Binatone launches WiFi router with mobile app

Binatone Monday launched WR1505N3 150 Mbps Wi Fi router which is supported by mobile app for Android for easy installation and configuration.

The device has 4 LAN ports, 1 WAN port, WiFi and supports multiple WAN with VLAN features, the company said in a statement.

The ne router supports features like triple play, NAT and has a built in DHCP and static IP. With this launch we have achieved another milestone and look forward to many more such products which will help consumers in their day to day life," SP Singh, Managing Director, Binatone said.

Binatone designs, manufactures and Motorola Mobility products as well as designs and markets products under its own brand, and other consumer brands.

Should you dump Android for iPhone 6, iOS 8? No, not at all

For Apple, the launch of iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 Plus is a big deal. Literally. The iPhones were starting to look tiny in front of flagship Android phones. But with the iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 Plus, which have bigger screens, Apple is back in the game.

On the software side, with the iOS 8, which is the latest version of the software that powers iPhones and iPads, Apple has tried to close the feature gap with Android.

The unique Android features and a large screen were two main reasons why a lot of people were buying Android devices. Now, we are hearing that after the launch of iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, there is no reason to buy an Android phone. Even the big Android fan Steve Wozniak aka the other Steve of Apple thinks on the same lines .

So, should you give up your Android phablet? Or should you buy the iPhone 6 or the iPhone 6 Plus because it has the large screen?

We think no. There are still a lot of things that an Android phone does best. We tell you about some areas where good Android phones still beat iPhones.

Android phones have sharper screens

While Apple has matched the screen size that flagship Android phones have, it hasn't yet topped or even matched the high resolution that we find on screens of Android phones. Flagship Android phones like Samsung Galaxy S5, LG Nexus 5 and HTC One (M8) all have screens with 1080P aka FullHD resolution. On phones like the Nexus 5, this means screens have a pixel density of 445PPI, making them extraordinarily sharp. In comparison, the iPhone 6 has a screen size of 4.6-inch and an odd resolution of 1334 x 750 pixels. This gives it a pixel density of 326PPI.

iPhone 6 Plus is somewhat better with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 and a pixel density of 401PPI. But even this pales in comparison to LG G3, which has a 5.5-inch screen but with a resolution of 1440 x 2560 and pixel density of 534PPI.

Now, it is true that there is more to a screen than just the resolution. But in high-end Android phones, we get screens that are really good. They have high resolution and ability to show punchy colours. For example, the screen in the HTC One M8 is a real treat to eyes. Then, there is the upcoming Note 4, which has been judged to have "the best performing smartphone display ever tested" by DisplayMate, a firm that specialises in testing screens.

Android Phones have more RAM

It is year 2014 but the latest iPhones, which will be among the expensive smartphones in India once they launch here, still come with 1GB RAM. This is the same amount of RAM that Android One phones, launched a few days ago with a price of around Rs.6,000, have. Even phones like Micromax Canvas Nitro that cost around Rs.12,000 have 2GB RAM.

But the argument is that amount of RAM doesn't matter in an iPhone. The iOS doesn't require a lot of RAM, unlike Android which is incredibly memory hungry. And this argument is somewhat correct.

iOS is much better and efficient at utilising RAM. But that is until you are not pushing the phone. Once you open 12 tabs in the Chrome for iOS, it starts running out of memory. Have you seen an iPhone refresh an opened tab in a browser as soon as you start juggling between a few open apps or tabs? This happens because iPhones have just 1GB RAM. Irrespective of how efficient an OS is, there are instances, especially when a user is multitasking, when it needs more RAM.

Multi-tab web browsing is better on high-end Android phones because they have at least 2GB RAM.

Android phones are cheaper

When the iPhones launch in the coming weeks in India, in all probability they are going to sport a price tag of more than Rs.50,000. In comparison, you can pick the Nexus 5 or Galaxy S5 for less than Rs.35,000 and get a fantastic user experience which is in some way slightly better and in some ways slightly inferior to the iPhone experience. It is win some and lose some scenario. With the remaining Rs.20,000, you can book a ticket to goa and have a 4-day holiday on a sea beach. Don't you think a Nexus 5 plus a 4-day holiday in Goa is a better deal than the iPhone 6?

Choices, many choices

With iPhones, you get everything in one package. It does many things very well, but what if you have special needs? Want a high-end phone that can last 20 hours a day? Get the LG G2 that sells for around Rs.30,000. Want a phone that has really solid set of speakers? Get the HTC One (M8). Want a phone that has fantastic integration with a stylus? Get the Samsung Galaxy Note 3. (Or rather don't get the Note 3. Wait for the Note 4 that should be in India in the coming few weeks. It will be even more awesome).

Want a phone that has a removable battery or supports microSD cards? Get an Android phone. Want a phone that can use Bluetooth or NFC for file transfer? Get an Android phone.

Android KitKat (and Android L) are awesome

In many ways, iOS 8 is sort of a catch up release for Android. The software that powers iPhones had fallen so much behind in terms of functionality that Apple had no option but to open up the iOS and add more functionality to it. Hence, iOS 8 allows users to install third-party keyboards. Or has 'extensibility' that app developers can use to make their apps more functional. It even has widgets but they don't match the functionality of widgets found on Android phones.

Yet, Android KitKat still does so many things in a better way. Some of these really affect user experience in a big way. These are:

Sharing feature: On an Android phone, you can share content and data within apps with ease. That is why you can share a tweet from a Twitter app using WhatsApp easily. In iOS 8 Apple has provided a limited sharing functionality that app developers can use but so far it is not clear how well it will work and how many app developers are going to use it. Android is still better in this aspect.

(Almost) Open File System: Want to control how files are arranged on your phone, install an app like ES File Explorer on your Android phone and enjoy the ability to copy and paste any file almost anywhere. You can also create folders, arrange content the way you want and manually assign different apps to handle different kind of files.

Drag and drop your content from your computer into phone: On the iPhones, you can only drag and drop photos clicked with the iPhone camera. For everything else you have to deal with iTunes, which is a cumbersome way of doing things. On an Android phone, connect your device to a computer and you can drag and drop documents, photos, songs and music with ease. Plain and simple. 

Google apps rock in Android: If you use Google apps a lot, Android phones provide the best Google experience on mobile phones. This is especially true of the Nexus 5 that comes with the Google Now launcher, which puts a lot of relevant information just a swipe away. Even the Gmail, Google Maps and Photos experience is better on a flagship Android phone.

Customise, customise, customise: You can't customise an iPhone. Well, you can change the wallpaper, but that is hardly a big deal. Android phones can be customized in tens of different ways.  Don't like the shape and colour of app icons? Change them. Don't like how notifications show up on the lockscreen? Change it using a third-party app? Want widgets? Get the fancy ones from the play store. Want fancy user interface animations, install a different launcher. You can use one theme on an Android phone for one week and then once you are bored of it, change it to something else.

If you are a user who likes to tinker with the theme and software of his or her phone, you can't go wrong with Android. The iPhone, even the one running iOS 8, doesn't even come close.

Let's summarise

The iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 Plus are pretty good smartphones. The iPhone experience costs a lot of money but it is also pretty good experience. Camera in an iPhone is always fantastic. Performance is mostly nice. Apps are plenty and good looking. But the real beneficiaries of the iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 Plus are the existing iPhone users. Now they have a choice to get a big-screen phone running an OS they like.

But if you already have a flagship Android phone and like it, there is not much new in the iPhone 6 or the iPhone 6 Plus for you. Your Android phone is still great and Android OS is still a more dynamic, flexible and useful operating system.

Google working on Android laptops, CEO Pichai says Chromebooks will not die

The end of the humble Chromebook may just be near, or is it? Chromebooks -- perhaps the one and only high-profile nest for Google's in-house Chrome OS -- may be on their way out, and Android OS has got a lot to do with it. A new report suggests that Google is planning to go all out for Android laptops and PCs, over Chromebooks (that run Chrome OS). Apparently, the Pixel C is in fact the first signs for the things to come.

"Starting next year, the company will work with partners to build personal computers that run on Android," says Recode , citing industry sources. But, this is just the tip of the iceberg. Google's switch to Android as a more preferred platform to run its upcoming laptops will see Chromebooks facing the heat in the longer run. Survival of the fittest, anyone?

It's not that Google's fascination with Android is new. It is after all its OS supreme when it comes to mobile computing, something that is growing stronger each day. And, Google under newly appointed CEO Sundar Pichai is all about embracing that change. It has to adapt, and it has to do so with immediate effect. And if Google's past track record is to be gone by, the company doesn't mind scrapping an odd project or two if these don't meet its numbers.

The report adds that the Chrome browser and Chrome OS will not die, but the same cannot be said about Chromebooks.

Google is planning a major reshuffle which will see the company merging Android and Chome OS into one stand-alone OS sometime in 2017, suggests a Wall Street Journal Report .

So, when SVP Android, Chromecast and Chrome OS at Google, Hiroshi Lockheimer (who is successor to CEO Sundar Pichai) says that "there's still a ton of momentum for Chromebooks and we are very committed to Chrome OS. I just bought two for my kids for schoolwork!" we are not sure how long that momentum would last.

Android is in every nook and corner. And, when Google gives OEMs (and app developers) an option to use it in full blow across its laptops and PCs, things may not be so rosy for Chrome OS, even if it is an alternative they have.

Chromebooks only account for less than 3% of PCs sold worldwide according to an IDC survey. Developers in that case will surely want to cash in on an OS that is a crowd puller and a money maker.

Google cannot entirely kill Chrome OS (and Chromebooks for that matter) if you look at it practically. Android -- as popular as it may be -- still suffers from nagging security issues since it has to go to carriers and device makers to push out updates at the end of the day. Chrome OS in practice is more secure and reliable. So, there are chances that Google may not completely ditch Chrome OS, albeit slim these chances are. Maybe after the transition, we may see Chromebooks with a different name or something. You never know.

World's second-most valuable startup Xiaomi is in trouble

Chinese smartphone giant Xiaomi set a high goal for itself this year: Sell 100 million phones.

Then, in March, CEO Lei Jun scaled back that goal to 80 to 100 million phones sold. Xiaomi announced in July that it sold 34.7 million smartphones in the first half of 2015.

But now, it's looking like the hype surrounding the company is dying down, and the fast-growing, super-valuable company will have trouble meeting its lofty goals.

A report from research firm Trendforce says Xiaomi will sell about 70 million phones this year. And according to TechInAsia, Canalys, another research firm, says Xiaomi's Q3 sales in 2015 dropped year-on-year for the first time ever.

By comparison, Xiaomi sold and shipped 60 million phones last year, beating its projection of 40 million. Xiaomi sells low-cost, high-quality phones, which sell for about $100-$300. Meanwhile, iPhones sell for $650-$1,000. According to data published in August, Xiaomi was China's top smartphone company in China in Q2 2015.

Besides withering hype, there are a number of factors contributing to Xiaomi's slowdown -- China's smartphone market is saturated with competing brands like Huawei and OnePlus. Additionally, Xiaomi hasn't completely expanded globally yet -- its markets include China, India, Brazil, and some emerging markets, with plans to launch in the US in "a few years."

Known as the "Apple of China" for its immense popularity in the country, Xiaomi has been criticized for its similarities to the American tech giant. Apple design chief Jony Ive once called Xiaomi's designs "theft." (Xiaomi denies the claim).

In the past five years, Xiaomi has come out of nowhere to become not only one of China's biggest smartphone manufacturers, but also one of the most valuable startups in the world, with an eye-popping $46 billion valuation.

Xiaomi is known for selling its cheap, but high-quality Android devices in developing countries. It also makes a number of other products, including fitness trackers.

7 budget accessories to enhance your tech life

Ever found yourself wishing your gadgets could give you that much more? A little more storage, one more port, the ability to hook your cable in a manner that it sticks to your machine? I am sure you have, because I have found myself in this situation more often than I’d like. After careful research and a whole lot of banging my head against the wall, I have found a few essential gadgets that I’m pretty sure will help you solve some of your tech problems.

1. HDMI switcher

If you are rocking a TV that you purchased two or three years ago then the one major problem that you will face is with the number of connectivity options. Today, top of the line TV’s come with 4 HDMI ports and that is less for some people. Let me list the gadgets that are connected to my simple monitor which has one HDMI input and one DVI input. I have a PS4, Xbox One, Tata sky HD, Apple TV and a Chromecast 2. Before you say show-off, think of how I have connected these to one monitor. What I have is the Kinivo 501BN 5 port HDMI switcher that you can pick up online for Rs. 2,100. This little device has one HDMI out that is connected to my monitor (or you can connect it to your TV) and 5 HDMI inputs. The best part is that it switches the output based on which device is on, and if you have multiple devices on at once, you can switch between them with a button on the console or use the provided remote. Pretty cool right?

There are a number of HDMI switchers available in the market that you can pick up and all of them offer various number of inputs.

2. Headphone splitter

There are so many times when you are listening to a song and want a friend with you to listen to the song too, but don’t want to share the headphones or want to put it on the loudspeaker. I know, I’ve been in these situations. In this case, the best solution has to be a headphone splitter. Headphone splitters start at a few hundred Rupees for a 2-port headphones splitter, and for less than Rs. 3,000 you can get a 5-port headphones splitter. So, next time you want to huddle around with your friends to watch something on your smartphone you know exactly how to ensure that everyone gets a piece of the audio pie.

3. Bluetooth adapter

Remember those bookshelf speakers that you have? The ones that don’t have Bluetooth, or NFC and were built in the 90’s. The only reason you have them around is because no one makes speakers like they used to and those bad boys sound really good. Well, if the speaker or the amp that they are connected to houses a 3.5 input or RCA input then you are in luck! You have gadgets like the Logitech Bluetooth adapter, which can connect to the speaker via the audio input, and your smartphone via Bluetooth and what you have is a pair of kickass Bluetooth speakers.

If you have access to the recently launched Google Chromecast Audio, then you can stream music to the speakers over local Wi-Fi to the speaker.

There are a number of such accessories in the market from various manufacturers and you can get them for a few hundred rupees all the way up to a few thousands for the high-end variants.

4. USB 3.0 Hub

If you are using a MacBook Air or any ultraportable laptop, the one thing you are compromising on, is the number of USB ports at your disposal. To solve this problem, there are a number of USB hubs at your disposal. A 4 port USB 3.0 hub should cost you about Rs. 1,000. There are USB hubs available that require external power and there are those that draw power from the device they are connected to. You may want to look into that before investing.

If you have an old laptop or desktop and don’t mind connecting to USB 2.0, then those options are available at a cheaper price point too.

5. USB-C Hub

If you have the MacBook with a USB-C port, then this is the one for you. There are a bunch of adapters available in the market that connect to the USB-C port and offer you USB 3.0 connectivity along with a USB-C port as well. These USB-C adapters start at about Rs. 1,000 and go up to a few thousand Rupees based on the brand and connectivity options on offer.

6. Cable management

One of the most annoying problems is the number of cables that clutter your desk. If you have a PC, a bunch of external hard drives and some accessories connected in the middle, then you know the mess of wires that rests under or behind the table. There are a bunch of cable management kits available that let you group wires together and comfortably hold them in a groove. This is really helpful when you have a number of gadgets connected together and need to access one particular wire!

There are also multipurpose cable holder clips available in the market. These are great if you have a charger coming from behind your desk and you don’t want the cable to slip back there once you disconnect the device. These clips are great for clipping charger wires, USB cables and any other wire that you are afraid will fall behind the desk.

Cable covers also help you mange your cable clutter with ease. Just route all your cables through one or two cable covers and you not only have a neat setup but a colourful one as well.

7. Hard drive enclosure

Remember the time you removed that old 500GB HDD from your PC when you upgraded it? Still have it lying around? Well if you do then you are in luck! There are 3.5-inch internal hard drive enclosures available in the market that let you enclose the hard drive and use it as an external hard drive. These enclosures usually require external power so even though your HDD is portable it isn’t truly portable. These HDD enclosures start at a few hundred rupees for a USB 2.0 connection options and go all the way up to few thousand Rupees based on the features on offer.

There you have it! A list of 7 gadgets that just made you the centre of attention! Do you agree with the list? Do you disagree? Is there anything else we could have added to this list? Let us know in the comment section below!