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How Secure is your Mobile? Tested

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phone of the month OnePlus 3T

Profile Sunil Dutt

President-Devices, Reliance Jio

Editorpage

firstcall

s we fast pace our march towards digital and cashless economy, mobile handset has become more than just a communication device. Today it is the storehouse of all kinds

EDITORIA L

of personal, professional and financial information.

Pankaj Mohindroo | Editor-in-Chief

In the ‘Internet of Things’, a handset is now the most

Shelley Vishwajeet | Editor

important gateway. But even as the mobile has become so omnipresent and made life so much easier, it has

Gagandeep Kaur | Contributing Editor

also increased user’s vulnerability about which most

Ramesh Kumar Raja | Assistant Editor

people are either not aware or the awareness level

Haider Ali Khan | Senior Correspondent

remains disturbingly low. Mobile security and mobile

Vanshika Malhotra | Reporter

vulnerability is going to be a big concern and as a responsible and popular magazine, it’s been our duty to enlighten our readers about the looming threats. Our lead story goes in-depth on this issue. As part of the popular profile series, we have featured another inspiring personality and a good friend – Mr Sunil Dutt, President- Devices, Reliance Retail - who is spearheading the massive rollout of LYF 4G Feature

Rohan Pal | Contributor

DE S I G N Ajit Kumar Parashar | Sr. Graphic Designer

M AR K ETIN G Puja Mohindroo | Manager - Business

phones - a disruptive and much welcome mobile

Apoorv Bhatnagar | Sr. Manager – Marketing

innovation which will speed up rollout of Digital India

Sandeep Kumar | Manager – Marketing

dreams - to compliment Jio rollout. He is a shy guy but we have managed to bring you an insight into this amazing man like never before. February also happens to be our anniversary month.

O P ERATION S K. Rajagopalan | Advisor-Legal, Accounts & Administration

As I look back with satisfaction the journey which started

Deepak Kohli | Manager – Accounts

12 years back, I am happy to share that we continue

Varun Lama | Sr. Manager – Human Resources

to be the most loved, most read magazine on mobile

B. G. Mathur | Manager- Production

eco-system. We continue to get great appreciation from common readers and industry bigwigs alike, which

CIRCU L ATION

speaks volume about the strength and attractiveness

Bhupender Singh Bisht | Manager – Circulation

of the magazine. But not one to be ever satisfied with past laurels, we will continue to innovate ourselves and make content more relevant, more insightful and more interesting to suit the demands of times. After all, in digital times, a magazine has to be one up on common information floating around on the net and only those magazines will remain relevant which take that extra effort to give great value for their bucks and time to a reader and advertisers alike. We definitely will! With this I thank all our readers, contributors and advertisers for reposing faith in us.

AD V I S ORY BOARD Bejon Misra Rajan Mathews S.D. Saxena Subhash Chandra Sunil Dutt Sonu Bhasin Uvaraj Natarajan

G ET IN TOUCH Editorial : shelley@mymobile.co.in Marketing : apoorv@mymobile.co.in

Happy Reading! n

Circulation : bhupender@mymobile.co.in Phone : 011—46206161 Fax : 011—41520637 Edited, published, printed and owned by Pankaj Mohindroo, Published from Flat No. 25, First Floor, Shankar Market, Connaught Place, New Delhi – 110001. Printed at HT Media Ltd. B-2, Sector 63, Noida.

Pankaj Mohindroo editor-in-chief

04 | february 2017

The publishers regret that they cannot accept liability for errors and omissions contained in this publication, however caused. The opinions and the views contained in this publication are not necessarily those of the publishers. Readers are advised to seek specialist advice before acting on information contained in this publication, which is provided for general use and may not be appropriate for the reader’s particular circumstances. The ownership of trademarks is acknowledged.

Volume XII, Issue I, February 2017

MYMOBILE

contents

56 50 Style Notes

35 CELL SPEAK

50 PROFILE

10 letters

What those who matter in the

Sunil Dutt – CEO, President

world of tech are saying

Devices, Reliace Jio – The

12 mobile Doctor 14 News 18 Big News 55 Rumor Mill 111 My Guide

Rock Star of Mobile World!

CONSUMER INSIGHT 36 Yahoo Flurry Analytics

56 CES 2017

2016 - Mobile apps are the

Top phones unveiled at the

new stars

tech Mecca

40 Deloitte Mobile Consumer Survey 2016 – Online buying

SPOTLIGHT 26 How demonetization impacted

gets hotter

INDUSTRY INSIGHTS 60 Gartner Global IT Trends – Silver linings despite slowdown

mobile retail

43 PERSONALITY

96 4G Features Phones – The

Things your didn’t know about

much awaited disruption

Jack Ma, Founder Alibaba

66 EY’s Telecommunications Confidence Barometer – Digital disruption is the driver

Burn Tests

28 just in We take a close look at all new

44 LEAD STORY

Samsung Galaxy C9 Pro, Xolo

Mobile vulnerability

Era 2X, Samsung Galaxy J2

increases as world gets more

Ace, Micromax Vdeo 3 & Vdeo

connected but users really

74 Coolpad Cool 1

4, Xiaomi Redmi Note 4,

aware about risks? We go deep

76 Lenovo Yoga Book

Lenovo Phab 2 Pro and more…

into the issue.

78 Oneplus 3T

06 | February 2017

How Safe is Your Mobile? –

69 Coolpad Note 3S 70 Nubia N1 72 Gionee P7

MYMOBILE

What's Inside

contents INNOVATION

94 Kenny Ye, GM Overseas

99 SMART APPS

80 MediaTek 2533D Chipset –

Business, Alibaba Mobile

The new apps to look for:

Designed to enhance smart

Business

features

Dobly Vision & Dolby Atmos –

Raising the bar in sensory experiences

84 BY invitation Leon Zhang – South Asia Marketing Head, Meizu

86 SNAPSHOT HTC Desire 10 Pro

Xploree, Freedom Desi, Rooter, Jugnoo Pay, Mr Voonik and

90 in focus Top 5 Smartphones To Look Out for in 2017

more…

106 BOREDOM BUSTERS Robowar, Nonstop Knight, Loop

92 BAZaAR BARGAIN 4 phones which are smart buy today

Taxi and more…

132 add ons Bose’s New Entertain Systems,

Asus ZenWatch 3, Samsung Gear S3, Creative Muvo 2, Ambrane’s BT-6000, Brainwavz B Series, iRobot’s Roomba &

FACE TO FACE 88 Nidhi Markanday, Director &

Braava, Casio G-Schok and more…

Head-CDIT, Intex Technolgies

146 VANTAGE POINT Akshay Dhoot, Head,Technology & Innovation, Videocon

60 111 Total number of pages = 148

08 | november 2016

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Profile Josh Foulger

In Focus Dr Leo Li

Country Head and MD, Foxconn India

Chairman, Spreadtrum Communications Inc

The kind of information My

Your last issue of January

love to read the gadgets,

journeys. We get all the

(Welcome to Mobile

mobiles and apps more

information about the apps

Economy), has been very

often in the magazine rather

and new features running

apt and well timed. When

than going to any website.

onto our handsets. I eagerly

the whole country is moving

The main source of our tech

wait for your every new

towards digital era, they

content comes from My

issue. It would be better if

need this type of stuff to

Mobile magazine. The

you guys can develop a My

know the whole ecosystem.

unmatched quality of the

Mobile app which can be

My best wishes to My

product keeps it in a

downloaded from any

Mobile team.

different league altogether.

platform.

—Saumya Gupta, Chandigarh

Mobile gives is simply

—Manish Pathak,

The boredom buster, just-

Mumbai.

ins and insights always come handy. An ideal tech

unmatched. We, in general

The best way to get

magazine should follow your

I want to convey my best

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wishes to the team of My

whole insight about any

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Mobile for the New Year

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but what we get from it very

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helpful and deep. I am a

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2017. We love your writings —Namita, Ranchi

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10 | february 2017

guys. Cheers!

e ave th

dh nes an

ream in a d ellpho c y e t k u o o st zy ab ew lines? an als n the late e a r c c d u n f o u hav o a Are y al to pen a for news our hands u think yo o y ti se poten have a no rave to lay t them? If y CV to r u le, c u Do yo e? Do you world abo . Rush you My Mobi in e in ou headl and tell th king for y your name o s o e o l to se gizm u, we are .co.in ine. o e y l i n b i o it az mym e mag team@ best mobil India’s

MYMOBILE

Q&A

MobileDoctor This would not happen too often in the normal scenario. In case you facing this issue too often then backup up your data and make a factory reset, since it can be caused by old junk files that pile up in phone memory.

I want a phone with a large display that can also serve the purpose of a tablet for browsing the Web and other similar tasks needing a big screen. My budget is Rs 12,000. What do you think is the best phone in this budget for this purpose? ––C Parmeswaram, Chennai If you are looking for a phone with a big display and a large battery then I would suggest that you g for the Xiaomi Mi Max which comes with a 6.44 inch full HD display and a massive 4850 mAh battery. it is powered by a Qualcmm Snapdragon 650 processor and comes with 3 GB RAM and is available well within your budget. The phone is on the larger side but as you say that you want a phone that occupies the middle ground between a tablet and a phone, and the Mi Max sits in that space comfortably. It also has a more expensive 4GB RAM/ 128 GB storage variant. I am using the XiaomiMi 4i and sometimes it seems to heat up. Is this normal? At what stage should I start getting worried about it? –Kartik Shiva, Delhi Heating is normal ,it happens when some app runs the cpu to its limits.

12 | february 2017

I want the best smartphone out there in the market, and cost is not an issue. Should I go for an Android or an iPhone and which are the best options in there? –Ritwik Kumar, Chandigarh There’s been always a

and cost is not an issue. Should I go for an Android or an iPhone and which are the best options in there? –Amit Sen, Kolkata It all boils down to your preference. Both the operating systems are amazing in their own right. In Android you get a plethora of apps and sharing content it easier on this platform, while in iOS you get a secure and encrypted ecosystem plus you get faster updates as compared to Android. If you love to use Android then I would suggest that you should go with Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge or else if you want to go for an iOS device then Apple iPhone 7 Plus would be a good option as it is equipped with some

hardware coupled with dual camera setup.

debate between iPhone and Androids. Both are good but the iPhone has a restricted OS so flexibilities on apps, etc., is limited. For best Android phones the options are Samsung S7 , S7 Edge and the Google Pixel and Pixel XL. I want the best smartphone out there in the market,

I am seeing a number of devices with dual camera set ups. What is so special about them and are they better than single cameras? –R. Laxmi, Kochi With a dual-camera setup you have the advantage of getting a photo with greater details, sharpness and clarity than a single camera. In dual camera,

one camera is generally used to capture a normal photo while the camera capture all the details and then the software intelligently merge both the photos, giving you much sharper and detailed photos. What is stock Android? Why are people so impressed by it and why is it important? –Rashmi Patel, New Delhi Stock Android is the purest version of Android given by the Google itself. Most of the manufacturers adds their own customisation to the latest Android version released by Google, but in the case of stock Android, there is no modification in the software meaning that you are getting the version Google releases for its own range of devices. In stock Android, there are not many bloatware apps, meaning you are getting clean interface which does not much RAM and is optimised enough to give a delightful experience to its users. Stock Android devices generally work faster than others. n

Is your mobile phone acting strange? Email your queries at team@mymobile.co.in and our mobile doctor Arshdeep Singh will suggest remedies for your ailing device. Disclaimer: The views expressed by Arshdeep Singh are his own and do not necessarily coincide with those of My Mobile.

MYMOBILE

International Exhibition & Conference

HORIZON Meet the Future

What’s Up

newsbits Yahoo to become Altaba!

After back to back record-breaking security breaches, Internet company Yahoo Inc is changing its name to Altaba. Yahoo confirmed this development recently when it said Chief Executive Officer Marissa Mayer would step down from the board after the closing of its deal with Verizon Communications Inc. Yahoo has a deal to sell its core internet business, which includes its digital advertising, email and media assets, to Verizon for $4.83 billion. The terms of that deal could be amended - or the transaction may even be called off - after Yahoo last year disclosed two separate data breaches; one involving some 500 million customer accounts and the second involving over a billion. Acer puts mobile business on hold in India

Information technology hardware major Acer has put its smartphone business on hold in India. Acer, the Taiwanese company which had already invested in setting up two manufacturing lines for the personal computer business and smartphones, is finding it difficult to offer quality in a ‘pricesensitive market’ such as India. Harish Kohli, managing director, Acer India, in a recent interview said, “We decided to come back (with smartphones) in 2015. However, (with) the change in policies of Make in India and other such initiatives, we realised it is a big market left to the smaller brands rather than any larger brands.” Kohli said

14 | february 2017

the mobile business was started as a pilot. Massive expansion plan for Oppo in India Chinese smartphone maker Oppo is planning on a massive overhaul and increase of its presence in India. The company, which already has a manufacturing (assembly) facility in Noida, is reportedly planning on setting up an industrial park in Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh. The new facility will be spread over 1,000 acres, include a manufacturing facility with in India, crossing that milestone in Q3 2016, a 150 per cent year-on-year growth from the same period in 2015. According to International Data Corporation (IDC), Redmi Note 3 was the highest shipped device in the history of online smartphone industry, with more than 2.3 million devices sold in six months. Reliance Jio to launch 4G VoLTE enabled feature phones starting Rs 999 eventual target produce of 100 million units, and cost $216 million worth of investment. Focussing primarily on Indian and Chinese markets, Oppo has steadily made its way up to be among the top five smartphone vendors, globally. Oppo expects the operations in the proposed industrial park to commence in the next 2-3 years. “The company will continue to play in the mid to high-end range, in the smartphone market,” said Sky Li, vice president of Oppo and managing director of international mobile business and President of Oppo India. Xiaomi surpasses $1 billion in revenue in India In less than two years after Xiaomi entered Indian market with the launch of the Xiaomi Mi 3 in July 2014, the Chinese mobile phone major has crossed the revenue of $1 billion (around Rs 6,800 crores) in India in 2016. The announcement comes soon after Xiaomi said that it sold more than 1 million smartphones in India in the initial 18 days of October 2016. In terms of shipments, Xiaomi was one of the top three smartphone brands as of Q3 2016. The company sold over 2 million smartphones

After managing to create a huge user base in the Indian mobile industry, Reliance Jio is planning to launch two new feature phones with support for 4G and VoLTE at just Rs 999 and Rs 1,500. The phones are expected to come bundled with Jio apps such as Jio Chat, Live TV, video-on-demand, and Jio Money. The company could also load the devices with both rear and front cameras, despite extremely low price tags. Presently, the 4G phones available in the market are priced at Rs 3,500 - 4,000 which can still be unaffordable for some. The launch of Reliance’s affordable 4G enabled feature phones would definitely be

MYMOBILE

a small step towards a digitally empowered India. Indus OS partners Freecharge to introduce ‘Recharge 2.0’ digital payment platform Multilingual operating system brand Indus OS in partnership with FreeCharge recently launched Recharge 2.0, a new digital payment platform. The platform will allow users one-touch access on the Indus phone dialler to recharge via FreeCharge. T h e companies say the platform will be exclusively available to Indus OS’ current user base of over six million users, as well as new Indus OS users. Indus OS is currently the number two operating system in India, with a 7.6 per cent market share. By catering to Indus OS’ user base via the OS-integrated brands, Freecharge expects to scale up its recharge transactions and volumes by nearly 20 per cent. Freecharge currently sees a major chunk of its transaction coming through the recharge’s category. YouTube adds ‘Super Chat’ feature for video streamers

of your favorite creator’s attention. And Super Chats remain pinned to the top of chat for up to five hours, giving more airtime for your messages.” Keeping the importance of the content being put on by the YouTubers in mind, the Google team has introduced the new feature so as to help the content creators to generate revenue from their content. ‘Pokemon Go’ now available on Apple Watch The popular mobile game ‘Pokemon Go’ landed on the Apple Watch recently, giving an end to rumours that the game’s maker was scrapping such plans. The game involves catching digital pocket monsters in an augmented-reality version of your surroundings. The Apple Watch version will let you discover nearby Pokemon and collect special items, such as potions, from nearby

‘PokeStops’. But once you encounter a Pokemon, you will need to use your iPhone to catch it. ‘Pokemon Go’ was a huge success when it came out in July last year. It’s not clear how the Apple Watch version will do, especially now that it’s too cold in much of the Northern Hemisphere to be outside catching Pokemon. Paytm makes it easier for you to transfer money as it gets UPI support

YouTube has rolled out a new feature called ‘Super Chat’, for live video streamers to help them make money out of their video content. The Super Chat feature will help users to create stronger relationships with the viewers or fans. Barbara Macdonald, product manager, YouTube, stated in a blogpost that “anybody watching a live stream can purchase a Super Chat: a highlighted message in the chat stream that stands out from the crowd to get even more

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Digital payments firm Paytm has added support for payments using Unified

Payments Interface (UPI) to its e-wallet app Paytm. This means that users can now add money to their Paytm wallets using their UPI ID. UPI is a government platform launched by National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) in August last year. The payment system allows users to transfer money between any two bank accounts using a smartphone. Users need to create a Virtual Payment Address and link it to a bank account, which then acts as their financial address. Sending money using the UPI app is said to be as easy as sending a message, since users don’t need to remember the beneficiary’s account details or their own net banking ID and password.

What’s Up

bignews

Airtel launches V-Fiber in Bengaluru, Hyderabad In a first, Bharti Airtel recently launched ‘V-Fiber’ in Bengaluru and Hyderabad to offer superfast broadband to its customers. V-Fiber is based on Vectorization - Europe’s No.1 fixed broadband technology - and will deliver speeds of up to 100 Mbps over Airtel’s existing broadband footprint in the city. V-Fiber is a green technology and there is no new wiring and drilling required at an existing customer’s premises and one

simply needs to upgrade to a new ‘V-Fiber’ modem. ‘V-Fiber’ will transform the home broadband for Airtel customers which promises superfast data speeds and enable HD video streaming, heavy file downloads and uploads in a multi-device environment (over Wi-Fi). Angry Birds maker opens new games studio in London Rovio Entertainment, the Finnish mobile games and animation firm, recently opened a studio in London to focus on new multiplayer games that would not rely on the firm’s Angry Birds brand. Rovio has struggled in recent years as profits from the

february 2017 | 15

What’s Up

newsbits Angry Birds franchise dropped, prompting deep job cuts and divestments. But last year

hotspots at important railway stations for the ease of commuters. Former Microsoft executive to help run Chinese search engine Chinese search giant Baidu has appointed former Microsoft executive Qi Lu its group president and chief operating officer, granting the software industry veteran

Airtel rolls out ‘dual carrier’ technology in Delhi-NCR Bharti Airtel rolled out an upgraded mobile network in Delhi-NCR recently and said its new technology coupled with additional spectrum will deliver 4G-like data speeds even on 3G networks. As part of the network

Rovio launched an animated Angry Birds 3D Hollywood film that it said did well at the box office and yielded new licensing deals. The company is looking to build a team of about 20 people in London to focus on “massively multiplayer” online games - like Supercell’s Clash of Clans - with new intellectual property. India’s first biggest public Wi-Fi network launched

India’s first biggest public Wi-Fi network has successfully been launched in Mumbai. MumbaiWiFi will provide 500 hotspots for the local people, as of now. Another 700 hotspots will go live starting May 1 this year. The state had earlier run a trial in January and around 23,000 people had signed up, downloading approximately 1TB of data. The free unlimited Wi-Fi can now be availed at the offices of Mumbai Police Commissioner, Vidhan Bhavan, Kalanagar in Bandra, Bombay High Court and other prominent landmarks in and around the city till January 31. The technicalities have been dealt with by collaborating with USbased companies like Hewlett Packard and Fortinet. Before launching the biggest public Wi-Fi, Mumbai made debuted into the public Wi-Fi arena by introducing

16 | february 2017

available to existing users. According to Rahul Sharma, co-founder, Micromax Informatics: “This partnership will help Uber unlock growth across the huge user base of Micromax in India and also help our consumers get the best in class experience from the leaders in ride sharing. Our focus, going forward, will be on building native experiences that will bring alive a connected ecosystem.”

oversight over all aspects of the company’s business from sales to technology development. Lu is said to be an architect of CEO Satya Nadella’s strategy for artificial intelligence and bots at Microsoft. Every Baidu business unit head will report to Lu, a respected technologist who ran the Office and search groups during his tenure at Microsoft. Lu now shoulders responsibility for steering Baidu toward its next phase of growth. China’s largest search engine and its billionaire founder, Robin Li, is seeking to refocus on enhancing search with AI and other technologies, as rivals such as Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. muscle in on its internetadvertising business. Micromax, Uber join hands to make mobility one touch experience Mobile manufacturer Micromax Informatics has partnered with ride-sharing app Uber to offer the app in-built in close to 100 million of its smartphones over the next three years. The Uber app will be available for all new Micromax users and over time, planned upgrades will be made

upgrade, Airtel has deployed ‘Dual Carrier’ technology to combine the spectrum capacities of two 5MHz carriers in the 2100 MHz band. Airtel is the first mobile operator to deploy ‘Dual Carrier’ technology in Delhi NCR. The upgrade will add significant capacity for voice and data, and enhance overall network experience through improved stability and coverage, both indoors and outdoors. Airtel claims the technology will also help in optimising the back-end engagement between the network and mobile devices, enabling customers to enjoy extended battery life on their mobile devices. BSNL’s Ditto TV launched The Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) has come up with mobile TV service ‘Ditto TV’ and limited fixed mobile telephony, an app

MYMOBILE

that virtually turns mobiles into cordless phone working in sync with landlines within home premises. The State-owned telecom operator claimed the latest limited fixed

What’s Up

bignews endeavours.” According to Ram Papatla, vice-president product at Flipkart and Tinystep board member, baby care is an important category for Flipkart and the investment in Tinystep will enable Flipkart to leverage Tinystep’s strong user community to build a network of influencers. Bajaj Allianz General launches mobilebased settlement system

mobile telephony (FMT) service is “different” from the contentious fixed mobile telephony service it announced last year but was forced to put on hold following a vehement opposition from cellular operators. Ditto TV is a mobile TV service wherein subscribers can view live TV for over 80 channels including HD channels. The service has multiscreen option as it can be viewed on both iOS and Android devices, that is, mobile, tablet, TV or on PC. Baby steps for Flipkart as it puts $2 mn in parenting social network Tinystep

E-commerce giant Flipkart has invested USD 2 million (Rs 13.6 crore) in Tinystep, a parenting social network platform. With the funding, the startup plans to advance its products, improve user experience and expand on services, Tinystep said in a statement. Suhail Abidi, founder, Tinystep said, “It has been a nail biting year. We’ve grown as a product, as a team and have learnt to now focus our energies on the new revenue model. Flipkart has been a great partner and supportive of us in all our

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Bajaj Allianz General Insurance recently launched a mobile application-based health claim settlement facility, which empowers its customers to register and manage their health insurance reimbursement claims of up to Rs 20,000. Customers can instantaneously submit digital documents through company’s self-service mobile application, ‘Insurance wallet’, for assessment and settlement. Through this new mechanism, a health insurance customer can receive his claims of up to Rs 20,000 in two working days. At present, an insured not availing cashless facility or receiving treatment at a non-network hospital, has to share original hard copies of claim documents with insurance provider to process health reimbursement claims. As a result, it takes 8-10 days for the insurance company to process the claim and make the payment to the customer. Mobile app developed for children with special needs A team of therapists, designers, software programmers from the Institute of Design Centre at IIT-Bombay have developed an Android application that can be used as a communication aid by children with difficulties in speech. The Jellow Communicator which is compatible with

tablets and Android phones can be used by children with cerebral palsy, autism spectrum disorder, Down syndrome and brain injury or adult who have lost their speech following a stroke. Researchers from the institute have incorporated over 8,000 lines in Hindi and English that are essential for children at their age, which are broadly included under the categories such as eating, daily activities, fun, people, greetings, time and learning. The content of this application is made for the Indian audience and is available free of cost on the Play Store. Election Commission launches apps suite The Election Commission of India launched an app suite recently to integrate, organise, and streamline all of its web and mobile apps and utilities under one mobile application. Searchable as ‘ECI apps’ on Google’s Play store for download, this app suite provides all relevant information around the elections, national or state, in an intuitive and concise manner. The home screen consists of six self-explanatory icons -- electors, candidates, political party, media, election office and citizen. Apart from that, there are two sub-tabs on the bottom for information on Systematic Voters’ Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP) and for a video tutorial. n team@mymobile.co.in

february 2017 | 17

What’s Up

bignews

Gionee bets big on sports association L

eading smartphone brand Gionee recently signed the captain of the Indian cricket team, Virat Kohli as their new brand ambassador, emphasizing its connect with sports in India, which the company feels will yield good dividend. Rightly so as Gionee’s brand associations till now, whether it be Bollywood or sports has been giving good dividend, making it one of the top brands in India. Virat will soon be seen in the upcoming campaign of Gionee, and will also be actively involved in a host of innovative marketing and customer experience initiatives of the brand. Gionee had earlier roped in actor Alia Bhatt as it’s brand ambassador a few months ago

and Virat is joining her in helping the brand touch new heights. Gionee has already sold over 12 million devices in India and its impressive growth continues. On roping in Virat Kohli, Gionee’s Country CEO & MD Arvind Vohra had this to say: “India is one of the fastest growing young economies in the world and Gionee takes immense pride in having India’s biggest youth icons Virat Kohli and Alia Bhatt as its brand endorsers. With the two of the most loved icons in India our motto of Making Smiles is bound to create a new benchmark

across billions of young hearts.” Virat Kohli sounded equally enthusiastic with the association. “I play my game with dignity and passion and apply the same rule in choosing my partnerships. Gionee comes across as a brand that is fueled by passion, determination and focus to innovate and perform and with all of this have it’s heart in the right place by giving back to society. Thus, I feel and believe that this association will go a long way. I am very excited to start this journey with Gionee.” Spending heavily across consumer touch points the young brand has been associated with a clutch of sports including cricket, football, kabaddi and badminton. As a part of intense brand building initiatives the company has co-sponsored the Premier Badminton League as a mobile partner and cricket matches like the ODI trophy. The brand will also continue to sponsor all cricket matches till March 2017. Brand marketing is an integral part of Gionee’s brand building strategy and being a young brand in India such associations with big platforms go on to increase visibility and facilitate the brand to make a better connect with the audience. Talking about the mega association, Deepika Singh, Director Corporate Communications says, “We have always believed in associating with Indian sports and that shows our commitment towards delivering joy and smiles among our customers. This fruitful association has given us the reason to rejoice for years now and may the best team win.” Gionee, operating through its two manufacturing units in India and continuously beefing up its brand and marketing initiatives is now aiming at a growth of 2.5 times in 2017. Gionee will also be establishing 500 brand stores in India along with doubling their strength of retail representatives to 20,000. Gionee started its operations in India in February 2013 and today enjoys nearly 5% of the Indian smart handset market. In 2016 Gionee’s turnover touched close to Rs 3200cr and is estimated to reach Rs 8000cr in 2017. n

As a part of intense brand building initiatives the company has co-sponsored the Premier Badminton League as a mobile partner and cricket matches like the ODI trophy.

18 | february 2017

MYMOBILE

Qualcomm’s big push for developing India’s innovation eco-system Qualcomm, one of the largest chipset makers, has been investing in Indian technology startups since September 2015, guiding them, providing support and expertise of its team thus helping them in leapfrogging the Indian innovations scenario. And it topped up its effort by awarding top three innovators with $100,000 each!

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ualcomm has awarded the top three winners of its first edition of the Qualcomm Design in India Challenge (QDIC), with price money of $100,000 each, who excelled in design and innovation. The winners are Carnot Technologies, iFuture Robotics and Uncanny Vision. This initiative was launched in December 2015, in association with the National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM) to promote innovations which are Make in India, by the Indians. John Han, senior vice president and general manager, Qualcomm Technology Licensing, said, “Qualcomm is passionate about innovation, every year we invest billions in risky R&D to invent technologies that bring advancements in various aspect of our lives. With Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision to transform India into a digitally empowered society, Qualcomm is committed to offering support to help India’s ecosystem to grow and cater to increasing consumer choices.” Over the last 12 months, ten shortlisted companies were incubated with initial prize money of $10,000 each and engineering support at Qualcomm India’s Innovation Lab in Bangalore where they could transform their

ideas into prototypes. In the final round, the companies were judged by the jury members consisting of industry, government and Qualcomm executives. Ravi Shankar Prasad, Minister of Electronics and IT, urged Qualcomm to choose the design which would be based on rural health and rural education for its second season of QDIC. Qualcomm also announced investment of $8.5Million for expansion of their design initiatives in India, to be called henceforth the ‘Qualcomm Design in India Program’ (QDIP). Under this program Qualcomm will support companies in the areas of rural technology, biometric devices, payment terminals, agri t e c h n o l o g y, m e d i c a l technology and smart infrastructure and enable Indian mobile and IoT vendors by providing advanced camera, audio, and RF design in India with the launch of a new Innovation Lab at – John Han, Hyderabad and expansion of the current Innovation Lab in Senior vice president and general manager, Qualcomm Technology Licensing Bangalore. n

The startups which won the awards were Uncanny Vision, Carnot Technologies and iFuture Robotics.

“With Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision to transform India into a digitally empowered society, Qualcomm is committed to offering support to help India’s ecosystem to grow and cater to increasing consumer choices”

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february 2017 | 19

What’s Up

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MediaTek smartphone design training program concludes successfully MediaTek had collaborated with the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) and Indian Cellular Association (ICA) in India, and the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) in Taiwan. MediaTek’s smartphone ecosystem partners to educate Indian talent in support of its homegrown handset design industry.

ediaTek Inc recently announced successful conclusion of its “Smartphone Design Training Program” created to accelerate the “Make in India” initiative. MediaTek has developed this training program to foster and educate talent for India’s fast-growing handset industry, by sharing its smartphone expertise and knowledge with a group of handpicked senior managers and engineers from the smartphone industry in India. This was industry’s first training program designed to help the Indian government address the strong demand for smartphone design talent and supply the necessary skills. It also creates a platform for MediaTek and its global ecosystem partners to collaborate with Indian companies and build closer partnerships to

create new, Indian designed products for its home market. The training program’s closing ceremony was held at the MediaTek Headquarters in Hsinchu, Taiwan on 13th January. Aruna Sundararajan, Secretary of MeitY, joined the ceremony via video conference and recognized historical value of the training program to foster talent for India. MediaTek Chairman and CEO, Ming-Kai Tsai congratulated all participants who completed the training in person, along with Ming-Ji Wu, Director General of Industrial Development Bureau at MOEA. Sridharan Madhusudhanan, Director General, India Taipei Association and Gince Kuruvilla Mattam, Deputy Director General, India Taipei Association also attended the function and interacted with the participating Taiwanese companies and Indian engineers.

The training focused on providing: • In-depth training program covering all aspects towards the theory of product design and hands-on experience building smartphones from scratch. • Overview of all key hardware design domains including system design, RF, connectivity and multimedia, 12 MediaTek partners, who are major component makers within the handset ecosystem joined to deliver wider knowledge to participants. • Soft-skills helping participants to lead a team for efficient execution of handset projects. Forty-two Indian engineers joined the program in Taiwan for the training who are now industry ready to work on live handset design projects. The participants represent twenty-two leading Indian companies including well-known smartphone brands Micromax, Videocon, Lava and Intex. “The pilot phase of our smartphone training program has successfully completed, however, this is not the end, but rather a new beginning of the journey. MediaTek and its partners in the smartphone supply chain will continue to collaborate with India, and support its industry to build a complete mobile ecosystem. I hope to see all the participants fully utilize what they have learnt in Taiwan to bring new handsets to the Indian market in the near future,” said, MediaTek Chairman and CEO, Ming-Kai Tsai.

20 | january 2017

MYMOBILE

“With the government’s leadership, Taiwanese companies have invested over USD 6 billion to support the “Make in India” initiative in the past years and have become a trust-worthy partner for India.

“As telecommunications companies react to the digital disruption that has upended business models across the industry, acquiring talent has become a strategic priority. Acquiring talent is likely to play increasingly critical role when it comes to deal-making outside the sector” – Mr Ming-Kai Tsai, Chairman & CEO, Medaitek “MediaTek is one of the leaders in smartphone area coming forward to exchange their knowledge and solutions with Indian engineers. This training program is going to be one of the key building blocks in establishing India as a manufacturer and designer of electronics products going forward,” said Aruna Sundararajan, Secretary of MeitY. “I would like to express our greatest appreciation to MediaTek and Chairman Tsai, I am sure that there will be many programs where India and Taiwan will collaborate in years to come. However, this program will be the historical one as it is the first, unique initiative helped to narrow the existing talent gap in India industry, ” added by Aruna Sundararajan.

“This program will be the historical one as it is the first, unique initiative helped to narrow the existing talent gap in India industry, ” – Aruna Sundararajan, Secretary of MeitY, GoI

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“We, as a nation, are very determined to have a strong domestic manufacturing industry and welcome all foreign investors, especially from Taiwan, to bring in the culture of excellence. This program is the first step towards ensuring the right pool of local talent are skilled to execute handset design from India, and we thank all the involved entities for their support to fulfil this requirement”

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– Pankaj Mahindroo, Founder and National President of Indian Cellular Association The MediaTek’s smartphone training program further helped bring Taiwanese expertise in design and manufacturing of electronics products to India, creating a win-win situation leveraging the strengths of both countries. Taiwan’s active promotion of the New Southbound Policy encourages collaboration between Taiwanese and Indian industries. We hope to see this program continue in the future,” said Ming-Ji Wu, Director General of Industrial Development Bureau at MOEA. “We, as a nation, are very determined to have a strong domestic manufacturing industry and welcome all foreign investors, especially from Taiwan, to bring in the culture of excellence. This program is the first step towards ensuring the right pool of local talent are skilled to execute handset design from India, and we thank all the involved entities for their support to fulfil this requirement,” said Pankaj Mahindroo, Founder and National President of Indian Cellular Association. “We have some big gaps to fill before achieving the production target of 500mn units by 2020 and 1.2bn units by 2025, and look forward to continued support from MediaTek and Taiwan industry to help meet this aim.” “It has been a wonderful experience to participate in this program. Over the past 6 weeks, I have been able to learn from and interact with experts from all sub-domains in the handset industry as a part of our training module and theory classes,” said Gyaneshwar Patel, Assistant General Manager - Quality, at Mircomax. “It was truly a great opportunity for me where I could directly attain insights from all key component makers and dig deeper into their specialized segments. This knowledge will be quite helpful in executing live projects once we rejoin the industry,” he added. n

february 2017 | 21

What’s Up

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KAYAK enters Indian market The world’s leading travel search engine aims to raise the bar for online travel and make travel planning and management more seamless.

he world’s leading travel search engine, KAYAK, an independently managed subsidiary of The Priceline Group, has announced its entry into the Indian market. Having pioneered the category globally, the company provides innovative travel tools to help people search, plan and manage their travel. KAYAK helps travellers get the information they need before they book and offers tools and features to assist them throughout their trip. The website and mobile app search hundreds of travel sites at once so that travellers have the information they need to make the best decisions. KAYAK operates on a massive scale across the globe, with more

“What sets KAYAK apart from other travel search engines and online travel agencies is the comprehensiveness of our search results and the travel tools we provide. KAYAK prioritises relevance, accuracy and speed” – Imbert Fung, Director Southeast Asia & India, KAYAK

22 | february 2017

than 40 international sites and in 20 languages, powering 1.5 billion queries annually for travel information and displaying results from hundreds of airlines, 900,000+ hotels, along with rental cars, holiday packages, activities and millions of verified reviews. The seamless experience comes to life with investment in a world-class technology infrastructure that offers an award winning website and travel app to audiences around the world; the mobile app has already witnessed more than 55 million downloads. Commenting on the launch, Imbert Fung, Director Southeast Asia and India at KAYAK said, “ We have exciting plans for KAYAK in 2017 and setting up operations here is a fantastic step towards making India one of our core markets. While we have had a presence here for a while and feel we understand the Indian user, we are now greatly enhancing our local presence by setting up country operations with Abhijit Mishra at the helm as the country manager for India.” In India, KAYAK has partnered with the top local online travel service providers, airlines and hotels to help ensure that customers will get the best results from across hundreds of websites with just a few clicks. By partnering with leading players and advanced technology credentials to support the diverse needs of Indian travellers, KAYAK is firmly establishing itself as the ultimate destination for the full suite of travel products. The platform’s strong technological edge over its competitors allows it to provide superior usability and comprehensive search results. Travellers can continually search and compare prices with ease and avail themselves of services like Price Alerts, Price Forecasts and free itinerary management with Trips, without having to go to multiple websites. n

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What’s Up

India tops in ‘mobile developer courses search’ on Google

ndia overtook the US last year in terms of online search for courses preparing people for mobile app development, according to tech giant Google. Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra contribute to a huge share in these search queries, Google India stated. Other than the southern states, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar have also seen an increase in demand, with 70 per cent growth y-o-y in the former and a whopping 158 per cent in the latter. Training institutes have reportedly seen a steep surge in demand from candidates wanting to pick up skills related to mobile development. The experts attribute this growth mostly to the rising number of startups which are looking at developing mobile applications. The growth has been so much that Simplilearn, one of the top training institutes has seen six times growth in one year, as per Google India. According to Krishna Kumar, the Chief Operating Officer of Simplilearn, there has been a threefold increase in the number of individuals taking up certification training programs in the last few

months. Over 65 per cent of mobile developer learners in India comprise of college students and fresh graduates, compared to the US where 60 per cent of the learners are working professionals between 25 and 44 years. Training partners like Simplilearn, Udacity, Edureka, Koenig, Manipal Global, and UpGrad are the key private players which offer mobile development courses in India. India, which has about one million people working on solutions for the Android mobile platform, is poised to become home to about four million developers by 2018, making it the world’s largest developer base, Google had previously said. n

Government asks domestic companies to create sub-Rs 2,000 smartphone

n order to give a push to the less cash economy, and enable more Indians to afford a smartphone that can make digital transactions, the government recently asked Indian companies to come up with smartphone models that cost less than Rs 2,000. The request was made in a meeting attended by representatives of the home-bred handset makers including Micromax, Intex, Lava and Karbonn. No such demand has been made to Chinese smartphone makers. Samsung and Apple were not at the meeting. The smartphone manufacturers have been instructed to include QR code scanning capabilities, and a biometric security through a fingerprint scanner, in the sub Rs 2,000 handsets. The government will not be subsidising the phones. The meeting was held at Niti Aayog. Most of the smartphones sold in India are in the sub Rs 5,000 category, and are usually paid for in cash. Currently, the cheapest 3G smartphones in the market start at around 2,500, with 4G handsets starting at a higher price point. Even in 2016, Indians continued to buy more feature phones than smartphones. In a population of 1.3 billion people, only 300 million people use smartphones in India. The government has launched several technology platforms to enable cashless transactions. Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) and Unified Payment Interface (UPI) and mobile wallets are some of the modes for cashless

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transactions in India. NPCI recently launched the UPI based Bhim app for enabling cashless transactions, that industry stakeholders called a game changer. However, the use of these facilities for transferring money require the use of a smartphone. The reach of mobile banking will be limited if most of the population does not have access to smartphones. n

february 2017 | 23

What’s Up

bignews BHIM becomes India’s most popular Android app

he government’s online payments app BHIM (Bharat Interface for Mobile) has become the most popular Android app in India. The app, launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at an event in New Delhi on December 30 last year, is topping the charts on Google’s Play Store. The BHIM is based on the Unified Payment Interface (UPI) and is common across all banks and financial institutions. The app doesn’t require an internet connection and can work on simple feature phones. Aadhaar-based payments are expected to be added to the app in the coming weeks. The all-new BHIM app aims to enable people to send and receive money through their mobile phones by linking their bank accounts. It will also work on feature phones through the upgraded USSD (Unstructured Supplementary Service Data) platform. The app comes with features such as the ability to send and receive money, linking accounts, saving user profiles, changing languages, recording beneficiary details and providing balance enquiry. Banks, which currently have individual UPI apps, can reportedly either endorse the common app or allow customers to use in-house apps that may be loaded with more features. Once users links UPI-based payment service with their respective bank accounts using smartphones or feature phones, they can use BHIM app for transactions. The app allows users to send money to even non-UPI accounts

or IDs; users can do so by sending money via IFSC and MMID codes. Users will also be able to utilise QR codes for payments. The app is currently available on Google Playstore for Android users and is expected to ‘soon’ be available on Apple’s mobile operating system iOS. A number of banks support the BHIM app. n

India’s first payments bank goes live

irtel, India’s largest telecom network with over 260 million subscribers, rolled out the country’s first payments bank recently. Commencing national operations with services now live in all 29 States of India, the company committed an initial investment of 30 billion Indian rupees to bring its service across the country. Union Finance and Corporate Affairs Minister Arun Jaitley formally launched the bank’s national operations in presence of Sunil Bharti

24 | february 2017

Mittal, chairman, Bharti Enterprises and Uday Kotak, executive vice chairman and MD, Kotak Mahindra Bank. The payments bank is an initiative from the Indian government, first unveiled in 2014, that cuts the need of going to traditional banks and makes nearly every bank operation accessible from a smartphone. Under this initiative, anyone can open a bank account using their Aadhaar based e-KYC information. Through this move, the government seeks to bring digital banking services to much of the country’s unbanked population. In 2015, it gave an in-principle approval to 11 of the 41 applicants who had applied to set up their own payments bank. To attract customers, Airtel is offering the highest interest of 7.25 per cent per annum on savings account deposits. There will be no processing fee for customers and merchants partners for digital transactions on the network. The company is offering customers one minute of free talk time on its telecom network for every rupee deposited to their savings account. It is also offering free personal accidental insurance worth Rs 1 lakh to all savings account holders. Airtel Payments Bank is now available on Android and iOS. The company said customers would also get access to a MasterCardpowered online card to seamlessly make payments across all online merchants accepting MasterCard. The conglomerate’s 250,000 retail stores across the nation will serve as banking points. The company began testing its service last November in Rajasthan. Over 1 million customers joined the network during the pilot phase. n

MYMOBILE

AIVRS platform to tackle call drops launched

o address the concern of call drops faced by telecom consumers in the country, the government recently launched an Integrated Voice Response System (IVRS) system at multiple locations -Delhi, Mumbai, Punjab, UP, Uttarakhand, Maharashtra and Goa – to obtain direct feedback from subscribers on call quality. The feedback will be shared with operators so they can take corrective steps in the problem areas and address the issue of call drops. The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) said the IVRS system

would soon be extended to the entire country. Speaking about the initiative, Union Telecom Minister Manoj Sinha said that the platform is a channel to capture direct feedback from the consumers and this voice of the customer can be used to improve services that are being offered to them. The DoT has taken a slew of initiatives to address the issue of call drops on mobile networks. The telecom operators installed more than 1,30,000 additional Base Transceiver Stations or BTSs across the country between June 2016 and October 2016 and further plans to install more than 1,50,000 additional BTSs across the country by March this year. The IVRS system will be initially used for call drops and subsequently on its uses will be extended to capture consumer feedback in other areas. Under the newly launched system, the users will receive an IVRS call from the shortcode 1955. They will be asked a few questions about call drops such as “Are they facing call drops in their area or not?” The consumers can also send a toll-free SMS to the same short code 1955, containing the location of city/town/village, where they might be facing the problem of frequent call drops. Sinha had earlier warned operators of penalty and other actions in case consumers continue to face the menace of call drops and call failures. n

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India lags behind Nepal, Bangladesh in download speed

efying Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s move to make India a cashless economy (or say the less cash economy) especially since the demonetization drive, the country stands at the 96th spot in terms of download speed and 105th when it comes to average bandwidth availability, according to a newspaper report. What’s more, India also has a record of poor internet security, which is progressively becoming worse. While India trails Bangladesh and Nepal in terms of download speed, it tops the list in terms of ‘ransomware’ attacks. These attacks target banks and establishments with sensitive, confidential information. The report says, users and experts alike are worried about growing cybercrime, with almost zero conviction. Cyber experts say the public in India are wary of cyber transaction for fear of falling victim to hacking attacks that steal personal data and in the face of which banks and the police more often than not plead helplessness. Experts say the government should simultaneously give a thrust to expanding support infrastructure and vigilance to ensure safer online monetary transactions. When it comes to cybercrime, India is 6th in the world. The incidence of cybercrime in the country has doubled in just a year. In terms of availability of bandwidth, Sri Lanka, China, South Korea, Indonesia, Malaysia and several other countries are far ahead. Cyber experts welcome the digitisation of

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transactions, but lament the deplorable condition of IT infrastructure and education. As per the report, experts believe that the government should simultaneously give emphasis to expanding support infrastructure and vigilance to safer online monetary transactions. n team@mymobile.co.in

february 2017 | 25

In Focus

spotlight

Demonetization

Deflated The Mobile Retail The mobile sales across the country was severely impacted during the demonetization phase with retail in Tier 3 and Tier 4 towns getting specially hit but retailers and the industry have taken it in their stride and look forward to brighter days! By Haider Ali Khan

he demonetization had hit

the country. Mobile retailers experienced

but they are upbeat about the situation will

almost every business and

marginal or no sale period and hence it

normalize once people will start getting

mobile retail was no exception.

was natural that the situation would have

enough cash in their hands.

Mobile retail business, like any

backward impact on handset makers

One such mobile retailer Goldy Singh of

other businesses in India, has been largely

leading to huge pile up in the inventories.

Goldy Communication in North Delhi says,

dependent on cash especially in smaller

“This has been a very disappointing period

towns and cities and due to cash crunch

Markets

in the hands of potential customers during

Retailers across Delhi-NCR and interiors

were being unable to sell a single handset

demonetization, it led to a huge fall in the

of the country have seen a slump in sales

per day.” He also said that generally people

overall sales of the mobile handset across

during November and December last year

used to buy or upgrade their mobile phones

for us, being the festival time (Nov-Dec) we

but it did not happen this time due to cashcrunch. The mobile retail body, All India Mobile Retail Association (AIMRA), quotes that the first one week was badly affected but later it has come to normal with support from NBFC schemes. “Feature phone business was badly affected in B, C and D towns,” says AIMRA. “The mobile retail business was down to 30 per cent in cities and 50 per cent in rural areas,” AIMRA said.

“Feature phone business was badly affected in B, C and D towns. The mobile retail business was down to 30 percent in cities and 50 percent in rural areas” – All India Mobile Retail Association

26 | february 2017

MYMOBILE

The

will continue fueling services like ticketing,

populations in these

cab services, online grocery may not find

areas are mostly

significant growth for a few months and may

dependent upon

see a very minor dip,” says Preeti Desai.

agriculture as

I think just making a billion plus Indians to

their main source

get on the cashless bandwagon especially

of earning and they don’t earn that much

for the digitally uninitiated is a huge learning

which needs to get deposited in banks.

curve. What demonetization will definitely

“The situation remains the same wherever we go,” says the manager of a prominent mobile retail chain in India, Mobiliti World. On condition of anonymity he says, “We used to sell mobile phones worth of Rs 1,50,000 a day, which has come down to nearly Rs 30,000 to 35,000.” He also told that it’s the smartphone sale that has been impacted a lot and not the feature phones. He says, it will take a while for the market to recover. On the contrary, the manager at The Mobile Store in New Delhi which sells mobile across the country said that during initial days there were some problems but now the situation has improved quite a bit. The scenes are quite similar in other parts of India as well. In Roorkee, Uttarakhand, Rudresh Bhaskar, a mobile retailer said that during the initial twenty six days of noteban, there were no business at all. “We did not sell even a single mobile phone during this period,” he said. “This area is frequented by labourers from Bihar and West Bengal, who works at farms, kiln and factories and they usually buys feature phones but, due to demonetization it did not happen because these labourers were not getting jobs or paid on time and hence there were not any buyers. Sahil Saikia from Guwahati tells the same narrative. The mobile retailer in Ganeshguri market of Assam’s capital says, “Guwahati is the hub of north-east and the retail sale of mobile has reduced to nearly 70 per cent because of the noteban. So you

N BF C s .

“The real impact was in C and D grade

achieve is to accelerate the literacy levels

counters where digital payment facility is

amongst both consumers and businesses

not there,” says AIMRA. Rural areas had to

(irrespective of their size), adds Preeti.

face lots of difficulties because there was no money in ATMs and they don’t have digital payment facility also, said the mobile retail watchdog. On the payment front, cities accounted for 80 per cent digital transactions and in rural areas 70 per cent purchases used to happen on cash and 30 per cent went to other digital mode of payments, during this phase.

Industry According to research firm IDC India, during the fourth quarter 2016-17 feature phone shipments are likely to decline sharply by 24.6 per cent and smartphones are expected to see 17.5 per cent decline due to the cash crunch in the country. “The growth in mobile commerce in 2016 was driven by mobile phone, mobile accessories, consumer electronics, apparel, footwear and accessories and all these categories will certainly see a drop as a direct effect of demonetization be

“The real impact of demonetization was C and D grade counters where digital payment facility is not there” – AIMRA

can imagine what had happened elsewhere

A majority of buyers in Tier 3 and 4 towns still rely mainly on cash because most of

– Preeti Desai, Country Manager, Mobile Marketing Association India Interestingly be it in urban or rural areas, banks are likely to be the biggest beneficiaries of demonetization with higher deposits, transaction volumes and greater acceptance of digital channels for their loan products and financial services. If operationally they fine tune their internal

it in metros or mini-metros,” said Preeti

mobile customer they are also likely to reap

Desai, Country Manager, Mobile Marketing

secondary benefits including insurance

Association.

and wealth management as in the current

them still do not have bank account or any

Future

other access to the financial institutions

“Despite demonetization mobile commerce

www.mymobileindia.com

“I think just making a billion plus Indians to get on the cashless bandwagon especially for the digitally uninitiated is a huge learning curve”

processes and understand the on demand

in the hilly states.”

Areas of Concern

In Focus

spotlight

climate Indians may just opt for higher financial savings. n haider@mymobile.co.in

february 2017 | 27

First Look

justin

sports a 6-inch full HD display (1080p resolution), 6GB RAM, 4000 mAh battery and Qualcomm Snapdragon 653 processor. It packs inbuilt storage of 64GB that is expandable via a microSD card (up

Samsung Galaxy C9 Pro A big screen device with better display

to 256GB). Samsung Galaxy C9 Pro is 6.9mm thick and weighs around 190 grams. The new device offers 4G VoLTE, NFC, Bluetooth 4.2, GPS, WiFi 802.11ac and 3.5mm headphone jack. The smartphone has a fingerprint scanner mounted on its physical home button. Camera wise, the smartphone packs a 16-megapixel camera on

fter its launch in China in October last year, Samsung Galaxy

both front and rear. The rear 16-megapixel camera comes with an

C9 Pro is hitting the Indian market this month. Samsung India

aperture of f/1.9 and a dual-LED flash. The selfie camera too has

announced the launch of its new C-series smartphone at an event

the same aperture sans the flash module. The camera will help users

in Bhubanewsar recently. The Galaxy C9 Pro is said to enhance and

capture brilliant photos even in low light conditions.

give users the best multimedia experience with its 6-inch Full HD

The Samsung Galaxy C9 Pro will be available across all retail

sAMOLED display while delivering a powerhouse performance.

channels in the latter half of this month at a price of Rs 36,900.

The all-metal Galaxy C9 Pro is pretty high-end in terms of

The device will be available in black and gold colours. Significantly,

hardware specs. The dual-SIM (Nano+Nano) 4G-enabled C9 Pro

the company is offering one-time screen replacement for a period

runs Android 6.0 Marshmallow out-of-the-box. The smartphone

of 12 months on pre-booking. n

22 | january 2017

MYMOBILE

Xolo Era 2X A new budget phone

ava’s subsidiary Xolo has come up with a new budget 4G

phone comes with a 5-inch HD IPS display and is powered by

LTE-capable smartphone, the Era 2X in India. The new Era

a 1.25GHz quad-core MediaTek processor clubbed with

series phone is available at a starting price of Rs 6,666

2GB/3GB RAM and 16GB internal memory. The 3GB RAM

exclusively on Flipkart.

variant of the phone will cost you Rs 7,499. The dualSIM 4G

On the camera front, the new smartphone which as per the

LTE (VoLTE-ready) phone runs Android Marshmallow software

company is an entry-level phone, sports an 8-megapixel camera

out-of-the-box. The phone is backed by a 2,500mAh battery

on the rear with f/2.0 aperture, 5P Largon lens, blue glass filter

which is removable and claimed to offer up to 14 days stand

and single LED flash. The rear camera is also capable of

by time on single charge. It is a dual SIM (GSM and GSM)

shooting time-lapse videos. On the front, it comes with a

smartphone that accepts Micro-SIM and Micro-SIM.

5-megapixel camera. The Xolo Era 2X, which is successor to Era 1X, comes with

First Look

justin

The phone is available in latte gold and black gunmetal colours. n

an all-plastic body and a rear mounted fingerprint scanner. Presence of a fingerprint scanner in itself (at its price point) is being touted as a USP of the brand new device. The fingerprint scanner onboard the phone will enable security as well as serve a couple of more functions including tap to talk and tap to capture a photo. It can also be used to lock and unlock select apps. The phone is capable of registering up to five fingers to make all this possible. Each finger can then be assigned to perform each of the aforementioned tasks. Talking about the technical specifications, the brand new

www.mymobileindia.com

february 2017 | 29

First Look

justin Samsung Galaxy J2 Ace Offers India-centric features

uoyed by the success of its J-series, Samsung, the South Korean electronics giant, recently unveiled

yet another budget phone, Galaxy J2 Ace, offering India-centric features. The smartphone packs a front camera flash and features a larger 5-inch screen. The new 4G VoLTE enabled phone comes with features such as the Ultra Data Saving Mode, S bike mode, and S Power Planning. Apart from turbo speed technology, the Galaxy J2 Ace also features ‘S Secure’ that ensures the safest browsing experience and provides privacy features to keep personal information protected. In the camera department, Samsung Galaxy J2 Ace has an 8-megapixel rear camera with f/2.2 aperture and flash. The front camera is 5-megapixel with f/2.2 aperture and flash. In terms of technical specifications, the new J-series smartphone is powered by a 1.4 GHz quad core processor with 1.5GB RAM and 8GB internal memory (expandable up to 256GB via microSD card). The device is backed by a 2,600 mAh battery and supports Bluetooth 4.2, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Wi-Fi Direct, USB 2.0, GPS and GLONASS. Sensors on the smartphone include Accelerometer, and Proximity. It runs Android 6.0 Marshmallow. The Samsung Galaxy J2 Ace is a dual SIM smartphone. Its connectivity options include Wi-Fi and 4G (with support for Band 40 used by some LTE networks in India). Sensors on the phone include Proximity sensor and Accelerometer. The entry-level smartphone costs Rs 8,490 and is available in gold, black and silver colour variants. n

30 | february 2017

MYMOBILE

First Look

justin

Micromax Vdeo 3 and Vdeo 4 With 4G VoLTE and Google Duo App

ndian mobile maker Micromax has just introduced its two new smartphones in the Vdeo series; Vdeo 3, Vdeo 4 but it has not

yet confirmed the pricing and availability of new phones. The Vdeo 4 comes with a battery at 4000mAh which gives a standby time of 350 hours and talktime of 24 Hours. Vdeo 4 has a 5-inch display with 1280×720 HD display resolution, and comes with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 210 MSM8909 processor clocked at 1.1Ghz. The rear camera is 8MP, while the front camera is 2MP, capable of 720p video recording. The RAM is 1GB, while the storage is 8GB, of which around 4GB is available to users. The smartphone supports a microSD card with 32 GB as limit. This is a dual-SIM smartphone with WiFi, GPS and Bluetooth and itsupports 850/900/1800/1900MHz 900/2100MHz frequencies. It runs Android Android 6.0 Marshmallow; sensors

on the list are Gravity, Proximity, Light and Accelerometer. Similarly, the Vdeo 3 smartphone also comes with a 5-inch screen with HD 720 resolution with 145 x 73 x 8.3 mm dimensions. The processor on the Vdeo 3 is clocked at 1Ghz and is a cortex-A53, the phone comes with 1GB RAM+ 8GB storage, which is again expandable to 32GB. This runs an older Android Lollipop OS (5.1) and has an 8MP rear camera with flash, while the front camera is 2MP. It is capable of recording HD resolution videos. This is also a 4G VoLTE dual-SIM smartphone with support for 850/900/1800/1900MHz bands, along with WiFi, GPS and Bluetooth. The Vdeo 3 has a 3050mAh battery. These new phones from Micromax are 4G VoLTE enabled with video-calling via the Google Duo app. n

www.mymobileindia.com

january 2017 | 25

First Look

justin

Samsung Galaxy J1 4G Stylish and equipped to deliver good performance

amsung’s Galaxy J-series is the best-selling smartphone

include Accelerometer, and Proximity. It runs Android 5.1

series in the affordable segment and has been

Lollipop.

synonymous with making 4G relevant and accessible in

Camera-wise, it sports a 5-megapixel rear camera with

India. Hence, to further strengthen its J-series portfolio, the

flash and f/2.2 aperture. The front camera is 2-megapixel

South Korean electronics giant recently introduced Galaxy

with f/2.2 aperture.

J1 4G to the Indian market. It is a pretty basic model with

Equipped to deliver great performance along with its

the latest 4G VoLTE support and one of the most affordable

stylish design, the Galaxy J1 4G comes loaded with

smartphones to feature Super AMOLED display.

Samsung’s localised ‘Make for India’ features. The new

Talking about the technical specifications, Samsung

model feature Ultra Data Saving mode (UDS), S bike mode

Galaxy J1 4G is powered by 1.3 GHz quad core processor

and S Power Planning which offer more affordable browsing,

with 1GB RAM and 8GB internal memory (expandable up

uninterrupted riding for bikers, and smart power planning

to 128GB via microSD card). It packs a 2,050 mAh battery.

respectively.

The smartphone supports Bluetooth 4.1, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Wi-Fi Direct, USB 2.0, GPS, and GLONASS. Sensors

32 | february 2017

The new Samsung smartphone costs Rs 6,890 and can be bought in gold, black, and white colour variants. n

MYMOBILE

Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 Reasonable and advanced successor

hinese handset maker Xiaomi introduced its Redmi Note 4

graphics with the Qualcomm Adreno 506 graphics processing

with 2GB RAM at Rs 9,999, powered by the Qualcomm

unit (GPU), which allows for a great gaming experience.

Snapdragon 625 processor, making its debut in India.

Redmi Note has a 4100mAh battery which lasts on

This phone is also available in two more versions with

average 25 percent longer than Redmi Note 3, claims Xiaomi.

different RAM of 3GB and 4GB at a price of Rs 10,999 and

It comes with a 13MP CMOS PDAF camera, f/2.0 aperture, a

Rs 12,999 respectively. Redmi Note 4 sports a premium

BSI sensor with 1.12-micron pixels and a 5MP, f/2.0 aperture

metal body with anodized aluminium lines. It is the first

front facing camera. Redmi Note 4 doubles the storage of its

Redmi smartphone to feature 2.5D curved glass on the front

predecessor, offering 32GB of onboard storage in the base

which, paired with tapered edges. In addition to the classic

model, and up to 64GB flash in the 4GB RAM variant, which are

Dark Grey and Gold colours, Redmi Note 4 will also be available

expandable up to 128GB via an SD card.

in Black.

Redmi Note 4 fully supports with India’s LTE cellular

Snapdragon 625 is the first chipset in its class to use 14nm

networks, including support for LTE Band 5 used for Voice

FinFET technology, which is more power-efficient than processors

over LTE (VoLTE), which enables HD calls to be carried

based on 28nm technology. Snapdragon 625 supports PC-class

over 4G. n

www.mymobileindia.com

First Look

justin

february 2017 | 33

First Look

justin Lenovo Phab2 Pro Offers unprecedented augmented reality experiences

he much-anticipated Lenovo’s Phab2 Pro was launched in India recently. Unlike any other phone, the Phab2 Pro

is powered by Google’s Tango technology – a set of sensors and software that detects and maps surroundings to enable a host of cutting-edge smartphone augmented reality (AR) experiences possible. In terms of technical specifications, the device stands on its own as a premium smartphone. It is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 652 processor and comes with 4GB RAM and 64GB storage expandable up to 128GB. The Snapdragon 652 processor brings efficient hardware integration and processing, leading 4G LTE connectivity, and cutting-edge time stamping and camera and sensor processing capabilities. The Lenovo Phab2 Pro features Dolby Audio Capture 5.1 with Dolby Atmos playback capabilities to help capture life’s moments on video with great quality audio. With Dolby Audio Capture 5.1, you can use crystal-clear 5.1-channel surround sound to record and share the full panorama of your life, adding amazing richness, clarity and depth to your special moments. Making this possible are three microphones, spatial capture with noise reduction, along with an onboard 16mp camera that supports crisp video recording. The 16.2 cm (6.4) Phab2 Pro boasts an intelligent Assertive Display with a pin-sharp QHD (2,560 x 1,440) resolution, capable of optimizing image quality based on ambient lighting and content. Priced at Rs 29,990, the first

of its kind phone in India is available exclusively on Flipkart in champagne gold colour. n team@mymobile.co.in

34 | february 2017

MYMOBILE

Quotes

cellspeak “Delighted To Know That In A Span Of 10 Days There Have Been Over 10 Million Downloads Of The BHIM App” — Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India.

“India’s Digital Economy Is Going To Be $1Trillion Plus in 3 to 4 Years”

“The Snapdragon 821 processor is a perfect fit for a flagship Tango enabled device like the ZenFone AR”

— Ravi Shankar Prasad, Minister for Electronics &IT, at Google event in New Delhi.

— Cristiano Amon, Executive Vice President, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. at CES 2017

“The Best Is Yet To Come” — Tim Cook, Apple CEO on its 10th anniversary

“Jio will connect all hospitals & medical facilities, colleges & schools in Gujarat”

“When We Solve For India, We Solve It For The World” — Sundar Pichai Google CEO on his recent visit to India.

— Mukesh Ambani, at Vibrant Gujarat 2017 Summit in Gandhinagar www.mymobileindia.com

february 2017 | 35

Trends

Consumer insight

Mobile Apps Are The New Stars Yahoo Flurry analytics 2016 reveal social and sports apps are now the first loves of mobile users around the world!

lurry Analytics, part of theYahoo Mobile Developer Suite, announced its annual global mobile and application usage study. In its eighth year, the study offers

interesting insights on global mobile app usage and trends from the last year on over 2.1 billion smart devices and 3.2 trillion sessions. Throughout 2016, which was also the last year of the first decade for mobile apps, the industry managed to squeak-out another 365 days of growth.

36 | february 2017

MYMOBILE

Mobile App Usage Grows 11% Year-Over-Year (Sessions) 44%

43%

Trends

consumer insight

30% 25% 18%

17%

Average 11%

1% Messaging & Social

Sports

Business & Finance

Shopping

Health & Fitness

Utilities % Productivity

News & Magazine

Music, Health & Entertainment

- 5%

Games

Personalizaition

-15%

-46% Source : Flurry Analytics, 2015-2016 Year-Over-Year Session Growth

“Over the last year, the Flurry footprint

grew to track more than 940,000 applications, across 2.1 billion devices, in 3.2 trillion sessions. In this context, we

define app usage as a user opening an app and recording what we call a “session,” as well as the amount of time spent in the application,” said Simon Khalaf, SVP, Yahoo. He added, “Compared to the year prior, overall app usage grew by 11% and time-spent in apps grew by 69%. In previous years, we saw all app categories

—Simon Khalaf, SVP, Yahoo.

growing in tandem; however, this year

the story is different. After shifting the

can be attributed to diminishing value for

web and television to the rearview mirror,

users of these products.”

mobile apps started eating their own, with

2016: The Year Social Ate Media and

session and time-spent growth in some

Telcos: Time spent in Social and Messaging

app categories occurring at the expense

apps grew by an astounding 394% over

of others. While Messaging and Social

the last year, proving to be the driver

applications drove year-over-year session

that helped mobile achieve its year-over-

growth at 44%, the Personalization

year time-spent growth of 69%. This is a

category gave up a staggering 46% in

result of consumers using their social and

session usage. This steep decline in usage

messaging apps as their voice and video

www.mymobileindia.com

Mobile usage has hit critical mass. n Overall app usage grew by 11% and time spent in apps grew by 69%, compared to 2015. Social and daily habit apps dominated time spent on mobile in 2016. n Time spent in social and messaging apps grew by 394% over the last year. n Business and finance (up 43% in time-spent) and sports (up 25% in time-spent) apps also saw growth because they are intrinsically centered around mobile activities and rely on real time data. Phablets continue to dominate, capturing 41% of market share. n While we predicted small phones would become extinct in the last year; with 1% market share, the end is near. The decelerating rate of growth could signal market maturity, saturation or simply the end of the app gold rush. n App developers need to work double time into the next decade and focus on which industry to disrupt, again.

february 2017 | 37

Trends

Consumer insight Mobile App Time Spent Grows 69% Year-Over-Year

394%

Average 69%

43% Messaging & Social

Business & Finance

31%

25%

Games

Shopping

Sports

- 4%

Source : Flurry Analytics, 2015-2016 Year-Over-Year time Spent Growth

calling utilities, as well as the phenomenon we callCommunitainment. With news and magazines sessions down 5% and Music, Media and users continue Entertainment up only 1%, it’s safe to say that Social has absorbed the media industry. Sticky Apps Tied to Daily Habits: Business and Finance (up 43% in timespent) and Sports (up 25% in time-spent) categories were immune to growth decay because they are intrinsically centered around mobile activities and rely on real time data. We anticipate further growth in these categories as to shift daily habits away from traditional media channels, i.e., watching live sports, market reports and the morning news on their TVs, to the apps on their phones. Video Killed the Gaming Star: Gaming, the app category formerly known as “the darling of the mobile industry,” saw timespent decline by 4% year-over-year. Users are increasingly comfortable paying their way through games, with the mobile gaming industry seeing a strong increase in revenues according to Apple’s latest App Store report. Additionally, gaming remains

38 | february 2017

MYMOBILE

a hit-driven industry. This year’s first “hit”, Pokemon Go,faded relatively fast, as consumers lost interest in the game, only returning for marquee holiday events. Another notable hit, Super Mario Run, was released too late in the year to make a difference for the overall engagement numbers. Shopping Apps Spell Doom and Gloom for Retailers: It was hard to miss thedisappointingpost-holidaynews from major retailers. However, the story is quite different in the mobile retail world. Shopping apps grew 31% in time-spent. Areportby Adobe shows a very healthy growth in online sales, with Amazon grabbing 38% of holiday sales transactions from November 1 through December 29, 2016. This growth significantlybenefitedfrom mobile and its apps, which, unlike the desktop, have captured impulse buys.

Phablets Reign Supreme As forecasted inlast year’s report, we have seen phablet devices becoming the dominant form factor across the globe,

Flurry is a mobile analytics, monetization, and advertising company founded in 2005. The company develops and markets a platform for analyzing consumer interactions with mobile applications, solutions for marketers to advertise inapps, as well as a service for applying monetization structures to mobile apps. Flurry analyzes 150 billion app sessions per month. The company’s analytics platform tracks application sessions in iOS, Android, HTML5, and JavaME platforms. Flurry has raised a total of $65 million in funding since its founding and in March 2014 announced that it would partner with Research Now to create a panel database on mobile users. Flurry was acquired by Yahoo! on July 21, 2014. Flurry was launched in 2005 by entrepreneur Sean Byrnes. It first started as a premium mobile applications company.

Flurry Analytics: Flurry Analytics enables users to analyze consumer behavior through data observations. The platform provides features for user segmentation, consumer funnels, and app portfolio analysis. The user segments can be categorized by things like paying versus non-paying customers or light versus heavy users. The platform’s funnels measure customized consumer conversions and trending metrics, while the portfolio analytics feature allows companies to manage entire portfolios of mobile applications with the ability to monitor data about overlap among applications as well as up-sell and cross-sell conversions. With gratitude to Wikipedia

capturing 41% of market share. While our prediction didn’t completely come to fruition, users continue to find value in the larger screen size. This directly correlates to the growth in media consumption and social engagement app categories. As less

Trends

consumer insight

After 10 Years, Mobile Reaches Moment of Truth

ended in 1855. A lot of wealth has been

“As the iPhone celebrates its first

generated since then. We are excited to see

decade, the mobile industry has grown

what app developers do in the next decade

into a dog-eat-dog world. The decelerating

and which industry they chose to disrupt,

Global Form Factor Distribution in 2016 Q4 2016

41%

44%

Q3 2016

39%

46%

Q2 2016

36%

47%

Q12016

33%

50%

n Full - size Tablets n Small Tablets n Phablets n Medium Phones n Small Phones mature smartphone markets adopt larger

rate of growth could signal market

again. Whatever it is, we will be by their

phones, Phablet share will continue to eat

maturity, saturation or simply the end of

side, providing a bit more than picks and

away at medium phones and completely

the app gold rush. But let us put things

shovels,” adds Khalaf. n

eliminate small phones.

in perspective. The gold rush in California

www.mymobileindia.com

team@mymobile.co.in

february 2017 | 39

Trends

Consumer insight Deloitte Mobile Consumer Survey 2016

Online is now the place for Indians when it comes to buying smartphones! Amid the steady growth of 4G adoption in India, 53 per cent of people bought their smartphones online while 39 per cent of smartphone owners still preferred retail stores to buy a new device in 2016, says Deloitte Mobile Consumer Survey 2016

By Ramesh Kumar Raja

40 | february 2017

MYMOBILE

consumer insight

nline has emerged as the

data penetration, consumers are becoming

favourite platform for Indians

extremely data hungry. Thus, usage of

for buying smartphones.

smartphone is only expected to grow from

This has been revealed by

here onwards,” said Jain in a statement.

Deloitte Mobile Consumer Survey 2016.

“With the higher penetration of mobile

To be precise, a significant 53 per cent of

date, especially 3G and 4G, there has

Indians bought their smartphones online

been a noticeable change in the way

whereas 39 per cent of smartphone owners

consumers are connecting to internet

still preferred retail stores to purchase a

now. 59 per cent of the respondents said

new device in 2016. The study further

they were using mobile network to connect

elaborates that for most smartphone

to the internet. This is a clear indication

owners in India, the reliance on WiFi

that their reliance on WiFi is moving

has reduced considerably due to higher

southwards,” Jain added.

penetration of mobile data. The report says 4G adoption is expected to

The Smartphone behaviour

grow strongly over the next year

According to the research, for most

to become the predominant

smartphone owners, checking their phones

data network. About 45 per cent

is among the first and last things they do

of the respondents said that they would subscribe to 4G or LTE in the next 12 months. According to Neeraj Jain, Partner, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu India LLP: “The considerable increase in smartphone usage has been identified as a disruptor in many common daily activities. After waking up in the morning, 88 per cent consumers check their phones in the first 30 minutes itself while 94 per cent of them repeat the exercise in the last waking hour of the day. This says a lot about the way mobile phone usage has intruded in consumers’ personal space and life.” “Also,

the

“In the postdemonetisation era, where we are expected to rely more on digital platforms for our commercial transactions, it is observed that more people upgrading from feature phones to smartphones in future” – Neeraj Jain, Partner, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu India

post-

demonetisation era, where we are

in a day. 61 per cent of respondents look

expected to rely more on digital

at their devices in less than five minutes

platforms for our commercial

after waking up. The number swells to 88

transactions, it is observed that

per cent comprising people who take less

more people upgrading

than 30 minutes and 96 per cent of the

from feature phones

respondents take about less than an hour

to smartphones in

to peep into their handsets. Interestingly,

future. With internet

74 per cent respondents look into their

becoming cheaper

mobile phones about 15 minutes before

and higher mobile

www.mymobileindia.com

preparing to sleep.

february 2017 | 41

Trends

Consumer insight The research found that communication services namely social networks and Instant Messaging are the two things consumers check on their smartphones first thing in the morning. These are followed by personal emails and text messages.

Device ownership The report indicates that the penetration of smartphones has surpassed laptops. Moreover, interest of people in buying tablets has softened as compared to

“The report indicates that the penetration of smartphones has surpassed laptops.”

the better part of smartphone users wield

see any benefits from using this” (19 per

their devices to check bank balances (54

cent); and “I get rewards if I use my credit

per cent), pay previous two years. “The report indicates that the penetration of smartphones has surpassed laptops.” The research also found that Indians have developed an addiction to their smartphones and use the same throughout the day to monitor various activities and remain updated.

Communication services This research shows that the usage frequency has also increased for most data communications services. Instant Messaging (74 per cent), Social network (64 per cent) and Email (63 per cent) saw the highest growth in usage frequency. Another trend that has come to light is that whilst almost 80 per cent of respondents use instant messaging at least once a week, it is the social networking and calling apps that are gaining momentum. Mobile banking / e-Commerce on the rise: According to the research, eCommerce websites and mobile phone shops are the No.1 choices for online and in-store smartphone purchases respectively. Further, the consumer survey reflects that

42 | february 2017

utility bills (54 per cent) and services bill (53 per cent) the most. This is followed by transferring money within the country (38 per cent) and abroad (31 per cent). H o w e v e r, when it comes to using phone for making instore payments, it is the fear about security and lack of understanding of potential

card instead” (15

“The consumer survey reflects that the better part of smartphone users wield their devices to check bank balances (54 per cent), pay utility bills (54 per cent) and services bill (53 per cent) the most. This is followed by transferring money within the country (38 per cent) and abroad (31 per cent)”

benefits that prove to be the key

per cent). A m o n g people who have an estimate, the majority of respondents have installed 20 apps or less. This is in addition to all the pre-installed apps. The survey analysed the mobile usage habits of over 2000 Indian consumers as part of a global survey of 53,000 respondents across

five

continents and 31 countries. India

barriers. The most common reason given

data comprises representatives from eight

for not using phone to make a payment was

urban cities with internet access and adults

fear about security, cited by 29 per cent of

aging between 18 and 54. n

respondents. This was followed by “I don’t

ramesh@mymobile.co.in

MYMOBILE

Ten Facts You May Not Know About Jack Ma, Founder and Executive Chairman of Alibaba Group

1 2 3 4 5 6

Ma Yun (popularly known as Jack Ma) was born on September 10, 1964, Hangzhou, China. He is married to Zhang Ying, having a son and a daughter.

Featured into the Forbes magazine among the list of most powerful people. With the net worth of $27.7 billion, he was at 28th position in the list,the first Chinese from mainland China to do so.

Jack Ma failed primary school test two times, middle school test three times and failed the college entrance exam twice but he became a lecturer of English and International Trade at Hangzhou Dianzi University. He scored 1 out of 120 points on the math portion of his

He also serves on the board of Japan’s SoftBank, is founding member at World Economic Forum, and a special advisor of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development for Youth Entrepreneurship and Small Business.

college entrance exam. He was rejected from Harvard 10 times. Ma was rejected from 30 jobs. He also applied for a job at KFC, in which only he was rejected among 24 aspirants.

In 2007, in response to worldwide criticism of the practice of killing sharks for their fins, Ma announced that he and his family had “sworn off shark fin soup now and forever.” In January 2009, Alibaba Group revised its listing policy and banned the sale of shark fin products on all of its e-commerce platforms.

He along with his friends lunched a site about China and Chinese products, known as Chinapage. Ma also joined a government job for a short tenure at the ministry of foreign trade and economic cooperation.

*Disclaimer : The information has been collected from public domain and not from an interview with Jack Ma.

www.mymobileindia.com

On January 9, 2017, Jack Ma talked with President-

elect Donald Trump about how to create 1 million US jobs in five years. n

Profile

personality

Limelight

lead story

So, How

Secure is

your mobile?

44 | february 2017

MYMOBILE

Limelight

lead story Social Engineering, Phishing, Malware, Spoofing – you may be familiar with these terms but do these words ring any alarm bell in you? Chances are - not. But then, if you are a net connected mobile phone user, you should be! You are constantly being trolled and attacked by these cyber felons. In the ‘Internet of Things’, you are only as safe as its weakest link and sadly, the omnipresent mobile handset is one such weak link. By Shelley Vishwajeet

recent joint study by E&Y and industry body Assocham had pointed out that post-demonetization and with surge in digital transactions via e-wallets, India could see as much as 65% rise in mobile frauds in 2017! Yet another report by F-Secure, the leading European cyber security company, revealed that post demonization, India is expected to be a key target in point-of-sales (POS) and banking malware, especially mobile wallets in 2017. Yet another survey by the leading device security software provider Norton by Symantec revealed that hackers were enhancing their skills and hiding malware inside applications to steal personal information and profit. Norton’s survey had identified 6,464,472 new pieces of malware apps and 5,741,834 new pieces of greyware – apps with potential privacy issues or intrusive behaviors since January till December 2016 – a period of less than 11 months only! So, do we really realize that today we are only as safe as our mobile is and mobile is not the safest of devices around! Sadly, this fact is either not known to majority or the awareness level is disturbingly low or even worse, the threats are generally overlooked. “It will not happen to me” syndrome dominates. People have largely failed to realize that in the “Internet of Things”, we are only as strong as the weakest link and mobile has many weak links with hackers – the Cyber Felons - of all kinds are waiting to swoop on. Your money, identity, business secrets, reputation - all

www.mymobileindia.com

are at risk. Massive popularity of smartphones, associated convenience and speed coupled with growing internet connectivity has definitely made the handset the most important device in a person’s hand. But it has also increased our vulnerability! “The evolution of mobile phones into smartphones with increasing computing capabilities has dramatically increased the threat surface of intrusion presented to attackers. Mobile devices are now a clear entry points apart from personal computers and network infrastructure. This is primarily because of two key reasons: (a) the growing use of mobile devices for access of enterprise data and applications and (b) growing use of mobile apps for financial transactions by individuals,” says Pradipto Chakrabarty, Regional Director, CompTIA, a leading global IT Industry Trade Association. Mr Chakrabarty further points out that, “hackers almost always attack for incentives and therefore they are relentless in designing out of the box methods and exploring new entry points through which they can intrude. Mobile devices offer them this ideal entry point since use of mobile devices, especially phones are very individualistic and cannot be made 100% hack proof through an enterprise ISMS (Information Security Management System). It is therefore beneficial to be aware of some of the wmethods hackers use as well as simple practices for mobile users to stay safe.”

february 2017 | 45

Limelight

lead story are their mobile phones due to rising

in mobile wallets, point-of-sales (POS)

numbers of viral threats and espionages on

and banking by cybercriminals in 2017.

an IoT framework,” says Sanjay Sharma,

The report has also revealed that post

Managing Director, Cloudatix.

the demonetization drive, android-based smartphones are now facing the maximum number of cyber-attacks. “The constant rise in the number of cyber-attackers targeting android users has not been a hidden fact. The situation is worrisome in India when we take into account the volume of increase in online

“The evolution of mobile phones into smartphones with increasing computing capabilities has dramatically increased the threat surface of intrusion presented to attackers” – Pradipto Chakrabarty, Regional Director, CompTIA

Blissful Ignorance! But are people really aware about the

transactions. With more than one billion mobile users and no major restriction on the internet or the use of VPN, there is a significant need for adopting the best of the

“Even the highly educated people are unaware how insecure are their mobile phones due to rising numbers of viral threats and espionages on an IoT framework” – Sanjay Sharma, MD, Cloudatix

vulnerabilities? “No, a common man is just not aware of the mobile phone

Taron Mohan points out that problem

vulnerabilities. It only comes to his

deepens because users are hardly aware

notice only when a hack happens and he

that their identity is always stored on the

experiences the fraud,” says Taron Mohan,

handset OS and in some encrypted form

CMD, NextGen Technologies Ltd.

but the encryption keys are also stored in

Salil Prabhakar, CEO, Delta ID concurs.

an open environment, so nothing is totally

“Most common users are not aware of

100% secure. This is then open to a simple

vulnerabilities; many do not even lock their

hack on the identity of a user.

phones exposing possible loss of important

Situation will get more worrisome

information in case of theft of the device.”

as India pushes itself towards cashless

The problem of ignorance is not limited

economy while concerns remain that

to common people; even educated people

it has not paid enough attention to the

remain either ignorant or continue with

digital security architecture that needs

their lackadaisical attitude when it comes

to be in place. The F-Secure study titled

to mobile security. “Even the highly

‘Threat Landscape India 2016 & Beyond’

educated people are unaware how insecure

has warned that India will be a key target

46 | february 2017

“The constant rise in the number of cyberattackers targeting android users has not been a hidden fact. The situation is worrisome in India when we take into account the volume of increase in online transactions” – Amit Nath, Head Asia Pacific (Corporate Business), F-Secure

MYMOBILE

security products in India,” says Amit Nath, Head of Asia Pacific (Corporate Business), F-Secure.

Limelight

lead story Compromises through Mobile Devices. Theft: Mobile phones are most prone to being stolen but the loss in beyond device or its monetary value. The ideal way hackers can access user data would be to try brute force methods to decrypt passcode. The most common way is the hit and trial method to break passcode. Social Engineering: This age old method of intrusion is still in vogue. In this case the hacker impersonates as a believable source and sends messages or even calls up people to reveal their personal information. Mobile Phishing: These are unknown

“Its amazing that over one in three consumers accept that many apps they use are likely to collect data about them, yet one in five say they would download any app that “looked cool”, regardless of its origin or reputation” – Ritesh Chopra, Country Manager India, Symantec by Norton

emails or messages prompting the user to download an application or reveal their personal details. In fact, mobile users are thrice more vulnerable to phishing attacks. Malware embedded with apps: This is a rapidly growing method where apps that have strikingly similar look and feel to “actual apps” are posted on app stores and the user inadvertently downloads them. “Application-Specific Attacks records for 19% of cyber attacks in the year 2016 and mobile threats are all time high. These threats come from the apps that customers download on a regular basis. In fact, mobile data theft poses a bigger risk of leaking your information as your emails, contacts and other social networking sites are already installed in it. All our private and official

“Sadly, as on date there is also no legal framework for a customer redressal on a fraud / hack in the country, but the first steps have been taken by the Watsal committee for proposals in the above direction” – Taron Mohan, CMD, NextGen Technologies Ltd

information is at high risk while it is stored on our personal mobile phone,” says Sanjay

Metadata is the information generated when

Sharma.

the phone makes connections to internet. In

And cyber criminals will increasingly

“Its amazing that over one in three

many ways, the metadata is generated can

riding inside beautifully Trojan horses

consumers accept that many apps they

be at least as compromising or revealing

– Apps with malware, ohh so attractive

use are likely to collect data about them,

as the actual conversations. “Hackers

looking mail offers, an important looking

yet one in five say they would download any

aggregate this data and are then able to

missed call, and that inviting voice! In the

app that “looked cool”, regardless of its

draw remarkably accurate conclusions

craze to try out new apps, we almost always

origin or reputation,” points out Mr Ritesh

about someone, much like how social

overlook the security aspects. The Norton

Chopra, Country Manager India, Symantec

networks do predictive analytics based on

survey revealed that a shocking 36 percent

by Norton.

indirect information they have gathered.

would either always grant permissions or

Tower Spoofing: It is a “Man in the

Hackers also have the capability to read

simply don’t know enough about the kind

Middle” technique where a hacker creates a

activities such as keystrokes or phone

of permissions they may have granted!

fake mobile phone tower that connects calls

gestures (e.g., pinching and expanding

as a user would expect, but also records the

on the screen) to reveal passwords,” says

information.

Pradipto Chakrabarty,

Threats Galore Experts list the following the Common

www.mymobileindia.com

Use of metadata for behavioral analysis:

Norton Survey has identified the

february 2017 | 47

Limelight

lead story following two additional problems.

mobile wallets and banking through apps

of people’s personal, professional and

Voice phishing – or Vishing: This has a

and smartphones, WiFi networks continue

financial information has been swift and

human element and it takes many forms.

to have major security flaws that can make

phenomenal. And with India striving to

A scammer might call pretending to be

it very dangerous to conduct transactions

go cashless double pace, mobile has also

your bank, ask for your security details

using mobile device. Though there are

emerged as the preferred financial digital

and PIN number, and inform you that your

several rules on do’s and don’ts of using

gateway. A recent joint study by Google

card has been compromised and a courier

a Wi-Fi, one should always keep in mind

and Boston Consulting Group pointed out

will be arriving soon with a replacement.

not to use public Wi-Fi to access financial

that India was headed for an exponential

Of course, the replacement is a fake, and

info,” says Amit Nath.

increase in digital payments which was

the scammer gets away with your genuine

SIM Cloning: Another simple way is

likely to touch USD 500 billion by 2020

card and security details. Even without the

SIM spoofing, which is done in connivance

while contributing 15% of gross domestic

physical element, simple voice phishing for

with the telco. There have been multiple

product (GDP). Before demonetization,

instances of a SIM being cloned and the

nearly 95% of all commercial transactions

mobile number used for accessing the

were done in cash. According to RBI, digital

PIN and the transaction being authorized.

payments in India had accounted for only

The implications can be huge – total loss

Rs 50,000 crore (USD 7.5 billion) in

of funds in a user bank account / identity

2015. As demonetization was also meant

used for impersonating the original user

to bolster India’s march towards cashless

and more.

economy, digital transactions and that

Vulnerable Digital Security Architecture

too mobile transactions are now bound to grow faster. But then, there are many impediments to a safer journey.

Today, a large number of people are

Fact remains that as things stands today,

using the online platform in the country

it is the individual who will bear the loss

for payments and money transactions

due to all the risks associated with mobile

either through online banking or e-wallets

vulnerabilities including financial losses.

available on their smartphones. But, less

Payment gateways today do not take any

than 5% of the mobile phones available in

responsibility for financial losses caused to

the market are using software which can

an individual.

detect potential security threats? World’s

As Taron Mohan points out the risks

most tech-savvy country, the US lost $5.4

are “zero” as on date to the account of the

million to Bitcoin data breach in 2015.

regular wallet providers. “If you read the

“When a majority of Indian population is

fine points in the Terms and Conditions

not well versed with digital transactions

of any major wallet provider in India, they

and e-wallets, we can easily understand

disown any liability for errors at their end

effective. Your bank will never ask for your

that how mobile security is a big challenge

also. The banks are a lot more responsible

PIN, so never give it to anyone that does

for both people and financial institutions,”

on taking on a liability due to an error at

ask. If you do receive an unexpected call

says Sanjay Sharma.

their end. Credit card companies just don’t

from your bank, tell them you’ll call them

Dr. Ajeet Bajpai, Director General,

take up the liability for a mis-use on their

National Critical Information Infrastructure

cards, even though the regulator in India

One Ring Scams: With this scam, the

Protection Centre, NTRO says, “Earlier

specifies a 2 factor authentication. There

scammer will call once and hang up, with

(cyber) threats were of nuisance value,

are millions of card gateways overseas that

the objective of luring you into calling the

now they are disruptive and may become

process card payments without a 2 Factor

number back. These numbers can be high

destructive.”

authentication,” says Mr Mohan.

up paying a premium rate for the phone

The Way Forward

external protection of the gateways used for

call.

Transformation of mobile handset from

financial transactions. But these are only

WiFi has emerged as another major threat.

being a simple wireless communication

defined at the gateway level. There are no

“While people are getting comfortable with

device to becoming the prime repository

guidelines for the data capture / transport

back before giving any security details.

toll lines, and by calling them you can end

48 | february 2017

There are guidelines on the security and

MYMOBILE

Some Simple Steps to Secure Your Mobile n

“One of the key technologies to enhance and improve the security of mobile devices and apps is biometrics. Use of biometrics eliminates the need to remember complex passwords, and ensures only the right person gets access to device or app based on biometric match. Thus biometric migration also means a safer device” – Salil Prabhakar, CEO, Delta ID security and encryption, unless you go in for the EMV certification, which is an endto-end security test and a certification. No mobile wallet service platform is certified for this. NPCI has done some good work on the “stored library function” on the UPI application, and this does bring in a degree of security in the application use. But there are still some open points where

www.mymobileindia.com

n n

Always use a strong keypad lock code for your phone. You can also use biometric methods such as fingerprint scanners if your device has the feature. Needless to say one should not use year of birth, date/month of birth or car number etc. as passcodes. Have a method ready for remote wiping your phone in case of loss or theft after certain number of tries. Most smartphones are enabled with this feature. Encrypt all drives and SD cards. Most quality handsets these days comes with automatic encryption linked to the keypad lock code. Download Apps only from trusted source and make sure that you check their details. You should never download apps from third party developers. Also it is advisable to check the reviews of the apps. A leading banking app without any user review is fishy. Use encryption for data in rest (internal, external and cloud storage) and data in motion (web transactions, electronic payments) Avoid connecting to unknown WiFi hotspots or unlocked networks. While using anti-virus software on PCs is a very common practice, unfortunately subscribing to mobile antivirus is equally uncommon. We recommend you to use some trusted mobile antivirus software. Update your phone regularly with the latest patches provided by your Operating System provider. Never reveal your personal information over unidentified calls, emails and messages unless verified. Avoid storing credit card details on e-commerce or banking apps.

Limelight

lead story

Tips by Pradipto Chakrabarty, Regional Director, CompTIA.

compromises can take place.

digital knights too. Now there are also more

Sadly, as on date there is also no legal

robust mobile security softwares available

framework for a customer redressal on a

at a reasonable cost. And as Mr Prabhakar

fraud / hack in the country, but the first steps

points out, one of the key technologies to

have been taken by the Watsal committee

enhance and improve the security of mobile

for proposals in the above direction.

devices and apps now is biometrics. Use of

Raising awareness and stricter regulatory

biometrics eliminates the need to remember

regime concerning the device, connectivity

complex passwords, and ensures only the

and compliances are the ways to remain

right person gets access to device or app

protected in the connected world. Yes,

based on biometric match. Thus biometric

individuals have to be made more aware

migration also means a safer device. On

but individuals themselves too need to take

digital architecture front regulatory bodies

some simple care and put security apps

such as UIDAI, are putting in place safer

and come out of the false sense of security

architecture.

cocoon. But there is only as much an

But till these things happen, it’s in

individual can do. Ultimately, the ultimate

our own interest to remain vigilant and

responsibility for securing citizens in a

apply some simple security measures,

digital world lies with the authorities and

after all, as users we should also

other major stakeholders.

be the first line of defence against

Are things really so bleak then? Not really. If crooks are getting smarter, so are

cyber felons! n shelley@mymobile.co.in

february 2017 | 49

In focus

profile

Sunil Dutt The Star of Mobile Industry!

50 | february 2017

MYMOBILE

The boy who named himself after his screen icon is a star himself today – of the mobile world - Sunil Dutt, President-Devices at Reliance Jio! And think of biggest companies in mobile devices in India and the chances are that our man in focus would have worked with them in a career spanning more than three decades. It will not be wrong to say that Mr Dutt has played a key role in the stupendous growth of the mobile industry in the last two decades. Here is an insight into this fab personality like never before! By Gangadeep Kaur

hances are that you wouldn’t

of the companies which have benefitted

more ways than one. It had a huge impact

know of anyone who has the

from his proven expertise in sales and

on Dutt and set the course for the future.

unique distinction of naming

distribution. It will not be wrong to say that

To begin with he had to travel extensively in

himself. Usually it is the

he has played a key role in the stupendous

parents who name the child but not so in

growth of the mobile industry in the last

the case of Sunil Dutt, President-Devices

two decades.

at Reliance Jio, India’s newest service provider.

In focus

profile

Today he heads the devices division of Reliance Jio, India’s newest service

“My parents wanted to call me Pankaj

provider. Dutt spearheaded the launch

or Hemal but when we went for school

of third party 4G devices and is also

admission I told Principal that my name

developing a portfolio of LYF-branded

is Sunil Dutt because I was very much

devices. Industry buzz indicates that the

impressed by Bollywood hero with the

company is all set to launch 4G features

same name. Fortunately or unfortunately,

phones to increase the market for 4G

the name stuck,” says Dutt.

services. Jio disrupted the market by

This inborn trait to take control of his

launching free voice for life and free data

destiny is a recurring theme in Dutt’s life.

services for the first six months of the

It is this belief in himself that made him

launch. Jio is the first Indian operator to

go against the conventional wisdom many

launch its own devices brand.

times in his life. It was this that made him

Dutt started his career at Philips right

change subjects midway his Graduation.

after completing his MBA from Punjab

He decided to leave science in favour of

University. However, sales and marketing

humanities at a time when there was a

was not his first career choice. Dutt wanted

huge pressure on young students from

to pursue a career in armed forces but

middle class background to make career

unfortunately this was not to be because

in science subjects. Again, it was this

of a small health issue, which led to his

penchant to chart his own path that made

rejection.

him join the mobile industry at a time when

“I was very disappointed because I

the mobile revolution was yet to start and it

was extremely keen to join army. I still

was not seen as a good career move.

feel disappointed about it sometimes.

Think of biggest companies in mobile

However, I don’t have any regrets about

devices in India and the chances are that

it because of what happened afterwards,”

Dutt would have worked with them in a

says Dutt.

career spanning more than three decades.

His eight-years long tenure at Philips

Nokia, BlackBerry and Samsung are some

set the foundation for years to come in

“Dutt is a people’s person. He had a fantastic relationship with customers, both internal and external. He was a very hands-on manager and always led from the front” – Benoy Roy Chowdhury, Executive Director, HT Media and former boss of Dutt

february 2017 | 51

In focus

profile small towns and villages under S S Takhtar,

both internal and external. He was a very

the time when Nokia was synonymous with

his hard taskmaster boss. It was here that

hands-on manager and always led from the

a mobile device in the Indian subcontinent.

Dutt learned the significance of discipline

front. He was a very easy person to work

In 2002, the company introduced its first

and maintaining strong relationship with

with and it was a delight to work with him,”

camera phone, Nokia 7650, and followed

the trade partners.

says Benoy Roy Chowdhury, Executive

it by launching Nokia 1100, first made-for-

Director, HT Media. He was Dutt’s boss at

India phone. The importance of the Indian

Whirlpool.

market can be further gauged by that fact

“He taught me how to respect your brand. Mr Takhtar taught me the value of discipline in sales. He taught me that

What stands out in Dutt’s career

that Nokia introduced text messaging in

there are no shortcuts in sales. At that

trajectory is that he was always open to

Hindi in 2004, and the same year also

time, those learnings seemed very tough,

take risks. Though a big brand in the US,

introduced the first WiFi enabled phone,

but later on, I was practicing some of that

Whirlpool was a startup at the time in

Nokia Communicator N9500. It added

stuff and realized from where that stuff

India. Uncertainty of joining a yet-to-be

user interfaces in other Indian languages

had come from. It was simply invaluable

established brand never deterred him

in 2005.

in my later years. I realized that if you’re

from taking a plunge. Dutt followed it up

“Sunil was a rockstar in sales and

doing the right things with discipline, it will

by taking up a position at Barista, which

distribution. He had earlier worked in

always pay back. This hard work really paid

was not just a startup but was also opening

Whirlpool and Barista and had a very strong

me back in my later years,” explains Dutt.

a totally different market of coffee shops

experience. He is a natural leader and

He joined Wipro as branch head in their

in India.This desire to take the road less

believes in democratic style of functioning.

lighting business post his stint at Philips.

travelled also explains his desire to turn an

Sunil believed in taking his team along.

Dutt went on to become Group Product

entrepreneur.

During this period we moved from sale

Manager before joining Whirlpool in 1996.

of 5,000 devices per month to 5 million

He was promoted twice during his five-year

The Devices Story

stint at Whirlpool.

Dutt worked with Nokia from 2002 to

to do forecasting, take care of logistics and

“Dutt is a people’s person. He had a

2005, when the company was recording

to ensure delivery. Nokia had one of the

fantastic relationship with customers,

more than 70% growth in India. It was also

best distribution network and Dutt was

per month. In this scenario it is not easy

“Jio is a game changer and it is going to drive the whole country towards Digital Life. By offering free voice for life I can say that Jio has brought in true democracy to the country. People say big words but the incumbents made incoming free only after Reliance launching Monsoon Hungama” 52 | february 2017

MYMOBILE

Passions Beyond Profession stood by me, which motivates me to do my best every single day. The second motivating factor is my team. I have always been blessed with some very good people in each of my assignment I have worked in. I think it is one of my biggest success factors. I have learned a lot from my teams in various organizations.

In focus

profile

I believe the industry as such is a motivating factor and the other thing is that I have been doing something new. Innovation is not limited to product… innovation of how you address the customers, how you address

“I keep telling young people that beyond a point your education is not important. It is all about your learning, which will take you places and I am the biggest example of this. I am a non-engineer, but I have led some of the top technology companies and hardware companies”

Biggest Achievement: One of my biggest achievements is that I have more friends than enemies. I have always been good to everyone, and I got that in return… maybe sometime double.

the merchants, innovation in terms of your strategy. For instance, at Barista, everyone thought we are in a coffee business, but we were in people’s business of serving coffee. That what makes unique and people looked us differently.

Guiding Principles: An emotional colleague during his farewell once said, “In life it is more important to be a good human being first and then a good manager.” These words stuck with me and I believe in this very strongly.

– Sunil Dutt

Motivating Factors: One of the biggest motivators for me in my life was my family…my two young daughters, my wife, and my mother and our little pet we have. They are not just a motivating factor; they are always a supporting factor as well. The journey was not always smooth but my family has

www.mymobileindia.com

Career Guidance: I keep telling young people that beyond a point your education is not important. It is all about your learning, which will take you places and I am the biggest example of this. I am a non-engineer, but I have led some of the top technology companies and hardware companies. So that in a sense should make anyone realize that your educational background does not justify where you go.

february 2017 | 53

In focus

profile responsible for it. He led from the front and did not shy from taking responsibility,” says Sanjeev Sharma, former managing director at Nokia India. Sunil decided to turn an entrepreneur post his Nokia stint but unfortunately the venture never really took off. Later he decided to follow his entrepreneur dream again in 2013 but this time again he was not successful. Dutt decided to join Samsung in 2007 to lead its mobile devices operations in India. At the time, the company was trying

“Sunil was a rockstar in sales and distribution. He is a natural leader and believes in democratic style of functioning. Sunil believed in taking his team along. He leads from the front and does not shy from taking responsibility” – Sanjeev Sharma, Former Managing Director, Nokia India

significantly increasing its market-share

“I am very excited to be at Jio. It is a

and it is today the largest selling devices

game changer and it is going to drive the

brand in the country.

whole country towards Digital Life. Reliance

“The mobile business share grew from

in its previous avatar had also disrupted

one percent to almost 15 percent in the

the market and we have done it again this

two years period I was at Samsung and

time. Monsoon Hungama changed the

after that, it continued to grow more.

whole dynamics of the telecom industry.

The customers started liking Samsung products. It is always tough to break something which you have build yourself..,” says Dutt. After spending years in the devices industry, Dutt decided to move to Hewlett Packard as President of Personal Systems Group.However, the lure of the mobile industry brought him back as managing director of BlackBerry’s Indian

“If you’re doing the right things with discipline, it will always pay back. The hard work that I did in the initial years really paid me back in my later years”

operations. Dutt’s experience in

– Sunil Dutt

both the enterprise and consumer side was of immense help in this assignment. During this time he also tried

By offering free voice for life I can say

to start his own entrepreneurial venture but

that Jio has brought in true democracy to

it didn’t work out as planned.

the country. People say big words but the

Though his own venture didn’t work

incumbents made incoming free only after

out, today, he is at the biggest startup in

Reliance launching Monsoon Hungama,”

the world, Reliance Jio. With the launch of

says Dutt.

its own devices brand, LYF, the company

As Dutt works to establish LYF as a top

is changing the way service providers do

devices brand in the Indian market, he

to find a foothold in the Indian market. The

business with devices brand. Jio is getting

continues to motivate and inspire others

South Korean giant was responsible for

ready to launch 4G feature phones which

to believe in themselves, to not be scared

breaking Nokia’s supremacy in the country.

are likely to be available for as little as Rs

to take risks and to most importantly, enjoy

Dutt’s expertise in sales and distribution

1,000 to Rs3,000, which again promise to

the ride. n

of mobile devices helped Samsung in

disrupt the market.

54 | february 2017

Gangadeep@mymobile.co.in

MYMOBILE

Rumour Mill

Talk

Samsung likely to launch foldable smartphones this year

Samsung is planning to step into the market of foldable smartphones. As per a report by The Korea Herald, the South Korean company will soon be launching more than 1,00,000 units of its foldable smartphone. The major attraction of the smartphone will be its portability due to the foldable technology. Users could be able to fold their smartphone as a wallet when not in use and get a full-fledged 7-inch screen after unfolding. It would not be much of a hassle for the company to launch foldable smartphones as the company has already acquired fold-in technology before. If reports are to be believed, the company will work on the ‘two-track’ strategy. The leading electronics firm would first release dualscreen smartphones with two flat screen display, instead of going straight ahead with flexible display technology. The company is expected to produce a lesser number of devices in the initial stage so

www.mymobileindia.com

in Tech Corners

as to gauge the market requirements and increase the number of manufactured devices accordingly.

now been delayed, there might be other flagships to come first with the new processor – Nokia 8 being one of them.

Nokia’s global device on the anvil

LG to launch G6 sooner than expected

Although the Nokia 6 launch in China recently grabbed world’s attention, it was not the flagship device and the actual flagship Nokia smartphone is expected to launch on February 26 in Barcelona, right ahead of Mobile World Congress. Said to be named Nokia 8, the flagship smartphone is rumoured to be an upgraded version of Nokia 6 though with better features and specifications. The smartphone is expected to run Android Nougat out of the box and not as an upgrade. Nokia 8 is also rumoured to come with the all new Snapdragon SoC 835 processor, launched by Qualcomm at CES 2017. While it was believed that Samsung Galaxy S8 might be the first smartphone to launch with Snapdragon 835 processor, rumour has it that since Samsung Galaxy S8 has

If whispers are to be believed, LG is planning to bring its flagship G6 smartphone to the market at the earliest, in an attempt to increase its sales ahead of the key competitors. The South Korean electronics giant might put the release somewhere in the end of February, or early March. While most of the upcoming smartphones are expected to go on sale in April, it is believed LG will be coming up with a whole new strategy to counter arch rival Samsung. Earlier last year, LG launched the G5, which seemed to be a forward-looking smartphone owing to its modular design. But its abysmal performance didn’t boost LG’s revenue and it had close to $389.4 million operating loss in Q3 2016. n

team@mymobile.co.in

february 2017 | 55

Event

ces

CES 2017

56 | february 2017

MYMOBILE

Event

ces

The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) held at Las Vegas from January 9 to 12, is one of the teve Jobs may not be with us anymore,of but histhe legacy most awaited gatherings continues to inspire millions of consumers, coders, technology and advertisers, innovation marketers, retailers, artists, and people from all walks of life. Those who followed Steve lovers around the world. The 50th Jobs’ Apple since the beginning shouldn’t be surprised by the popularity the iPhone, which is perhaps the most editiontheofCES 2017, like always successful device ever made. There are a number of books, showcased some articles and editorial written of aboutmost how Jobs’brilliant envisioned the first iPhone which he unveiled on January 9, 2007. innovations in consumer durables On the day of the launch, he was dressed in his iconic black turtleneck, jeansAugmented and sneakers. That day Jobs went segment from Reality on to deliver a his best keynote presentation ever and then (AR)came totheVirtual Reality (VR) and to It’s surprise: the iPhone. And the rest is history. almost 10 years fastest since the firstchipsets. iPhone was unveiled thebeen latest and and since then a lot has changed. But one thing hasn’t This platform together changed: the iPhonebrought remains the golden standard in the world of smartphones. As Tim Cook completes 5 years as manufacturers, developers the CEO of Apple, his priorities and vision, however, may varysuppliers with the currentof business scenario.all Apple does look and almost the different under Cnes in millions and is well ahead of its countries. Being an annual competitors. While Apple took a long time to enterevent, the bigscreennot smartphone market the success of the iPhone 6 it just only gives a launch-pad and the iPhone 6 Plus were enough to silence its critics to within many young and the tech circles. Even afternurturing 10 years, the iPhone remains out of reach for many, especially in a country like talents across the globe but also India where an old-generation model will cost as high as $300an (or approximately Rs. 20,100). On the other gives equal opportunity to side, many are increasingly willing to pay Rs. 60,000 for the thelatest consumers lead a simplified iPhone 7 which willto go on sale in India on October 7. For now, the iPhone and the iOS mobile operating system and easy life. We feature five most have found no challenger, even Google or Microsoft can’t compete with Apple. Will that continue or change with the interesting phones showcased at new iPhones? CES 2017.

www.mymobileindia.com

february 2017 | 57

Evetnt

CES

5 most interesting phones displayed at the tech magnum opus! Asus ZenFone AR

his will be the first phone with both Google Tango and Google Daydream.

The phone comes with a 5.7 inch touchscreen display and is powered by quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 processor and it comes with 6GB of RAM. It sports a 23-megapixel primary camera and an 8-megapixel front camera. The phone runs on Android 7.0 and is

Samsung Galaxy A range

amsung is coming up with A3, A5 and A7 with curved metal design and glass back which are going to be dust and water resistant with

an IP68 rating, which they uses it in its Gear S3 smartwatch. The Galaxy A7 smartphone is expected to pack a 5.7-inch Super AMOLED full-HD (1080x1920 pixels) display. The device is expected to be powered by Samsung’s octa-core Exynos 7880 processor with 3GB of RAM and 32GB

inbuilt storage, which is expandable via a MicroSD card. n

LG K range

ith four different models to choose from, LG has a phone for everyone. The K-series mid-range smartphones sport

features such as a 120-degree wide-angle front camera lens and rear fingerprint scanner. The company said that the new 2017 K-series smartphones have been designed with the diverse needs of consumers in mind. And when the government of India has directed the Indian mobile phone makers to make smartphones upto Rs 2,000 with iris and fingerprint scanner, it is not going to be an easy task for LG. The South-Korean company will be aiming the midsegment market with this Nougat 7.0 OS or Marshmallow 6.0.1 updated phones. The prices of these phones will be great to watch for. n

58 | february 2017

MYMOBILE

CES

Evetnt

Honor 6X t’s going to be the first budget phone of Honor with dual camera that will havea

big 5.5-inch Full-HD screen. The 6X is

powered by octa-core Kirin 655 processor and it comes with 3GB of RAM. The phone has a 32GB of internal space (expandable up to 128GB). The Honor 6X come with a 12-megapixel primary camera and an 8MP secondary camera. It runs on Android 6.0 with a 3340mAh powered non removable battery. n

BlackBerry Mercury

he new Android OS from BlackBerry, ditching its own operating system, which used to be one of the safest OS in the world,is

coming up with 4GB of RAM and Snapdragon 821 processor

smartphones. The keypad phones will be using a Snapdragon 625 processor (running at 2.02GHz). The handset might come with 3GB of RAM, 32GB of storage, a 4.5in HD display, an 18MP rear camera, an 8MP selfie camera and a 3,400mAh battery. n

LG Stylus 3

G Stylus 3 phone comes with a 5.7 inch display and is powered by 1.5GHz octa-core MediaTek MT6750 processor with 3GB of

RAM. The phone has a 16GB internal storage and slot for microSD expandable up to 256 GB! The LG Stylus 3 sports a 13-megapixel primary camera on the rear and an 8 MP front camera. It runs on Android 7.0 and is powered by a 3200mAh removable battery. n haider@mymobile.co.in

www.mymobileindia.com

february 2017 | 59

Internet of Things

Industry insight

Gartner Global IT Trend Analysis

Silver lining despite slowdown Global IT spending is projected to total $3.5 trillion in 2017, a 2.7 per cent increase from 2016, according to Gartner, Inc. However, this growth rate is down from earlier projections of 3 per cent.

60 | february 2017

MYMOBILE

lobal IT spending remains huge, projected at USD 3.5 trillion in 2017, but overall the

Preliminary Worldwide PC Vendor Unit Shipment Estimates for 4Q16 (Thousands of Units)

growth momentum is slowing

down. Gartner’s latest analysis of global

Company 4Q16 Shipments

4Q16 4Q15 Market Shipments Share (%)

Lenovo

15,781

21.7

HP Inc.

14,808

for some cheers!

Dell

Global PC Market As per the study, worldwide PC shipments

shipment and sales of personal computers, semiconductor and IT peripherals reveal that IT industry’s growth continues albeit at a slower pace. PC’s shipment is down for fifth consecutive years but spending on semiconductor is up - that should be cause

totaled 72.6 million units in the fourth quarter of 2016, a 3.7 per cent decline from the fourth quarter of 2015, according to preliminary results by Gartner, Inc. For the year, 2016 PC shipments totaled 269.7 million units, a 6.2 per cent decline from 2015. PC shipments have declined annually since 2012. “Stagnation in the PC market continued into the fourth quarter of 2016 as holiday sales were generally weak due to the fundamental change in

4Q15 Market Share (%)

4Q164Q15 Growth (%)

15,535

20.6

1.6

20.4

14,204

18.8

4.3

10,723

14.8

10,175

13.5

5.4

Asus

5,452

7.5

5,960

7.9

-8.5

Apple

5,440

7.5

5,312

7.0

2.4

Acer Group

4,999

6.9

5,228

6.9

-4.4

Others

15,408

21.2

18,970

25.2

-18.8

Total

72,611

100.0

75,384

100.0

-3.7

Internet of Things

Industry insight

Notes: Data includes desk-based PCs, notebook PCs and ultramobile premiums (such as Microsoft Surface), but not Chromebooks or iPads. All data is estimated based on a preliminary study. Final estimates will be subject to change. The statistics are based on shipments selling into channels. Source: Gartner

PC buying behavior,” said Mikako Kitagawa, principal analyst at Gartner. “The broad PC market has been static as technology improvements have not been sufficient to drive real market growth. There have been innovative form factors like 2-in-1s and thin and light notebooks, as well as technology improvements, such as longer battery life. This end of the market has grown fast, led by engaged PC users who put high priority on PCs. However, the market driven by PC enthusiasts is not big enough to drive overall market growth.” “There is the other side of the PC market, where PCs are infrequently used. Consumers in this segment have high dependency on smartphones, so they stretch PC life cycles longer. This side of the market is much bigger than the PC enthusiast segment; thus, steep declines in the infrequent PC user market offset the fast growth of the PC enthusiast market.” Ms. Kitagawa said that although the overall

“The broad PC market has been static as technology improvements have not been sufficient to drive real market growth” – Mikako Kitagawa, Principal Analyst, Gartner.

PC market will see stagnation,

www.mymobileindia.com

february 2017 | 61

Internet of Things

Industry insight there are growth opportunities within

of 2016, a 1.3 per cent decline from

are generally driven by a ‘need,’ rather

the market, such as the engaged PC

the fourth quarter of 2015 (see Table 2).

than ‘want,’ motivation,” Ms. Kitagawa

user market, the business market and

Five of the top six vendors in the U.S. PC

said. “PCs are not a preferred gift item

gaming. However, these growth areas will

market experienced a shipment increase in

any longer, as consumers gravitate toward

not prevent the overall decline of the PC

the fourth quarter of 2016. However, this

other consumer electronics, such as virtual

market, at least in the next year.

was offset by a 20.9 per cent decline in

personal assistant (VPA) speakers, virtual

the Others category, and a 48.3 per cent

reality (VR) head-mounted devices, and

decline in shipments by Asus.

wearables. Vendors and channels did not

Four of the top six vendors experienced an increase in worldwide PC shipments in the fourth quarter of 2016 (see Table 1).

“Similar to low-key back to school

have high expectations for the holiday

The top three vendors all increased their

sales in 3Q16, big sales events, such as

PC sales, so the marketing campaigns

global market share in the fourth quarter.

Black Friday, Cyber Monday and holiday

remained relatively quiet.”

Lenovo maintained the No. 1 position,

sales are no longer effective marketing

PC shipments in EMEA surpassed

as the company experienced shipment

opportunities for PCs since PC purchases

21.9 million units in the fourth quarter

increases in North America and EMEA, while Asia/Pacific and Japan continued to be challenging markets. HP remained in

Preliminary U.S. PC Vendor Unit Shipment Estimates for 4Q16 (Thousands of Units)

the second position, and it has recorded three consecutive quarters of shipment

4Q15 Market Share (%)

4Q164Q15 Growth (%)

4,577

27.3

8.0

25.2

4,081

24.4

1.9

2,282

13.8

2,105

12.6

8.4

2,111

12.8

1,984

11.8

6.4

Acer Group

662

4.0

596

3.6

11.2

Asus

621

3.8

1,201

7.2

-48.3

which will allow it to maintain better profit

Others

1,740

10.5

2,199

13.1

-20.9

margins. Gartner analysts said the falling

Total

16,518

100.0

16,743

100.0

-1.3

growth. HP secured the top position in PC shipments in the U.S. and EMEA, growing faster than the regional averages. Dell also registered three consecutive quarters of shipment growth in 4Q16. Dell continued to place PCs as a strategic business segment in commercial and consumer markets during 2016. Asus suffered the steepest decline among the top six vendors in the fourth quarter of 2016. Asus has been shifting its PC strategy more toward the high-end market,

shipment volume could be the cause of this strategy shift. In the U.S., PC shipments totaled 16.5 million units in the fourth quarter

Company 4Q16 Shipments

4Q16 4Q15 Market Shipments Share (%)

HP Inc.

4,945

29.9

Dell

4,157

Lenovo Apple

“PCs are not a preferred gift item any longer, as consumers gravitate toward other consumer electronics, such as virtual personal assistant (VPA) speakers, virtual reality (VR) head-mounted devices, and wearables. Vendors and channels did not have high expectations for the holiday PC sales, so the marketing campaigns remained relatively quiet.”

of 2016, a 3.4 per cent decline year over year. PC shipments to the consumer market were driven by good Black Friday sales in Western European countries, such as the U.K. and France, especially on traditional notebooks, ultramobile clamshells, the hybrid form factor and gaming PCs. Gartner’s early estimates also show PC shipment growth in the business segment, led by Windows 10 deployments

62 | february 2017

MYMOBILE

during the fourth quarter. The Asia/Pacific PC market totaled 24.8 million units in the fourth quarter of 2016, a 3.9 per cent decline from the fourth quarter of 2015. The PC market was affected by two major events. First,

Worldwide PC shipments totaled 269.7 million units in 2016 which were at the same levels as shipments in 2007. Market consolidation escalated in 2016 as the top three vendors (Lenovo, HP and Dell) accounted for 54.7 percent of worldwide PC shipments in 2016, up from 51.5 percent in 2015.

Preliminary Worldwide PC Vendor Unit Shipment Estimates for 2016 (Thousands of Units) Company 2016 Shipments

2016 2015 Market Shipments Share (%)

2015 Market Share (%)

20162015 Growth (%)

Lenovo

55,888

20.7

57,274

19.9

-2.4

HP Inc.

52,458

19.4

52,548

18.3

-0.2

Dell

39,378

14.6

38,371

13.3

2.6

Asus

20,613

7.6

21,157

7.4

-2.6

Apple

18,612

6.9

20,377

7.1

-8.7

Acer Group

18,276

6.8

20,291

7.1

-9.9

Others

64,492

23.9

77,657

27.0

-17.0

Total

269,717

100.0

287,675

100.0

-6.2

Internet of Things

Industry insight

the demonetization of the Indian currency in India led to weaker-than-expected consumer PC demand. Second, the success of China’s 11.11 (Singles Day on 11 November) online shopping event gave a boost to consumer notebook sales. For the year, worldwide PC shipments totaled 269.7 million units in 2016 (see Table 3). 2016 shipment totals were at the same levels as shipments in 2007. Market consolidation escalated in 2016 as the top three vendors (Lenovo, HP and Dell) accounted for 54.7 per cent of worldwide PC shipments in

www.mymobileindia.com

february 2017 | 63

Internet of Things

Industry insight 2016, up from 51.5 per cent in 2015.

“The stronger growth in 2016 was fueled by increased spending in late 2016 which can be attributed to a NAND flash shortage which was more severe in late 2016 and will persist though most of 2017. This is due to a better-than-expected market for smartphones, which is driving an upgrade of NAND spending in our latest forecast,”

Semiconductor Trends According to Gartner worldwide semiconductor capital spending is projected to increase 2.9 per cent in 2017, to $69.9 billion, according to Gartner, Inc. This is down from 5.1 per cent growth in 2016 (see Table 4). “The stronger growth in 2016 was fueled by increased spending in late 2016 which can be attributed to a NAND flash shortage

– David Christensen, Senior Research Analyst, Gartner.

which was more severe in late 2016 and will persist though most of 2017. This is due to a better-than-expected market for smartphones, which is driving an upgrade

pricing and a better-than-expected

sizes than previous-generation application

of NAND spending in our latest forecast,”

market for smartphones. An earlier-than-

processors, requiring more 28 nanometer

said David Christensen, senior research

anticipated recovery in memory should

(nm), 16/14 nm and 10 nm wafers from

analyst at Gartner. “NAND spending

lead to growth in 2017 and be slightly

foundries. Nonleading technology will

increased by $3.1 billion in 2016 and

enhanced by changes in key applications.

continue to be strong from the integrated

several related wafer fab equipment

display driver controllers and fingerprint

segments showed stronger growth than our

Foundries Shine

previous forecast. The thermal, track and

Foundries continue to outgrow the overall

emitting diode (AMOLED) display driver

implant segments in 2017 are expected to

semiconductor market with mobile

integrated circuits (ICs).

increase 2.5 per cent, 5.6 per cent and 8.4

processors from Apple, Qualcomm,

per cent, respectively.

ID chips and active-matrix organic light-

MediaTek and HiSilicon as the demand

Overall IT Trends

Compared with early 2016, the

driver on leading-node wafers. In particular,

Worldwide IT spending is projected to total

semiconductor outlook has improved,

fast 4G migration and more-powerful

USD 3.5 trillion in 2017, a 2.7 per cent

particularly in memory, due to stronger

processors have resulted in larger die

increase from 2016, according to Gartner, Inc. However, this growth rate is down from

Worldwide Semiconductor Capital Spending and Equipment Spending Forecast, 2015-2020 (Millions of Dollars) 2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

Semiconductor Capital Spending ($M)

67,994.0

69,936.6

73,613.5

78,355.6

75,799.3

Growth (%)

5.1

2.9

5.3

6.4

-3.3

Wafer-Level Manufacturing Equipment ($M)

35,864.4

38,005.4

38,488.7

41,779.7

39,827.0

Growth (%)

7.9

6.0

1.3

8.6

-4.7

Wafer Fab Equipment ($M)

34,033.2

35,978.6

36,241.1

39,272.8

37,250.4

Growth (%)

8.1

5.7

0.7

8.4

-5.1

Wafer-Level Packaging and Assembly Equipment ($M)

1,831.2

2,026.8

2,247.6

2,506.9

2,567.7

Growth (%)

3.9

10.7

10.9

11.5

2.8

earlier projections of 3 per cent. “2017 was poised to be a rebound year

Source: Gartner (January 2017)

64 | february 2017

MYMOBILE

Worldwide IT Spending Forecast (USD Billion)

“2017 was poised to be a rebound year in IT spending. Some major trends have converged, including cloud, blockchain, digital business and artificial intelligence. Normally, this would have pushed IT spending much higher than 2.7 percent growth,” – John-David Lovelock, Research Vice President, Gartner.

2016 Spending

2016 2017 2017 2018 2018 Growth Spending Growth Spending Growth

Data Center Systems

170

-0.6

175

2.6

176

1.0

Enterprise Software

333

5.9

355

6.8

380

7.0

Devices

588

-8.9

589

0.1

589

0.0

IT Services

899

3.9

938

4.2

981

4.7

Communications Services

1,384

-1.0

1,408

1.7

1,426

1.3

Overall IT

3,375

-0.6

3,464

2.7

3,553

2.6

Source: Gartner (January 2017)

in IT spending. Some major trends have

automation, and services optimization and

converged, including cloud, blockchain,

innovation continue to drive growth in the

digital business and artificial intelligence.

market, but buyer caution, fueled by broad

Normally, this would have pushed IT

economic challenges, remains a counter-

spending much higher than 2.7 per

balance to faster growth.

cent growth,” said John-David Lovelock,

“The range of spending growth from the

research vice president at Gartner.

high to low is much larger in 2017 than

“However, some of the political uncertainty

in past years. Normally, the economic

in global markets has fostered a wait-and-

environment causes some level of division,

see approach causing many enterprises to

however, in 2017 this is compounded by

forestall IT investments.”

the increased levels of uncertainty,” said

Worldwide devices spending (PCs,

Mr. Lovelock. “The result of that uncertainty

tablets, ultramobiles and mobile phones)

is a division between individuals and

is projected to remain flat in 2017 at $589

corporations that will spend more — due

billion (see Table 5). A replacement cycle

to opportunities arising — and those that

in the PC market and strong pricing and

will retract or pause IT spending.”

functionality of premium ultramobiles

For example, aggressive build-out of

will help drive growth in 2018. Emerging

cloud computing platforms by companies

markets will drive the replacement cycle

such as Microsoft, Google and Amazon is

for mobile phones as smartphones

pushing the global server forecast to reach

in these markets are used as a

5.6 per cent growth in 2017. This was

main computing device and

revised up 3 per cent from last quarter’s

replaced more regularly than

forecast and is sufficient growth to

in mature markets.

overcome the expected 3 per cent decline

The worldwide IT services

in external controller-based storage and

market is forecast to grow 4.2 per

allow the data center systems segment to

cent in 2017. Buyer investments in digital business, intelligent

www.mymobileindia.com

Internet of Things

Industry insight

grow 2.6 per cent in 2017. n ramesh@mymobile.co.in

february 2017 | 65

Telecom

Industry insight EY’s Telecommunications Global Capital Confidence Barometer

Global telecommunications M&A driven by sector convergence and digital disruption

elecommunications operators are facing a rapidly transforming business

model.

Competition from technology companies is creating challenges around customer ownership. Service innovation, pricing pressures and network capacity are intensifying scrutiny of the return on investments. In addition, regulatory pressures and shareholder expectations require agility and cost efficiency. In this business environment, sector convergence and advances in technology and digitalization are altering the telecommunications landscape, according to EY’s 15th biannual Telecommunications Global

Capital

Confidence Barometer (CCB). The report surveyed

107

senior leaders from telecommunications companies around the world. Almost half (49%)

66 | february 2017

MYMOBILE

of executives cite sector convergence and increases in competition as the biggest disruptor to their core business, while 43% say the impact of digital technology on their business model is the most prominent issue on the boardroom agenda. As a result, telecommunication companies are looking

Telecom

Industry insight

at organic and inorganic opportunities to boost growth and earnings.

“Almost half of executives cite sector convergence and increases in competition as the biggest disruptor to their core business, while 43% say the impact of digital technology on their business model is the most prominent issue on the boardroom agenda” Forty-eight per cent of telecommunications executives indicate that they are actively pursuing a merger or acquisition in the next 12 months, up from 43% six months ago. This confidence is reflected in the number

www.mymobileindia.com

february 2017 | 35

Telecom

Industry insight of deals telecommunications companies

are pursuing ‘bolt-on’ acquisitions

have in the works, with 37% indicating

in areas such as Internet of Things

that they have five or more deals in the

(IoT) and over-the-top video

pipeline. Almost half (49%) of these deals

services.”

are valued at US$250m or less. Telecommunications leader, EY says,

Impact of Digital Disruption

“While in-market convergence and

As telecommunications companies

consolidation remain key drivers of sector

react to the digital disruption that

M&A – yet operators are turning their

has upended business models

attention to smaller deals that can fill gaps

across the industry, acquiring talent

in portfolios or provide innovative assets or

has become a strategic priority,

people. In this light, a number of carriers

with 53% of telecommunications

Prashant

Singhal,

Global

executives saying that they need to hire more talent in the months ahead. It’s also the most significant strategic driver for pursuing

68 | february 2017

acquisitions outside of the sector, according to 71% of CCB respondents. Singhal says, “Acquiring talent is likely to play increasingly critical role when it comes to deal-making outside the

EY’s Telecommunications Global Capital Confidence Barometer: GCCB gauges corporate confidence in the economic outlook and identifies boardroom trends and practices in the way companies manage their Capital Agendas.

sector.” When it comes to M&A within the sector, growing market share surfaces as the most important factor, suggesting the importance of market dominance within a geography as a means to remain competitive. While the US and Canada remain top destinations for acquisitions in the coming months, the UK has fallen out of favour as Brexit concerns make investors cautious. In emerging markets, the vibrancy of the start-up market makes China and South Korea attractive options for M&A activity. n team@mymobile.co.in

MYMOBILE

burntest

Tried & Tested

Coolpad Note 3s Premium Looks, but affordable

hinese company,

SIM tray and a USB port for

Coolpad has

charging at the bottom. On

been releasing

the left, there are two separate

some affordable

volume rockers and the power

smartphones with decent. Taking the legacy forward,

on/off on the right.

3s in India along with Mega

Decent specifications for this one

3 budget smartphone. Is

The Coolpad Note 3s sports a

the smartphone competitive

5.5-inch (1280x720 pixels)

enough to take on the

HD IPS 2.5D curved glass

competition from other budget

display and under the hood we

smartphones present in the

have a Qualcomm Snapdragon

market?

MSM8929 processor clocked

the company recently launched the Coolpad Note

A little bling is not too bad

at 1.36GHz processor along with a 3GB of RAM and 32GB of onboard storage which is

Multi-tasking is not difficult

In terms of the look of the

expandable up to another

with the device and the

device, having the first look of

32GB via a microSD card.

social networking apps like

it reminds us of the previous

Camera-wise, it has a 13-

Facebook, Instagram worked

Coolpad models, however,

megapixel rear camera with

just fine. The battery lasted

the glossy look sets it apart.

auto focus and an 8-megapixel

for quite a while, but not as

The whole ‘blingy effect’

front snapper for selfies and

much as the company claims.

coupled with the dotted

video calling, with front flash.

On the camera front, the rear

design at the upper and the

It is backed by a 2,500mAh

camera worked above average

lower front portions, makes

battery which claims to last

while the front camera was just

the device attractive. But,

up to 200 hours of standby

an average one. At the time

Above avarage performer

with good comes the bad;

time and runs Android 6.0

of writing, the device did not

Battery

the smartphone is slippery in

Marshmallow. The dual-

really get prone to hanging.

nature and can slip off easily.

SIM device is topped with

Talking about the design, the

connectivity options like Wi-Fi

Conclusion

Note 3s sports a 5.5-inch

802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0,

Considering the above

2.5D curved glass display with

OTG and is accompanied by a

specs, the device performed

a front camera with front flash

fingerprint sensor at the back

just fine. The smartphone,

at the upper portion and the

which is claimed to unlock the

specified at the Indian market,

three usual capacitive touch

smartphone in 0.5 seconds.

can be considered as an

buttons at the lower portion.

The smartphone measures

option given its good looks

At the back, there is a rear

154.4x76.8x8.35mm and

and average performance.

camera with LED flash, with a

weighs around 170 grams.

However, it might face a tough

fingerprint sensor underneath

competition from the likes

and the speaker grille at the

And it performed pretty fine

bottom of the device. On the

The smartphone performed

rear camera and is backed by a

top, there is a 3.5mm audio

above average! The touch

4,000mAh battery. n

jack with a dedicated dual

works fine and is easy to use.

it and the ‘Coolpad’ branding

www.mymobileindia.com

of Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 that comes with a 16-megapixel

team@mymobile.co.in

verdict Looks

08 /10

Cameras

07 /10

Looks good and light weight Average Camera

Performance

07 /10

Decent Battery but did not last as much as claimed

07 /10

Value For Money

08 /10

OVERALL

74%

Can be considered as a good option

PROS Cons Good Slippery, looking, Average Decent Camera specifications (For detailed specifications, please refer to My Guide)

february 2017 | 69

Tried & Tested

burntest

Nubia N1

A mid-ranger with good specs

verdict Looks

08 /10

Cameras

08 /10

Performance

08 /10

Battery

08 /10

Value For Money

09 /10

OVERALL

82%

Decent, but just like any other smartphone Above average but over saturates Decent enough A huge one with an average battery life Doesn’t offer as much as its competitors

PROS

Cons

Comfortable Battery to hold, easy doesn’t offer to use as much as clamed (For detailed specifications, please refer to My Guide)

70 | february 2017

MYMOBILE

TE’s sub-brand,

at the bottom of the device.

and NeoVision 5.9 while

various said functions using

Nubia recently

The metal body device, has

the front facing shooter too,

the edges of the display, are

launched the

antenna bands running at

stands at 13-megapixel with

a fresh breath of air. The

Nubia N1

the top and the bottom, at

80-degree wide angle lens.

fingerprint sensor works pretty

smartphone in India. The

the back. On the upper part,

The smartphone is backed

well and actually unlocks the

smartphone is a mid-range

there is a 3.5mm audio jack

by a huge 5,000mAh battery

device in less than a second,

one, coming with various

while at the lower portion are

with the company’s NeoPower

as claimed by the company.

features and good specs. The

the speaker grilles and USB

technology and runs Android

Coming to the Supersnap

highlight of the device is the

Type-C port for charging.

6.0 Marshmallow with the

feature, it allowed us to take

huge 5,000mAh battery it

On the left side there is a

company’s own UI 4.0 on

screenshots in different

is powered by. But, does it

dedicated SIM card tray while

top of it. The dual-SIM

shapes, which however, was

have all it takes to face some

on the right, is a volume rocker

device comes with various

also seen in Coolpad Note 5.

formidable competition?

and a power on and off button.

connectivity options like Wi-Fi,

The device is pretty easy to

A decent looking device

Good specs

Bluetooth, GPS, GLONASS,

hold and use. Battery life is

OTG, a 3.5mm audio jack and

decent enough, but given the

In terms of specifications,

NFC. It is also accompanied

huge 5,000mAh battery, it

The smartphone is a decent

the device carries good and

by a fingerprint sensor at the

did not really last that long.

looking one and is pretty

decent specs. It sports a 5.5-

back of the device which the

However, it charges pretty

comfortable to use. However,

inch full HD IPS (1920x1080

company claims, can unlock

quick. Coming to the camera,

the device just looks like any

pixels) 2.5D arc display with

the device in 0.2 seconds.

the camera performance

other Android smartphone

a pixel density of 401ppi.

already present in the market.

It is powered by an octa-

A good performer

Talking about the design of the

core 64-bit MediaTek Helio

The device is a good

cameras worked well, could

device, it sports a 5.5-inch HD

P10 processor clocked at

performer. The device

capture the intricacies of

display with the front camera

1.8GHz. It comes with 3GB

performed pretty decently

the subject. However, over

and front flash at the upper

of RAM and 32GB of internal

and was not prone to hanging.

saturates a bit. Overall, from

part, and the obvious three

storage which can be further

Multi-tasking was pretty

the hardware to the camera,

virtual keys at the bottom

expanded upto 128GB using a

much convenient and the

the device is an above average

of the device (one of them

microSD card. On the camera

split-screen feature actually

smartphone.

being Nubia’s own small red

front, the device features a 13-

proved beneficial. Giving

ring in the middle). Coming

megapixel rear camera with

credit to the company’s OS,

to the back, the device has a

LED flash, Phase Detection

various features like the

rear camera with LED flash,

Auto Focus (PDAF)

Edge feature was

Tried & Tested

burntest

is above average. The 13megapixel rear and front,

Conclusion Given the specs and performance, the Nubia N1

followed by an fingerprint

an add-on. It

is surey a right choice to

sensor and ‘Nubia’ branding

performs

make just for a price of Rs 12,999. From its ease of use to its battery life, the smartphone is a decent one in all the areas. However, it might face stiff competition from the likes of the recently launched Coolpad Cool 1 which comes a dual rear camera setup. n team@mymobile.co.in

www.mymobileindia.com

february 2017 | 69

Tried & Tested

burntest

Gionee P7

Fails to keep up with the competition

t was almost half a year

HD display, and an 8MP

Read on to find out how the

corners on a candybar design

ago when Gionee last

primary camera. While the

Gionee P7 holds up against

sum up the looks of the

updated its sub-Rs

overall specifications of the

its rivals.

smartphone. There is nothing

10,000 portfolio with

smartphone sound promising

that stands out about the

the F103 Pro. However, the

enough on their own, the

price segment remains as

fierce competition in the

enraged as ever, which is

budget segment has led to

Unconventional Looks Which May Or May Not Work

why the company recently

devices being available in the

Built around a 5-inch

might find attractive. We

announced its P7 smartphone

market with far better specs.

screen, the Gionee P7 has

didn’t. The back panel also

been crafted out of plastic.

has subtle ripples which

While the company touts a

add a sense of texture to

‘glittering, glassy body’, the

break through the monotony

P7’s back panel has only

and flatness of the gloss. A

been finished to look

3.5mm audio jack, a micro

with 4G VoLTE support,

aesthetics of the Gionee P7 apart from its impossibly glossy back, which some

like glass. Curved

USB 2.0 port, power and

edges and

volume keys, along with the

rounded

loudspeaker grille can be found in their usual spots on the device. Handling the P7 wasn’t difficult. The device is compact, and despite its unbelievably smooth back, does not slip from the hands. However, it does attract a lot of fingerprints making it look unsightly after a short duration of use.

Subpar Specs In A Fiercely Competitive Arena The Gionee P7, as we mentioned earlier, is a 5-inch device which utilises an IPS panel with HD resolution. The display comes with Soda Lime protection. The smartphone gets its grunt from a MediaTek MT6737 processor which utilises four cores working harmoniously at a clock speed of up to 1.3GHz. There’s 2GB of RAM and 16GB of built-in storage, which can be expanded further up to

72 | february 2017

MYMOBILE

Tried & Tested

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128GB using a microSD card.

5: Blackout, and N.O.V.A. 3:

from a smartphone costing Rs

operations, and a theme store

The camera department gets

Freedom Edition. Multitasking

9,999.

to customise the look and feel

an 8MP rear shooter aided by

was average, and overall,

an LED flash. A 5MP sensor

we’d say that we expect better

on the front takes care of selfies. The Gionee P7 runs Amigo UI v3.2 atop Android

verdict Looks

comes backed by a 2,300mAh

Not exactly flaunt-worthy

07 /10

battery and offers connectivity

Cameras

options like 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi

Fails to impress

07 /10

802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth v4.0,

Performance

08 /10

Marshmallow. The phone

and USB OTG. The Gionee P7 is a mixed bag when it comes to user experience. We loved the colours on the display indoors. However, the screen did not look sharp enough. Outdoors, in bright sunlight, the P7’s

Decent for most part

07 /10

Value For Money

08 /10

Doesn’t offer as much as its competitors

OVERALL

84%

of the UI.

much to impress either.

The battery backup

Almost all the shots we

delivered by the device was

clicked with the primary

average. We did manage to

camera lacked details, and

scrape by through the day with

the colours reproduced were

regular usage. However, it was

dull. The pictures had way

impossible to not charge the

too much of noise. Macro

smartphone after having left

shots lacked depth, and HDR

from work in order to use it till

shots looked artificial with

late in the night.

unnecessary contrast. The

Battery

Can be worked with

The cameras didn’t do

low light images had quite a

Conclusion

lot of grain as well. The front

The Gionee P7 does not deliver

camera didn’t perform that

enough for its price. Everything

badly and delivered decent

about the device, starting

looking selfies in most lighting

from its looks, to its display,

conditions.

cameras, performance, and

The OS on the Gionee P7

battery can only be described

is flooded with preloaded

as average. Unfortunately,

washed out even at maximum

apps. While some usable ones

the sub-Rs 10,000 segment

brightness settings. In a

include the likes of Facebook,

is the value-for-money

nutshell, the display is not

Instagram, WhatsApp, and

segment and does not treat

exactly a treat to the eyes, but

UC Browser, there are a bunch

‘average’ handsets with mercy.

display looks completely

it can be worked with. The phone delivers middling performance. While regular usage wasn’t that bad, the device struggled with all the heavy titles we tried on it, including the likes of Asphalt 8: Airborne, Modern Combat

www.mymobileindia.com

PROS

Cons

of apps which you probably

Smartphone like the Xiaomi

Comes with 4G VoLTE support

Average overall specs

will not be interacting with all

Redmi 3S Prime and the

that much, such as GStore,

Lenovo K6 Power offer way

Chameleon, Abroad Service,

better overall performance

Mood Wallpaper, and User

at similar price tags, and the

Centre. Among other software

Gionee P7 simply fails to keep

features you get gesture

up against the competition. n

support to ease certain

team@mymobile.co.in

(For detailed specifications, please refer to My Guide)

february 2017 | 73

Tried & Tested

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Coolpad Cool 1

Changing the sub - Rs 15,000 segment game

t the launch

and button placement is more

on the device either. We had

in almost all the images.

event, our first

or less standard. However,

assumed that LeEco is trying

However, the colour issue

encounter with

unlike the Le 2, the Cool 1

to push its content ecosystem

could be solved via an over the

the Coolpad Cool

gets a 3.5mm audio jack.

through the new Coolpad

air update. The shutter speed

1 had us mistaking it for a

Overall, the Cool 1 is a stylish

phones, however, none of

wasn’t the best either.

silver hued LeEco Le 2. Being

looking smartphone, like the

the LeEco’s content apps

The 8MP front facing

the first smartphone launched

Le 2 was, but we would have

like LeVidi and LIVE made

shooter clicks good selfies in

after the partnership of both

just loved something new.

their way to the Cool 1. The

abundant lighting. However,

device offers 32GB of non-

we preferred to stay away from

the companies, it was bound We put the device through

Same Screen and Software

our review grind to determine

For a moment there we were

down the line there will be

whether the Cool 1 draws the

tempted to cheat and write

chances of you running out of

best from both Coolpad and

what we wrote for the LeEco

storage on the device.

LeEco, or is it a mixed bag.

Le 2. Not only does the Cool 1

to share elements from both.

expandable storage, which is disappointing. Sometime

it runs LeEco’s EUI based

Two Cameras Are Not Necessarily Better Than One

We weren’t exaggerating

on Android Marshmallow.

Much like the Huawei P9, the

when we said we mistook the

However, this one sided trade

Coolpad Cool 1 utilises two

Cool 1 for a LeEco Le 2. The

of specs is something we’re

13MP sensors on the back,

Cool 1 is an exact replica of

not disappointed about.

Designed Without Innovation

sport the exact same display specifications as the Le 2,

verdict Looks

08 /10

Cameras

07 /10

Performance

08 /10

Battery

08 /10

A stylish yet boring looking device Not as impressive as expected Smooth for the most part

one of which is monochrome.

Better than good, less than great

the latter, sans the primary

The 5.5-inch full HD IPS

Theoretically, the presence

camera module. With a full

display on the Cool 1 looks

of two sensors allows more

Value For Money

09 /10

metal unibody design, the

really sharp and rich. The

light, while the monochrome

smartphone looks premium,

black levels are deep, and

one adds to the details. The

OVERALL

80%

but it’s just as block-like as

the overall saturation is good.

resulting image is then a

the Le 2. We would have

However, the screen is not

perfect blend of exposure and

loved a slightly thinner

amazingly bright, and the

intricacies, at least on paper.

chassis and more chamfered

display being reflective only

The Coolpad Cool 1 does

edges. However, the thick

makes it a struggle to use the

not create such eye-searing

build can be attributed to

device under harsh sunlight.

imagery, unfortunately. While

We prefer the EUI over

the overall image quality was

The phone is not extremely

Coolpad’s Cool UI, which

decent, we were not entirely

uncomfortable to use, but

looked rather gimmicky and

pleased with the sharpness.

you probably won’t be able to

overtly animated. The EUI,

The colour reproduction

reach corners while using it

though not stock, is clean.

wasn’t accurate and we saw

with a single hand. The port

You won’t find any bloatware

extra tints of yellow and red

the beefy 4,060mAh battery.

74 | february 2017

A good option for Rs.13,999

PROS

Cons

An all-round Average package camera offering despite being decent value a camera for money centric device (For detailed specifications, please refer to My Guide)

MYMOBILE

the beautification mode for the

recommend the Coolpad Cool

output looked artificial.

1 if you’re looking for a new

Performance And Battery - The Saving Grace

smartphone priced under Rs 15,000. We’d suggest grabbing the device online which offers 4 gigs of RAM,

while the offline variant gets

Snapdragon 652 processor,

3GB of RAM for the same

the Coolpad Cool 1 takes

price. n

everyday tasks head on with negligible jitters. The phone gets 4GB of RAM and multitasking was more or less smooth. While the overall performance wasn’t lightening fast, the Cool 1 is one of the

team@mymobile.co.in

Tried & Tested

burntest

better phones available in the price bracket, as far as the processing segment is concerned. The fingerprint sensor, placed on the rear, was snappy and recognised our fingerprint more often than not. The placement of the sensor made it easily accessible as well. Battery life was a issue in the LeEco Le 2, and the Coolpad Cool 1 corrects it. We got more than a day’s worth of use almost every day despite using 4G cellular data to stream music, use Whatsapp and Instagram all day long. The video loop test ended at about 13 and a half hours.

Conclusion The Coolpad Cool 1 is priced at Rs 13,999 and offers a stylish design, a great display, good performance, and brilliant battery life for the cost. However, the cameras, despite being the highlight of the device do not impress as much. That said, it definitely is a great package overall and should suffice your needs if you’re an average user. We

www.mymobileindia.com

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Tried & Tested

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Lenovo Yoga Book Too fancy to be mainstream

ot that Lenovo

with the Yoga Book should

and button placement,

keyboard, which is nothing

hasn’t done

be surreal. While we don’t

the Yoga Book somewhat

but keys smartly etched on

it before, but

appreciate stereotyping in

disappoints. With only a

a touch sensitive surface.

recently the

anyway, the suffix ‘book’

micro USB port available for

An pen icon on the top right

company added a stunning

had us expecting a slightly

charging and connecting other

corner of the bottom half of

convertible to its portfolio.

larger, slightly heavier

devices, the convertible does

the laptop can be tapped on

This time, a pen tablet that’s

device. Not that we’re

not even ship with a bundled

to activate and deactivate

less than half a centimetre

complaining, but the Lenovo

charger or dongle. Since the

the keyboard. While the keys

thin when open, and weighs

Yoga Book is portable

device supports 4G LTE, you

layout in itself was rather

just a little over half a

beyond comprehension. As

get a nano SIM slot, along

conventional, the small form

kilogram. While that may

aforementioned, it weighs

with a microSD card slot to

of the device and the absence

sound enticing enough for you

around 690 grams, and is a

expand the storage. There’s

of physical buttons made it

to go head over heels about

little over 4mm thick when

a micro-HDMI output port, a

rather difficult for us to get

the device, the very form

opened. When folded close,

3.5mm audio jack, a power

used to typing on the Yoga

factor that makes the new

the convertible measures

key, a volume button, and two

Book. Despite all efforts, we

Lenovo Yoga Book so drool-

around a centimetre in

loudspeaker grilles scattered

couldn’t be as fast or accurate

worthy also refrains it from

thickness. The matte black

all along the edges as well.

as usual.

being a mass device. Read on

of the body was perfectly

The Yoga Book can be

to find out if the new 2-in-1

complemented by the multi-

used as a regular laptop, and

on the top to deactivate the

from Lenovo is for you.

segmented chrome hinge.

the hinge is strong enough for

keyboard, you have access to

At first sight, the device

one to fold the device at any

the Create Pad, which is only

came across as a hardbound

angle up to 360 degrees. Most

a fancy name for the touch

journal or a book, and it was a

form factors work, however,

sensitive slate. The Create

welcome sight.

regular laptop mode and the

Pad allows you to use Lenovo’s

tent mode make it difficult

Real Pen stylus to operate and

to utilise the touchscreen

work with the Yoga

capabilities of the device for

Book. Along

the light weight design makes

with working as

Designed To Leave You Breathless Your first experience

In terms of port

When you hit the pen icon

the Yoga Book move slightly

a regular pointer

when touched.

and stylus, the bundled stylus as

An On-Demand Keyboard And A Real Pen To Draw

swapping the nib. The

The highlight of

idea behind it, presumably,

the Lenovo

would be to deliver the

the name suggests, can be used as a real ball point pen by

Yoga Book is its

futuristic Halo

76 | february 2017

actual feel of sketching on

MYMOBILE

Tried & Tested

burntest verdict Looks

10 /10

Portability

10 /10

Performance

06 /10

Battery

08 /10

Value For Money

07 /10

Absolutely stunning Can be carried everywhere Slow and buggy

Lasts for a decently long duration

Niche device, targets small user base

OVERALL

also be used as per liking and convenience.

82%

Average Specs, Average Performance

portability points at all. The sound output on the device is

Under its hood, the Yoga Book

PROS

Cons

Extremely portable, cool concept

Cannot replace your primary PC

commendable as well.

gets an Intel Atom x5-Z8550

the eyes, being bright, crisp

processor with four CPU

and vivid, but there’s only

Conclusion

cores ticking at up to 2.4GHz

so much you can view on a

The Lenovo Yoga Book is

and integrated Intel HD400

10.1-inch laptop display. The

definitely an interesting

graphics. There’s 4GB of RAM

battery lasts for up to 10 hours

proposition. However, some

and 64GB of built-in storage.

easily with regular usage.

half-baked elements had us

Should you plan to buy the

While this is significantly

believing that is was more of

paper while the Yoga Book

convertible, you will have to go

lesser than the claimed 13

a prototype than a result of

automatically digitises it. With

for microSD cards for storage

hours of battery life, it’s still

deep research. The only thing

support for sensing about

expansion. The display, which

appreciable. Connectivity is

the device has got going for it

2048 levels of pressure, the

measures 10.1 inches, sports

an issue since a single micro

is its ultra lightweight design

Yoga Book gives the liberty

a resolution of 1,920 x 1,200

USB 2.0 port eliminates the

and the cool digitiser. But, as

of sketching as beautifully as

pixels. There’s a 8,500mAh

possibility of connecting any

whole, the Yoga Book does not

you can. However, it did take

battery, and the connectivity

other peripheral while the

offer the kind of functionality

us time to get used to the

options include 4G LTE, Wi-Fi,

device is charging. It also

and productivity needed to

idea of sketching on a paper

and Bluetooth.

limits you to micro USB 2.0

replace your primary laptop or

speeds.

PC. It targets a small niche.

pad attached to the Create

As far as regular

Pad while looking at it being

performance is concerned, the

The Yoga Book runs

digitised on the screen. The

Lenovo Yoga Book somewhat

Windows 10 and there’s

and the overall concept,

Create Pad is rather sensitive

disappoints. During our usage

nothing extraordinary about

along with a price tag of Rs

and can recognise input

sessions we encountered quite

it. We found the software

50,000, which is not too

through various layers of paper,

a few moments of lag and

buggy to some extent. The OS

much for a laptop, it might be

which is great. The company

hanging. The laptop can run

works exactly like desktop,

a commercial hit. But we do

has integrated the Microsoft

some mobile games flawlessly

and we would have loved to

not recommend going for the

OneNote app into the software,

but PC gaming was almost

see a little more optimisation

Lenovo Yoga Book if you’re

for you to be able to take notes

impossible. Video playback

for touchscreen. Among

looking for a primary daily

and draw. However, any other

was smooth. The display of the

other things, we can’t take

driver. n

Windows software or app can

Yoga Book definitely pleases

away from the Yoga Book’s

That said, with its sleek design

team@mymobile.co.in

february 2017 | 77

Tried & Tested

burntest

OnePlus 3T An all-rounder tending to perfection

espite being only

of aluminium, the OnePlus

The thin girth also leads to

a couple of years

3T looks every bit worth the

unintentional waking of the

old in the Indian

money you will spend on it

display. Additionally, the

smartphone

and even more. You get a full

primary camera module on

market, OnePlus has a

metal body, chamfered edges

the back protrudes slightly,

rather strong foothold in the

and chrome trims, along with

making it prone to scratches.

arena, all credits to its debut

a stunningly slim chassis.

However, both these issues

“flagship killer” smartphone,

Design-wise, the OnePlus

can be easily tackled with

the OnePlus One. The legacy

3T doesn’t leave much to

using a protective case. The

is in its fifth iteration currently,

complain about. Our unit was

ports and buttons find their

with the OnePlus 3T being

in Gunmetal Grey, and to be

way to usual places on the

one of the most spec-loaded

honest, we like it better than

edges. Since the OnePlus

affordable flagships in the

the OnePlus 3 in Graphite

3T sports a unibody design,

market right now. But is it the

Grey. Possibly, the only qualm

it gets an ejectable SIM tray

best you can buy?

we had with the OnePlus 3T

on the right edge. Moreover,

is the slippery body, which

it sports a USB Type-C port

when clubbed with a thin

instead of a regular micro

girth, makes it difficult to get a

USB 2.0, while the rest of the

good grip on the smartphone.

things remain standard.

Designed To Look Premium Crafted out of a single block

5.5 inches Of AMOLED Fun The display on the OnePlus 3T spans 5.5 inches and makes use of an Optic AMOLED panel. The resolution is full HD, i.e. 1,080 x 1,920 pixels, translating into a pixel density of around 401ppi. Ours was a retail unit instead of a demo one and came pre-installed with a screen protector. The display offers rich colours and amazing black levels, which is the result of using an AMOLED panel. The text and icons looked crisp. We were impressed by the brightness levels as well. The viewing angles were good. However, the sunlight legibility could have been better. When brought out in bright sun, the screen on the device showed hints of yellow, which went away when we put a hand over the display for some shade. The OnePlus 3T offers ambient display functionality as well, which prompts you about new notifications by lighting up the display automatically. There’s a Night Mode to filter out blue light when using the phone in a dim environment. The display settings also let you adjust the colours to your liking.

Shoots To Perfection (Almost) The OnePlus 3T gets a 16MP primary camera with phase detection autofocus and optical image stabilisation, along with being aided by an LED flash module. The

70 | february 2017

MYMOBILE

verdict Looks

09 /10

Cameras

09 /10

Performance

10 /10

Battery

08 /10

Value For Money

09 /10

OVERALL

90%

Almost a headturner Performs well in all shooting conditions Best-in-class A good upgrade over the OnePlus 3 Best affordable flagship available currently

PROS

Cons

An allrounder

Nonexpandable storage

(For detailed specifications, please refer to My Guide)

processed, however, the

128GB. Since the storage

welcome tweaks that you’ll

overall output was sharp and

is not expandable, we

see. Swiping right from the

vivid. Low light selfies on the

recommend gauging your

primary homescreen gives you

OnePlus 3T turn out decent

requirements before choosing

access to Shelf, which can

too. Although, we would have

a storage option.

be called Oneplus’ version of

liked a front facing flash.

With its 3,400mAh battery

Google Cards. There is support

and Dash Charge technology,

for gestures, a system-wide

the OnePlus 3T scores well in

dark theme, and the ability

the battery department as well.

to customise the capacitive

The OnePlus 3T rocks a

The phone takes a little over

navigation keys. The OnePlus

Qualcomm Snapdragon 821

an hour to charge from zero to

3T does not come preloaded

chip under its hood. It’s 64-

a 100 per cent. We got around

with bloatware either. All

Robust Hardware and Software

bit quad-core CPU with clock

4 to 5 hours of screen-on time,

we saw was keyboard app

default camera app gets all

speeds of up to 2.4GHz. The

which is impressive. While

Swiftkey.

the necessary features without

smartphone is a performance

the video loop test had the

being overloaded. We tested

powerhouse. From everyday

device sticking around for a

Conclusion

the camera in almost all

use to CPU and GPU intensive

long duration of almost 17

The OnePlus 3T is the best

shooting conditions and the

gaming, the OnePlus 3T

hours, with everyday use like

affordable flagship you can

OnePlus 3T did well, more

easily takes it all without

streaming music on Wynk,

get your hands on currently.

often than not. The primary

flinching. We spent over three

streaming videos on YouTube,

While it does not come with

camera captures immense

weeks using the device as

using WhatsApp on the go,

fancy features like water

detail and close to natural

a daily driver before writing

and making calls, we easily got

resistance in the Samsung

colours. The autofocus

down our verdict and didn’t

a day’s worth of use, without

Galaxy S7 and S7 edge or

works great during macro

encounter a single stutter.

having to face a battery crisis.

smart virtual assistant in

photography. The shutter

The 6GB RAM only tops the

Although, we would have liked

the Google Pixel, it is priced

speed is impressive. Low light

performance department off

an ultra power saving mode

significantly lesser and delivers

images turned out great too.

brilliantly. Multitasking on the

on the phone, along with the

everything a good smartphone

The rear camera can shoot

OnePlus 3T was a breeze. The

regular battery saver it comes

should. The OnePlus 3T has

RAW stills, and 4K videos as

fingerprint sensor is as fast

with.

no competition in its price

well.

as the phone itself. However,

The OnePlus 3T runs

segment. If you’re keen on

it gets activated by being

Android Marshmallow based

buying a new smartphone and

utilises a 16MP front camera,

touched with any part of the

Oxygen OS 3.5.4 out of the

your pocket allows you to look

which is a huge upgrade over

palm, which sometimes gets

box. The Android Nougat

at the Rs 30,000 - Rs 35,000

the OnePlus 3’s 8MP shooter.

slightly annoying.

update has already been rolled

segment, we’d recommend the OnePlus 3T. n

For selfies, the smartphone

The colours reproduced by the

The phone comes in two

out over the air. While the UI

front camera looked slightly

storage variants - 64GB and

remains stock, there are a few

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team@mymobile.co.in

february 2017 | 79

In Focus

Innovation

Dolby raises the bar in experiences with Dolby

t this year’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Dolby Laboratories showcased the future of

consumer entertainment and how it is delivering spectacular imaging and audio experiences in partnership with leading global brands such as Lenovo, LG, Sony, and TCL, across broadcast, over-the-top (OTT), Ultra HD Blu-ray, gaming, and music. Dolby has accelerated global partner momentum in all categories, with a growing number of Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos enabled products and content announced at the show.

Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos Together in One Product Dolby’s deep expertise in bringing advanced audio and imaging technologies from the cinema to the home, now brought together for the first time in one product, has led to distinct features that enable

Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos to deliver extraordinary entertainment experiences to consumers.Dolby and LG Electronics announced that LG 2017 OLED TVs will support Dolby Vision high-dynamicrange (HDR) imaging and Dolby Atmos breakthrough audio in a new combined home entertainment experience. Consumers can now experience content with both cutting-edge imaging and stateof-the-art sound technology through one product. “Dolby is transforming visual and audio experiences for consumers everywhere with Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos,” said Kevin Yeaman,

80 | february 2017

MYMOBILE

imaging and audio Vision and Dolby Atmos support Dolby Vision to seven. In addition to TVs, Dolby announced that new Ultra

In Focus

Innovation

HD Blu-ray players from LG and Philips will support Dolby Vision via a software update in early 2017. In addition to LG’s newly announced OLED lineup, LG Super UHD TVs will continue to support Dolby Vision in 2017. These are joined by the LG UP970 Ultra HD Blu-ray player, which will support Dolby Vision later this year via a software update. Dolby has also partnered with Sony to bring Dolby Vision to Sony’s newly announced premium 4K HDR TV line, giving Sony’s global customers access to spectacular HDR experiences in the home with Dolby Vision.

Dolby Atmos Gains Widespread Global Adoption Dolby Atmos support has accelerated, and the Dolby Atmos experience is now available in multiple form factors, making the President and CEO, Dolby Laboratories.

manufacturers in delivering the Dolby

“The industry’s endorsement of Dolby

Vision experience to consumers. For the

Vision is growing with Sony joining LG, TCL,

first time, consumers will be able to get the

Vizio, and other major

Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos experience through one product with LG’s 2017 OLED TVs.”

experience more accessible to consumers around the world. LG had announced its new SJ9 soundbar featuring Dolby Atmos breakthrough audio and a sleek design that adds an instant aesthetic accent to any home. Dolby and Sony also announced that the Sony HT-ST5000 soundbar and STR-

Dolby Vision Adoption Accelerates Dolby announced new and continued partnerships with four leading global TV manufacturers, including LG, Philips, Sony, and TCL, raising the number of TV OEMs around the world that

DN1080 AVR will feature Dolby Atmos, with availability in North America in spring of 2017, followed by global availability. At CES 2016, Onkyo and Pioneer unveiled their first soundbars with Dolby Atmos: the Onkyo SBT-A500 and Pioneer ELITE FS-EB70 Network Surround Soundbar Systems, while Lenovo has partnered with Dolby to launch the Lenovo Legion Y720 as part of its line of gaming PCs, making it the world’s first Dolby Atmos enabled PC. n team@mymobile.co.in

www.mymobileindia.com

february 2017 | 81

In Focus

Innovation

MediaTek

MT2533D Chipset The latest offering from MediaTek is designed to deliver crystalclear voice and music, combined with an ARM Cortex-M4 processor to enable smart device features

ediaTek has announced

speaking. The MT2533D chipset is also

chipset platform for product designers

the availability of

ideal for stand-alone sports headsets or

of smart headphones, wireless headsets

MT2533D, a highly

travel earpieces as it offers local MP3

and hands-free solutions said J C Hsu,

integrated chipset for

playback, making music playback possible

Corporate Vice President and General

smart, connected headphones, headsets,

without the need to pair a smartphone.

Manager of New Business Development

earpieces and hands-free systems.

Such devices could offer users access to

Business Unit at MediaTek. “The

The MT2533D is designed for wireless

up to 1000 tracks using the support for

combination of advanced audio processing

headphones and in-vehicle hands-

4GB external storage.

technology with low-power computing

free systems, giving users an optimal

“MT2533D, with its combination of

capabilities opens up new possibilities for

experience whether they are listening or

low power and rich features, is the ideal

innovation in the smart headset market.”

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MYMOBILE

In Focus

Innovation The MT 2533D combines an audio Analog Front End (AFE) and Digital Signal Processor (DSP) with an energy-efficient ARM Cortex-M4 processor, 4MB memory (PSRAM and flash) and dual-mode Bluetooth (2.1 and 4.2 Low Energy) radio. To support applications that need advanced audio management, MT2533D integrates a DSP that comes with 128KB IRAM, 250KB DRAM, 96KB SRAM for various speech enhancement algorithms. This DSP delivers native Dual Microphone Noise Reduction technology and supports third-party software for a voice wake-up command. It also supports A2DP, HFP, Advanced Wireless Stereo, and MP3 local playback.

MT2533D is one of a series of chipsets supported by the MediaTek LinkItT Development Platform for RTOS. Key features of this platform : n Based on the popular FreeRTOS, with additional open-source

“The combination of advanced audio processing technology with lowpower computing capabilities opens up new possibilities for innovation in the smart headset market” – J C Hsu, Corporate Vice President & General Manager, New Business Development Business Unit, MediaTek.

www.mymobileindia.com

modules n

Supports chipsets based on the ARM Cortex-M4 architecture, offering high performance, low power connectivity. Development and debugging in ARM Keil μVision, IAR Embedded Workbench and GCC.

Benefits: n

Highly integrated with RF, MCU and memory

Low power mode with RTC

Supports multiple frequency modes to offer improved and extended battery life, while maintaining high performance

n Fast 7µs wakeup from sleep mode to active mode

Whether playing music, taking part in

can include biosensing. In addition, it

a conference call or making a hands-

offers display and camera interfaces,

free call from a car, MT2533D offers

and can work with additional

high-quality audio with minimal power

connectivity, such as Wi-Fi, using the SDIO

consumption. The chipset can also act

feature. n

as the MCU for other applications, which

team@mymobile.co.in

february 2017 | 83

Guest Column

by Invitation

Innovation to be the key driver New offerings will become imperative even as the industry looks up to the Government for fiscal incentives and policy reforms.

By Leon Zhang

nother development is that the

become extremely demanding. They now

satisfaction lies in providing compelling

industry will soon be moving

expect much better connectivity, more data

features in their products and customer

from the world of Exabyte

storage, faster downloads and longer-lasting

services.

volumes to Zettabytes. Again,

batteries. Businesses are even looking for

Operating in an ultra-competitive

persistent customer demand compels

extra data monetisation avenues. Fuelled by

sector means telecom companies have

telecom manufacturers to keep raising the

popular demand, the next major trend in the

to prove they are offering state-of-the-art

bar in providing better, faster, safer and more

IoT space is going to ensure an explosive

reliable communication services, fresh

spacious mobile models. In the smartphone

growth in connectivity devices. This will

features on mobiles and desktop systems,

segment, manufacturers have realised the

add billions of new connected data sources

safer online payment platforms, more

need for being more focussed on delivering

globally. Many companies from across the

secure identity authentication features

customer-centric models. Manufacturers

globe have started shifting their R&D and

and value-based pricing for consumers.

understand the best way to nurture more

Innovation focus toward designing and

Based upon these stringent parameters,

growth opportunities, enhance revenue

developing such IoT enabled devices. Meizu

Meizu has always focussed on developing

streams, drive cost savings and increase

has recently taken various such initiatives to

a revolutionary smartphone that can bring

customer satisfaction lies in providing

fortify its products design and innovation

the whole world closer. In fact, the current

compelling features in their products and

division so that the company would be able

features of the Company’s phones such

customer services.

to lead the market competition in future.

as m-back, m-touch, fingerprint sensor,

Since the advent of the new millennium, the telecom sector has emerged as the

Demand Drives Innovation

epicentre for innovation. The resulting

Another development is that the industry

telecom revolution has benefitted almost

will soon be moving from the world of

every industry and all sections of society.

Exabyte volumes to Zettabytes. Again,

Today, the tremendous transformational

persistent customer demand compels

impact of digitalization is poised to drive

telecom manufacturers to keep raising the

further growth in the telecom industry.

bar in providing better, faster, safer and more

Innovation in technologies and tools such as

spacious mobile models. In the smartphone

the Internet of Things (IoT), m-Payments,

segment, manufacturers have realised the

payment gateways, high-security features,

need for being more focussed on delivering

etc. are set to present both growth

customer-centric models. Manufacturers

opportunities as well as foreseen and

understand the best way to nurture

unforeseen challenges.

more growth opportunities, enhance

Given the exponential growth in

revenue streams, drive cost

technology, consumers and businesses have

savings and increase customer

84 | february 2017

customised UI, etc. have given consumers an extremely interactive, smart featuresfilled smartphone in a value-for-money

MYMOBILE

price range that has boosted consumer acceptability of smartphones over feature phones.

as early as possible.

Reforms and Incentives

in India. Nevertheless, the support the Indian Government is offering various telecom companies these days is really

With competition increasing by the day,

It needs to be mentioned that, in India,

laudable. Providing an opportunity to

telecom companies have to keep innovating

the speedy launch of various products

numerous entities to start producing

and introducing new offerings at periodic

are possible because of the tremendous

products indigenously can ignite a new

intervals. Thereby, it may be possible to

revolution in the Indian market. This will

optimise revenues from different customer

boost the chances for better connectivity

segments, especially from the less pricesensitive ones, where quality services and superior customer experiences are valued more than the price tag. But in this segment, one has to keep introducing innovative solutions and features every now and then to meet market trends; otherwise, it becomes difficult to retain customers for long. Nonetheless, creating different bestselling models and the accompanying

“The ‘Make in India’ initiative has really changed the entire narrative about operating a business in India. It seems like the floodgates have been opened in India’s digital sector”

and increase revenue streams for companies as well. Localisation of products will help smartphone players understand the essence of consumer requirements much better. Not only will it help companies drive more innovation in products but also help them market the innovation and technological advances in other parts of the world too. Based on its business philosophy of pursuing perfection and long-term commitments, the Meizu team is developing

features and capabilities that could flourish

innovative, user-friendly smartphones with

in diverse markets is easier said than done.

support the NDA Government is offering

the most advanced operating systems and

Every region has its own preferences and

nowadays. Particularly with its ‘Make in

features. For example, the new phones will

trends that may not necessarily be in

India’ initiative, the Government is receptive

have the capability to analyse users’ habits,

sync with what is followed elsewhere.

to sound proposals for manufacturing

study patterns and give recommendations

Simultaneously, all this has to be achieved

products within the country. It has already

accordingly.

without adding to the complexity of the

taken multiple steps to improve the ease

The telecom sector will soon witness

smartphone system. Despite the additional

of doing business in India. With the Union

many changes in the way they operate and

features in a smartphone, it still needs to be

Budget 2017-18 due to be presented on

provide services to consumers. But more

a user-friendly device.

01 February, there are high expectations

important will be how consumers respond

Organising and operating telecom

the Government may announce further

to those changes. Furthermore, most of

ventures across different geographies can

incentives for various sectors in order to

these efforts will be visible specifically in

be extremely challenging. In India, the

revitalise the economy after the temporary

the networks that deploy 4G and develop

consumer’s decision is based heavily on

impact from demonetisation.

5G systems, promoting the consumption

experience, which makes the competition

The ‘Make in India’ initiative has

of data-heavy content and attracting a

tougher. People are extremely tech savvy

really changed the entire narrative about

customer base that prefers high-speed data

and ready to accept new models and

operating a business in India. It seems

and faster downloads.

innovations offered by smartphone players

like the floodgates have been opened in

Notwithstanding the complexities and

if these stand out. Consumers are extremely

India’s digital sector where so many new

competitive pressures, what’s clear is that

interactive and appreciate brands that take

telecom companies are setting up their

to thrive in this highly competitive and

their feedback seriously. If companies

base and connecting with each other as

demanding sector, all telecom enterprises

incorporate customers’ suggestions in

well as leveraging market benefits in the

must continue to evolve new ways to

the subsequent products or offerings,

best possible way. Such great initiatives by

fulfil and satisfy ever-increasing market

nothing could please the customers more.

government have inspired many overseas

demands. Those that fail to do so will fall

Therefore, Meizu takes customer feedback

companies including Meizu; resultantly we

by the wayside. Those that do will survive

seriously in order to understand their brand

modified various business strategies which

and thrive to enjoy the ultimate benefits of

preferences clearly and foster additional

would definitely help us to increase our

the digital economy and we at Meizu always

loyalty in the market. The Company keeps

footprints in Indian market in future.

ensure to match this need of hour to stay

interacting with customers on a regular

Of course, more reforms and incentives

basis to understand their requirements and

need to be introduced to make telecom

come up with a similar product or offering

companies introduce the latest technology

www.mymobileindia.com

Guest Column

by invitation

ahead of fierce competition. n The author is South Asia Marketing Head, Meizu

february 2017 | 85

In Conversation

face to face

“Empower Your Team to Empower Your Business” With annual turnover of over Rs 6200 crores, Intex Technologies is one of the amazing success stories in Indian business landscape in the last two decades and Nidhi Markanday, Director & Head–CDIT Intex Technologies Ltd, who has been with the company for over 16 yrs now, has played a leading role in this impressive narrative. Ms Markanday is also one of those inspiring leader who always leads from the front. In an interaction with Shelley Vishwajeet, She dwells deep upon various subjects related to Intex and general business eco-system. Intex today has a large bouquet of products

contributing 50% of Intex’s revenue in the

deeply integrated digital service ecosystem

in consumer durable segment ranging from

coming years.

within our devices, ranging from variety

electronics to household utilities. Do you

of services based upon the evolving user

plan to broaden the product bouquet or will

What are the plans to strengthen the mobile

behaviour needs, such as entertainment

concentrate on strengthening the ones you

handset and accessories portfolio? With

based services like video store, game

already have? In 2016-17, Intex expanded

India being at the second spot in the list

store and utilities like payment, health

their Consumer Durables portfolio with an

of largest smartphone markets of the

and regional operating services to cater to

entry into refrigerators segment. We also

world, the smartphone rush seems to be

segmented markets. We have already hit

launched washing machines with fully-

unstoppable. India has the fastest-growing

the market with our new innovative in-built

automatic models and introduced new

edge of mobile phones and with the entry of

products like Air-Purifiers. Recently, this

Chinese vendors as well, domestic mobile

year we also introduced a wide range of our

companies are all set to expand their

air coolers. Within the LED TV segment,

product/services portfolio in the market.

Intex launched the Smart LED TV range

With the advent of the 4G revolution,

starting from 32-inch to 55-inches, at the

companies are building their 4G portfolio of

“Our aim is to see the CDIT business contributing 50% of Intex’s revenue in the coming years”

same time expanding our Big TVs with

devices with exciting features at competitive

58-inch and 65-inch models. In the IT

prices. While some brands are already

Peripherals segment, Intex launched a new

working on phones with 4G technology,

range of speakers and headphones. As part

there is clear advantage for us to innovate.

of this expansion, we are strengthening the

To strengthen our focus on Value Added

left screen solution branded as “LFTY” -

portfolio and have already achieved a Rs

Services (VAS), we have leveraged our

a single stop for users to explore endless

1000 crore revenue in the CDIT vertical.

brand with Reliance Jio to offer customers

possibilities in just a swipe. We are also

With all this, the number of our product

a truly differentiated 4G experience. At the

strengthening our feature and smart phone

categories within Consumer Durable

moment, 90% of our smartphones are 4G-

segment by introducing bigger batteries for

portfolio has increased to 6 now.

enabled.

longevity, dual camera for better picture

With a renewed focus on CDIT business,

In a fast paced digital world, our tech

clarity, slimmer IDs, brighter torch lights,

Intex has plans to enter into newer segments

savvy customers are always seeking new

metal phones and wireless FM. We believe

in Consumer Durables and IT Peripherals.

features and better connectivity through

that, these offerings will drive the mobile

Our aim is to see the CDIT business

smartphones. Intex has planned to build a

growth in the future.

88 | february 2017

MYMOBILE

Could you please share some insights about

While we understand the critical role of

complacent when I achieved something. I

your brand positioning and brand promotion

marketing, we have aggressively focused

always set another goal after achieving one

initiatives? Since inception, a lot has been

on ATL, BTL and digital marketing

and used to work towards it.

spoken about the brand in the Indian

activities. So far, we have increased the

smartphone market. Intex has been growing

brand’s visibility by being part of and

You are also a role model, especially for

silently and is eyeing a strong position with

sponsoring major sporting events like IPL

women. What advise/message would you

its customized and innovative products

2014, India-South Africa 2015 series, in-

like to give to young women to succeed in

and services. As a consumer facing brand,

film promotions, reality shows and GECs.

professional life or life in general? It is very

we are constantly innovating our products

Understanding consumer’s behavior and

important to have a vision for yourself

and offerings for users in urban as well as

buying habits in Tier 2 & 3 cities, we have

whether it is your professional or personal

rural towns. Today, significant percentage

regional brand ambassadors. Farhan Akhtar

life. When one has that vision crystal clear,

of our marketing budget contributes to

is our national brand ambassador for the

you inevitably start moving towards making

retail business to the overall revenues.

mobile segment. We have plans to increase

that vision a reality. I think, it is most

A lot of the significant expenditure also

our advertising and marketing spends as

goes towards marketing expenses and

compared to last year to strengthen and

important to have that clarity in life. n shelley@mymobile.co.in

investment to improve our distribution

increase our brand recall.

capabilities. Our strategy has been to offer products with strong offline-online

We have also upped our digital strategy through social media

distribution and robust after-sales services.

such as Twitter, Facebook

We have a distribution network comprising

which has resulted in

1100+ distributors and 80,000+ dealers

engaging millions of fans

spread across the country. In 2015, Intex

on our pages. This year,

opened its exclusive branded stores -

we will continue to

‘Intex Smart World’ as experience zones

heavily focus on digital

for consumers to further strengthen the

marketing and ground-

network. We have also strengthened our

level visibility.

In Conversation

face to face

retail business through our tie ups with popular e-commerce portals.

What is your leadership mantra? ‘Empower your

The Indian handset market is witnessing

team to empower your

increasing competition from Chinese handset

business’. A passion to drive

makers. How do homegrown companies

balance between strategy and

like yours plan to counter the aggressive

deadlines-based execution should

marketing and product strategy from Chinese

be part of everyone’s core approach to

or other foreign handset makers? As a

collaborative and visionary leadership.

homegrown brand, we always strive to offer our users innovative products with the

In a hardcore sales and marketing world,

latest technology, features and at affordable

you are among the rare breed of

price segments. Like I mentioned above,

women who have succeeded

on product front, we are building a deeply

phenomenally and taken your

integrated digital service ecosystem that

company to newer heights.

we hope will contribute about 10-15%

What were the inspirations

to company’s overall revenue which is

which made you strive for

expected to grow by 20-25% in next 1

excellence? The belief and

year.

conviction to not settle for

On the marketing front, we are

anything less than the best

strengthening our marketing ecosystem

has driven me in my life. I

on the basis of our affordable and durable

never allowed myself to

offerings, and a vibrant marketing strategy.

become professionally

www.mymobileindia.com

february 2017 | 65

Spotlight

In focus

Smartphones 5 To Look Out for in 2017

TOP

Nokia 6

This year is going to be very special for the smartphone

lovers in India.

China recently. The phone runs

he Finland-based HMD Global sprung a surprise

by unveiling the Nokia 6 in

While the old-

Android Nougat and is priced

gold Nokia and

approx.). It has a 5.5-inch full

at 1699 Yuan (Rs 16,000

BlackBerry are

HD display with 2.5D Gorilla

back from the dead

Qualcomm Snapdragon 430

Glass coating. It’s powered by processor coupled with 4GB

with new Android smartphones, the leading players such

of RAM. The internal storage is rated at 64GB (expandable up to 128GB via microSD card). There are two speaker grilles with dual-amplifiers and Dolby Atmos technology for enhanced sound output. The smartphone

as Apple, Samsung,

features a 16MP PDAF rear camera with f/2.0 aperture and an 8MP front

htc, gionee and

The home button in Nokia 6 doubles up as a fingerprint sensor. The Nokia

Asus are going to entice consumers with new handsets sporting upgraded

camera. The 4G-enabled smartphone is backed by a 3,000 mAh battery. flagship is expected to launch in India later this year. n

HTC 11

TC’s next flagship smartphone is expected to be launched at MWC

2017. According to leaks on Weibo,

features and

the HTC 11 will feature a 5.5-inch Quad

specifications.

2560×1440 pixels. It will be powered by

HD (QHD) screen with a resolution of

Here is a list of five

a Snapdragon 835 processor and is said

such smartphones

internal memory. It will come with a dual-

you should look

phone is speculated to come with a 3,700

to be featuring 8GB RAM and 256GB of camera setup on the back. The upcoming

forward to in 2017.

mAh battery, which will be much bigger than

By Ramesh Kumar Raja

HTC 10. The phone is also said to feature

the current 3,000 mAh battery inside the Qualcomm Quick Charging 4.0 technology, which offers reduced charging times. n

90 | February 2017

MYMOBILE

a dual-edged curved display with almost negligible

Galaxy S8

bezels. The recently leaked photo shows that the display takes up all the space, and only the top and bottom bezel can be seen. The top bezel houses the speaker, front camera, and the sensors, while the bottom bezel is only home to the logo. The smartphone will reportedly feature a 5.5-inch 4K (2,160 x 3,840 pixels) Super AMOLED display and will boast an impressive pixel density of 806ppi. A report suggests that Samsung could launch its next flagship smartphone in two screen

Spotlight

in focus

size variants - 5.7-inch and 6.2-inch. The larger variant

017 is being looked at as the year of

redemption for Samsung, since it lost a lot more than just billions of dollars last year with its Galaxy Note 7 showdown. Samsung Galaxy S8 is anticipated to be the first flagship from the South Korean electronics giant this year. While the release date is not known, the upcoming smartphone is pegged to have

is expected to be called the Galaxy S8 Plus. The muchawaited smartphone is expected to ditch the home button, and have an all-display front. The device will likely be powered by the recently announced Snapdragon 835 SoC from Qualcomm while an Exynos 8895-based variant is also being rumoured. It will be paired with either 6GB of RAM or 8GB of RAM. It is also rumoured to sport 256GB of internal storage. n

Gionee Steel 2

ZenFone 3 Zoom

ionee, the Shenzen headquartered company, recently launched Gionee Steel 2 in China.

Although there is no official statement as to whether

he stylish smartphone by Asus is scheduled to

launch in India in February.

the smartphone will be available in global markets,

The ZenFone 3 Zoom is

it is said to come with a 5-inch touchscreen display

said to be the thinnest and

with a resolution of 720 pixels by 1280 pixels at a

lightest smartphone featuring

PPI of 293 pixels per inch. It is powered by quad-core

a 5,000mAh battery. The

MediaTek MT6737 processor and comes with 3GB of

upcoming smartphone is

RAM. The device packs 16GB of internal storage that

reportedly 7.9mm thick,

can be expanded up to 128GB via a microSD card. It

and weighs 170 grams. It

packs a 8-megapixel primary camera on the rear and a

sports a 5.5-inch full-HD

5-megapixel front shooter. The phone runs Android 6.0

(1080x1920 pixels) AMOLED

and is powered by a 4000mAh non removable battery.

display with Corning Gorilla

It is a dual SIM (GSM and GSM) smartphone that

Glass 5, and is powered by a

accepts Micro-SIM and

Qualcomm Snapdragon 625

Micro-SIM. Connectivity

processor. The camera-focused

options include Wi-Fi,

smartphone bears a dual rear

GPS, Bluetooth, FM, 3G

camera setup, with one 12-

and 4G (with support

megapixel rear camera with Sony IMX362 sensor and

for Band 40 used by

an f/1.7 aperture, and the other 12-megapixel shooter

some LTE networks in

featuring 2.3x optical zoom - allowing for a total of

India). Sensors on the

12x zoom. Like the Asus ZenFone AR, it features

phone include Proximity

TriTech+ autofocus system, dual-PDAF, 4-axis OIS, and

sensor, Accelerometer,

3-axis EIS. At the front, the ZenFone 3 Zoom packs a

Ambient light sensor and

13.0 megapixel camera with a Sony IMX214 sensor, an

Gyroscope. n

f/2.0 aperture, and screen flash feature. n ramesh@mymobile.co.in

february 2017 | 91

Great Deals

mobilesensex

bazaar bargain Panasonic Eluga Note

Panasonic expanded its Eluga series of smartphone with the launch of Eluga Note in July last year. The smartphone has a 5.5inch Full HD display and runs Android 6.0 Marshmallow topped with the FitHome UI of the company. Powering the handset is a 1.3GHz octa-core processor, paired with 3GB of RAM and 32GB ROM. The device comes with VoLTE support and sports a 16MP rear camera with LED flash and a 5MP selfie camera. As far as the battery is concerned, it has 3000 mAh. n

Launched at: Rs 19,990 Current Price: Rs 14,990

LG X Cam The LG X Cam features a dual camera setup. This involves a 13MP module and a 5MP module, the latter of which is capable of 120-degree wide angle shooting. There is also an LED flash to back the two up. It has a 5.2-inch Full HD display, an octa-core processor and 2GB RAM. The handset runs Android 6.0 Marshmallow and offers 16GB of internal storage (expandable up to 2TB) via microSD cards. As far as the battery is concerned, it has 2520 mAh. n Launched at: Rs 13,920 Current Price: Rs 9,999

92 | february 2017

MYMOBILE

Great Deals

mobilesensex

Gionee S6s (Latte Gold) Gionee S6s is a selfie centric smartphone. The high point of this smartphone is its 8MP front camera, which promises to offer great looking selfies. The smartphone features a 5.5-inch Full HD display and runs Android 6.0 Marshmallow operating system. Powering it is a 1.3GHz octa-core MediaTek processor paired with 3GB of RAM. There is also 32GB of internal storage which can be expanded up to 128GB via microSD cards. It has a 13MP rear camera with LED flash and a fingerprint sensor. n

Launched at: Rs 62,999 Current Price: Rs 56,990

ZenFone 3 Deluxe (ZS570KL) The unveiling of the Zenfone 3 series by Asus also saw the company launching its most expensive smartphone in India yet – Zenfone 3 Deluxe in August last year. The Zenfone 3 Deluxe boasts a 5.7-inch Full HD display of 1080x1920 pixel resolution and is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 processor. It has 1.3mm ultra narrow bezels and runs Android 6.0 Marshmallow. Zenfone 3 Deluxe has 6GB of RAM and 256GB of in-built storage, with the ability to use microSD cards. The phone also offers a 3,000mAh battery and a fingerprint sensor. n Launched at: Rs 17,999 Current Price: Rs 14,988

team@mymobile.co.in (Note: Prices are those available at prominent dealers, online and/or offline. They may not reflect official price reductions)

www.mymobileindia.com

february 2017 | 93

In Conversation

face to face

“India is Experiencing an Information Explosion” Kenny Ye, General Manager-Overseas Business at Alibaba Mobile Business Group, came to India to position UC Web as the main source of mobile data consumption among the Indian users. He spoke to Haider Ali Khan about his strategy and ambitions. Excerpts: As you just came on board so what would be

Tell us your idea behind We-Media platform

the country, with an increase of 25 percent

your strategy or you have plans in your mind

and its offerings to Indian customers? With

in the MAUs in 2016 itself. UC Browser

for Indian market? India remains our most

growth in consumption of Information

now has over 57 percent market share in

critical market. We see a lot of potential

Feeds, non-conventional News Feeds –

India according to StatCounter.

and possibilities in the country. Our vision

including blog posts, independent write

UC Browser is a gateway to internet for

is to be the gateway to the world of Internet

ups, imagery feeds, videologs, short video

many users in the country. With content

for millions of people who are accessing

content and more have become a huge hit.

consumption on the rise, user behavioris

internet for the first time on their mobile

In the near future, we believe that more

changing; we now position us as a content

phones.

professionally trained content contributors

distributor instead of just a browsing tool.

As of today, UCWeb is leading the

will establish themselves as “We-Media”,

By leveraging the big data technology, we

change in the mobile internet landscape

a collective term for those who turn

connect the right content with the right

in India - bringing dual advantage to

themselves into independent media

user, providing people with customized

the UC customer: faster browsing and

brands. We also estimate that more and

and personalized information.

customized content. With increased

more digital content consumers will turn

We look to reach out to more and more

penetration of mobile internet and growth

themselves into “prosumers” - consumers

users on the strength of progress that we

of 3G and 4G users, more content is being

who also contribute to the content

make in providing the right kind of content

generated online. India is experiencing an

production, which will also contribute to

to our users. We recently collaborated with

information explosion. Content providers

the increase of digital content creators in

a number of entertainment partner like

are facing difficulties to distribute content

India.

ColorsTV, Fox Star Studios’ blockbuster

and consumers are also lost in the ocean of content.

UCWeb has been setting new trends

AeDilHaiMushkil and Chetan Bhagat,

under the UC We-Media program where

creating a content distribution platform

UCWeb’s strategy moving forward

people get an opportunity to create, to

for the mobile internet users.

in India will be a shift from a browsing

write, share thoughts and engage with

tool to a content distribution platform

their followers on UC News. The Program

UC Browser is offering lots of the customers

UCWeb, with the power of UC Browser

saw an increase of 184 percent and 348

in terms of content, technology etc., so

and UC News, is letting more people

percent (MoM) in its page views of English

what’s next? Earlier this month, UC

enjoy faster browsing and consume the

and Hindi We-Media content respectively

News launched a detailed monetary

content they like. We have been actively

in November 2016.

compensation plan for writers, bloggers

industry and help them distribute their

Who all are your direct competitor and

program. The aim is to offer unique

working with partners from the entertainment

and self-publishers under its WE-media

content to masses via our huge user base.

where do you see your position in mobile

content on UC News and further

UCWeb is committed to India and our focus

browser market? UC Browser has crossed

consolidate our position as a content

will continue to be of a content distribution

100 million MAUs (monthly active users)

distribution platform. Starting January

platform and a content aggregator.

in India within 6 years of its presence in

2017, all content providers who meet

94 | february 2017

MYMOBILE

In Conversation

face to face

19, 2017) Rs 2Billion for investment in India and Indonesian market. The funds will primarily be used to tap the huge potential of user-generated content in India via our news the set requirements will get commercial

consumption, creation and services in India

distribution and content platform, UC News.

rewards for their blog post. UC News will

and Indonesia.

In 2017 alone, we plan to add more than

also help contributors gain traffic, revenue

30,000 self-publishers, bloggers and key

and followers with the help of big data

Tell us about your latest revenue and how much

opinion leaders to our platform, generating

technology and smart content distribution

you are targeting for next fiscal year? While we

over 10,000 articles for UC News, every

system. Our aim is to make the UC We-

do not share revenue break-up of individual

single day. n

media program the No. 1 platform for content

verticals, UCWeb announced (on January

www.mymobileindia.com

haider@mymobile.co.in

february 2017 | 95

In Focus

Spotlight

4G Feature Phones: Disruption Ahead!

VoLTE enabled 4G feature phones are going to revolutionize the digital rollout in India even as it could lead to the much welcome disruption in the handset segment!

By Gagandeep Kaur

96 | february 2017

MYMOBILE

fter disrupting the telecom

According to Counterpoint Research,

services market by launching

more than 65% of more than billion users

free voice for life and free

are still using feature phones. The launch

data services for the first six

of 4G feature phones will allow the service

months, Reliance Jio is now gearing up to

providers to tap first-time customers as

disrupt the market again by launching 4G

well. Consequently it will drive the feature

feature phones in the price range of just Rs

phones segment as well.

1,500 to 3,000.

“Tapping customers who currently use

India’s newest service provider is believed to be working with a number of domestic device manufacturers like Micromax, Lava and Intex to facilitate this development. These handsets will enable Jio to make 4G technology available to the mass market. Development of 4G feature phones can potentially be a game changer not just for Reliance Jio but also for 4G technology. Additionally, it creates a totally new segment which can significantly benefit the devices industry.

Why 4G Feature Phones Are Critical For Jio? The launch of 4G feature phones is critical for Jio, which is relying on Voice over LTE (VoLTE) technology to transmit voice. On the other hand, incumbent telcos are using Circuit Switched Fall Back (CSFB) technology to offer voice to subscribers on 4G network.

“Being a new operator, Jio has only 4G network and it cannot use CSFB technology to transmit voice. It is extremely important for the service provider to offer 4G devices at affordable prices” – Anshul Gupta, Research Director, Gartner India. for all the players.

“Being a new operator, Jio has only 4G

Jio had launched LYF-branded VoLTE

network and it cannot use CSFB technology

smartphones last year. In a short span of

to transmit voice. It is extremely important

a year, it has emerged as the fifth biggest

for the service provider to offer 4G devices

smartphone brand in the country. Even so,

at affordable prices. Addressing just the

it makes sense for the company to launch

smartphone market can be limiting for them.

entry-level 4G-enabled feature phones to

Feature phone users are also primarily voice

appeal to a wider base.

“Tapping customers who currently use feature phones through 4G and additional features will give feature phones segment a good push” – Nidhi Markanday, Director and Business Head, Intex Technologies

call users and with VoLTE Jio can enhance

Though the price of smartphones

feature phones through 4G and additional

the data consumption,” says Anshul Gupta,

continues to come down, feature phones

features will give feature phones segment a

Research Director, Gartner India.

shipments still outdo those of smartphones.

good push,” says Nidhi Markanday, Director

While Reliance Jio has already added

Until November 2016, sale of feature

and Business Head, Intex Technologies.

around 70 million subscribers since its

phones was around 25 million while that

“Unaffordability and inability of users

launch in September 2016, high cost

of smartphones was around 19 million,

to use the smartphones have deterred their

of smartphones is a big limiting factor.

according to CMR Research. There are

faster adoption in the country. With domestic

So, development of 4G-enabled feature

many reasons for continued popularity of

mobile handset manufacturers gearing up

phones is almost critical for the growth of

feature phones. Consumers from small

to bring 4G technology to feature phones,

Jio but not so for other incumbent service

towns and rural areas are still comfortable

we believe, will be a valuable initiative for

providers. At the same time once all service

with conventional phones and are reluctant

our citizens, industry, economy and country

providers start offering VoLTE, availability of

to spend a huge amount to procure a

as a whole. With 4G feature phones,

4G feature phones will expand the market

smartphone.

consumers will be able to access data at

www.mymobileindia.com

In Focus

Spotlight

february 2017 | 97

In Focus

Spotlight faster speed. Further, it will not only aid

which witness maximum growth in feature

in digital transactions but will also help in

phones segment. “We also see 60% of

connecting with each other through larger

growth coming from our metro cities,

adoption of social networking platforms,”

including Hyderabad and Ahmedabad. We

says Gaurav Nigam, Head – Product, Lava

will continue to offer our products in these

International Limited. The company is

markets,” adds Markanday.

believed to be working with Jio to bring 4G feature phones to the Indian market.

But how is 4G feature phone different from a smartphone? “A key difference is

The company is planning to launch 4G-enabled feature phones early this year with a pan-India outreach. Predictably, Intex is targeting the rural towns such as

This segment is going to be huge for us this

Raipur, Patna, Jaipur, Lucknow, Agra,

year,” says Neeraj Sharma, Country Head India, Spreadtrum. The company is playing a key role in the development of 4G feature phones. Besides Jio, Spreadtrum is working with Micromax, Lava, itel and Intex for the development

“Unaffordability and inability of users to use the smartphones have deterred their faster adoption in the country. With 4G feature phones, consumers will be able to access data at faster speed. Further, it will aid digital transactions and larger adoption of social networking platforms” – Gaurav Nigam, Head – Product, Lava International Ltd

98 | february 2017

“A key difference is that a 4G feature phone will run on a native Operating System and not on Android. Still it’ll be able to offer many key features like VoLTE capability and other popular services like Facebook and Twitter. This segment is going to be huge for us this year” – Neeraj Sharma, Country Manager, Spreadtrum

of 4G feature phones. It is the chipset, which helps in bringing down the cost of 4G feature phones. Spreadtrum’s SC9820 is one such chipset which is enabling the device manufacturers to reduce the cost of the feature phones. Predominantly, it is the domestic manufacturers who are trying to innovate to make 4G affordable and accessible to the common masses. It is no coincidence that most of the feature phone brands belong to the Indian manufacturers. This innovation of 4G-enabled feature phones is important for them to continue to appeal to their target customers. However market dynamics indicates that global players like Nokia and Samsung have started to show interest in this evolving segment. “Introducing 4G technology on basic phones will be a great move and will help accelerate the growth in feature phone segment. Extending Value Added Services (VAS) through 4G could also be beneficial for feature phone users. There’s a huge opportunity and we are optimistic about consumers’ response and experience,” elaborates Markanday.

that a 4G feature phone will run on a native

Indications are that the year 2017

Operating System and not on Android.

may turn out to the year of 4G in India.

However, it will be able to offer many of the

4G feature phones are going to play an

key features like VoLTE capability and other

important role in making this happen. n

popular services like Facebook and Twitter.

gagandeep@mymobile.co.in

MYMOBILE

Noah Camera The selfie booster

e all know how selfies are important to us. Whether be it some office party, or an adventurous trip, it will not be

complete till you take a selfie. But when it comes to add something more to it, you see an ocean of selfies-taking apps which allows to you use different

Software

SMARTAPP S

filters, stickers, and much more. But choosing the right one for you can be a pain. So to simplify things, there is a good selfie-taker app known as Noah Camera which can help you to satisfy all your selfie needs. The app comes with some amazing filters coupled with easy sharing option so that you can quickly click a selfie and upload it on the social media. To start with, the app comes with more than 100 filters to choose from and all them are real-time, meaning that you can select what mode suits you best. And the choosing filters is also simple, all you need to do is either swipe left or right until you find the perfect filter. The app also support the instasize feature for Instagram so that you can directly upload the Instagram post, other than this you can also share on other platform as well. You can also decorate your shutter button from 35 different styles available from the app and there is a collage mode where you can group your different selfies with friends. Also the app has some good stickers’ option to add more to your plain selfies. Overall, if you are a selfie maniac and want to quickly share your selfie then Noah Camera is one good option for you. n

www.mymobileindia.com

february 2017 | 99

Software

Smartapps

98 | february 2017

MYMOBILE

Xploree The thinking keyboard

smart phone’s keyboard is its most used tool.

even before they finish verbalizing their intent. All users get to

Users typically use the keyboard to instruct

discover only individually relevant offers. The Xploree keyboard

various apps by inputting text – usually nothing

app enhances user experience on the mobile by reducing both

much more. KeyPoint Technologies has introduced its new

human effort and time taken to reach intended goals, while doing

flagship keyboard app aptly called “Xploree – the thinking

regular tasks.

keyboard”. It promises a never before user experience to smartphone users.

What is Xploree?

For marketers: The Xploree process of individual recommendations assures that its marketing partners reach out to the right audience in a more purposeful manner. It facilitates hyper-contextual marketing. Working across apps, Xploree

Xploree is a ground-breaking and a first-of-its-kind keyboard app

also eliminates app hopping which in-turn gives marketers the

in the industry. It reads and interprets users’ intent even as they

advantage of gaining instant audience attention and bank the first

type in the text. It predicts their needs and instantly connects

mover advantage.

them to relevant and hyper-contextual deals, offers, products and services. Xploree also offers other features like autocorrect,

Xploree Reach:

dictionary, predictive text, stickers, emojis, themes etc.

Xploree has a growing user base which has already touched 2.5

Xploree Features: • •

•

million in India. The app serves more than 1 billion discoveries every month across innumerable intent categories.It haspartnered

Xploree works through intent prediction, human reasoning

with brands like Zomato, Flipkart, Amazon, Firstcry, Coupondunia

and sentiment determination.

and Ixigo to name a few.

The app uses complex algorithms based on Natural Language

Xploree’s Story: Xploree is the brainchild of Sunil Motaparti

Processing (NLP) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to understand

who is also founder and CEO of KeyPoint Technologies. Sunil is

and predict users’ intent.

an Electrical and Computer Science Post-graduate from Carneige

Notifications to users about solutions, deals and offers are

Mellon University. He acquired a grounding in Product Research

made through self-initiated, non-intrusive visual triggers

and Development in the Electronic Design Automation domain at

known as Intenticons.

hubs like IBM, Intel and Magma Design Automation. The app’s

•

Xploree understands individual user’s topic affinities and

genesis lies in the idea, which took root in 2014, of turning a

offers only relevant discoveries.

passive input device into an interactive, predictive and integrated

•

The Xploree keyboard makes browsing and search seamless

solution.

– reducing the need for app hopping and app switching. •

Xploree is a multilingual keyboard. It can understand and

KeyPoint Technologies:

interpret about 140 languages. It offers text inputs in 110+

Xploree is the flagship product of KeyPoint Technologies (KPT).

global languages and 29 popular Indic languages like Hindi,

KPT is an award-winning, global leader in innovative language

Gujarati, Malayalam, Tamil, Bhojpuri,Tamlish and Hinglish.

technology for mobile users. It is a linguistics innovator, in the

Xploree Advantages: For users: Xploree brings to its users – self initiated discovery

Software

SMARTAPP S

business of creating smart user experiences, ably headed by a visionary CEO – Sunil Motaparti. Founded in 2004, KeyPoint Technologies is headquartered in

experiences. It offers them convenience, saving their time and

Glasgow Scotland with offices in the US, Japan, China and India.

effort in the process and eliminates app clutter on phone. The

Its Indian offices are located at Hyderabad and Bangalore. KPT is

keyboard connects users with relevant offers, non-intrusively,

a trusted partner for OEMs, platform providers and developers. n

february 2017 | 101

Software

Smartapps Freedom Desi An App that helps both consumers and retailers make better connect with each other

reedom Desi is a location based retail marketing solution for offline retailers. It is built with a vision to connect the offline retail ecosystem using new age tools like mobile app, cloud platforms,

Internet of Things and more. It helps retailers, brands and mall management to connect with shoppers and retarget based on location, preference and behaviour. Through this platform, they aid retailers to garner the correct amount of visibility amongst shoppers and increase the footfall. Freedom Desi App enlists the help of GPS location, footfall sensors and beacons to track the users in vicinity in a commercial space, log footfalls and can send out promotional offers to them. Through the App’s practical and prognostic data, retailers can conveniently work with the planning and implementation of promotional campaigns. Freedom Desi revolutionizes the retail industry by providing a medium to communicate with prospective customers. With Freedom Desi, attracting customers have never been easier and more exciting! n

102 | february 2017

MYMOBILE

Software

SMARTAPP S

Rooter Connect with passionate sports enthusiasts across the world real time!

sn’t it boring to sit back at home and watch matches alone? This is the insight on which Rooter is built on. A sport truly is a religion across countries and connecting with strangers

over this religion when you’re not with your friends is a blessing in disguise! This is where a startup like Rooter fills the gap. It’s the world’s first social fan engagement platform that connects sports fans and engages them during live sporting events. The key differentiator of the platform is the unique live match prediction game that engages fans during a live match and also connects them with fans in their vicinity. Rooter is the

brainchild of Piyush and Soham Sinha whose passion created this world’s first social platform connecting sports fans for live match engagement.

Here is what Rooter does: •

Offers a chance for sports fans to connect with one another across

•

With its focus on smart technology, Rooter takes sporting interactions

real and virtual worlds. beyond generic social media platforms and fantasy sports by allowing sports fans to connect through Live match Prediction game, pre-match quizzes and Live match chat forums. •

Rooter also allows a far bigger sports fan community to engage with sports, unlike the other formats like fantasy sports which are limited to serious fans.

•

The platform offers engagement for Football (Global sport), Cricket (India’s most passionate sport) and Tennis right now. It will introduce other sports soon.

•

Rooter was formed by two sports enthusiasts who decided to bridge the gap in the sports fan engagement market through a unique tech product. n

www.mymobileindia.com

february 2017 | 103

Apps

Smartapps

Jugnoo Pay The app enables UPI payments powered by Yes Bank

ugnoo that has now evolved to become a hyperlocal startup, power-driven by its vast auto-rickshaw network across 40 cities in

India has integrated UPI payments in its app. The company recently launched UPI enabled payment solution ‘Jugnoo Pay’ in association with Yes Bank that currently allows Peer to Peer money transfer directly using users’ respective bank accounts with their mobile number as an identifier. With the new app update, people can easily enable UPI payments from app for meals and grocery purchases. Fund transfers will happen directly from their bank accounts by just typing UPI Payment Address and the process will be nearly as frictionless as it is with digital wallets. Yes Bank’s Software Kit (SDK) has been integrated with the Jugnoo App and will enable Jugnoo’s consumers to make payments seamlessly within the Jugnoo App. n

104 | february 2017

MYMOBILE

Mr Voonik India’s first exclusively for men app to help you shop!

r Voonik was launched in April 2016 and in just

the country. Mr Voonik showcases over 7 lakhs products

7 months, has entered the ‘Best of 2016’ app

across 10,000 sellers and has a mix of both branded and

selection list. Recently it was declared as one

unbranded apparels and accessories.

of the best apps of 2016 on Google Play. Not for nothing! Mr Voonik is the only app in the country which provides

Application Features:

personalised style options exclusively for men. Users get

•

Download Size - 6.5 MB

the option to put their style preferences on signing up, basis

•

Sale Alert

which their product feed is created. An advanced technology

•

Personal Style Feed

platform along with built-in stylist recommendations makes

•

Personal shopping engine curates fashion merchandise from all top online shopping stores and brands

the app the ideal shopping platform for all men who want latest style within their budget.

•

With 3.5 million app downloads, the app is a proof that the new age men is as fashion conscious as women and

in the metro cities but also in the tier 2 and tier 3 cities of

www.mymobileindia.com

Like products with a single swipe action and create a lovelist of all your favorite items

•

are willing to spend time to find clothes to suit their style. Just like Voonik, Mr Voonik is getting popularity not only

Software

SMARTAPP S

Share on whatsapp, facebook and twitter to take a friend’s opinion

•

Logs on seamlessly using Facebook n team@mymobile.co.in

february 2017 | 85

Game On

Boredombuster

90 | february 2017

RoboWar: Iprotecting

invasion in style

hat you will do when the

robots ranges from little (and cute)

planet earth is invaded by

ones to big (and bad) ones. You have to

some alien robots? Simple,

kill everyone in order to survive and also

you summon the three young pilots to

you have to keep an eye on your armour

rescue the planet from this ruckus. It

and health meter. There are basically

is not a fictional plot of some upcoming

three areas—Forest, Outskirt and

sci-fi film but an interesting concept of

Island—with each been ranked as easy,

a game. Dubbed as RoboWar, the game

medium and hard. And also there are

is all about saving the planet from the

also power-ups available in the game

aliens’ invasion. In the game you are

which can be helpful especially while

given the task to steer the giant robots,

on the Island area. In the battle you will

right the invaders, and bring peace

enjoy the fun of playing RoboWar with

back to Earth. The gameplay is like any

many unique features. Each Robo has

other RPG games, you have to steer the

3 special moves, and you can launch

robot in different direction through the

them simply by clicking the charge

on-screen joystick and kill the robots

attack button. Press it to launch heavy

by pressing the attack button and there

attack, press more than 2 second to

is also a charge button through which

launch special attack, and press more

you can perform special attacks. At the

than 4 second to unleash ultimate

starting of the game you play as Pilot

attack. The graphics are amazing, the

Tomat which has a robot by the name

controls are simple and the gameplay

of Goku and as you proceed further you

is very addictive. So if you want to save

tend to unlock two more pilots, Mikha

the planet with the help of our robots

and a penguin pilot Pingy. All you have

then RoboWar is the right platform to

to do is kill the robots and bhy doing

do it.

that you will collect coins. What makes

Available from: iTunes App Store, Google

RoboWar stand out of the other RPG

Play Store

games is the robots design, your enemy

Price: Free n

MYMOBILE

Modern Combat 5 eSports FPS:

Shooting couldn’t be so fun

t is a well-known fact that Modern Combat series is one

Coming to the gameplay, the graphics are seriously top-

of the most famous series in the mobile gaming domain.

of-the-line and you will get the feel of playing on PC-like

And it is one of those few games that has changed the

environment. The controls are fairly simple, intuitive and

perception of mobile gaming. And same can be said with this

highly customizable so one can play just the way they want.

one. Dubbed as Modern Combat 5 eSports FPS, the game

In the multiplayer mode one form a squad and can clash

follow the legacy of its predecessors meaning the world is

with other squads. If you want to be a spectator and want

on the brink of anarchy and you have to shoot your way out

to watch other players in battle, there is a spectator mode

of one dire situation after another to expose a lunatic who’s

for that. And yes one can also talk to other players in global

trying to tear the world to shreds. The developers have also

and squad chat. In the single player campaign, there is a

added multiplayer mode through one can create a squad,

new Spec Ops mode, which are generally small missions

add their friends and test individual and team skills against

clearing rooms of enemies in bullet time, or covering other

other squads. In the game there are seven customizable

members of your unit with a sniper rifle or a gatling gun.

classes namely as Assault, Heavy, Recon, Sniper, Support,

Overall, it is the best mobile shooting game developed by

Bounty Hunter or Sapper and one activate a class-specific

Gameloft. Period.

skills by earning and spending Skill Points. The points can

Available from: iTunes App Store, Google Play Store

be earned by completing missions, daily tasks and more.

Price: Free n

www.mymobileindia.com

Game On

Boredombuster

february 2017 | 107

Game On

Boredombuster

Loop Taxi:

Pick and Drop could never be so fun!

here are many endless runners’ games in the app market but only few of them make a long-lasting impression. And it

is safe to say that Loop Taxi is one of them. The game is all about picking up passengers and dropping them off at the next destination. The more passengers you pick the more gold you earn. The gold can be furthered used into buying cars and unlocking different maps. There are three different environments you unlock including city, upstate and military. And what makes Loop Taxi stand out of crowd, is it minimalistic graphics and easy controls which makes the gameplay look easier and smooth. In the game, you have to take passengers from one point to another and with pick and drop you will get certain amount of gold. But watch out, there are many intersections and traffic is always on a move. So have pay attention to the environment and traffic rules, and your one mistake could crash the taxi into some other cars. And as you progress further, you will come across many difficult situations like for example, you are waiting for traffic to pass but suddenly a tow truck will tow your car away and you have to start all over again. The controls are dead simple—just touch the screen to move the car from one point to another. Simple it may sound, but it takes some time to get used of controls and right timing to move the taxi and once you are familiar with it, you will end up playing it for hours and hours. There are many different cars to choose from including, taxi, sport, jeep, truck and many more. But you have to keep your patience as it takes a lot of time to earn those gold coins. With its sheer simplicity and minimalistic design, Loop Taxi is a worth your time. Available from: iTunes App Store, Google Play

Store Price: Free n

108 | february 2017

MYMOBILE

Nonstop Knight:

Fighting non-stop

www.mymobileindia.com

hat happens when an idle

maximum enemies in the battle. And also

clicker meets an action-

you have to take care of the upgrading your

packed RPG game? Oh well,

weapons, armour and cape. And this can be

it becomes a battle ground and no battle

done by killing all the bad guys and looting

ground is completed with a knight. And

them to acquire the coins. These coins are

Nonstop Knight is one such game that

then used to upgrade your equipment. This

fulfill this urge to fight endlessly. In the

has to be done on a regular interval of time

game you control a knight who is roaming

as the enemies and boss battles get harder

in dungeons fighting different types of

and difficult. And this is the beauty of the

enemies, and moving onto different floors.

game, despite most of the things being

And yes did we mention that there are

done automatically, you still feel engrossed

boss battles as well. All this fun is done

in the game and come back to get more and

automatically though, as you can’t control

more. The gameplay is amazing but there

your knight movement and attacking. But

comes a time that you feel all the levels

you can control various special skills and

being repetitive. But overall, the game is

attacks like cloning yourself to inflict twice

perfect download for those who want to get

as much damage as possible, a leap attack

involved in continuous fighting mode.

in which you jumps and creates a powerful

Available from: iTunes App Store, Google Play

strike on the ground clearing the enemies

Store

nearby and whirlwind slashing, to attack

Price: Free n

rohan@mymobile.co.in

Game On

Boredombuster

Subscription Final New gift March New offer-1.qxd

11/21/2016

5:51 PM

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MY GUIDE While My Mobile tries to ensure accuracy in the pricing and features any discrepancies that may emerge are beyond our control. Please check with the retailer about features of the phone before buying. Feel free to update us.

(Last updated on January 20, 2017)

Devices featured in the My Guide have been segregated into different categories based on price and colour-coded as:

Microsoft Up to Rs. 2,499

Disclaimer : The prices quoted in My Guide are the Best Buy prices quoted by the respective companies, ex-Delhi. The prices may vary on account of promotional schemes or dealer discretion.

Rs. 2,500 – Rs. 5,999 Rs. 6,000 – Rs. 9,999

Spreadtrum—ST Intel Atom—IA

Rs.10,000 – Rs. 14,999

Qualcomm Snapdragon—QS MediaTek—MT

Rs.15,000 – Rs. 19,999

MediaTek Helio—MTH

Rs. 20,000 – Rs. 29,999 RS. 30,000 and above. Tablets

FEBRUARY 2017 I 111

MYGUIDE MICROSOFT

MICROSOFT

MODELS

MICROSOFT

PARAMETERS

215

Asha 225

Nokia 230

Lumia 535

Lumia 550

Lumia 540

Lumia 640

Display (inches/res)

2.4/240 x 320

2.8/ 320 x 240

2.0/ 320 x 240

5.0/ 960 x 540

4.7/ 720 x 1280

5.0/ 720 x 1280

Dimension (mm)

116 x 50 x x12.9

124 x 55.5 x 10.4

124.6 x 53.4 x 10.9

140.2 x 72.4 x 8.8

136.1 x 67.8 x 9.9

144 x 73.7 x 8.6

141.3 x 72.2 x 8.8

Weight (grams)

101

145.3g

142

152

145

Processor/RAM

NA/8MB

Single Core/8MB

NA/16 MB

QS 200/1GB

QS 210/1GB

QS 200/1GB

QS 400/1GB

Operating system

Series 30+

Windows Phone 8.1

Windows 10

Storage/Expandable

NA/32GB

NA/ 32GB

8GB/128GB

8GB/200GB

8GB/128GB

Rear/Front Camera

0.3MP/NA

2.0MP/NA

2.0MP/2.0MP

5MP/5MP/Yes

5MP/2MP

8MP/5MP

8MP/0.1MP

Battery (mAh)

1,100

1,200

1,905

2,100

2,200

2,500

2G/3G/4G

Yes/No/No

Yes/Yes/No

Yes/Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes/No

Dual SIM

Yes

Yes/Yes

Launch

January, 2015

April, 2014

February, 2016

January, 2015

October, 2015

April, 2015

March, 2015

Price Rs.

2,149

3,199

3,700

6,299

6,599

6,500

8,999

Model

Music Player/FM

MICROSOFT

Windows Phone 8.1 Windows Phone 8.1

UP TO RS. 2,499

MODELS

UP TO RS. 2,499

MICROSOFT

PARAMETERS

HITECH

I-SMART

Lumia 650

Lumia 950 Dual SIM

Lumia 950 XL

Pride 350

IS-102

IS-100L Selfie

IS-209

Display (inches/res)

5.0/ 720 x 1280

5.2/ 2560 x 1440

5.7/ 2560 x 1440

2.8/-

1.8/128 x 160

2.4/ 240 x 320

Dimension (mm)

142 x 70.9 x 6.9

145 x 73.2 x 8.2

151.9 x 78.4 x 8.1

131 x 58 x 10.2

112 x 48.5 x 13

112 x 46.5 x 13.5

118 x 51.7 x 9.9

Weight (grams)

122

150

165

Processor/RAM

QS 212/1 GB

QS 808/3GB

QS 810/3GB

ST 6531DA/NA

NA/No

Operating system

Windows 10

Nucleus

Storage/Expandable

16GB/200GB

32GB/200GB

32+32MB/-

NA/8GB

NA/16GB Digital camera/No

Model

8MP/5MP

20MP/5MP

1.3 MP/NA

Digital camera/No

Digital Camera/ Digital Camera

2,000

3,000

3,340

1800 mAh

850

1,000

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/Yes

Yes/No/No

Dual SIM

Yes

Music Player/FM

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

Launch

April, 2016

October, 2015

Oct, 2016

July, 2016

Sept, 2016

Price Rs.

13,000

24,990

29,999

1,299

1,099

1,299

1,599

Rear/Front Camera Battery (mAh)

112 I FEBRUARY 2017

MYMOBILE

MYGUIDE UP TO RS. 2,499

UP TO RS. 2,499

MODELS

UP TO RS. 2,499

I-SMART

PARAMETERS

ITEL

LEPHONE

Smart Selfie it2180 Smart Power it5600 Smart Selfie it5231

K1P

1.77/ 240 x 320

2.4/ 240 x 320

1.8

127.5 x 53 x 14.2

114.5 x 49.3 x 14.2

116.6 x 50 x 15.8

124.5 x 54 x 11.4

112*46.5*13.9

123*51.5*13.5

100

110

Processor/RAM

NA/No

260MHz/32Mb

360MHz/64Mb

312MHz /32MB

Operating system

Storage/Expandable

NA/16GB

32Mb/32GB

32MB/32GB

64MB/32GB

32MB / 32GB

Rear/Front Camera

Digital Camera/ Digital Camera

1.3 MP/No

0.08MP/0.08MP

0.08MP

0.08MP/0.3MP

1,800

3,000

1,000

2500

1900

1000

1,450

2G/3G/4G

Yes/No/No

Dual SIM

Yes

YES

Music Player/FM

Yes/Yes

YES

Launch

Sept, 2016

Aug, 2016

April, 2016

May, 2016

August '2016

Price Rs.

1,399

1,799

839

973

1,296

799

899

Model

IS-207 Klick

IS-210

Display (inches/res)

2.4/ 240 x 320

Dimension (mm)

122.5 x 52 x 15.6

Weight (grams)

Battery (mAh)

UP TO RS. 2,499

MODELS

UP TO RS. 2,499

Digital Camera/No Digital Camera/No

LEPHONE

PARAMETERS

ZIOX

Model

Z 214i

Z 13

Z X304

Z 33

Z 314

Display (inches/res)

2.4/ 240 x 320

Dimension (mm)

123*51.8*14.9

121x51x12.1

124.2*53*11.3

124*52*12

125 x 53 x 14.4

125 x 52.5 x 13.6

121 x 52 x 13.45

Weight (grams)

102

Processor/RAM

312MHz /32MB

312Mhz/32MB

Operating system

MOCOR

Storage/Expandable

32MB / 32GB

NA/16GB

Rear/Front Camera

Digital Camera/ Digital Camera

Digital Camera

2,500

1,450

1,400

1,000

1,750

1,800

1,700

2G/3G/4G

Yes/No/No

Dual SIM

YES

Yes

Music Player/FM

YES

Yes/Yes-WFM

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes-WFM

Yes/Yes

Launch

OCTOBER' 2016

August '2016

June, 2016

May, 2016

April, 2016

May, 2016

July, 2016

Price Rs.

999

1,499

1,343

1,593

1,690

1,733

1,443

Battery (mAh)

www.mymobileindia.com

Digital camera/No Digital camera/No Digital camera/No

Digital camera/No Digital camera/No

MYGUIDE UP TO RS. 2,499

MODELS

Rs. 2,500 – Rs. 5,999

ZIOX

PARAMETERS

HONOR

HITECH

Z 23

Z 304 mini

Z 38

Z 39

Honor Bee

Amaze S9

Air A8

1.8/128 x 160

2.4/ 240 x 320

4.5/ 854 x 480

4.5 /-

5.0/ 540 x 960

Dimension (mm)

113 x 49.6 x 14.95

111.2 x 46.5 x 14.2

125 x 53 x 13.6

134.3 x 66.7 X 10

140 x 66.88 x 9.65

140.2 x 72.4 x 8.8

Weight (grams)

170

150

152

Processor/RAM

312Mhz/32MB

ST SC 7732/1GB

ST 7731/512MB

ST 7731/1GB

Operating system

MOCOR

Android OS, v4.4

5.1 Lollipop

5.2 Lollipop

Storage/Expandable

NA/16GB

8GB/32GB

4GB/32GB

8GB/32GB

8MP/2MP

5MP/2MP

8MP/2MP

Model Display (inches/res)

Rear/Front Camera

Digital camera/No Digital camera/No Digital camera/No Digital camera/No 1,800

1,000

1,750

1,730

1,400

2,000

2G/3G/4G

Yes/No/No

Yes/Yes/No

Dual SIM

Yes

Yes/Yes-WFM

Yes/Yes

Launch

Aug, 2016

July, 2016

May, 2015

Price Rs.

1,093

1,233

1,553

1,503

3,999

2,999

4,999

Battery (mAh)

Music Player/FM

Rs. 2,500 – Rs. 5,999

MODELS

Rs. 2,500 – Rs. 5,999

IN-FOCUS

PARAMETERS

INTEX

Model

Bingo 10 (M415)

Bingo 21 (M 430)

Aqua Fish

Cloud Glory 4G

Cloud String HD

Aqua Classic 2

Display (inches/res)

4.5/ 480 x 854

4.5/ 854 x 480

5/720x1280

4.5/ 480 x 854

5/ 720 x 1280

5/480/854

4/480/800

142.4x72x9.6

134.2 x 68 x 9

144.5 x 72.5 x 8.7

145.2x72.6x10.9

124.1x64.2x9.8

Dimension (mm)

135.65 x 67.38 x 10.43 136.8 x 67 x 10.95

Weight (grams)

140

152

150

120

150

Processor/RAM

MT 6580A/1GB

ST Shark/2GB

Quad core/2GB

MT 6735M/ 1GB

SC 9832A/ 1GB

qcta-core/1GB

quad-core/1GB

Operating system

Android OS, 6.0

Android 5.1

Sailfish 2.0

Android 6.0

Android 5.1

Android 6.0

Storage/Expandable

8GB/32GB

16GB/32GB

8GB/ 32GB

8GB/32GB

Rear/Front Camera

5MP/5MP

8MP/5MP

8MP/2MP

5MP/2MP

8MP/2MP

5MP/2MP

2MP/2MP

2,000

2,300

2500

1,800

2,200

2200

1800

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/No

Yes/Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes/No

Yes/Yes/yes

Dual SIM

Yes

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

Launch

April, 2016

March, 2016

February,2016

June, 2016

May, 2016

Price Rs.

4,399

5,499

3,999

5,599

4,600

3,333

Battery (mAh)

Music Player/FM

114 I FEBRUARY 2017

136

MYMOBILE

MYGUIDE Rs. 2,500 – Rs. 5,999

Rs. 2,500 – Rs. 5,999

MODELS

Rs. 2,500 – Rs. 5,999

ITEL

PARAMETERS

LEPHONE

LYF

Model

Power Pro it1410

Wish it1507

Wish it1407

W7+

Flame 1

Display (inches/res)

4.0/ 800 x 480

5.0/854 x 480

4.0/WVGA/TN

4.5/ 854x480

5.0/ 854x480

5.0 /854x480

4.5/854 x 480

Dimension (mm)

124x64.7x12.2

144.4 x 73 x 8.5

125x64.3x10.9mm

134.5x68x10.2

143.5x72.6x9.6

143.5x72x8.

132.6 x 66.2 x 9.3

126

162

148

138 QS 210/1GB

Weight (grams)

Processor/RAM

Dual core, 1.3 GHz/512MB

Quad core, 1.2 GHz/512MB

1.5GHz,/ 1 GB

1.5GHz, / GB

1.5GHz, Quadcore/1 GB

Operating system

Android4.4

Android 5.1

Storage/Expandable

8GB/32GB

8 GB/ 32 GB

8GB/128GB

Rear/Front Camera

2.0MP/0.3MP

5.0MP/2.0MP

2.0MP/0.3MP

2 MP

5 MP / 2 MP

5.0 MP / 2 MP

5MP/5MP

2,800

2,400

1500mAh, Li-ion

1,300

1,800

2,000

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/No

YES

Yes

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

Yes

YES

Yes

Music Player/FM

Yes/Yes

YES

Yes

Yes/Yes

Launch

May, 2016

April, 2016

April.2016

October 2016

OCTOBER' 2016

February, 2015

Price Rs.

3,339

5,063

2,989

4,699

5,399

5,999

5,499

Battery (mAh)

Rs. 2,500 – Rs. 5,999

RS. 6,000 – RS. 9,999

MODELS

Rs. 2,500 – Rs. 5,999

LYF

PARAMETERS

MICROMAX

VIDEOCON

ASUS

Wind 7i

Canvas Juice 3 Q393

Canvas Spark 3

Canvas Bolt Selfie

Delite11

Zenfone 2 Laser ZE550KL

Zenfone Max

Display (inches/res)

5/1280x720

5.0/720 x 1280

5.5/720x1280

4.5/854x480

5/1280x720

5.5/720 x 1280

5.5/ 720 x 1280

Dimension (mm)

143.5x72x8.7

146.66X74.3X10.52

152.5 x 77.2 x 3.9

156 x 77.5 x 10.55

Weight (grams)

156

151

170

202

Processor/RAM

QS 210/1GB

MT6580/2GB

quad-core/1GB

MTK6735/1GB

Quad-core/1GB

QS 410/2GB

QS 615/ 2GB, 3GB

Operating system

Android 6.0

Android 5.1

Android 6.0

Android 5.0

Android 6.0

Storage/Expandable

8GB/128GB

8GB/32GB

16GB/128GB

16GB/32GB, 64GB

Rear/Front Camera

8MP/5MP

8MP/2MP

8MP/5MP

5MP/5MP

5MP/2MP

13MP/5MP

2,250

4,000

2,500

1,750

3,000

5,000

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes/No

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

March, 2016

May, 2016

August, 2015

May, 2016

4,171

4,999

5,499

5,990

9,999

9,999/ 12,999

Model

Battery (mAh)

Music Player/FM Launch Price Rs.

www.mymobileindia.com

4,999

FEBRUARY 2017 I 115

MYGUIDE RS. 6,000 – RS. 9,999

RS. 6,000 – RS. 9,999

MODELS

RS. 6,000 – RS. 9,999

ASUS

CELKON

Zenfone C ZC451CG

Q550

Note 3 Lite

Mega 2.5D

Note 3 Plus

Mega 3

Note 3

Display (inches/res)

4.5/480 x 854

5.0/720 x 1280

5.5/720x1280

5.5/1080x1920

5.5/1280x720

5.5/720 x 1280

Dimension (mm)

136.5 x 67 x 10.9

145.6 x 71.8 x 8

140.8 x 70.4 x 8.9

153x77x8

151.9 x 77 x 9.3

154.4x76.8x8.35

152 x 77 x 9

Weight (grams)

150

149

141

168

171

150

Processor/RAM

IA Z2520/ 1GB

Broadcom/2GB

MT6735/3GB

Quad core/3GB

MT6753/3GB

octa-core/2GB

MT6753/3GB

Operating system

Android 4.4

Android Kitkat 4.4.2

Android 5.1

Android 6.0

Android 5.1

Android 6.0

Android 5.1

Storage/Expandable

8GB/64GB

16GB/32GB

16GB/64GB

Rear/Front Camera

5MP/0.3MP

8MP/2MP

13MP/5MP

8MP/8MP

13MP/5MP

8MP/8MP

13MP/5MP

2,100

2,500

3,000

3,050

3,000

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/No

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/-

Yes/Yes

Launch

January, 2015

2,014

January, 2016

August, 2016

May, 2016

November,2016

October, 2015

Price Rs.

6,299

7,499

6,999

8,999

6,999

8,999

PARAMETERS

Model

Battery (mAh)

Music Player/FM

COOLPAD

RS. 6,000 – RS. 9,999

MODELS

RS. 6,000 – RS. 9,999

COOLPAD

GIONEE

Note 3s

P 7 NEW

Honor Holly 3

Honor Holly 2 Plus

Air A9

M 350 (16GB)

M680

Display (inches/res)

5.5/1920x1080

5.0/720x1280

5.5/1920x1080

4.8/720 x 1280

5.0-inch, 720 x 1280

5.0/720 x 1280

5.5/720x1280

Dimension (mm)

154.5x77x8.6

143.1 x 71.8 x 9.7

140.2 x 72.4 x 8.8

151 x 71.5 x 10.6

156 x 76.8 x 7.25

Weight (grams)

167

160

152

146

158

Processor/RAM

octa-core/3GB

Quad-core/2GB

Kirin 620/2GB

MT6735P /2GB

MT 3735M/2GB

MT6732/2GB

MT 6753/2GB

Operating system

Android6.0

Android 6.0

Android 5.1.1

Android 5.1

Android 4.4.2

Android 5.1

Storage/Expandable

32GB/32GB

16GB

16GB/128GB

16GB/32GB

16GB/64GB

16GB/32GB

Rear/Front Camera

13MP/5MP

8MP/5MP

13MP/8MP

13MP/5MP

13MP/8MP

8MP/8MP

13MP/13MP

2,500

2,300

3,100

4,000

3,500

2,500

2,600

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/-

Yes/Yes

Launch

November,2016

December,2016

October, 2016

February, 2016

June, 2015

December, 2015

Price Rs.

9,999

8,499

6,999

8,999

PARAMETERS

Model

Battery (mAh)

Music Player/FM

116 I FEBRUARY 2017

HONOR

HITECH

IN-FOCUS

MYMOBILE

MYGUIDE RS. 6,000 – RS. 9,999

RS. 6,000 – RS. 9,999

MODELS

RS. 6,000 – RS. 9,999

PARAMETERS

IN-FOCUS

INTEX

I-SMART

M810

Aqua S7

Aqua Secure

Aqua View

5.5/1080x1920

5/720x1280

4.5/ 480 x 854

Dimension (mm)

153.70 x 76.20 x 6.99

142.5x72.5x8.7

Weight (grams)

155

Processor/RAM

Model

IS-57i

ITEL

IS-56i HD Mercury V6

Wish it1512

5/ 720 x 1280

5.0-inch/480 x 854 5.0-inch/720 x 1280

5/FWVGA/TN

133.5 x 66.5 x 9.4

124 x 64 x 10.3

146.72 x 72.85 x 8.73 143.54 x 71.55 x 8.52

143x72x8.65

150

130

146

155

170

QS 801/ 2GB

Quad core/3GB

MTK6735M/ 1GB

MTK6735P/ 1GB

Quad Core/1 GB

Quad core/1GB

Operating system

Android 5.0

Android 6.0

Android 5.1

Android 4.4.2

Android 6.0

Storage/Expandable

16GB/64GB

8GB/ 32GB

16GB/ 32GB

8GB/64GB

8GB/32GB

Rear/Front Camera

13MP/5MP

5MP/ 2MP

8MP/5MP

8.0MP/3.2MP

5.0MP/2.0MP

2,600

3,200

1,900

2,200

2,100

2,500

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/Yes

Yes/ Yes/ Yes

Yes/Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes/No

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

Yes

Music Player/FM

Yes/Yes

Yes

Yes/Yes

Launch

July, 2015

September, 2016

May, 2016

June, 2016

September, 2016

September, 2015

June, 2016

Price Rs.

9,999

9,499

6,499

8,999

6,499

6,999

6,000

Display (inches/res)

Battery (mAh)

RS. 6,000 – RS. 9,999

MODELS

RS. 6,000 – RS. 9,999

ITEL

PARAMETERS

LAVA

LEECO

LEPHONE

Power Pro it1553

Selfie Pro it1511

Pixel V2

X10

X50+

Le 1s (Eco)

5.5)

5.0/1280 x 720

5.0/ 720 x 1280

5.5/1280x720

5.5/1920 x 1080

5.0 /854x480

Dimension (mm)

138.5x69.5x9.8

141.6 x 70.8 x 7.6

142 x 70.8 x 7.9

155x71.8x8.85

74.2x151.1x7.6

143x70.8x8.6

Weight (grams)

128

133

155

179

161 1.5GHz,/ 1 GB

Model Display (inches/res)

Processor/RAM

Quad core/1GB

Quad Core/ 2GB

Quad core /3GB

quad-core/2GB

MediaTek Helio X10/3GB

Operating system

Android 5.1

Android 6.0

Android 5.1

Android 6.0

Android 5.0.2

Android 5.1

Storage/Expandable

16GB/32GB

8GB/32GB

16GB/32GB

32GB/32GB

8 GB/ 32 GB

Rear/Front Camera

8.0MP/2.0MP

13MP/8MP

13MP/5MP

8MP/5MP

13MP/5MP

5 MP / 2 MP

5,050

2,500

2,900

2,800

3,000

1,800

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/No

Yes/Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes/yes

Yes/Yes/Yes

YES

Dual SIM

Yes

YES

Music Player/FM

Yes/Yes

Yes/-

YES

Launch

June, 2016

April, 2016

September, 2015

November, 2015

May,2016

OCTOBER' 2016

Price Rs.

7,290

6,999

8,499

9,999

6,599

Battery (mAh)

www.mymobileindia.com

9,199

FEBRUARY 2017 I 117

MYGUIDE RS. 6,000 – RS. 9,999

RS. 6,000 – RS. 9,999

MODELS

RS. 6,000 – RS. 9,999

LENOVO

PARAMETERS

LYF

Vibe P1m

K5 Plus

K3 Note

K6 Power

Wind 5

Display (inches/res)

5/ 720 x 1280

5.0/720 x 1280

5.0/1080 x 1920

5.5/1080 x 1920

5/1920x1080

5/ 720 x 1280

5/ 480 x 854

Dimension (mm)

142 x 71 x 7.99

141 x 71.8 x 9.3

142 x 71 x 8.2

152.6 x 76.2 x 8

141.9x70.3x9.3

144.6 x 72.8 x 8.45

143.6 x 72.5 x 8.95

Weight (grams)

142

148

142

150

145

137

Processor/RAM

QS 415/ 2GB

MT6735P /2GB

QS616/2GB

MT6752 /2GB

QS 430/3GB

MT6735P/ 1GB

1.1GHz Quad Core/ 1.5GB

Operating system

Android 5.1

Android 5.0

Android 6.0

Android 5.1

Android 5.0

Storage/Expandable

16GB/ Yes

16GB/32GB

32GB/128GB

8GB/ 32GB

8GB/32GB

Rear/Front Camera

13MP/ 5MP

8MP/5MP

13MP/5MP

13MP/8MP

8MP/ 5MP

5MP/5MP

2,750

4,000

2750

2,900

4,000

2,000

2,125

2G/3G/4G

Yes/ Yes/ Yes

Yes/Yes/Yes

Yes/ Yes/ Yes

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

Yes

Music Player/FM

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Yes/Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Launch

June, 2016

September, 2015

April, 2016

March, 2015

November,2016

June, 2016

January, 2016

Price Rs.

6,999

7,499

8,499

9,999

6,599

8,690

Model

Battery (mAh)

RS. 6,000 – RS. 9,999

MODELS

RS. 6,000 – RS. 9,999

MICROMAX

PARAMETERS

MOTOROLA

Model

Canvas Unite 4

Canvas Amaze 2

Canvas XP 4G

Canvas 5

Canvas Unite 4 Pro

Canvas Sliver 5

Moto G4 Play

Display (inches/res)

5.0/ 1280 x 720

5/ 720 x 1280

5.0/720 x 1280

5.2/1080 x 1920

5.0/ 1280 x 720

4.8/720 x 1280

5/720x1280

Dimension (mm)

5.1mm thick

144.4x72x9.9

Weight (grams)

137

Processor/RAM

MTK 6735P/1GB

QS415/ 2GB

MT6735P/3GB

MT6753/3GB

Quad core/ 2GB

QS 410 /2GB

QS 410/2GB

Operating system

Android 6.0

Android 5.0.2

Android 5.1

Android 5.0.2

Android 6.0

Storage/Expandable

8GB/64GB

8GB/ 32GB

16GB/32GB

16GB/64GB

16GB/32GB

16GB/No

16GB/128GB

Rear/Front Camera

8MP/5MP

13MP/ 5MP

8MP/2MP

13MP/5MP

8MP/5MP

2,500

2,000

2,900

3,900

2,000

2,800

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/Yes

Yes/ Yes/ Yes

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

Yes

Music Player/FM

Yes/Yes

Yes/-

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Launch

June, 2016

May, 2016

November, 2015

June, 2016

2,015

September, 2016

Price Rs.

6,999

7,499

9,999

7,499

8,387

8,999

Battery (mAh)

118 I FEBRUARY 2017

MYMOBILE

MYGUIDE RS. 6,000 – RS. 9,999

RS. 6,000 – RS. 9,999

MODELS

RS. 6,000 – RS. 9,999

MOTOROLA

PANASONIC

Moto E3 Power

Eluga Tapp

Galaxy J1 4G NEW

Galaxy On5

Galaxy On 5 Pro

Galaxy J2 (2016)

Galaxy J2 Pro (2016)

5/1280x720

4.3/480x800

5.0/720 x 1280

5.0/ 1280 x 720

5/720x1280

Dimension (mm)

148.3x71.6x9.55

142x70x8.6

129x68.2x8.9

142.3 x 72.1 x 8.5

142.4 x 71.1 x 8.0

142.4x71.1x8

Weight (grams)

153

138

131

149

138

Processor/RAM

MTK6735P/2GB

MTK6737V/2GB

Quad-core/1GB

Quad-core/1.5GB

Quad core/ 2GB

Quad core/ 1.5GB

Quad core/2GB

Operating system

Android 6.0

Android 5.1

Android 4.4 KitKat

Android 5.1

Android 6.0

Storage/Expandable

16GB/32GB

4GB/256GB

8GB/128GB

16GB/128GB

8GB/128GB

16GB/128GB

Rear/Front Camera

8MP/5MP

5MP/2MP

8MP/5MP

3,500

2,800

2,050

2,600

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

Januray 2017

October, 2015

July, 2016

July,2016

6,890

7,490

7,990

9,750

9,490

PARAMETERS

Model Display (inches/res)

Battery (mAh)

Music Player/FM Launch

September, 2016

Price Rs.

7,999

8,189

SAMSUNG

RS. 6,000 – RS. 9,999

MODELS

RS. 6,000 – RS. 9,999

TCL

PARAMETERS

XIAOMI

TCL 560

TCL 562

Redmi 2 Prime

5.5/ 1280x720

5.5/1920x1080

4.7/720 x 1280

Dimension (mm)

152x77x8

Weight (grams)

156

150

133

Processor/RAM

QS 210/2GB

MT6755M/3GB

Operating system

Android 6.0

Storage/Expandable Rear/Front Camera

Model

Redmi 3S/ 3s Prime Redmi Note Prime

Redmi Note 3

Redmi 3s Plus

5.5/720 x 1280

5.5/1080 x 1920

5/1280x720

154 x 78.7 x 9.45

150 x 76 x 8.65

139.3x69.6x8.5

144

185

164

144

QS 410/2GB

QS 430/ 2GB, 3GB

QS 410/2GB

QS 650/2GB,3GB

QS 430/2GB

Android 6.0

Android 4.4

Android 6.0

Android 4.4

Android 5.0.2

Android 6.0

16GB/32GB

32GB/64GB

16GB/32GB

16GB, 32GB/128GB

16GB/32GB

16GB,32GB/32GB

32GB/128GB

8MP/5MP

13MP/5MP

8MP/2MP

13MP/5MP

16MP/5MP

13MP/5MP

2,500

2,960

2,200

4,100

3,100

4,000

4000/4100

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

Yes

Music Player/FM

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

Yes/-

Yes/Yes

Launch

July, 2016

July,2016

August, 2015

August, 2016

December, 2015

March, 2016

October,2016

Price Rs.

6,999

9,999

6,999

6,999/ 8,999

7,999

9,999/ 11,999

9,499

Display (inches/res)

Battery (mAh)

www.mymobileindia.com

5/ 1280X720

134.00 x 67.20 x 9.4 139.4 X 69.7 X 8.5

FEBRUARY 2017 I 119

MYGUIDE RS. 6,000 – RS. 9,999

RS. 6,000 – RS. 9,999

MODELS

RS. 6,000 – RS. 9,999

VIDEOCON

PARAMETERS

Model

Graphite2

Graphite1

Delite21

Krypton3

Ultra30

Ultra50

Yunique

Display (inches/res)

4.5/1280x720

5/1280x720

5/1920X1080

4.7/720x1280

Dimension (mm)

137.55X70.28X10

136.76X69X10

146.66X74.3X10.52

144.5X73.14X9.74

144.31X73X10

148.24X72.56X11.44

134.5 x 67.5 x 8.3

Weight (grams)

129

127

151

153

186

128

Processor/RAM

Quad-core/1GB

Quad-core/2GB

Quad-core/3GB

QS 410 / 1GB

Operating system

Android 6.0

Android 5.1.

Storage/Expandable

8GB/64GB

16GB/32GB

32GB/64GB

8GB/32GB

Rear/Front Camera

5MP/2MP

8MP/2MP

13MP/5MP

8MP/2MP

2,000

3,000

4,000

3,000

2,000

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

Yes

Yes/Yes

Launch

September, 2015

Price Rs.

6,299

6,499

7,200

7,999

9,990

6,300

Battery (mAh)

Music Player/FM

RS. 6,000 – RS. 9,999

MODELS

RS. 10,000 – RS. 14,999

PARAMETERS

Model Display (inches/res)

ZEN

ZOPO

ZTE

Yuphoria

Cinemax 3

ZP331

Blade V6

Zenfone 2 (2GB/4GB)

Zenfone Selfie

ASUS Zenfone 3 lazer

5.0/720x1280

5.5/720x1280

4.5/ 854 x 480

5/ 1280 x 720

5.5/ 1080 x 1920

5.5/1080 x 1920

5.5/1920x1080

133 x 65.7 x 8.5

142X69.5X6.8

152.5 x 77.2 x 10.9 156.5 x 77.2 x 10.8

149x76x7.9

Dimension (mm)

142.4 x 73 x 8.2-9.35

Weight (grams)

143

August,2016

113

122

170

Processor/RAM

Quad core / 2GB

Quad core/2GB

Quad core/1GB

MTK 6735/2GB

IA Z3560 /2GB

QS615 /2GB,3GB

QS 430.4GB

Operating system

Android 5.1.1

Android 5.1

Android 5.0

Android 6.0

Storage/Expandable

16GB/32GB

8 GB/64 GB

16GB/128GB

Rear/Front Camera

8MP/5MP

5MP/3.2MP

5 MP/2 MP

13MP/5MP

13MP/13MP

13MP/8MP

2,230

2,900

1,700

2,500

3,000

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes/No

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

Yes

Music Player/FM

Yes/Yes

Yes/-

Yes/Yes/Yes

Launch

May, 2015

August, 2016

July, 2016

March, 2015

August, 2015

October,2016

Price Rs.

6,499

6,999

7,500

9,999

13999, 18,999

10,999/ 16,999

18,999

Battery (mAh)

120 I FEBRUARY 2017

16GB,32GB/128GB 16GB,32GB/128GB

32GB/128GB

MYMOBILE

MYGUIDE RS. 10,000 – RS. 14,999

RS. 10,000 – RS. 14,999

MODELS

RS. 10,000 – RS. 14,999

PARAMETERS

ASUS

COOLPAD

GIONEE

HONOR

Model

Zenfone 3 Max(ZC520TL)

Coolpad Note 5

Cool 1

F 103 Pro

Marathon M5 Lite

Honor 5C

Honor 5X

Display (inches/res)

5.2/1280x720

5.5/1920x1080

5.50/1080x1920

5.0/ 1280 x 720

5.0/720 x 1280

5.2/ 1920 x 1080

5.5/ 1080 x 1920

Dimension (mm)

149x73.7x8.55

152.00 x 74.80 x 8.20 145.3 x 70.5 x 8.5

143 x 69.9 x 8.5

147.1 x 73.8 x 8.3

151.3 x 76.3 x 8.15

Weight (grams)

148

173

142

182

156

158

Processor/RAM

Quad-core/3GB

QS 617/4GB

1.4GHz octa-core

Quad core/ 3GB

Quad Core/3GB

Kirin 650/ 2GB

QS 616 /2GB

Operating system

Android 6.0

Android 5.1

Android 6.0

Android 5.1.1

Storage/Expandable

32GB/32GB

32GB/64GB

32GB

16GB/128GB

32GB/128GB

16GB/128GB

Rear/Front Camera

13MP/5MP

13MP/8MP

13MP/5MP

8MP/5MP

13MP/8MP

13MP/5MP

4,100

4,010

4,000

2,400

4,000

3,000

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

Yes

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Yes/-

Launch

November,2016

October, 2016

January, 2017

July, 2016

December, 2015

June, 2016

January, 2016

Price Rs.

12,999

10,999

13,999

11,999

13,000

10,999

12,999

Battery (mAh)

Music Player/FM

RS. 10,000 – RS. 14,999

MODELS

RS. 10,000 – RS. 14,999

HTC

INFOCUS

LAVA

Desire 630

Epic 1

Le 1S

Le 2

Phab 2

Vibe K4 Note

Display (inches/res)

5.0/ 1280 x 720

5.5/1920x1080

5.5/720x1280

5.5/1080x1920

5.5/ 1920 x 1080

6.4/1920x1080

5.5/1080x1920

Dimension (mm)

146.9 x 70.9 x 8.3

153x76x8.4

151.9 x 94.7 x 8.3 151.9 x 74.2 x 7.6 151.1 x 74.2 x 7.7

175x89.5x6.89

153.67 X 76.45 X 9.14

Weight (grams)

140

Processor/RAM

QS 400/2GB

Operating system

PARAMETERS

Model

LEECO

LENOVO

153

169

153

225

158

Decca-core/3GB

Quad core/3GB

"MT H X10/3GB"

QS 652/ 3GB

MTK8735/3GB

MT 6753/3GB

Android 6.0

Android 5.1

Android 6.0

Android 5.1.

Storage/Expandable

16GB/2TB

32GB/128GB

16GB/32GB

32GB/No

32GB/128GB

16GB/128GB

Rear/Front Camera

13MP/5MP

16MP/8MP

13MP/8MP

13MP/5MP

16MP/8MP

13MP/5MP

2,200

3,000

4,050

3,300

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes/yes

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

Yes

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

Yes

Launch

February, 2016

November,2016

January, 2016

June, 2016

December,2016

January, 2016

Price Rs.

14,990

12,999

11,299

10,999

11,999

Battery (mAh)

Music Player/FM

www.mymobileindia.com

FEBRUARY 2017 I 121

MYGUIDE RS. 10,000 – RS. 14,999

RS. 10,000 – RS. 14,999

MODELS

RS. 10,000 – RS. 14,999

LENOVO

PARAMETERS

LYF

Vibe S1

Phab Plus

Vibe K5 Note

Phab 2 Plus

Water 7

K 10

Display (inches/res)

5.0/1080x1920

6.8/1080 x 1920

5.5/1920x1080

6.4/1920x1080

5.5/ 1080 x 1920

5.5/1920x1080

5.3/ 1280 x 720

Dimension (mm)

143.3 x 70.8 x 7.8

186.6 x 96.6 x 7.6

152x75.7x8.49

174x88x5.5

155.3 x 77.2 x 8.55

155.5x77.6x7.9

146.6x74.8x8.8

Weight (grams)

132

229

165

218

160

153

140

Processor/RAM

MT6752/3GB

QS 615 /2GB

Helio P10/4GB

MT/3GB

QS 615/ 2GB

QS 617/3GB

QS 410/2GB

Operating system

Android 5.0

Android 6.0

Android 5.1

Android 6.0

Android 5.0

Storage/Expandable

32GB/128GB

32GB/64GB

32GB/128GB

16GB/128GB

32GB/128GB

16GB/32GB

Rear/Front Camera

13MP/8 MP + 2 MP

13MP/5MP

13MP.8MP

13MP,13MP/8MP

13MP/5MP

16MP/8MP

13MP/5MP

2,420

3,500

4,050

3,000

3,200

2,300

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/-

Yes/Yes

Launch

November, 2015

October, 2015

Jaunuary,2016

November,2016

June, 2016

October,2016

January, 2016

Price Rs.

12,999

14,999

13,499

14,999

12,999

13,099

12,999

Model

Battery (mAh)

Music Player/FM

RS. 10,000 – RS. 14,999

MODELS

RS. 10,000 – RS. 14,999

PARAMETERS

MICROMAX

MOTOROLA

X Screen

G4 Stylus

Canvas 6

Canvas 6 Pro

Moto G Turbo Edition

Moto G4

Moto G4 Plus

Display (inches/res)

4.93/ 1280x720

5.7/ 720 x 1280

5.5/1920 x 1080

5.0/720 x 1280

5.5/ 1920 x 1080

5.5/ 1920X1080

Dimension (mm)

142.6 x 71.8 x 7.1

154.4 x 79.2 x 9.4

142.1 x 72.4 x 11.6

153 x 76.6 x 7.9

153X76.6X9.8

Weight (grams)

120

163

155

Processor/RAM

QS 410/2GB

QS 400 /1GB

MT6753/3GB

Helio x10/4GB

QS 615 /2GB

QS 617/2GB

QS 617/2GB,3GB

Operating system

Android 6.0

Android 5.0

Android 5.1

Android 5.1.1

Android 6.0.1

Android 6.1

Storage/Expandable

16GB/128GB

16GB/32GB

32GB/128GB

Yes/Yes

16GB/32GB

16GB/128GB

16GB, 32GB/128GB

Rear/Front Camera

13MP/8MP

13MP/5MP

13MP/8MP

13MP/5MP

16MP/5MP

2,300

3,000

2,470

3,000

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

Yes

Music Player/FM

Yes/Yes

Yes/-

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Yes

Launch

July, 2016

May, 2015

May, 2016

2,015

May, 2016

May,2016

Price Rs.

12,990

13,869

13,999

12,499

13,499/ 14,999

Model

Battery (mAh)

122 I FEBRUARY 2017

MYMOBILE

MYGUIDE RS. 10,000 – RS. 14,999

RS. 10,000 – RS. 14,999

MODELS

RS. 10,000 – RS. 14,999

PARAMETERS

MOTOROLA

NUBIA

PANASONIC

SAMSUNG

Model

Moto X (2nd Gen)

Z11 Mini

Eluga Note

Eluga Arc

Galaxy On7

Galaxy J5

Display (inches/res)

5.2/1080 x 1920

5/1920x1080

5.5/1920x1080

5.5/ 1920 x 1080

4.7/720x1280

5.5/1280 x 720

5.0/1280 x 720

Dimension (mm)

140.8 x 72.4 x 9.9

141.4x70x8

150.9x79x8.9

146.00x74.50x8.10

139 x 67 x 8.10

77.5x151.8x8.2

142.1 x 71.8 x 7.9

Weight (grams)

144

138

190

142

130

171

146

Processor/RAM

QS801 /2GB

QS/3GB

MTK P10/3GB

Octa Core/3GB

QS 410/2GB

Quad-core/1.5GB

Operating system

Android 4.4.4

Android 5.1

Android 6.0

Android 5.1

Storage/Expandable

16GB, 32GB/64GB

32GB/200GB

32GB/128GB

32GB/32GB

16GB/32GB

8GB/128GB

Rear/Front Camera

13MP/2MP

16MP/8MP

13MP/13MP

16MP/5MP

8MP/5MP

13MP/5MP

2,300

2,800

5,000

3,000

1,800

3,000

2,600

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes/yes

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

yes

Yes

Music Player/FM

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

Launch

2,015

October,2016

December,2016

July, 2016

April,2016

October, 2015

June, 2015

Price Rs.

16,999/ 17,999

12,999

11,999

13,290

12,490

10,990

11,390

Battery (mAh)

RS. 10,000 – RS. 14,999

MODELS

RS. 10,000 – RS. 14,999

SAMSUNG

PARAMETERS

XIAOMI

Model

Galaxy J Max

Galaxy J5 (2016)

Galaxy J7

J5 Prime

Galaxy On7 Pro

Mi 4i

Mi Max

Display (inches/res)

7.0/ 1280 x 800

5.2/1280x720

5.5/720 x 1280

5/1080x720

5.5/1280 x 720

5.0/1080 x 1920

6.44/1920x1080

Dimension (mm)

186.9 x 108.8 x 8.7

145.7 x 72.3 x 8.1

152.2 x 78.6 x 7.5

142.8x69.5x8.1

151.8 x 77.5 x 8.2

138.1 x 69.6 x 7.8

173.1x88.3x7.5

Weight (grams)

158

171

143

171

130

203

Processor/RAM

Quad core/1.5GB

QS 410/2GB

Octa Core/1.5GB

Quad-core/2GB

Quad core/ 2GB

QS 615/2GB

QS 650,652/3GB,4GB

Operating system

Android 5.1

Android 6.0

Android 5.1

Android 6.0

Android 5.0

Android 6.0

Storage/Expandable

8GB/200GB

16GB/128GB

16GB/256GB

16GB/128GB

16GB,32GB/No

32GB,128GB/128GB

Rear/Front Camera

8MP/2MP

13MP/5MP

8MP/5MP

13MP/5MP

16MP/5MP

4,000

3,100

3,000

2,400

3,000

3,120

4,850

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

Yes

Music Player/FM

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

Launch

July, 2016

May, 2016

2,015

September,2016

July, 2016

April, 2015

June,2016

Price Rs.

13,400

13,990

14,250

14,790

11,190

11,999/ 14,999

14,999

Battery (mAh)

www.mymobileindia.com

FEBRUARY 2017 I 123

MYGUIDE RS. 10,000 – RS. 14,999

RS. 10,000 – RS. 14,999

MODELS

RS. 10,000 – RS. 14,999

PARAMETERS

VIDEOCON

VIVO

ZOPO

Y51L

Y55L

Yureka Plus (YU5510A,YU5510 )

5/1280x720

5.0/ 540x960

5.2/1280x720

5.5/1080x1920

5.5/(1080X1920)

6.0/1080 x 1920

5.0 / 1280 x 720

Dimension (mm)

144.5X73.14X9.74

143.80 X 71.70 X 7.52

147.9x72.9x7.5

155 x 78 x 9

153.3X75.4X8.5

145.9 x 71.4 x 8.5

Weight (grams)

152.5

157

142

154

172

137

Processor/RAM

Quad-core/3GB

QS 410/2GB

QS 430/2GB

QS 615/2GB

MT Helio P10/4GB

MTK6753T/3GB

Quad-core/1GB

Operating system

Android 6.0

Android 5.0.2

Android 6.0

Android 4.4.4

Androis 5.1.1

Android 5.1.1

Android 5.1

Storage/Expandable

32GB/64GB

16GB/128GB

16GB/32GB

32GB/128GB

16GB/Yes

8GB/64GB

Rear/Front Camera

13MP/5MP

8MP/5MP

13MP/5MP

13MP/8MP

8.0MP/2.0MP

3000

2,350

2,650

2,500

4,000

2,100

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/yes

Yes/Yes/No

Yes/Yes/Yes

yes/yes/yes

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

Yes

yes

Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/yes

Yes/Yes

yes

Yes/Yes

Launch

January, 2016

October,2016

July, 2015

May,2016

April, 2016

Price Rs.

10,490

10,700

11,980

8,999

12,999

13,499

10,000

Cube3

Model Display (inches/res)

Battery (mAh)

Music Player/FM

RS. 10,000 – RS. 14,999

Yunicorn

Yureka Note

ZP350

RS. 15,000 – RS. 19,999

MODELS

RS. 15,000 – RS. 19,999

ZOPO

PARAMETERS

ZUK

ASUS

CREO

GIONEE

Zenfone 3 Max(ZC553KL)

Mark 1

Marathon M5

ZP370

Hero 1

Zenfone 2 Laser ZE601KL

Display (inches/res)

5.5/ 1280 x 720

5.0/1280 x 720

5.5/1920 x 1080

6.0/ 1080 x 1920

5.5/1920x1080

5.5/ 1440x2560

5.5/ 720 x 1280

Dimension (mm)

153.8 x 77.1 x 9

146.1 x 70.6 x 8.65

155.7 x 77.3 x 8.9

164.6 x 84 x 10.6

151.4x76.24x8.3

155.4 x 76.1 x 8.7

152 x 76 x 8.6

Weight (grams)

167

136

175

190

175

190

211

Processor/RAM

Ouad-core/1GB

Quad-core/2GB

QS 801/3GB

QS 616/3GB

QS 430/3GB

Helio X10 /3GB

MT6735/3GB

Operating system

Android 5.1

Android 5.1.1

Android 5.0

Android 6.0

Android 5.1.1

Android 5.1

Storage/Expandable

8GB/64GB

16 GB/64 GB

64GB/No

32GB/128GB

32GB/-

32GB/128GB

Rear/Front Camera

8.0MP/2.0MP

13.2 MP/5.0MP

13MP/8MP

13MP/5MP

16MP/8MP

21MP/8MP

13MP/5MP

3,000

2,500

4,100

3,000

4,100

3,100

6,020

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/-

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

Model

Battery (mAh)

Music Player/FM Launch

May, 2016

December, 2015

November,2016

April,2016

November,2015

Price Rs.

11,000

14,500

13,499

16,499

17,999

19,999

17,500

124 I FEBRUARY 2017

MYMOBILE

MYGUIDE RS. 15,000 – RS. 19,999

RS. 15,000 – RS. 19,999

GIONEE

HTC

LENOVO

MODELS

RS. 15,000 – RS. 19,999

PARAMETERS

S6s

Desire 728 LTE

Desire 828

Desire 825

HTC 10 Lifestyle

Vibe P1

Display (inches/res)

5.5/ 720 x 1280

5.5/1920x1080

5.5/ 720 x 1280

5.5/720 x 1280

5.5/ 1280 x 720

5.5/1920x1080

5.5/1080x1920

Dimension (mm)

151.9 x 74.6 x 6.9

154.5x75.6x8.15

157.9 x 77.8 x 7.8

157.9 x 77.8 x 7.89

156.9 x 76.9 x 7.4

156.9x76.9x7.7

152.9 x 75.6 x 9.9

Weight (grams)

147

166

153

148

155

187

Processor/RAM

MT6753T /3GB

1.3GHZ OCTA CORE/3GB

MT6753/2GB

MT6753/1.5GB

QS 400/2GB

QS 400/3GB

QS615 /2GB

Operating system

Android 5.1.1

Android 6.0

Android 5.1.1

Android 5.1

Android 6.0

Android 5.1

Storage/Expandable

32GB/128GB

32gb/128gb

16GB/200GB

16GB/2TB

32GB/2TB

32GB/128GB

Rear/Front Camera

13MP/5MP

13MP/8MP

13MP/5MP

3,150

3,159

2,800

2,700

5,000

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes/No

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

Launch

November, 2015

August,2016

November, 2015

February, 2016

September,2016

October, 2015

Price Rs.

19,999

17, 999

15,500

18,700

14,490

15,990

15,499

Model

Battery (mAh)

Music Player/FM

RS. 15,000 – RS. 19,999

MODELS

RS. 15,000 – RS. 19,999

LENOVO

PARAMETERS

LYF

MOTOROLA

NEXTBIT

Vibe Shot

Vibe X3

Z2 Plus

Earth 1

Earth 2

Moto X Play

Robin

Display (inches/res)

5.0/1080 x 1920

5.5/1080x1920

5/1920x1080

5.5/1080x1920

5/1920x1080

5.5/1080 x 1920

5.2/ 1080 x 1920

Dimension (mm)

142.7 x 70 x 7.6

154 x 76.5 x 9.3

140.2x60x6.2

154 x 76.6 x 7.25

142x76x7.9

148 x 75 x 10.9

149 x 72 x 7

Weight (grams)

145

175

150

162.5.

140

169

Processor/RAM

QS 615/3GB

QS 808 /3GB

QS 820/3GB,4GB

QS 615/3GB

QS615 /2GB

QS 808/3GB

Operating system

Android 5.1

Android 6.0

Android 5.1.1

Android 5.1

Android 5.1.1

Android 6.0

Storage/Expandable

32GB/128GB

32GB,64GB/128GB

32GB/32GB

32GB/64GB

16GB,32GB/128GB

32GB/ 100GB

Rear/Front Camera

16MP/8MP

21MP/8MP

13MP/8MP

13MP + 2MP/5MP

13MP/13MP

21MP/5MP

13MP/5MP

3,000

3,500

2500

3,630

2,680

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes/yes

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

Yes

Music Player/FM

Yes/Yes

Yes/-

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Launch

June, 2015

December, 2015

September,2016

January, 2016

Sept, 2015

May, 2016

Price Rs.

18,500

19,999

19,499

19,999

16,999/ 17,999

19,999

Model

Battery (mAh)

www.mymobileindia.com

FEBRUARY 2017 I 125

MYGUIDE RS. 15,000 – RS. 19,999

RS. 15,000 – RS. 19,999

MODELS

RS. 15,000 – RS. 19,999

PARAMETERS

OPPO

SAMSUNG

VIVO

F1 S

Galaxy J7 (2016)

Galaxy On8

On Nxt

J7 Prime

Display (inches/res)

5.5/1280x720

5.5/1920x1080

5.0/1280×720

5.5/1280x720

Dimension (mm)

154 x 76 x 7.38

76 x 151 x 7.8

151.7x76x7.8

151.7x75x8

143.6 x 71 x 7.5

153.8x75.5x7.55

Weight (grams)

160

169

167

138

154

Processor/RAM

MTK 6750/3GB

Exynos 7870/2GB

Octa-core/3GB

QS 616/3GB

octa-core/4GB

Operating system

Android 5.1.1

Android 6.0

Android 5.1

Android 6.0

Storage/Expandable

32GB/128GB

16GB/128GB

32GB/256GB

16MP/256GB

32GB/128GB

Rear/Front Camera

13MP/16MP

13MP/5MP

13MP/8MP

13MP/20MP

3,075

3,300

2,550

3,000

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/Yes

Yes/yes/Yes

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

Yes

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

Yes/yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/-

Yes/Yes

Launch

August, 2016

May, 2016

September,2016

October,2016

September,2016

May, 2016

November,2016

Price Rs.

17,990

15,990

15,900

18,490

18,790

17,980

18,288

Model

Battery (mAh)

Music Player/FM

RS. 15,000 – RS. 19,999

RS. 20,000 – RS. 29,999

MODELS

RS. 20,000 – RS. 29,999

ZOPO

PARAMETERS

APPLE

BLACKBERRY

COOLPAD

Model

ZOPO SPEED 7

ZOPO SPEED 7 PLUS

iPhone 5S

Zenfone 3

Zenfone 3 Ultra

DTEK 50

Max

Display (inches/res)

5.0/1920 x 1080

5.5/ 1920 x 1080

4.0/640 x 1136

5.2,5.5/(1920x1080)

6.8/(1920x1080)

5.2/1920x1080

5.5/1920x1080

Dimension (mm)

153.6 x 76.5 x 8.8

123.8 x 58.6 x 7.6 146.87 x 73.98 x 7.69 186.4 x 93.9 x 6.8

147x72.5x7.4

152x75.5x7.6

Weight (grams)

164

112

144

233

135

170

Processor/RAM

Octa-core/3GB

Octa-core /3GB

Dual-core/1GB

QS 625/3GB,4GB

QS 652/4GB

QS 617/3GB

QS 617/4GB

Operating system

Android 5.1

iOS 9.2.1

Android 6.0

Android 5.1

Storage/Expandable

16 GB/64 GB

16GB,32GB,64GB/No

32GB,64GB/2TB

64GB/128GB

16GB/2TB

64GB/128GB

Rear/Front Camera

13 MP/5.0MP

8MP/1.2MP

16MP/8MP

23MP/8MP

13MP/8MP

13MP/5MP

2,500

3,000

1,560

4,600

3000

2,800

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/Yes

yes/yes/yes

Dual SIM

Yes

yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Yes

Yes/Yes

yes

Launch

September, 2013

August,2016

August, 2016

November,2016

May, 2016

Price Rs.

15,500

17,500

23,000 onwards

21,999/ 27,999

29,999

21,990

24,999

Battery (mAh)

Music Player/FM

126 I FEBRUARY 2017

MYMOBILE

MYGUIDE RS. 20,000 – RS. 29,999

RS. 20,000 – RS. 29,999

MODELS

RS. 20,000 – RS. 29,999

GIONEE

PARAMETERS

HONOR

HTC

LEECO

M5 Plus

Gionee S6 Pro

Honor 8

Honor 7

Desire 10 Pro

Max 2

6.0/1920 x 1080

5.5/1920x1080

5.2/1920x1080

5.2/1080 x 1920

5.5/ 1080 x 1920

5.5/1920x1080

5.7/(2560X1440)

Dimension (mm)

153x75.3x7.6

145.5x71x7.45

143.2 x 71.9 x 8.5

153.9 x 75.9 x 7.99

156.5x76x7.86

156.8 x 77.6 x 7.99

Weight (grams)

210.8g

170

153

157

170

165

185

Processor/RAM

Octa Core/3GB

octa-core/4GB

Kirin 950/4GB

HS Kirin 935/3GB

MT H X10/ 3GB

Helio P10/4GB

QS 820/4GB, 6GB

Operating system

Android 5.1

Android 6.0

Android 5.0

Android 6.0

Storage/Expandable

64GB/128GB

64GB/256GB

32GB/128GB

16GB/128GB

32GB/2TB

64GB/2TB

32GB, 64GB

Rear/Front Camera

13MP/5MP

13MP/8MP

12MP,12MP/8MP

20MP/8MP

13MP/5MP

20MP/13MP

21MP/8MP

5,020

3,130

2,900

3,100

3,000

3000

3,100

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes/yes

Yes/Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes/yes

yes/yes/yes

Dual SIM

Yes

yes

Music Player/FM

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

yes

Launch

May, 2016

October,2016

October, 2016

July, 2015

May, 2016

November,2016

June,2016

Price Rs.

27,000

21,130

29,000

22,999

25,990

26,490

22,999/ 29,999

Model Display (inches/res)

Battery (mAh)

RS. 20,000 – RS. 29,999

MODELS

RS. 20,000 – RS. 29,999

PARAMETERS

MOTOROLA

NUBIA

ONEPLUS

Stylus 2

Stylus 2 Plus

Nexus 5X

Moto X Style

Moto Z Play

Z11

Display (inches/res)

5.7/1280X720

5.7/ 1920 x 1080

5.2/ 1080 x 1920

5.7/ 1440 x 2560

5.5/1920x1080

5.5/1920z1080

5.5/1080p

Dimension (mm)

155 x 79.6 x 7.4

155 X 79.6 X 7.4

147 x 72.6 x 7.9

153.9 x 76.2 x 11.06

156.4x76.4x6.99

151.8x72.3x7.5

151.8x74.9x9.85

Weight (grams)

145

146

136

179

165

162

175

Processor/RAM

Quad Core /2GB

Octa Core/3GB

QS 808/2GB

QS 808/3GB

QS 625/3GB

QS 820/6GB

QS 810/3GB&4GB

Operating system

Android 6.0

Android 5.1

Storage/Expandable

16GB/2TB

32GB/2TB

16GB,32GB/No

16GB,32GB/128GB

32GB/2TB

64GB/2TB

64GB

Rear/Front Camera

13MP/8MP

16MP/8MP

12.3MP/5MP

21MP/5MP

16MP/5MP

16MP/8MP

13MP/5MP

3,000

2,700

3,000

3,510

3000

3,300

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

Yes

Music Player/FM

Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Launch

May,2016

July, 2016

October, 2015

September, 2015

October,2016

December,2016

July, 2015

Price Rs.

20,500

24,000

24,490/30,645

26,999/ 28,999

24,999

29,999

22,999

Model

Battery (mAh)

www.mymobileindia.com

FEBRUARY 2017 I 127

MYGUIDE RS. 20,000 – RS. 29,999

RS. 20,000 – RS. 29,999

MODELS

RS. 20,000 – RS. 29,999

ONEPLUS

PARAMETERS

SAMSUNG

SMARTRON

SONY

Galaxy A7

Galaxy A5 (2016)

Galaxy A7 (2016)

t phone

Xperia XA

Display (inches/res)

5.5/1920x1080

5.5/1080 x 1920

5.2/1080 x 1920

5.5/ 1080 x 1920

5.5/1920x1080

5.0/1280 x 720

Dimension (mm)

152.7X74.7X7.35

152.7x74.5x7.35

151 x 76.2 x 6.3

144.8 x 71 x 7.3

151.5 x 74.1 x 7.3

158.2x78.2x6.98

143.6 x 66.8 x 7.9

Weight (grams)

158

141

153

169

149

137

Processor/RAM

QS 820/6GB

QS 821/6GB

Octa Core/2GB

Octa Core/3GB

QS 810/4GB

MTK H P10/2GB

Operating system

Android 6.1

Android 6.0

Android 5.0.2

Android 5.1.1

Android 6.0

Storage/Expandable

64GB

16GB/64GB

16GB/128GB

64GB/128GB

16GB/200GB

Rear/Front Camera

16MP/8MP

16MP/16MP

13MP/5MP

13MP/4MP

13MP/5MP

3,000

3400

2,600

2,900

3,300

3,000

2,300

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

Yes

Music Player/FM

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

Yes/yYes

Yes/No

Launch

June, 2016

December.2016

February, 2015

April, 2016

December, 2015

July,2016

May, 2016

Price Rs.

27,999

29,999

22,900

21,900

25,900

22,999

20,990

Model

Battery (mAh)

RS. 20,000 – RS. 29,999

MODELS

RS. 20,000 – RS. 29,999

SONY

PARAMETERS

XIAOMI

VIVO

Xperia Z3+

Xperia C5 Ultra Dual

Xperia M5 Dual

Xperia XA Ultra

Mi 5

X5 Pro

V3 Max

Display (inches/res)

5.2/ 1080 x 1920

6.0/1080 x 1920

5/ 1080 x 1920

6/1920x1080

5.15/1080 x 1920

5.2/ 1080 x 1920

5.5/1080 x 1920

Dimension (mm)

146.3 x 71.9 x 6.9

164.2 x 79.6 x 8.2

145 x 72 x 7.6

164x79x8.4

144.5 x 69.2 x 7.25

147.9 x 73.5 x 6.4

153.9x77.1x7.58

Weight (grams)

144

187

143

202

129

151

168

Processor/RAM

QS 810 /3GB

MTK6752/2GB

MT H X10/3GB

MT6755/3GB

QS 820/3GB

QS 615/2GB

QS 652/4GB

Operating system

Android 5.0

Android 5.1

Android 6.0

Android 5.0

Android 5.1

Storage/Expandable

32GB/128GB

16GB/200GB

32GB/No

16GB/128GB

32GB/128GB

Rear/Front Camera

20.7MP/5MP

13MP/13MP

21.5MP/13MP

21.5MP/16MP

16MP/4MP

13MP/8MP

2,930

2,600

2,700

3,000

2,450

3,000

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

Yes

Music Player/FM

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

Launch

June, 2015

August, 2015

September, 2015

July,2016

April, 2016

June, 2015

April, 2016

Price Rs.

26,990

27,799

27,990

29,990

24,999

21,400

23,980

Model

Battery (mAh)

128 I FEBRUARY 2017

MYMOBILE

MYGUIDE RS. 30,000 AND ABOVE

RS. 30,000 AND ABOVE

MODELS

RS. 30,000 AND ABOVE

APPLE

PARAMETERS

iPhone 6

iPhone 6Plus

iPhone SE

iPhone 6S

iPhone 6S Plus

iPhone 7

iPhone 7 Plus

Display (inches/res)

4.7/750 x 1334

5.5/1080 x 1920

4.0/640 x 1136

4.7/750 x 1334

5.5/1080 x 1920

4.7/1334x750

5.5/1920x1080

Dimension (mm)

138.1 x 67 x 6.9

158.1 x 77.8 x 7.1

123.8 x 58.6 x 7.6

138.3 x 67.1 x 7.1

158.2 x 77.9 x 7.3

138.3x67.1x7.1

158.2x77.9x7.3

Weight (grams)

129

172

113

143

192

138

188

Processor/RAM

A8,M8/1GB

A9,M9/2GB

Operating system

iOS 9

iOS 9.3

iOS 9

Storage/Expandable

16GB,64GB/No

Rear/Front Camera

8MP/1.2MP

12MP/1.2MP

12MP/5MP

12MP/7MP

12MP,12MP/7MP

1,810

2,915

1,614

1,715

2,750

1,960

2,900

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/Yes

Yes/yes/Yes

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

Yes/No

Launch

September,2014

March, 2016

September,2015

October,2016

0ctober,2016

Price Rs.

27,990/45,990

48,500/57,000

30,990/44,000

43,000/ 58,000/ 67,000 53,000/68,000/77,000 55,000/65,000/80,000 72,000/82,000/92,000

Model

Battery (mAh)

Music Player/FM

iOS 10

16GB,64GB,128GB/ No 16GB,64GB,128GB/ No 32GB/128GB/256GB 32GB/128GB/256GB

RS. 30,000 AND ABOVE

MODELS

RS. 30,000 AND ABOVE

A10 Fusion, M10/2GB A10Fusion, M10/3GB

ASUS

PARAMETERS

BLACKBERRY

GOOGLE

HUAWEI

Model

Zenfone Zoom

Zenfone 3 Deluxe

Priv

DTEK 60

Pixel

Pixel XL

Nexus 6P

Display (inches/res)

5.5/1080 x 1920

5.7/(1920x1080)

5.4/1440 x 2560

5.5/2560x1440

5/1920x1080

5.5/2560x1440

5.7/1440 x 2560

Dimension (mm)

158.9 x 78.8 x 11.95

156.4x74.4x7.5

147 x 77.2 x 9.4

153.9x75.4x7

143.8x69.5x8.5

154.7x75.7x8.5

159.3 x 77.8 x 7.3

Weight (grams)

185

172

192

165

Processor/RAM

IA Z3590/4GB

QS 820,821/6GB

QS 808/3GB

QS 820/4GB

QS 821/4GB

QS810 /3GB

Operating system

Android 5.0

Android 6.0

Android 5.1

Android 6.0

Android 7.1

Android 6.0

Storage/Expandable

128GB/ 128GB

256GB/128GB

32GB/2TB

32GB,128GB/ No

32GB,64GB/No

Rear/Front Camera

13MP/5MP

23MP/8MP

18MP/2MP

21MP/8MP

12.3MP/8MP

3,000

3,410

2,610

2,770

3,450

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

Yes

Yes/No

Yes

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

Launch

January, 2016

September,2016

October, 2015

November,2016

October,2016

October, 2015

Price Rs.

37,999

49,999

34,999

46,990

57,000/66,000

67,000/76,000

34,999/ 39,999

Battery (mAh)

Music Player/FM

www.mymobileindia.com

178

FEBRUARY 2017 I 129

MYGUIDE RS. 30,000 AND ABOVE

RS. 30,000 AND ABOVE

MODELS

RS. 30,000 AND ABOVE

PARAMETERS

HUAWEI

HTC

LEECO

One A9

Le Max

G4 Dual SIM

V20

Display (inches/res)

5.2/1920x1080

5.0/1080 x 1920

5.2/ 2560X1440

6.33/2560 x 1440

5.5/1440 x 2560

5.3/ 2560x1440

5.7/2560x1440

Dimension (mm)

145x70.9x6.95

145.75 x 70.8 x 7.26

145.9 x 71.9x 9.0

83.5x167.1x8.95

148.9 x 76.1 x 8.9

149.4x73.9x7.3

159.5x77.9x7.6

Weight (grams)

144

143

161

204

155

159

174

Processor/RAM

Kirin 955/3GB,4GB

QS 617/3GB

QS 820/4GB

QS 810 /4GB

QS 808 /3GB

QS 820/4GB

Operating system

Android 6.0

android 6.0

Android 6.0

Android 5.1

Android 6.0

Android 7.0

Storage/Expandable

32GB,64GB,/128GB

32GB/2TB

64GB,128GB/No

32GB/2TB

32GB/100GB

64GB/2TB

Rear/Front Camera

12MP,12MP/8MP

13MP/4MP

12MP/5MP

21MP/4UP

16MP/8MP

16MP,8MP/5MP

3,000

2,150

3,000

3,400

3,000

2,800

3,200

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Launch

August,2016

December, 2015

May,2016

January, 2016

May, 2015

April,2016

December,2016

Price Rs.

39,999

31,990

52,460

32,999/ 36,999

34,800

52,990

54,999

Model

Battery (mAh)

Music Player/FM

RS. 30,000 AND ABOVE

MODELS

RS. 30,000 AND ABOVE

MOTOROLA

PARAMETERS

ONEPLUS

SAMSUNG

Model

Moto X Force

Moto Z

Galaxy S6

Galaxy S6 Edge

Galaxy A9 Pro

Samsung Galaxy Note 5

Display (inches/res)

5.4/1440 x 2560

5.5/2560x1440

5.5/1920x1080

5.1/ 1440 x 2560

6/1920x1080

5.7/1440 x 2560

Dimension (mm)

149.8 x 78 x 9.2

153.3x75.3x5.19

152.7x74.5x7.35

143.4 x 70.5 x 6.8

142.1 x 70.1 x 7

161.7x80.9x7.9

153.2 x 76.1 x 7.6

Weight (grams)

169

136

158

138

132

210

171

Processor/RAM

QS 810 /3GB

QS 820/4GB

QS 821/6GB

Octa core /3GB

octa-core/4GB

Quad core /4GB

Operating system

Android 5.1.1

Android 6.0

Android 5.0.2

Android 6.0

Android 5.1.1

Storage/Expandable

32GB,64GB/2TB

64GB/2TB

128GB

32GB,/No

32GB/No

32GB/256GB

32GB/No

Rear/Front Camera

21MP/5MP

13MP/5MP

16MP/16MP

16MP/5MP

16MP/8MP

16MP/5MP

3,760

2,600

3,400

2,550

2,600

5,000

3,000

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Launch

November, 2015

October,2016

December.2016

March, 2015

April, 2015

September,2016

August, 2015

Price Rs.

34,999/ 37,999

39,999

34,999

33,900

34,900

32,490

40,900/43,900

Battery (mAh)

Music Player/FM

130 I FEBRUARY 2017

MYMOBILE

MYGUIDE RS. 30,000 AND ABOVE

TABLETS

MODELS

RS. 30,000 AND ABOVE

SAMSUNG

PARAMETERS

SONY

APPLE

Galaxy S7

Galaxy S7 Edge

Xperia Z5 Dual

Xperia X

Xperia Z5 Premium

Xperia XZ

iPad Mini 2

Display (inches/res)

5.1/2560 X 1440

5.5/2560 X 1440

5.2/1080 x 1920

5/1920x1080

5.5/ 2160 x 3840

5.2/1920x1080

7.9/1536 x 2048

Dimension (mm)

69.6x142.4x7.9

72.6 x 150.9 x 7.7

146 x 72 x 7.3

143 x 69 x 7.7

154.4 x 76 x 7.8

146x72x8.1

200 x 134.7 x 7.5

Weight (grams)

152

157

156.5g

152

181

161

331

Processor/RAM

Exynos 8890/4GB

QS 810/3GB

QS 650/ 3GB

QS 810/3GB

QS 820/3GB

A7,M7/1GB

Operating system

Android 6.0

Android 5.1

Android 6.0

iOS 8

Storage/Expandable

32GB/200GB

64GB/ 200GB

32GB/200GB

64GB/256GB

16,32GB/No

Rear/Front Camera

12MP/5MP

23MP/5MP

23MP/13MP

23MP/5MP

23MP/13MP

5MP/1.2MP

3,000

3,600

2,900

2,620

3,430

2,900

23.8w

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes/No

Dual SIM

Yes

Music Player/FM

Yes/-

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Launch

March, 2016

November, 2015

July, 2016

November, 2015

October,2016

November, 2015

Price Rs.

43,400

50,900

37,000

38,990

47,990

49,990

17,949 onwards

Model

Battery (mAh)

TABLETS

MODELS

TABLETS

APPLE

PARAMETERS

Model

iPad Mini 4

iPad Pro 9.7-inch iPad Pro 12.9-inch iPad Air 2 with Wi-Fi WiFi/ Wi-Fi + Cellular WiFi/ WiFi + Cellular

ASUS

MICROMAX

SAMSUNG

ZenPad 8

LapTab

Galaxy Tab S2 9.7

Display (inches/res)

7.9/1536 x 2048

9.7/2048x1536

9.7/1536 x 2048

12.9/2732 x 2048

8.0/1280 x 800

10.1/1280X800

9.7/ 1536 x 2048

Dimension (mm)

203.2 x 134.8 x 6.1

240 x 169.5 x 6.1

305.7 x 220.6 x 6.9

209 x 123 x 8.5

259.2 x 175.4 x 9.2

237.3 x 169 x 5.6

Weight (grams)

298.8/304

437

713/ 723

350

1.1kg

392

Processor/RAM

A8,M8/2GB

A8X,M8/1GB

A9X,M9/2GB

"A9X,M9 /4GB"

QS MSM8929/2GB

Intel 4 Gen/2GB

Octa core/3GB

Operating system

iOS 9

iOS 9.3

iOS 9

Android 5.0

Windows 10

Android 5.0.2

Storage/Expandable

16GB,64GB,128GB/No

16GB, 64GB/No

32GB,128GB,256GB/No

32GB/No

16GB/-

32GB/64GB

32GB/128GB

Rear/Front Camera

8MP/1.2MP

12MP/5MP

8MP/1.2MP

8MP/2MP

2MP/2MP

8MP/2.1MP

19.1W

27.3W

27.9 W

38.5W

4,000

7,700

5,870

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

Yes/No

Spetember, 2015

October, 2014

March, 2016

November, 2015

July, 2015

2,015

September, 2015

38,000

49,900 Onwards/ 61,900 onwards

65,900 nwards/ 85,900 onwards

12,496

10,999

38,500

Battery (mAh)

Music Player/FM Launch Price Rs.

28,500

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FEBRUARY 2017 I 131

Gadget Corner

add-ons

ASUS ZenWatch 3 Style your hand like never before

Pric e: R s

17,5 99/ Rs

18,9 99

enWatch 3 is the new Asus wearable device with a

which ASUS claims can charge the smartwatch up to 60

1.39-inch rounded screen in AMOLED display. The

per cent in just 15 minutes. The smartwatch comes with

watch boasts a sturdy feature, such as the Corning Gorilla

a snap on magnetic charger. It has IP67 water resistance

Glass 3, and also shows off a classic design that can

certifications and houses a 6-axis (G+A) and ambient light

be elegantly worn on any occasion. It is a customizable

sensor for tracking physical activities.

device that enables users to personalize it while providing

ZenWatch 3 is built from jewelry-grade 316L stainless

vital information. The smartwatch runs on Android Wear

steel which is 82 per cent stronger than conventional steel.

platform and is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Wear

The watch’s casing is round and comes with a diameter of

2100 chipset. Boasting a 512MB of RAM and 4GB of

just less than 45mm and is about 9.95 mm thick.

internal storage, the smartwatch is compatible with both Android and iOS devices.

The smartwatch comes in variants, one with the Gunmetal Casing and Leather strap priced at Rs 18,999

The device supports Bluetooth 4.1, Wi-Fi and comes

and another one with the Silver casing and Rubber strap

with built-in microphone for call and messaging. There

priced at Rs 17,599. Both the variants are available on

is a 340 mAh battery inside which supports quick-charge

Flipkart. n

132 | february 2017

MYMOBILE

ConveGenius’s CG Slate —SD Card Version Now you can convert your own smartphone or tablet into a CG Slate

aking learning technology affordable and easily

premium learning modules mapped to NCERT curriculum. It

accessible to all, ConveGenius, the leading EdTech

makes learning fun through interactive video stories, books,

Company, has launched the Micro SD Card version of their

educational worksheets, quizzes, and fun games. Subjects

successful Edutainment Solution-CG Slate. The CG Slate

are broken down into levels and stages, and as the child

Micro SD Card is available in three variants – for Classes

learns, the learning scores provide access to more play time

KG-2, Classes 3-5, and Classes KG-5, all mapped to the

to enjoy games, cartoons, videos etc. The learning can also

NCERT curriculum. The Company had earlier collaborated

yield cash backs on their favourite toys on Flipkart. Parents

with Lenovo to launch CG Slate Tablet. CG Slate comes

can also regularly track the child’s progress and be more

with a ‘single device only’ license compatible with Android

involved with

OS 4.3 and above.

the online report

Any smartphone/tablet can be converted into a CG

card. Currently,

Slate by inserting the Micro SD Card and loading the

the new Micro

CG Slate app (from the Google Play Store). With the

SD card solution

newest app update, the app also restricts access to other

applications on the phone, if set in the restrictive mode,

exclusively on the

hence allowing parent to safely let their children use their

CG Slate Official

personal devices.

Website.n

Gadget Corner

add-ons

available

CG Slate ensures integrated learning from its 1500+

Price: Rs 1,999

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january 2017 | 141

Gadget Corner

add-ons

Price: Rs 28,500

Samsung Gear S3 smartwatch Smarten up your lifestyle

he new device is the successor to Samsung’s Gear

designed for wearable devices to provide a tougher,

S2 smartwatch. The wearable is available in two

more scratch resistant and crisp display.

variants - Classic and Frontier. The IP68 certified,

The 16 million colours Super AMOLED technology

water resistant smartwatch delivers up to four days

enhances the display on the S3. With Always On

of battery backup, claims the company. It has a

Display (AOD) feature, the watch always shows the

dedicated app store, built-in speaker, and GPS. The

time rather than automatically fading to black.

Gear S3 is compatible with 22mm watch bands so that consumers can easily personalize their watches.

The Gear S3’s signature rotating bezel has been enhanced with new features. Without touching the

With a 1.3-inch display, it runs Samsung’s own

screen, users can accept or reject a call or snooze

Tizen OS, is powered by a 1GHz dual core processor

an alarm. Additionally, the watch allows drawing on

along with 768MB of RAM, and features a 380mAh

the display which converts messages to texts and

battery. Connectivity options include Bluetooth, Wi-Fi,

emojis, automatically. Users can also create short

and 3G/LTE support. The watch offers 4GB of internal

reminders and to-do lists to manage schedules with

storage as well.

the reminders application, which can accept input

For the first time on the Gear series, the S3 features Corning Gorilla Glass SR+, which is specifically

134 | february 2017

details by voice as well. The Gear S3 also has an SOS feature. n

MYMOBILE

Creative Muvo 2 Powerful splashproof bluetooth speaker that delivers impressive audio with deep bass

reative Technology has launched Muvo 2 with high-performance splashproof/dustproof (IP66-

rated) speakers. Muvo 2 is designed to provide today’s smartphone and tablet users with a small but powerful Bluetooth speaker that they can take with them just about anywhere. Muvo 2 is waterproof and even dustproof. The Creative Muvo 2 also allows users to connect a second speaker wirelessly for an even wider sound stage.

Highlights of the Creative Muvo 2 Series

quality lossless FLAC and WAV, WMA and MP3 formats. Splash-proof for Even the Wildest Pool-parties: Weathertested up to IP66 standards, the speakers are water and dust resistant. Users can enjoy their music in wet weather, or the wildest pool party, or when they are off the beaten track. Takes Calls: The speaker doubles up as a speakerphone when Bluetooth connected to a user’s smartphone and lets them toggle between their music playback and incoming calls. Customizable Sound: Users can connect the speakers to a

Surprisingly Deep Bass: Featuring an oversized passive

PC or Mac and use Sound Blaster Control Panel software

radiator for enhanced bass, and in-house tuned full-range

to customize their audio till they get the sound they want.

speaker drivers, the Muvo 2 deliver surprisingly big sound

Sound Blaster Control Panel lets users personalize their

with enhanced bass.

acoustic profile, tweak EQ settings, and even select a

Share Music with Wider Stereo: Connect 2 Speakers

music source.

Wirelessly. Users can share music with their friends with

Customizable Sound: A smart device iOS/Android app is

an even wider sound stage! Users can connect two speakers

slated for release at a later date after the launch of the

together (to an identical model) wirelessly for even bigger

speaker. This free app will allow users to view, browse, and

sound and an even wider stereo experience with the

play songs on the MicroSD Card inserted onto the speakers.

speaker’s Stereo Wireless Link technology.

Check creative.com for app availability. n

Plays Thousands of Songs without a Smart Device: Muvo 2 comes with Built-in MP3 Player. Users can save the

Gadget Corner

add-ons

Price: Rs 8,999

battery on their smart device! Store thousands of songs on a MicroSD Card and play directly from the speakers without committing their smart device. Supports high-

www.mymobileindia.com

february 2017 | 135

Gadget Corner

add-ons Betty – The Smart Plug Remain connected with your appliances while ensuring home safety too!

eyond Evolution, a Gurgaon based technology

your appliance at a set time. You can also monitor energy

solutions start-up, promises to make our lives much

consumption of the appliance on the mobile app. Wow!

easier and convenient to live, with its smart-plug-plus-

Betty works on GSM connectivity thereby eliminating

mobile-app-solution called ‘Betty’. This smart plug has

any dependence or requirement of wifi network. This

been launched on the company’s (IoT) platform called

makes Betty highly portable and hence it can operate from

be-connected.

almost anywhere. Betty, apart from being a smartplug

Betty lets you remotely monitor, control and manage your daily appliances from anywhere and at anytime. Isn’t

also has an additional unique feature of doubling up as a security device. n

that a blessing for workaholics like us in today’s world?? You wonder how? So here it is. Say for instance, how many times have we forgotten to turn off our geyser or A/C in the hurry of getting to office etc. only to find it ON when we get back? What’s worse is that it eventually hits us on our pockets in the form of high electricity bills. How often have we been in a situation where we forgot to turn on the water motor pump leading to no water that day or wished we didn’t have to wake up every morning to Turn it ON and OFF? Wait no more. To cater to these and more everyday problems, Betty smart plug is the ideal solution. Betty smartplug lets you remotely control any home appliance via the be-connected app from anywhere. Using Betty you can not only Turn ON or Off your appliance from anywhere but also set scheduler for automatic on off of

Price: Rs 2,499

144 | january 2017

MYMOBILE

Gadget Corner

add-ons Ambrane’s BT-6000 Touch Lamp Speakers The mood uplifter

iding high on being a top player in power banks, Ambrane India has entered the

audio segment with Touch Lamp Speakers - BT 6000 - which lets you start enjoying euphonious tunes with a warm and tender light from now on! Compact and Lightweight not only it plays Music but also adds style to your décor with its unique touch controlled 7 mode LED Light! The ideal combination of dimmable light and Bluetooth speaker lets your mood do the talking! The adjustable brightness at the tap of your hand, enables you to create your desirable atmosphere with the dimmable controlled lights, makes it an ideal choice as your night lamp for reading or speaker to let the party play! Ergonomically designed with in-built LED

Lights and inbuilt buttons, the cylindrical shaped speaker is small enough to fit in your palms but the sound quality is awesome enough to blow you away. The Super Bass BT6000 resonates through any solid surface, with its magnetic trumpet inside the speaker that improves the quality of perceptible audio output, delivering a seamless experience with the latest Bluetooth 3.0 technology, & offering reliable audio transmission with 3 RMS speaker output, the speaker boasts incredible sound. The BT6000 speaker has a range of 10m and a battery backup of 1200 mAH; that facilitates users to play music for as long 6 hours straight. n

Price: Rs 1,999

www.mymobileindia.com

february 2017 | 137

Gadget Corner

add-ons Brainwavz B Series A balanced armature earphones

rainwavz’s newset line of earphones, the B Series, utilizes advanced ‘Balanced Armature Speaker

The Brainwavz B150

Technology’ in order to produce high grade audiophile

earphones are designed with

sound quality. The first of the two models in the new B

sound quality and comfort in mind.

series line up are designed for superb audio quality and

The ‘Single Balanced Armature’ has been tuned to produce

ergonomic comfort.

a balanced sound signature, with clear and detailed treble,

The Brainwavz B100 earphones are designed with sound

lush mids and a gentle bass. The B150 over the ear design

quality and comfort in mind. The single balanced armature

and small form factor allow for a comfortable and ergonomic

has been tuned to produce a well-rounded sound, focusing

fit. The B150 is ideal for those looking for a balanced sound

on reproducing clear vocals with a controlled bass. The

signature that can provide detailed sound reproduction.

B100 over the ear design and small form factor allow for

The products carry a 2 year warranty and is available at

a comfortable and ergonomic fit. The B100 is an ideal

Brainwavzaudio.in, and at Amazon.in

entry class balanced armature earphone that will satisfy

The price of B100 and B150 are Rs 4,199 and Rs 7,499

your audio needs regardless of what genre of music plays

respectively making them the most affordable balanced

through them.

armature earphones in India. n

Brainwavz B100 Features:

Brainwavz B150 Features:

• Well-rounded sound with controlled bass • Balanced armature drivers • Ergonomic over the ear design for comfortable fit • Specifications: • Drivers : Single Balanced Armature • Rated Impedance : 50 Ω • Frequency Range : 15 Hz ~ 22 kHz • Sensitivity : 110 dB at 1 mW • Cable : 1.3 m Y-Cord, Over the ear, OFC Copper • Plug : 3.5 mm, Gold plated

• Balanced sound signature, clear treble, lush mids and gentle bass. • Balanced armature driver. • Ergonomic over the ear design for comfortable fit. • Specifications: • Drivers : Single Balanced Armature • Rated Impedance : 30 Ω • Frequency Range : 16 Hz ~ 22 kHz • Sensitivity : 105 dB at 1 mW • Cable : 1.3 m Y-Cord, Over the ear, OFC Copper • Plug : 3.5 mm, Gold plated

B100 Price: Rs 4,199 B150 Price: Rs 7,499

138 | february 2017

MYMOBILE

iRobot’s Roomba and Braava World’s best selling robotic vacuum cleaners now in India

Robot’s home robots have been revolutionizing the way

Roomba seamlessly navigates an entire level of your

people clean – inside and out. More than 15 million

home, keeping track of its location and recharging as

home robots have been sold worldwide. The award-

needed until the job is done. The AeroForce™ Cleaning

winning iRobot Roomba Vacuum Cleaning Robot has

System with Carpet Boost automatically increases power

been leading the charge. Roomba made practical robots

on carpets where it’s needed most. And with the iRobot

a reality for the first time and showed the world that

HOME App, you can clean and schedule on the go. n

robots at home are here to stay. iRobot was founded in 1990 by Massachusetts Institute

Gadget Corner

add-ons

of Technology roboticists with the vision of making practical robots a reality. By now it has sold more than 15 million robots. In 2015, the brand generated $617 million in revenue and employed more than 500 of the robot industry’s top professionals. Now Bangalore based Puresight Systems Pvt Ltd has brought these famed utilitarian robots to India. They have introduced two models iRobot’s Roomba and Braava. The Roomba vacuum gives you cleaner floors, throughout your entire home, all at the push of a button.

www.mymobileindia.com

february 2017 | 139

Gadget Corner

add-ons

G-Shock & Baby-G from Casio The Perfect Valentine Gift Price: Rs 8,995

alentine’s Day is all about loving, sharing and expressing your feelings. No matter if it is your first

or tenth Valentine’s Day together, the spark that you both share is timeless. Expressing with a gift is an important

part of this special day and Casio India has come up with a unique gifting idea for your truly special one. The brand

Resin strap makes the watch comfortable to wear for

has introduced exclusive, brilliantly crafted and striking

a longer run. The watch further features an Auto light

timepieces from the house of G-Shock and Baby-G.

switch, selectable illumination duration, and the watch

The love filled watches G-Shock GA-110VLA-4ADR and

is capable to show the world time from 29 time zones

Baby-G BA-110VLA-4ADR create perfect gift for anyone

(48 cities + coordinated universal time), city code

on this Valentine’s Day. The flaming Red pair of watches

display, daylight saving on/off, Home city / World time

has a glossy red finish with a black dial ring along with

city swapping and second stopwatch.

golden lettering to bring out a brighter look. The concept

Baby-G BA-110VLA-4A also features a Mineral Glass

of coming up with red color is to portray the expressions

protection in the dial and features100-meter water

associated with the color like love and boldness while

resistance, making it super sturdy to wear at anytime

creating an ideal gift for your loved ones.

and anywhere. The Resin strap is comfortable to wear

The G-Shock GA-110VLA-4A features a Mineral Glass

and along with the LED backlight for the dial, the

on the dial, has magnetic resistant and shock resistant

watch features world time of 29 time zones (48 cities +

body. With 200-meter water resistance capabilities, the

coordinated universal time), city code display, daylight

watch is perfect to wear at any time and any place. The

saving on/off and 1/100-second stopwatch. n

140 | february 2017

MYMOBILE

Gadget Corner

add-ons

Bose Home Entertainment Systems Feel the music

argeting luxury lifestyle audience, Bose, a US-based audio equipment maker, has come up with three new

wireless products in the home entertainment segment – LifeStyle 650, LifeStyle 600 and SoundTouch 300 Soundbar.

The LifeStyle 650 The new home entertainment system comes with four OmniJewel satellite speakers, which have been used by Bose for the first time. The modules measure 4.7 x 14.7 x 4.7cm. The system is equipped with QuietPort technology and DSP for better sound clarity, along with features such as ADAPTiQ for optimal acoustics, 4K pass through with 6 HDMI ports. For simplification, it has Bose’s own Unify feature to connect with universal RF remote and multiple sources. Connectivity options include Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth enabled with NFC, the system being compatible with other SoundTouch systems as well.

Price: Rs 3,99,999

The LifeStyle 600 The LifeStyle 600 almost comes with the same features as the LifeStyle 650. It has four slightly larger Jewel Cube satellite speakers and one Jewel Cube center channel speaker.

Price: Rs 2,99,999.

The SoundTouch 300 The SoundTouch 300 Soundbar measures 97.8 x 10.8 x 5.7cm, and comes with Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth with NFC

www.mymobileindia.com

for pairing. The soundbar uses PhaseGuide technology to detect physical presence and adjust the soundtrack according to the listener’s position. It has two HDMI ports for connection. For clean bass at any volume level, it uses QuietPort technology. The ADAPTiQ feature it has, can be used for automatic customisation.

Price: Rs 69,000. These high-end lifestyle products will be available only at Bose retail stores. n

february 2017 | 141

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add-ons

Price: Rs 61,500

Lenovo Legion Y520 To enhance your gaming experience

argeted mainly at gamers, the Lenovo Legion Y520 laptop looks to offer good graphics performance, powerful processors, and efficient cooling systems. The new laptop comes with a 15.6-inch full-HD (1920x1080 pixels) IPS display with Anti-glare as well. It is also powered by up to seventh generation Intel Core i7 processors and up to a Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 Ti graphics card. It offers up to 16GB of DDR4 RAM, and you can customise with it 128GB, 256GB, 512GB of SSD storage, or 1TB, 2TB of HDD storage. The laptop comes with two Harman speakers for good audio quality, and weighs only 2.4kg. The device comes with backlit keyboards for ease in gaming in the night as well. The Lenovo Legion Y520 laptop starts at Rs 61,500, and will be available sometime in February. n

144 | december 2016

MYMOBILE

99 s 12,9 R : e c i Pr

iBall i360 CompBook A well-specced laptop

well-specced laptop with affordable price is all we

laptop is juiced by a 10,000mAh Li-Polymer battery and

need. With an attempt to cater to the need, home-

runs Windows 10 Operating System. It is topped with

grown company, iBall has added a new affordable laptop

connectivity options like Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth

to its CompBook series dubbed, the iBall i360 CompBook.

4.0, 1 x USB 2.0, 1 x USB 3.0, mini HDMI Port, 3.5mm

As the name suggests, the device can be converted into

audio combo jack for headphone and mic and dual

four modes, namely, laptop, stand, tablet and tent using

speakers.

the Robust Double Spindle 360-degree technology.

Coming to the performance, the laptop is just an average

Design-wise, the laptop is pretty good. It has a premium

one. The touch works fine, however, the problem arises

feel to it and combined with the sleek design, it gets

with the keyboard. The cursor at times acts unstable,

difficult to believe the price tag it comes with. Being sleek

which is not really user friendly. The device is compact

and 170mm thin, the laptop is a portable one and pretty

and portable in nature, which is a plus point. During our

flexible. So, it passes the look test with flying colours.

reviewing period, we didn’t really come across lags. The

Talking about the hardware specifications, the CompBook i360 sports an 11.6-inch HD multi-touch

battery life was fine, however, it takes a considerable amount of time to charge fully.

display and is powered by 1.84GHz quad-core Intel Atom

Taking the above mentioned specifications and its

processor coupled with 2GB DDR3 RAM. It has 32GB

performance into consideration, the i360 CompBook tries

of inbuilt storage which can be further expanded upto

to deliver good specs at such an affordable price. For

64GB using a memory card. Camera-wise, it features a

Rs 12,999, it can actually be considered as an option, if

0.3-megapixel front facing camera for video calling. The

you are looking for a portable notebook. n

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Gadget Corner

add-ons

february 2017 | 143

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add-ons

Sennheiser HD 200 PRO headphones Touted for the monitor-grade sonic signature

his is for musicians, artists or the one who is responsible for proper live sound. The headphones, launched recently by the German audio maker, Sennheiser, come with the company’s proprietary neodymium magnets, which deliver good sound reproduction. The HD 200 PRO features soft ear and headband cushions for a comfortable fit, 2m straight and single-sided cord which is tangle-free in nature and a 6.3mm stereo adapter to optimise connectivity with other equipment, such as e-pianos. The headset is designed in a way that offers isolation from external ambient noise and makes it optimal for long creative monitoring sessions for an electronic piano, laptop, mixing consoles etc. The headset comes with a price tag of Rs 6,490 and is available on company’s e-store. n

Price: Rs 6,490

144 | february 2017

MYMOBILE

Xiaomi Mi VR Play Enjoy the library of videos

Gadget Corner

add-ons

Price: Rs 999

he new device comes with a ‘two-zipper’ design to

ensure compatibility and a secure grip for a wide range of smartphones whose display size ranges between 4.7- to 5.7-inch. It is made of Lycra fabric which, according to Xiaomi, is skin-friendly and does not cause discomfort. At the same time, the dual openings on the front allow for slight

silicone button

positioning adjustments and ventilation.

inside makes direct contact with the phone. The Mi VR

The VR headset features an anti-reflective lens for

Play is Google Cardboard compatible meaning that users

image clarity coupled with the optical-grade aspheric

can enjoy the library of videos and apps on Google Play.

lens which has a high tolerance interval of 0.01mm. It

The VR headset is available on company’s store.n

also sports a textured metal button which when pressed, a

www.mymobileindia.com

team@mymobile.co.in

january 2017 | 145

Exclusive

Vantage Point

The Tech-tonic Shift The world is witnessing a decade of disruptive innovation with virtual reality, artificial intelligence and Internet of Things (IoT) expected to engulf our daily life in the years to come like never before. By Akshay Dhoot

n 2003, the Nokia 6600, was launched at a price of Rs

will phase out soon due to fading demand. Feature phone will

32,000, which is around Rs 82,000 adjusted for inflation.

also see dip in demand from a 40 per cent share to a 20 per cent

Today, the prices of such mobiles have dropped by 99% in 13

share, in terms of volumes. 4G enabled phones with larger storage

years, to just about Rs 1000! Smartphone prices have also been

capacities will see a higher demand in rural regions including Tier

dropping, and we could be looking at 4G VoLTE handset prices

2 and Tier 3 markets. Factors like value added services, open

dropping below Rs 3000 by end of 2017.

source softwares and bigger RAM in smartphones including 4GB

recent

years,

tech

and 6GB would drive the customer’s purchased decision.

advancements and blistering pace

Along with it, as the society is turning towards a cashless

of breakthroughs in communications

economy, smartphones with pre-embedded fintech and payment

have fundamentally altered the way

gateway apps would become more imperative driving in more sales

we live, work, shop, entertain and

for smartphone companies. Besides, an extra focus on software

relate to one another. As businesses

security due to malware threads would become essential to ensure

evolve and industries grow, there

higher protection for customers.

are new realities at play. The world

A lot more focus would be seen on extreme craftsmanship

is witnessing a decade of disruptive

in term of new designs, faster chips, virtual reality, faster LTE,

innovation with virtual reality,

Quicker Charging and higher storage capacity of smartphones.

artificial intelligence and Internet of

With the emergence of all such technologies faster chips will

Things (IoT) expected to engulf our

ensure better graphics and seamless user experiences. High

daily by 2019 like never before.

usage of smartphones and execution of advanced technology

With nearly 250 million

would consume battery at much higher rates creating a real time

smartphone users, India surpassed

importance for quicker charging in smartphones using type C USB

the United States to become the

cables. USB-C is extremely versatile—beyond charging, it can

world’s second largest market in

be used to connect mobile devices to high-definition monitors,

2016. Nearly 1.3 billion people and

headphones, flash drives, and external storage devices.

a 2.3 trillion dollar economy growing

New gadgets in the form of wearable like smart watches, fit bits

at over 7.5 per cent annually indicate

and other Bluetooth devices would continue to drive innovation

toward the huge untapped potential

bringing up a next revolution in the technology sphere. However,

of smartphone manufacturing locally. 2016 witnessed various innovative features adopted by smartphones, such as Dolby Atmos, modular parts, 4K UHD

only time will tell if smartwatches will see any major growth. This depends on all the updates that will be brought in by Android 2.0, and what designs are brought forward by the brands.

displays, Fast Charging, low-light image capturing, high RAM-

Looking at above trends, telecom companies including handset

ROM, dual-displays, battery and performance optimizations

manufacturers are becoming more ambitious, and expecting some

and low-priced fingerprint sensors. Smartphone buyers have lot

relaxations from the Government of India in the upcoming Union

to look forward in 2017. Smartphones are expected to get faster,

Budget in terms of financial incentives. The relevance of such

thinner, cheaper, more beautiful, with a much shorter charging

hope has become more important at a time when demonetisation

time, and with a longer battery life.

has impacted the demand of smartphones across sectors due to

While most other features like RAM and ROM have been

liquidity crunch. However the sector is expected to recover from

progressing at a fast pace, battery life continues to be a slow

this transitory effect of by end of the first quarter of 2017. The

moving feature in terms of rise in performance. However, super-fast

Union Budget will define how many new manufacturing plants

charging solutions are being met with excitement, and charging

come up in India, and at what scale. n

times will continue to drop at good rates. With the influx of increasing data usage, the 4G and VoLTE enabled devices will see higher demand, while 3G enabled phones

146 | february 2017

The author is Head, Technology & Innovation, Videocon. (Opinions in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the stance of the magazine)

MYMOBILE

RNI REG NO./DELENG/2005/15033 DL (ND) - 11/6100/2015-16-17 (Posting Date 26-27 of every month) Publishing Date- 20-01-17