Leica announces the M Edition 60, goes for nostalgia over logic

Leica has announced a limited edition M Edition 60, a digital camera that wants you to reminisce about the good old days of film photography by throwing away everything great about digital photography.

In case you didn’t notice, there is no display on the back. This means there is no interface to adjust things, which is fine because there are dials and knobs which can do that. What they can’t do is let you review your photo once you’ve taken on it, to ensure everything from the composition to the focus, white balance, and exposure are accurate.

Google Play Newsstand now available in India, Netherlands, Russia, and Spain

Following the announcement of Android One in India yesterday, Google also opened the Newsstand section in the Play Store in the country, with free one year subscription to paid content.

But India is not the only country to get the Newsstand section; it is now also available in Netherlands, Russia, and Spain. Previously, these countries could only access the free content through the Play Newsstand app but now they can purchase premium content through the dedicated section in the Play Store.

If you are in either of these countries, you will see the new section highlighted in the Play Store.

Canon announces PowerShot G7 X, SX60 HS, and N2

Photokina is here and Canon has announced three new point and shoot cameras. The best of the lot by far is the new PowerShot G7 X, which features a new one-inch sensor.

The new 20.2 megapixel CMOS sensor has an ISO range of 125-12800 and is paired with Canon’s new Digic 6 processor. The camera has a new 31 point AF system and a continuous shooting mode of 6.5fps. The lens is a 24-100mm equivalent with an aperture range of f/1.8 to f/2.8. The lens features a nine-blade aperture diaphragm and a built-in ND filter. The G7 X can record videos in 1080p at 60 frames per second.

Microsoft sends out invites for a Windows 9 event on September 30

In line with past rumors, Microsoft sent out invites for a dedicated Windows 9 press gathering. The hotly anticipated event will take place in San Francisco.

Redmond’s upcoming announcement will also focus on enterprise. The company’s executives Joe Belfiore and Terry Myerson will talk about the future of Microsoft Windows.

Release of a Windows 9 Technical Preview is all but certain. The increasing number of leaked screenshots and videos also points in this direction.

CyanogenMod 11.0 M10 released, adds Sprint’s Galaxy S5 and drops CDMA Galaxy Nexus

Another month has passed, so it’s time for another ‘M’ release by CyanogenMod. The popular custom ROM for Android is now at M10 for CyanogenMod 11.0, based on Android 4.4 KitKat.

The new software adds support for Sprint’s Samsung Galaxy S5, but it also drops support for the Verizon and Sprint versions of the Samsung Galaxy Nexus from yesteryear.

China Mobile could delay iPhone 6 launch until 2015

The newly announced iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus may have received more than 4 million pre-orders in 24 hours, but the two devices are facing a delayed launch in China.

At this point it's really unclear when the iPhone 6 will arrive in the world's biggest smartphone market. Not even China Mobile knows. And that's the country's biggest carrier, with around 800 million customers.

According to an unconfirmed report, Apple has yet to get its new iPhones certified for sale in China by the country's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, which has apparently failed to reach an agreement with the Cupertino-based company on the matter. Without this certification, you simply can't legally sell phones in China, so the situation isn't looking good for Apple.

Moto X (2014) review

The new Moto X arrived exactly a year after its predecessor brought us customizable looks, wrapped in a sleek body, proudly wearing the "Made in USA" label. The new flagship of the company is likely one of the last Motorola products developed during Google's reign of the company - the storied American brand is bound to soon become part of Lenovo.

  
New Moto X official photos

Like the first generation Moto X, the successor boasts a customizable body. This year, the manufacturer has brought even more personalization possibilities to the table, headed by high quality, genuine Horween leather back options.

The Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 SoC found inside the Moto X is the default option in this year's class of high-end Android smartphones. The device's 5.2" 1080p AMOLED display and the 13MP camera with UHD video recording are also ready to take on the competition.

As always, here goes the full list of features the new Moto X has to offer, followed by some of its shortcomings.

JR: Smartphones shipment to reach 1.2 billion in 2014

Analyst company Juniper Research estimates that global smartphone shipments for 2014 will reach 1.2 billion units. That's a 19% increase compared to 2013 when global smartphone shipments were estimated at 985 million.

The growth in smartphone shipments comes primarily from emerging markets. There, the sub-$150 offerings are selling like hot cakes and this trend is expected to continue. Smartphones below the $75 mark are expected to bring further growth to the market.

Custom firmware brings iOS 7 features to really old iPhones

iOS has a growing developer community and while it's very far from the jungle of custom ROMs available for Android, here's a start. The Whited00r firmware brings iOS 7 look and feel to devices that are no longer supported by Apple.

The supported devices include the original iPhone, the iPhone 3G, the first and second-generation iPod touch. The related Grayd00r project supports the third-get iPod Touch and the original iPad.

Note that despite the looks, Whited00r is actually based on iOS 3.x. That said it includes multitasking, control center, Siri, lockscreen notifications and new camera app with video recording.

Both the official App Store and Cydia are available, though keep in mind that many apps will not run on the older OS. That's where the AppTimeMachine feature steps in and gives you access to applications that no longer support iOS 3.x.

NFC on the iPhone 6 only works with Apple Pay

The Apple iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus come with NFC connectivity that makes the Apple Pay service work. However, that's just about what the connectivity protocol will be used to, at least in the beginning.

This is confirmed by an Apple spokesperson for Cult of Mac, who declined to reveal the company's future plans of additional uses of the NFC chip. Allegedly though, the company is considering opening the NFC on the iPhone 6 duo to third-party developers in the future.

LG teases Wine Smart, a flip smartphone

Smart flip phones are odd ducks, an attempt to rekindle the nearly extinct form factor. They never get much attention but LG will be introducing a specimen soon – the LG Wine Smart.

Wine is a series of flip phones available in the US, Canada but also in South Korea and Japan. There's a dedicated website – lgwinesmart-event.com – for the new device and it's entirely in Korean, so chances of western availability are slim.

Everything else about the phone is unknown though, not even what OS it will be running. The teaser image shows a glowing button and the Korean text refers to a special button but with nothing on its function.

The dates suggest the LG Wine Smart will be introduced this week so we'll be on the lookout for more details.

Note that we've brightened the original image to make it easier to see.

China Creates Its First Smartphone Sidewalk Lane

Taking a cue from an American TV program, the Chinese city of Chongqing has created a smartphone sidewalk lane, seemingly offering a path for those too engrossed in messaging and tweeting to watch where they're going.

But the property manager says it's intended to be ironic - to remind people that it's dangerous to tweet while walking the street.

New Battery Findings May Herald Faster Charging Smartphones

In a finding that may help extend smartphone battery life, scientists have found that rapid-charging and draining does not damage the lithium ion battery electrode as previously thought.

A comprehensive look at how tiny particles in a lithium ion battery electrode behave shows that the benefits of slow draining and charging may have been overestimated. The results challenge the prevailing view that "supercharging" batteries is always harder on battery electrodes than charging at slower rates, researchers said.

Adidas miCoach Smart Run Smartwatch Launched

German sportswear major Adidas has joined the smartwatch bandwagon in India with its 'miCoach Smart Run', priced at Rs 24,999, which will allow users to monitor heart rate and play music.

The smartwatch, which will be available exclusively on Adidas website, will also allow runners to track their runs using GPS mapping.

Now, Apps to Help Brides Track Down the Perfect Wedding Gown

Finding the perfect wedding gown can be a daunting task but new apps can help women narrow the options by helping them find and virtually try hundreds of designs.

Brides spent on average $1,281 dollars on their wedding gowns in 2013, according to wedding website TheKnot, which surveyed 13,000 couples who were married last year.

Creative Sound Blaster E Series Audio Solution Launched

Creative on Monday launched the Sound Blaster E Series audio solution in India, meant for a variety of platforms including PC, Mac, smartphones and tablets. The devices function both ad external sound cards and headphone amplifiers.

Apple Medical Trials Shed Light on How HealthKit Will Work

Two prominent U.S. hospitals are preparing to launch trials with diabetics and chronic disease patients using Apple Inc's HealthKit, offering a glimpse of how the iPhone maker's ambitious take on healthcare will work in practice.

HealthKit, which is still under development, is the center of a new healthcare system by Apple. Regulated medical devices, such as glucose monitors with accompanying iPhone apps, can send information to HealthKit. With a patient's consent, Apple's service gathers data from various health apps so that it can be viewed by doctors in one place.

Sprint Prepaid Plans Reconfigured To Mirror Boost Mobile Plans

Sprint’s experiment in a branded prepaid plan outside of its prepaid group continues and it seems that common sense has prevailed rather than the previous two attempts that made Sprint Prepaid the least attractive prepaid service in the industry. Starting today, the three Sprint Prepaid plans will now start at $35 for 1GB of data, $45 for 3GB, and the $55 plan will now include 6GB of data per month. However, Sprint Prepaid is one of the few branded prepaid services that does include taxes and fees in its monthly rates, which is something to keep in mind when shopping for prepaid service.

Nikon D750 With 24.3-Megapixel CMOS Sensor Launched at Rs. 1,34,450

Nikon India on Friday announced the launch of their latest DSLR camera - the D750. The Japanese company proudly claims that the D750 is 'the smallest and lightest FX-format (full-frame) digital SLR camera'. The D750 body-only is priced at Rs. 134,450 and according to Nikon the D750 + AF-S NIKKOR 24-120MM F/4G ED VR lens kit will be available starting November 2014.

WhatsApp iPhone App Confirms Voice Calling Feature Launch Imminent

Voice calling, the one big feature missing from WhatsApp's arsenal, is coming to the popular platform soon. We've been hearing about this feature since February, when WhatsApp CEO Jan Kuom announced that the voice calling feature would be added to Android and iPhone first, followed by BlackBerry, Nokia and Microsoft platforms. Now, NDTV Gadgets has spotted a mention of the feature in WhatsApp's iPhone app, which all but confirms that the feature is indeed nearing launch.

DIY: Building the Cheapest Gaming PC You'll Actually Want to Buy

A gaming PC can be a lot cheaper than a console, and you also have a lot more flexibility about your budget - you can skimp now, and upgrade to the monster rig of your dreams later if you choose.

There's an intimidating number of choices available but we can help you to build up a budget rig on your own. Our focus is on building the cheapest gaming rig that still delivers an acceptable experience. Clearly, this machine we'll build will not be for the purists - we'll do that at a later stage - but something that you can use as a reference point if you are looking to take your gaming a little bit more seriously.

You can then choose to step up from there depending on how much you're able to spend and what level of graphical quality you're looking for.

Microsoft buys the company that made Minecraft for $2.5 billion

Microsoft has purchased gaming company Mojang, the creators of Minecraft, for the cool $2.5 billion. The company shares that its partnership with the game maker began when the two discussed the Xbox One version of the game.

Since Minecraft’s launch in 2009, it has been downloaded by more than 100 million users. As Xbox boss Phil Spencer states, Microsoft will continue to make Minecraft available across non-PC and Xbox platforms, such as iOS, Android and PlayStation.

Samsung NX1 smart camera with 28MP APS-C sensor, DCI 4K video unveiled

Samsung unveiled the Samsung NX1, a mirrorless shooter with a 28MP BSI APS-C sensor. It’s a smart camera with 15fps burst shooting and DCI 4K video capture.

The company also unveiled a new telephoto lens, the NX 50-150mm f/2.8 with OIS.

Canon EOS 7D Mark II gets official

Just as was leaked a few days ago, the new Canon EOS 7D Mark II was officially announced at Photokina. The DSLR has been years in the making, and it will be in stores in November.

It comes with a 20.2 MP APS-C sensor, which can record 1080p video at 60fps. The camera has Dual Pixel CMOS autofocus, and Canon’s first 65-point All Cross Type autofocus.

4K video recording app for iPhone 5s now available, costs $999.99

This isn’t a joke! Apple has approved the Vizzywig 4K app for iPhone 5s, which enables 4K video recording with 24 fps on the 2013 smartphone. It costs $999.99 (€899.99) and works only on iPhone 5s with 32GB or 64GB storage.

The app captures 24 burst images per second in 4K resolution and then stitches them together in just 1s footage. This means you’ll lose about 72MB for each second of your video. This explains the requirement for the 32GB+ iPhone model!

A luxury smartwatch from TAG Heuer is in the works

Word is that French luxury group LVMH is planning to release a smartwatch through its TAG Heuer brand.

The latest news is confirmed by Swiss newspaper NZZ am Sonntag, where LVMH exec and former Swatch and Hublot board member Jean-Claude Biver confirmed that TAG Heuer is working on a smartwatch.

‘BioShock’ for iOS game review

BioShock needs very little introduction. If you have been playing video games for the past decade or so, you would have heard about it far too many times by now and most probably played it back when it released on the PC and consoles in 2007.

The full game has now been ported over to iOS and is available on both, the iPhone and the iPad. There has been a reasonable amount of hype surrounding the iOS version, considering how popular the PC and console versions were, so let’s see how good the port is.

Samsung makes another infographic detailing Galaxy Note 4 specs

Samsung is really fond of making infographics, and there is usually one for every new product they release. The latest one is for their newest flagship smartphone, the Galaxy Note 4.

The infographics runs through the various specs, such as the phone’s dimensions, display resolution, camera, software features, hardware, connectivity, and all the sensors.

You can find the full infographic in the link below.

Source

Xiaomi developer launches stock Android 4.4 ROMs for the Mi 3 and Mi 4

A developer at Xiaomi has published an AOSP version of Android 4.4 KitKat for the Xiaomi Mi 3 and Mi 4. This is a strong indication that the company intends to officially release stock, vanilla versions of Android for a select number of phones for users to flash.

The ROM is compiled using the official kernel and as a result is stable and without too many bugs. In fact, just now, the latest published ROM includes support for over-the-air updates and the Xiaomi developer in question says upcoming updates will be available via the OTA.

Xiaomi is among the first companies to make flashing stock Android an option for its smartphones. Oppo also did this for the N1 thanks to its cooperation with Cyanogen and its nice to see that Xiaomi is working towards such an option, too.

Asus tests its first Android TV set-top box dubbed Nexus Player

Android TV is coming this fall and manufacturers are preparing their upcoming products to conquer people’s living rooms. Asus is one of them, and leaked benchmarks of its Nexus Player show the company is testing its first Android TV set-top box.

The unannounced set-top box runs Android L and packs a quad-core 1.83GHz Intel x86 CPU and a PowerVR Rogue G6430 GPU complete with 1GB of RAM and 8GB of internal storage. The system has undergone tests on 23.7″ and 31.9″ displays, both of 1080p resolution.

Samsung Galaxy Note 4 has the best display as per DisplayMate

DisplayMate, a renowned company specializing in display tests, has praised the Galaxy Note 4's AMOLED in a detailed review. The 5.7" 2560 x 1440 pixel display of the Note 4 packs a pixel density of 518ppi, but that's not its only feature as Samsung has also worked a lot on evolving the quality of its OLEDs.

The review is based on quite a lot of technically-oriented tests and its verdict is that the Note 4's display is currently the best in the market. It is better than the AMOLED on the Galaxy S5 and Galaxy Tab S.

Selfie-obsessed Samsung Galaxy Grand Prime leaks

The selfie is easily the most popular genre of photo these days and Samsung may try to capitalize on that market with the Galaxy Grand Prime. Photos of the handset reveal its front-facing camera boasts 5MP resolution, a sizeable improvement over the 2MP shooters of previous Grands.

The unofficial info about the Samsung Galaxy Grand Prime also reveals an 8MP main camera with 1080p video capture. The phone will be powered by a Snapdragon 400 chipset with 1GB RAM, running Android 4.4 KitKat. So far, so Galaxy Grand 2.

  
Samsung Galaxy Grand Prime in the wild

Samsung Galaxy Grand 2 spec

Available as:
- Samsung Galaxy Grand 2 SM-G7102 with dual SIM card slots
- Samsung Galaxy Grand 2 SM-G7105 with LTE network support
GENERAL 2G Network GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 - SM-G7100
  GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 - SM-G7102 (SIM 1 & SIM 2)
3G Network HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1900 / 2100
4G Network LTE 800 / 850 / 900 / 1800 / 2100 / 2600 - SM-G7105
SIM Optional Dual SIM (Micro-SIM, dual stand-by)
Announced 2013, November
Status Available. Released 2014, January

Panasonic intros expensive Android phone with 1" camera

Panasonic gave up trying to make a name for itself selling smartphones in developed markets a while back, after the failure of its Eluga-branded devices. But now the company seems to want back in.

Today at Photokina 2014 it introduced the Lumix Smart Camera CM1. This is, depending on how you want to look at things, either a smartphone with a great camera strapped to it, or the other way round. Certainly though, it will be the one real competitor for Samsung's Galaxy K Zoom.

Like that device, the Lumix Smart Camera runs Android. It even comes with some very decent hardware innards, but undoubtedly its main attraction will be the camera.

Apple iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus pre-orders exceed 4 million in 24h

Apple unleashed the pre-order campaign for the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus on September 12 and now the company boasts four million orders have been made in the first 24 hours.

The demand is more than Apple anticipated and as a result, while many people will receive their phones in September as promised, a large number of orders will be delayed to October.

LG G3 Stylus goes on sale in Latin America and Central Asia

The LG G3 Stylus is going on sale this week. The company will launch the phone initially in Brazil, as other countries in Latin America will follow soon after. Central Asia and the Commonwealth of Independent States nations will also be among the first to be able to buy the phone.

Pricing and additional details regarding the launch will be announced locally by LG in the coming days. The G3 Stylus will be offered in both single and dual-SIM configurations. Both will pack NFC connectivity and will be available in black, white and gold.

The phone features LG's Rubberdium stylus pen which helps you be more productive on the phone's 5.5-inch qHD IPS display. Despite the low resolution, we enjoyed our time with the phone on the IFA 2013 grounds. You can check our hands-on with LG G3 Stylus.

The rest of the LG G3 Stylus specifications include a quad-core Cortex-A7 CPU, 1GB of RAM and 8GB of internal storage complemented by a microSD card slot. The 3,000mAh battery is removable and the phone runs Android 4.4.2 KitKat. At the back, there's a 13MP camera with LED flash, while selfies are done with a 1.3MP snapper.

Google launches Android One in India with three new smartphones

After announcing it first back at I/O 2014, Google today finally launched the first Android One devices in India.

The first three phones to be launched are the Karbon Sparkle V, Micromax Canvas A1, and Spice Dream UNO. The Dream UNO is the cheapest at INR6,299 ($103), while the Sparkle V costs INR6,399 ($105) and the Canvas A1 costs INR6,499 ($106).

All three phones are being sold exclusively through three different online stores. The Karbonn Sparkle V will be sold on Snapdeal, the Micromax Canvas V1 through Amazon, and the Spice Dream UNO through Flipkart.

Phones4U goes into administration after getting dropped by carriers

In a stunning development, high street UK mobile phone retailer Phones4U has gone into administration. This comes after both Vodafone and EE refused to extend their carrier contracts with Phones4U, effectively bringing an end to the retailer in its current state.

A Phones4U statement reads as follows:

"The unexpected decisions by both Vodafone and EE have come as a complete shock to the business. The company is in a healthy state and both EE and Vodafone had, until very recently, consistently indicated that they saw Phones 4u as a long-term strategic partner."

EE has made the following statement to Pocket-lint:

Snapdeal announces Karbonn Sparkle V Android One phone

Google hasn't yet officially announced Android One devices but the respective online stores who will be selling these devices just can't wait. After Flipkart prematurely pulled the trigger on Spice Dream UNO, Snapdeal has now put up a product page for the Karbon Sparkle V.

Although the design is slightly different of the Karbonn phone compared to the Spice, it is essentially the same phone underneath with Google's reference design. It has a 4.5-inch, 854x480 IPS display, 1.3GHz quad-core CPU and Mali 400 GPU, 1GB RAM, 4GB storage space with microSD card slot, 5 megapixel rear camera, 2 megapixel front camera, dual-SIM support, 1,700mAh battery and Android 4.4 KitKat with guaranteed updates.

The Karbonn Sparkle V is priced at INR6,399 ($105).

'Windows Phone' branding to be dropped in favor of just 'Windows'

Microsoft is currently in the process of scrapping the 'Windows Phone' name in favor of the simpler 'Windows'. Leaked documents that surfaced earlier stated this but leaked images of an upcoming device confirms this.

An upcoming device by the name of My Go GoFone GF47W comes with just the Windows name printed on the back, instead of the usual Windows Phone. This phone even goes as far as having a simple circle up front for the Home button instead of the usual Windows logo.

Microsoft is planning to unify all Windows devices under one brand name, which meant the Windows Phone name had to go. Microsoft will also be dropping the Nokia name from future Lumia devices.