Sony Xperia Z2 and Z2 Tablet Android 5.0 update to roll out next week, coming to Xperia C3 and T2 Ultra soon

Earlier this month Sony announced that it has started rolling out Android 5.0.2 (Lollipop) update for the Xperia Z3 and Xperia Z3 Compact smartphones starting from Nordics and Baltics. It also promised to offer Lollipop updates for more Xperia Z Series devices in around two weeks. Today the company hasannounced that it has started rolling out the update for the Xperia Z3 and Xperia Z3 Compact smartphones in more regions worldwide. It has also started rolling out the Lollipop update for the Z3 Tablet Compact.

Sony Xperia Z2 and Xperia Z2 Tablet would start getting the Lollipop update starting next week. Sony also confirmed that it will offer Lollipop update for both the Xperia C3 and Xperia T2 Ultra smartphones. It will confirm the roll out details for these two smartphones in coming weeks.

New features in Android 5.0 Lollipop update for Sony Xperia Z series

• Fresh, streamlined looks – based on Google’s material design, but retaining our minimalistic approach to interface and application design.
• New look notifications and lock screen – with fully customizable settings, so you only get the information you really need.
• Multi user profiles and guest mode – making it easy for family and friends to use your device, or the creation of dual environments for work and play.
• Android for Work – not only are business-ready Xperia smartphones and tablets unique devices for work – with waterproof form factors, great battery life and productivity features – they will now also be part of the Android for Work ecosystem.
• Better storage control and customisation – with the option to easily move applications from internal memory to SD card – giving you more control over your content, particularly useful for devices with slightly less space.

Android 5.0 roll out for the Sony devices might vary across different carriers and countries.

MediaTek Helio X and P series SoCs for high-end smartphones announced

MediaTek recently announced its new chips for high-end smartphones under the new name Helio. The Helio X is aimed at top-end smartphones promising extreme performance and the Helio P series means premium performance, says MediaTek. The Helio X10 (MT6795W) is the first SoC in the X series, offering True Octa Core experience at 2.2GHz per core. It uses 64-bit ARM Cortex-A53 cores and also has integrated LTE. No details about the Helio P chips yet.

Features of Helio X10

• MiraVision – A high-performance, real-time pixel processing engine which dynamically controls sharpness, contrast and color, to enhance picture quality.
• SmartScreen –An algorithm/pixel engine that compresses and enhances individual pixels, in real-time, to make the screen brighter, allowing users to experience TV-like quality using significantly less power.
• 120Hz display in mobile devices – 120Hz refresh rates will create a crisper, smoother image quality when moving a document or text around, i.e., a map.
• H.265 Ultra HD (4K2K) video record & playback
• Super slow-motion –A camera capturing 480 frames per second (fps) for 1080p Full HD videos, with playback at 1/16 speed.
• InstantFocus – Reduces focus time by 1.5 seconds. Improves tracking to ensure you always get a clear photo and never miss a shot.

MediaTek will release new high-end Helio X series SoCs using 20nm process, Cortex-A72 cores, CorePilot 3.0, MiraVision Plus and built-in LTE modem that supports Carrier Aggregation (CA) technology. The first Helio powered smartphones will go on sale sometime in the second quarter of 2015.

OnePlus One will be available in India without an invite on April 1

OnePlus has announced its third open sale for India on April 1st, soon after its second open sale on March 24th. The first open sale on Amazon.in happened on February 10th to celebrate the successful completion of 10 weeks of OnePlus in India. This time OnePlus team in India is moving to new office that was finalized back in February, and the open sale is being conducted to celebrate it.

An Open sale lets you purchase the OnePlus One smartphone without any invite, so if you are waiting to get the smartphone, this is the time to grab one. Both the 16GB Silk White and 64GB Sandstone Black variants of the OnePlus One will be available for purchase through open sale tomorrow, Wednesday.  The sale would be for limited quantity which is expected to go out of stock quickly given the high demand for the phone, says the company.

The OnePlus One open sale in India starts at 10AM on April 1st, 2015, Wednesday on Amazon.in.

Samsung Galaxy S4 Lollipop Update: 10 Things to Expect Now

The Samsung Galaxy S4 Android 5.0 Lollipop update has been rolling out since late January. And while it has made significant strides, there are still plenty of devices and plenty of people on Android 4.4 KitKat. With details and questions swirling, we want to take a look at what we expect going forward from the Samsung Galaxy S4 Lollipop update and release.

When Google first announced Android Lollipop at Google I/O last June, it did not confirm a public release date for Android smartphones and tablets. Instead, users had to wait until November for the company to finally confirm the Android 5.0 Lollipop release. Soon after the start of Google’s roll out, Samsung started rolling out its first Android 5.0 Lollipop update to the Samsung Galaxy S5.

Since then, Samsung’s made significant progress with its Android 5.0 Lollipop deployment. The update has landed for the Galaxy S4, Galaxy Note 3, Galaxy Note Edge, and the Galaxy Note 4. The Samsung Galaxy S4, a device that’s now two years old, got the update much earlier than expected as it beat out the Samsung Galaxy Note 4.

While Samsung has certainly picked up the pace since January, there’s much work to be done and many questions left to answer. Plenty of Samsung Galaxy S4 users are still sitting on Google’s Android 4.4 KitKat update, an aging version of Google’s operating system. Naturally, we continue to get asked tons of questions about the Galaxy S4 Lollipop update.

Today, with just a couple of days left in the month of March, we want to take a look at what we expect from the Galaxy S4 Lollipop update and its release going forward. Our goal here is to help set your expectations ahead of the start of April which, in our eyes, could be a key month for many Galaxy S4 users around the world.

Galaxy S4 Lollipop Release to Quietly Continue

If you own an international version of the Samsung Galaxy S4 and this is your first rodeo, here’s what you should expect from Samsung moving forward.

You should expect the Samsung Galaxy S4 Lollipop update, the update that’s heading out to unbranded international devices, to continue on the path it’s heading on right now. While carriers typically make a big deal about their roll outs, those of you that aren’t tied to a carrier should not expect the same trumpets to mark your update’s arrival.

Samsung’s tends to stick to a quiet, unpredictable roll out path for its international variants and we don’t expect the company to make a big deal out of any of its upcoming releases. No blog posts, no major announcements, nothing. Instead, you should expect to find out about your Galaxy S4 Lollipop update when the update arrives.

The only thing you can do at this point is check a couple of times a day. The timing and release date for the remaining Galaxy S4 Lollipop updates will be extremely random. Samsung never outlines its plans which means that you’re going to need to remain patient as it works to deploy the software behind the scenes.

Release to Pick Up the Pace in April/May

We expect the Samsung Galaxy S4 Lollipop update to start picking up speed next month and in May.

In the past two months, we’ve seen the update land for a number of different Galaxy S4 models in a number of different countries. It’s still fairly limited though now that Samsung’s making progress fixing its Android 5.0 problems, we could definitely see this update making some moves next month and the month after. And that would make sense. This update is now more than two months into things.

We expect to see a pickup for the international variants, devices like the GT-I9500 and GT-I9505, and we would not be surprised if we finally saw some pickup in the speed for carrier models.

Galaxy S4 Active Lollipop Update

It’s clear that Samsung is just now starting to pick up the pace with its other Galaxy S4 Lollipop updates. The Samsung Galaxy S4 Active Lollipop update is now pushing out to several other regions including a new carrier in Austria.

We expect to see more Galaxy S4 Active Lollipop updates push out soon though if you own an AT&T model, don’t expect an imminent release. The carrier still hasn’t rolled out its Galaxy S5 Lollipop update or Galaxy S4 Lollipop update and it would be shocking to see this model beat them both to the punch.

Lollipop Updates for Other Galaxy S4 Variants

Samsung hasn’t announced anything and we haven’t seen any rumors pop up but we’d be surprised if the company left both the Galaxy S4 zoom and Galaxy S4 mini on Android 5.0 Lollipop.

With the regular model getting the upgrade and the Galaxy S4 Active receiving an update of its own, the door is open for both of these phones to get the bump to Android 5.0 Lollipop.

If the company does decide to update one or both of these phones, we wouldn’t expect the roll outs to begin in the imminent future. These are older devices that don’t have a ton of users so Samsung probably won’t focus on them.

Nothing is confirmed and there’s a chance that Samsung decides to keep them on Android 4.4 but at this point, with the Active making the move, we could certainly see Samsung offering one last update to the people that bought these Galaxy S4 variants.

Most US Carriers to Remain Silent

If you’re looking to US carriers to spill the beans about their plans for the Samsung Galaxy S4 Lollipop release, you’re setting yourself up for disappointment. Most US carriers typically don’t announce their plans ahead of time and we expect most US carriers to remain silent about their plans for the Galaxy S4 Lollipop update.

In our eyes, there are two carriers that could announce something early. One is AT&T, the carrier that continues to confirm a Galaxy S5 Lollipop upgrade ahead of the actual roll out. The other is T-Mobile, the carrier with the Android upgrade page. Don’t expect anyone else to confirm early. If they do, it will come as a complete shock to us.

US Galaxy S4 Lollipop Release Isn’t Imminent

If US carriers are planning to deliver Galaxy S4 Lollipop updates, and they it’s possible that they might, don’t expect releases in the near future.

T-Mobile’s Android update page still doesn’t list the update. That means that Samsung and T-Mobile have yet to agree on a Galaxy S4 Lollipop update, something that will take place weeks ahead of a public release. The other US carriers remain silent though we imagine that at least some of them are in a similar boat.

There is a chance that US carriers will opt to keep the Galaxy S4 on Android 4.4 KitKat, especially when you consider that its hit the two year mark and they want to push people to new devices like the  Samsung Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge.

It’s hard to say if an update is coming or not. If it does come to the United States, don’t expect it anytime soon.

Extremely Slow Roll Out

Australian carriers Optus, Vodafone and Telstra haven’t confirmed plans to roll out an Android 5.0 Lollipop update to the Galaxy S4. Neither have French carrier SFR or Canadian carrier Rogers. All of these carriers typically confirm roll outs a month or two in advance and thus far, all we’ve heard is silence.

With little to no information currently out there, we expect the Samsung Galaxy S4 Lollipop roll out to take months, perhaps a whole year, to complete. The problems that Samsung’s been having with Lollipop probably haven’t helped.

Galaxy S4 Lollipop Problems to Mount

We expect Samsung Galaxy S4 Lollipop problems to continue. We’ve seen tons of complaints about the update and we don’t expect users on carrier-variants or other models like the Galaxy S4 Active to be immune. Rigorous testing process or not, bugs and problems always slip through the cracks and we’re expecting some of these problems to continue, even as Samsung works to improve its software behind the scenes.

Those who prepare the device ahead of the Android 5.0 Lollipop release date will lower the odds for Galaxy S4 Lollipop problems. That said, you always assume some risk installing a major Android update like Android 5.0.

We do expect Samsung and its carriers to roll out bug fix updates for Galaxy S4 Android 5.0 Lollipop problems. Exactly when? is hard to predict though carriers typically aren’t fast with bug fix updates. It could take weeks, even months.

If It Gets Android 5.1, It Won’t Be For Awhile

If Samsung is planning another update for the Galaxy S4, it won’t be here for awhile.

Samsung Galaxy Android 5.1 Lollipop release rumors suggest that the company has yet to begin work on Google’s new Lollipop update. The company is reportedly thinking about using Android 5.1 to bring Galaxy S6 features to some older devices though it’s clear that no final decision has been made about this yet.

The Samsung Galaxy S4 could potentially get an Android 5.1 Lollipop update with a trimmed down version of TouchWiz in the future but that update is probably a ways off in the distance, if it even arrives at all. Don’t expect Android 5.1 Lollipop or Galaxy S6 TouchWiz features to arrive for the Galaxy S4 anytime soon.

Bleak Future

The Samsung Galaxy S4 is now two years old which means that users are entering a gray area where anything can happen. Historically, Samsung’s kept flagships update for two years before kicking them to the curb. What this means is that the Galaxy S4’s software support beyond Android 5.1 Lollipop is extremely unpredictable.

Samsung could opt to extend support or it could simply cut it off in the hopes that some Galaxy S4 users transition to something newer like the Galaxy S6 or Galaxy S6 Edge.

Whatever the case, don’t expect Samsung to come right out and confirm anything. Remember what we said about it being quiet? Galaxy S4 users should expect to have to sit in limbo for several months at least while Android 5.1 rumors firm up and rumors regarding a new Android update from Google start to pick up.

New Samsung Galaxy Note 4 Lollipop Release Confirmed

A new Samsung Galaxy Note 4 Lollipop release has been confirmed and it appears that it will hit users sometime early next month.

In February, Samsung started rolling out the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 Lollipop update. The release came as a bit of a surprise given that the Galaxy Note 3 and Galaxy S4 Lollipop updates both landed in late February. Samsung typically updates its current flagships before updating its older devices. The Galaxy S4 is nearly two years old while the Galaxy Note 3 is now more than a year out from its release.

Since its initial release, the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 Lollipop update has made progress. It has landed for several international variants and it has hit two US carriers including AT&T and Sprint. Samsung still has a ton of work to do though it looks like the company is set to make some progress during the month of April.

Canadian carrier Bell claims that it will release the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 Lollipop update in early April. The carrier made the claim on Twitter though it did not outline a specific Galaxy Note 4 Lollipop release date. Carriers rarely out specific release dates ahead of time because Android update releases are dependent on the testing process behind the scenes.

Sony To Rollout Lollipop Update To Its Non-Xperia Z Smartphones Soon

In an attempt to bring in smiles in the faces of many, Sony has started rolling out Android 5.0 Lollipop update to many Xperia smartphones and phablets.

We can remember that there was an announcement by the company recently that the Lollipop update shall not be rolled out to non-Xperia Z smartphones.

Contrarily, the company has announced that Xperia C3 and T2 Ultra are both eligible for Android 5.0 Lollipop.

So, we are pretty sure that many of the non-Xperia Z users too are happy now.

But, the update may take a little time to roll out and you need to wait patiently, we suppose.

There is no timeframe set for the release of the Android 5.0 Lollipop update for Xperia T2 Ultra and Xperia C3, but it is always advised to keep an eye out for any additional info on the matter.

However, Sony has confirmed that it would continue the deployment of Android 5.0 Lollipop update to its Xperia Z3, Xperia Z3 Compact and Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact.

Although Indian users of these mobiles may have to wait a little to receive the updates, we can pretty much conclude that it would definitely be worth the wait.

Xiaomi May Launch Its New Budget Device On April 8

After launching many high-end smartphones, the Chinese mobile maker Xiaomi has recently given away hints about a budget smartphone it is working on.

It looks like the company is aiming at the Lenovo A6000 which is currently a successful budget device in the market.

There are news surfacing that the new budget handset by Xiaomi will be launched on April 8.

It is also being said that the device will be sporting a 4.7-inch HD display accompanied by the aforementioned Leadcore LC 1860 quad core CPU clocked at 1.6 GHz.

Coming to the camera section, we can expect the new smartphone to come with a 13 MP rear camera and 2 MP front camera.

With 8 GB of inbuilt storage and 1 GB of RAM on board, the device comes with Android 4.4.4 KitKat operating system.

The budget smartphone is also expected to come to India pretty soon with a price tag of somewhere close to Rs 6,000.

This should make it a direct competitor to the Moto E (2nd Gen), which is struggling to make an impact in the presence of devices like the Lenovo A6000 and Xiaomi's Redmi Note 4G.

We can pretty much guess that, this year the competition is going to be a little hard for Lenovo A6000 with the launch of the Xiaomi's new budget device.

Also, recently, the company has announced on the MIUI forum that there would be a number of surprises and new product launches on Apri 8 to mart the occasion of the company's 5th anniversary.

We just have to wait and watch. 

Windows 10 Update Arrives Packing Google Chrome Killer

The release date for Microsoft’s Windows 10 operating system is far from near, but Windows 10 10049 finally adds one of the crucial features Microsoft needs to have users test before launch. The new version of the operating system rolling out this week for notebooks, desktops, tablets and 2-in-1s includes the new Project Spartan Web Browser the company promised last year.

Microsoft announced Windows 10 10049 in a post on its Blogging Windows site late yesterday. Like the previous versions of Windows 10 released to members of the Windows Insider Program, Windows 10 10049 is a more complete look at what Microsoft plans to make available to Windows 8 and Windows 7 users for free later this year. Right now, the version is only available to members of the program in what’s called the “Fast Ring.” Windows 10 10049 has some bugs that Microsoft needs to iron out before it becomes available to everyone later on in the “Slow Ring.”

At its Windows 10 Media Briefing back in January, Microsoft confirmed that it had a new web browser in the works. This new browser would essentially do the same things as Internet Explorer, but do them in a modern way. A new rendering engine like what’s in Google Chrome would ensure that websites wouldn’t break. Microsoft also said that built-in support for marking up web pages with a digital pen and integration with its Cortana personal assistant would give it the momentum it needs to get more people using its built-in browser instead of downloading another. That browser is one of the few new features in this version of Windows 10.

Project Spartan mostly matches the look and feel of other Windows 10 apps we’ve seen already. Tabs for selecting individual apps sit above the address bar like they do in Chrome instead of beside the address bar like in Internet Explorer. Buttons for favorites and taking notes on the website in question sit off to the far right. Like Chrome, Project Spartan supports browser extensions too. This allows web developers to add features to Project Spartan themselves.

Beyond Project Spartan, Windows 10 10049 only addresses some bugs noticed in previous versions. The Photos app won’t crash suddenly when users open the collection of pictures they’ve already taken. Microsoft also says that it’s addressing an issue with the Start Screen that had Desktop and Windows Store apps surfacing behind tiles on the Start Screen and Task View. After the update users shouldn’t find themselves locked out of their PC when they hit a specific key combination during the setup process.

To be clear, the operating system also includes a few bugs too. Outlook search is broken and users won’t see any new mail surface in their search results after upgrading to Windows 10 10049. Microsoft is encouraging those making apps to stick to the Slow Ring too. Windows 10 10049 completely breaks parts of Visual Studio 2015. Visual Studio is the software that lets developers create their own apps and programs.

Windows 10 is more than just Project Spartan. When it’s finished Microsoft will have revamped the Start Screen to make it more touch-friendly and easier to use, put the Desktop back at the forefront of the  notebook and desktop PC experience and added a way for 2-in-1s to automatically switch between the two when certain conditions are met. A few weeks ago Microsoft announced that it was integrated fingerprint readers and scanners directly into Windows 10, making it easier than ever for users to login with things like the Touch-ID fingerprint reader included in the iPhone 5s, iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus.

Although we know Microsoft plans to “launch” Windows 10 as a free update for Windows 8 and Windows 7 users, we do know exactly when. So far, Microsoft has only confirmed it’s coming to everyone eligible sometime this “summer.”

Samsung Galaxy S6 edge survives over 20 minutes under water

Samsung didn’t waterproof the new Galaxy S6 and S6 edge like it did with their predecessor. So, what happens if you drop your Galaxy S6 edge in water? TechSmartt decided to find out and dunked the an S6 edge into a bowl of water with the stopwatch running.

The phone lasted over 20 minutes before powering off. That's a lot more than can be expected from a phone with no official water resistance rating, but it was not without taking some damage.

After some drying and charging the Galaxy S6 edge came back to life, though there was still water in the device (visible in the front-facing camera. The phone also tended to reboot or even not boot at all after the experiment.

So, definitely don’t go put your Galaxy S6/S6 edge in water on purpose, though it looks like it has a good chance of surviving an accidental drop if you pull it out quickly and dry it properly. Note that depths plays a part, an IPX7 rating for example specifies up to 1m of water.

Watch the video : HERE

Android 5.1 might bring new TouchWiz to Galaxy Note 4

According to a new report, an update to Android 5.1 Lollipop will bring updated TouchWiz UX toSamsung Galaxy Note 4. The latest TouchWiz debuted alongside Samsung Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 edge.

Most global versions of the Korean giant’s flagship phablet are currently running Android 5.0.2. Should it arrive alongside Android 5.1, the new user interface will surely be a welcome addition to the Galaxy Note 4.

Unsurprisingly, Samsung Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 edge will be the first to receive Android 5.1. There is no timeline on the update for the Note 4.

HTC One (M7) receiving Lollipop OTA in India, Singapore, Malaysia

HTC has started rolling out the Android 5.0 Lollipop update for its 2013 One flagship device - One (M7)in India, Singapore, Malaysia, and other regions. The Taiwanese company finally is reaching out with the OTA to several regions for the two year old handset.

The One (M7) gets the Lollipop OTA packaged in a build version 7.21.707.105 measuring 774.82MB for India. The build will have different version number for each region but will be more or less around 800MB.

The new Lollipop update packs the new Lock screen and notification user interface with improved privacy features. The Recent apps menu will support multiple pages and removes the current limit. This update is same as the one that was rolled out for Europe last month.

Asus Zenfone 3 to come with a fingerprint sensor

Fingerprint sensors are all the rage these days, and after Apple brought the feature back to prominence with the iPhone 5S, major manufacturers have been quick to jump on that bandwagon. Next in line is Asus, apparently, as evidenced by the words of no other than the company's CEO.

At a press conference last week in Beijing for the launch of the current Zenfone 2 in China, Jerry Shen, commander in chief of the Taiwanese electronics manufacturer, was quoted as saying that the future Zenfone 3 will come equipped with a fingerprint reader of its own. Realizing that it's likely a whole year before that one comes to market, the company exec hinted that we may actually see the feature later this year in a facelift to the Zenfone 2.

Now there are those who may frown upon the possibility of making payments with their smartphone, secure as it might be. However, other daily tasks can undoubtedly benefit from the tech, like safer and quicker unlocking, securing folders or even logging in websites.

We're only left to hope that Asus has learned from Samsung's experience and brings a working implementation of the otherwise nifty feature. The Korean company's first-gen sensor in the Galaxy S5 and Galaxy Note 4 was much too picky but that was finally addressed in the Galaxy S6, bringing it up to par with the Apple solution.

Xiaomi partners with The Mobile Store to sell its smartphones offline

Xiaomi entered India last year with online-only model partnering with Flipkart to sell its smartphones and accessories. It started selling its accessories on its own website in India recently, now the company has partnered with The Mobile Store to sell its smartphones thorough these offline retail stores, according to areport from ET.

According to the report, relatively lower number of Mi 4 and Redmi Note 4G smartphones will be available at The Mobile Store across 55 stores in Delhi NCR, from Saturday. These smartphones will sell at Rs 19,999 and Rs 9,999, respectively, similar to the online rates on Flipkart. The Mobile Store shops will also act as service centers, the company’s chief executive Himanshu Chakrawarti said to ET.

Xiaomi tied up with Airtel to sell the Redmi Note 4G smartphone back in December though Airtel Stores across India. Xiaomi will continue to sell the smartphones though Flipkart.

Manu Jain, head of India operations at Xiaomi, said to ET:

This will be the first time that we’re getting into offline trade in India. In China, about 20-30% of total sales through come from telecom operators stores while the rest comes from our online store.

TRAI releases consultation paper to regulate OTT services like WhatsApp, Skype and others

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has finally released consultation paper on Regulatory Framework for Over-the-top (OTT) services seeking comments of all stakeholders. After reports that TRAI is planning to implement charges for over-the-top (OTT) players of apps like WhatsApp, Viber, Skype etc. it rejected the proposal of carriers to make OTT players that offer these services share part of their revenue with them or the government. Airtel announced VoIP packs for Skype, Viber and others back in December, but it decided not to implement it soon after.

Regarding the consulting paper on Regulatory Framework for Over-the-top (OTT) services, TRAI said:

OTT providers make use of the TSPs’ infrastructure to reach their customers and offer products/services  that not only make money for them but also compete with the traditional services offered by  TSPs. Leave aside TSPs, these apps also compete with brick and mortar rivals e.g. e- commerce sites, banking etc.Today, users can directly access these applications online from  any place, at any time, using a variety of internet connected consumer devices.

Digitalization of content has reduced conservation, reproduction and distribution costs,  which, in turn, has promoted the explosive growth in the supply of online content.  Paradoxically, the broadband networks provided by incumbent TSPs are used as a platform by the OTT players for the development of new businesses. The growth of traffic apart, the  OTT applications have created an increasing demand for faster broadband speed, which  translates into a need for huge investments in network up-gradation by the TSPs.

This Consultation Paper covers the views of the service providers and OTT  providers, all related issues (including network neutrality), international experience with network neutrality and regulation of OTTs (communications and non-communications), said TRAI. This includes,

• Policy and regulatory environment and need for regulation
• Current policy dispensation for OTT players vis-a-vis TSPs
• Security concerns of OTT players providing communication services
• Issues related to security, safety and privacy of the consumer
• Issues arising because of ‘net-neutrality’
• Network discrimination and traffic management practices
• Non-price based discrimination of services and ensuring transparency to consumers
• Pricing-related issues, including differential pricing for data access

Stakeholders can offer comments regarding this by 24th April, 2015 and counter comments by 8th May, 2015. You can read the full consultation paper on TRAI website here (PDF).

Facebook releases bunch of apps for new Messenger platform

Last week, Facebook announced Messenger platform and Businesses on Messenger tools at F8 conference. Today, the social network has released a couple of apps for Messenger platform.

Facebook has launched apps like  - Selfied, Shout, Sound Clips, Strobe and Stickered. First up, as the name suggests Selfied will allow you to take multiple shots and assign them to various “moods.” Users can add their face to different moods like sad, happy, irritated and so on and use them instead of original emoticons. The second app Shout is does not offer much but it only lets you take your own photos and add text to its along with other emoticons.

Moving on Sound Clips as the name says enables users to send various sound clips to whoever they are chatting with thereby enhancing the overall chatting experience. They can select from dozens of categorized pre-recorded sound clips like crowd cheering, baby laughing, yahoo and so on. Next up is Strobe which is a GIF creator allowing you to create GIF images and share them with friends. Finally, Facebook is banking on one the important aspect of mobile messaging these days by launching Stickered. The app lets you stick a bunch of clip art onto your photos and let you create your own stickers.

One E9+ launched in China: 5.5-inch Quad HD, MediaTek processor, plastic body

A steady stream of leaks revealed most of the key details of HTC’s newest flagship phones, but, over the weekend, HTC quietly finished the job by publishing an official page for the One E9+.

Like the E8 last year, the E9+ looks like a cross between the One M# series and the Desire series, featuring a two-tone plastic body, the distinctive BoomSound speaker setup on the front, and a large camera positioned up top on the back. Continuing the hybrid theme, the frame of the device is actually metallic with chamfered edges. The three color options are “Meteor Grey,” “Classic Rose Gold,” and “Gold Sepia.”

According to the HTC product page, the One E9+ will feature a 5.5-inch Quad HD LCD display (2560 x 1440 pixels) for a pixel density of 534 ppi. This is the first HTC device to make the jump from Full HD, with HTC sticking with the smaller resolution for the range-leader 5-inch M9.

HTC swapped the Qualcomm processor it usually prefers for higher-end devices with an octa-core chip from MediaTek, MT6795M. Like the troubled Snapdragon 810 inside the One M9, this is a 64-bit chip combining four Cortex A53 cores with four Cortex A57 cores, set up in a big.LITTLE arrangement. Other key features are 3GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage (expandable), a 2800-mAh battery, a 20MP camera on the rear, and a 4MP UltraPixel camera up front. The device is running Lollipop with Sense 7.

There’s some confusion regarding these specifications, with the E9+’s spec sheet listing some lesser configurations, though, as Engadget points out, that’s likely an error on HTC’s side.

The lesser specs (1080p screen, 16MP camera, 2GB of RAM) could actually belong to the One E9, which hasn’t been officially confirmed yet. The E9 appears to be very similar to the larger E9+, save for the absence of the metallic frame and a smaller camera on the back. Here are some press shots of the E9 shared yesterday by @upleaks.

Both the E9 and the E9+ are likely to be primarily targeted at East Asian markets; so far, there’s no official info on price or availability, but we’ll keep you posted if HTC makes any announcement.

Samsung Galaxy S6 theme tool said to be released in April

The Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge both come with a small selection of themes pre-installed for Samsung’s new theme engine, with many more available to download from the online store. However, Samsung hasn’t made it clear how or when third party developers will be able to design and share their own themes for the new flagships.

Reddit user gedankenreich chased Samsung up for an answer to this question and received a reply. It turns out that the Galaxy S6 theme authoring tool will be released sometime in April. You can read the email response below. The authoring tool will likely be an extension of the version already available for the Chinese version of the Galaxy Note 4, A5 and A7.

Samsung initially released its theme option with the Galaxy A series of smartphones and seems to be keen to push the feature to all of its new mid to high-end smartphones. HTC, LG, Samsung, and Sony now all have theme options available in their latest flagship handsets, which may be an attempt to level the playing field with the likes of OnePlus and Xiaomi, which both include plenty of theme options by default.

“Slam test” video: the Galaxy S6 Edge may be sturdier than it looks

Samsung’s new Galaxy S6 Edge looks stunning, but many have questioned how well the double-edged device can handle drops and bumps. A “slam test” video making the rounds suggests the S6 Edge is a lot stronger than it looks.

The video says it all, really, but in case you can’t watch it, the Galaxy S6 Edge gets slammedrepeatedly onto what appears to be a hard floor without taking any visible damage. Two of the hits are full-on frontal impacts, making us wonder what’s going on in there. To be clear, there’s a chance that this video has been tampered with somehow, so take it as is.

Now, the fact that this particular device seems to survive some pretty brutal shocks doesn’t necessarily mean that the Galaxy S6 Edge is indestructible. There are a lot of variables that can influence the outcome of a drop, like the angle of the impact, the composition of the floor, or the existence of weak points caused by previous impacts. This looks mighty impressive – just don’t take it as an invitation to do the same with your device.

If you’re wondering why the time in the widget changes from 12:10, to 12:11, to 12:12 within less than 30 seconds, it’s likely because the widget has a small lag when refreshing the time when the screen is turned on (you can see that, right at the beginning, when the widget shows 12:10, the time in the status bar is actually 12:11.)

Watch the drop test : HERE

We have seen Google Now to get more smarter and get rich with new features. Some of people want to use their Google Now Voice feature to send messages on WhatsApp which is not possible till yet.Nevertheless, the root often solves the problem and fetching in the best way possible, as in this case thanks to root, Tasker and autovoice (and of course WhatsApp) are unable to accomplish what many had not expected, that the possibility of send messages via WhatsApp using voice commands Google Now from home.If you want to try it you can take a look at aspecial thread on xda, since it does not even seem very difficult.Source- kickedface

OnePlus One Android update: [Lollipop delayed, OnePlus giving away free phones]

The OnePlus One Android 5.0 Lollipop and Oxygen OS updates have missed their end-of-March deadline, so some lucky OnePlus One owners will be getting free OnePlus Ones as compensation. Yes, we think it sounds strange too, but who's going to argue with getting a free phone?

• OnePlus One review
• Android 5.0 Lollipop update: which devices are getting it and when?

OnePlus One Android Lollipop update: when can we get our hands on it? / © AndroidPIT

The news arrives via a Reddit post by a OnePlus spokesperson, who admitted that "certification is taking a bit longer than expected", and that the big updates won't make the March 30 deadline previously stated by OnePlus One. True to its promise, OnePlus will be giving away five free 64GB OnePlus Ones as a way of saying 'sorry' for not keeping to its deadline (a wiser PR move than OnePlus' other controversial efforts).

This means that the intriguing OxygenOS - OnePlus' own forked operating system based on Android - has also been delayed, because OxygenOS is based on Android Lollipop 5.0.2.

While the new operating system won't be available OTA for the OnePlus One, it will be a flashable alternative to CM 12S. OxygenOS is also expected to feature on the upcoming OnePlus Two. 

• OnePlus Two price, release date, specs, rumors

We'll keep you posted on all the status of the OnePlus One Android 5.0 Lollipop update. Are you excited to get the latest version of Android on your OnePlus One, or are you getting a bit tired or OnePlus' strange marketing strategies and inability to stick to deadlines?

Thanks to Android Pit