Motorola today launches the Moto X Play in India. The highlights of the handset are its high-end specifications and an equally interesting price point starting at Rs 18,499 ($275) for the 16GB storage variant.

As for other specifications, the Moto X Play sports a 5.5-inch FHD (1920 x 1080) display offering 403ppi pixel density and Corning Gorilla Glass protecting the screen from scratches. It is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 octal core processor clocked at 1.7GHz coupled with an Adreno 405 GPU and 2GB of RAM.

Continue reading →

Analysis by Bank of America Merrill Lynch estimates that the components part of the iPhone 6s cost Apple $234 -- only a very slight increase from the iPhone 6. With the 64GB model selling for $749, Apple is pulling in $515 from each sale before the costs of manufacturing and distribution is factored in.

The biggest cost is for semiconductor parts, accounting for $127 of cost. The 64-bit A9 processor costs just $25, while various sensors add up to around $22. The estimates suggest that the screen of the iPhone 6s is the most expensive part, coming in at around $50 on its own.

Continue reading →

For a company with its own mobile operating system to worry about (yes, there is a new build of Windows 10 Mobile on the way soon) Microsoft shows an awful lot of interest in the competition. After making an appearance at Apple's iPad Pro and iPhone 6s launch event, Microsoft has made an Android-related acquisition.

The newly-purchased Echo Notification Lockscreen is the second Android lockscreen app that the company now has to its name; Echo Notification Lockscreen joins Microsoft Next. The company says it is about taking "productivity to the next level" and improving users' experience.

Continue reading →

Sony seems hell bent on confusing its customers by giving very conflicting advice about its Xperia smartphones. If you're familiar with the range, you'll no doubt be aware of the advertising material that appears to show users taking photos in the rain and even (seemingly) underwater at the pool.

Take a look at the picture above and you'd probably assume that a) it depicts someone shooting a video or taking a photo in a swimming pool, and b) you can do the same with your phone. But you'd be wrong (at least on b) because Sony has changed its mind about what waterproof means. Or it doesn't know. It really depends on where you look on the Sony website.

Continue reading →

The latest ransomware to hit Android users attempts to force victims into coughing up $500 by changing the PIN used to lock the device. Disguising itself as a system patch and then a message from the FBI suggesting that 'forbidden pornographic sites' have been viewed, the Android/Lockerpin.A malware differs from previous examples of ransomware that encrypted data.

The malware is impossible to remove without root access or by performing a factory reset. An interesting feature of the PIN change is that even the attacker is unware of what the new code is -- handing over money really makes no difference. But also worthy of note is the way in which Android/Lockerpin.A manages to gain Device Admin privileges.

Continue reading →

T-Mobile is so confident that you will be very satisfied with its cellular network that it will offer the new iPhones at a lower cost if you are willing to switch from a rival carrier soon. And if you are not happy with the quality of the service, T-Mobile promises to give you your money back in the first month or unlock the smartphone, free of charge, after that.

This "special introductory pricing", as T-Mobile calls it, means Jump on Demand customers can get an iPhone 6s for as little as $20 per month, or an iPhone 6s Plus starting at $24 per month. This is a launch deal, so "it won't last long".

Continue reading →

Now that Apple has taken the wraps off its latest iPhones, phablet fans will want to know how the new iPhone 6s Plus compares to its obvious rivals from Samsung, the Galaxy Note 5 and Galaxy S6 edge Plus flagships. So, to see which one is best, let's take a look at their main features and find where the biggest differences are.

This will be a close comparison, more so than the iPhone 6s vs Galaxy S6 head to head, as Apple has significantly beefed up its new iPhone 6s Plus over last year's model, while Samsung has come up with two very strong competitors in this segment.

Continue reading →

Now that Apple has unveiled the new iPhone 6s, you may be wondering how it stacks up against its main rival, Samsung's Galaxy S6. The major under-the-hood improvements that Apple has packed into its latest flagship smartphone, coupled with the refinement added by Samsung for its own top-of-the-line offering, make this a very interesting comparison.

Choosing between iPhone 6s and Galaxy S6 is very difficult, as both feature attractive designs and high-end internals, which is why we will highlight and explain the major differences between the two smartphones.

Continue reading →

Apple's decision to start iPhone 6s and 6s Plus preorders on Saturday September 12 surprises me. Friday is typical, which lets the company tabulate an extra day into the weekend when reporting the number of preorders the following week. So you have to wonder why the change. I asked Apple PR, but there is yet no response to my query.

In 2014, Apple announced iPhone 6 and 6 Plus also on September 9th, a Tuesday. Preorders began on Friday the 12th and sales one week later. In 2013, there was no preorder option for iPhone 5s, just straight sales starting Friday September 20th; announced the 10th. In 2012: Friday September 14th for preorders; the 21st for sales. In 2011: again Friday, October 7th preorders and October 14th sales.

Continue reading →

You may have heard that Apple had a little get together today. There were lots of big launches -- the iPhone 6S, the iPhone 6S Plus, and the iPad Pro. Those waiting for an iPhone fix were given quite a lot to get excited about, but like your friendly local drug dealer, Apple has a 'sweetener' to help ensure its customers just keep on coming back for more: the iPhone Upgrade Program which lets you upgrade to a new iPhone every year as long as you keep paying each month.

On the face of it, it might seem like a good deal -- particularly as the price includes Apple Care -- but is that really the case? What Apple's actually doing is feeding the habit of iPhone junkies, keeping their addiction going a little bit longer, and a little bit longer, and a little bit longer. In reality, Apple would like you to perma-rent your iPhone and keep paying through the nose for it. Ideally forever. And the sad thing? People will be quite happy to bend over and take it.

Continue reading →

We have come to expect new iPhones to be introduced in September, and today Apple does not disappoint as it takes the wraps off the new iPhone 6s and its bigger brother, iPhone 6s Plus. Typical of "s" models, both smartphones retain the design first seen in the previous generation while improving upon their predecessors in a couple of key areas.

With the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus, Apple has focused its attention on build quality, cameras, display, and performance. Both flagships, of course, ship with a new version of iOS, which will be generally available later this month, on September 16.

Continue reading →

Google has cut the minimum price for which apps can be sold by a fifth. The price cut currently only affects India, and sees the cost plummet from 50 Rs (around $0.75) to just 10 Rs (around $0.15). It is a decision that has clearly been taken to both entice new customers to Android, as well as discouraging existing users from switching allegiances to Apple -- particularly with the launch of the iPhone 6s.

The lower price point was made available to developers at the end of July, but now Google is starting to promote apps and let users know that there are now many apps available for the reduced price. As well as applying to apps and games in Google Play, the 10 Rs minimum now also applies to in-app purchases.

Continue reading →

The amount of RAM that manufacturers pack into our mobile devices will only increase as time goes by. It seems like only yesterday that 2 GB was reserved for premium handsets, but now you can find much cheaper mid-rangers featuring that much memory.

However, the latest crop of Android flagship phablets now ship with 4 GB of RAM. Samsung's Galaxy Note 5 and Galaxy S6 edge Plus are prime examples, and so is the more expensive OnePlus 2 model. And you can expect next year's batch of standard-sized flagships to follow suit, if not exceed them. But, pretty soon, that too will no longer be enough. Thanks to Samsung, in the near future our high-end mobile devices will have 6 GB of RAM.

Continue reading →

One in ten smartphone owners in Britain checks the device the moment they wake up. Sky News, reporting on Deloitte’s research of the matter, calls it an addiction. (I thought everyone checks their smartphone the moment they wake up, but I guess I was wrong.)

Deloitte’s research on how much Britons use smartphones has shown some crazy statistics: a third of smartphone owners look at their device more than 25 times a day. Even worse, a sixth check it more than 50 times each day.

Continue reading →

Smartphones are a great way to communicate with people, but according to some new research, our communication is switching from voice to other means.

Talking over the phone is actually dropping in popularity. The number of people making a phone call once a week went from 96 percent to 75 percent over the past three years, according to research carried out by Ipsos Mori for Deloitte, The Guardian reports.

Continue reading →