Sunday 9 November 2014

NEXUS 6 - THE BIG 6..!!!

If anyone of you thought that the battle for the best phablet of the year was limited to iPhone 6 plus and Samsung’s Note 4, think again…

Google’s Nexus 6 is finally here to take this battle to the next level. We might have assumed that the next Nexus phone from Google would have been slightly bigger in size from its predecessor, the Nexus 5 with some improved specifications. Google, however, had different plans. Instead of a logical upgrade to its Nexus line of phones, it simply invaded a new segment altogether, the PHABLET segment.

For all those who are thinking what exactly is a phablet, let me put the meaning in just one sentence. A phablet is a smartphone which sits between a smartphone and a tablet. There is no specific screen size to define a phablet. However, most of them usually come in sizes between 5.5 inches to 6.5 inches.


SPECS – Top of the line..!!

Nexus 6 is manufactured by Motorola and looks like the big brother of the new MOTO X (2014). One thing is for sure, Nexus 6 was not made with “ONE SIZE FITS ALL” philosophy kept in mind. Google has specifically targeted the fastest growing segment, the Phablet segment.

Nexus 6 has a diagonal screen size of 6 inches, which makes it bigger in screen size in comparison to the iPhone 6 plus and Samsung’s Note 4. The screen is protected by Gorilla Glass 3. The front side of the phone is dominated by AMOLED screen of 1,440 x 2,560 (Quad HD) resolution, which translates into 493 pixels per inch of resolution. At this resolution its hard to spot the individual pixels with the naked human eye. The only other premium device in this segment to flaunt a QHD resolution screen is Samsung’s Note 4.  

Powering the Nexus 6 is the latest quad core processor from Qualcomm, the Snapdragon 805, clocked at 2.7 Ghz, with 3GB of RAM. A 13 megapixel camera with optical image stabilization does a good job. However, Selfie lovers will be left disappointed. A front facing 2 Megapixel camera is just about average. Video can be recorded at 4K resolution with the primary camera, which is a plus point.

Nexus 6 will be available in 2 colour options, Midnight Blue and Cloud White with 32 GB and 64 GB options. Even though the Nexus 6 does not come with expandable storage options, 32 GB and 64 GB should be more than enough for most of your needs.



BATTERY

For a device with a 6 inch QHD screen with a beefy Quad core 2.7 Ghz processor with camera capable of 4K video recording, a non-removable Li-Po 3220 mAh battery does not look sufficient on paper at least. However, the Nexus 6 supports Motorola’s Turbo charger. All it takes is 15 minutes of charging with the turbo charger to get 6 additional hours of battery life. This compensates for a smaller 3220 mAh battery, which comes with the phablet.



ANDROID 5.0 (LOLLIPOP)


Nexus 6 is the first device to get the latest Android OS 5.0 (Lollipop). The latest android version is buttery smooth and supports ‘always on’ voice commands. Power management is another area where improvements have been made, in order to extract the maximum performance from the phone’s battery.


Price..

Google has announced the pricing of Nexus 6. The 32 GB variant will be available for Rs. 44,000 or $649.00 and the 64 GB variant for Rs 49,000 or $699.00. At this price it is definitely not cheap and will not appeal to those, who were looking for the next Nexus device at a budget price point. However, Google has cleverly positioned itself below Apple’s iPhone 6 plus and Samsung’s Note 4, both of them are priced upwards of Rs 58,000. Do keep in mind iPhone 6 plus starts with a 16 GB variant and the next variant is 64 GB. 32 GB variant is absent for reasons known only to Apple. Note 4 on the other hand starts with a 32 GB variant. Keep these figures in mind before buying one of these.


So how does it compare to note 4 ??


On specifications the Nexus 6 matches the Note 4 very closely. In fact currently it is the only device available with the latest Android 5.0 (Lollipop), which has a lot going for it. However, the Note 4, is still the big daddy of all the phabltes in the market for obvious reasons. Note 4 is equipped with a stylus which makes it more of a productivity device, whereas Nexus 6 is more of a media consumption device. No doubt Nexus 6 has the same quad core processor from Qualcomm, the Snapdragon 805, clocked at 2.7 Ghz, with 3GB of RAM as Note 4, but Note 4 comes bundled with useful extras which are missing on the Nexus 6. For instance, Note 4 has a fingerprint scanner, heart rate monitor, Samsung’s own health apps and an infrared port which can act as a remote control for your various home appliances like TV, Audio systems, DVDs etc. All these features are missing from Nexus 6.


Finally…!!


Nexus 6 is a great attempt by Google to capture a very important phablet segment of the market. Its not perfect though and could have been priced better. However it is still a lot cheaper than the big guns of this segment, Note 4 and iPhone 6 plus. Deciding on which phablet to buy is still a tricky business. But at least with the launch of Nexus 6, the premium phablet consumer is now spoilt for choices..


Sunday 2 November 2014

HELLO MOTO… ONCE AGAIN…!!

While brands like Samsung and Apple have been the talk of the town in the last 4 to 5 years, Motorola has been busy reinventing itself behind the scenes. Very few people know that the first cell phone was made by Motorola. Martin Cooper, a Motorola Researcher made the first cell phone call on 3rd April, 1973.


Motorola, a company known to have given many hits in the past like the Motorola Talkabout and Motorola RAZR V3i, went into a shell. Although it came up with new models, but didn’t really make a splash in the post Android OS days. Things started looking brighter when Google acquired Motorola in 2012.


NEW MOTO LINE UP
In the past one had never doubted the build quality and longevity of Motorola Devices. They always made products that lasted. The new MOTO line up follows Motorola’s legacy and now offers full value for money for your purchase. Let’s have a look at the new Motorola troops getting ready to march in the rival territories.


MOTO G (2nd Generation)


The first Moto G is the one that started it all. Although it did not have premium features of its expensive counterparts, it was still the best value for money product with a strong Motorola branding behind it. Industry analysts could not find any major faults with it, after hearing the price tag, which was less than $200.00 or about Rs. 13,000. The second Moto G brought some major evolutionary improvements, with a bigger 5 inch screen and a better 8 megapixel camera, which was the only weak point of the first generation phone. At this price point the new Moto G puts even its Indian Counterparts to dust in terms of solidity which is backed up with a strong Motorola Branding.


MOTO X (2nd Generation)



Although the first Moto X did not get sky rocketing sales, but was still well received by the cell phone industry. Talking point of this phone was touchless control. The phone could be controlled with Voice commands and hand gestures, even in standby mode, which was the USP. The new MOTO X, has improvements in almost all the areas. 2 low power dedicated processors handle voice and hand gestures. For handling voice commands, Moto X comes equipped with 4 dedicated noise cancelling microphones. Voice recognition is near to accurate in most of the situations. A 5.2 inch full HD Super AMOLED panel dominates the front screen. A fast snapdragon 801 processor clocked at 2.5 Ghz processor with 2 GB RAM does an excellent job. Andriod is a stock version, which means it will provide a buttery smooth experience. A 13 megapixel does the job while a metal frame and leather back options give the phone premium look. At $399.00 and around Rs 34,000 for the 16 GB Model, Moto X is not cheap by any means, however, still a good bargain over recently launched flagships like Samsung’s Note 4 at Rs. 58,000, I Phone 6 starting from Rs. 53,000 and Sony Xperia Z3 at Rs. 49,000.


Moto E


The youngest phone of the Moto lineup does not disappoint either. Moto E was not launched to please anyone, however still does the job. Priced at Rs 7,000 on flipkart.com it is the cheapest offering form the Moto lineup, but fully functional for all the basic things. Although the 2nd generation is still not out yet, the phone will still appeal to those looking for a deal below Rs 10,000 with a strong branding. Even though it’s a budget device, it still comes with Anderiod 4.4 pre-installed, which is good for a device in this class. A dual core processor combined with 1GB RAM will make sure it takes care of all the basic tasks.

So what’s your MOTO….??  


As I publish this post, Nexus 6 has already been announced by Google and is being made by Motorola this year. More on that in one of my future posts.

Monday 27 October 2014

2 APPLES NOTEd down by SAMSUNG...!!

Apple v/s Samsung battle could be one of the longest in the tech history, but currently it’s still oven fresh. Both these technology giants launched their respective flagships sometime back and are now warming up to the biggest showdown of 2014.


With the launch of iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 plus, Apple hit the headlines by getting its own piece of share in the already flooded XL and XXL screen size market. This market is currently dominated by driods. All of a sudden people have started calling the iPhone 6 plus “The Big Apple”, not to be confused with the nick name of New York City. So what does iPhone 6 and 6 plus bring on the table. Well, nothing new, although its Slo mo video capture at 240 frames per second has been appreciated by many, one would have thought that Apple would bring in optical image stabilization to both the iPhones. It is really disappointing that this feature is limited just to its elder sibling, the iPhone 6 plus, although both the iPhones command a premium space. The screens are large and that’s where the new iPhone could be a game changer.

Samsung in the meanwhile launched its latest flagship, Note 4. The phone, or the phablet we must say that started it all. The Godfather of large screens, the note 4 brings a host of features and an excellent camera with optical image stabilization on board. However what really stands out is an outstanding SUPER AMOLED QHD display with the resolution of an eye popping 2560 x 1440 pixels, which will make most of its direct rivals break in to sweat. The icons on the screen look like someone just pasted them on the screen.


So which one should you buy is the million dollar question, especially after Apple got some serious real estate on its latest flagship. The answer is very simple. Go check it out for yourself. Although on specs Note 4 seems to have an upper hand, but then the Apple fanboys club is the one to beat.