can record Full HD Videos at 30 frames/ second. The phone can also playback Full HD Videos. The ELUGA U supports HD Audio Playback and comes with an FM Tuner with RDS.

The “ELUGA U” has a single hand operative “Fit Home” User Interface that has been specifically redesigned for the ELUGA series Smartphones using the Kitkat OS. Fit Home is known for its unique single hand operative features such as “Kwik Lock”, where the user can Double Tap the home screen to lock.

With a rich feature list and a reasonable price, the ELUGA U is expected to add to the success of Panasonic Smartphones in India.

We shall be posting our First Impressions and a Detailed Review of the ELUGA U soon. Do check these out before buying another Smartphone.

Gionee ELife E7 Mini gets a KitKat Upgrade

Gionee E7 mINI

Gionee Smartphones, a leading global designer and manufacturer of mobile devices has announced the Android KitKat 4.4.2 Update for its Gionee ELife E7 Mini Smartphone.

The Update needs to be updated manually via flash tools and also will be available free-of-cost at Gionee Service centers.

The new Android KitKat Update will offer simpler, faster and more spontaneous ways to use the E7 Mini with a host of new features for seamless user facilities.

After the KitKat Update, the ELife E7 Mini will get revamped in terms of its User Interface, Applications and Layout. With the new user interface design there will be enhanced features like an updated Amigo Paper and Game Zone, Wallpapers Application, improved Security and more. A few of the features are listed below:

  • All new Layout
  • Updated Amigo Paper with a brand new user interface
  • Removed the World Cricket Champion game, Texas Poker, Green Farmer and Wonder Zoo
  • Added Du Speed Booster for faster operations
  • Gaming – The Game zone is updated with a new user interface design which will allow better control of the gaming apps
  • Updated GioneeXender for optimized performance which will allow high speed transfer of files. This will improve the linking success rate
  • Updated UC browser will make the device more responsive and will improve the page loading effects
  • Added Touch Pal Input and Camcard
  • Updated NQ Mobile Security for better protection of the phone
  • Updated Kingsoft WPS will be a great support for office productivity
  • Updated Map with only one entrance into the main menu

Motorola Moto X Review

Moto X

Most of us are already aware that in a short span of just 5 months, Motorola has tasted success by selling 1 Million Moto phones in India.

I had used the Moto G, seen the Moto E but was curious about the Moto X. I was curious to know more about the Moto X due to the fact that with its mid-range specifications it is expensive; although phones from Sony, Samsung and HTC with higher end specifications are available at a price almost at par with the Moto X. So I decided to check out a Moto X. Here’s what I discovered…

For the first time, as I held a Moto X in my hand it gave me an impression of excellent design, ergonomics and build quality. The size of the Moto X is neither small nor big, neither too thick nor too thin. It has just the right size and is conveniently usable by anyone with a single hand. Moto X offers an excellent grip with its rounded corners, tapered and rubberized anti-slip back cover. The feel, comfort and grip of the Moto X would appeal to anyone who would hold it, be it an iPhone, Sony, Samsung or HTC user. The design of the phone makes its suitable for male as well as female users.

The Power Switch, Volume +/- Switches of the Moto X are located on the right side of the phone. Its Hands-free Socket is on the Top Center and the Micro USB Charging Socket is on the bottom of the phone. The Moto X is a Single SIM Phone with a Nano SIM Slot. The Back Cover of the Moto X and its Battery are not removable. The Phone comes with 2 GB RAM, which is great. Its Total Internal Memory is 16 GB. Approx. 12 GB Memory is available for Applications and User Data. The Internal Memory on the Moto X cannot be expanded with an external SD Card. There is No TV Out Socket. However, the Phone offers Wireless Display facility using Miracast certified Wireless Display Adapters and with Miracast certified TVs.

The Moto X is built using the Motorola X8 Mobile Computing System which includes an optimized Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro SoC with:

  • a 1.7 GHz Dual-Core Krait CPU,
  • a Quad-Core Adreno 320 GPU,
  • a Natural Language Processor and
  • a Contextual Computing Processor.

With 6 processors under its hood, I expected the Moto X to perform well. I was not let down in most areas of my testing.

The Moto X uses Android KitKat version 4.4.2 and is due to receive an Update to KitKat version 4.4.3 anytime. Android KitKat gives Moto X users a clean and bloatware-free Android experience, which needless to say is pleasant, faster and more responsive than its Jelly Bean OS based competitors. KitKat 4.4.3 for Moto X offers new features, such as pausing video recordings, improved camera image quality, better consistency of exposure, more realistic flash coloring, and improved photos in low light conditions using the front camera.

The Moto X has a 4.7” AMOLED 720p HD Display which offers stunning and vivid graphics powered by its Quad-Core Adreno 320 GPU. The Graphics and Display of other phones such as the Samsung Note, N7000 appears dull in comparison with the Moto X. I tested the Display Quality and the GPU Performance of the Moto X by playing back Full HD Videos with Hardware Acceleration ‘On’. Full HD Video playback on the Moto X was absolutely brilliant. Processor and Graphics intensive Games like Real Racing played smoothly, without any lag and with enjoyable graphics.

Moto X Real Racing Experience

The Touchscreen of the phone is excellent. For Gamers and Users who need multiple sensors in Apps, the Moto X is equipped with perhaps the maximum number of sensors I have ever come across on any phone. The Benchmark Scores of the Moto X are as under:

  • Antutu: 23510
  • Vellamo: Multi-Core: 1265, Metal: 938, Chrome Browser: 2351 and 2163.

Antutu Score Moto X(Click on the Picture above for enlarged view)

Vellamo Scores Moto X(Click on the Picture above for enlarged view)

The Sound Quality as well as the Volume of the Moto X are very good. The Sound Effects are customizable for use with Wired Stereo Speakers/ Hands-free Kits as well as its inbuilt Speaker.

The Moto X has a very useful feature viz. ‘Active Display’. To check mails, messages, missed calls, time, etc. a smartphone user has to take the phone out of his pocket, unlock the phone, go to notifications/ the desired application and check the mails/ message/ missed calls, etc. With Active Display, the moment the Moto X is taken out of the pocket, it notifies the user of his mails, messages, missed calls, time, etc. without having to go through the tasks of unlocking the phone and going through all the notifications. I found this feature to be very useful for users who get frequent notifications.

For ambient noise cancellation and voice recognition in noisy environments such as Railway Stations, Factories and Outdoors, the Moto X has 3 Microphones on its Front, Top and Back. Thanks to its 3 microphones and ambient noise cancellation, the Voice Quality during Calls made with the Moto X is absolutely clear at the receiving end.

One of the key features of the Moto X is ‘Touchless Control’. Touchless Control lets you control your phone by speaking commands. Touchless Control is an application different from Google Voice Search but it works with Google Voice Search. The User has to train the phone to recognize his voice. Once the user’s voice is trained the phone will execute the spoken command. Voice Commands on the Moto X can be used for:

  • making a phone call,
  • getting directions,
  • sending text messages,
  • asking questions regarding weather, etc.
  • setting alarms,
  • playing back movies and music,
  • scheduling meetings, etc.

Unfortunately, I could not train the Moto X to recognize my voice in a room which had negligible noise. I was disappointed. Touchless Control is one of the key features of the Moto X as such I believe there could have been an issue with the review unit received by me.

One of the complaints of most smartphone users today is that of Battery Life. The Moto X leads here. It comes with a long lasting 2200 mAh Battery. During Mixed Standby Use, the Moto X Battery lasted for over 2 days 22 hours with 10% remaining (see Picture below). However, the Moto X feels warm in the hand within 10-15 minutes of use. Its Battery Charger also heats up considerably during battery charging. Both these issues need to be addressed by Motorola.

Battery Life Moto X(Click on the Picture above for enlarged view)

The Moto X also offers NFC capabilities and supports Motorola Skip and third party NFC Tags with the NXP chipset. I did not test the NFC capabilities of the phone.

The Front Camera on the Moto X is a 2MP Camera with 1080p HD video capabilities. It is a good camera for making Video Calls and taking Selfies.

The Rear Camera on the Moto X is a 10MP CLEAR PIXEL (RGBC) Camera with an LED Flash. It supports Quick Capture, recording 1080p HD video @30 fps, 4X Digital Zoom, Slow Motion Video, Burst mode, Auto HDR, Panorama Mode and Focus/Exposure Control. The Camera is very easy to set up and use. Keeping in view its Specifications and Features, I expected the Rear Camera of the Moto X to be very good. However, the Rear Camera on the Moto X is its biggest disappointment. The Pictures shot with the Moto X appear soft and as if a Plastic Film has been placed over the Camera Lens. I checked its Lens a few times, but there was no film on the Lens. Pictures taken Indoors with the Rear Camera using Fluorescent Lighting are Dull. The biggest disappointment on the Moto X is the poor performance of its Rear Camera. Motorola must upgrade the Camera Software on the Moto X to improve its camera performance to whatever extent possible.

Other than the poor performance of the Rear Camera on the Moto X, I did not find any major shortcoming in the Moto X. Rear Camera performance is one area which Motorola must address to whatever extent possible. After these discoveries, I conclude that the Moto X is not a Phone for Geeks looking for higher end specifications but for day-to-day Consumers who want an easy-to-setup and easy-to-use Smartphone built with features for their convenience and with them in mind. I also conclude that to make Moto X a runaway success like the Moto G, Motorola should reduce the price of Moto X from Rs. 24,000/- to around Rs. 15,000/-.