SMARTPHONES Smart Stuff Coming
Smartphone
lovers are in for a treat with many new high end models on the way
Nokia Lumia 925
Already up for pre-order in India
for Rs 33,990, the 925 is thought of as one of the best built smartphones
available today. In fact, that’s what is most special about it – a solid but
slim and ergonomic build with very good looks. The 925 doesn’t exactly have
top-of-the line specs, but they are more than adequate for the Windows 8 OS and
for the apps that happen to be available for now. It’s 4.5 inches of
good-to-hold smartphone with an AMOLED screen that has very good colours. The
8.7MP Pureview camera is really very good without requiring a big sensor as in
the 808 or 1020, making it less of a specialist and more of a device that the
everyday user would like. It takes clear photos and has optical image
stabilisation as well as low light usability
Nokia Lumia 1020
The second real birth of the
PureView technology that Nokia stunned the world with on the Symbian based 808
is now on a nice yellow Windows 8 phone, the 1020. Aimed at photo enthusiasts
who want more than the usual point and shoot capability, the smartphone has the
famous 41 megapixel camera, immediately visible like a big third eye on the
back of the device. Early reviews say that the 1020’s camera has enhancements
in components and optical image stabilisation that take the PureView
oversampling technology further. The software works hand in hand with the
camera to allow for a lot of control. Those who hesitated to buy the 808
because it was on an operating system that Nokia was winding down, now have the
option of buying a modern device. The 1020 is all about the camera and even has
optional accessories such as a camera grip. The 1020 could be in India by the
end of August.
The LG G2
LG typically takes a while to bring
in new smartphones into India, specialty high end ones. So one can't say for
certain when the Android 4.2.2 based LG G2 will finally make it to our shores.
But when it does, we will find a device with powerful v specs and a number of
interface innovations on our hands. For the first time, the power and volume
buttons have moved to the back of the device, a more natural place for it to
be, according to LG. These buttons also do double duty, triggering the camera.
There's a new way of waking up the phone and putting it to sleep: a simple
light knock-knock on the screen. The G2 is busy with LG customizations and
options for users to customise system keys for themselves. The G2 isn't a small
phone but not outrageously huge either. It sports a high res Full HD 1080p
screen with hardly any borders on the sides. The device has a powerful but slim
battery, and runs on a whopper of a Qualcom 800 Snapdragon 2.67GHz processor.
With 2 GB of RAM and memory specially dedicated to handling graphics. This is
LG’s most high end phone so far and it’s caused quite a buzz.
Galaxy Note 3
Samsung’s Galaxy Note 2 has had a
pretty good run, appealing to customers who looked for a portable device that
has enough screen space to get some work done, specially with a stylus at hand.
The Note 3 is now in all likelihood to be launched at Samsung’s Unpacked event
on the 4th of September in Berlin. Not much is known about what the Note 3 will
bring, but existing Note users may well be interested to see if they have
something worth upgrading to. All specs on this device will of course be bumped
up. The Note 3 may come with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor, two different
versions for different screens, a 13 megapixel camera, and greatly enhanced
battery lif. All of this is mere rumour and there’s no word on whether there
will also be a new design or any other innovative departure from previous
versions and from the Galaxy S4.
The Moto X
One of the most hyped smartphones in
recent times, the Moto X was treated like a top secret project by Google and
Motorola until it finally launched a few days ago. The Moto X may or may not
make it to the India Play Store but needs mentioning either way because
America’s preoccupation with it doesn’t go unnoticed in India. The Moto X is
actually a mid range device in terms of specs. But that’s the whole point. It’s
geared for ordinary users who like their phones simple but personal. On
AT&T, the Moto X can be customised by the user who can choose colours for
the body and accents too. For that matter, a buyer can choose to get it in
wood. But this much touted option would be tough to replicate outside of the
US. The Moto X also has some interesting interface quirks. You can wake the phone
up by saying “OK, Google Now” and ask what you like. An “Active Display”
feature also lets users see their main notifications as they take their device
out of the pocket. Yes, it knows. In fact, the voice commands technology is
always on and always listening. What the Americans don’t like overly is that
the Moto X is quite expensive. And the rest of the world is guaranteed not to
be happy about that either.
The Next iPhone
It would seem that many people have
a full time job speculating about the next iPhone. And this time, Apple fans
really need something new as Apple’s stock becomes a shadow of its former self
and people talk about how innovation has dried up after Steve Jobs. A new
iPhone could indeed be launched soon and there may even be a budget version
(with a bit of plastic built in) in the works. One thing that will be new is
iOS 7, the operating system redesigned and refreshed. Rumours have it that
there will be interchangeable back panels on the iPhone 5s (or whatever they
will call it) so users can have their fill of colour. There may be a better 10
megapixel camera with dual flash and improvements to Siri. The next iPhone will
also have a Samsung (they are sometimes good friends) A7 chip.
Sony Xperia Z Ultra
This giant smartphone has already
been launched. There are many large phones and we are getting used to them, but
the Z Ultra looks bigger than it is because it’s light and thin, enhancing the
expansiveness and roominess of the 6.4 inch screen, somehow. Sony has high
hopes for this high-ender. It lets you write on its screen even using an
ordinary pencil and has the water-proofing now becoming a habit with Sony. This
is the smartphone that is the first to come out with the Snapdragon 800
processor – and that sort of thing always gets tech enthusiasts talking. The
screen is 1080 x 1920p and there’s an 8 megapixel camera on board. It comes in
black, white and a beautiful purple.
Mala
Bhargava
- See more at: businessworld.in/news/opinion/columnists/smart-stuff-coming/1027161/page-1.html#sthash.54435GOJ
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