Adrenaline Shot: The Aston Martin DB9 Special

James Bond started it with the DB5. Let us take an inside look at the latest iteration of the DB series, the DB9.

Showing posts with label Analyzed. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Analyzed. Show all posts

Analyzed: Project Tango

"The future is awesome. We can build it faster together." That's the tag line from the latest venture from the geniuses at Google; Project Tango. Leave it up to them to come up with real world applications of something that we used to see in Sci-Fi TV shows or movies back in the day.

Project Tango is a focused exploration of what might be possible in a mobile platform. It is not part of Android today (even though it is being built on Android). It is still in its infancy and the technology begins the transition out of research labs into the hands of millions of people.  The goal of Project Tango is to give mobile devices a human-scale understanding of space and motion. 

The current prototype is a 5” phone containing customized hardware and software designed to track the full 3D motion of the device, while simultaneously creating a map of the environment. These sensors allow the phone to make over a quarter million 3D measurements every second, updating its position and orientation in real-time, combining that data into a single 3D model of the space around you.

What if you could capture the dimensions of your home simply by walking around with your phone before you went furniture shopping? What if directions to a new location didn’t stop at the street address? What if you never again found yourself lost in a new building? What if the visually-impaired could navigate unassisted in unfamiliar indoor places? What if you could search for a product and see where the exact shelf is located in a super-store? These are the questions Project Tango is trying to answer. While no actual application has been determined yet, it is only a matter of time before the boffins at Google (or the other institutions that are partnering in this initiative) figure it out!

To learn more about Project Tango, visit their website or view the video below:


Source: Project Tango

Cool App: Connect

In today's crazy world where social networking sites are a dime a dozen, how does one keep track of all their connections? What if you wanted to know more about your connections, be it through Facebook or Linkedin and the ilk? How about WHERE your connections are? How about getting automatically notified when one of them happens to be in your town? Mindful of the fact that the location based feature has been around for a while through Google Maps or Foursquare, this is the first time the data is pulled from all your social networking contacts into a single unifying and visually appealing format. Enter Connect.

In their own words, "Today, through email, mobile phones and social media, we're interacting with many times more people than we were even a decade ago. And as increasingly mobile people ourselves, we just keep creating new relationships - every time we attend a conference, switch jobs, or join a friend's dinner party.

Whereas many companies are all about helping you find new people, our aim is to help you make the most of the relationships you already have."

Using Connect is as simple as it gets:
  1. Visit Connect's site or download the iOS app (for now, the Android version is in the works). 
  2. Sign up. 
  3. Connect to your social networks. 
  4. Connect will then display a visual map with all your contacts around the world. It will also notify you — unless you specify otherwise — when a friend travels to your city.
Currently available on the web and through the iTunes Store, the company is also working on an Android version of the app. Judging by what the company has achieved in such a short time span (they are less than 2 years old), we can't wait to see what else they have in store in the upcoming months!

Cool App: Any Send

Have you ever used Dropbox? Then you have a fair idea of how file transfer sites work. Well, there is a new kid in town and it's called Any Send. It uses a similar concept as the Dropbox, where you can drag and drop your file(s). So there is nothing new there. What AnySend does have going for it is the fact that it does have a desktop application for Windows or MacOS X using which you can just drag and drop your file(s). It also has an easy to use app (for Android and iOS) as well. And the best thing is that while using the desktop application, there is no limit on the size of the files that can be transferred. We doubt this will last as the product picks on, but for now, this does give it an edge over the more established players. It is still in the Beta phase so there might be a few kinks in it's armor, but all things considered, it is still a good alternative to some of the other heavier sites out there.

The concept and execution of Any Send works with more platforms. Once you have the app installed on multiple devices on the same Wi-Fi network, just copy a file to the clipboard, or open it in the mobile app, then click the name of the device you want to send it to. Within seconds, the file will appear on the target device. The concept is simple, but the execution is pretty much flawless.

Included below is a video that gives a brief overview of Any Send.

 

Analyzed: Samsung Galaxy Note II


We have always been a big fan of the Samsung Galaxy Note. We loved the way it looked, we loved the size, we loved the screen size and we loved the way it performed. It was literally a mini computer in your pocket. But the more we used it, the more its shortcomings became evident. Beginning with the battery life. Horrible would be putting it mildly. Then if you tried multitasking, let's just say you had to wait for apps to respond and a simple task like scrolling through the app list became a jerky chore. Sure improvements were made once the Note was upgraded to Ice Cream Sandwich but still... we always felt Samsung could have done more. A lot more. And it looks like they have finally listened to what the public was saying. Enter the Samsung Galaxy Note 2.

Looks: For starters, take a look the difference between the Note and the Note 2. In case you can't see much of a difference, the image on the right is the Note 2. It is slightly larger than the Note with the screen size having being bumped by to 5.5" from the 5.3" in the Note. The differences don't end there, the Note 2 is slightly slimmer and feels lighter than the Note. And of course the shape has been modified to match the theme Samsung has been pushing on its devices, a la Samsung Galaxy S III.

Display: If you thought the display on the Note looked good, look again. The display on the Note 2 is absolutely gorgeous. The HD Super AMOLED (1280 x 720 pixel) looks fabulous. It is bright, crisp and colors are fantastic. It really makes watching those HD films and images a joy. And thankfully this time, Samsung has refrained from pre-loading the phone with the bloatware they have been known for. All unwanted apps have been kept out of the mix. But one thing we did not notice on the screen is a lot of wasted space. It seems to us Samsung decided on the size of the display and then did not know what to do with it. If you look at the comparison between the Note and the Note 2, you will even notice the number of icons on the screen is 5 vs. 4, and this can't be changed. Not yet at least.

Performance: Thank you Samsung for the quad core 1.6GHz processor in this phone. I can truly multitask (and yes while watching videos) without having to wait for the phone to think about what I'm actually trying to do. The 2GB RAM is also much needed in a phone with the capabilities as the Note 2. Gone is that lag that has plagued Samsung phones past. Including Android version 4.1 Jelly Bean also makes a huge difference in the memory management capability. Everything is just silky smooth. We will actually go as far as to say this is the best performing smartphone currently in the market (and yes we are also comparing it to the iPhone5 - that review is forthcoming).

Battery Life: Guess what? This time you can actually head out with just your phone without worrying about losing a complete charge in less than 7 hours. Yes, the 3100 mAh battery makes a HUUUUUUUGE difference! Using the phone like we used to use the Note, we are actually able to pull almost 24 hours on a single charge. Huge sigh of relief anyone? This is the single biggest positive change that Samsung has brought to the Note franchise.

Camera: Not much has changed in the way of the camera, but we love the burst mode feature that is built-in. You can take up to 10 shots a second and let it choose the best image (or you can choose it yourself). And the time to start the camera and take the first shot has to be measured in milliseconds from now on. Another welcome modification. We did notice if you take pictures in the Superfine mode at the highest 8MP resolution, they become noticeably grainy. We'll stay away from that option for now. You also get several options while taking your pictures just like you would on Instagram. Oh yeah, there is also an HDR option but frankly we are still trying to figure out how to get the best shot with this option!

Extras on the Note 2: Here are some interesting things we noticed while fiddling around with the phone
  1. You cannot use the original SIM card that you use on other phones. The card will have to be trimmed to fit in the slot since it is too small for a regular SIM card.
  2. The power saving mode really helps extend battery life unlike the Note but we were able to get almost 24 hours without using it!
  3. The phone comes with Samsung's AllShare Cast that lets you stream images/videos to your TV or any other device for that matter.
  4. The S pen is much much better than it was in the Note. You can do a lot more and Samsung has included a lot more productive applications to take advantage of the revised S pen.
  5. You don't get Swype anymore :( You do get Samsung's own predictive Swype like keyboard, but it is not as good as Swype. Boo Samsung!
  6. You can perform File and data transfer either using NFC or via S Beam.
  7. Turning Wi-Fi on all the time will kill your battery quicker. Good thing the Note 2 has a larger battery.
Overall: If you had the Samsung Galaxy Note, you will absolutely love the Note 2 but... there's a but... you will also say this is how the Note should have been in the first place. If you are newcomer, then rejoice. If you can get over the size and the S Pen, this is the best phone you can get in the market right now. And yes it is a little pricey, but there are more expensive brands in the market. You won't get the features you do with this baby though. Our take on the Samsung Galaxy Note 2, buy it!

We will also do a follow-up post as we continue to use the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 as we did with the Note.

The Samsung Galaxy Note 2 is currently on sale in India for Rs. 38,500 (~$750).

Cool App: Asana

Lately we have been reviewing some productivity tools and we came across another tool which we think is just brilliant. Started by Facebook co-founder Dustin Moskovitz, Asana follows the same simplistic styling and usage from Facebook, and has adapted it to create a productivity tool. We reviewed another productivity tool called Trello recently, and while it was good, it did have its shortcomings. Asana on the other hand, looks to have addressed these issues and helps you stay organized and keep track of your tasks and their work assignments with the bare minimum of mouse clicks. Speaking of mouse clicks, the UI experience of Asana is definitely its biggest plus point since you are able to perform every task with the least amount of effort.

Asana lets you divide your projects into workspaces. These workspaces also give you a place to organize all the teams in your life. You can collaborate with your friends, your clubs, and your work team while keeping everything separate. Finding the tasks and priorities for anyone on your team can be performed with one click. You can see what's been marked for Today, and what's waiting to be picked up. And just like a Twitter feed, you can be notified of changes to the tasks and projects that you actually care about. You can also add a coworker to a task and they'll get all the background. All this is real-time too! Plus each task has its own activity feed just like your profile page on Facebook. Pretty cool if you ask us. Asana is definitely designed for speed: You have ample keyboard shortcuts just like you would within Gmail, there are fewer page loads and fewer mouse clicks. And best of all it is a web app that won't slow you down.

In case you are always on the go, there is a mobile app for iPhones at the App Store. Fret not if you don't have an iPhone, the entire site is designed using HTML5 and can be accessed through your handset browser without any problems as well. Just login to the site and see for yourself! And check out the video below and see how easy Asana is to use.

Cool App: Tour My App

If you have ever worked on an application that involves heavy user input, you know the headache that comes with developing a user manual or a demo video for using the application. Yes there are several expensive software that you can use to record your keystrokes, mouse movements and other details you may want to include, but let's face it... it is still a cumbersome process. Tour My App is an application developed by a small start up which lets you create in-application tours for your web app. Intrigued? Read on...

The tours are a series of message boxes that guide users through tasks in your app. You can use tours to engage new users, highlight advanced features, help users perform tasks, or even as a substitute for documentation (so they say). Oh and you don't have to know or do any coding at all (some of the heavyweight applications do require this). Another cool feature is analytics to show how your users use a tour and where they drop out. This can definitely come in handy when you are trying to gauge user interaction for your web application. 

Tour My App comes with some nifty additions like making completely interactive tours, where you can progress the tour when users perform specific actions, like clicking a button or typing some text (similar to a PowerPoint presentation). The look and feel of the demo is also completely customizable. This really is one of the simplest apps we have tested out to create demos and anyone can create one in a matter of minutes. Give it a shot... they do have a free 30 day trial and their pricing is also pretty nominal from what we see. Check out a video that showcases some of the features below:

Cool App: Trello

There are quite a few apps out there which tout themselves as the 'IT' solution when it comes to Agile project management. After having used several apps, we have definitely come across the one tool which is by far the easiest to set up and use. Not to mention the fact that you don't just have to use it for Agile project management. You can even use it to keep track of all your on going activities, their status, due dates and so on. Enter Trello.

Trello is a collaboration tool that organizes your projects into boards. In one glance, Trello tells you what's being worked on, who's working on what, and where something is in a process. A board is your product or project that needs to be tracked. The good thing is that a board can have a variety of uses and mean anything you want it to mean. You can have multiple boards, create lists, attach documents and so on. You can create each list to mean a step on a workflow and include cards - a new feature, a bug, a client, anything really. Members can add themselves to cards, start conversations, create checklists , vote etc. You can also assign color coded labels to your cards. Once again what they stand for is completely up to you.

There is absolutely no system setup required to use the tool, but you will need to perform some minor setup once you login to Trello before it becomes meaningful to you. It is so simple and intuitive that it will take you less than 10 minutes to get going. All you have to do is sign up at Trello's site and you are good to go. Best of all Trello also has mobile apps for Android and iOS. For free. The mobile interface is absolutely fantastic and is just as easy to use as the web based version. There were only a very few activities that we were not able to do on the mobile app compared to the web version. But it doesn't take away from the ease of use one bit. We're just wondering how come we didn't know about this tool any sooner!

Cool App: CamCard

Do you have a lot of meetings where business cards are distributed like candy? Have a hard time keeping track of all the cards and the information in them? You might find CamCard to be a blessing in disguise. Available for download via Google Play, CamCard uses the built-in camera on your phone to take a snapshot of the details on a business card and then saves it to your contacts. It is as simple as that. There are two versions available, a free Lite version and a paid version. But this is one of those apps we wouldn't mind paying for. You won't need to walk around with a wallet stuffed with business cards anymore.

If you opt for the Free version,  you can save 20 cards in the first week, and two more per week after that. If you choose to register, once you login, you will be able to save up to 30 cards, and three more per week after that. Other features include:
  1. 16 language recognition including English, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Korean, Japanese, French, Spanish, Portuguese, German, Italian, Dutch, Swedish, Finnish, Danish, Norwegian, Hungarian
  2. All cards can be saved in the Cloud (and of course the information can be saved in Gmail, Exchange or your existing address book)
  3. Backup and restore cards in case of accidental deleting.
  4. Manage and synchronize cards across multiple devices with Cloud Sync
Give it a shot. Something tells us you'll be pulling your wallet out soon to purchase the paid version!

Analyzed: HP Envy 6

A couple of days ago we reviewed one of HP's latest offerings, the Envy 4 ultrabook. We also got a chance to play around with the other offering from HP, the big brother to the 4 (at least in terms of size), the HP Envy 6. Honestly there isn't much to be said since we tested the Envy 4 since the specs are virtually identical. We have listed the differences between the two below:
  1. Screen size is 15.6" on the Envy 6 vs. 14" on the Envy 4
  2. 4 speakers instead of 2 (and no built in sub woofer)
  3. Digital media card reader
  4. Weight: 4.75lbs
That's it. The display on the Envy 6's 15.6" screen is definitely not as striking as compared to the Envy 4. Yes they have the same dedicated graphics card but you don't get the same clarity on the bigger display. It would have done HP some good to bump up the resolution at least on the bigger display. And despite having the same battery capacity we definitely did not get the same amount of time on a single charge. We clocked a little over 7 hours with the Envy 6. A 500GB hard drive is standard on all machines but we wish the option to replace it with a SSD was available (just like the Envy 4). You do get the choice of Windows 7 Home Premium or Professional for your operating system. With its brushed metal finish, the packaging is very sleek and the options are the same as the smaller version. Sound quality is also above par but lacks that little extra oomph you get out of the built in subwoofer in the Envy 4.

At the end of the day the Envy 6 costs more than the Envy 4 and unless you want a bigger screen, we would recommend sticking with the smaller version. It is definitely more bang for your buck. And you will definitely want to uninstall a lot of the bloatware that comes pre-installed on the system.

Our Rating: 

The HP Envy 6 is currently on sale in India at a starting price of around Rs. 47,000 (~$850).

Analyzed: HP Envy 4

Here is one of HP's next generation ultrabooks. If you have read our previous reviews, we absolutely LOVED the HP Envy 14 Spectre. HP's newest offering, the Envy 4 has some really big shoes to fill as far as we are concerned.

The Envy 4 is offered in four variants, two of which have Intel's i3 1.4GHz processor and the other two which have the i5 1.7GHz processor. 4GB DD3 RAM is standard on all models but you can bump it up to a maximum of 16GB. You also get a 14" diagonal HD BrightView LED-backlit display on them at a resolution of 1366 x 768 pixels. What this laptop makes up for in lack of resolution it makes up for in its fantastic 2GB AMD Radeon HD 7670M video card. It really makes a world of a difference if you compare it to the base Envy 4 version that comes with the built in Intel HD Graphics 3000 card. Gaming and movies look absolutely great on the Envy 4 and the experience is further amplified with the Beats Audio speakers. A 500GB hard drive is also standard on all machines but we wish the option to replace it with a SSD was available. You do get the choice of Windows 7 Home Premium or Professional for your operating system.

One of the nice features of the HP ultrabooks is the CoolSense technology. If you are one of those people who like to keep your machine on your lap while working this will come in real handy. We wouldn't recommend doing it for extended periods of time but for a short duration, the CoolSense works. The built in HD webcam is nothing out of the blue and gets the job done. Battery life is very very good and you should be able to pull about 8 hours on a single charge. And you get all this in a very sleek brushed metal (and affordable) package that weighs a shade under 4lbs. Performance is definitely a lot better with the Envy 4 beating the Spectre in cold starts, restarts and waking up from sleep mode.

So, does the Envy 4 beat the Envy 14 Spectre? Honestly, we wanted to stick with the Spectre, but from a performance stand point the Envy 4 beats it in every way. The Envy 14 Spectre wasn't just a loaded machine, it had a cool factor going on with simple touches like the big volume knob and the Radiance backlit keyboard which senses your approach and gradually lights up every row. The only gripes we had with the Spectre were the lack of a dedicated graphics card and the price. HP has definitely addressed those two issues with the Envy 4. We are pretty certain sales figures for the new generation Envy will be stronger than before.

The HP Envy 4 is currently on sale in India at a starting price (depending on the spec) of around Rs. 43,000 (~$800) which by the way is a lot lower than the HP Envy Spectre.

Our Rating: 

Analyzed: Nokia 808 PureView

Well, the diesel lens equipped Nokia 808 PureView is finally here in India and we gave it the beans to see if the hype was really worth it. In not so many words, we are on the fence. While there some features that we absolutely love, some aspects of the phone left us a little sore. The best feature of the phone is what you see in all commercials, the camera. You can take incredibly detailed photos from near and afar, and the image is still crystal clear upon zoom. While the sensor has a 41MP resolution, the maximum resolution for still images is 38MP in 4:3 mode and 34MP in 16:9 mode. Where the 41MP lens comes in is to ensure images still remain clear upon closer review. Think of it as a 41MP image compressed into an 38MP one (about 11MB per picture). Videos captured using the 1080P capable lens are also phenomenal and are among the best we have seen.

Another feature which we haven't seen being promoted is the sound. With Dolby surround sound from the built in speakers (and its dual microphone), it is the best we have heard in a long time... even from the  Beats audio equipped HTC One X. Try it with a pair of decent headphones and you will really enjoy any videos on the 4 inch display. Speaking of, here are some of the specs:
  1. 4" display at a resolution of 640 x 360 pixels
  2. 1.3GHz single core ARM processor
  3. 512MB RAM
  4. 16GB storage expandable to 48GB via microSD
  5. 41MP rear camera with Carl Zeiss lens and Xenon flash
  6. 640 x 480 pixels front facing camera
  7. 1080P capable video recording at 30 frames per second
  8. Operating system: Symbian Belle
  9. Weight: 169g
  10. Battery capacity: 1400mAh
Unfortunately for the PureView, the good aspects have already been covered. The list of negatives definitely outweigh the positives. Let's take a look at some of them shall we. First the weight... we carry Samsung Galaxy Notes and it isn't exactly light. When we first held the PureView, our thought was, "Wow this is heavy!" And it isn't evenly distributed. Granted the camera and lens are very powerful, but that's where most of the weight is. It just doesn't feel right. And it will not feel comfortable in your pocket either. The display resolution could have also used some work. Videos look good but not as good as they can be. It is surprising Nokia went all out with the camera only to equip the phone with a mediocre display. What good is a camera if the photos you take don't look their best?

The story goes on... Nokia just announced a long term deal to switch away from their in-house Symbian operating system to Windows Mobile. We wish the PureView had made the switch before being released into the wild. The Symbian Belle operating system really detracts from the overall experience of the phone. And now that you know support for Symbian will end at some point, one has to consider if it is really worth spending all that cash on a soon to be obscure product. Silver lining here though, Nokia is planning on equipping its Lumia line of phones with the sensor used in the PureView. The battery life is decent and should net you about 6 hours with moderate to heavy use but if you start using the camera with the flash on that time will reduce drastically. Not so good if you are about to drop about $600 on a phone.

In closing, it looks to us that the Nokia 808 PureView is more of a test in the market to see how it would react to some of Nokia's cutting edge technology so that it can be included in their mainstream offerings. Yes the phone could possibly replace your point and shoot camera with the lens and settings at your display but you'll have to be prepared to put up with a less than desirable operating system. What we would like to see if the next generation of Lumia phones equipped with Windows Mobile AND the kick ass sensor in the PureView.

Our Rating: 

The Nokia 808 PureView is currently on sale in India for Rs. 33,300 (~$600).

A mouse that doesn't look like your everyday mouse

There are mice, and then there are mice. Yes it is a simple device but it has been a while since something so small and simple caught our attention and fancy. We are of course referring to the latter and more specifically, the Microsoft Arc Touch. After using it for a variety of activities, we absolutely love it. A disclaimer here: If you are a hardcore gamer who binds multiple keystrokes to a mouse click (or 10 like those available on gaming mice), the Arc Touch is not for you. For most other users, read on.

From a looks and design perspective, the Arc Touch gets full marks. It is sleek, absolutely superb to look at and has a great feel to it. It is very light and can be used on most (non-reflective) surfaces with ease. Turning the mouse on and off is very cool... when it is flat, it is off, and when you arc it, it switches itself on. Another  cool feature we thought is the magnetic body of the mouse. The USB dongle just sticks to the underside of the mouse (like a magnet on a fridge) which makes carrying it around a doddle. Something that will take some getting used to is the lack of the traditional mouse wheel to scroll up and down. Instead, the Microsoft Arc Touch has a chiclet type button setup which works exactly like the wheel and even sounds like the wheel when you scroll. 

The only gripe we have is the price. At almost Rs. 4000 (~$60) it isn't exactly cheap but it is definitely a quality product. If you are able to look past the price, this is an awesome buy.

Our Rating: 


Cool App: Flipboard

Are you one of those people that has accounts on multiple sites? And by multiple sites we are referring to social networking sites, RSS readers, blogs and so on. There are a number of aggregator sites that you can use to access all the information at the same time, but nothing comes close in the ease of use, look and feel as Flipboard. 

With its visually stunning layout, Flipboard delivers an innovative and easy way to quickly flip through (and yes when you use the app you are literally flipping through articles) all the social media and content you care about. It is available for both iOS and Android operating systems as well. Of course you can choose Flipboard's own selection of topics/articles, but you can just use the ones you are subscribed to (see the screenshot for an example of the layout). And if you create your own Flipboard account, you can see your selection regardless of which device you log into. Creating a Flipboard Account also gives you access to all timelines, a single section containing all the articles and photos being shared across all your social networks.

Based on numerous apps we have used in the past to aggregate all our accounts, for now, Flipboard is definitely the best of the pack. They also seem to have captured the fancy of several major publishers and financiers as well. Time will tell if they can stay ahead of the game, but this is definitely our pick of the moment.

Analyzed: Xolo X900

If you read our past articles, we noted that Intel was planning its entry into the smartphone market. After some delay (it was to be made available for purchase on April 23rd), the Intel powered Xolo X900 is finally here in India. Despite all the anticipation around the Xolo, we just wish Intel didn't bother with it. We are sad that Intel's foray into the smartphone market was with such a mediocre and sub-par product. There was nothing original about the phone (aside from the guts of course). It looks like a cheap knock-off of the iPhone 4S albeit a little bigger. Before we go on, here are the specs of the Xolo X900:
  1. 4.03" display at a resolution of 1024 x 600 pixels
  2. 1.6GHz Intel Atom processor with Hyper Threading
  3. 400 MHz Graphics Engine
  4. 1GB RAM
  5. 16GB storage
  6. 8MP rear camera with 8x digital zoom and 1.3MP front facing camera
  7. 1080P HD video recording at 
  8. Operating system: Android Version 2.3.7 (Gingerbread) upgradable to ICS
  9. Weight: 124g
  10. Battery capacity: 1460mAh
So how did the Xolo do? Well, for starters the display is definitely not up to par with comparable phones from HTC or Samsung and the colors were simply too dull. Despite having a very good processor (one of the very few plus points), the display completely detracted from the experience of viewing images and movies or playing games on the phone. A point in favor of the Xolo in addition to the processor would be its smoothness. We would put it in between Android and Windows Mobile in the smoothness department. It is also quite capable of multi-tasking and we pounded the phone with memory hogging apps and the phone performed well. No significant lag was noticed despite having about 15 apps open at the same time. The stock font size is quite small and we foresee people having difficulty in reading on the phone. But that is a simple fix.

Coming to the camera, it is quick. The burst mode lets you take up to 10 photos in a second. The images are crisp but lack the color depth. Once again the display takes away from the actual image. We thought it had one cool feature, a 'Fireworks' setting in case you plan on taking a lot of shots of fireworks in action. We are surprised the Xolo was launched with Gingerbread especially since Ice Cream Sandwich is pretty much out in full swing and there is no word on when the ICS upgrade will be made available. Battery life is better than similar phones and you should see close to 8 hours on a single charge (with medium to heavy use).

Despite having good guts, the Xolo X900 comes up short overall. We don't really expect the phone to sell well. We spoke to a few stores that stock the Xolo and they aren't exactly flying off the shelves. Not surprising honestly. There has been barely any marketing or advertising of the phone online or on TV either. One would think if a heavy hitter like Intel is trying to get its feet wet they would be part of a product that would make heads turn. Not turn away. Then again it might be Intel just testing the waters to see if it should really get in deep in the market. Only time will tell.

Our Rating: 

The Xolo X900 is currently on sale in India for Rs. 21,999 (~$400).


Update (6/21/2012): It looks like someone heard our comments about there being barely any marketing for the Xolo X900. We have noticed commercials on TV and online ad banners promoting the Xolo X900... a LOT. We'll wait to see if this ad spend has a profound effect on the sales figures.

Geek Alert: Google Blockly and App Inventor

Not everyone has the knack to pick up coding right off the bat. Many are interested but it can be intimidating to get started... this applies to people who even take CS courses! There are so many programming languages out there, some simple and others not so much. In the past, if you had an interest for coding, the traditional way was to pick up a book and start from scratch. Then as time went along several tutorials were introduced along with online forums where one could ask their questions and get doubts clarified. The one thing that was always lacking was the capability to visualize one's code while developing. Let the geniuses at MIT and Google find a solution for that issue. It is called Google Blockly and was developed as an extension of MIT's App Inventor, an app that lets you develop applications for Android phones using a web browser and either a connected phone or emulator. What this means is anyone can learn to code (either for fun or in case you have a great idea and would like to monetize it by creating an app that can be sold on Google Play). We decided to include both Blockly and App Inventor together since they were developed hand in hand. You can develop applications without knowing any syntax and the app basically lets you drag and drop commands and logic like a big jigsaw puzzle.

Google Blockly
Blockly is a web-based, graphical programming language. Users can drag blocks together to build an application. No typing is required. Blockly is currently a technology preview and anyone can play with it and provide their feedback to the engineers at Google. For now, users can check out the demos and use Blockly to solve a maze, code and export a Blockly program into JavaScript, Dart, Python or XML and see what Blockly looks like in right-to-left mode (for Arabic and Hebrew).

App Inventor
App Inventor lets you develop applications for Android phones using a web browser and either a connected phone or emulator. The App Inventor servers store your work and help you keep track of your projects. Creating an App Inventor app begins in your browser, where you design how the app will look. Then, like fitting together puzzle pieces, you set your app's behavior. All the while, through a live connection between your computer and your phone, your app appears on your phone.

Your app appears on the phone step-by-step as you add pieces to it, so you can test your work as you build. When you're done, you can package your app and produce a stand-alone application to install. If you don't have an Android phone, you can build your apps using the Android emulator , software that runs on your computer and behaves just like the phone. Below is a demo of App Inventor:


Here is more information on App Inventor. All we can say after seeing this is, oh how times have changed!

Analyzed: Sony Xperia sola

Continuing with our reviews of Sony's Xperia line-up, we took a look at the sola. We would put the sola in the middle of the Xperia pack considering its not so top end features. It is bigger than the Xperia Ray we tested and smaller than the Xperia S. From a looks perspective it is a mini version of the Xperia S minus the see through strip with the navigation buttons that light up when you touch them. It is about the size of the iPhone 4S albeit not as streamlined. Here are some of the specs on the sola:
  1. 3.7" display at a resolution of 854 x 480 pixels
  2. 1GHz dual core processor
  3. 512MB RAM
  4. 8GB storage with support up to 32GB via microSD
  5. 5MP rear camera with LED flash
  6. 720P HD video recording with 16x digital zoom
  7. Operating system: Android Version 4.0.3 (Ice Cream Sandwich)
  8. Weight: 107g
  9. Battery capacity: 1320mAh
The phone is also equipped with NFC capability. You know, in case you like bumping your phone against someone else's to transfer data. You get all the cool features that are included with ICS including facial recognition and the built in power saver to name a couple. Usage is quite simple and isn't unlike other Android powered smartphones in the market. Instead of shortcuts (you still have them), Sony has included something called SmartTag to manage profiles. You can touch your home SmartTag to turn on Wi-Fi, launch news or the  weather app, turn the phone sound on or off. It is customizable. 

The display is pretty much like other Xperia models with Sony's mobile BRAVIA engine which makes viewing images and videos a joy to watch. Sony displays have always had that oomph in them and this has been translated in their smartphones as well. It isn't as good as the display we saw in the Samsung Galaxy S III, but it is quite good nonetheless. The camera is very fast, in starting up, taking pictures and recovering for the next shot. All this can be done in about a second. It could have used a better camera, like the 8.1MP included in the Xperia Ray or the Xperia S, but it isn't the top of the line phone so it looks like Sony settled. The battery life could also use some work since we were able to pull less than 6 hours on a complete charge (which by the way happens to be the magic figure for most Android powered phones especially during heavy usage). The life can be extended using ICS' built in power saver feature or a 3rd party app like Juice Defender, but not by much. Still, the Sony Xperia sola is a decently packaged phone for a not so hefty price. And you can get it in Black, White and Red colors!

Our Rating: 

The Sony Xperia sola is currently on sale in India for about Rs. 19,500 (~$360).