Phone, Tablet and Gizmo Thread #0x02

member_20292 · Post by **member_20292** » 09 Jan 2013 16:53

anmol wrote: And yet:

XP : Awesome
Vista: SUCKS
7: Awesome
8: ... definitely sucks.. must wait for another XP like release

what!

Windows 8 seems to me (and I got two laptops on win

to be VERY similiar to windows 7 for normal usage patterns.

The people, contacts, calendar applications are excellent additions though.

Pray, why is win 8 bad , to you?

anmol · Post by **anmol** » 09 Jan 2013 17:20

mahadevbhu wrote:
anmol wrote: And yet:

XP : Awesome
Vista: SUCKS
7: Awesome
8: ... definitely sucks.. must wait for another XP like release

what!

Windows 8 seems to me (and I got two laptops on win to be VERY similiar to windows 7 for normal usage patterns.

The people, contacts, calendar applications are excellent additions though.

Pray, why is win 8 bad , to you?

I don't think its bad, and I too find the windows 8 apps like people calendar messenger mail finance news etc to be quite awesome (on non touch desktop and laptops). Just that many are claiming in comments (here and on other sites) that Windows follows the Good-Bad-Good-Bad cycle and Windows 8 is bad or is bad for non-touch devices, which I don't agree with.

Also mahadevbhu ji, I think you too said something of that sort about Windows 8 before you installed it.

And THAT* is the biggest challenge for Microsoft.. people need to spend at least 15 minutes using it. Right not too many are judging it based on some screenshots and articles on web.

*: apart from the price of Windows 8 touch enabled machines.. but it seems that OEMs have got the message and are readying cheaper versions.

archan · Post by **archan** » 09 Jan 2013 17:25

Yogi_G wrote: Archan ji, just to double check, you entered the flash mode of the phone when you attempted to do this correct?

Yes. For this puppy it requires holding the red button along with the volume down while booting. It has a message that it is in download mode and specifies the ROM number which is also one of the ROMs listed in multiloader. I guess mine is some driver installation issue.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 09 Jan 2013 19:26

with 5" IPS Panels becoming std on flagship phones of each vendor, huawei has shifted the goalpost with this new offering

Huawei launched the Ascend Mate smartphone which has a 6.1 inch display. The Ascend Mate is powered by a 1.5 GHz Hi-Silicon quad-core processor and a 4050 mAh battery.

member_20292 · Post by **member_20292** » 09 Jan 2013 19:40

anmol wrote:
mahadevbhu wrote:
what!

Windows 8 seems to me (and I got two laptops on win to be VERY similiar to windows 7 for normal usage patterns.

The people, contacts, calendar applications are excellent additions though.

Pray, why is win 8 bad , to you?
I don't think its bad, and I too find the windows 8 apps like people calendar messenger mail finance news etc to be quite awesome (on non touch desktop and laptops). Just that many are claiming in comments (here and on other sites) that Windows follows the Good-Bad-Good-Bad cycle and Windows 8 is bad or is bad for non-touch devices, which I don't agree with.

Also mahadevbhu ji, I think you too said something of that sort about Windows 8 before you installed it.

And THAT* is the biggest challenge for Microsoft.. people need to spend at least 15 minutes using it. Right not too many are judging it based on some screenshots and articles on web.

*: apart from the price of Windows 8 touch enabled machines.. but it seems that OEMs have got the message and are readying cheaper versions.

You're a fraud, boss! with all due respect!

Vayutuvan · Post by **Vayutuvan** » 09 Jan 2013 23:26

This is

CES 2013: Pebble smart watch shipping to backers on 23 January

...It connects with iOS and Android devices, has Bluetooth 4.0, an accelerometer, and an e-paper display with a resolution of 144 x 168. It looks to be pretty basic to start with, but is fairly open so developers will enhance the watch and enable more functionality. One app we know will integrate with the Pebble is RunKeeper and as a person who has been running a lot the past eight months I look forward to testing out that integration.
...

Looks good for jogging of both kinds

Prasad · Post by **Prasad** » 10 Jan 2013 02:26

I personally don't see the charm of the 4/3rs cameras over the S90 and G10/12 range or the Lumix range from panasonic.

Mort Walker · Post by **Mort Walker** » 10 Jan 2013 03:27

^^^This isn't the camera thread.

Anyway, 4/3 cameras have a larger sensor than the S90 and G12/G15 and other P&S cameras. Further there are dedicated interchangeable lenses optimized for this sensor format. A larger sensor with comparable lens will almost always give you a better picture.

Raja Bose · Post by **Raja Bose** » 10 Jan 2013 03:59

P&S cameras are fast becoming redundant except perhaps some of the Sony ones with their exmor sensor. GB is supposed to use that sensor in their new offerings so that will make them more redundant. I stopped using P&S cameras completely for the last 2 years or so.

----

Microsoft Surface Pro Hands-on

Mort Walker · Post by **Mort Walker** » 10 Jan 2013 08:15

^^^On the low end they are becoming redundant. Higher end P&S at $300 and up are still very relevant as they offer fast lenses and large sensors. Additionally several are now offering manual control of aperture and shutter. I seriously doubt GB or any mobile manufacturer is going to put even a 1/1.7" CMOS sensor and an equivalent f/2.8 6-30mm lens.

Raja Bose · Post by **Raja Bose** » 10 Jan 2013 08:40

^^^BhairavP's GB 808 phunwa has a 1/1.2 sensor and f/2.8 28mm lens iirc?

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 10 Jan 2013 08:56

it costs 25k here, is bulky and not at all known among mainstream smartphone users.

GB has lost significant mindshare and rack space in shops as well here. most people lust after a iphone and finish it by buying a galaxy or htc at 10k cheaper.

Raja Bose · Post by **Raja Bose** » 10 Jan 2013 09:22

^^^That was in answer to Mortullah's question about phone sensor sizes. Bigger sensor doesn't mean sales will be bigger.

One of the reasons Fruit Co succeeds with highway robbery prices is becoz they make products people aspire to own. So even if they charge you both your testimonials, you are happy to hand 'em over in order to own a Fruit Co phunwa. OTOH Android is the mango abdul's smartphone - good value proposition. Interesting thing to see will be Mickey's strat-e-jee on getting people to buy their phunwa in such a polarized market.

archan · Post by **archan** » 10 Jan 2013 10:53

Singha wrote:with 5" IPS Panels becoming std on flagship phones of each vendor, huawei has shifted the goalpost with this new offering

Huawei launched the Ascend Mate smartphone which has a 6.1 inch display. The Ascend Mate is powered by a 1.5 GHz Hi-Silicon quad-core processor and a 4050 mAh battery.

And here I was thinking of going down in size. My current main phone is a 4.5'' galaxy s2. It looks like an ugly flat slab in some of my business casual pant pockets from outside.
As often happens in desh, I own more than one sim now so I fired up my old iphone 3Gs which feels comparatively so compact and yet fully functional. It fits in the slot inside the pocket so it won't show from outside nor will sag the trousers.
However I probably won't be using IOS as my main thing until they allow clicking in the middle of a word to edit spelling.
Is SwiftKey keyboard there for IOS?

Anujan · Post by **Anujan** » 10 Jan 2013 11:40

For photographers, atleast a APS-C size sensor is essential. After a point, it simply is an equation of amount of light captured by the sensor. P&S, high end cameras an SLRs will take the same kind of picture under ideal lighting. It is the tricky shots that SLRs blow everything out of water. And trust me, there are a lot of such tricky shots.

Yours truly went to Paris, visited Louvre and the lighting there is dim and flash photography is not allowed. I had a f/1.8 lens and (a really old) canon DSLR and the pictures were fantastic. Other cameras gave pathetic results.

You might want to consider mirrorless cameras (with atleast APS-C sensors) they are lighter. They get rid of the prism and mirror view finder and make the camera thinner and lighter. Trey Ratcliff has an nice article (and video). Fellow is a famous photographer.
http://www.stuckincustoms.com/2012/01/0 ... he-future/

Full disclosure: I got my canon Rebel DSLR something like 5 years back. I stopped buying lenses for it, because I will shift to mirrorless maybe in a year.

member_20292 · Post by **member_20292** » 10 Jan 2013 11:50

^^^ why does apple sell so much ? What is so great about the iphone? Usability and durability ?

Raja Bose · Post by **Raja Bose** » 10 Jan 2013 12:25

^^^Looks, brand name and cachet (just like Khaitan fan onlee).

Comer · Post by **Comer** » 10 Jan 2013 12:29

I am a little bit disappointed by the launch of Steam Box. One, it is priced way over the existing consoles. Second, though swappable, the hardware isn't that great. Apparently, from here

http://www.cinemablend.com/games/Valve- ... 51231.html

Early tests show that the tech can run Battlefield 3 at 720p and slightly better than the Xbox 360 version of the game...so the Steam console won't be next-gen right out of the gate, but with a little upgrading and tweaking, it can easily compete with the next-gen juggernauts of living room console entertainment.

Eurogamer's article

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2013- ... ade-by-xi3

Now, it can be upgraded, so that's one over the consoles. But that's the point of a console isn't it, not worrying about minimum specs. It is being touted as a big game changer, I can't figure out why.

Raja Bose · Post by **Raja Bose** » 10 Jan 2013 12:35

Got my Roku HD today (Amazon had a deal for $10.- off). Interface is a little dated and box was unable to connect to router with WPA2 (had to go down to WPA) but otherwise setup was a breeze and most of the apps seem to work OK.

ArmenT · Post by **ArmenT** » 10 Jan 2013 13:06

archan wrote: However I probably won't be using IOS as my main thing until they allow clicking in the middle of a word to edit spelling.

It's already there. All you have to do is hold your finger down on the middle of the word for a second (instead of tapping) and a magnifying glass will appear around the word. Then you can move your finger to the left or right and the magnifying glass will move the cursor to any letter in the word. Took me a little while to figure that one out

archan · Post by **archan** » 10 Jan 2013 14:34

Ahhh thanks !

Manish Jain · Post by **Manish Jain** » 10 Jan 2013 18:35

Lumia 920 and 820 were launched in India today. 920 is Rs. 38,199 and 820 is Rs. 27,559. Too expensive for an unproven platform.

Mihir · Post by **Mihir** » 10 Jan 2013 22:03

Anujan wrote:For photographers, atleast a APS-C size sensor is essential. After a point, it simply is an equation of amount of light captured by the sensor. P&S, high end cameras an SLRs will take the same kind of picture under ideal lighting. It is the tricky shots that SLRs blow everything out of water. And trust me, there are a lot of such tricky shots.

IOW, a P&S is like the F-16. Hassle free, small, affordable, and eight times out of ten, will do exactly what you expect of it. It's for those rare but tricky situations that you feel the need for an MKI or Rafale.

Yogi_G, a bridge camera (Like the Nikon P510 or Canon SX-50HS) is not a bad idea, provided you understand what its limitations are. Like Anujan said, it needs good light to work properly. So if you're taking outdoor shots during daytime, it works very well. But take the same camera into a dimly lit room, and you start facing problems. You either need to keep the ISO high (1600+), which results in a noisy photo; else you need a tripod or flash. Carrying a tripod around everywhere is a hassle, and the flash will often make your photo look flat. Also, the shutter lag is greater for a P&S, and depth of field cannot be made as shallow as that of DSLRs.

The choice ultimately comes down to what you want to do with the camera in the first place. I personally chose a bridge over a DSLR for two reasons: I needed the focal length for taking pictures of birds and animals; and with my limited budget, a DSLR plus a good lens was not an option. Indoor photos are mostly blurry or grainy, but those aren't a priority for me. So far, I'm very happy with my choice, but can see why it may not work for many.

Raja Bose · Post by **Raja Bose** » 10 Jan 2013 22:22

Manish Jain wrote:Lumia 920 and 820 were launched in India today. 920 is Rs. 38,199 and 820 is Rs. 27,559. Too expensive for an unproven platform.

Low pricing doesn't automatically mean more customers. In fact pricing of a consumer electronics product is not proportional to its volume of sales - don't think GB will repeat that mistake again any time soon.

How price for a product is set is a very interesting exercise in itself and quite rewarding if done right. Kashtmars do look at price nowadays (even in turd world $2/day casteist dhoti shivering yindoo India) and make a judgment about the product - if price is too low, prevailing sentiment now is: "why is it so cheap as compared to XYZ??? must be something wrong with the product. I cant be seen with cheap products in public!". Just go ask Ratan Tata.

Mort Walker · Post by **Mort Walker** » 10 Jan 2013 22:24

Raja Bose wrote:^^^BhairavP's GB 808 phunwa has a 1/1.2 sensor and f/2.8 28mm lens iirc?

Its actually f/2.4 8.02mm equivalent to 28mm on 4/3 sensor. But the lens is fixed, and although its a nice camera for a phone, anyone who does photography would rather take a P&S Canon S95/S100, G12/G15, or Lumix LX7. In my opinion, for a versatile P&S the Sony RX100 is the best, but it costs $650 and is still has significant flaws for the price. The next would be the Canon G15 for $450 is more reasonable or Lumix LX7, followed by the Canon S100 for $350.

Mort Walker · Post by **Mort Walker** » 10 Jan 2013 22:29

mahadevbhu wrote:^^^ why does apple sell so much ? What is so great about the iphone? Usability and durability ?

Its about customer support and timely software updates. Finally, for those who are not interested in gizmos it does what they need for little effort. An iPad can be used equally by a 7 year old or 70 year old. If you don't want to bother doing device configuration and would rather spend your time chasing MILF yoni, the iToys are for you.

SaiK · Post by **SaiK** » 10 Jan 2013 22:43

Does AT&T or some service provide international plan or two country plan that works for both say massa and desh? I don't mind slamming dual SIM, and one for desh and another for massa. But, both should be active irrespective of cost of service.

Raja Bose · Post by **Raja Bose** » 10 Jan 2013 22:53

If cost is no issue, att roaming works.

Mortullah, the best camera is the one you have with you.....very few people now carry p&s exclusively for photography unless they are in habit of lugging a DSLR too. BTW that GB phunwa has a neat way of doing zoom despite a fixed lens.....they need to combine that with the 920's low light photography chops and <$350.- p&s becomes totally redundant.

Man, I hate typing using the stock android kb on the n7....any good free alternatives??

anmol · Post by **anmol** » 10 Jan 2013 23:06

Nokia is back:

Raja Bose · Post by **Raja Bose** » 10 Jan 2013 23:08

Not yet......

SaiK · Post by **SaiK** » 10 Jan 2013 23:11

Is there a desi international roaming SIM available? I want to change my online hdfc bank phone number to such a service, cause if I had to do a third party transfer, it requires a local number [the issue is the account is not an NRE account, so I don't want to provide an intl number.].. bank sends SMS to phone, about the passwords and confirmations etc.

anmol · Post by **anmol** » 10 Jan 2013 23:12

Raja Bose wrote:Not yet......

Its 4.4 million only because of supply problems, otherwise it could have easily been 6-7 Million. My prediction is that they will be profitable in 2 quarters.

Mort Walker · Post by **Mort Walker** » 10 Jan 2013 23:13

Raja Bose wrote:If cost is no issue, att roaming works.

Mortullah, the best camera is the one you have with you.....very few people now carry p&s exclusively for photography unless they are in habit of lugging a DSLR too. BTW that GB phunwa has a neat way of doing zoom despite a fixed lens.....they need to combine that with the 920's low light photography chops and <$350.- p&s becomes totally redundant.

Man, I hate typing using the stock android kb on the n7....any good free alternatives??

Note that I said anyone who does photography. That is anyone attempting to do it half-way seriously.

Just search the Google Play store, there are thousands of keyboards for Android. I believe Swift Key is available too.

Mort Walker · Post by **Mort Walker** » 10 Jan 2013 23:15

anmol wrote:
Raja Bose wrote:Not yet......
Its 4.4 million only because of supply problems, otherwise it could have easily been 6-7 Million. My prediction is that they will be profitable in 2 quarters.

They have a good chance if GB releases all products unlocked and on all carriers in the US. In the US, the 920 just on ATT was a colossal mistake IMHO considering its radio is capable of all frequencies and many LTE bands too. Too bad GOOG dumped Win 8 though, now I'm no longer interested in any Win 8 mobile device.

Raja Bose · Post by **Raja Bose** » 10 Jan 2013 23:18

Supply problem are very real and won't go away even if they throw cash as fruit co and Sammy have blocked large chunks of capacity in displays and touch windows for next 5 years. GB will require at least 1-2 more years before they can be said to have successfully turned around.

Unlocked in US is useless, GB used to do that for ages and it got em nowhere. What they need to do is get the 920 on Verizon pronto!

Mortullah, that's the point. If you are a serious photographer you will not be a p&s onlee customer. For the rest owning a $300.- p&s makes less sense as we progress.

Raja Bose · Post by **Raja Bose** » 10 Jan 2013 23:21

Mort Walker wrote:Just search the Google Play store, there are thousands of keyboards for Android. I believe Swift Key is available too.

That's why I am asking which one is tried and tested by jingos here.....I don't want to test drive a 1000 keyboards.

SaiK · Post by **SaiK** » 10 Jan 2013 23:29

http://www.airtel.in/worldsim/

will that work for me?

anmol · Post by **anmol** » 10 Jan 2013 23:36

>Supply problem are very real and won't go away even if they throw cash as fruit co and Sammy have blocked large chunks of capacity in displays and touch windows for next 5 years. GB will require at least 1-2 more years before they can be said to have successfully turned around.

Wow, this should be illegal.

Just look at this:

What that shows is that OS matters less than what Bose Ji pointed out.

SaiK · Post by **SaiK** » 10 Jan 2013 23:38

wow Sam!

anmol · Post by **anmol** » 10 Jan 2013 23:43

http://www.zdnet.com/cn/lenovo-confirms ... 000009608/