Hands on with the Apple iPhone 5

Although the much awaited iPhone 5 has not yet made it to India in an official capacity, it’s never stopped the Indian retailers of the grey variety to get their hands on a device.

Although the much awaited iPhone 5 has not yet made it to India in an official capacity, it’s never stopped the Indian retailers of the grey variety to get their hands on a device. Thanks to their enterprising prowess, tech2 managed to score an iPhone 5 for a little while so we could bring you a quick hands on before a full blown review.  Please note, we have not run any benchmarks or tested the full capabilities of the device due to the limited time we had with it. We will be able to give you a blow by blow account of the handset's feature set and functionalities when we get a review model at the time of its official Indian debut.  Design The brilliance of Apple shines through with this model. Although being similar to the previous edition, it feels nothing like any of its previous devices. That’s not necessarily a good thing. At 112g, the iPhone 5 is a lightweight device in its category. With a depth of just 7.6mm, it’s also one of the slimmest in this class. This narrow-bodied handset doesn’t quite feel like a mobile phone, but more of a media player, so we’re assuming the new iPod Touch will fare really well.  Stands out This model, with darker material used on the shell, certainly looks more refined as compared to previous editions. But the lightweight, slender and long design makes it seem a little plasticky and not as sturdy as it could very well be. It didn’t quite inspire us with the confidence that it wouldn’t crack open if it tumbled off your desk and hit the non-carpeted floor. Still, the iPhone 5 feels way better than, say the Samsung Galaxy S III, the most expensive Android phone around. All that being said, we were impressed with the overall look but still preferred the iPhone 4S as it looked and felt more like a standard mobile handset and not something that you buy on an airplane, if you know what we mean. Then again, as the new age of mobiles dawns, lighter and sleeker devices are the new trend and this new iteration of the iPhone will fit right in. We say – to each his own.  With its brethren With an extra line of apps, you can place a lot more on your first page, but having too many folders with itty bitty icons on a home screen tends to look very untidy. Of course, you could just have multiple screens which, if you’re an app-happy user, means multiple pages galore. In both the cases, Apple’s handy swipe-right-to-search page will come to the rescue.  The layout of iOS 6 is no different from iOS 4, well, not by much anyways. It’s the subtleties that do tend to make a difference. More on that after we do a full review.  Just how slim, is slim? The Nano-SIM feature could create a whole new set of issues for new users. Scaling down from the standard size to Micro SIMs and now this. Apple has once again demonstrated just how high up in the game it is by deeming it fit to change the rules. We’re sure this new facet will eventually trickle down to the other devices soon enough, forcing the consumers to spend more or risk damage by altering their cards.  There didn’t seem to be too much in the way of a sound engine upgrade, but audio quality, as it was, didn’t really disappoint. Having a longer display also meant that 16:9 and those of a slightly slimmer variety looked quite good on the slightly high resolution Retina display.  The SIMs are changing What will surely impress consumers is the iPhone 5’s upgraded 8 megapixel camera with an LED flash. We had the opportunity to test it against the iPhone 4S and the HTC One x – Here are our findings: While we were able to click a few photos in our short stint with the iPhone 5, we were able to come to some conclusion over the quality. One thing's for sure, the camera on the iPhone 5 is good. It's detailed, focussing is almost instantaneous and the colours are pretty natural. We clicked a few photos indoors and a few outdoors with natural sunlight. With indoor photographs, it's clear that the sensor and the larger aperture help. There's close to no noise at all visible on the camera, which isn't the case with the iPhone 4S camera. There's some noise visible with it and also some in the photo shot using the One X. The iPhone 4S also exhibits a slightly colder look with a tint of greenish-blue showing up. The iPhone 5 has a more yellowish, warmer tone going for it. Indoor macro Outdoors, the difference between the iPhone 4S and 5 is reduced dramatically. The camera still shows up very smooth, evened out images with no harsh edges, like the one we see in the One X. Colours are natural and the larger aperture helps in creating nice depth of field in images – good when you're clicking outdoors or portraits. Even panoramas are a joy to click – stitching doesn't take too long and seams in the images aren't present. The resolution is also high enough to keep the details quite intact.  Outdoor tests Apple’s biggest competition in this segment will be Nokia’s Lumia 920.  First Impression and Current Price in India The price of the iPhone 5 hasn’t been set officially, but it is, nevertheless, available at some grey market retailers at exorbitant rates. At the moment, the 16GB version is selling for Rs. 62,000, while the 32GB and 64GB editions come with price tags of Rs. 77,500 and Rs. 92,500 respectively. These are subject to further change till the handsets are officially released. Naturally, there will be tie ups with carriers who would offer them with EMIs and “Money-Back” schemes. However, what is truly remarkable is that the iPhone 5, in its limited supply, has been selling out at this ridiculous pricing. To that, all we have to say is – go figure! Stay tuned for the full review of the Apple iPhone 5 on tech2.com

Limited-edition iPhone 5 with gold, diamond finish available

If you thought that the iPhone 5 with its price tag, was as far as one could go with the word 'premium' or ‘expensive', you have to read this. Liverpool designer, Stuart Hughes has his own version of the premium iPhone 5, that is all gold and diamond. Reportedly, Hughes’ version of the latest iPhone has been decked in 18-carat gold and has gold and diamond finishing. Turn the phone over and you see the recognisable Apple logo, encrusted in diamonds. Hughes has on offer a limited edition of 100 handsets of this variety. Hughes' version of the iPhone 5 priced at a mind numbing £21,995 (around Rs 18,76,888).  An excerpt from Hughes' website reads, “This beautiful handset took weeks of detailed intricate work to re-create the original chasis of the iPhone in solid gold all of which was started and finished by hand, also a full gold dressing for the rear section with the logo in solid gold with 53 flawless diamonds amounting to 1ct. This masterpiece boasts a massive circa of 128 grams of 18ct gold. The result was outstanding even down to the precise polishing to reveal its most beautiful harmonious appearance. The handset is 64gb and is available as a ltd edition of only 100.” The handset as on Hughes' site This isn’t Hughes’ first attempt at adding bling to technology. Last year, he grabbed headlines when he made the Stuart Hughes’ version of the iPad 2, a snazzier sibling of the regular iPad 2,which you might want to own if you have £5,000,000 on you. For the rest of us, the iPad 2 Gold History Edition was just as exquisite, as it could possibly get. However, with the iPad 2 Gold History Edition, gold and diamonds weren’t all; it came with a hint of history. The Apple logo that carefully rested at the back of Hughes’ version of the iPad 2 had been set with 12.5 carats of flawless diamonds, 53 of them encrusted to form the signatory Apple logo. The 24k gold logo has been set at the back, weighing a total of 2,000 grams. Its front frame has a touch of history to it. It has been made out of the oldest existing rock, Ammolite. Apparently, on the front frame of this iPad 2, pieces of a T-Rex dinosaur’s thigh bone had been used, which according to Hughes, was splintered and shaved into the rock, and then given a jewel finish. Adding some bling is the single-cut, 8.5-carat flawless diamond beautifully set in the centre, surrounded by 12 other flawless diamonds.  In the meanwhile, here is a quick look at the specifications of the iPhone 5: 4-inch, 326ppi Retina display at 1136 x 640 pixels GPRS, EDGE, EV-DO, HSPA, HSPA+, DC-HSDPA, LTE and Wi-Fi GPS Bluetooth 8 megapixel camera with 1080p HD recording, 720p front-facing camera 16GB, 32GB and 64GB versions

BSNL, WishTel to launch ‘IRA ICON’ 3G tablet for Rs 10,500

WishTel, a manufacturer of tablet PCs, netbooks and mobility solutions in association with India’s largest PSU Telco operator BSNL will be announcing the launch of an 'ultra-mobile and durable' tablet PC, the IRA ICON, on October 1, celebrated as BSNL Day. WishTel’s latest generation of the ICON-series of tablet PCs delivers an optimized experience in Voice (using 3G GSM and VOIP Technologies), Video (using 3G video conferencing and Mobile TV applications) and Data, providing a good experience in mobility, durability and connectivity that mobile professionals require across key vertical markets. The Triple Play 7-inch tablet PC, IRA ICON is an 800 x 480 pixel capacitive multi-touch screen that runs on Android 4.0. It’s powered by a 1.2 GHz processor and 1GB of RAM. It features a built-in 3G SIM from BSNL as well. The IRA ICON supports calling, features 3G, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity and also comes with built-in stereo speakers and a microphone. Another budget 3G tablet on the horizon Speaking of the partnership with WishTel, R.K Upadhyay, Chief Managing Director of BSNL said, “The 7-inch Triple Play tablet PC has been designed to best suit the needs of  avid tech – savy youngsters, business environments, multi-tasking homemakers and the student fraternity alike. The BSNL Value added services like Video streaming, Mobile TV and various other applications under BSNL LIVE shall be extended to our valued customers in an increased screen at a very affordable price.” “WishTel has been recognized as one of the front runners in the field of manufacturing cost efficient handheld and portable computing devices for the vast Indian market. With our partnership with India’s largest PSU telco operator, BSNL for the launch of IRA ICON Triple Play tablet, WishTel continues to offer enhanced technologies that help Android business users experience the performance and productivity offered by tablet PCs. It is tailored to the needs of business users in markets that depend on high performance mobile workforces” says Milind Shah, WishTel’s CEO. The IRA ICON is slim and weighs less than half a kilo and is designed to be durable and sustain the mobile environment. It comes bundled with BSNL’s 3G SIM and free 3G data of 2GB for two months. Customers can avail of the 3G data plans of BSNL or the specially-designed tablet plans.  The device comes with ports for USB, SD Card, audio and HD video to simplify the use of industry standard peripheral solutions. It has a 0.3 MP front web camera and 2.0MP rear-facing camera to support image capture, video conferencing and collaboration. The Triple Play Tablet PC comes pre-loaded with many applications that include Wish Learning, Wish Studio, Wish TV, Wish News, Wish video calling, and many more apps. The tablet comes engineered with a 4,000mAh battery, which can give users browsing time of approximately 4-5 hours. The tablet PC has an internal storage of 4GB (expandable to 32GB - MicroSD). The IRA ICON Triple Play tablet PC will be available from early next month at a highly competitive price of Rs.10,500, through a national network of value-added resellers and distributors of BSNL and WishTel.

Nokia cuts Lumia 800, 900 prices before new models arrive

Struggling phone maker Nokia has knocked 10-15 percent off the prices of two of its top of the range smartphones, hoping to boost sales before newer models arrive in markets in November. Nokia has cut the price of the Lumia 800 by around 15 percent and the Lumia 900 by 10 percent in Europe, according to device pricing data compiled by British research firm CCS Insight. Nokia declined to comment. Earlier this month, Nokia launched Lumia 820 and 920, which many see as crucial for the Finnish company's survival. But the newest models will only go on sale in November, leaving the company's sales team struggling with older smartphone models for over a month. The Lumia 800 and 900 are set to get a price cut Nokia had already slashed the price of the Lumia 800 by around 15 percent earlier this month and made smaller cuts for its other Lumia models. Once the world's biggest mobile phone maker, Nokia fell behind rivals in smartphones and has racked up more than 3 billion euros in operating losses in the last 18 months. In early 2011, it bet its future on Microsoft's Windows Phone software. Windows accounts for only around 3 percent of global smartphones, while Google's Android platform controls two-thirds of sales and Apple has around a quarter. Competitive pricing is considered crucial for Nokia to lure back customers, even though pricing does not seem to be an issue for rival Apple. In Belgium, for example, more than 10,000 people have pre-registered for the latest iPhone even before a local price has been set.

Facebook starts gifting service

When Facebook bought Karma, a gift giving start-up in May, this year, the social networking giant’s plans to get into the space of gift giving, became a little more clear. Facebook is now beginning its first steps in that direction by rolling out ‘Gifts’. This new service means that now users can send real-life gifts to their friends by picking one from what is available, be it good ol’ chocolates, socks, coffee or any of the other goodies. The way this works is that; if it is your friend’s birthday tomorrow, you’ll spot a “give her a gift” link, and will be able to see a gift icon with the name of the friend and photo. Once you click on the icon, you will be able to spot the gifts that you could present to your friends for their special day - be it a Starbucks gift card, cupcakes or a ‘you can never wrong with’ teddy bear. .  The recipient of the gift will then receive a notification on Facebook, asking them to enter the shipping address for the designated gift. Interestingly here, in a few instances, the recipients of the gifts will be able to pick and choose the flavour and size of the cupcakes or a different style of socks. Users, if they wish to can also exchange the original gifts with something else of their choice.  A gift may be a thousand words The icon will show up on the right side of a user’s page, where he has notifications for friends' birthdays, weddings and other life events showing up.  Users have the option of paying for their gifts using either,  Visa, Mastercard, American Express or Discover branded credit or debit card. Once a user makes the payment, he will be sent a receipt within 24 hours and his payment info will be saved for future purchases. So apart from the social networking i.e. staying in touch with old pals, making new friends, connecting with them more frequently, Facebook's making it more 'physical'. Gifts are after all worth a thousand words.  Clearly, Facebook is trying its hands at an entirely new domain and this comes after its Karma buyout. Karma aimed to make gift giving a little more convenient. The service had a 'storefront' on their app through which users could select the gift that they would like to give to a friend. They tied up with vendors, like Spotify, Gund and MOMA for its selection of gifts, adding variety to its offering.  At the time of its acquisition, a post on Karma’s blog read, "We’re thrilled to announce that Karma has been acquired by Facebook. The service that Karma provides will continue to operate in full force. By combining the incredible passion of our community with Facebook’s platform we can delight users in new and meaningful ways."  Facebook Gifts is currently available to a subset of the service’s U.S.-based customers only, and will be gradually rolled out to others as the idea of real-life gifting on Facebook takes off. In addition to being able to click on the “Gifts” icon on the pages of their Facebook’s friends, users will also be able to do so on their Android phones. That being said, iPhone and iPad versions are to follow.

Portronics launches security device Greenlock 2

Portronics, a maker of portable and digital devices, has announced the launch of its new Greenlock 2 device that protects the privacy of your computer monitor. Walk away from your computer with the 'smart ID card case' and within seconds the computer screen will automatically switch off your monitor and lock up your screen. Return to your computer and the screen will open and unlock immediately. Portronics has made a video that explains the use of the device.

Here are some of the features of the Portronics Greenlock 2:

• Automatically locks and unlocks computer with your presence near the computer
• It is in the form of the ID card case and can be used to carry any organisation ID cards
• Saves energy of the computer while you are away
• Three-step step distance selection

The Portronics Greenlock 2

The installation process for the Greenlock 2 is as follows:

• Install very light Greenlock software onto the PC
• Insert the micro dongle into the USB port
• Wear the Greenlock 2 ID card case
• While you move away the computer locks and when you come near it unlocks automatically

Earlier this month, Portronics had released the Electropen. This is an intelligent pen that can capture your handwritten notes, store them in its memory, convert them to editable text and send them to a PC. The notes can be written on ordinary paper. You can even use the pen to trace or sketch images and then transfer them to your computer.

The pen’s body is a transmitter and a clip is the receiver. You attach the clip to a stack of papers, notebook or diary, and it records your movement with the pen as you write or draw. The technologies employed here are Infrared and Ultrasound. The pen works in two modes: Offline and Online.

Offline mode involves the pen just recording whatever you’ve written down and storing them in its memory. You can later convert the recorded data into editable text on a PC via the bundled software. This mode can be useful for quick note taking; for students, executives, or for doctors.

In Online mode, you attach either the body or the clip to a computer while writing or sketching. This mode offers some other options such as drawing or tracing, which transfers anything you draw to the computer. The bundled software also lets you project whatever you’re writing down onto a screen in real time via a projector. You also get a signature capture mode, which allows you to record your signatures and store digital copies of them.

Priced at Rs 2999, the Portronics Greenlock 2 is available across the country, and is said to have no additional maintenance cost.

iPhone 5 becomes cheaper as grey market prices drop

After the recent revelation of the price of the iPhone 5 in the grey market, its prices have gone down, according to our sources. Apple’s latest offering was originally priced at Rs 1 lakh for the 64 GB model. The newer prices of the iPhone 5 are: Rs 62,000 for the 16 GB version, Rs 77,500 for the 32 GB version, and Rs 92,500 for the 64 GB version. Our sources state that these prices are variable and will change everyday. Earlier this week, some stores in the grey market had announced their pricing for Apple’s latest smartphone, and the prices are as high as Apple’s other devices. The 16 GB version was available in the grey market for approximately Rs 76,000, the 32GB version for Rs 85,000, and the 64GB version of the iPhone 5 is available at Rs 1,00,000. Grey market prices for the iPhone 5 are constantly changing According to an earlier report, the iPhone 5 is easier to repair than its older siblings – the iPhone 4 and the iPhone 4S. As per a guide published by iFixit, the biggest issues with manually repairing an iPhone 5 are Apple’s proprietary screws used to keep the device together, and many intricate parts located near the dock that make fixing individual parts dicey. All things considered, the iPhone 5’s front-to-back construction makes accessing the insides of the device very easy, as the screen is the first thing to come out when disassembling the phone. It was recently revealed that the iPhone 5 runs on a triple-core GPU. The device runs on a custom-made dual-core ARM processor that runs at a clock speed of 1GHz. The GPU uses a triple-core with a higher clock speed, so that the phone can achieve double the graphical capabilities of the A5 processor. The processor is most likely a PowerVR SGX 543MP3. The A5 processor that powers the iPhone 4S, iPad 2 and the fifth generation iPod Touch had a PowerVR SGX 543MP2 GPU. On the software side of things, the iPhone 5 was recently jailbroken by developer Grant Paul, a.k.a., Chpwn. Paul had recently tweeted a screenshot of an iPhone 5 with the Cydia app installed. The Cydia app is its own app store that allows users to buy and download apps. These apps would otherwise not be hosted on Apple's own App Store, as many of the apps require permission to use the root features of the device -- permissions which aren't possible to give with a device that hasn't been jailbroken. Here is a quick look at the highlighted features of the iPhone 5: 4-inch, 326ppi Retina display at 1136 x 640 pixels GPRS, EDGE, EV-DO, HSPA, HSPA+, DC-HSDPA, LTE and Wi-Fi GPS Bluetooth 8 megapixel camera with 1080p HD recording, 720p front-facing camera 16GB, 32GB and 64GB versions Made entirely out of aluminium and glass, the iPhone 5 weighs merely 112 grams, is 20 percent lighter than the iPhone 4S, and is the thinnest iPhone yet at 7.6mm thick. Apple has chosen to debut iOS 6 with the iPhone 5 and the new OS includes Apple's own Maps app, an updated version of Siri and lots more. Overall, the new iPhone has been upgraded in almost all respects.