Saturday, March 21, 2015

Samsung S5 Exynos Version Lollipop update now rolling out in India

I am writing to confirm the roll out of Lollipop update for Samsung S5 model in India which has Exynos processor. I got the update on 20th March 2015 at 9:00pm IST.

The update size is 874.21 MB and as expected is an OTA update. The entire process was very quick and the update after downloading took 20-25 minutes to get the phone running on Lollipop.

Thank you Samsung for such a delayed roll out! (Saturday is sarcasm day).

The phone feels faster even with the same amount of RAM utlization.

Friday, December 19, 2014

Google Play Store India - Free Movie - The Lord of The Rings - The Fellowship of the Ring

I just noticed a free offer from Google Play Store in India. The offer is of the movie " The Lord of The Rings - The Fellowship of the Ring". The movie is available for download as a HD or a SD format download. Here is a screenshot of the same. You may google the same.

The link for the same is here:

https://play.google.com/store/movies/collection/promotion_4000cb1_holiday_movies?hl=en

Tuesday, December 9, 2014

Google Chromecast India Launch on 10th Dec 2014?

http://www.google.co.in/chrome/assets/common/images/chromecast/s5-producthero.jpg
Image courtesy http://www.google.co.in/chrome/devices/chromecast/
As per some tech sites that are popular in India, Google Chromecast will be launched in India on 10th December 2014. This is also going to be the launch of GOSF 2014 in India.

Google Chromecast which was launched in US in 2013 is basically a digital media player developed by Google. Chromecast was announced on July 24, 2013, and made available for purchase on the same day in the United States.

Some popular Indian tech sites such as iGyaan, Androids, Intellect Digest are all saying they have exclusive information that the chromecast will be launched for Indian audience and officially by google and will be available for sale through Snapdeal. Intellect Digest goes on to say that the device sold by snapdeal will be the official device and will carry warranty in India. This is good news to lot of Indians who have been shipping products from US to India with no local support.

Let us see if the claims are indeed correct.

Friday, November 21, 2014

Review - LG 47LA6200 119 cm (47) LED TV (Full HD, 3D, Smart)

47LA6200I bought this model from a store in Vashi (Navi Mumbai) in July 2014. After a good 4 months of usage, I decided to pen down the salient features and quick review of this model for the benefit of the larger audience.

For starters this is a 2013 model (LG LA 6200) and the 2014 model is called LB6200 which has a slightly higher refresh rate and costs about 10,000 INR more. I demoed both the LA6200 (2013 model) and LB6200 (2014 model). To my surprise i could not find any difference in quality. I tested both the non 3d and 3d features. The link to the official website is LG India.

Some of the salient feature of this model are following:

  • 119 cm (47) LED Display
  • Full HD, 1920 x 1080
  • IPS Panel
  • 3D TV
  • Smart TV
  • Smart Share (NFC Tag ON, Miracast™ , MHL, 2nd Display)
  • 3 x HDMI, 
  • 3 x USB
  • Built-in Wi-Fi, Ethernet
  • Refresh Rate - 60 Hz Motion Rate
  • Magic Remote with Voice Recognition
  • Comfortable, flicker free, battery free 3D glasses - 4 pieces
  • Time Machine with recording feature
  • Premium Content
The sales package contains "TV Unit, 4 Basic 3D Glasses, Magic Remote (MR13), Conventional Remote".

Acer Iconia W4-820 Tablet (64 GB, Wi-Fi) Review

http://static.acer.com/up/Resource/Acer/Tablets/Iconia_W4/Images/20131216/W4-820-metal-sku-main.png

I bought this tablet in the month of May from Flipkart. At that time i got a great price offer and also got the cover free with it.

Now that I have used this tablet for over 6 months, i thought of writing a quick review.


The model that this review is talking about is Acer Iconia W4-820 Tablet (64 GB, Wi-Fi). Its official page at Acer India website is Acer Iconia India . Quick specifications for the same are following:

  • Windows 8.1
  • 4th Gen Intel Atom Z3740 Quad-core 1.33 GHz Processor
  • 20.3 cm (8") WXGA (1280 x 800) LCD display
  • Wi-Fi
  • 2 GB RAM
  • 64 GB Flash Memory (internal Solid state drive)
  • 2 Megapixel Front Camera
  • 5 Megapixel Back Camera
  • microSD card slot - support upto 128GB
  • Includes Microsoft Office Home and Student 2013
  • One micro USB port
  • One HDMI port
  • Sensors: eCompass, Gyro Sensor, Proximity Sensor, Ambient Light Sensor, Accelerometer

Friday, January 31, 2014

Review of Casio Protek PRG - 270-1 (SL 71)

PRG-270-1Here is a quick review of my latest watch Casio Protek PRG - 270-1 (SL 71). Since i live in India, here is the official link to Casio India page http://www.casio-intl.com/in/en/wat/watch_detail/PRG-270-1/.



Before i get on with the specifics let me quickly point to where i bought the watch from. I bought it from snapdeal.com (link for the watch http://www.snapdeal.com/product/casio-stylish-mens-watch/1525802208)  Everything from packing to delivery time was better than expected. I had the watch delivered to my doorstep within 48 hours of ordering the same. Kudos to snapdeal and its team.


Some pictures to start off with.









This watch is the latest in the Protek series and was announced by Casio in Japan on July 8th 2013. As per Casio this watch is equipped with Triple Sensor Ver. 3 for even better accuracy. This is the same sensor that you will find on the new PRG/PRW 3000 series. The only exception here being the fact that Casio has removed the waveceptor (or equivalent of atomic clock where you can receive time directly from satellites and no need to adjust). Rest all the functioanlity is the same on PRG/PRW 270 series as that of PRG/PRW 3000 series. So the PRG/PRW 270 series is smaller than


Packing: This is my first Protek series watch. This watch came in a soft board material which had the model no, make, date and the price mentioned on one of the wider sides. As you would see from pictures, this model comes in a nice hard card board box, that is i think made in a manner that it gives you a feel that it is made from solid wood. Do not be fooled, this is cardboard, not wood (as if we care ;) ). Overall the box has a nice feel to it and it seems like it can protect the beauty inside the box without a fuss.




Once you pull open this hard board box, pull open the manuals aways you will see the gleaming Protek 270 in all its glory.Full points to Casio for the packing 5 on5.

Display: I have the PRG 270-1 which is positive display ABC watch (hey man too much lingo). In simpler terms, it is a clear bright display, not a dark one (called positive display) and that it displays Altimeter (A), Barometer (B), Compass (C). We all know positive displays are always more legible and this watch doesnt disappoint. It has a nice clear display which is crisp to read. It can on the home mode display the following:
1) Day and Date (not year)
2) Date and Year (not day)
3) Current time (in24 hours format or 12 hour format with a small p displayed on the left which denotes PM)
4) This same mid tier also shows whether power saving has been enabled or not
5) Seconds in the third tier and bottom tier of the display
6) this same third tier displays alarm if it is set, snooze if it is enabled.


Two quick pictures of me wearing the watch on my left hand showing the same (one with flash and the other without). You can notice the crispness of the display.


Functions: All the functions mentioned in the watch seem fairly accurate so far as the day of writing the same. The Altimeter seems to lock in fairly quickly and displays results quite accurately. Likewise, the compass seems accurate, checked with the GPS on mobile as well. Temperature is the only function where i have a gripe. This seems to be off by a few degree centigrade. The reason for the same will be taking into account the body heat. When you leave the watch on a neutral surface like wood and then re-record, it gives accurate results. So i reckon, when wearing on hand adjust for the body temperature compensation. Another feature close to my heart is accurate Sunrise/Sunset data once the Latitude and Longitude are set as per your location. Also, for me most of the functions were factory preset and didnot need any adjustment. Made me not go through the manual (which is a huge tome) on the very first day. Also, if you enable the power saving, the watch display blanks out if you keep the watch in complete dark.
 
Another thing worthy of mention here is that it is incredibly quick to switch between modes and functions. The watch responds very very quickly.

Here is a quick official video on youtube.com as posted by Casio Japan.

 

Looks: Again this would depend on person to person. I love the look and feel of the watch in my hand. I would have loved if Casio would have included an additional strap especially steel or a non-resin/cloth strap. This would not only enhance the visibility of the watch as per the personality of a person, but also, is a step in enabling customers to choose for themselves/occasions.

Ergonomics: This is again person/personality dependent. However, i love it for it is light, easy to wear and easy to use. It is also very useful for when I am outdoors or I go swimming. Also, its auto light makes looking at the time incredibly easy.

My overall score for this watch 4.5 on 5 (i am deducting the 0.5 for lack of extra strap, but it is not much.)

Tuesday, January 14, 2014

My Lumia 920 is downloading updates...looks like it is Lumia black for 920 in India

Even though the status on Nokia's website (http://www.nokia.com/global/support/software-update/wp8-software-update/wp8-availability-in-asia-pacific/) says that Lumia Black is 'Coming Soon'. I am downloading a huge update on my Nokia Lumia 920. I will confirm once i have the installation completes.

Friday, November 15, 2013

Sennheiser CX 180 In-ear-canalphone


CX 180

I have these headphones for a year almost. So here is a review of someone who has these for some time now. They are not the best headphones, but for the price they retail for they are by far the best headphones in the market. The on thing that stands out for these IEMs is that although they are loud, they are still able to maintain an amazing level of clarity in the sound.

Pros:
1) Very loud - they will make your lower the volume
2) Neat, clear sound and voice - no muddle here
3) Bass is good - not punchy - so bass lover might want to look elsewhere
4) mids are clear and crisp
5) Excellent after sales service by Sennheiser
6) Lovely 2 year warranty - psst they generally replace should you have a problem