LED On The Rise

New TV tech for 2015: Improving the LCD

Alongside a host of TV announcements at CES 2015 were multiple new (or newish) TV technologies: quantum dots, HDR, MEMS and more. All of them aim to make the dominant TV tech, LCD, look better. Here's what these terms mean.

Pixtronix

At CES 2015, we got a glimpse of all the upcoming TV technologies that go beyond 4K. Along with that came the inevitable marketing buzzwords we'll be hearing for the next year. Some of these buzzwords are more than that, though. Some represent advancements that can potentially do a lot for picture quality.

Each of the four advancements below can help improve picture quality in LCD TVs, although one, HDR, can work with OLED TVs, too. And as the battle for picture quality supremacy between LCD and OLEDheats up, LCD is going to need all the help it can get.

Though we've discussed a few of them before, here's an overview of what they'll all mean in 2015 and beyond.

HDR

After 4K itself, which seems so 2014 by now, the most common TV tech discussed at the show wasHDR, or High Dynamic Range. There's a lot of confusion as to what this actually means, but the short version is a TV capable of a greater contrast ratio than a typical television (hence, greater dynamic range), and soon there'll be at least a few movies in HDR format to watch on it.

There are potentially other aspects, like a wider color gamut, that can also be a part of HDR. Essentially, by using advanced local dimming techniques, a TV can display whites that are significantly brighter than a non-HDR TV's, while keeping the blacks as close to black as possible. Which, at least in the case of OLED, means perfectly black.

Notice how one TV's image seems blown out, and the other's image seems dim? This is the compromise my camera made in order to get the bright highlights of the Sharp Dolby Vision TV roughly correct, and capture the dimmer "regular" TV at the same time. In person, the TV doesn't look blown out, just brighter and punchier.Geoffrey Morrison/CNET

One of the biggest proponents is Dolby, with its Dolby Vision technology.

While it remains to be seen how extensive these advancements will be, we're tentatively excited about them, given that contrast ratio is easily the most important aspect of picture quality.

You can read more about HDR and what each TV company is doing with it in High Dynamic Range arrives at CES 2015.

Quantum dots

This is another cool TV technology that sounds more like marketing than science, but it's actually comfortably both. Quantum dots are tiny particles, also called nanocrystals, that glow a certain wavelength of color depending on their size when supplied a bit of energy.

Sony's W900A from 2013 used quantum dots from QD Vision arranged in a tube in front of blue LEDs. The blue LEDs would not only create blue light, but that blue light would energize the red and green quantum dots, to create red and green light. The color on the TV was fantastic.

QD Vision

And that's why we're excited about QD. Even at the correct HD color points, QD displays have a certain realism to their color that's not possible with standard "white" LEDs (which are actually blue with a yellow phosphor). RGB LEDs have a similar realism, but are almost never used in current televisions.

Samsung, just to be difficult, is calling its version of quantum dots, found in SUHD TVs, "nanocrystal LED."

You can read more about quantum dots in Quantum dots: How nanocrystals can make LCD TVs better.

Lasers!

Two companies, Philips and Hisense, announced LCDs lit by lasers. Check out David's eyes-on in this video:like quantum dots (and RGB LED), lasers have the potential for extremely precise color reproduction. How well these will perform, we'll have to wait and see.

MEMS

This isn't really a 2015 development, more of a potential TV tech for the future. IGZO-MEMS, or Indium Gallium Zinc Oxide-Micro Electro Mechanical System, is a joint development between Sharp and Qualcomm subsidiary Pixtronix.

Instead of using a liquid crystal layer to (imperfectly) block the light created by the LED backlight, MEMS uses mechanical shutters (image at top). These slide to block the light and turn a pixel "off." Sharp claims this makes for an even more energy-efficient display. Because there's no color filter (color is created sequentially from RGB LEDs), there's the potential of an even wider color gamut. There's also potentially no motion blur.

On the left is a top-down cutaway view of a traditional edge-lit LCD. With the IGZO-MEMS on the right, more of the backlight's light makes it to your eyeballs, making the display more efficient.Sharp/Pixtronix

Being able to vary the light on a per-pixel level is the holy grail of contrast ratio. MEMSs, OLED and plasma can do it, but so far it's never been possible with a production LCD (local dimming models can only dim areas of the screen, not individual pixels).

Right now Sharp has "no current plans" to develop this into a TV technology, just tablet-size screens for now. Might make for a cool TV tech though.

Bottom line

While we all lament the loss of plasma (this was the first year this century it wasn't mentioned anywhere at CES), and the slow rollout of OLED, LCD manufacturers have some interesting tech planned for their 2015 models. Potentially, these could be the best-looking LCDs yet. Possibly, the best-looking displays.

We shall see.

Apple On Top Of The Tree

Why is Apple sitting on $142bn?

King Midas, you may remember, had a problem with gold. Everything he touched turned to the yellow stuff.

Fine for a while, but not when he realised "everything" meant just that - everything.

He might have had some sympathy with Apple's problem of simply having too much money.

And the biggest quarterly profit in history, $18bn, is actually adding to Apple's biggest headache - an excess of cash.

In short the company is making money far faster than it can spend it.

Its cash pile now stands at close to $142bn (£93.5bn).

The problem is how to generate a return with that money for shareholders.

It has enough, in theory, to buy 480 or so of the companies in the S&P 500.

Or Lithuania, three times over.

But simply buying up companies is a complex and intricate business and suitable take-over targets are few and far between.

Its latest, the subscription music service Beats, cost just $3bn - and that was its largest purchase ever.

Apple is spending cash - but buying Beats subscription music service only cost $3bn

Apple Campus

It can invest in its own development, and it is spending an estimated $5bn on the 176-acre Apple Campus headquarters site.

But still the money keeps rolling in.

Most of it gets parked in what the accounts call "cash and cash equivalents" and short and long term marketable securities: government and corporate bonds.

Apple manages the cash through a subsidiary, Braeburn Capital, based in Reno, Nevada which has no state corporate income tax, or taxes on corporate shares.

It is in effect one of the largest hedge funds in the world.

But shareholders like shareholder activist, Carl Icahn, have been demanding the company simply must hand some of that cash back to shareholders by buying back shares.

Share buybacks

Hedge fund manager David Einhorn of Greenlight Capital went so far as to sue the company two years ago to try to get a payout.

They argue that cash, invested largely in government securities gives a paltry rate of return.

Einhorn argued that getting the excess cash off Apple's balance sheet and back to shareholders would increase the value of the company by $50 per share or more.

So the company obliged and in 2012 started buying back its own stock . Last year it spent some $45bn buying back Apple shares.

Shareholders have been demanding share buybacks from Apple - and getting them

The problem is it has not made much difference. The latest set of resultsshow it has as much cash as it has ever had.

In total, the amount of cash in the group is around $178bn. Some $35bn in debt reduces that figure to the $142bn mentioned above.

Debt? Why on earth, when you have more wealth in your piggy bank than the average developing nation generates in a year, would you want to borrow more?

The answer is that little of that cash is easily accessible to pay shareholders. Some 89% of it lies offshore out of the hands of the Internal Revenue Service.

Tax reform

Bringing it back would subject it to a top corporate tax rate of 35%.

Far easier to borrow the money instead. And since it has a such a cash pile behind it, banks are happy to lend to Apple at rock bottom rates - even by today's standards.

Last year Apple funded its share buy-back with a $17bn bond issue.

So, in effect, Apple did what Icahn and Einhorn wanted.

The share price has recovered from around $60 in mid 2013 to around $110 this week.

But the cash mountain remains.

Chief Executive Tim Cook told Congress two years ago that much of it could eventually come back to the US.

He even admitted Apple would be happy to pay more tax, but only if there was a "dramatic simplification of the corporate tax code" including a "reasonable tax on foreign earnings that allows the free flow of capital back to the United States".

But of course if the money did flow freely back to the US, no one is guaranteeing it would be invested any more wisely than it is at the moment.

GTX 970 4GB=3.5GB+500MB ?

Investigating the GTX 970: Does Nvidia’s GPU have a memory problem?

Late last week, we covered claims that the GTX 970 had a major memory flaw that didn’t affect Nvidia’s top-end GPUs, like the GTX 980. According to memory bandwidth tests, the GTX 970’s performance drops above 3.2GB of memory use and craters above 3.5GB. Meanwhile, many users have published claims that the GTX 970 fights to keep RAM usage at or slightly below 3.5GB of total VRAM whereas the GTX 980 will fill the entire 4GB framebuffer.

There are three separate questions in play here, though they’ve often been conflated in the back-and-forth in various forum threads. First, does the small memory bandwidth benchmark by Nia actually test anything, or is it simply badly coded?

We’ve verified that this issue occurs properly.

Second, does the GTX 970 actually hold memory use to the 3.5GB limit, and if it does, is this the result of a hardware bug or other flaw? Third, does this 3.5GB limit (if it exists) result in erroneous performance degradation against the GTX 980?

Memory bandwidth and allocation on the GTX 970 vs. the GTX 980

The GTX 970, like a number of other GPUs from Nvidia (and, historically, a few from AMD) uses an asymmetric memory layout. What this means, in practice, is that the GPU has a faster access path to some of its main memory than others. We reached out to Bryan Del Rizzo at Nvidia, who described the configuration as follows:

“[T]he 970 has a different configuration of SMs than the 980, and fewer crossbar resources to the memory system. To optimally manage memory traffic in this configuration, we segment graphics memory into a 3.5GB section and a 0.5GB section. The GPU has higher priority access to the 3.5GB section. When a game needs less than 3.5GB of video memory per draw command then it will only access the first partition, and 3rd party applications that measure memory usage will report 3.5GB of memory in use on GTX 970, but may report more for GTX 980 if there is more memory used by other commands. When a game requires more than 3.5GB of memory then we use both segments.”

In other words, the answer to the first question of “Does this memory benchmark test something accurately?” is that yes, it does. but does this limit actually impact game performance? Nvidia says that the difference in real-world applications is minimal, even at 4K with maximum details turned on.

Nvidia’s response also confirms that gamers who saw a gap between the 3.5GB of utilization on the GTX 970 and the 4GB on the GTX 980 were seeing a real difference. We can confirm that this gap indeed exists. It’s not an illusion or a configuration problem — the GTX 970 is designed to split its memory buffer in a way that minimizes the performance impact of using an asymmetric design.

We went looking for a problem with the GTX 970 vs. the 980 in two ways. First, wereconsidered our own data sets from the GTX 970 review, as well as reviews published on other sites. Even in 4K, and with all detail levels cranked, our original review shows no problematic issues. The GTX 970 may take a slightly larger hit in certain circumstances (Nvidia’s information suggests that the impact can be on the order of around 4%), but we don’t see a larger problem in terms of frame rates.

The next step was to benchmark a few additional titles. We tested the MSI program Kombustor and its RAM burner program, as well as the games Dragon Age: Inquisition and Shadows of Mordor. Both Dragon Age: Inquisition and Shadows of Mordor were tested at absolute maximum detail with all features and settings maxed out in 1080p and 4K.

Cyanogen To Make Their Own App Store

Cyanogen 'Attempting to Take Android Away from Google', Says CEO

Cyanogen Inc's CyanogenMod custom ROM offering based on Android has been now around for some time and is one of the best alternatives to Google's OS. If statements attributed to the CEO of Cyanogen are to be believed, the company will not use a "derivative of Google" in 3 to 5 years, decreasing its dependence on the Mountain View giant.

Kirt McMaster, Cyanogen's CEO at an event "Next Phase of Android" of The Information(Paywall) held last week in San Francisco revealed some interesting bits, including that his company is working on including a new Android version that is more open.

To start off the event, McMaster introduced himself as, "I'm the CEO of Cyanogen. We're attempting to take Android away from Google." When asked about vision of his company, he explained that Cyanogen wants an Android version that is "open down to its core."

He explained (via Android Authority), "We're making a version of Android that is more open so we can integrate with more partners so their servicers can be tier one services, so startups working on [artificial intelligence] or other problems don't get stuck having you have to launch a stupid little application that inevitably gets acquired by Google or Apple. These companies can thrive on non-Google Android."

McMaster also revealed plans to have a Cyanogen app store in 18 months. McMaster pointed out that Google Now is a service that is plugged into core of the system, something a third-party app is not allowed. He named Yahoo's Aviate launcher that can gain similar sort of access to the Android OS, adding that only if it was a partner with Cyanogen.

Adding more about dependence on Google, McMaster revealed that the CyanogenMod will not be based on some derivative of Google in 3 to 5 years. "We've barely scratched the surface in regards to what mobile can be. Today, Cyanogen has some dependence on Google. Tomorrow, it will not. We will not be based on some derivative of Google in three to five years. There will be services that are doing the same old bulls- with Android, and then there will be something different. That is where we're going here," he added. Cyanogen is a "white horse that opens the entire platform up", added McMaster, saying "Google is running the table, and nobody likes that."

Windows Holograph

Microsoft Unveils HoloLens Goggles and Windows Holographic UI

Microsoft unveiled headgear on Wednesday that overlays holograms on the real world, in what it touted as the next generation of computing.

The US technology titan debuted its HoloLens capabilities built into its coming Windows 10 operating system and showed off goggles that let wearers use their hands to interact with virtual objects.

"Until now, we've immersed ourselves in the world of technology," Microsoft's Alex Kipman said introducing HoloLens at a press event at the firm's headquarters in the state of Washington.

"But, what if we could take technology and immerse it in our world?"

Windows Holographic creates three-dimensional images in the real world, then lets people wearing the headgear reach out and manipulate virtual objects.

Kipman said he invited virtual reality innovators, including Facebook-owned Oculus VR, to explore adapting different applications for the goggles.

"Holograms can become part of our everyday life," he said.

Microsoft chief executive Satya Nadella touted HoloLens and Windows 10 as a "mind-blowing" experience that will open a new type of computing.

"Today is a big day for Windows," Nadella said as Microsoft provided a look at its latest operating system at its headquarters in Redmond, Washington.

"We want to move from people needing Windows, to choosing Windows, to loving Windows; that is our bold goal for Windows."

Windows 10 Not For All

Not Every Lumia Smartphone Will Get Windows 10 Update: Microsoft

While the Redmond giant had at its Wednesday event announced that all modern Lumia devices will get update to Windows 10, it has now added a few caveats.

On Thursday, the Microsoft Lumia Conversation blog published a Q&A with Chris Weber, Corporate Vice President of Sales for the Microsoft Mobile Devices group, noting that "not every [Lumia] phone will upgrade or support all possible Windows 10features."

Answering a question about which of "today's Lumia devices can be upgraded to Windows 10", Weber said that Microsoft's goal is for "majority of the Lumia phones running Windows Phone 8 and 8.1."

"We're making it as easy as possible to get Windows 10. Windows 10 has been designed to run well on today's Lumia phones. Like any upgrade to a new platform, not every phone will upgrade or support all possible Windows 10 features, and certain features and experiences will require more advanced future hardware. Our goal is for the majority of the Lumia phones running Windows Phone 8 and 8.1 to join the Windows ecosystem along with an expected hundreds of millions of PCs, tablets and other devices running the next generation of Windows," said Weber.

With the usage "today's Lumia phones", we can expect several phones will not qualify for the upgrade. A significant number of Windows Phone devices, some even more than two years old, have received the Windows Phone 8 and Windows Phone 8.1 upgrades, but their hardware may not support the minimum requirements for the Windows 10 upgrade.

Although Weber didn't share any list of devices that will get updated to Windows 10, he pointed out that "the budget-friendly Lumia 435, the selfie-happy Lumia 735, or the gorgeous gold-edition Lumia 930" will be able to get update to Windows 10 as it becomes available.

Asus Making Future Of Desktop Pc

Asus VivoMini UN62 Review: The Future of the Desktop PC

We've said before that the days of hulking desktop towers are pretty much over. Most people will never need space for add-on cards, huge power supplies and multiple hard drives. With even reasonable specifications, cooling does not require huge fans anymore. Optical drives are dead, wireless connectivity is good enough for most purposes, and everything else can be plugged in via USB or done online. Unless you are a gamer or creative professional with specific needs, you can be happy with a PC like this, which is only a little bigger than the average restaurant takeaway box.

Asus is getting serious about its own line of miniature desktop PCs. Boxes this size used to come with early Intel Atom processors which were only good enough for basic productivity. They were considered weak and sub-par compared to full-sized desktops. Those days are gone - in fact with laptops displacing desktops everywhere, it should be no surprise that companies are taking the same parts designed for small spaces and coming up with boxes without their own screens and keyboards that are even smaller and lighter.

Look and feel
The VivoMini UN62 is understated yet good looking. At 131mm square and 42mm tall, it's similar in size to Zotac's Zbox mini-PCs. It's smaller (but taller) than even the current-generation Mac Mini. In fact, it's only just a little bigger than a standard internal DVD-RW drive and looks more like a router or external hard drive than a fully functional PC. At 1kg, you can pretty much carry it around anywhere.

The VivoMini made of dark plastic and will look at home on any desk or even next to your living room TV. It's slightly bowl-shaped; tapering towards the bottom, with rubber legs that allow it to take air in without obstruction. There are also mounting points for the included VESA bracket on the bottom, so you can hang the VivoMini off the back of an LCD monitor.

The top has a silver Asus logo right in the centre of a pattern of fine concentric rings, very similar to what we've seen on the company's ZenFone range. It looks great when it catches the light at an angle. There's a power button right in the middle of the front panel, with an integrated white power LED that thankfully isn't distractingly bright. There's also a second indicator slightly to its left, for some reason.

The right edge is blank but there are ports all around the other sides. On the rear panel, there's a DC power inlet, full-sized HDMI and DisplayPort video outputs, two USB 3.0 ports, a Gigabit Ethernet jack, and a 3.5mm headset socket. Hot air is exhausted out through a vent running above all the ports. There are two more USB 3.0 ports on the left in addition to an SD card slot and a Kensington security lock slot.

The modern display outputs allow you to run three screens simultaneously (using a DisplayPort daisy-chain). The two USB ports on the left allow fast charging. In short, there's more than enough for most connectivity needs. We'd suggest going with wireless peripherals as far as possible to keep things looking good.

Specifications and software
The VivoMini UN62 is fairly configurable and there are plenty of things you can customise. Our review unit came with a low-voltage Intel Core i3-4030U processor, which is a fourth-generation Haswell part with two cores running at 1.9GHz and integrated Intel HD 4400 graphics. It also had 4GB of DDR3-1600 RAM, a 128GB SSD, and an 802.11ac Wi-Fi module with Bluetooth 4.0.

You can choose to order yours with a Core i5-4210U instead, up to 16GB of RAM and up to 256GB of storage. There's also a VivoMini UN42 model based around a Celeron 2957U which is probably more suitable for corporate desktops or embedded situations such as running digital signage or kiosks. Barebones versions of both models, which don't include the RAM, SSD or OS, are also available.

The included 65W power supply is pretty bulky even by laptop standards, and is designed to plug directly into a wall socket. Other than that and a VESA mounting plate, there isn't much in the box. Asus also offers a wired or wireless keyboard and mouse, though our review unit did not come with any.

The VivoMini UN62 comes with Windows 8.1 and a plethora of preloaded utilities, many of which are not all that useful. There's a 60-day Norton Internet Security trial, the standard Microsoft Office trial, Adobe Reader, WinZip and Intel Small Business Advantage. Asus also preloads its own AI Suite, AI Security, Homecloud Server, Media Streamer, Wi-Fi Go, EZ update, Remote Management Tool, WebStorage, Secure Delete, and Product Registration Tool.

Some of these throw up popups asking you to agree to terms and conditions. Most of the Asus Web-related tools require an ID so you can sign in and stream media. Asus gives customers 100GB of online storage space for a year and there's also 100GB of Microsoft OneDrive space for a year.

Performance
The components inside the Asus VivoMini UN62 were all essentially intended for thin and light notebooks, and have been rearranged to fit into a small square box. With that in mind, we were still quite happy with how the whole package came together. One of the main advantages of a low-voltage CPU is its ability to run without generating heat, which in turn means a loud fan is not required. There definitely still is a fan, but we never heard it in action. The VivoMini is almost entirely silent, which is truly remarkable.

Day-to-day usage didn't throw up any problems. We hooked our test unit up to our own monitor, keyboard and mouse. It ran quite happily at 1440p, though for the purposes of testing, we took the resolution down to a more standard 1080p.

Benchmark scores were pretty good in most cases; at par with or better than similarly configured notebooks. PCMark gave us scores of 2488, 2539 and 3596 in the Home, Creative, and Work runs respectively. 3DMark Fire Strike gave us 497 overall which is decent considering the integrated Intel HD graphics. CineBench R15's CPU test came in at 181 points, while POVRay finished tracing its internal benchmark in 11 minutes, 27 seconds.

One area in which the VivoMini UN62 stood out was SSD performance. The SATA 600 module managed 528.84 MBps sequential reads and 308.9MBps sequential writes in SiSoft SANDRA's File System Bandwidth module, which are both excellent scores compared to similar products with miniature SSDs. The only problem is the low capacity - only about 102GB is available to the user, and that's not counting space taken up by Windows and the all the preloaded software.

The VivoMini UN62 was capable of handling all the media files we threw at it. We could feel the hot air coming out of the vents at the rear when it was under heavy loads, but it still didn't get loud. One strange but minor thing was that the power LED in front started flashing rapidly when the device went to sleep, which we found very distracting. This disturbed us more than any sound even when it was just sitting on our office desks, so it would easily become a problem in a dark bedroom at home.

The fact that a barebones version is offered indicates that at least some parts are modular and that there is potential for upgrades and replacements down the line. It should also be easy for users to open the VivoMini's chassis themselves in order to install parts. Sure enough, we found four simple screws beneath pop-out rubber stoppers on the bottom, and opening the chassis was no problem. We found two standard SO-DIMM RAM slots, an mSATA slot occupied by the SSD, and a mini-PCIe slot occupied by the Wi-Fi/Bluetooth module. All of these can be swapped out by anyone with a screwdriver and basic knowledge of PC components. 

Verdict
Asus has done a pretty good job with the VivoMini UN62. We really like its size and overall look, which make it well suited for any situation. The hardware is also pretty up-to-date and you can expect to get pretty much everything done that you would expect to do on a modern laptop - that is to say office productivity, media playback, surfing the Web, and playing light games. With a wireless keyboard and mouse, this could be a very neat home theatre PC.

We particularly like the fact that Asus offers so many customisation options.The use of an SSD rather than spinning drive does restrict space, but performance is better by far and noise and power consumption are reduced as well.

The test unit we received with the Core i3 processor, 4GB of RAM, a 128GB SSD and Wi-Fi b/g/n/ac module is priced at Rs. 39,500. The same unit barebones would start at Rs. 26,500 whereas the barebones Celeron-based UN42 model starts at Rs. 13,500.

Compared to Zotac's Zbox products, such as the Zbox Sphere which we reviewed a little while ago, the Asus VivoMini UN62 is a bit more expensive, with a lower-spec processor but SSD rather than spinning drive. The barebones versions of both are priced at around the same level, which means the Zbox Sphere still comes with a better processor at that price. Of course you could also get a pretty beefy standard desktop tower for this amount of money. You'll have to decide if the looks, flexibility and connectivity are worth it.

Price (MRP): Rs. 39,500

Pros

• Compact and reasonably powerful
• Low noise and power consumption
• Up-to-date wired and wireless connectivity standards
• User-serviceable with some upgradable parts

Cons

• Slightly expensive

Ratings (Out of 5)

• Performance: 4
• Value for Money: 4
• Overall: 4

Sony PlayStation TV

Sony PlayStation TV to Launch in India Next Month; Price Revealed

After what seems like an eternity, Sony's micro-console, the PlayStation TV, is finally hitting shelves in India mid-February. Listings on Flipkart and Amazon India have pegged the price of the PlayStation TV at Rs. 12,990.

And while the price might be on the steeper side, Rs. 12,990 gets you the micro-console, a Dual Shock 3 controller, an 8GB memory card (that's proprietary to the PlayStation Vita and PlayStation TV), and four games. The games are available as codes that have to be redeemed digitally. They include first-person shooter Killzone Mercenary, skateboarding game OlliOlli, turn-based strategy fest Worms Revolution Extreme, and shoot 'em up Velocity Ultra.

Considering that the Dual Shock 3 controller retails for Rs. 2,990, an 8GB Vita memory card will set you back by Rs. 1,999 and Killzone Mercenary is Rs. 2,499 at retail, there's a savings of around Rs. 7,500. And that's not counting the other games in the bundle. With grey market units retailing for around Rs. 8,500 without any games or memory cards, it's a surprisingly fair deal from Sony.

While Amazon mentions a February 15 release date and Flipkart states it would be out early February, Sony confirmed to us that it would be out around that time, maybe a little before, or a little after.

Considering that the global response to the PlayStation TV has been tepid at best, it will be interesting to see if this bundle gets any traction in a country that's dominated by PlayStation.

Xolo Q520s

Xolo Q520s With 4-Inch Display, Android 4.4.2 KitKat Launched at Rs. 5,699

Xolo has launched the Q520s, listing it on its site with a price of Rs. 5,699. The new Q-series Xolo phone is also available to buy on an e-commerce website at Rs. 5,699. So far, there is no announcement from Xolo about the handset.

The Xolo Q520s is a dual-SIM (GSM+GSM) smartphone which runs Android 4.4.2 KitKat out-of-the-box. It comes with a 4-inch (480x800 pixels) WVGA IPS display with a pixel density of 233ppi. The smartphone is powered by a 1.3GHz quad-core MediaTek (MTK6582M) processor coupled with 512MB of RAM and Mali-400 MP2 GPU.

It comes with 4GB of inbuilt storage, which is further expandable via microSD card (up to 32GB). It sports a 5-megapixel rear camera with LED flash, while there is a secondary 0.3-megapixel front-facing camera also onboard. The Xolo Q520s rear camera features scene detection, face recognition, Panorama, geo tagging, Best shot, Smile shot, and HDR options.

On the connectivity front, the Xolo Q520s offers 3G, GPRS/ EDGE, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Micro-USB, and Bluetooth options. The smartphone packs an 1820mAh battery, which according to the official listing is rated to deliver up to 11 hours of talk time, and up to 527 hours of standby time on 3G networks. The Xolo Q520s measures 123x63.8x9.7mm and is listed in Black colour. The smartphone also sports a metallic finish. The Xolo Q520s is available at eBay India.

Xolo earlier this month launched the 8X-1020 smartphone priced at Rs. 9,999. The highlight of the Xolo 8X-1020 is that it packs a 1.4GHz octa-core MediaTek (MT6592) processor and sports a 5-megapixel front camera.

Other specifications include a dual-SIM (GSM+GSM); Android 4.4 KitKat out-of-the-box; 5-inch HD (720x1280 pixels) IPS display and offers a pixel density of 293ppi; 1GB of RAM; 8GB of inbuilt storage; further expandable via microSD card (up to 32GB); an 8-megapixel rear camera with LED flash, and a 2500mAh battery.

Xolo Q520s

• KEY SPECS
• NEWS

Display

4.00-inch

Processor

1.3GHz

Front Camera

 0.3-megapixel

Resolution

 480x800 pixels

RAM

 512MB

OS

 Android 4.4.2

Storage

4GB

Rear Camera

5-megapixel

Battery capacity

1820mAh

Xiaomi Controller For Mi Phones

Xiaomi Launches Bluetooth Game Controller for Mi Phones and Tablets

Xiaomi on Tuesday introduced the Bluetooth-enabled Mi Game Controller at itsgaming event in China.

The Chinese company revealed that the Mi Bluetooth Game Controller will be available at just CNY 99 (Rs. 980 approximately) in China through online channels without revealing any availability details.

Notably, the Mi Bluetooth Game Controller was first officially revealed late last year; though was limited to Mi fans for "testing and evaluation", according to some reports.

The Xiaomi game controller sports a D-pad, analogue sticks, Y, X, A, and B buttons, as well as two shoulder buttons on either side. It also has a back button, menu button, and a home button with Mi branding. It is powered by 2xAA batteries.

The Mi Bluetooth Game Controller supports Bluetooth 3.0 connectivity and is compatible with Mi TV, Mi Box, Mi phones, and tablets. The company claims that the controller can last up to 80 hours of game play and packs 3 axis accelerometer. It measures 156x104x65mm; weighs 220 grams, and will be available in Black colour. The Bluetooth-enabled gaming controller has a working radius of 10 metres.

Xiaomi's move to launch a gaming console appears to be plausible, considering that Chinese government last year lifted a ban from 2000 on gaming consoles. Last year, Microsoft taking advantage of the lifted 14-year ban, launched its Xbox One game console in China. Sony is yet to follow, but has announced its intentions. It earlier this month delayed the January 11 launch of the PS4 console in China, without providing a reason and saying it would announced the new launch date in a separate notice.

To recall, Xiaomi kicked off 2015 with the quiet launch of the Redmi 2 and this was soon followed by the Chinese company's first major event that saw the launch of the new flagship phablet, the Mi Note, and the "even-better" Mi Note Pro alongside the Mi Headphones and Mi Box Mini.