Author: Dhruv Bhutani

Silent Circle acquired Geeksphone earlier this year and announced their intention to launch the Blackphone 2. Announced at MWC, we are getting an update that the device will now be available starting September. 
The follow up …

Jolla, the Finnish upstart trying to get a hold in the smartphone segment, today announced that they will be breaking off their hardware division into a distinct entity. Going forward Jolla Ltd. will solely be …

Jolla splits hardware and software divisions to increase focus on Sailfish OS licensing is a post from: Fone Arena

Smartphone, technology aficionados as well as regular readers of the site know that the annual Mobile World Congress (MWC) is just around the corner. From the 2nd March to 5th March with pre-events scheduled for the 1st as well, the upcoming week is going to be a cornucopia of smartphone goodness and we’re on ground already to bring you the latest on the latest! With the tone set, we thought it right to bring you a quick rundown of the latest buzz from Barcelona about what to expect. So without further ado, here’s the top five announcements we expect from MWC 2015.
1. Samsung Galaxy S6, S6 Edge
Unless you’ve been living under a rock the past few weeks, you’ll know that the Samsung Galaxy S6 is on it’s way. With declining sales in the high-end segment and stiff competition lined up, Samsung has it’s work cut out for it. The Galaxy S6 is expected to boast cutting edge Exynos silicon, industry leading camera specifications as well as a refined build. Will we see a brand new design? That remains to be seen but sources indicate that there will be metal. While the Galaxy S6 should be a good phone in its own right, …

XOLO is a well known player in the Indian smartphone space. With several class leading devices over the last few years, it has established itself as a player that provides quality hardware with well optimized software at a price point that is within the reach of most buyers. The company recently launched the XOLO Q1200 and we take it for a spin. Read on to find out what we think of it. Xolo Q1200 specifications
5-inch (1280 x 720 pixels) HD IPS display with Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection
1.3 GHz quad-core MediaTek MT6582 processor with Mali 400 MP2 GPU
Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean), upgradable to Android 4.4 (KitKat)
8MP rear camera with Dual LED Flash, Sony Exmor R sensor
2MP front-facing camera
3.5mm audio jack, FM Radio
1GB RAM, 8GB internal memory, expandable memory with MicroSD
3G, WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS, USB OTG
2000 mAh battery
Hardware
The XOLO Q1200 is a fairly run of the mill Android device and taking a look at it, the phone seems to lack a unique design perspective. It feels quite solid in the hand though the straight edges might make it appear a bit more chunky than it is. The front of the phone definitely seems to be inspired by the Apple iPhone.
A …

Last year’s LG G Pro was the Korean company’s push into the phablet category with high end specifications and practically anything you might need in a smartphone thrown under the hood. Unfortunately the phone was let down by inconsistent software. Owing to consumer trends, the successor has grown bigger still. While we’ll take a look at the over all improvements in the device in our full review, let’s take a brief look at the device’s performance in synthetic benchmarks first.
LG G Pro 2 specifications 
5.9-inch (1920 x 1080 pixels) Full HD IPS display with slim bezel
2.26 GHz quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor with Adreno 330 GPU
Android 4.4 (KitKat)
Dimensions – 157.9 x 81.9 x 8.3mm, weight: 172g
13MP rear camera with LED Flash, OIS+, 4K video recording, Slow motion video at 120 fps
2.1 MP front-facing camera
3GB DDR3 RAM, 16GB / 32GB of internal memory, micro SD card slot
LTE / 3G HSPA+, WiFi 802.11 ac/a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0 with A2DP, GPS / aGPS, NFC, SlimPort
3200 mAh battery  (removable)
Benchmarks
Linpack Multi Thread
In the Linpack benchmark, the phone scores 545.847 points which places it above the Indian Exynos 5 Octa based Galaxy S5. Most other handsets handily surpassed it though.
 
Linpack Single Thread
In the single threaded Linpack test, the phone was at the bottom of the …

 When Google’s Android Wear project went official, LG was amongst the first to announce its take on wearables with the G Watch. Today in an official announcement, the Korean company said that it plans to launch the G Watch in June at an estimated price point of 199 Euros.
The design of the watch is similar to that of the not very successful Sony Smartwatch 2 but it is expected to have a larger display. The display on the LG G Watch is believed to be a 1.65 inch 280×280 pixel panel. LG has already announced that it’s watch will feature an always on display which is in sharp comparison to most other smartwatches out there.
Additionally, the watch will employ voice recognition to respond to the standard ‘Ok, Google’ command that we’re so used in Google Now. The watch will be both water and dust resistant. The company has already revealed that it will ship in Champagne Gold and Stealth Black variants and it remains to be seen if more colors will be on offer. The LG G Watch goes on sale this June in France at a price point of 199 Euros.
[Via – Les Numeriques]

Following the completion of Microsoft’s acquisition of Nokia, the Finnish company will be renamed as Microsoft Mobile Oy. Multiple sources have confirmed that the name change may be in effect as soon as end of April if the transaction completes within the estimated time frame.
Under the terms of the sale, Microsoft will assume all rights, benefits and obligations of the Nokia Devices and Services business, including Nokia’s agreements with suppliers, customers and partners which pertain to the Devices and Services business. Therefore, the purpose of this letter is to update you that the current terms and conditions that you have with the Devices and Services business will not change.
Please note that upon the close of the transaction between Microsoft and Nokia, the name of Nokia Corporation/Nokia Oyj will change to Microsoft Mobile Oy. Microsoft Mobile Oy is the legal entity name that should be used for VAT IDs and for the issuance of invoices.
Initially spotted in a leaked letter to suppliers, we’ve received further confirmation via mail from Nokia regarding the privacy and data protection terms once the sale gets completed. Not many consumer facing changes are expected post the sale and indeed the mail mentions that Microsoft will …

As competition in the chipset space increases, its been rumored that LG has plans of their own to bring along an ARM based system on chip dubbed Odin. While rumors have been around for a couple of years now, we finally might have something concrete around the specifics of the chipset. Believed to be based on the big.LITTLE configuration that we talked about a while back, the Odin chipset would pair four Cortex A15 cores clocked at 2.2Ghz each with four Cortex A7 cores clocked at 1.7Ghz. To be manufactured on the 28nm process, it is believed that TSMC is in charge of manufacturing.
Said chip will however not be making its debut in the LG G3. A critical product for the Korean company, LG will be relying on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 805 chipset to power the handset. To be available in both quad and octa core configurations, the SoC will pack an ARM Mali T604 or T760 GPU depending on the configuration. The first handset to be powered by Odin is expected to be a low – mid range device later this year. Meanwhile, the LG G3 is shaping up to be a beast of a smartphone with a 2k display, …