TRACK YOUR CELL PHONE WITH GOOGLE ANDROID

Soon after a Kiwi entrepreneur developed a novel smartphone app that can monitor users' outdoor activities and ensure they get home safe, Google has come out with a new tool that will let users track their lost Android phones on a map. Not just track, the user can even ring and remotely erase all the data on the phone.

Apple, Microsoft and BlackBerry have been offering online utilities, namely Find My iPhone, BlackBerry Protect, and Find My Phone, respectively, that let owners of phones track the location of their handsets, lock them, trigger an alarm and wipe data remotely, for a long time. Google is late to the party. However, making the utility a part of Android would benefit a large number of users. Handset makers like Samsung and HTC already offer similar tools with their Android phones – yes, Google did not offer the same on its own phones! Sony had also started rolling out its remote security service "my Xperia," in July.

XPERIA Z ULTRA LAUNCHED INDIA FOR RS 46,990

Sony India on Tuesday launched its latest premium large-screen Android smartphone – Sony Xperia Z Ultra - in India, priced at Rs 46,990 and will hit the stores on August 2.

The online retailers are taking pre-orders for the device at Rs 44,990. Sony has partnered with Vodafone India to offer 8GB of free data download for a period of two months with this device.
Sony Xperia Z Ultra phablet has display resolution of 1920x1080p and 344ppi pixel density. Under the hood runs the quad-core Snapdragon 800 CPU, Qualcomm's latest and powerful processor, clocked at 2.2GHz, backed by 2GB RAM. This device has the same design language as Xperia Z smartphone and features on-screen keys as well as scratch-resistant and shatterproof glass.

Powered by a 3,050mAh battery, Xperia Z Ultra packs 16GB internal storage and supports microSD card expansion up to 64GB. Connectivity suite of Sony's latest gadget consists of 2G, 3G, 4G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, NFC and microUSB 2.0. On the back is an 8MP camera, while a 2MP unit is placed in the front.

LUMIA 1020 VS S4 VS HTC ONE

The smartphone world is becoming extremely crowded with hardware being released all the time with the various manufacturers trying harder to make their devices standout more from rival offerings. Today we are looking at the Nokia Lumia 1020 vs. Galaxy S4 vs. HTC One with the three handsets compared.
We have already compared the new kid on the block the Nokia Lumia 1020 with the Apple iPhone 5, but we thought we would see how the device stacks up with the market leading Android smartphones.

Display
The Nokia Lumia 1020 features a 4.5-inch capacitive display at a resolution of 768 x 1280 with a 334ppi pixel density, while the HTC One uses a 4.7-inch Full HD Super LCD3 display with a pixel density of 469ppi. The Samsung Galaxy S4 has the biggest display at 5-inches that is a Super AMOLED screen at a Full HD resolution with 441ppi
Processor
Nokia has fitted a dual core 1.5GHz processor to the Lumia 1020 which compares to the Galaxy S4 that either uses a 1.9GHz quad-core Snapdragon processor or the 1.6GHz Exynos 5 Octa unit, while the HTC One uses the Qualcomm quad core Snapdragon 600 clocked at 1.7GHz.

NEW GOOGLE TABLET SOON.

Google Inc. on Wednesday is expected to unveil a new tablet powered by its Android operating system as it looks to boost Android’s lead over Apple Inc.’s iPad in terms of market share for tablets.
Several retailers that are expected to carry the Android tablet, the second generation of the 7-inch Nexus 7, released details about its components and specifications before Wednesday’s expected announcement in San Francisco.
The Nexus device, designed by Google in partnership with an Asian hardware manufacturer, is powered by an updated version of Android, which also is the No. 1 software for smartphones.
The company is currently at work on a major update of Android software that is expected to be unveiled sometime later this year. Nearly a billion Android devices have been activated since 2008, the company has said, allowing Google to ensure that its revenue-generating services such as Google Search have a guaranteed spot on people’s mobile devices.
The new tablet, which is expected to be available for sale at Best Buy Co., Wal-Mart Inc.’s Sam’s Club, and PC Connection Inc. next week, costs $229 with 16 gigabytes of storage and $269 for 32 gigabytes, according to information on Best Buy’s website that was later removed.
That compares to $329 for the 16-gigabyte iPad mini, an 8-inch tablet, and $429 for the 32-gigabyte version.

SONY XPERIA Z ULTRA COMING TO INDIA ON JULY 31

Sony unveiled its latest flagship Android smartphone, the Xperia Z Ultra, last month and recently made it available for pre-order in Hong Kong as well. Now, the smartphone has made an appearance on online shopping portal Saholic as well. Though the availability details have not been revealed yet, reports point out to a possible availability date of July 31 in India.

The price at which the handset will be made available in the sub-continent has not been revealed either, but going by the current pre-booking price of HK$ 6,198 (or Rs 50,000) in Hong Kong, it can be assumed that that the Xperia Z Ultra will be priced around the same in India as well.

Looking at the specifications of the phone, the Xperia Z Ultra comes with a 6.4-inch display that packs full HD Triluminos technology for providing better visuals, according to the company. The smartphone sports Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean operating system running the show. Internally, the smartphone is powered by a 2.2GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor.

Sony may be launching its flagship Xperia Z Ultra in India on July 31...

GOOGLE REVAMPS PLAY STORE WEB

One of the announcements which didn’t get much attention at this year’s I/O, was about Play Store web getting redesigned. It’s kind of hilarious but Google took this much time to release the redesigned Play Store (almost two months).  The Android Play Store app too got redesigned a month back.
To sum up the design of the new Play Store web in one sentence – it’s like Android, on the Web.

As you open the website, you’ll see a clean header image notifying you about the redesign. The icons have all the attention, in the new design. This is not expected, because generally app icons in Android are very inconsistent in size and never have a harmony between them.
The colors will look amazing. It’s the same ones you see on the Google’s new Android apps like Play Books, Movies and so on.

GOOGLE ANDROID 4.3 LEAKS AHEAD OF LAUNCH

Google is hosting an event on the 24th to reveal a few things, but one of the key components, Android 4.3, had already leaked online.

We reported yesterday that Google is planning an event on the 24th of July where Sundar Pichai will possibly be unveiling the next Nexus 7 and Android 4.3, but today we’ve got word that Android 4.3 for the Nexus has already been leaked.

The leak comes courtesy of The Verge who managed to get their hands on a Nexus running the Android 4.3 operating system. They are reporting that the changes in Android 4.3 are minor, but definitely noticeable and worthy. For starters, the camera app has received some minjor updates and now resembles that found in the Google Play editions of Samsung Galaxy S4 and HTC One.

THE NEW NEXUS 7

It’s now been more than a year since the Nexus 7 was launched on the market and some are already looking to get their hands on the next model. We don’t yet how it will be called, but Nexus 7 2 sounds really bad, so maybe Google will use Apple’s tactic here and just call it “the new Nexus 7“. Whatever the name will be, we seem to have some leaked pictures and a video of what appears to be the new Nexus 7.

The leaks also involve the pricing of the new Nexus 7 and given the fact that we’re nearing Google’s event on July 24, this makes the new information seem pretty legit. Google didn’t announce the successor to the Nexus 7 at its annual I/O conference, therefore we have all the reasons to assume they will do so on the upcoming event, called ”breakfast with Sundar Pichai“. If you don’t know, Sundar Pichai now oversees Android’s development after Andy Rubin’s leave. A new Android version might be unveiled, as well; and, who knows, maybe the Moto X?

 

Possible pricing and specs for the new Nexus 7

HP LAUNCHES NEW TOUCH-ENABLED NOTEBOOKS

Hewlett-Packard India today announced the launch of six new touch-enabled consumer personal systems products, including notebooks, detachables and all-in-one PCs.
HP SlateBook x2 and HP Split x2 offer the full functionality of a notebook with a removable screen that transform into a tablet. The tablet part is powered by the Android, while the notebook is powered by Microsoft Windows 8 operating systems.

HP SlateBook x2
The HP SlateBook x2 has an advanced magnetic hinge design and dual battery system, one battery in the base and one in the tablet, which helps users to switch from notebook to tablet and back, even while on the go.
The SlateBook x2 features Android Jelly Bean 4.2.2. Equipped with an NVIDIA Tegra 4 mobile processor, the SlateBook x2 enables people to access the TegraZone app and experience Tegra 4-optimized games. The 10.1-inch HD touchscreen device also includes up to 64 GB of storage. The HP SlateBook x2 is available in India at a price point of Rs 39,990

SAMSUNG GALAXY S4 MINI

Key Features of Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini I9192 (White)

• 4.27-inch Super AMOLED Capacitive Touchscreen
• Android v4.2.2 (Jelly Bean) OS
• 1.7 GHz Dual Core Application Processor
• Wi-Fi Enabled
• 8 MP CMOS Primary Camera
• 1.9 MP CMOS Secondary Camera
• Expandable Storage Capacity of 64 GB
• Full HD Recording

GENERAL FEATURES

Form	Bar
SIM Type	Dual SIM, GSM + GSM
Touch Screen	Yes, Capacitive
Business Features	Document Viewer, Pushmail
Call Features	Loudspeaker
Handset Color	White