Phone, Tablet and Gizmo Thread #0x02

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 30 Jul 2014 08:27

Moto-G will have to drop its prices soon or come up with a much better G2 than the rumoured one to compete.

for now Xiaomi can sell as many phones as they can allocate to india...few lakhs for sure.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 30 Jul 2014 10:12

Amazon launches 3D printing store
http://money.cnn.com/2014/07/29/technol ... ?hpt=hp_t3

for now there are 200 fixed designs you can customize on aspects like material and colour, but in future I am sure ppl should be able to upload their design in some std format for custom work without the hassle of owning and provisioning a personal kit.

at the front end probably smartphone apps could use the camera and other sensors to generate these design files like building a perfectly fitted shoe or sports bra for oneself ... areas where a perfect fit matters. or maybe a lifesize replica of other parts of the anatomy that cannot be named for use when the real person is not present.

archan · Post by **archan** » 30 Jul 2014 12:24

Gentlemen I need to buy a headset with built in mic for conferencing as my laptop's built in mix is paki of the third kind. It would be nice to have some portability for on-the-go. Trawling through flipkart I see this
Question is, yes it will work on a phone/tablet, but will it also work on the good ol windows lap/desktop? if it gives me the horror of wanting drivers, I don't believe they will come with a driver disk.

krishnan · Post by **krishnan** » 30 Jul 2014 12:34

have never seen a headset that needs drivers.

archan · Post by **archan** » 30 Jul 2014 12:43

Windows boss.. that's what concerns me. It has to recognize the mic even when plugged in the headphone jack.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 30 Jul 2014 12:45

it will go into the headphone jack of the laptop and just work I think. even if it needs drivers so what? you could check the sennheiser website support section if any special sw is needed and preinstall that before plugging in.

krishnan · Post by **krishnan** » 30 Jul 2014 12:54

headsets wont need drivers cause its the underlying sound driver which is important, unless they have become very complicated and advanced

Raja Bose · Post by **Raja Bose** » 30 Jul 2014 13:09

archan wrote:Windows boss.. that's what concerns me. It has to recognize the mic even when plugged in the headphone jack.

Get a Plantronics headset. They come with Lync/Skype integration iirc and you don't need to install any additional drivers on Windows.

Tanaji · Post by **Tanaji** » 30 Jul 2014 15:45

Have you tried plugging in your ear buds that came with your mobile phone? They should work.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 30 Jul 2014 16:06

some aap types invited kumar vishwas to speak at their co
http://www.rediff.com/news/report/look- ... 140730.htm

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 30 Jul 2014 17:22

http://ibnlive.in.com/news/amazon-infus ... 72-11.html

New Delhi: On Tuesday Flipkart announced that it raised a fresh round of funding worth $1 billion. This is seen as a part of Flipkart's aggressive scale up after Amazon's rapid expansion in India that has heated up competition.

Now a day later, Amazon announced that it will invest an additional $2 billion "to support its rapid growth and continue to enhance the customer and seller experience in India."

"After our first year in business, the response from customers and small and medium-sized businesses in India has far surpassed our expectations," said Jeff Bezos, founder and CEO of Amazon.com in a press statement. "We see huge potential in the Indian economy and for the growth of e-commerce in India. With this additional investment of $2 billion, our team can continue to think big, innovate, and raise the bar for customers in India."

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos said that India "is on track to be our fastest country ever to a billion dollars in gross sales."

Flipkart, Amazon's biggest competition in India, was founded in 2007 by two former Amazon employees.

Amazon, which entered India last June, has taken on rivals by slashing prices, launching next-day delivery, adding new product categories and embarking on a high-voltage advertisement campaign.

"At current scale and growth rates, India is on track to be our fastest country ever to a billion dollars in gross sales," said Bezos.

The Indian e-commerce market was worth $13 billion in 2013, with online travel accounting for over 70 percent of consumer e-commerce transactions. Online sales of retail goods totalled $1.6 billion in 2013, according to research firm Forrester, and are expected to reach $76 billion by 2021. By comparison, China's business and consumer e-commerce sales may surpass $180 billion this year.
(With inputs from Reuters)

negi · Post by **negi** » 30 Jul 2014 17:32

Singha wrote:some aap types invited kumar vishwas to speak at their co
http://www.rediff.com/news/report/look- ... 140730.htm

Wow I thought big cos are pretty strict when it comes to inviting political figures for talk. Anyways from my personal experience percentage of AAPtards amongst Indians is far higher in Massa when compared to India, from what I have seen in my circle most of the jokers who until recently hardly followed Indian politics and moreover had skin level deep understanding of issues of national significance overnight became anti corruption crusaders , weekend barbecue at friend's place and naigra falls pic with family got replaced with AAP cover page. Jokers who invited Kumar Vishwas seem to be of similar ilk , making a living working for an evil capitalistic company and inviting a chap from a party with Naxal agenda, wah re wah irony must have died a million deaths.

Ranjani Brow · Post by **Ranjani Brow** » 30 Jul 2014 17:58

^Singha Uncle
There are 243 million internet users in India. How many have access to Desktop/Laptop ? Smartphones are good for social networking and casual browsing but shopping online can be a pain in @$$.
It also boils down to how many Indians have access to Debit Card/Net Banking for online payment.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 30 Jul 2014 18:40

flipkart does have a app, to make it popular they offer free shipping from the app sometimes.
things are changing, phone apps will get better, more people will have access.

more there is Cash on Delivery (COD) here to get around the CC/DC problem.

SaiK · Post by **SaiK** » 30 Jul 2014 18:46

trust model is what make businesses survive.. khaan model is what being challenged by flipkart et al, and still our people might give into amazon more business than flipkart just because of the firangie mindsets and feeling of buying it from a firang company.

i have used both due to availability of products and services. i have more trust relationship with amazon than flipkart. it speaks a lot by the model itself. that is where bezos will make a killing.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 30 Jul 2014 18:55

flipkart and hdfc bank are the two indic websites I have seen which are better than/on par with their global rivals like amazon/citibank.
usually in web sites our domestic businesses are not good at all, albeit better than GOI ones.

there is no history of amazon in india, infact flipkart being the first mover has more customer shipments logged.

ebay and amazon have been trounced by the locals in Cheen.
http://www.tutor2u.net/blog/index.php/b ... e-in-china

SaiK · Post by **SaiK** » 30 Jul 2014 19:08

another new business feature is the cost of service for returning products. amazon is A+ on returns handling, and i would say much better than local target/walmart kinds. if one sees the list of reasons to return shows how detailed they have experienced and operationalized returns. for example they even include, i am returning because i did not like it, with s&h charges otherwise it is all free! why would not I use? many people do a window shopping locally, and compares prices.. if amazon gives a better deal or product, people go for it!

SaiK · Post by **SaiK** » 30 Jul 2014 19:32

I liked the Sony Ericsson Hi-Fi Bluetooth Stereo.. but I didn't like the stereo wires into the ears from the device that can go into a pocket. very useful device on the trail run/walk

Prasad · Post by **Prasad** » 30 Jul 2014 19:33

Even canara bank will set you up with net banking. So it isn't much of a stretch for people to do e-commerce. Even right now, we are a huge market.

Ranjani Brow · Post by **Ranjani Brow** » 30 Jul 2014 19:33

Almost everything on Amazon is cheaper than Flipkart.
Going to Nai Sarak to buy a book(s) or Gaffar Market/Nehru Place to buy SD Cards/Pen Drive is too hectic compared to just ordering it from Amazon India. But for anything expensive I'd prefer buying it from a store.

SaiK · Post by **SaiK** » 30 Jul 2014 19:42

heck! i would definitely buy from a store if local service is prefered. some amazon products do have local service arrangements.. all depends on the seller., but most likely you may not get the cheapest price for that kind of service. it is the buy/sell experience that makes amazon stands apart.

btw, how the heck is hecky human sounding name.

KJo · Post by **KJo** » 30 Jul 2014 21:36

RB, is this true? Every now and then we see such articles, especially about Micky and desis around the world get massic Mortesque O's.

One in every 3 Apple engineers is Indian
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/arti ... 131973.cms

KrishG · Post by **KrishG** » 30 Jul 2014 23:39

hecky wrote:Almost everything on Amazon is cheaper than Flipkart.
Going to Nai Sarak to buy a book(s) or Gaffar Market/Nehru Place to buy SD Cards/Pen Drive is too hectic compared to just ordering it from Amazon India. But for anything expensive I'd prefer buying it from a store.

What we are underestimating is the understanding that an Indian company has of the Indian mindset. Flipkart was the first to introduce Cash on Delivery, tailored for the Indian buyer. They brought MotoG exclusively to India anticipating that it's the phone that many in India would be ready to buy. I for one hope Flipkart trumps Amazon and we have Indian eRetailers ruling the roost. Flipkart just have to increase their efficiency and model. They will any day have a wider reach than Amazon could ever have.

Raja Bose · Post by **Raja Bose** » 31 Jul 2014 00:18

Singha wrote:some aap types invited kumar vishwas to speak at their co
http://www.rediff.com/news/report/look- ... 140730.htm

The clown is here for a public performance. Some Chacha fellas probably got him to swing by and spew some bile for free lunch.

Raja Bose · Post by **Raja Bose** » 31 Jul 2014 00:19

KJoishy wrote:RB, is this true? Every now and then we see such articles, especially about Micky and desis around the world get massic Mortesque O's.

One in every 3 Apple engineers is Indian
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/arti ... 131973.cms

No idea. And why does it matter? Somehow SDREs have this pride in telling everybody that their birathers are daily wagers at big Khan cos.

chilarai · Post by **chilarai** » 31 Jul 2014 01:35

Chinese phones with spyware could be security risk

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 31 Jul 2014 08:28

the inevitable is playing out ...they have also released some pathetic mid range models in india...wont bore you with the sub-par specs. they might survive here if they sell the S4 at 15k and S5 at 20k else its game over. neither VFM nor the chi chi brand value of apple.

Seoul: Samsung Electronics on Thursday reported a near 20 percent decline in second quarter net profit, due to increased competition from cheap Chinese devices in the key smartphone sector and a surging Korean won.
The South Korean electronics giant posted a net profit of 6.25 trillion won ($6.1 billion) - its lowest figure for two years and down 19.6 per cent from the same quarter last year.
Operating profit stood at 7.19 trillion won, down 24.6 percent from a year ago, while sales tumbled 8.9 percent to 52.35 trillion won.

ArmenT · Post by **ArmenT** » 31 Jul 2014 08:59

chilarai wrote:Chinese phones with spyware could be security risk

Not just phones, lots of USB doohickeys are at risk. For instance, you have USB powered office toys (fans, coffee warmers e-cigarette chargers etc.). The reason I mention those devices is because trojans have been found in the wild on some of them. Plug one of these affected devices in and next thing you know, your laptop is connecting to some IP address hosted in China and awaiting commands to run. The scary part about this is that a lot of firewalls are generally designed to prevent outside connections from coming in, but very few will stop connections initiated from behind the firewall, which is what these devices are doing.

archan · Post by **archan** » 31 Jul 2014 10:34

Why are they bent on destroying the remaining reputation they have? what if people actually start saying we will pay a little more for something that is bug free and not made in China?
Is it like their intelligence is all pervading in their industry like the paki isi?

archan · Post by **archan** » 31 Jul 2014 10:35

Then the Q is, what are the manufacturers that don't source parts or make their computers in China?

archan · Post by **archan** » 31 Jul 2014 10:40

Singha wrote:Moto-G will have to drop its prices soon or come up with a much better G2 than the rumoured one to compete.

for now Xiaomi can sell as many phones as they can allocate to india...few lakhs for sure.

You should charge them for making their decisions for them.

Motorola Moto G Price Reduced By Rs 2,000 For a Limited Time
So now it starts from Rs. 10.5K.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 31 Jul 2014 10:43

and the eng team must have got a call from the boss to (a) come up with a more cleansheet G2 (b) work weekends till (a) is done

the redmi1S when it comes soon will create similar havoc in the 7k price band. look for Moto-E and 520/630 price drops soon.

I am going to go big and waiting for something like Redmi Note with a better ppi than current model. 5.5" is my preferred form factor. and matte htc type plastics.

Ranjani Brow · Post by **Ranjani Brow** » 31 Jul 2014 11:58

Redmi 1S wrote:The Redmi 1S sports a 4.7-inch 720p IPS display. It comes powered by a 1.6GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 quad-core processor coupled with 1GB RAM. On the storage front, one can expect 16GB onboard storage and a microSD card slot that further expands it up to 64GB. It is fuelled by a 2000mAh battery and runs Android 4.3 Jelly Bean with Xiaomi’s MIUI layer on top. One can also expect an 8MP rear shooter and a 1.6MP front camera.

Redmi 1S @Rs 6,999

Redmi Note wrote:The larger Redmi Note has a 5.5-inch 720p IPS display. It boasts the 1.7GHz MediaTek MT6592 octa-core processor, that we have seen on the HTC Desire 616 and Micromax Canvas Knight. It features a healthy 1.7GB of RAM, making it one of the cheapest smarpthone with such an high amount of RAM.

Redmi Note @ Rs 9,999

VikramS · Post by **VikramS** » 31 Jul 2014 12:34

http://techcrunch.com/2014/07/29/indian ... ps=gravity

Desi jugaad for the Google Glass

archan · Post by **archan** » 31 Jul 2014 12:37

Why is it called a Note? Does it come withstylus and software for note taking?

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 31 Jul 2014 13:29

Afaik no.

archan · Post by **archan** » 31 Jul 2014 17:01

So its basically the Chinese trait of copying something successful.

ArmenT · Post by **ArmenT** » 31 Jul 2014 20:27

ArmenT wrote:
chilarai wrote:Chinese phones with spyware could be security risk
Not just phones, lots of USB doohickeys are at risk. For instance, you have USB powered office toys (fans, coffee warmers e-cigarette chargers etc.). The reason I mention those devices is because trojans have been found in the wild on some of them. Plug one of these affected devices in and next thing you know, your laptop is connecting to some IP address hosted in China and awaiting commands to run. The scary part about this is that a lot of firewalls are generally designed to prevent outside connections from coming in, but very few will stop connections initiated from behind the firewall, which is what these devices are doing.

And right on cue, today I see this article linked off of slashdot
http://arstechnica.com/security/2014/07 ... turn-evil/

While the article mainly mentions thumb drives, it could be used with any kind of USB device (article mentions thumb drives, web cams, keyboards etc.)

Mort Walker · Post by **Mort Walker** » 31 Jul 2014 23:30

The new Surface 3 looks good, but I don't know if it will make a dent in MBA sales. It might if it came with Windows 7.

I just ordered a new 15" MacBook Pro Retina for one of my kids headed off to college, she needs a computer with more horsepower. It will run Windows 7.

negi · Post by **negi** » 31 Jul 2014 23:41

^ Just curious Windows on Mac or Windows inside a virtualmachine within the Mac OS ?