smartphone – Tech Raman

Is OnePlus 6 the Best Affordable Gaming Smartphone available now?

Lakshmi Rajan — Sun, 01 Jul 2018 07:13:03 +0000

Gaming on Smartphone is a rage now especially with titles like PUBG Mobile making it more immersive as well as addictive. No wonder, we have specialised Gaming Smartphones like Razer phone and Asus ROG phones designed for Gamers in mind. While the dedicated Gaming phones would remain a niche market, many would prefer their Smartphone to be equally good at playing too. For a top notch good gaming performance, the Smartphone should be equipped with the best of the available hardware and the best of the flagship Smartphones provide you exactly that. While we have the likes of Galaxy S9, Galaxy Note 8, Huawei P20 Pro (let me stick faithfully with Android) has enough muscles to push the gaming boundaries, you also have to dig deep into your pocket to own them. Or you can settle for the best affordable flagship for your Gaming needs which has the best processing power available in the market now for gaming , yep am talking about the OnePlus 6.

Why I feel OnePlus 6 is an ideal Gaming Smartphone

Immersive display:

6.28 inches Optic AMOLED display
83.8% screen-to-body ratio
1080 x 2280 pixels
402 ppi density
Corning Gorilla Glass 5
19:9 ratio
DCI-P3

Display plays an important role in satisfying a gamer’s needs. A big screen with vivid display would make for an enriching gaming experience. The OnePlus 6 comes with a bigger 6.28-inch Optic AMOLED display with a fullHD+ display with a 19:9 aspect ratio, the display is bigger but due to the tall aspect ratio the form factor is also good at handling. The DCI-P3 color profile offers wider gamut of colours than sRGB.

Hardware muscle power:

The better the processing power and graphic capabilities, the better your phone would be at handling the games. The OnePlus 6 is equipped with the best Snapdragon processor available right now – the Snapdragon 845 with Adreno 630 GPU. The combination is the best we have now for enhanced gaming experience. The graphics processing is extremely good and the phone can easily handle any games available right now in Android world and also is a breeze to use.

Gaming Mode:

I hate being interrupted by notifications and calls between my calls. The OnePlus 6 has a gaming mode especially for people like me who want an uninterrupted gaming session. The Gaming mode gives you option to block notifications, answer calls via speaker in case you want to still talk while playing. We can add the games to the gaming mode feature. There are few other features also in the gaming mode which I will talk below. There is also an option to disable automatic brightness while you play games you have added to the Gaming mode. I quiet liked this nifty feature which turned off the annoying change in adaptive brightness while playing games. The Gaming mode setting is available on Settings > Advanced > Gaming mode.

Network Boost:

The Gaming mode has a toggle for network boost. Games like PUBG mobile which are online games require good data network connectivity while playing game or you risk being busted in the middle of the game, the network boost feature prioritises the network for your games by limiting other app’s network usage while the game mode is turned on.

Gaming Battery Saver:

There is also a battery save mode baked into the gaming mode with an option for low and high. If you choose the low setting, the resolution of games will be limited, if you opt for high setting resolution and game FPS will be limited or reduced. Of course, this mode won’t be ideal for all games but for those games that work well on low resolution and FPS you can turn it on and save battery. With all these features and a beast of a hardware power, OnePlus 6 is the best available affordable Gaming smartphone you can buy right now.]]>

Western Digital's new 3D NAND technology fuels the next wave of Big/Fast data in Smartphones

Lakshmi Rajan — Tue, 19 Dec 2017 03:39:10 +0000

Smartphones are developing in light speed and users are demanding better mobile experiences. They are consuming more applications than ever before and developers are fueling their appetite with newer advancements in virtual reality. augmented reality, advancements in photography, 4K media, 360-degree streaming video and much more. All these means increase in the volume, velocity, variety, and value of data. This puts a stress on the embedded flash memory and a need to cope up the memory technology to cater to the increasing demands. 3D Nand technology aims to ease things up and Western Digital has launched the latest generation of intelligent iNAND 8521 and iNAND 7550 embedded flash drives (EFDs) to smoother things.

What is 3D NAND technology?

Smartphones uses embedded flash memory to store and interact with the applications and user data. For many years, the technology used was 2D planar that stacked storage cells horizontally and was limited to “x” and “y” dimensions. Soon, the technology hit the road block of scaling limit and thus a need for a new technology which was filled by the 3D NAND technology that gave scope for extreme capacity, better performance and higher reliability when compared to 2D planar NAND. In 3D NAND technology, the cells are stacked vertically on top of each other in a layer sorts. This skyscrapper kind of technology gave path for larger storage densities within the same space or lesser than the previous 2D NAND technology. The better performance this new technology offered allowed for much better crunching of data and adopting at ease the new advancements and handling the big data that was thrown at it.

iNAND 8521 and iNAND 7550 embedded flash drives

At a media briefing held at Bangalore, Western Digital talked about their new iNAND 8521 and iNAND 7550 embedded flash drives and how it would help for better Smartphone experiences. “By end of 2018, we estimate that average storage capacity will climb to over 60 gigabytes per smartphone globally to support the growing proportion of rich multimedia content and data-driven experiences from artificial intelligence to augmented reality on the devices,” said Neil Shah, research director of devices and ecosystems at Counterpoint Research. “This warrants a move to advanced 3D NAND embedded flash storage solutions, which will drive these richer experiences even further.” Jackie Bao, Director of Product Marketing, Western Digital Corporation shared insights on the new technology and how iNAND 8521 EFD is designed for the big data / data smartphones. The iNAND 8521 uses the UFS 2.1 interface and WD’s latest fight-generation SmartSLC technology, this translates to doubling the sequential write speed¹, and up to 10 times the random write speed² pitted against the existing flagship smartphones powered with the present iNAND7232 EFD mobile solution. It also supports 5G and latest WiFi speeds and gives room for developers to take advantage of the high performance. For mainstream Smartphones not to be left behind the flagship Smartphones while keeping the cost down, WD also have introduced next generation iNAND 7550 EFD. It is based on the e.MMC interface and offers sequential write performance of up 260 MB/s and random read/write performance of 20K IOPS and 15K IOPS respectively. This would help the next generation mid-range smartphones to increase the boot-up time and to quickly launch the applications. Mr. Balaji Sivakumar, Director of Product Marketing – Western Digital Corporation stressed on the importance of India being one of the largest Smartphone market and the Western Digital’s commitment and acknowledgement of the Indian market and the continuous focus to engage both with Indian and global OEMs and bring an enhanced Smartphone experiences. Apart from the flash memory, Western Digital has been actively bringing its various storage solutions to India and they recently launched a new range of hard drives for higher recording densities and low costs per terabyte. ]]>

What happens when Honda designs a mobile case? An airbag smartphone case

Lakshmi Rajan — Thu, 05 Dec 2013 15:33:38 +0000

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Wicked Leak launches 5.5 inch phablet, Wammy Titan for Rs.13,000

Lakshmi Rajan — Fri, 25 Jan 2013 09:24:57 +0000

Update: Wammy Titan Review

Does the image give you a déjà vu feeling? Wammy Titan shows a strong resemblance to the hugely popular Samsung Galaxy Note 2, atleast on the first look. But the comparison would stop here as spec-wise and feature-wise both the phones are in different leagues. Wammy Titan features a 5.5 QHD inch large 5 Point capacitive touch Screen with a screen resolution of 960 x 540 pixels. The smartphone is powered by a MTK 6577 1.2 GHz dual-core processor and I GB RAM. Measuring 144 x 89 x 1 2mm and weighing 160 gms, the device runs on the latest flavour of Android, Jelly Bean OS. Wammy Titan features a dual SIM card functionality and interestingly it supports one mini-SIM and one standard SIM. The smartphone sports a 8 MP camera in the rear with LED flash , auto focus , panorama and Burst feature and a 2 MB camera in the front. The storage is taken care of by a 4 GB internal memory which can be expanded upto 32 GB by microSD card. The phone has a 2,500 mAh battery that the company claims will provide up to 8 hours of talk time and 260 hours of standby time. Wammy Titan is also available in black and white colours. As an added bonus, Wammy Titan ships with a flip case in the box. [gallery columns="4" link="file" ids="1511,1512,1513,1514"]]]>

Samsung Galaxy Grand launches today in India, watch the live webcast

Lakshmi Rajan — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 04:44:47 +0000

Galaxy Grand, a 5 inch smartphone with dual-SIM.

UPDATE: Read HERE about Pricing, limited time offer and tech specs

Samsung Galaxy GRAND is to be launched to day in a grand launch event to be held on 22nd Jan, 2013 in Mumbai. The launch webcast begins at 12:00 PM. The launch is being webcasted live and you can watch the event in our website. ]]>

Micromax A116 Canvas HD announced, a 5-inch quad-core smartphone running on Jelly Bean

Lakshmi Rajan — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 16:25:16 +0000

The ‘phablet’ features a 5-inch HD IPS touchscreen with a resolution of 1280×720 pixels. The power needs is taken care by a 2100 mAh battery. The smartphone packs a 8 megapixel rear camera with LED flash and also sports multiple camera settings such as night mode, 4x zoom etc. Though the front camera is a paltry VGA shooter, which could have been better. The company also claims Canvas A116 would provide for faster browsing. And as the name indicates, it would play HD quality videos. Canvas HD has a 4 GB internal storage and an expandable memory upto 32 GB through a micro SD card. Canvas HD is expected to be attractively priced below Rs.15,000 and would be available in India from the first week of February.

Micromax A116 Canvas HD tech specifications:

5-inch Full touch display
1280×720 HD screen resolution
294 ppi pixel density
MediaTek’s MT6589 1.2 GHz quad core processor
1 GB RAM
4 GB internal memory and external microSD slot expandable up to 32 GB
Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean) OS
Dual SIM (Mini-SIM)
2100mAh battery
8MP rear camera with autofocus and LED
VGA front camera

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Samsung Galaxy Note II – AirView Feature

Lakshmi Rajan — Mon, 15 Oct 2012 07:08:41 +0000

AirView

Best Face camera feature

Easy Clip

Pop Up Note

Quick command

and, an upgraded S-Pen with a S-Button

On the hardware front, the new Note 2 sports a much better 5.5″ HD Super AMOLED screen offering a better clarity and a a 16:9 screen ratio for perfect viewing experience. Sitting within the second generation, Samsung Galaxy Note is a 1.6 GHz quad-core processor for smoother, faster performance and 3100mAh battery for the demanding energy needs. One of the unique feature of Galaxy Note II that impressed me and everyone who fiddled with the device is Air View, which enabled the S-Pen to interact with the device even without touching it. So what this feature does is, it allows you to hover the S-Pen over an email, S Planner, Image gallery or video to preview the content without having to open it. It works neat, saves time, gives quick access to search and view information detail without having to get into multiple tabs or screens. ]]>

Samsung Galaxy Note II Pre-booking Opens in India

Lakshmi Rajan — Fri, 21 Sep 2012 05:15:05 +0000

Key Features of Samsung Galaxy Note II includes:

Enhanced Handwriting & Photo Note
Enhanced S Pen / S Note
Powerful performance at its best
AllShare Play & AllShare Cast
Samsung TouchWiz, Samsung Kies Air
Smart Stay, Direct Call, Screen Recorder

Samsung Galaxy Note II is positioned as an ‘incredibly creative’ device that lets you capture inspirations around you and be creative! Pre-booking of Galaxy Note 2 is now open at Samsung India’s e-store. You can pre-book it by paying an advance of Rs. 5,000. As an exclusive pre-booking offer, you also get a free desktop dock worth Rs.2,399 with every booking. For pre-booking visit – Samsung India E-store

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India is the Fastest Growing Smartphone Market states IDC reports

Lakshmi Rajan — Thu, 30 Aug 2012 17:09:55 +0000

IDC states that India having the lowest smartphone penetration in in Asia/Pacific countries is also the fastest growing smartphone market in the world. Though it only accounts for 2.5% share of the total smartphones shipped globally this year, being the world’s second most populated nation with a billion plus market and a zooming economy, India is poised to grow at 57.5% for the next couple of years making it the fastest growing smartphone market in the world. But even at this phenomenal growth, it would only be garnering 8.5% of the market share in 2016. With the markets flooded with low-cost smartphones and dropping data tariffs India has a huge untapped growth potential and a lucrative market for the mobile makers of all pedigrees. Faced with intense competition, the data tariffs are poised to nosedive further and though 3G charges are still expensive, it might get cheaper in coming years and also the advent of 4G would drive the market further. Localized apps also plays a key role in fueling the growth. While India is poised be the fastest growing smartphone market, it’s giant neighbour China is expected to overtake the US as the world’s biggest smartphone market. Commanding a 25.5% share it is comfortably ahead of U.S.’s 17.8%. Top Five Smartphone Markets and Market Share for 2011, 2012, and 2016 (based on shipments)

Country	2011 Market Share	2012 Market Share	2016 Market Share	2011 – 2016 CAGR
PRC	18.3%	26.5%	23.0%	26.2%
USA	21.3%	17.8%	14.5%	11.6%
India	2.2%	2.5%	8.5%	57.5%
Brazil	1.8%	2.3%	4.4%	44.0%
United Kingdom	5.3%	4.5%	3.6%	11.5%
Rest of World	51.1%	46.4%	46.0%	18.1%
Total	100.0%	100.0%	100.0%	20.5%

Source: IDC Worldwide Mobile Phone Tracker, 2012 Q2 Forecast Release, August 30 2012 Note: Countries listed in terms of ranking in 2016.]]>