iPhone 6: Bigger, Faster, Coming this Fall

iPhone 6 release date, specs, price, screen, camera rumours

Talk of the iPhone 6 has been going on for well-over a year, with the large-screen phone not coming at the end of 2013 with the iPhone 5S. However, now we're more than half-way through the year, the good news is that we haven’t got long before the iPhone 6 is released.
While Apple is notoriously tight-lipped about upcoming products, there have been plenty of leaks, giving us a sneak peek at what the company has in store for us. That's on top of Apple's own announcement of iOS 8, giving us the clearest indication of what the iPhone 6 will have in store for us.
Of course, as all of the major Android competition has already released their big products for the year, with the Samsung Galaxy S5, HTC One (m8) and Sony Xperia Z2, we know what Apple's up against and what it needs to beat.
Here, we're rounding up all of the latest information to help you find out everything you need to know about the upcoming phones - 4.7in and 5.5in models are rumoured. We're updating this article regularly, so come back for the latest information.

Release date

Although there were plenty of rumours around that Apple was planning on launching the iPhone 6 earlier in the year, the fact that those dates have been and gone is all you need to know about how accurate they are.
Now that we're in June, it's starting to become clear that the most obvious launch date is the right one: September 2014. Apple likes to launch new products on a yearly cycle and, with the iPhone 5S, released last September, it makes sense that the iPhone 6 would follow a year later. There's an outside chance that the release might slip to October, but that feels more likely for the replacement iPads for the iPad Air and iPad Mini with Retina Display.
Now, we even have a date for the new launch: Friday 19th September 2014. This launch date, originally reported by MacRumours, comes from a report on a Chinese website, giving out the release date of the phone. It makes sense, as Apple has gone for September launch dates in the past, with Friday the preferred on-sale day. Note that this is the day that the phone hits the shops, not the date that Apple unveils the phone for the first time. Given that Apple launched the iPhone 5S on the 20th September 2013, following a press conference on Tuesday 10th September, that means that we should expect to see the iPhone 6 for the first time on Tuesday 9th September 2014. Of course, all rumours like this can't be believed, particularly as Apple is fond of changing things. It also remains tightlipped about any information, only sending out invites to the press event a couple of weeks before hand. Still, this rumour has the flavour of truth about it, and September does feel right for this product.

Camera - 5.5in to get OIS, 4.7in will not

For the iPhone 5S Apple upped the physical size of its 8-megapixel sensor, meaning that each pixel gets more light. In addition, it upgraded the lens from an f/2.4 model to an f/2.2 model, increasing low-light performance again. Combined with the A7 SoC, the camera has a couple of neat modes, including a 10fps burst mode that goes on until the phone's memory is full, and a 120fps slow-motion mode.
Obviously, Apple needs to make an improvement to the camera in the iPhone 6, but there are conflicting reports on what it will do. Optical Image Stabilisation (OIS) was one possibility raised early in the game, with the technology used to reduce blur caused by camera shake. The first information came from The China Post, quoting from Nomura Securities, stating that Apple "may adopt an 8 mega-pixel (MP) camera with improved optical image stabilization on its upcoming handset, instead of the 16 MP upgrade anticipated by industry observers".
There may be differences in camera capability between the two iPhone 6 models, though. According to KGI analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, reported by AppleInsider, only the 5.5in model will have OIS technology built in. This is largely down to size, price and yields, with Apple likely only to have enough OIS components to fit the larger phone. It would also allow Apple to distinguish between the two products more easily. 
For the 4.7in iPhone 6, Apple is said to be installing a new "middle-mount open-loop voice coil motor" to control its camera. This is an upgrade from the component used in the iPhone 5S, which should allow for faster and more accurate focusing, plus it will use less power. However, it remains to be seen how well it will compete against the latest Android phones, which use even faster closed-loop voice coil motors.
In terms of sensor resolution, Kuo believes that both phones will use a Sony-manufactured 8 megapixel sensor, similar to the existing one for the iPhone 5S. It would make sense if Apple was to use this sensor in the iPhone 6, although, given it's a bigger phone, with more room inside for components, it could well up the pixel count, with a 12- or 13-megapixel on the cards. Apple may also be considering going in a completely different direction, particularly if a new patent is to be used. This suggests that the iPhone 6 could get a refocus-able lightfield camera.
Reported by 9to5Mac, a patent has been granted to Apple for a lightfield camera, allowing people to refocus their shots after they've been taken. The technology works by capturing light fields, rather than a single 2D capture of the moment. The net result is that a photo is no longer a fixed capture, but one where you can select a part of the picture to completely refocus the image.
We've already seen the technology in use with the Lytro Light Field camera. It's an interesting product, using software to let you choose the point of focus after the image has already been capture. The HTC One (m8) also has similar technology. Similar technology is also in the HTC One (m8).

Screen size and resolution

The iPhone 5S is the smallest flagship smartphone that you can currently buy. While we still think it's perfectly usable and is easy to carry around, there's clearly a demand for larger devices. This time around Apple seems to be ready to deliver.
In fact, it looks as though we're going to get two iPhone 6 models. First up is the 4.7in model, which is the direct replacement for the outgoing iPhone 5S. Next, is a larger phablet, the 5.5in model, which may also be called the iPhone Air to avoid any confusion between models. Just the 4.7in model is a big jump in screen size, as you can see in the image below (posted on Weibo), which shows a dummy iPhone 6 with an iPhone 5S sat on top of it.

While it's generally accepted that we're getting two larger handsets, with the screen sizes as described, the resolutions aren't quite so clear. KGI Securities analyst, Ming-Chi Kuo, who has a decent track record in this kind of thing, has said to MacRumours that he expects the 4.7in handset to have a resolution of 1,366x760 (326ppi) and the 5.5in phablet to have a resolution of 1,920x1,080 (401ppi). We're not so conviced by these rumours, though.
Typically, Apple likes to have mobile products with the same resolutions (or resolutions that can easily be scaled), to make things easier for developers and to ensure that apps work the same on all devices. Introducing two new resolutions would play havoc with that. We've got some musing (too long to go into on this page) about why the iPhone 6 won't have a Ful HD screen.
Although a bigger screen would be nice, quality is also important and Apple has been looking into this, looking to new technology. One of the most interesting rumours, reported by Business Insider, is that Apple will be using quantum dot technology. Quantum dots are man-made nanoparticles of semiconductor material, used to create light. They're so small that quantum effects start to take place. Without getting too bogged down in the science, the result is that the size of the dot affects its behaviour. From a display manufacturer's point of view, this behaviour can be harnessed, as the size of the quantum dot directly affects the wavelength of its light emission. The smaller the dot is, the closer to the blue end of the spectrum; the larger the dot, the closer to the red end of the spectrum it gets.

What's exciting about this is that displays can be fine-tuned using quantum dots of specific sizes. It means that a display can show more accurate colours. Quantum dot is not new technology and the Kindle Fire HDX uses this technology in its screen already. However, as we noted in our Kindle review, one of the downsides was some light bleed around the edge of the screen.

Design and build quality

Apple typically uses the same design for two products, before trying something dramatically different. As we've already had the iPhone 5 and iPhone 5S using the same case, this time around it's time for the iPhone 6 to try something different. All of the rumours say that the iPhone 6 is going to take its design cues from the iPod Nano and the iPhone 5C.

This means we're likely to see the range of colours and smoother, more curved design from the iPhone 5C, compared to the iPhone 5S, which had rather harsh edges. However, while that phone was made from plastic, Apple's high-end models are made from metal. For this reason, we're likely to see the same annodised aluminium body as used on the iPod Nano.

Allegedly, the new iPhone will be just 7mm thick, although Apple will have to do something about the camera as it would protrude from the rear if the current model was used. Leaks have been coming thick and fast, with alleged shots of the handset now online. Alongside all of the usual, blurred shots, allegedly taken in the Foxconn factory are a few more interesting things. First, Taiwanese actor and racing driver, Jimmy Lin, posted a shot of the iPhone 6 on his Weibo page. Now, we'd normally dismiss this kind of thing, but Lin also leaked the iPhone 5C the first time around, so he could be right this time.

Next, a video has recently leaked and been posted on Nowhereelse.fr. It purports to show an iPhone 6 'dummy' model. In other words, an empty case made from the production molds, designed to show what the phone will look like and check compatibility with cases and other accessories. The video is surprisingly clear for a leak, with none of the usual blurring and obfuscation of details. It certainly looks impressive. Of course, it could just be a physical model that someone's made based on the current leaked information. You can watch the video below and work out for yourself how realistic you think it looks.

Video of 0mUdILvB4Qg

More recently, a photo of a dummy iPhone 6 in Space Gray was spotted online. The pictures are high quality and the design on the handset seems to match the information that we have, although we're going to have to wait until the official launch to see if this image was real.

Tougher Construction

Although beautifully made, the iPhone is just as breakable as any other smartphone, with plenty of people walking around with cracked screens after a drop. Apple appears to be working on a solution to this problem, toughening up its products.
A new deal could signal a super-tough sapphire screen for the iPhone 6. According to reports, Apple has struck a deal with GT Advanced technologies to produce sapphire glass in a plant in Arizona.
The deal was announced by GT Advanced Technologies in a regulatory filing: "The sapphire glass that GT will make in the facility will be used to cover the camera lenses in Apple's phones and the fingerprint-reading devices in its latest products. GT's technology also can be used to make scratchproof glass covers for smartphones, although it is not used for that purpose by Apple today".
Apple is due to pay $578m, which GT Advanced Technologies will use to buy and operate sapphire production equipment in a new Arizona facility. GT Advanced Technologies will pay back the Apple over a five-year period.
Synthetic sapphire glass gets its name because it's transparent, although it's not technically glass. However, sapphire's advantage over glass is its incredible durability and hardiness. Sapphire has a value of 9 on the Mohs scale of mineral hardness, putting it just behind diamond. This means that it's extremely difficult to break, resulting in fewer broken iPhones, saving money in repair costs.

TouchID

Launched with the iPhone 5S, TouchID is Apple's fingerprint sensor. It was surprisingly missing from the iPad Air and iPad Mini with Retina Display, but looks set to come back big-style for this year, appearing on the iPhone 6, iPad Air 2 and iPad Mini 3. In a research note for investors KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo stated that the company strongly believes that Apple is planning to expand use of the feature.

"Apple's Touch ID module should see shipments soar 233 per cent in 2014. We believe every new iOS device launched this year will be equipped with Touch ID, including 4.7in and 5.5in new iPhone 6, iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 3 with Retina display. Considering shipments of new products and iPhone 5S sales last longer than in 2013, we forecast unit sales of the fingerprint sensor module to grow 233 per cent to 120mn for 2014."
It's possible that TouchID could be used for more than just unlocking the phone, particularly as Apple may finally include NFC in its latest handset.

NFC

NFC has been one technology 'missing' from Apple's products for a long time. With the launch of AirDrop, which uses Bluetooth and Wi-Fi to transfer data and files between iOS devices, Apple even mocked NFC and the way you have to bash two devices together. Even Apple's in-store payment system uses the Bluetooth-powered iBeacon system, rather than NFC, which is used for contactless card payments.
Now, that could all change. According to Brightwire, Apple has done a deal with China UnionPay for a contactless payment system, which would use NFC. It would be good to see the technology on the iPhone 6, but as Apple has been so reluctant in the past, we're not sure it will change its mind now.

Price

Apple typically releases its new models at the same price as the old ones. If that holds out, then we'd expect the 16GB model to cost £549, 32GB model to cost £629, the 64GB model £709. A larger screen could see prices go up, though.
Susquehanna analyst Chris Caso, speaking to AllThingsD, predicted that there could be a $50 to $100 premium for a larger iPhone 6, compared to the 4in iPhone 5s. However, there is potential good news. As Apple is said to be planning two screen sizes, it may be that the 4.7in model costs the same as the current iPhone, with only the larger phablet costing more. We're going to have to wait until much closer to launch to have any true idea of pricing, though.

iOS 8

Apple has already released details of its next operating system, iOS 8. Given that new versions typically ship with new hardware, it's a good bet that iOS 8 will ship first on the iPhone 6. This new OS is a big update to iOS 7.1, tweaking and improving that OS to give it a clearer interface, still. Apple has also improved a lot of the apps and bundled technology, improving the way that iCloud works with photos, for example. Continuity is one of the biggest changes, though, letting your Apple products work better together. For example, you can answer your phone using your tablet, or carry on writing an email your started on your iPhone on your Mac.

Fitness

One of the biggest new features of iOS 8 is the new Health app. This is designed to bring together all of your fitness data (calories burned, steps taken, heart rate and so on) into one app. Obviously, the iPhone 5S doesn't have the sensors to do this, but it could be that the iPhone 6 does. In the least, we expect the new handset to be able to speak to a wide-range of monitoring devices, although Apple is also said to be working on its own.

Fitness and health monitoring are all big at the moment: you only need to look at the range of smartwatches that Samsung launched with the Galaxy S5 for more detail. It would be no surprise to see Apple taking that route with the iPhone 6. While we've already got rumours about the iWatch, and the new smartphone may have some rudimentary monitoring built in, too.
One of the most intriguing rumours is that Apple is developing a set of in-ear headphones that can monitor your heartrate. Secretly has reported that the new earphones will plug into the Lightning port, rather than the headphone port. It's not a new idea, as the LG Heart Rate Earphones have already demonstrated the technology.
We're not sure that Apple would bundle such a pair of earphones, though, as the cost has got to be much higher than with the traditional set. Still, we do think that health will be a big part of the system and it will be interesting to see if Apple can make more of the motion co-processor it introduced with the iPhone 5S.

Five Best Home Wi-Fi Routers

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A good Wi-Fi router is essential for any solid home network. The best ones get great range and can serve all of the computers in your home, offer tons of management features so you can control your network, focus on speedy communication, and others even have advanced features like NAS support, printer sharing, traffic shaping, and more. This week, we're looking at five of the best on the market right now.

Earlier in the week, we asked you which Wi-Fi routers you thought were the best. If this post looks familiar at all, it's because we've updated it with your top five from this week, booting out the older routers from several years ago. We figured it was time to take a fresh look! Some of the old standbys that made the list last time are either no longer available, painfully old, or at the very least, have been eclipsed by superior options, now that 802.11ac is available in more phones and computers than before.

What's The Best Home Wi-Fi Router?

A Wi-Fi router is at the center of most people's home networks, but not every router is a good … Read more

You offered a great selection—more than we have room to highlight—including some hacker-friendly routers and crowdfunded models that aren't on the market just yet, but here are the five that rose above the rest:

ASUS RT-AC66U Dual-Band Wireless-AC1750 Gigabit Router

The ASUS RT-AC66U is the successor to some of the RT models that made the roundup last time we looked at the best routers. This one comes to the market packing 802.11ac, incredible range and signal power, and performance that can punch through walls and other obstacles to connect devices around your home. The antennae on the back are adjustable and detachable in case you want to add bigger ones or signal boosters, and the RT-AC66U packs NVIDIA's GameStream technology for gamers who use NVIDIA products and GPUs. The router also packs four gigabit Ethernet ports for wired connections, two built-in USB ports for printer or drive sharing with your network (not to mention remote management, remote downloading, and other devices you may want to be always on and always connected), and dual-band transmitters to help balance out tons of devices or connect ones that may be farther from the router. If you're interested, it'll set you back about $180 from Amazon.

ASUS RT-AC66U Dual-Band Wireless-AC1750 Gigabit Router

Amazon.com: $169.99

Buy now1,184 readers bought this

Those of you who praised the RT-AC66U noted that it's super-easy to set up, with a built-in connection wizard that's easy enough to configure and will have you and your devices connected in minutes. You also noted that the router's built-in software, while not perfect, does pack a lot of management tools and advanced configuration options so you can monitor your traffic, prioritize applications and devices, and secure everything. Speaking of security, the router has a built-in VPN, so you can connect securely anywhere. Oh, and did we mention that it gracefully supports the DD-WRT and Tomato custom firmwares if you want to install them? You can read more about it—and its Wireless-N predecessor, the ASUS RT-N66U ($125 at Amazon)—in the nominations thread here.

Vote: ASUS RT-AC66U Read more

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Netgear AC1900 Nighthawk Smart WiFi Router (R7000)

The Netgear AC1900 kind of looks like a stealth fighter, which may or may not be an awesome thing to you. Its design is actually supposed to boost signal, and the three external antennae are adjustable and designed to help deliver 802.11ac wireless signal to all corners of your home, connecting all of your devices. The Nighthawk is a dual-band router, perfect for connecting lots of devices or devices with varying ranges, and is heavily marketed to gamers, thanks in no small part to support for NVIDIA's GameStream technology. It also packs four gigabit Ethernet ports for wired connectivity, two USB ports (one of which is USB 3.0) for device sharing, including always-on downloading, printer sharing, NAS or hard drive sharing, and more. The router even supports Apple AirPlay and Time Machine backups right to connected drives. The Nighthawk packs a built-in VPN, guest networking, parental controls, and more security and configuration features that you probably need, and can also handle useful network management tasks like QoS, traffic shaping, and application prioritization. If you're interested in one, you can pick it up for $190 at Amazon.

NETGEAR Nighthawk AC1900 Dual Band WiFi Gigabit Router (R7000)

Amazon.com: $188.99

Buy now258 readers bought this

Those of you who nominated the Nighthawk praised its sleek design and appearance, incredible range, and its reliability, noting that 802.11ac is amazing when you have devices to support it, and the Nighthawk is a rock once it's set up and configured. Best of all, it's DD-WRT compatible, and easy to customize on your own if you want total and complete control over its features and power. Even if you don't, you noted that it's easy enough to set up that anyone can do it. Read more in its nomination thread here.

Netgear AC1900 Nighthawk Smart WiFi Router Read more

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Apple Airport Extreme/Airport Time Capsule

Apple's Airport Extreme and Airport Time Capsule both pack 802.11ac wireless into small routers that can fit just about anywhere, set up easily, and can be remotely managed by iOS devices if you have one. Both devices support printer and hard drive sharing, and the ability to connect other devices via USB and share them with other computers, or to share a printer wirelessly with everything on your network. Both models also feature three gigabit Ethernet ports for wired connections. While the Airport Time Capsule is essentially a NAS and router combination, the Airport Extreme is more of a pure router - although the TIme Capsule is pretty much an Airport Extreme with drives and drive management features. They're both pricey though—the Airport Extreme will set you back $199, and the Airport Time Capsule will set you back $299 or $399, depending on whether you want the model that offers 2TB or 3TB.

Those of you who nominated both devices—and there were enough of you to make each of them their own separate nominee, to be sure—praised the fact that both devices are essentially plug in and walk away—setup so simple that you won't need to spend more than a few minutes getting your network configured and all of your devices connected. In addition to ease-of-use, those of you who nominated them noted their solid performance if you're vested in the OS X and iOS ecosystems, despite their high price tags—if the price tags get you down, you noted the Airport Express is a $99 802.11n base station that can also get the job done. Read more in the nominations threads here and here.

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Buffalo Technology AirStation N600 Gigabit Dual Band DD-WRT Wireless Router

Its name may be a mouthful, but the Buffalo N600 comes in a couple of flavors—the one we're highlighting, and the one you nominated, is the one that ships with DD-WRT already on-board, offering you unprecedented control over the router's features, the ability to get under the hood and really manage your router and your network and set everything up the way you like, and more. Of course, the router itself is no slouch—it's a dual-band 802.11n router with great range and signal strength, so if you're not looking for 802.11ac like some of the other models in the roundup, but you are looking for DD-WRT compatibility, this one might be a good option. It packs four gigabit Ethernet ports in the back and a single USB port for connected devices and device sharing, extendable antennae from the chassis for a little signal boost, and it can be configured as an access point or as a wireless bridge that can extend your current network's reach. They're pretty affordable, too—it'll only set you back $87 at Amazon if you want one.

BUFFALO AirStation HighPower N600 Gigabit Dual Band Wireless Router WZR-600…

Amazon.com: $107.46

Buy now558 readers bought this

Those of you who nominated the N600 praised Buffalo's DD-WRT support and compatibility, and the router's own reliability. A number of you pointed to it as a logical upgrade from the old Linksys WRT54G, especially one that won't break the bank if you're looking for a cheap network upgrade without giving up control over your network or dealing with a UI you don't like or admin tools that don't give you the options you want. You also praised the N600 for handling all of the great things that DD-WRT can do, including built-in VPN via OpenVPN, Dynamic DNS, traffic shaping and QoS, NAS and wireless printing support, device sharing, and more. Check out the nomination thread to read more.

Buffalo N600 with DD-WRT firmware. I installed one upstairs, and another as a repeater in my… Read more

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Asus RT-N56U Dual-Band Wireless-N600 Gigabit Router

The ASUS RT-56U earned more than a few nominations of its own, even considering its higher-end Wireless-N sibling, the N66U was mentioned along with its Wireless-AC successor, the RT-AC66U, both earlier in the roundup. Still, there was a lot of love for the RT-N56U, especially from those of you who wanted a fast, flexible router with internal anntennae that could be mounted anywhere, was powerful enough to serve an entire household with great signal, packed dual-band 802.11n so you could connect all of your devices, and still packed in features like NVIDIA's GameStream, twin USB 2.0 ports on the back for device sharing, wireless printing, and more, and the four wired gigabit ethernet ports that the router offers. It's a snap to set up, it looks great, and it's rock solid—a great router for someone who wants a device to connect to the internet, not necessarily manage a network. If you want one, $88 will get you one at Amazon, although if you shop around, you can probably find it for less than that.

ASUS Dual-Band Wireless-N 600 Router (RT-N56U)

Amazon.com: $85.99

Buy now963 readers bought this

Those of you who nominated the RT-N56U praised its reliability and performance, noting that many of you have had one for years and they're rock solid. You noted that you can't really ask for 5GHz, dual band performance and gigabit Ethernet in a consumer router at such a low price point, and almost all of you who commented on it noted that it's one of the few routers you can own and completely forget its there—you don't have to reboot it every few days. You can read more in the nominations thread here.

Asus RT-N56U. It's good and it's cheap. Read more

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Now that you've seen the top five, it's time to put them to an all-out vote to determine the winner.

BlackBerry Z3 smartphone launched in India at Rs 15,990

BlackBerry Z3 Review

The BlackBerry Z3 is the first offspring from the well accepted BlackBerry and Foxconn relationship.
The Z3 ‘Jakarta Edition’ is a unique device built with the Indonesian market in mind. The aim of this entry-level all-touch device is to attack the lower tier market which is dominated by cheap Androids.
Lets see how the third all-touch BlackBerry 10 device stacks up:

UNBOXING

HARDWARE

Here is the Z3′s full spec sheet:

Screen Resolution

My biggest fear when I saw the specs on the Z3 was how underwhelming the screen resolution would be at 540 x 960 qHD. However, I found myself not hating it as much as I thought I would. Keeping the Z3′s price point in mind, the screen is vibrant and colorful. When comparing to a Z10 or Z30 you are left wanting more but your wallet will thank you.

Processor & Memory

The Z3 is no slouch in terms of performance. Expect the same speed and fluidity you get from its more expensive counterparts. The dual core 1.2GHz processor handles all commands and BlackBerry 10 goodies with ease leaving any doubt about performance in the dust.
The device comes with only 1.5GB RAM, which has prompted BlackBerry to limit the amount of open Active Frames to 4, as opposed to the standard 8. I would have loved 2GB of RAM in this device, but to be completely honest, after 4 days of heavy usage I haven’t noticed any lag.

Battery

The Z3 has a 2500mAh non-removable battery to help you get through multiple days. I consider myself an extreme power user and I have only had to charge the device twice in the last 4 days, which is very impressive.
I am using it on the T-Mobile network, which does give me HSPA+ speeds. Even though this particular Z3 model doesn’t have LTE, I get decent speeds without the need of extra juice. If battery is your key factor when purchasing a device you need to not look further than the Z3.

Cameras

The device comes with a 5MP rear camera and a 1.1MP front facing camera. I spent a lot of time taking pictures with Z3 and was very impressed, to say the least. I haven’t spent much time with the Q5 devices, so I cannot comment if it’s the same 5MP lens. However, I consider the Z3 to have one of the best cameras for a BlackBerry 10 device. Colors look great and images come out brighter. Look at the comparison pictures below:

Speakers

If you’ve ever owned a BlackBerry Z30, you’ve been spoiled by the speakers. To me the Z10 speakers were average at best and I wasn’t too impressed with the Q devices either. As a huge music fan my first test of the Z3 was the speaker.
I have mixed feelings about the Z3 speaker. First, I love how loud and clear it is. My issue is the placement of the speaker which is located to the bottom of left side of the device, which takes away the “surround sound” feeling you get from other devices.
Second, even though the device can be very loud, if you place the device on its back sometimes the sound gets clouded, again courtesy of the speaker placement. Being a Z30 owner has definitely spoiled me.

You can see how the Z3 speaker compares to the Z30 in the video below:

Design

In terms of device “beauty” the Z3 doesn’t disappoint. An all (BlackBerry) black design with bold BlackBerry lettering in the bottom keeps the “Premium BlackBerry” feel. The power button has been shifted to the side and the charging dock to the bottom.

I am a huge fan of the latter and makes using your device while charging it a breeze with no wires in the way. The Z3 reminds me of a Nokia design, but without all the unnecessary bulkiness. Absent is the HDMI port, which we are used to on the Z10 and Z30. Though, it was expected due to the price point of the Z3.

The sim card “flop” is very well made and as you see in the picture it is perfectly placed. Inserting or removing a sim or a an SD card is pretty easy.

The back has a very nice texture with a great grip ensuring your device won’t slip out of your hand.

SOFTWARE

BlackBerry 10 With No compromise

When BlackBerry 10 first released we were told that nothing less than 2GB of RAM would do. Today, we are talking about a device with much less specs and only 1.5GB of RAM. The beauty is that you will get an unchanged , unaltered, and uncompromised BB10 experience with the Z3.
Only limitation on the device is the number of Active Frames that can be opened which has gone down from 8 to 4. BlackBerry took this route to ensure that the customer never has a bad experience where memory is an issue.
The Z3 comes with all the goodies you have come to love about BB10 including the Timeshift camera, Story Maker and Docs to Go. A cost efficient non-compromising BlackBerry Experience is what you get when buy a Z3.

BES? No Problem

When we first heard of a Foxconn made device , security came front and center. Loyal BlackBerry users have been very adamant about their security and I am happy to say that this hasn’t changed with the Z3. The device is as secure as any BlackBerry 10 device made before it and it will be available to all enterprise customers in the regions made available.

BlackBerry World

One of the best assets of this device is that Z30 apps are automatically scaled to work on the Z3. Taking a look through BlackBerry World all of your favorite apps are available for download. It’s a very good way for BlackBerry to accommodate developers and help them get their apps out there to new Z3 owners.

Android Apps

BlackBerry has a major problem when it comes to third party applications available in BlackBerry World. One of my fears was that a low-end device wouldn’t have the resources to handle Android applications as well as the Z30. Check out this video comparing the Z3 with the Z30 and Z10 on rendering Android app launching:
As you can see the Z3 outperforms the Z10 by quite a bit and actually hangs a little with the Z30. I have been surprised at how much better Android apps perform on a Z3 compared to the Z10.
If you keep in mind that the Z10 has a faster processor you would think it would be the opposite. I have loaded the Amazon store and the 1Mobile Market store for easily downloading android apps. Again, there’s hardly any compromises with the Z3.

SUMMARY

After using this device in the market it wasn’t meant to be used in, I am left happily surprised. In a time where phones cost between six and seven hundred dollars it’s refreshing to see BlackBerry release a sub $200 device that still performs like a high end device.
I’m not as thrilled about the screen resolution, but as much as I wished it was a 720p device I can live with the qHD by reminding myself of the great $189.99 price tag. BlackBerry has a huge hit in their hands and I would strongly encourage an LTE version for the rest of the world as soon as possible.
Reading through press releases about BES10 adaptation I couldn’t help but notice that a lot of these companies are purchasing the cheaper Q5 and Z10 devices. Bringing the Z3 to BlackBerry’s core customers will definitely increase customer satisfaction and lower device costs, a win-win for both BlackBerry and its customer-base.

Microsoft More Than Doubles OneDrive’s Free Cloud Storage To 15 Gigabytes

Microsoft More Than Doubles OneDrive’s Free Cloud Storage To 15 Gigabytes

Continuing the trend towards free, unlimited cloud storage, Microsoft this morning increased the amount of capacity that it offers free to regular users of its OneDrive service to 15 gigabytes, more than double its previous offering of 7 gigabytes.
The company will also now offer a full terabyte of storage to all Office 365 customers. If you want more storage capacity, but don’t want to pony up for Office, you can now pay $1.99 monthly for 100 gigabytes, or $3.99 each month for 200 gigabytes.
The latter storage option cost $11.49, previously.
What this boils down to is that Microsoft has greatly increased the amount of storage that it is giving away for free, and, if you buy Office as a subscription in any capacity, you get what works out to nearly unlimited free cloud storage.
The single-person Office subscription, Office 365 Personal, costs $6.99 monthly and now comes with a full terabyte of storage. If you need more users, the ‘Home’ version of he same software costs a few dollars more, tipping in at $9.99 monthly and comes with a terabyte of storage per user, for up to five users. Microsoft has therefore greatly decreased the price per gigabyte it charges paying customers.
Surprising? Not at all, but interesting all the same. As a part of the platform wars, storage is an enabler. As I’ve written before, files like to be edited near where they are stored — so, whomever controls cloud file storage will be able to vend editing tools. Microsoft makes quite a bit of money selling Office, so it has a vested interest in doing well in cloud storage.
Dropbox, Box, iCloud Drive, Amazon Drive, and Google Drive all have their sights on Redmond’s cash flows, of course. That makes the Microsoft’s move to greatly expand its free offering, and enhance its paid offering, understandable.
15 free gigabytes isn’t enough, however. Box, earlier this year, offered up to 50. If Microsoft is feeling aggressive, it will acquiesce to its own logic, and provide more — the company is making a bet that when offered a massive chunk of cloud storage for a low price, consumers won’t mind paying for Office, and that 15 gigabyte carrot will keep them inside its services’ camp.
But, as this Google Trends chart points out, Microsoft is running behind its rivals when it comes to consumer mindshare:

Therefore, the company should be all the more aggressive, provided that it wants to increase its share of the growing cloud storage market.
Its moves today are useful, but don’t go as far as I might have hoped. When you have essentially unlimited cash, why not stomp on the gas pedal and do your damnedest to hit top speed?

Lenovo Yoga 2 Pro Announced With 3200 x 1800 Pixel Display

Lenovo has launched a new version of their Yoga notebook in the form of the Lenovo Yoga 2 Pro which comes supplied running Microsoft’s latest Windows 8 operating system and is fitted with a 13-inch display offering a 3200 x 1800 (QHD+) pixel resolution. Together with 10-point multitouch support and Lenovo Voice Control, to help control your system as you use it using simple voice commands.  The 350-nit screen features IPS 178° wide angle viewing for great views from nearly any line of sight.

It’s very light — 3.06 pounds — and comes with a range of new Intel Core processors, up to a 512GB SSD and a nine-hour battery.

The Lenovo Yoga 2 Pro will be available with up to an Intel Core i7 Haswell processor, up to 512GB of solid state storage, and up to 8GB of RAM.

It features WiFi, Bluetooth, Dolby audio, and Intel HD graphics. Lenovo has also moved the antenna to offer better performance with Intel’s WiDi wireless display technology.

The computer runs Windows 8.1, and Lenovo is also pre-loading it with a series of new apps including a Phone Companion for sharing content from your PC to your mobile device, a photo sharing app, and a few other apps. This device works with motion control through its front-facing 720p camera, allowing users to navigate through PowerPoint presentations, browse e-books, and move through photo albums.

The Lenovo Yoga 2 Pro will be launching during October and will be priced at around $1,100. Indian pricing and availability has not been revealed yet.

 Amazon Fire phone

Specs review: Is the new Amazon Fire phone worth it?

#Amazon Fire Phone

After a string of rumours and speculations that started way back in 2012, the Amazon Fire Phone has finally arrived. The company has launched the smartphone for a price starting at $119, which translates to approximately Rs 11,500.  All the buzz around the Amazon phone has been its so-called 3D shopping feature and its renowned services for mobile, which means that less is known about its hardware. So, let’s take a closer look at its specs with a complete review.

Size 5.5" x 2.6" x 0.35" (139.2mm x 66.5mm x 8.9mm) Weight 5.64 ounces (160 grams) Processor 2.2GHz Quad-core Snapdragon 800 CPU, with Adreno 330 GPU and 2GB of RAM Display 4.7" HD LCD display, with 1280 x 720 resolution at 315 ppi, 590 cd/m2 brightness (typical), 1000:1 contrast ratio (typical) Cameras 13 MP rear-facing camera, multi-frame HDR, auto focus, optical image stabilization, f/2.0 5-element wide aperture lens, LED flash 2.1 MP front-facing camera OS Fire OS 3.5.0 Storage 32 GB or 64 GB Cloud Storage Free cloud storage for all Amazon content, and photos taken with Fire phone Battery Battery size: 2400mAh. Talk time: up to 22 hours; standby time: up to 285 hours. Video playback: up to 11 hours; audio playback: up to 65 hours. Video recording 1080p HD video recording at 30 fps (front- and rear-facing cameras) Audio playback Dual stereo speakers with Dolby Digital Plus audio processing TV and Video Supports screen mirroring and Second Screen Content formats supported Audio: Dolby Digital (AC-3), Dolby Digital Plus (E-AC-3), non-DRM AAC, MP3, MIDI, OGG, PCM/WAVE, AAC LC/ELD, HE-AAC (v1 & v2), AMR-NB, AMR-WB, AMR-WB+, Audible Enhanced format (AAX); Video: MPEG4, VP8, H.264/MPEG4/AVC,MPEG4 SP, H.263,AVI,HDCP2.x, PlayReady DRM; Images: JPG, GIF, PNG, BMP, GIF87a,GIF89a; Viewable docs: PDF, unprotected MOBI, PRC natively, DOC, DOCX, Kindle (AZW), KF8, TXT Sensors Dynamic Perspective sensor system with invisible infrared illumination, gyroscope, accelerometer, magnetometer, barometer, proximity sensor, ambient light sensor Location GPS, Assisted GPS, GLONASS, Wi-Fi/Cellular location, and Digital compass Cellular UMTS/HSPA+/DC-HSDPA (850, 900, 1700/2100, 1900, 2100 MHz), Quad-band GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz), 9 bands of LTE (Bands 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 17, 20), supports carrier aggregation Connectivity 802.11a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi, up to 300 Mbps with channel bonding; Bluetooth 3.0 wireless technology; NFC enabled Headphones Premium, tangle-free headphones with remote and mic Rating for hearing aids M4, T4 SIM Card Pre-installed Nano SIM card Ports Micro USB 2.0 3.5mm headphone Warranty and Service 1-year Limited Warranty included. Use of Fire phone is subject to these terms Included in the Box Amazon Fire Phone with Fire OS 3.5.0 Premium headphones with remote and mic Micro USB to USB charging cable USB power adapter (5W) Quick Start Guide

OS – Fire OS 3.5
The Amazon Fire Phone runs on a forked version of Android that it has decided to call Fire OS 3.5. Basically, this is a forked version of Android 4.2 Jelly Bean. But the general consensus is that Amazon has made so many adjustments that the new Fire OS does not resemble Android in any way.
Google services also may not be a part of the smartphone, but there is the possibility that you can sideload them as APKs.
The carousel feature on the phone gives you the ability to look at frequently (and recently) opened apps, and each app can list off some recent notifications. As for the app grid itself, you can put apps in whatever order you want, as well as add extra content like books, websites and other specific items.” It is interesting to see how Amazon has ‘yet again’ camouflaged Android with its own UI and services.
According to Engadget’s Brad Molen, “A press of the home button will let you switch back and forth between the app grid and the carousel.
Cellular connectivity
The device supports 3G with UMTS/HSPA+/DC-HSDPA (850, 900, 1700/2100, 1900, 2100 MHz). It also supports quad-band GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz). One can also expect support for 4G, and it is believed to support nine bands.

Amazon’s first smartphone is here

Display – 4.7-inch HD display
The device falls short of a phablet, but we don’t think that should bother anyone. Just like the Moto X, it has remained steadfast on the 720p, which gives the device screen HD resolution. This means the pixel density will go all the way up to 315 ppi – this is a good display, but not anywhere in the league of say, an Apple Retina Display.  However for the pricepoint, it is a fairly decent screen. The display comes with a typical 590 cd/m2 brightness and 1000:1 contrast ratio. It also gets a layer of Gorilla Glass protection.
Form factor
The Amazon Fire Phone is neither too large nor too small with its 8.9mm thickness. It measures 139.2mm x 66.5mm x 8.9mm, which is an easy fit. The device tips the scale at 160 grams, and with Gorilla Glass on both sides, will give users a good feel to the device. It will also be fairly well protected.
SoC – Quad-core Snapdragon 800, 2GB RAM
The Fire comes powered by a quad-core Snapdragon 800 CPU. Not the latest breed, but good enough at that price. The processor clocks at 2.2GHz and also supports an Adreno 330 GPU. It includes 2GB of RAM, which is good enough to handle all those apps and services.
Storage – 32/64GB
The Fire comes in 32GB and 64GB versions. Amazon has also thrown in free cloud storage for all Amazon content, as well as to store photos taken with the device.
Camera – 13MP rear and 2.1MP front cameras
Keeping in view other phones with a similar pricing, the Amazon smartphone comes equipped with a 13-megapixel rear camera. The company has opted for an f/2.0 5-element wide aperture lens along with support for multi-frame HDR, auto focus, optical image stabilization and LED flash. For sefie lovers, it has also included a 2.1 MP front-facing camera. Both front and rear cameras support 1080p HD video recording at 30 fps.

Amazon Fire comes bundled with key services from the E-commerce giant. AP

Sensors – More than usual
There is no dearth of sensors in the Fire Phone. It is loaded with a gyroscope, accelerometer, magnetometer, barometer, proximity sensor and ambient light sensor. It also introduces the Dynamic Perspective sensor system with invisible infrared illumination.
Wi-Fi – 802.11a/b/g/n/ac 
The Fire Phone is Wi-Fi-enabled and comes with support for ‘ac’ draft along with a/b/g/n. It also supports Wi-Fi channel bonding.
Other connectivity options – NFC, GPS/A-GPS, GLONAAS
The device supports NFC as well as GPS with Assisted GPS and GLONASS. The phone comes with the slightly older Bluetooth 3.0 wireless technology. Reports point out that though the device supports Bluetooth LE, it won’t launch with the ability. This means the company could release a software update to support the feature eventually. However, there is no word as to when Amazon will do so. It is quite unlikely and disappointing to see a device with some powerful features lack a basic connectivity feature, which is now common even in entry-level Androids.
Battery
The device will be fuelled by a 2400mAh battery that offers up to 22 hours of talktime and 285 hours of standby time. The video playback could roughly last up to 11 hours and audio playback up to 65 hours.
Bottom line
In a nutshell, the Amazon Fire Phone doesn’t come with the best of specs for a device at this price point. Moreover, its exclusivity to AT&T further limits its reach. However, Amazon is banking on the gesture-enabled features with Dynamic Perspective and the several Amazon services including the latest Prime music service that company plans to bundle with the device. Take a look at the five key features of the Amazon Fire Phone.
While on paper it does comes across as a complete decent package, but let’s wait and watch if these fancy features match up with the actual performance of the device.