Droid Maxx 2 and Droid Turbo 2 Mirror Moto Devices

One of the biggest hits this year came in the form of the Motorola Moto X Play that gave smartphone users around the world something to talk about. But, when I say “around the world”, sadly, I exclude The United States of America out of it because Motorola refuses to release the Play in the county. The reason behind it is still unknown but whatever be the reason, America feels that they are missing out on something extraordinary.

But there is still some hope because in recent rumors, because in the latest smartphone news, Verizon seems to be ready to announce their take on the Moto X Play called the Droid Maxx 2. Verizon has been offering their versions of the Motorola smartphones to America for some years now and this time seems to be no different. The fundamental reason behind the Droid Maxx 2’s demand is its battery power. Similar to the Play, the Maxx 2 presents its users with a list of top notch features with the battery at center stage. Let’s find out what exactly the Droid Maxx 2 will be offering its US buyers.

• Android 5.1.1 (Lollipop)
• 7 GHz Snapdragon Processor (Octa-Core)
• 2GB RAM
• 16GB and 32GB Variants
• 5 Inch Full HD Display Protected By Corning Gorilla Glass 3
• 3630 mAh Battery (48 Hours Usage)
• 21 Megapixel Primary Camera, 5 Megapixel Front Camera
• 1080p HD Video Recording

The above mentioned specifications are what the Moto X Play offers but we can expect the same on the Droid Maxx 2 as well (give or take a few tweaks in hardware). As it is a mirrored device as the Moto X Play, the price will remain the same on the Droid Maxx 2 which will be $300.

Two other devices from Motorola, the Moto X Style and the Moto X Pure Edition will be the model for which Verizon will base its Droid Turbo 2 smartphone. As seen before, it will contain all the similar specifications as the two Moto’s, but include some other features like the display which will be Plastic OLED and wireless charging. The Plastic display has already featured on the G4 from LG which allows the screen to bend in ways no phone should. The Droid Turbo 2 calls itself “unbreakable” which in reality means that the display will not smash the way glass does. The wireless charging is something that the Moto X Pure Edition lacked so this could be a big bonus for sales. A reasonably steep price tag on the Droid Turbo 2 which will cost $600, might be the only reason fans think twice to lay down the cash. But for what the smartphone is offering, it is more than worth it, especially when Motorola refuses to make their phones available to the American market.

Why is the Moto G so Popular?

Fairy tales where a down on luck guy’s fortune completely turns around after a few strokes of luck are usually just that, fairy tales. However, there are a few stories where reel life comes to real life, as people and companies manage to turn around their fate and rewrite history. Motorola is one such brand name. From being the company that actually invented the first ever mobile phone, it went into obscurity lately. Its phones weren’t selling and it was in the brink of ruin, much like Nokia. However, seeing the scope of low cost smartphones at a time when increasing youth were looking to buy phones, Motorola came up with what many critics called the smartphone of the decade – the Moto G.

Handheld news sources went ballistic, as this was a smartphone that broke all norms, giving people insane value for money. Sales went through the roof and Motorola’s fortunes changed overnight. Critics, users, reviewers all went gaga over this phone. Thus, the anticipation and interest triggered for subsequent iterations of the Moto G has been the same and hence, the Internet is currently rife with rumours and leaks of the expected Moto G 2015.

The Moto G, while may not have all the bells and whistles of many leading flagships, has managed to capture the imagination of the public. To compensate this void, Motorola then launched the Moto X, which was once again touted as the most affordable flagship of the year. Rounding off the last segment, Motorola shocked smartphone makers once more, when it released the extremely affordable Moto E, a phone that came with just a notch lower features than the Moto G, although it was priced at half the rate of the Moto G.

The funny thing for Motorola is that, this time Motorola will probably have to target new fans rather than Moto loyalists. Perfection is something that cannot be worked on to become better and many people had lauded the 2014 Moto G and Moto X phones as near perfect. Thus, ironically, not a lot of Moto G or Moto X 2014 users will be upgrading to the 2015 version of either phones, because the upgrade and jump up isn’t really significant enough for them. A few images of the Moto G 2015 have been leaked online and by the looks of it, despite the seeming upgrade of water resistance, it isn’t really a giant leap ahead or anything. The jump up of the original Moto G to the Moto G 2014 was still significantly higher than the jump up of the Moto G 2^nd gen to Moto G 2015.

 

Hence, if you already own the current Moto G or Moto X 2014 handsets, then it doesn’t make sense to buy the newer version of these devices. Yet, the new Moto G is expected to do exceedingly well and Moto executives hope it will manage to replicate the success of its predecessor. According to handheld news sources, the original Moto G is said to be Motorola’s most successful handset till date and hopefully, the Moto name will live on in the future years to come.

Buying a Smartphone Online – Safe or Stupid?

Smartphones are undoubtedly an important investment. It is what marketing gurus will call a high involvement purchase, that is, there is a long drawn process of doing your home work, including going through different mobile phone comparison sites and mobile specification comparisons. So, after all of that, would you be willing to swipe your card sitting at home and opt to buy a phone without really looking at it for real? Well, opinion is divided regarding online shopping for a smartphone.

People nowadays buy even television and home theatre sets at the click of a mouse. E-commerce sites are cashing in big time on the immensely successful sale campaigns that they take out on a seasonal basis. However, there is an understandable amount of scepticism surrounding any buy, most of all, a smartphone. Buying a smartphone is a big deal, especially if it’s a flagship model that you’re looking to buy. So, even if you’re the type who regularly buys books and other things online, perhaps the slight hesitation you’re feeling before buying a smartphone online is justified. So let us clear some basics first.

For starters, after going through a smartphone compare, you’ve zeroed in on a smartphone. You’re sure to check the price too, as, this is always displayed in websites. You will often find that the price online is usually lesser than what you would have to pay in a brick and mortar store. The price difference that you’ve seen on a mobile phone comparison site may either be small or may be astronomically huge. In either case, you need to ask yourself one question – is the risk worth it? If the difference is very small, then there is no point in being mentally torn and instead, it makes sense to simply visit the store and buy the device for yourself.

However, if the price difference is huge, then the option of buying online is more feasible. The main problem haunting several people is usually that many times, deliveries go wrong with these sites, as either the order placed is wrong or that what is delivered is completely different from what is wanted. In such cases, the best option is to instead, opt for the cash on delivery option if it exists. This ends up being a back up option, as you can then check your product and open it before paying for it.

Hence, in the end, it is really a subjective matter as to whether or not to buy a smartphone online. You can visit sites that offer details on smartphone compare and in such sites, often in the comments section, you’ll get valuable information regarding the prospect of buying from specific sites. Also, always go through mobile specification comparisons before deciding on which smartphone you want to buy. Either way, it is your choice and prerogative whether or not you wish to buy a smartphone online and like they say, experience is the best teacher.

The Evolution of Smartphone Cameras

Gone are the times when people would go out of their way and buy separate cameras to capture special moments. Today, people only bother to take out copies and prints of pictures to make a wedding album or for other official purposes. Today is the age of smartphones. Yes, the all encompassing smartphone suffices and doubles up as a device that can make calls, send texts and emails and also capture pictures when need be. So, when buying a smartphone, one needs to do a detailed smartphone camera comparison.

Smartphone cameras come in all types today. Some come with a flash and some come without a flash. Then there are some that come with a front camera, for video conferencing and clicking selfies and some that come without a front camera. Either way, the options available are galore, or we haven’t even gone into the technicalities of a good smartphone comparison tool that will allow you to know where a camera hits and where it misses.

Initially, smartphones came with cameras that sported a maximum MP count of 5 – 8 MP. However, as customers became more demanding, it became harder and harder to be able to satisfy customers with such cameras. Hence, innovation finally took place and cameras with double digit MP count started rolling out.

There are several brands of smartphones that are famous for their camera. The bright and colourful Lumia series has managed to make a name for itself in the camera department of smartphones. The famous 1020 Lumia managed to grab headlines in the latest smartphone news, as it came with a ground breaking 41MP camera, which was all set to make a new record in the smartphone industry.

There have been several other innovations in the camera department as well, as smartphone makers are doing what they can to make it to the latest smartphone news. Oppo released their hopeful Oppo N3 smartphone, which came with a rotating or swiveling camera, which was a 16 MP one, which doubled up as the front and main camera. This allowed people to take phenomenal selfies. There are also several other brands, such as several high end Sony Xperia models, that come with great cameras, allowing users to click clear and detailed pictures.

In the end, to become more knowledgeable regarding phone cameras, you can scour several smartphone comparison tools, which detail the differences between different phone cameras. A good smartphone camera comparison will detail not just the MP count of the camera but will also talk about the flash, different modes and the apps that are available in the camera. so, always do your homework before buying a smartphone for its camera.

Has India Finally Arrived?

There was a time when mobile phones came in the option of two brands; it was either  Yes, Samsung was the undisputed king of mobile phones in Asia. Its position was virtually unchallenged for years. That was of course till the advent of smartphones. Over the past two or three years, there has been an explosion of smartphone brands that have all fought for space in the latest smartphone news. The decade long hold of the South Korean Samsung is gone now, as there are several other Asian underdogs that are slowly changing the game. One such underdog is India.

People were surprised when a country like India, a long time loyalists of the two pioneer brands, started offering options to its users. The biggest game changer in India today is undoubtedly . Micromax is a brand that people mocked when it came up with its ambitious Canvas series. However, this brand proved everyone wrong, with phenomenal sales for a start up. After a year, it even managed to rope in the highly popular Wolverine star, Hugh Jackman as its brand ambassador. This was at a time when other better known brands were content with being advertised by Indian stars.

Micromax also exemplified its position by teaming up with Google to launch one of the three handsets that were released under the Android One series. This was a highly affordable handset with great mobile specifications, aimed at people looking to own their very first ever smartphone. It was also came with guaranteed updates, which was a feature that even several famous brands such as Sony and Samsung couldn’t promise.

The different handsets that made Micromax a household name included handsets like the Canvas Knight and Canvas Turbo. These are smartphones that came with 13MP and 16MP cameras respectively at a time when even leading handsets were making their users settle for 8-12 MP cameras, among other mediocre mobile specifications. Several of Micromax’s handsets made it to the latest smartphone news, making people aware of the scope of what this brand had to offer.

Yes, Micromax’s run in India has been the stuff that dreams are made of. From an unknown novice to a brand that has proven to be a saviour for people on a budget, Micromax has come a long way indeed. Currently, Micromax is the tenth largest smartphone seller in the world. However, with the kind of competition in the smartphone market today, this brand still has a long way to go before really making a lasting impression in the masses. It is still a relatively unknown brands beyond India’s borders and to have a global reach, it needs to really up its game and come up with unique smartphone features that will help it garner global attention.

What to Look for in a Smartphone Display

One of the most important features to look for in a smartphone is the display. The most visible part of the phone, and the part through which you will basically be carrying out all your functions, the display is often one of the key deciding factors when buying a smartphone. If you go through the latest smartphone news, the display is often the most talked about feature. So what do you look for in a display? Given below are a few things to keep in mind:

• Display Size – The most important facet is the size of the display. Gone are the days when people were satisfied with displays that spanned 3 inches or so. Now, the bigger the better is the new mantra. In fact, the line between smartphones and tablets is being morphed into phablets, which are essentially smartphones with screens beyond 5.5 inches. So, be sure to decide on the display size according to your need and phone handling capability.
• Pixel Density – After screen size, the most common figure quoted is the pixel density, which is measured as pixels per inch. This dictates the quality of images and text that will be visible to you, as a higher pixel density will mean brighter images. The best screens come as Full HD ones, which come as 1080p screens, meaning the display is clear, with text appearing crisp and borders of images being sharp. All of the latest smartphone news will surely cover this aspect in detail.
• Brightness – Another factor that dictates the screen quality is the brightness. Several handsets, such as the better Lumia handsets, are known for their bright screens. Brighter screens mean lesser strain on the eyes, translating into easy readability and visibility. You can always adjust the brightness of any screen to your liking of course but there are some screens that just come with all the nits of brightness you could hope for. A good smartphone comparison will give you an idea about the brightness of your display.
• Battery Drain – One of the main factors that tend to take up battery is the display. There are some displays that tend to drain out the battery more than usual, while there are some that will help conserve battery when the display isn’t being actively used. So, if you want to ensure longevity of your battery (which you will want for sure), then look at how much of the battery the display is draining.
• Outdoor Visibility – Outdoor visibility is also a major factor that could affect a display’s performance. There are some displays that are simply not visible outdoors, reading to problems with visibility in direct sunlight. Make sure to check if your display is visible in bright settings.
• Viewing Angles – Viewing angles help to view the screen when the phone is tilted at different degrees. This helps to enjoy memorable viewing experiences. So, if you don’t want to see mere shadows every time you move your phone, check to see what the smartphone reviews have to say about the viewing angles.So, this was all about what to look for in a smartphone display. Be sure to go through the latest smartphone reviews and a thorough smartphone comparison to make the right decision.

Is Tiny Taiwan Challenging China?

The world has come a long way and if there is one thing that is unanimously agreed upon, it is that Asia is proving to be an unbeatable force. Yes, slowly focus is shifting towards Asia, for manufacturing and branding. However, even within Asia, there is a lot of competition. In the smartphone sector, an unexpected player giving competition to China is the tiny country known as Taiwan.

Yes, if you go through the latest smartphone news, you will see that Taiwanese brands have flooded the market. The smartphone sector is no longer home to just a few select brands. Instead, the likes of Taiwanese and Indian brands are giving several leading brands competition.

If you go through any of the latest smartphone reviews, names that will always pop up include HTC, Acer and Asus. Acer is a brand that is well known for its laptops, although it has now slowly branched into smartphones as well. Acer has released a slew of smartphones under its Liquid series, including mid-price ranged ones, which are aimed at several first time users of smartphones.

Asus has attained considerable success in this sector, with its ZenFone series. The ZenFone 2 and ZenFone 5 have especially managed to garner a lot of attention, due to their huge displays and speedy interface. The ZenFone 2 released as a huge 5.5 inch smartphone, with an Atom processor. The ZenFone 5 too came with a 5 inch screen and a 2 GB RAM, along with an 8 MP camera.

However, the Taiwanese brand that has really managed to take the world by storm is HTC. Yes, this smartphone brand has managed to capture a considerable chunk of the flagship and mid-price ranged smartphone market. At the beginning of the year, all the latest smartphone news were covering previews of the luxury HTC One M9, a handset that comes with top notch specs. The original HTC One managed to capture the imagination of everyone, as it was a flagship that not only came with great specs at an apt price but it came with a metallic look at a time when even the best flagships were still showing plastic.

Also, HTC’s highly successful Desire series has especially managed to capture the imagination of the youth. These are all smartphones that come with great specs, especially when it comes to the camera and the BoomSound speakers. These handsets regularly feature in all of the latest smartphone reviews and have really managed to do well.

So, these are just some of the brands that are giving sleepless nights to China and for that matter Korea, home to the well-known Samsung brand. Only time will tell who comes out at the top in the end.

What Are The Features Which Make Your Smartphone Fast?

In our superfast lifestyle fast smartphone is a notable criteria. To make the smartphone faster and smoother few things should be included in the device with needful quality. Though people doesn’t care about them while buying their smartphones, but these are the one, on which the speed of the device starts varying by time.

OS: Smartphone operating system is a very different thing than the typical or, desktop operating system. Nowadays, market id filled up with different operating systems, but the quality OS are very few amongst them.

Operating system is something which operates the phone functionalities and applications. It optimizes personal computing experience on a smaller screen or, smartphones and execute compatible features, which make mobiles smarter and faster.

New launch mobile phones contain many features, which directly depends on OS, such as – Bluetooth, GPS, Wi-Fi, Mobile Navigation, Speech recognition, Voice Recorder, Infrared, Touchscreen, and Music Player etc. So, it is quite clear that, a good OS matters a lot to keep smartphones fast and mobile functioning smooth.

Processor: The traditional concept of CPU has evolved by time and transformed from the CPU chip to an inbuilt element, an important specification for smartphones, which is actually responsible for mobile functions.

A good CPU now, play a lot of important role. It saves the battery, stream videos, manages memory and many more beyond its conventional purposes.

Apart from it smartphone CPU supports smartphone screening and its quality. Apart from it a good processor keeps you’re on and therefore nowadays, all the high end smartphones feature a quality CPU, that the mobile runs fast and smooth. In the latest smartphone news, processors are very much highlighted, which expresses the value of it in a smart device.

Memory: As a smartphone user one thing has been usually noticed and that it, how much the smartphone is capable to hold on data. Users are always worried that, their mobile can slow down due to the extreme gathering of sound tracks, videos, images and contents on their device in small memory offering. The more we store, the less fast mobile works. Therefore, it takes a lot of time in everything. No matter how small your file is, or, how fast you want to send a mail to your colleague through your smartphone. That’s why along with sufficient inbuilt memory, quality smartphones offer extended memory slot, where one can put their external memory card and use it for more storage.

RAM: When the discussion is going on smartphone’s better and faster performance, RAM is the most important thing which cannot be ignored.

RAM is in system for micro storage. It secures data for small time and keep smartphones faster and more equipped.

Network: The world is running over net and assumingly very few may deny this fact. With a better network support a smartphone browse faster, data download becomes smoother, even social sites load chats within a moment. The journey of 2G to 4G has changed many think in smartphone networks and expectedly, more development will feature more changes soon.

 

 

Samsung Galaxy Alpha Gets Lollipop Update

With the launch of Samsung Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge Samsung has gained his throne back. Both the latest high-end Samsung devices have launched with pre-loaded Android Lollipop 5.0. But the previous few devices are still available in the market, which didn’t perform well and made the journey difficult for Samsung last year. Samsung Galaxy Alpha is one of those heavy pocket devices, indeed. Samsung has now opened the lollipop update roll out for Samsung Galaxy Alpha.

Samsung Galaxy Alpha was released last year. After its August arrival, Motorola launched Moto X 2^nd gen within a month of difference with far better specs and improved functionality with the feel of stock android in lesser price and this turned out as an obstruction for Samsung Galaxy Alpha to stand out in the market, according to the latest smartphone news and speculations. But, the company didn’t withdraw the device. May be it was waiting for the right time to boost up the sale for their own Galaxy Alpha.

Galaxy Alpha, though, failed to rule out the competition, but was appreciated for its look. Galaxy Alpha features an edgy rectangular body with a 4.7 inch display. Its metallic casing comes in Black, Blue, Silver, White and Gold shade. Thin steely side panel gives a different elegant touch to the device.

In other hand, the device is powered by octa-core Exynos 5 processor with the support of 2GB Ram and 2G/3G/LTE and Wi-Fi support with Bluetooth and GPS connectivity.

Its 12 MP primary camera comes with LED flash light support and 2.1 MP front camera for video calling and selfies. Apart from it the device is featuring boatloads of features including fingerprint sensor, Samsung’s Health app and power saver app.

By the passing months, more devices have launched. Few flagship devices from HTC, Huawei and Apple have given remarkable performances. Random roll out of Android Lollipop from high-end to low-end devices have increased the competition in the market. Now, the time will speak, how does an old device, like Samsung Galaxy Alpha performs in the crowd of new launch mobile phones.

Source: The information, related news and reviews on Samsung Galaxy Alpha and similar devices are available in KnowYourHandheld. This site provides authentic information on latest smart gadgets and always keep itself updated that, tech-lovers of any age can equally find it useful.

Do Smartphone Specifications Matter?

Nowadays, people are swamped with choices in any and every field, whether it’s the product or the service sector. Customers have become more demanding and sellers are stocking themselves with more variety to satiate every customer’s needs. Every mobile phone store today has products that come with brochures detailing the specifications of each handset, which spans up to four pages at a time. There was a time when the latest smartphone specifications looked like Greek to the layman but all of that has changed now. Even kids today know all about the latest smartphone news and what’s hot and what’s not.

However, a disturbing trend seen today is where youngsters buy a smartphone simply by looking at its spec sheet. While specifications undoubtedly make a huge difference, they should not be the only reason for making a purchase. This is because while on paper specifications may seem quite impressive, the reality may be far from it.

For example, on paper, a 350 PPI display seems far superior to a 250 PPI display but does that really make the former’s screen much superior to the latter’s? The fact is that there is so much more to it than just the pixel density – the brightness, hue, colour contrast, added effects, screen protection, screen type, and several other features all come into play to make the display what it is. Hence, being bedazzled by the latest smartphone specifications and blindly picking a smartphone based on the same makes no sense. Similarly a 16 MP smartphone camera cannot come anywhere close to a 16 MP camera. This is because a complex feature such as photography has many facets that come together to give rise to the perfect picture.

Several other specifications also follow the same rule, although the most common culprits are the display and camera. Another major factor that dictates buyers’ interest includes the look of the smartphone. A bulky or highly angular smartphone will not be favoured by buyers. While buying, also keep in mind the budget factor – you’ll be surprised to learn that the best value for money is achieved when buying low end or mid-price ranged smartphones.

Hence, being well informed is a good way to ensure that an expensive purchase isn’t made by simply looking at the spec sheet of the product. Specifications undeniably are an important part of the attraction of any smartphone but should not be the sole deciding factor. Following the latest smartphone news for details and updates on features and reviews always helps to make an informed decision. No doubt the famous and more expensive handsets will come loaded with better features but always remember – better specs do not always make a better smartphone.