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Tuesday 16 May 2017

Gionee A1 Review: Should you buy a ticket to 'Selfiestan'?

Gionee announced the Gionee A1 at MWC with a super camera and super battery tagline. The company was quick to roll out the product in Indian market after the announcement as the device was officially launched Gionee A1 on 23rd March, 2017. The phone was launched with a grand event and its own 'Selfiestan' song launch featuring Alia Bhatt. The phone as the campaign suggests focus on the Selfie camera along with a super battery. So as a buyer should you dare to buy tickets to land in Selfiestan? Let's find out.

Build and Design:

As it has become a standard now a days, Gionee A1 as well comes with a metallic back and glass front. On the back you can spot antenna lines running on top and bottom of the phone. The 13 MP rear camera is placed right in the middle on the top and dual tone LED flash light sits just below it. However, the most confusing part of the phone is the Brand Logo itself which is placed perfectly in a circle, just below the LED Flash light. Why we say its the most confusing one as this is not the finger print sensor of the device despite of its look and perfect position for the same. While the finger print sensor is placed on Home button in front similar to what we see in Samsung phones. The phone branding comes just above the bottom antenna line and looks elegant.

Gionee A1 - BackSide


Turning the phone to its front side and you will the the glass covering all of it. On the top there is a front flash light and proximity sensor on the left of the ear-piece while the 16 MP camera is placed on the right of the ear-piece. Below that you have 5.5 inch Amoled display which sports a very thin bezel. On the bottom of the display we have a physical 'Home' button with finger print sensor on it. There are two capacitive touch buttons on either side of the Home button, the left one for multi tasking and right for back operations.

Gionee A1 (front side) - click to enlarge


We have a sim tray on the left side of the phone, while the right edge sports a Volume rocker and power button. On the top edge we have a 3.5 mm audio jack while on the bottom edge we have a micro usb slot for data transfer and charging and speaker grill on either sides.

Gionee A1 Bottom Edge 
Overall the phone looks great in hands, with a sturdy built and common yet beautiful design. The phone does feel a bit heavy at 180+ grams when compared to other prominent smartphones in this segment.

Specifications and Features: 

The Gionee A1 runs on a MediaTek Helio P10 MT6755 octa-core processor and Mali-T860M2 GPU coupled with 4 GB of RAM. The phone comes with 64 GB storage on board which can be further expanded upto 128 GB via micro SD card provided you cannot use second sim in that case as the SIM tray is a hybrid one. We have a front flash light for selfies which is a new trend now a days. Finger print sensor is placed in the front on the home button itself. 

The 5.5 inch AMOLED display provides a screen resolution of 1920x1080 pixels, The primary camera at rear is of 13MP and is supported by a dual tone LED flash light, however more weightage is given to the 'Selfie' Camera which comes with a 16 MP sensor and is supported by a Flash light too for selfies.

The phone runs on Amigo 4.0 custom UI based on Android Nougat, the device supports 4G LTE with VoLTE. Bluetooth, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n , FM, micro USB with OTG support and 3.5 mm audio jack. 

The phone supports Gestures such as draw 'O' on the lock screen and camera app is launched which can be customized in a number of ways. The phone seems to have taken a lot of inspiration from the iPhones as we see with the icons and the toggle switches which are not present in the Notification drawer instead you need to pull it from the bottom of the screen as we see in iPhones. 

The Finger print sensor does it job well but the oval design of the Home button makes it loose some flexibility on the angles from which it can be unlocked and we personally would have preferred the sensor on the back right where the logo is placed.

The sharp AMOLED display is a plus of this device, which offers a clear picture quality with high saturation levels, the sharpness is as we would have wanted it on a Full HD display. It was able to play full HD movies we threw at it and the over all visual experience was a treat to eyes. Readability under sunlight is another plus. 

Performance:

Running on Mediatek Helio P10 with 4 GB RAM, the Gionee A1 lives up to the expectations and delivers a quality performance in day to day tasks. Switching between apps is quite smooth and we didn't notice any lag while switching between apps. The phone also doesn't heats up in regular use, normally I had calls ranging from 3 to 8 minutes in a day and didn't noticed sudden rise in temperature. However, playing resource intensive games such as Asphalt 8: Airborne for more than 10 minutes, the phone starts heating up due to which you could be forced to leave in another 10 minutes of game. 

The call quality from the device is crisp and clear, the super battery claim lives up as the phone easily lasted for a day and half on a single charge with more than average usage (including several game sessions, YouTube playback, voice calls and internet browsing). The phone also supports quick charging which comes in handy when you have to put in more juice in your phone in less time.

Camera:

The 16 MP front camera is the one touted to be a 'Super Selfie' camera with LED flash, On the rear there is a 13 MP camera with dual LED flash and f/2.0 aperture which is same as the front camera. 
The front cameras have evolved a lot in last 3 years and Gionee A1 camera does its job well in most conditions, the front soft flash helps in low lit conditions and various filters and beautify features makes it fun and satisfying to capture a selfie. 

The rear camera takes great shots in good amount of light however in low light it struggles a bit to reduce the noise and pick up the details. The shutter speed and focus are quick and snaps the image as soon as you click on the shutter button. The rear camera comes with a lot of modes, including panorama, manual, slow motion, card reader, bar code reader and Translator. There are live filters available as well which you can choose while framing your subject. Below are few samples.






Verdict:

As the 'Super Selfie, Super Battery' tagline is justified with the performance of the phone, you have to give it to the design and the display quality to make this phone a desirable one. The specifications are as per the price segment. So if you are a selfie lover and looking for a stylish (not unique though) and sturdy phone, then Gionee A1 should definitely in your wish list.

Gionee is priced at 19,999 Rs, which is a good price when compared to the OPPO F3 Plus, Vivo Selfie focused smartphones. 





Friday 12 May 2017

ASUS Zenfone 3 5.5' and 5.2' receives price cut of Rs 8000 and 4000 respectively

ASUS, the Taiwanese mobile technology company, today announced price reductions for its most popular smartphone Zenfone 3.  Zenfone 3 5.5 inch (ZE552KL) which was priced at INR 27,999 is now available for INR 19,999 and Zenfone 3 5.2 inch (ZE520KL) for INR 17,999 against the previous price of INR 21,999.

ASUS Zenfone 3 5.5-inch (ZE552KL)

Commenting on the announcement, Peter Chang, Region Head – South Asia & Country Manager for ASUS India said, “Zenfone 3 series, has been globally awarded and appreciated for its, camera capabilities, classy yet contemporary design and high-end performance. Taking it forward, we plan to introduce an exciting range of products this year and the price reduction of Zenfone 3 is a precursor to the forthcoming product line-up.”

The Zenfone 3 features a gorgeous 5.2-inch (ZE520KL) and 5.5-inch (ZE552KL) Full HD (1920 by 1080) Super IPS+ display, Zenfone 3 combines beauty, elegance and high performance with great 16MP/8MP (rear and front) PixelMaster 3.0 Camera with real tone Dual LED Flash. Equipped with the latest Sony® IMX298 sensor, six-element Largan lens with a large f/2.0 aperture, and subject-tracking TriTech auto-focus. Zenfone 3 also offers both optical and electronic image stabilization for blur-free shots and video, a color-correction sensor for true-color photography, and true 4K UHD video recording. Zenfone 3 is the world’s first smartphone worldwide to be powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 625, along with up to 4GB of RAM and 64GB ROM. Zenfone 3 also has a built-in rear fingerprint sensor that unlocks the phone in as quickly as 0.2 seconds. Zenfone 3’s stunning body has 2.5D Corning Gorilla Glass on both front and back side.


Thursday 11 May 2017

Top 5 E-commerce Mobile App Builders That You Should Be Using

E-commerce is a booming industry. It’s important to adapt to new trends that the industry is adopting. The latest trend is the mobile app that e-commerce websites are using to get customers to stay with them and shop.

The success of your e-commerce mobile app largely rests on design. The app must be perfect in every way, with each feature carefully thought out. For this purpose, there are app builders that can help you with this. They have predefined templates, and most importantly, the expertise you need when it comes to app development.

With the user on the go and away from their computers, there are a few basic requirements when it comes to an app.
  • The app must be easily accessible 
  • The content must be readable and simple 
  • Navigation through the app should be simplified 
  • Checkout must be convenient 
  • The app must be clear with products clearly visible to the user 
The best way to figure out how you’d like your app to look is by going through several others. There can be features that interest you. You can also take a look at mobile app review sites and see what catches your fancy. Place yourself in the user's shoes and think about what you want from the app. This kind of insight can help you go a long way.

Once you have a basic idea on how it should look, feel, and function, you can start looking at app builders. These are 5 of the finest e-commerce mobile app builders in the market today.

Contalog

This company provides mobile commerce app solutions to all kinds of businesses. They help create apps for companies that don’t have a website.

They create eye-catching and user-friendly apps that are totally customizable. They have the option to integrate new features of your liking onto an existing template.

This interface lets you update the app frequently so that you can stay ahead of the competition.

Jmango360

This app solution company develops the app for a monthly fee. This fee is collected for the usage of the app and maintenance. They include any changes or updates you want. This means that they’re here to ensure that your app stays ahead of the curve all the time.

They make apps compatible with iOS and Android. You can also have push notifications and global payment integration methods. You can also choose to make this app by yourself with assistance from their end.

Shopgate

Shopgate lets you reach your customer beyond your website right to their phones. This is also one of the app builders that provides services for both iOS and Android devices.

They have a GPS store locator feature. They have push messages, QR code scanners, and fast loading speeds.

Shopgate lets your app to integrate with established e-commerce platforms. They improve customer experience with their 3D cart feature.

Shopify is another app builder that helps you create your website and app.

Mobicommerce

Mobicommerce was an idea that came to its founder when he was facing a technical error with his mobile app. When the company he hired was unable to resolve it, he took it upon himself to create a better platform to create apps.

This is a popular app building company that has over 300 apps to its name. Their cutting edge technology and numerous features have made them one of the most preferred app developing companies in the market.

They have push notifications and store locator features. Apart from that, they provide integrations for over 20 payment gateways. They let you create your own layout as well.

Apphitect

This Dubai-based company was of one the first to get into the business of app building. They have created apps for several global brands. Their experience and employee strength make them the front runners in this market.

They have readymade solutions to complex app requests. Their apps are best known for these features

  • Multi-lingual capabilities 
  • Customizable templates 
  • Rewards and loyalty points 
  • Deep linking features in the app 
  • Performance enhancing software 

The app you get will have a simple and professional look to it. Their apps are compatible with both Android and iOS platforms.

Approach app building companies only after you have a clear picture of how you want your app to be. Go through the apps they’ve created so far. Researching the best commerce websites out there will help you have a clear idea in mind.

The quality of your app will determine the success of your venture.

Wednesday 10 May 2017

HTC slashes price of HTC U Play by 10000 Rs, exclusively available on Amazon.in for INR 29,990

HTC Corporation announced today that the recently launched HTC U Play  will be available exclusively on Amazon.in for Rs 29,990. Launch of HTC U Play was announced in February along with HTC U Ultra. At the time of launch the price of phone was said to be Rs 39,990.

HTC U Play
HTC U Play - Sapphire


HTC U Play comes in Sapphire Blue and Brilliant Black colour options and will be available exclusively on Amazon.in. The device is available at zero cost EMI to customers for a limited period.
The HTC U Play 5.2” smartphone comes with a 64 GB internal memory and 4 GB RAM along with 3D contoured liquid surface and a lustrous, symmetrical, curved glass construction that reflects light beautifully. It also supports additional micro SD cards up to 2 TB. Aptly labelled as the phone that is made ‘For the Playful You’ the HTC U Play comes with HTC Sense Companion. This personal companion is always learning from you and comes with built-in voice recognition so that it’s able to respond to your voice.
Other features include HTC USonic2microphones that analyse your inner ears with a sonar-like pulse, and then adapts to you. The HTC U Play is equipped with a perfectly symmetric thin design and a unique combination of 16 Megapixel rear and an UltraPixelTMcamera technology on the front that provide vivid light, colours and details to take brilliant selfies

ASUS partners with Home Credit to offer 0% Interest EMI on Smartphone purchase

Taiwanese smartphone maker ASUS  today announced its partnership with one of India's leading NFBC Home Credit. This partnership will allow users to purchase ASUS smartphones on EMI without having to worry about the interest. However there will be a fixed processing fees of Rs 399 or Rs 599 for 6 months or 7 months terms respectively.

Click on Image to Enlarge


This strategic step was taken to ensure that consumers have easier access to ASUS smartphones, enabling them to live their digital lives without any hindrances as there is a lot of dependency on today's 4G mobiles.  The schemes, available across Zenfone 3 Max 5.2, Zenfone 3 Max 5.5, Zenfone 3s Max, Zenfone 3 5.2 and Zenfone 3 5.5, will enable customers to purchase these smartphones with hassle-free financing options.

Commenting on the partnership, Peter Chang, Regional Head - South Asia & Country Manager - ASUS India, said, “We have always believed in empowering our consumers with products that perfectly combine advanced technology and luxurious specs. We are very excited about our partnership with Home Credit. Consumers will be able to purchase our smartphones, while also giving them the freedom to select a financing option that suits them the best.”

Speaking on the collaboration with ASUS, Artem Popov, Chief Sales Officer – Home Credit India, said, “We are delighted to partner with a leading smartphone brand like ASUS. We are optimistic that our association to offer quick and easy loans at zero percent interest and easy EMI options will make buying ASUS phones much easier and convenient throughout our 8500 Points of Sale spread across over 70 cities in 15 Indian states.”