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iPhone 7 may support Dual SIMs and retain 3.5 mm audio jack

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The official launch of Apple’s next iPhone i.e. iPhone 7 is likely be happened in September 2016, yet the leaks keep coming. As per earlier leaks, iPhone 7 is expected to ditch the conventional 3.5 mm audio jack and will use the lightning port for the audio. But today a new leak suggests otherwise and it seems that Apple is not ditching the 3.5 mm audio jack with the iPhone 7 & will keep it.

iPhone 7 Dual Lens camera

Series of images leaked on Weibo which basically show the new iPhone 7 components and show that the 4.7-inch iPhone 7 is still retaining the 3.5 mm jack.

iPhone 7 Audio Jack

Apart from the 3.5 mm audio jack, the images look like dual SIM card slots in addition to the dual-lens configuration of cameras. Apple has never launched an iPhone that does come with support for Dual SIM cards. If Apple iPhone 7 finally comes with Dual SIM card support, it will be a first ever iPhone to support dual sim card. But we have to wait for the official launch.

iPhone 7 DualSIM

Regarding Dual lens camera, leaks still point to different directions. Some rumors point to presence of the dual lenses and some leaks point to Apple withholding the dual lens technology for iPhone 7 as the technology is not mature. Today’s leaks indicate that these dual lenses will in fact come with iPhone 7.

As with any other leak, take these with a pinch of salt and wait till the official launch happens. We will be tracking these leaks and rumors. So stay tuned.

Source: 1, 2

Whatsapp Official Desktop app for Windows and Mac available for download

Whatsapp users have some good news to rejoice for. For quite long time, they wanted an official desktop app for Whatsapp on their Windows PC and Mac desktop instead of using it just on one of their smartphones. Even though a web version is available that can be opened using any web browser, yet a desktop app is needed by most users. Competing messaging app such as Telegram already have dedicated desktop app for Windows PC & OSX (Mac) users and it was time Whatsapp provided the same.

Whatsapp Desktop

Starting today, official Whatsapp desktop app is available for public to download for Windows 8+ and Mac OS 10.9+. The app gets synced with WhatsApp on your smartphone. The desktop app runs natively on the desktop and comes with support for native desktop notifications, better keyboard shortcuts and more.

Whatsapp -Desktop

You can download the desktop app by visiting whatsapp download page from the desktop browser. JUst download and install the app on your system. To login on the desktop you need to scan the QR code using the WhatsApp app on your smartphone just as you do for the web version. You can get the QR code by navigating to WhatsApp Menu >> Settings.

The desktop app install file for windows is big and is 61.49 MB in size. IN terms of features, it is still bare minimum and you cannot do much just as the web version. It still need to evolve a lot before it can emulate all the features on the mobile devices.

Asus R510J Gaming Laptop review

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Gaming Laptops are  still counted under too expensive category and out of reach for most consumer who can’t afford the big budget. Today we review an entry level Gaming Laptop from Asus i.e. Asus R510J which is priced at Rs. 69,990 for Indian market, which still looks a bit high if you are marketing a laptop as entry level. Before we proceed, let’s check out the Hardware specifications of the Asus R510J Gaming Laptop.

asus R510J

Hardware Specifications

  • Screen: 15.6 inch with Full HD i.e. 1920 x 1080 resolution
  • CPU: 2.6 GHz Intel Core i7 4720HQ,
  • GPU: 2 GB NVIDIA GeForce 950M
  • RAM: 8GB DDR3 L
  • Storage: 1 TB Hard disk drive, NO SSD
  • Operating System: Windows 10
  • Weight: 2.4 kg
  • Dimensions: 25.1 x 38 x 3.2 cm
  • Optical drive: DVD-RW
  • Ports: 1 USB 2.0, 2 USB 3.0, VGA, HDMI, Ethernet, Headphones

In terms of design and build quality, R510J Gaming Laptop doesn’t impress us that much. This is big 15.6 inch laptop with full-sized keyboard with the numerical keypad and a big track-pad. The top lid is glossy with Mayan pattern on it and even inside to give it a unique look. But it is a fingerprint magnet and you can easily see that in some of the images taken by us.

The laptop is heavy just like conventional laptops and weighs 2.4 kg. We expected it to be a bit lighter considering the price of almost 70K. It also comes with a DVD-RW drive which is rarely used these days, but is provided for use with Game CD/DVDs. Overall the build is sturdy when you consider it as a gaming laptop, yet there is so much that can be done with the design.

The 15.6 inch LED back-lit display comes with Full HD resolution with good color reproduction and balance. The viewing angles are not that good, yet good enough for a single user.

The keyboard is great when it comes to typing, ut we do miss the back-lit feature of keyboard. Backlit keyboard is a good addition to a gaming laptop and hopefully Asus adds it in their future models priced in same range. Position of some of the keys like the arrow keys is odd and you may feel that specially while playing games which uses those keys.

Asus R510J Gaming Laptop is powered by Intel Core i7 4720HQ (Broadwell) processor with 8GB DDR3L RAM along with a 2 GB NVIDIA GeForce 950M GPU which makes it a power house for entry-level gaming. We expected an SSD instead of HDD as it comes with  1 TB Hard disk drive and hence a takes a bit time for usual activities like boot-up, in-spite of an impressive hardware.

It comes with connectivity options such as  2 USB 3.0 ports, 1 USB 2.0 port, a headphone/microphone combo jack, LAN, HDMI and VGA port. It also comes with a VGA webcam which is quite odd, considering that even most of the entry-level laptops come with an D webcam.

The laptop gave a PCMark 8 score of 3190 points which is great and it performed great without any issues under normal day to today uses. It performed well thru some of the games that we played such as Tomb Raider and Medal of Honor Pacific Assault. We at Avinashtech are not big gamers and hence didn’t play too many games. Also considering the size of games these days and limited an=mount of time available with the review unit, it’s not easy to install and play each game.

It is powered by Windows 10 operating system which is great in terms of user experience and performance, yet ASUS choose to load it with some bloatware which in our opinion could have been avoided on an expensive laptop.

The battery life is just what you get in normal laptop i.e 2-3 hours depending on how you are using the laptop. If you play heavy intensive games continuously, it wont last more than 2- 2.25 hrs but under normal use it will last up to 2.5-3 hours.

PROS:

  • Impressive hardware and performance
  • Above average gaming performance
  • Good keyboard

CONS:

  • Odd keyboard colours
  • average battery life
  • VGA webcam
  • No back-lit keyboard
  • Heavy to carry
  • bloatware bundled

Conclusion

At a price of Rs. 69,990, Asus R510J Gaming Laptop does appear a bit expensive, yet with an impressive hardware with full-HD gaming performance, anti-glare display it does offer itself as one of the entry-level laptops. With a better design, lighter weight and by fixing some of the shortcomings at a bit lower price, this could have been a killer deal.

HP’s Windows 10 Mobile Elite x3 images and specs leak

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HP is expected to launch its first Windows Mobile smartphone Elite x3 during the Mobile World Congress 2016. HP Elite X3 real images have leaked on chinese social network weibo and gives an exhaustive look at the device.  Elite x3 Does look great in those images. Checkout these leaked images for yourself:

HP Elite X3 Front

HP Elite x3 information leaked through @eveleaks which said that “Windows 10 Mobile-powered HP Falcon is coming to market as the HP Elite x3.”. The Elite X3 was also spotted on GFXBench which depicts HP Falcon (Elite X3) as a 5.8″ Windows 10 Mobile smartphone with a 2560 x 1440 pixel display powered by Snapdragon 820 processor and Adreno 530 GPU with 4 GB of memory & 32GB storage (expandable up to 200 GB micro SD).

HP Elite X3 Front-

HP Elite X3 back

HP Elite X3 side

The leak also suggests rear camera of 16 MP with LED flash, auto-focus and a 8 MP front shooter. It also includes a fingerprint sensor, USB 3.0 Type-C support, Qi wireless charging, Continuum mode, Windows Hello recognition, docking, IP67 waterproof & dustproof, and  MIL-STD-810G military-grade anti-drop.

If the launch happened, it would be a first from HP to release a Windows Phone.

Source : Weibo

AsusPro BU201 Laptop Review

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Demand for Ultrabooks in higher price category is quite decent where consumers expect great performance with a portable, sleek and lightweight devices. Today we review the AsusPro BU201 Laptop  which is priced at Rs. 85,999. We have tested / used this device for almost a week and this review is based on that.

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AsusPro BU201 Laptop Specifications

  • Display: 12.5″ 16:9 Full HD (1920×1080)/Wide View Angle LED Backlight Non-Glare LCD Panel
  • Operating System: Windows 8.1 Pro
  • Processor: Intel Core i5 4210U 1.7 GHz ~ 2.7 GHz Processor
  • RAM: 4 GB
  • Storage: 500 GB HDD
  • Battery: 2 x 4200 mAh
  • Price: Rs 85,999

In terms of design, shape and size, AsusPro BU201 does impress you. It is compact, lightweight (just 1.2 Kg), Sleek and yet not as good as any Macbook priced in the same range. You can carry it around without any hassle thanks to it being lightweight and compact. Considering the price tag of 85k+, there is a lot that can be done when it comes to better design. It offers non-glare display and backlit keyboard which helps in your day-to-day work flow even under dark surroundings or night.

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AsusPro BU201 sports a full-HD display with resolution of 1920x1080p and the screen appears great while watching movies or normal day-to-day work. Even though the size of the screen is just 12.5 inch, yet you can use it just like a big screen laptop thanks to the full HD display which makes everything looks crisp and clear. But yes, you may prefer to use a bit of Zoom as the fonts in documents & websites may seem too small and it may strain your eyes. But that’s like a bit of compromise for performance and portability that you get with this.

It is powered by a Core i5 processor with 4GB RAM and a 500 GB HDD accompanies it. We expected at least 128 GB SSD drive or 1 TB HDD or better RAM at this price point. 500 GB of hard disk drive (HDD) storage is pretty normal these days even for entry-level laptops priced in the range of 30-40k. The performance of the laptop was smooth, without any issues and everything worked great thanks to the Intel Core i5 CPU & 4 GB of RAM.

In terms of connectivity, it offers three USB 3.0 port, one VGA port, a  docking connector, LAN port, mini-display port and an SD card slot among others.

The battery life on the review unit though wasn’t great. It’s got 2 cells of 4,200 mAh fitted inside the notebook. Perhaps the review unit was old or faulty. It lasted for just two to three hours with WiFi always ON. We expect a battery life of at least 5-6 hours from laptops / ultrabooks in this price category.

AsusPro BU201 runs on Windows 8.1 operating system and we wish either it upgrades to Windows 10 or downgrades to Windows 7. This has nothing to do with ASUS, yet in our opinion Windows 7 or Windows 10 offers better user experience that Windows 8.1.

In conclusion we can say that, at a price of ~Rs. 86,000, AsusPro BU201 does a good job of managing your workload with sleek, light and compact design with good enough performance. But, we feel it is overpriced. In this price category, Consumers expect much more than what the AsusPro BU201 is offering.

Microsoft Lumia 550 launched for $139: 4G LTE, Windows 10, 4.7-inch HD display

Microsoft has launched its most affordable Lumia smartphone i.e Microsoft Lumia 550 for $139 running Windows 10 out of the box. The device goes on sale in select European markets on Monday and will be available to buy in other markets in the coming weeks.

Lumia 550 sports a 4.7-inch HD display and is powered by a 1.1 GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 210 processor supported by 1 GB of RAM.

In terms of storage, it comes with  8 GB internal storage along with support for expandable memory up to 200 GB with microSD card.

It comes with 5 MP auto focus rear camera with LED flash with f/2.4 aperture, 720p video recording and 2 MP front-facing camera, with f/2.8 aperture, 480p video recording.

The device is powered by Windows 10 operating system and comes with apps such as Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint), Cortana , OneDrive, Outlook Mail, Outlook Calendar, and Skype.

It comes with 4G LTE support & also supports dual nano SIM in the Lumia 550 Dual SIM variant. In terms of dimensions, it is 136.1 mm x 67.8 mm x 9.9 mm and weighs 141.9 grams.

It is powered by 2100mAh removable battery.

Fitness Wearables Mio Fuse, Alpha 2 and Link launched in India, starts at 6,599

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Fitness wearable market in India has slowly started picking up with new brands entering India. Today Mio Global which produces Fitness Wearable Tech Products marks its entry into India. Three fitness wearable devices are launched today for Indian market i.e. Mio Fuse, Mio Alpha 2 and Mio Link. We have already saw fitness wearable companies such as FitBit, GOQii and Jawbone entering India.

These Mio devices will be available on Amazon.in, at prices starting Rs.6,599. The Mio Fuse is priced at Rs. 11,499 while Mio Alpha 2 at Rs. 16,099 and Mio Link priced at Rs. 6,599.

Mioglobal Alpha Link Fuse

Mio Fuse brings features of a heart rate monitor, sports watch, and activity tracker in a single device. It comes with following features:

  • Built-in accelerometer to capture steps, calories, distance, and pace
  • Optical heart rate monitor, for EKG-accurate heart rate without a chest strap
  • Configurable heart rate zones
  • 5-color LED and vibration alerts to indicate heart rate zone
  • Chronograph timer
  • Offline storage of 2 weeks of daily activity data and 30 hours of workout data
  • Water resistant to 30 meters

Alpha 2 is similar to Fuse, but it doesn’t track activities such as steps, distance and calories, whereas Link is only heart rate monitor with water resistance.

Microsoft Lumia 950 and Lumia 950 XL launched in India starting at Rs. 43699

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Microsoft has launched its two new flagship devices in India i.e Lumia 950 and Lumia 950 XL. Microsoft Lumia 950 and Lumia 950 XL will be available in Black & White colors and priced at Rs. 43,699 and Rs. 49,399 respectively.

Both these devices are powered by Windows 10 operating system and runs on Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 & Snapdragon 810. The Display for both devices are  QHD AMOLED ClearBlack display with different screen size, i.e. Lumia 950 featuring a 5 inch and  Lumia 950 XL 5.7-inch.

Microsoft Lumia-950

Microsoft Lumia 950 Dual SIM specs

  • Display : 5.2-inch QHD AMOLED ClearBlack display, 564 ppi, Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection
  • CPU: Hexa-Core Snapdragon 808 processor
  • GPU: Adreno 418
  • RAM: 3 GB
  • Storage: 32 GB internal, expandable up to 200 GB with microSD card
  • OS: Windows 10
  • SIM: Dual Nano SIM
  • Main Camera: 20 MP PureView with Optical Image Stabilization (OIS), f/1.9 aperture, triple RGB flash,4K video recording
  • Front Camera: 5 MP, f/2.4 aperture, wide-angle lens, 1080p video recording
  • Dimensions: 145 x 73.2 x 8.25 mm;
  • Weight: 150 gm
  • Connectivity: 4G LTE / 3G HSPA+, WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (Dual Band) MIMO, Bluetooth 4.1, GPS, USB Type-C 3.1
  • Battery: 3000 mAh removable, fast charging, Qi wireless charging with flip cover

Microsoft Lumia-950-XL

Microsoft Lumia 950 XL specs

  • Display : 5.7-inch QHD AMOLED ClearBlack display, 518 ppi, Corning Gorilla Glass 4 protection
  • CPU: Octa-Core Snapdragon 810 processor
  • GPU: Adreno 430
  • RAM: 3 GB
  • Storage: 32 GB internal, expandable up to 200 GB with microSD card
  • OS: Windows 10
  • SIM: Dual Nano SIM
  • Main Camera: 20 MP PureView, Optical Image Stabilization (OIS), f/1.9 aperture, triple RGB flash, 4K video recording
  • Front Camera: 5 MP , f/2.4 aperture, wide-angle lens, 1080p video recording
  • Dimensions: 151.9 x 78.4 x 8.1 mm
  • Weight: 165 gm
  • Connectivity: 4G LTE / 3G HSPA+, WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (Dual Band) MIMO, Bluetooth 4.1, GPS, USB Type-C 3.1
  • Battery: 3340 mAh removable, fast charging, Qi wireless charging with flip cover

You can pre-order any of these devices through Amazon.in online & offline stores like Croma, Reliance and Sangeetha. Microsoft is offering Display Dock HD-500 worth Rs. 5999 free with the pre-orders till December 11th.

Review: Asus X555 notebook, Great for students and casual Gamers

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To be honest, we have not reviewed laptops before on Avinashtech and this one can be considered first where we review the Asus X555 notebook which is targeted at the mid range consumers. Asus X555 notebook is priced at MRP of Rs. 48,999, but you can get it a bit cheaper from online portals such as Amazon or even offline stores.

ASUS X555

Asus X555 notebook Specification

  • CPU : Intel Core i5 processor
  • RAM : 8 GB
  • HDD : 1 TB
  • Graphics : Nvidia GT920M (2 GB dedicated memory)
  • Display : 15.6 inch LED back-lit display (1366 x 768 pixels)
  • USB ports : 2 x USB 3.0 and 1 x USB 2.0
  • Wi-Fi, Ethernet, HDMI, SD card, Bluetooth, VGA port, optical drive
  • Operating System : Windows 8.1
  • Weight : 2.3 kg

As mentioned above, Asus X555 notebook is powered by Intel core i5 processor coupled with 8 GB RAM along with 2 GB of dedicated graphics memory via Nvidia GT920M GPU. It comes with 1 TB hard drive.

In terms of build quality, the first thing you notice is the glossy metal finish on the top which even though looks good initially can lead to dust and stains sticking to it in the long run. We did feel the weight of laptop to be on lighter side and hence can be easily used for some long hours on your lap. Also, the laptop charger was a bit odd in terms of build and looks like a bigger smartphone charger. Checkout the pics and you will know what we mean.

DSC_1647

The display comes with a HD screen and not full HD screen which may be a bummer for someone spending close to 50k for the laptop, you do get a better hardware if you are ready to forget the Full HD for a HD screen. The display though had good viewing angles, but glossy display picked up fingerprints and dust just like any other average laptop. Audio quality was good enough.

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In terms of performance, it performs great for day-to-day work, usual browsing, Video playing etc. When it comes to gaming, the i5 CPU along with 8 GB of RAM and 2 GB of dedicated Nvidia graphics makes it an ideal device for gaming for a price well below Rs. 50,000. It can play full HD videos and even 4k videos. We did use other media players for playing these videos such as Daum Player and VLC media player as default media player doesn’t have the required media codes.

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The only issue though for us was the operating system i.e Windows 8.1. For us, Windows 8 comes with its own set of problems irrespective of the Laptop hardware. We have our own reservations about Windows 8 and hence we recommend any user to either downgrade to Windows 7 or upgrade to Windows 10 to have a better overall user experience on the laptop.

You can play almost all the games that a casual gamer will throw it on, but yes it is far from a gaming rig that most cult gamers love to play their games on. Battery life is good and can last for 5-6 hours easily after full charge.

It comes with a full size keyboard that includes a full number pad at the right. We expected keyboard to be back-lit and the other small issue we felt was, the odd placement of arrow keys which was a bit uncomfortable as it was mixed with both the number pad and the other half of keyboard (Checkout the photos of keyboard to understand what we mean).

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Good thing though is, keyboard was great while typing. I am not a fan of track-pads of laptops and even this track-pad fell in that category. You wont feel too good while using the track-pad, it’s just like any other normal track-pad with no physical buttons.

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Even though Core i5 at Rs 48,999 feels steeply priced, but presence of i5 with 8 GB of RAM and 2 GB of dedicated Nividia graphics makes it competitive in this price range. But yes, if the pricing is done a bit lower it will be good buy for sure. The same price range does offer similar options from other brands and ASUS is yet to create a brand name in India when it comes to laptops even though it has done that successfully in case of smartphones.

Windows 10 start menu items won’t pin-unpin with Kaspersky Internet Security [Workaround]

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Windows 10 came with its own set of new problems with issues such as compatibility of Antivirus solutions such as Kaspersky with the new operating system. Even though Windows 10 compatible versions of Kaspersky products are already released, people are facing some issues sooner or later.
Kaspersky_Lab_logo

We will talk about one of these issues here. Kaspersky Internet security 2016 users on Windows 10 are unable to pin-unpin start menu items. When the computer is fully boot up and users try to pin or unpin items to the start screen then nothing happens and the items won’t appear/disappear from the start menu. Apart from this behavior, the newly installed programs or applications won’t appear in start menu unless the computer is rebooted. This problem disappears if the user uninstalls the Kaspersky Internet security from the computer and then everything works perfectly.

Kaspersky has acknowledged this as a bug and they are working on a fix. In fact they appear to have fixed the bug with a patch, but the update is yet to be rolled out to the users. The update will be released with other security updates and is currently available under beta testing.

Workaround

Till the update rolls out to users, you can use the following workarounds to get past this bug.

  1. You can log off and log on again or restart the system.
  2. Just restart explorer.exe. You can do that by Right click taskbar >> task manager  >> more details. Find explorer and right-click restart

Via: Kaspersky Forums