Samsung Galaxy S7 Rumor Roundup: 10 Leaked Features Reveal Spectacular Changes

By AllTechAdvisor

When Samsung revealed the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 edge flagship smartphones in April 2015, the designs and features were drastically different from the Galaxy S5. Samsung did away with expandable storage, the removable battery and water resistance from the Galaxy S5 to the Galaxy S6 in favour of aluminum edges and a glass back. Even though Samsung got rid of favourable features that distinguished its Galaxy devices from the iPhone, the Galaxy S6 received very positive reviews. And the curved screens built into the Galaxy S6 edge clearly proved that Samsung knows how to innovate. Now rumours about what Samsung will be doing for its next line of flagship smartphones have been pouring in. Here are 10 leaked features that are expected for the Galaxy S7.

World's best learning content Your child's brightest buddy!, A Small Tablet For Your Smarter Kids

By AllTechAdvisor

Eddy has been designed to give your child an all-rounded exposure to ensure multiple skill development. It aims at inculcating reading, musical, mathematical, and analytical and technology skills to give your child the smart edge.

The different Eddy tablet models give access to loads of content

• Library of 1000+ children's books including beautifully-illustrated fairytales, folktales, read-aloud books, classics etc.
• Pre-installed apps carefully chosen and curated by educators to boost your child's learning abilities
• Apps mapped across different learning areas- English, Maths, Science, Creativity, Music and General knowledge
• Videos of their favourite Ben10 episodes and art, craft, music and dance activities on the M.A.D show by Rob
• An exciting collection of kid's most loved games.

9 Ways Your Cellphone Can Save Your Life

By AllTechAdvisor

You’re lost in the woods. Stuck on a dark road with a flat tire. Have a chronic medical condition like diabetes or asthma. Or are just wondering about that odd mole on your leg. In these cases and many more, your smartphone could get (or keep) you out of trouble.

Here are nine ways to use your smartphone to prevent problems and help in an emergency.

1. Add some “ICE” to your contact list

Short for “In Case of Emergency,” the letters ICE in your phone contact list tell emergency responders who to call if you’ve been in an accident. Add ICE before a person’s name, for example, ICE Mary Smith. If you’d like to list more than one emergency content, add numbers, such as ICE1 Mary Smith, ICE2 Bruce Jones. ICE apps are also available for iPhone and Android.

6 Hidden Ways Your Cell Phone May Be Harming Your Health

By AllTechAdvisor

The debate may continue for years over whether cell phones cause cancer, but meanwhile, a growing stack of research has uncovered other, more immediate ways your mobile could be a health menace. Read up on these six hazards then hang up when the time is right.

1. Talking (even hands-free) or texting behind the wheel

At least 2,600 traffic deaths and over a half-million accident-related injuries are caused by drivers using their cell phones, according to the Harvard Center for Risk Analysis. If you think your hands-free device makes talking or sending voice-recognition texts safer, think again. A University of Utah study found that drivers performed equally poorly with hand-held and hands-free phones. The mental effort it takes to hold a conversation with someone who’s not in the car and doesn’t know when to stop talking so you can merge or avoid an unsafe situation is too distracting, the researchers note.

Texting is even worse. When they text, drivers take their eyes off the road for an average of 4.6 seconds long enough for the car to travel the length of a football field, federal safety officials warn. When editors at Car and Driver magazine did their own informal study in 2009, they found that reaction time tripled from a half-second to nearly 1½ seconds while reading or receiving a text. At 35 miles an hour, that’s equal to traveling an extra 45 feet before slamming on the brakes. Their performance while texting was worse while texting than drunk, they discovered after downing vodka and orange juice before getting behind the wheel of a Honda on a closed roadway.

4 Places Never to Keep Your Cell Phone

By AllTechAdvisor

If you’re like most people, you’ve probably worried about dropping and breaking your cell phone, leaving yourself incommunicado. But you may not have thought much about the battery. Cell phone batteries are pretty durable, but if something goes wrong, they can malfunction and overheat with surprising consequences.

Though your cell phone probably won’t explode, it might get damaged. “Batteries pack a lot of power into a small area,” says John Drengenberg, consumer safety director at UL. “If something does go wrong, causing a short circuit, the battery can pass a current internally that can heat the internal chemistry of the battery,” he says. What’s more, says Drengenberg, heat causes expansion, and that can cause breakage internally.

“That’s why a lot of batteries have a mechanism to notice heat pressure and allow it to escape, like a teapot that whistles.” Your cell phone battery isn't going to whistle, but having this feature enables the phone to cool down more effectively.

Related: 6 Hidden Ways Your Cell Phone May Be Harming Your Health

Apple in 2015: Hits and misses

 

By AllTechAdvisor

Apple had a very busy 2015. We got new iPhones with a twist, an iMac that looks at the future, a refreshed MacBook, an iPad that wants to refresh the category, new software products and a lot more. And as with Apple, the numbers made for interesting reading. Here is a look at what worked for Apple in 2015, what didn’t, and how that could impact decisions heading into 2016.

The numbers: more than a wad of cash

It is hard to not look at these numbers in awe fiscal 2015 was the most successful for Apple, as revenue grew 28% to close at $234 billion.

In the first quarter, Apple recorded the highest quarterly sales for iPhones (74.5 million) and Macs (5.5 million), and also shifted a lot of iPads (21.4 million). In the same quarter, the company’s App Store also enjoyed record sales till then.

In the second quarter, Apple reported selling 61.1 million iPhones, 12.6 million iPads and 4.5 million Macs. The App Store sales too beat the previous quarter. If you thought things would slow down, you would have been wrong. In the third quarter, Apple reported selling 47.5 million iPhones, 10.9 million iPads and 4.7 million Macs, and App Store sales recorded their highest-ever numbers.

The world's 'most powerful' smartphone isn't, but it's still good

By AllTechAdvisor

One smartphone maker is learning the hard way why you shouldn't promise more than you can deliver. Yu (partly owned by India's Micromax) has unveiled the Yutopia, which it bills as the "most powerful phone on the planet." There's only one problem: it isn't. You'll find plenty to like in the Cyanogen OS handset between its 5.2-inch quad HD display, Snapdragon 810 chip, 4GB of RAM, 21-megapixel rear camera, 8-megapixel front shooter, fingerprint reader and 3,000mAh battery. However, you've seen all of this or better in phones released months ago odds are that you bought a Galaxy Note 5 or Nexus 6P if you were determined to get the best specs.

However, you might forgive Yu's stronger-than-usual marketing bluster when you see the price. The Yutopia will sell for 24,999 rupees off-contract, or about $377, when it reaches India on December 26th. Given that even Motorola's fine Moto X Pure Edition costs $399 in the US, you're getting a whole lot of phone for the money.

5 Features Apple NEEDS To Steal From Android Marshmallow

By AllTechAdvisor

The debate about whether iOS or Android is the best platform has raged on since, well… forever. Android is the biggest platform in the world by quite margin, but Apple makes the most money and Google likes to get almost all of its services up and running on Apple’s iPhone, which means you can switch from iOS to Android pretty damn easily. Go the other way, though, and things get a little dicey. 

This is because of Google and Apple’s divergent business models which, while appearing rather similar on the surface, are very different once you get into the guts of how each functions and the end results both are after. Google, for instance, is ALL about advert revenue, Google Play and its suite of services Google Maps, YouTube and the like and wants to get these apps and services up and running on as many devices and machines as possible. This is why you get access to Google services on iPhone and MacBooks but don’t get things like Pages or iBooks on Android, for instance. Apple is ALL about hardware and software and uses the former to generate cash through the latter; it controls every aspect of every device and transaction inside its iOS ecosystem.

Apple’s ecosystem is a walled-garden, one you gain access to by buying an Apple product like an iPhone, iPad or MacBook. Once you’re inside Apple’s ecosystem, however, you’re locked in and it is rather hard to access core services iTunes stuff like films and music, for instance on non-Apple machines and devices. Google does things differently, however, and lets you access most of its stuff on either Android or iOS. Google has a much more open approach to this type thing compared to Apple but, again, this is down to how both companies go about making their money. Google is essentially in the advertising business, while Apple is more or a straight-up technology company.

Neither platform is better than the other, really. Both are excellent and both have their ups and downs. I use two handsets at present, the Google Nexus 6P and the iPhone 6s, and switch between then as the mood takes me. Traditionally, I am very much an Android user I love Google Nexus phones. But I also love Apple’s iPhones too. I know, quite a paradox. After using iOS 9 and Android Marshmallow for a few months, though, I have found a TON of features on Marshmallow that Apple is sorely missing aboard its iPhone. 

With that in mind, I decided to put together a post detailing which Android features I’d love to see inside iOS 9 or iOS 10, which is the next big instalment of Apple’s platform that’s due out mid-way through 2016. 

New smartphones for 2016 - most exciting upcoming phones

With a new year upon us, I thought I'd run down the handsets that are going to make the biggest splashes in 2016. Whether you're looking forward to your next straightforward upgrade or thinking of jumping ship to a different manufacturer I'll summarise what's coming when and whether it's worth getting excited about. We've gone with the flagship handsets here, as those generally attract the most attention before release and we've stuck to the big guns too, rather than include niche or unusual designs that will probably never see the light of day.

Can't wait for a new handset? Here are the best smartphones you can buy today

1. Samsung Galaxy S7 - March/April

Samsung's handset plan for 2016 is as predictable as Apple's. The Samsung Galaxy S7 will follow the current Galaxy S6 as night follows day. The timing of the announcement might be edged forward a little in the year but I can't see the phone being available much before March even then and I wouldn't be surprised if it came out in April as usual.

With the move from plastic to a metal chassis handset in 2015, I'm not expecting another radical redesign this year. A bigger question is whether Samsung will continue to produce standard and curved screen variants of its flagship handset. Personally, I'd like to see the current design tweaked to make it less slippery, as it's very hard to get a grip on at present.

There's also talk of a 4K display, but given that there's no support for such resolutions in Android at present, which caused problems for us in the 4K Xperia Z5 Premium, I can't see that happening quite yet. Other rumours point to a return to a Snapdragon chipset, at least in some regions, as Samsung again confuses us with multiple iterations of the same handset - see Qualcomm Snapdragon 820.

Xiaomi Mi 3 review: 18 months on there is no need to buy an expensive phone anymore

By AllTechAdvisor

In July 2014, Xiaomi entered the Indian smartphone market with the Mi 3. At that time, the Xiaomi Mi 3 had almost top-of-the-line specifications, with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor, 5-inch Full HD display, 2GB RAM, 16GB storage, 13-megapixel camera, 3,000mAh battery, and Android 4.4 KitKat. Crafted in a steel body and priced at just Rs. 14,000, it seemed like a deal too good to be true. I, like many others, took the plunge and bought it.

It has been 18 months since that launch. Every week, I see new phones being launched with high-end hardware and surprisingly low price tags. The OnePlus One or OnePlus Two, Xiaomi's own Mi 4, Lenovo's Vibe X2, Moto X Play, and several other phones seem great and I keep looking for reasons to upgrade. But honestly, even after a year and a half, the Mi 3 is going strong and I don't actually need a new phone or an upgrade.

If you had told me in 2014 when I was buying the Mi 3 that a power user like me wouldn't feel the need to upgrade the phone come 2016, I would have laughed in your face.

And yet, here I am, ready to meet the New Year without being able to convince myself to buy a new phone.

The best tablet you can buy

We’ve seen a long lineup of new tablets this year at sizes big, regular, and small. But the everyday things we use tablets for watching movies, playing games, browsing the web, checking email, and getting some light work done still haven’t changed much in 2015. And the key things we look for when buying are also the same; a tablet should have a screen you can get lost in for hours; it should be fast and powerful, have a huge selection of apps, and the battery should last all day and beyond. And though we often leave them at home, it’s important that tablets are portable when we need them to be, a requirement that’s disqualified some particularly massive contenders this year.

More and more, we’re seeing devices that try to bridge the gap between a laptop and tablet. But despite everyone’s best efforts, those hybrid devices don’t quite replace PCs and don’t feel great when you want to do “tablet stuff.” Tablets still work best when they focus on leisure and entertainment. They’re still that middle thing between your smartphone and computer, and the best ones embrace that position. They put amazing technology into something that’s simple and genuinely fun to use and they do it without costing too much money. That’s where our top choice excels.

Massive WhatsApp Update Has Great Surprise

By AllTechAdvisor

Christmas may be over, but it looks like WhatsApp is about to provide a gift that will keep on giving to its users… and pile the pressure on Apple, Google, Microsoft and phone carriers. 

Leaked screenshots attained by German site MacerKopf reveal the astonishingly popular messaging service, which has picked up over 900M users in just 6 years, is set to launch video messaging.

2015 Tech Awards: The top Smartphones, iPhone 6s Plus to Redmi 2 Prime

By AllTechAdvisor

This was a year in which smartphones started becoming cheaper, more powerful and were finally able to add the battery power that users wanted. While the focus was all on smartphones, the gadget everyone is interested in, in the first IndianExpress.com tech awards we will also look back at the other gadgets that impressed us. For now, here's our list of top smartphones for 2015:

Samsung launches Galaxy A9 smartphone with 6-inch display, fingerprint scanner

By MakeUsesOf

After weeks of leaks, Samsung announced its Galaxy A9 smartphone at a launch event in China. Samsung's newest smartphone boasts a 6-inch screen and includes a non-removable 4000 mAh battery.

Running on Android Lollipop 5.1, the smartphone has a fingerprint scanner and supports the mobile payment service Samsung Pay that has recently been launched in Asia.

Tablets for kids getting more advanced amidst increased competition

Tablets designed just for kids are getting more sophisticated as they face increased competition from regular tablets. The new products also have better screens, speedier chips and fashionably slim bodies. They let older children do more, yet hold their hands until they're ready for unsupervised access.

Although many of the tablets were originally conceived as educational toys for kids as old as middle schoolers, they've been more popular with younger children. Older kids have been apt to reject them in favour of their parents' tablet or smartphone.

That shift has prompted companies to focus more on pre-schoolers and kindergarteners, as they create super-durable products that can withstand repeated abuse and develop games and apps that teach reading and math.

By AllTechAdvisor

But now, some of those companies are looking to take back some of the sales to older kids that they've lost over the years, offering premium products most with price tags of over $100 that look and perform less like toys and more like the ones adults use.

Best gadgets 2015: Phones, cameras, games and more, here is the best of the year

ByAlTechAdvisor

1. iPad Pro

Pitched, in part, as a laptop replacement, the iPad Pro allows you to work on the go and even multi-task with split-screen view so you can run two apps on the screen at the same time. And its bigger screen certainly makes split-screen work easier, in the same way the iPhone 6 is a better experience than the iPhone 5 because of the extra scale.

Therefore, as a laptop replacement for around the house, the iPad Pro fits the bill. It is fast, quick, and easy to use. Whether working on the sofa (if there's a coffee table), watching Netflix or Sky Go in bed, or sitting at a desk working on annotations with the Pencil, that extra screen real-estate looks great.

iPhone 7, Galaxy S7, Sony Z6, HTC One M10: These are the Best Smartphones to get excited about in 2016

ByAllTechAdvisor

It has been another top-notch year for the smartphone industry but, as is always the way, the next 12 months are set to be even better. We will see new flagships from Apple, Samsung and Sony, and it will be make-or-break time for HTC, Blackberry and maybe others, too.

Apart from the Samsung Galaxy S7 or rather, the Galaxy S7 family we have not seen too many leaks for 2016 handsets just yet. But rest assured, there will be plenty to get excited about over the coming year. Here is what you can expect:

How to move Android apps to an SD card ?

One of the biggest advantages that (most) Android handsets have over the iPhone is the ability to expand the storage space with an inexpensive microSD card. Generally, handsets will allow up to 128GB of additional space well beyond the industry average of 16-32GB of internal storage space.

Not every handset has a microSD card slot, of course. The Samsung Galaxy S6 notably dropped the feature, for example, but for handsets that include a microSD card, the ability to lighten the load on the internal storage by moving apps is particularly handy. Not every handset supports it and nor does every app but for those that do, here’s how it’s done.

1) First things first, you’ll need a SD card. This may sound like a silly first step, but there’s a couple of possible pitfalls to look out for. The first is that, although you can buy huge microSD cards, Android handsets have different maximum capacities, so check your handset’s limits. There's no point buying a 128GB card if your phone will only show 32GB.

Apple iOS 9.2 released Should You Upgrade?

Few days back Apple released iOS 9.2. It has some great new features, but marries that with a massive confession list of bug fixes. So is it worth the upgrade or are you better off steering clear? Let’s break it down…

What Is iOS 9.2 For?

iOS 9.2 is compatible with the iPhone 4S or later, iPad 2 or later, iPad mini or later, iPad Pro and 5th generation iPod touch or later. It is a 250MB download and should prompt users to upgrade to it automatically.

If that doesn’t happen, you can manually trigger the update by going to Settings > General > Software Update

19 mobile hacks everyone should know

By AllTechAdvisor

From saving your phone battery to protecting it against sand or water damage, here are some of the incredible mobile hacks that can make your life easier and smoother.

1. For better coverage, be near a window

There are times when you are unable to get a clear signal on mobile, especially when you are inside a building or in the basement. In this situation, be near a window: you will have better chances of having a strong mobile network.