Nexus 6 coming this November for ₹40K

After being listed on Flipkart it seems like the latest Nexus device is not far from our reach. Nexus 6 32 GB was listed on Flipkart few days back with a “coming soon” tag and it was already anticipated as all Motorola devices are available exclusively on Flipkart than why would Nexus 6 stand out. 

According to the latest report Nexus 6 will be coming to India on November 18th and it’s 32GB variant will be priced around `40,ooo. It will be available on Google Play and Flipkart as of now. But being a Nexus device it will not come as a surprise if it becomes available on Snapdeal and Amazon as well. 

A quick recap, the Nexus 6 runs on a 2.7 GHz quad-core Snapdragon 805 processor with the Adreno 420 GPU and 3 GB RAM. Running the latest Android 5.0 Lollipop OS, the smartphone sports a 13 MP rear camera and has a 2 MP front camera. Powered by a 3220 mAh battery, the Nexus 6 comes with Bluetooth 4.1, WiFi, NFC and supports 4K video playback. 

Nexus 9 was already listed on Google Play few days back but that too with a “coming soon” tag. Hopefully we’ll be able to see those devices soon as India was in the few markets where these devices will be launched in the “first wave”. 

UPDATE

Nexus 6 now listed on Google Play for ₹44,000 for 32GB and ₹49,000 for 64 GB variants. Although its listed as "coming soon" which is in accordance with the earlier news of being available from mid-November. Stay tuned for further updates.

Source: Indian Express

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Google Calendar is all new with Material Design, Coming soon to iOS

Google’s Material Design is making its way across all Google apps for most devices running Android Jelly Bean. Recently, Google Play Movies was updated to give the look and feel of the material design and today we are seeing a whole new Calendar app.

Google has totally reworked the Calendar app for its new version of Android, making the app smarter, more colourful, and all-around more helpful. The new version of Calendar takes on the playful Material Design style that's working its way across all Google apps. That's going to make browsing your calendar a lot more pleasant, but the biggest features in this revamped app are all about making adding and viewing events much easier. For one, Calendar will automatically pull events, such as booked reservations, flights, or concerts, out of your inbox and add them to your calendar. Calendar will also help you enter events by automatically filling in information as you type, such as your contacts and nearby locations. 

Calendar’s new Schedule view includes photos and maps of the places you’re going, cityscapes of travel destinations, and illustrations of everyday events like dinner, drinks and yoga. These images will bring a little extra beauty to your day, and make it easy to see what’s going on at a glance—perfect for when you’re checking in from your phone or tablet. 

The new Google Calendar will work on all Android 4.1+ devices. It’s available today on all devices running Android 5.0 Lollipop, and you’ll be able to download the update from Google Play in the coming weeks. And an iPhone version of the app is also in the works and this is the first time Google has actually released a proper Calendar app for iOS. For now, Google hasn't given an estimate on when it'll be released. 

Source: Google, Calendar

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Nexus 9 listed on Google Play

Just a day after its global unveiling, Nexus 9 tablet has been listed on Google's Play Store website in India. However, the new Google phone, named Nexus 6, and Google Player has not been listed on the site as of now. 

Only two of the four variants of the Nexus 9 tablet are listed online - with the 16GB WiFi-only model (the basic version) priced at `28,900 and the 32GB cellular model at `44,900. The devices are listed as "coming soon" and there is no information as to when they will go on sale in India. But speculations are that the devices will be available in India in the month of November itself, in line with the global launch. 

The 32GB WiFi-only and the 16GB cellular models are currently not available in the country. 

Following specifications are of Nexus 9 

• Display: 8.9-inch IPS LCD 
• Battery: 6700 mAh 
• Camera: 8MP rear camera, 1.6MP front camera 
• Processor: 64-bit Nvidia Tegra K1 processor clocked at 2.3 GHz 
• GPU: Kepler DX1 
• Memory: 16 GB and 32 GB 

“Nexus 6 will come to 28 countries, including India, across Europe, Asia Pacific and North America, starting later this year and as we head into Q1,” Motorola said in a statement. So we hope along with global launch it too will be available in India. Check out the full coverage here. 

Among the chief competitors of Google Nexus 9 in India are Apple iPad Air 2, Samsung Galaxy Tab S 10.5 and Sony Xperia Z2 Tablet. So let’s wait and watch.

Source: Google Play

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All you need to know about Android 5.0 Lollipop

Introduced at Google I/O, Android 5.0 Lollipop ditched the traditional Holo Design for a whole new Material Design which was a lot more beautiful and focused on notifications and multi-tasking. Android Lollipop is considered the biggest update after the introduction of Android back in 2007. 

A bold, colorful, and responsive UI design for consistent, intuitive experiences across all your devices. Responsive, natural motion, realistic lighting and shadows, and familiar visual elements make it easier to navigate your device. Vivid new colors, typography, and edge-to-edge imagery help to focus your attention. The way notifications are managed is totally different. A priority mode allows you to filter the notifications to a limited group of people and limited apps. View and respond to messages directly from your lock screen. Includes the ability to hide sensitive content for these notifications. 

The biggest problem which Android KitKat faced was the battery drain. Google updated it from 4.4 to 4.4.4 but the problem persisted. Now this is fixed and with new features added. A battery saver feature which extends device use by up to 90 mins. Estimated time left to fully charge is displayed when your device is plugged in. Estimated time left on your device before you need to charge again can now be found in battery settings. 

With the increasing issue of privacy Google made encryption enabled by default in this latest update. New devices come with encryption automatically turned on to help protect data on lost or stolen devices. Use Android Smart Lock to secure your phone or tablet by pairing it with a trusted device like your wearable or even your car. 

Now pull-down from top to find new options  like flashlight, hotspot, screen rotation and cast screen controls. Around 68+ languages are now available to be used on your smartphone running the latest Android including Basque, Bengali, Burmese, Chinese (Hong Kong), Galician, Icelandic, Kannada, Kyrgyz, Macedonian, Malayalam, Marathi, Nepali, Sinhala, Tamil, Telugu. 

Currently the new Nexus devices are running the latest version of Android and Motorola already declared about which devices to get the update but other manufacturers like Samsung, HTC, Sony will be declaring soon when this update will be available. 

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Nexus 6, Nexus 9, Nexus Player and Android Lollipop unveiled

Finally after a lot of anticipation Google unveiled the new Nexus 6, Nexus 9 and a new device Nexus Player all running the latest version of Android which is Android 5.0 Lollipop. 

Android 5.0 Lollipop with the new Material Design is the biggest change in Android since the time it started. Lollipop is made for a world where moving throughout the day means interacting with a bunch of different screens—from phones and tablets to TVs. With more devices connecting together, your expectation is that things just work. With Lollipop, it’s easier than ever to pick up where you left off, so the songs, photos, apps, and even recent searches from one of your Android devices can be immediately enjoyed across all the other ones.  

Nexus 6 is the company's new flagship made by Motorola sporting a 5,96" display with a camera capable of shooting 4K videos at the rate of 30fps. This new phone has a contoured aluminum frame.The large screen is complemented by dual front-facing stereo speakers that deliver high-fidelity sound, making it as great for movies and gaming as it is for doing work. It also comes with a Turbo Charger, so you can get up to six hours of use with only 15 minutes of charge. 

Next up is the new Nexus 9, a 8.9" tablet which is suiting everybody's need for a professional as well as entertainment purpose. As rumored it is made by an all new manufacturer HTC returning to the market of tablets once again. A keyboard folio that magnetically attaches to the Nexus 9, folds into two different angles and rests securely on your lap like a laptop. 

And finally there is Nexus Player. The first device running Android TV. It's also a first-of-its-kind Android gaming device. With Nexus Player you can play Android games on your HDTV with a gamepad, then keep playing on your phone while you're on the road. Nexus Player is Google Cast Ready so you can cast your favorite entertainment from almost any Chromebook or Android or iOS phone or tablet to your TV. 

Nexus 9 and Nexus Player will be available for pre-order starting 17th October and Nexus 6 will be available later this month. Stay tuned for further updates. 

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Google and Airtel to allow Operator billing for Google Play

Who needs a credit card when one can pay directly through their mobile operator. This is probably going to happen as the search giant Google and India’s biggest operator Airtel are in talks to allow users to pay for services like paid-apps, in-app purchases, e-books etc., through their operator. 

At present, Indian mobile users can pay for their purchases from Google's apps store Google Play through credit cards, debit cards or gift cards. Operators have been traditionally taking over 50% of the revenues. However, over the years, operators have been under pressure to pay out more to publishers and developers. Recently, Vodafone made changes to its revenue sharing policy and said it will share revenues on a 70:30 basis in favour of the content creator. 

Currently, it offers carrier billing option to customers in 26 countries, including the US, UK and Singapore. In June, it tied up with UAE-based telco Etisalat to offer carrier billing in the region. 

Airtel has about 40m subscribers out of which 12.5m are on 3G. 4G is also available in certain regions and is gradually spreading. So if the deal works out, it may increase Google’s paid service customers as Google's digital goods and apps business is expected to bring in over $5 billion in revenues by 2017 worldwide. 

Google and Airtel are expected to announce a deal once they agree on revenue sharing and receive regulatory clearance. 

Source: ET

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HTC back in tablet market with the new Nexus 9

HTC was out of making tablets and Nexus device for quite some time but it seems like this is about to change. Rumours have been around that HTC is involved in making the new Nexus 9 tablet an now a recent The Wall Street Journal post has made it all clear. 

The Journal says that HTC engineers have been flying back and forth between Mountain View and their Taiwanese base as the two companies collaborate on the development of the new 9-inch device. The choice may seem unusual, as HTC lacks a strong tablet track-record and focuses almost exclusively on smartphones. But on the other hand, HTC has emerged quite strong in making large phones and have been quite successful in it. HTC One and HTC One M8 were the company’s 2 flagships which received heartiest welcome from the consumers. 

Also in NVIDIA’s own legal filings, the company specifically names the new Nexus device, claiming it will be powered by a Tegra K1 processor, expected to see release in Q3 of this year and will be powered by Tegra K1 which we have been hearing quite often, but with NVIDIA stating it themselves, we no longer have to rely on rumours for that information. 

As for the release date Paul O’Brien tweeted that it might be 16th October. On the contrary PC Advisor reports that HTC is holding an event in New York on 8th October which could be the launch day of the new Nexus. Whatever date it may be these October dates all fall with earlier leaked Q3 period of the year. 

Anonymous tipster: The HTC Nexus 9 will be launched on 16th October...
— Paul O'Brien (@PaulOBrien) September 18, 2014

Also new Nexus device brings a new version of Android which as far as we know is Android L. So if the rumours are true we would be seeing the new Android quite soon. Stay tuned. 

Source: Droid Life, WSJ, Nvidia(PDF) 

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Google Play Newsstand now in India

Google Play Store in India already had the Books, Movies and Devices. Music and Newsstand were missing. Now Google today launched Google Newsstand in India. It’s coming with 30 Indian publications and will be available starting tomorrow. 

Among the Indian publications that will be offered include Times Internet’s Indiatimes, Zigwheels, Luxpresso, Healthmeup, MensXP, iDiva, NDTV’s NDTV Movies, NDTV Gadgets, NDTV Sports, Anandabazar Patrika’s ABP News & ABP Majha, Missmalini.com, HT Media’s Mint, Hindustan Times & Desimartini, Jagran, ESPN Cricinfo and TV9 Telugu. 

Magazines include India Today, Vogue India, GQ India, Cosmopolitan India and Business Today. 

Apart from Indian magazines and publishers free & paid newspaper content from The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and The Financial Times, news sites like ABC News, The Atlantic, CNET, Huffington Post, The Guardian and Reuters among others and magazines like Forbes, The Economist, The New Yorker, Vanity Fair, Rolling Stone and Wired will also be available. In fact Google is giving free access to NYT for 60 days. While web version wasn’t available its app has been in the Indian Play Store for quite some time. Google has informed that users can also purchase magazine subscriptions through this service. 

Play Newsstand was introduced by Google in November last year, by combining two of its services – Google Play Magazines and its social news reader apps Google Currents. The company had then claimed that the service will offer more than 1,900 free and paid full length publications to which users can subscribe on the web, Android and iOS. 

So get ready for premium content from Google starting tomorrow. 

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Google launches Android One devices in India from Micromax, Karbonn and Spice

After a lot of speculation finally Sundar Pichai is in New Delhi to announce a whole lot of new services and devices for India. This include the big launch of the Android One smartphones which they introduced back at Google I/O in June, YouTube Offline and the availability of Play Newsstand in India. 

Partnering with Spice, Karbonn and Micromax they launched 3 devices, Karbonn Sparkle V, Micromax Canvas A1 and Spice Dream UNO Mi-498 today. These devices will be available exclusively through online retailers Flipkart, Snapdeal and Amazon respectively. These three phones will also be available via Reliance Digital, Croma and The Mobile Store, offline. The phones will be available for purchase online starting September 15, 3:30pm IST. 

Under the Android One scheme Google essentially sets standards for phones hardware for the OEMs. Also phones running Android One will be just like GPE and Nexus devices receiving constant and regular updates directly from Google. Google will also have Wi-Fi-equipped mobile demo trucks called 'Showroom on wheels' in 600 locations across 20 cities to allow potential consumers to experience the Android One phones. Google has also appointed 30,000 Android One ambassadors who will spread the word about the phones. Google also partnered with Airtel and Reliance to provide plans to Android One customers. Airtel will offer 200MB free data per month for app downloads and updates via Play Store. 

In terms of specifications, all the three manufactures have adhered to the minimum requirements set by Google. The phones have a 4.5-inch display (845 x 480 pixels), dual SIM support and run a stock version of Android 4.4. Hardware specifications include a quad core Mediatek processor, 1GB RAM, 4GB storage, microSD card for expansion (up to 32GB supported) and dual cameras. This specification set ensures a fluid experience for the user, as opposed to many cheaper Android phones that are already.

Karbonn Sprkle V

Micromax Canvas A1

Spice Dream Uno

Also chipset manufacturer Qualcomm is the new hardware partner for the Android One Program which means that future devices will likely see Qualcomm processors in addition to the current Mediatek. 

Sundar Pichai also announced the next set of partners for Android One handsets. This includes Acer, Alcatel, ASUS, HTC, Intex, Lava, Lenovo, Panasonic and Xolo. This list includes HTC also which realises the benefits of tapping the low-end market instead of being one of the market leaders for the high-end smartphones. Also Google is expected to release Android One Indonesia, Philippines and other South Asian countries by 2014 with more to follow in 2015.

The phones are now available on all the 3 online sellers and will soon make their way to the offline stores. 

Buy now: Micromax, Karbonn and Spice

Learn more: Android One

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