Karbonn Titanium S9 IPS launched at ₹ 19,990.

Karbonn mobiles announced their new flagship smartphone running Jelly Bean 4.2. The device is powered by a quad core processor and Karbonn has gone for the 5.5” display in the device. Karbonn Titanium S9 is what it’s known and its going to definitely attract the customers. Though there is nothing new in the design but its good on specifications which is what people care while going for the Android smartphones.

Karbonn mobile has used HD IPS capacitive panel in this device and the display measures 5.5” diagonally. The display supports 720p resolution which is really good and its going to support multi touch feature. Karbonn is going to advertise the device with a tag of having 16 million colors on the display but in reality it’s not a new thing. This shows what type of customers Karbonn mobile going to target; definitely it’s not the tech geeks.

The Karbonn Titanium S9 is going to be powered by a Mediatek chipset on which a quad core processor with clock speed 1.2GHz has been added. The CPU is not new in the market as every budget priced smartphone have Mediatek chipset. It has 1GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage and can be expanded further to 32GB using microSD card. It features a 5MP front camera not rear. Yes, you reading right, the front camera is 5MP while the rear camera is 13MP. The rear camera is set to autofocus and got few more camera features. The front camera is capable of recording HD quality videos so video calling and chatting is going to be really good on the device.

The OS is  Android 4.2 Jelly Bean. There are G sensor, proximity and ambient light sensors in the device which is again a plus point to look at.

Karbonn Titanium S9 supports dual SIM cards and also the 3G cellular network. There is Wi-Fi and Bluetooth for wireless data connectivity and device also got one microUSB port. It is powered by a 2600mAh battery that will make the device to run for at least one day.

You can get Karbonn Titanium S9 very soon in your nearest shop at ₹ 19,990 and Karbonn is also providing a cool flip cover with the device.

Read More

Sony Xperia Z phablet with 6.4-inch screen.

Sony has officially announced the Xperia Z Ultra, a smartphone/ phablet that features a 6.4-inch display. The phone's design is based on Sony's OmniBalance philosophy in line with the design of the Xperia Z and Xperia Tablet Z. The phone sports a slim profile with a thickness of 6.5mm and weighs 212 grams. Sony says that the width of the phone is comparable to that of a Passport. It comes in Black, White and Purple colours. The Xperia Z Ultra is powered by a 2.2GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor and has 2GB of RAM. It offers 16GB of internal storage expandable up to 64GB via microSD card. The phone sports an 8-megapixel Exmor RS rear camera and a 2-megapixel front facing camera. It has a 3000 mAh battery. The phone includes 4G LTE, NFC, and Bluetooth 4.0 connectivity options.

The Xperia Z Ultra's screen has a resolution of 1080x1920 pixels and is the first smartphone display that integrates Sony's Triluminos technology, which the company introduced at CES with its Bravia televisions. Sony claims that through the technology the display reproduces a greater range of rich, natural colours to deliver true, natural shades. The technology also includes X-Reality for mobile, Sony's intelligent super resolution display technology which as per the company, analyses each image and reproduces lacking pixels to optimise quality for the sharpest videos.

An interesting feature of the Xperia Z Ultra is its handwriting recognition functionality. The phone's screen is compatible with any pencil and selected stylus or pen with tip diameter over 1mm. The Xperia Z Ultra comes with new and updated Sony Media Applications including new apps for Walkman, Movies and Album. Just like the Xperia Z, the Xperia Z ultra is also dust and water proof and comes with IP55 and IP58 certification. It even allows users to take photos underwater. The phone will launch globally from Q3 2013, but the exact timing of availability will vary depending on the market. Pricing has not been disclosed, yet.

Sony Xperia Z Ultra key specs.

• 6.4-inch TFT Triluminos display with a resolution of 1080x1920 pixels and Shatter proof sheet on scratch-resistant glass.
• 2.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 quad-core processor
• 4G LTE/ NFC/ Bluetooth 4.0/ Wi-Fi
• 8-megapixel rear camera with Exmor RS sensor
• 2-megapixel front facing camera
• Android 4.2 Jelly Bean
• 16GB internal storage expandable up to 64GB via microSD card
• 3000mAh battery

Read More

Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon Review - Futuristic 2007.

A game released in 2013 with a tagline 'The year is 2007. It is the future,' is really going to be crazy, absurd and insane. That's exactly what Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon is. Developed by Ubisoft Montreal, Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon has absolutely no relation to the game Ubisoft released last year. Instead, it takes the mechanics of the game but wraps them in something completely different. It's worth pointing out that Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon is a standalone downloadable game and doesn't require Far Cry 3 to play.

In Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon, you take on the role of Sargent Rex Power Colt, a Mark IV Cyber Commando who is voiced by Michael Biehn, best known for playing the roles of Kyle Reese in the first Terminator film and Dwayne Hicks in Aliens. In the game, Rex is tasked with stopping Colonel Sloan and his Omega Force from launching missiles fueled with the blood of the Blood Dragons. Blood Dragons are creatures in the game which mysteriously appeared after the world was ravaged by nuclear war at the end of the 20th century. 

Like Far Cry 3, the game is a first person shooter and set on an island. Only this time the island is infested with mutated animals and cyborg soldiers, as well as the Blood Dragons. The game is open-world in that you can explore the island at your leisure. You can find collectibles in the form of VHS tapes, TV Sets, and diary entries while you explore the land. The collectibles unlock different weapon attachments that you can use to upgrade your weapons, while the weapons themselves are great to use as they have an excellent feel to them. The shooting in Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon is one of the most enjoyable games in recent times in terms of shooting.

There aren't many weapons though, but each one is unique and has their use. A number of the weapons are references to late 80s/early 90s sci-fi movies. For example, the AJM 9 pistol is a reference to Robocop, as the initials of AJM stand for Alex J. Murphy, who was Robocop himself and the gun looks identical to the one he uses in the movie. The description of the gun in the game mentions a fallen cop in Detroit as well. Another example is the Galleria 1991 shotgun, which is a reference to Terminator 2, as Galleria is named after the arcade in the movie, 1991 is the year the movie was released and the look of the shotgun and reload animation where Rex spins it is the same as when the Terminator does when riding the motorcycle. 

Moving around in FC3: BD is faster than in most FPS games as Rex can run pretty fast and he never stops to catch his breath; it's the same when swimming as well, unless you end up being attacked by a cyber shark. Oh yeah, those exist. There are also vehicles in the game, all of which appear to have come over from Far Cry 3; boats, jeeps and jet skis make an appearance, along with a hang glider, which feels out of place as it doesn't really fit with the sci-fi theme. They can be useful but aren't that necessary thanks to Rex and the speed he can move at. Also in the game is a mini-map as well as a full blown map. On the map you can place Waypoints on certain things, namely objectives or Garrisons, which are bases which can be taken over. To take over a Garrison, you simply have to kill all of the Omega Force cyborgs who reside in it. You can also press up on the d-pad to scan the area for enemies or animals, which are then marked on the mini-map. This is handy for going stealth in the game.

Pros

• The excellent shooting mechanics and weapons
• Great soundtrack
• The constant nods to 80s TV and movies

Cons

• The lack of variety in the side missions
• Too few enemy types
• End of game too easy

Read More

Aakash IV released for feedback.

The next version of the world’s cheapest computer tablet will boast features close to that of a Google Nexus 7, but could be more expensive than the current price of Rs 2,263.

The specifications of the third generation of Aakash (or Aakash 4) were released by the department of electronics and information technology (DeitY) on Monday and, according to HRD ministry officials, it will be priced at roughly Rs 3,000. Unlike in the past, the tender for Aakash 4 will carry minimum specifications that the computer tablet has to meet. The bid winner/manufacturer will have the liberty to equip the tablet with more advanced features.

Aakash 4 is definitely an improvement over Aakash 2 as the specifications suggest. In terms of CPU performance, Aakash 4 will have a minimum of 3537 Antutu Benchmark score. According to Arun Prabhudesai, author of popular blog trak.in, this score would make the tablet comparable to Google Nexus 7, which has a score of 3679 on Antutu Benchmark. The Antutu Benchmark is an application that gauges the speed and performance of Android based mobile devices.

Among other features, Aakash 4 will weigh less than 500 grams and have at least 4GB internal storage, external storage of 32 GB, a 7-inch display screen, dual-bootable operating system (Ubuntu distro along with Android Jelly Bean), a battery which will support at least three hours for online 720p video playback and minimum five hours on web browsing.

Reports appearing in the media suggest that the next generation Aakash tablet will come with far better display quality than the present version. Someone mentioned it as current version. But to be true no version of the tablet is available in the market and was never available in stores in the market. Rumors suggest that the next generation tab will support internet connectivity via WiFi and 2G, 3G, or 4G internet dongle and also support external keyboard and mouse.

Aakash was first launched one and half years ago by former HRD minister Kapil Sibal and was touted as the world’s cheapest computer tablet at a price of Rs 2,750 per unit.

After that the tablet was revamped with better features and was even re-launched as Aakash 2 at a lower price of Rs 2,263 per unit in November last year.

Read More

Android 4.3 leaked for Galaxy S4 and Google Play Edition.

Although it appears Android 5.0 (Key Lime Pie) remains well beyond the immediate horizon, Jelly Bean's upcoming point release (4.3) is managing to find its way onto Samsung Galaxy S4 handsets. While not available through official channels, a Galaxy S4-compatible test build of 4.3 has hit the scene; purportedly, it's fully-functional and install-able with no necessary modifications.

When it comes to compatibility, the ROM upgrade appears to work on Samsung's standard-issue Galaxy S4 (GT-I9505) and its unadulterated Google Play Edition (GT-I9505G). It's good to see a fully-operational test build materialize so soon, since the lag-time between Google and a carrier release is often times more than a few months.

According to some who've already tinkered with it, Android 4.3 seems to be essentially a maintenance release with mostly "under the hood" improvements. Some of the changes include the addition of Bluetooth tethering for S4 owners, low-energy Bluetooth support and a feature which allows location services to scan for Wi-Fi hot spots even while Wi-Fi is disabled. Tinkerers will also be pleased to find a new camera app, more developer options and a number of other small tweaks.

Here is the installation process:

Backup your stuff! Installing 4.3 requires a clean install.

Copy the Android 4.3 ROM to your internal memory card

Hold Power + Volume Up + Home buttons to enter recovery mode

Perform a factory reset

Flash your device with the ROM

Reboot

Presumably, flashing your S4 to 4.3 is a warranty-voider, so upgrading is only recommended only for adventurers and preferably those already skilled in flashing Android device ROM's.

Read More