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Now you can rent your favorite smartphone! Here’s how

October 30, 2018October 30, 2018
by ParkyPrakhar

Have you always had a dream of owning that latest, premium, out of your budget smartphone? Have you been saving up to buy your dream phone? Now you can get access to it or you can now rent your favorite smartphone without ever owning one. No kidding, there is a consumer leasing platform named RentMojo which has introduced ‘smartphone rentals’.

Smartphone Rentals lets users rent smartphones on monthly basis as well as for long-term periods. As it is a newly launched program, the company is offering a limited number of devices for rent. These devices include –

Apple – iPhone X, iPhone 8
Samsung – Galaxy S9, Galaxy Note 8
Google – Google Pixel 2, Google Home

The offers start from Rs. 2,099 and go up to Rs. 9,299 for six, twelve, eighteen and twenty-four month periods. But, the availability of the above-mentioned products will vary depending on your location of residence. Currently, the plans are available in Bangalore, Delhi, Gurgaon, Mumbai, and Noida.

Also Read – Xiaomi Mi Pad 4 Plus announced; comes with a larger display, fingerprint sensor

If one wishes to keep the product permanently after the initial ownership, there is also an option to buy it from them. However, apart from the monthly rentals, consumers will have to pay an initial refundable deposit at the time of booking the product.

All the available smartphones right now are flagships. But RentMojo says that it is planning to introduce affordable smartphones too. According to RentMojo, they have 50,000+ active users. Adding to their list of available cities, the smartphone rental program will eventually make its way to Chennai, Hyderabad, and Pune in the next quarter.

It will be interesting to see how this program works out. Would you be interested in renting your favorite smartphone rather than buying it? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

You can visit RentMojo here to check out all of their offerings.

Tech

Why Android Go Actually Makes Sense But Android Go…

October 15, 2018October 15, 2018
by ParkyPrakhar

A year ago, at the Google I/O 2017 we saw a new version of Android dubbed as Android Go. The Go edition of Google’s mobile OS is basically a trimmed down Android version made for the low-end devices. This approach focuses on putting an Android phone with the latest OS and apps in everyone’s pocket.

We already had Android One platform, then why Android Go?

With 2 billion users, Android phones are one of the most widely used smartphones in the world. According to Google, their objective is to provide a smooth Android experience at low cost. The Android One phones are comparatively supposed to be costlier than the Android Go phones.

The Android Go initiative focuses on devices having limited memory, CPU horsepower and data connectivity. Android Go is designed to run on hardware with as little as 500MB of RAM and 4GB of internal storage. But how exactly are the two Android versions – One and Go – different from each other?

Android Go vs Android One – The Differences

To put it simply, Android One focuses on the following three set of specific rules –

Stock Android: Google states that any manufacturer that wants to release an Android One smartphone can’t modify the operating system with custom skins.
Regular Security Updates: For a manufacturer to build an Android One device, it is necessary to provide regular security updates.
Strict Hardware Requirements: Google specifies a maximum hardware spec for Android One handsets. This is the reason we won’t ever see an Android One device with a Snapdragon 845 or other high end CPUs.

As you can see, with Android One, Google wants to control everything from the hardware to software updates. These devices are basically low cost Nexus devices.

Also Read – 6 ways to earn money through blogging

Android Go, on the other hand, is purely based on the software experience. The three key points about Android Go are –

Custom OS: The Android Oreo (Go edition) is still Oreo but a lot trimmed down for lower-end hardware.
Android Go has its own specific set of apps: The “Go” apps released by Google are for limited hardware.
A modified Play Store: It is not all that different from the regular Play Store. The modified version highlights apps that will work best on limited hardware, like the Facebook Lite app.

Android Go also features better data management tools. Unlike Android One, it is pure software that can run on any hardware.

Android Go actually makes a lot of sense

Tried and tested – the Go apps from Google save a lot of space! For example – The Google app’s RAM usage is around 250MB while the Go version of the same app utilizes only 61MB of space. Isn’t that just mind-boggling? Yeah, there are compromises but the Go app performs all the necessary functions. Same goes for Maps Go and YouTube Go apps. Though one cannot subscribe to a channel via the Go app.

Theoretically, all this sounds amazing. But the difference in my testing and the original product is the actual availability of limited storage. I tested the Go versions of apps on my OnePlus 3T which was once known as the ‘flagship killer’. I had a lot of space on my phone while testing the apps.

In reality, the Android Go phones have limited horsepower and space available which causes lagging and slowing down of the low budget phones. Yes, due to the hardware, Android Go phones lag even while working on trimmed down versions of apps. And that is one of the reasons why Android Go phones don’t make any sense.

Also Read – Dual sim iPhone is coming soon but only to this country

Let me give you another real life example. The Nokia 1 – An Android Go phone from Nokia – was launched in India with a price tag of Rs 5,500. The specs include 1 GB RAM, 8GB ROM and a low end processor. In contrast to that, Xiaomi Redmi 5A is available for Rs 5,999 and the specifications include 2 GB ROM, 16GB ROM, a better display, battery and processor – double the amount of RAM, ROM and better specifications all around for a mere Rs 500 more

Why would a consumer buy an Android Go phone aver a full-fledged Android phone in the same price range? Apart from all this, the Android Go devices have hardware limitations too. The display on these devices is limited to 480p.

At max Android Go devices should be priced at Rs 3k. Otherwise, it doesn’t make any sense at all to clutter the already saturated smartphone market with more devices.

Also Reaad – Confirmed: These smartphones will get Android Pie. Is your phone on the list?

If the Go devices don’t make any sense then why the Android Go initiative?

The way I look at it, I see Android Go benefiting the users of low-end devices (sub Rs 8k range) like Moto E3 or even Moto E2. These devices are capable of running Android Go apps with ease. If you are having issues with your low-end device, try installing the Go apps and you are good to go.

Concluding, the Android Go initiative doesn’t stand on its promises. While the software is good enough to even run on a couple of years old device, the hardware part of this initiative definitely needs improvement. Google has asked the developers to make a Go edition of their apps and hopefully, we will get to a point in future where everything works as promised by Google.

Smartphone

Confirmed: These smartphones will get Android Pie

October 15, 2018October 15, 2018
by ParkyPrakhar

Google’s latest Android version, called the Android Pie came out a few days ago. This was the first time that Google allowed phones other than Nexus and Pixel series to run the beta version of its latest offering. Hopefully, this means that Android Pie will be served to a wider audience than Android Oreo.

We are sure you must be wondering if your daily driver will get the update or not. Therefore, we have compiled a list of smartphones from all the major manufacturers which will get updated to Android Pie. Read further to give your doubts a rest. Here are the confirmed phones which will get the taste of Pie.

Google – Always the first to get served

Google released the Android Pie update by giving OTA updates to the Pixel users. While the Pixel 3 should come with the latest flavor out of the box, here are the devices which currently support Android Pie –

Pixel 2 XL
Pixel 2
Pixel XL
Pixel

Unsurprisingly, the last of Nexus devices – the 6P – is not included in the list. But if you own a Nexus 6P, don’t worry. The developers are on it and your device should get the update soon (unofficially).

Nokia – No discrimination

There are a very few manufacturers left who roll out updates for their smartphones irrespective of their price tag. And, Nokia is one of them. They have been pretty good with updates since their comeback. Even right now, all the Nokia smartphones in circulation either run on Android Oreo or come ready to be updated to it out of the box. The Nokia smartphones will get the taste of Android Pie –

Nokia 8 Sirocco
Nokia 8
Nokia 7 Plus
Nokia 7
Nokia 6.1 Plus
Nokia 6.1
Nokia 6
Nokia X5
Nokia 5.1
Nokia 5
Nokia 3.1
Nokia 3
Nokia 2.1
Nokia 2
Nokia 1

Also Read – Now you can rent your favorite smartphone! Here’s how

OnePlus – A welcome surprise for the old users

OnePlus was part of one of the few brands that participated in the beta roll-out of Android Pie. They did it with the OnePlus 6. While devices from last year were expected to get the update, OnePlus announced a few weeks ago that it will skip the Android 8.1 update on the older models for the sake of Android Pie. The OnePlus smartphones will get the latest version of Android –

OnePlus 6
OnePlus 5T
OnePlus 5
OnePlus 3T
OnePlus 3

This is a welcome surprise for the OP 3 and 3T users as they have already received two major updates in the past.

Sony – Still trying to get back in the game

Looking at the shape of Sony right now in the market, one might have expected it to bring the Android Pie update to its latest generation of smartphones. Tough competition in each price segment has restricted Sony from gaining momentum in the past couple of years. But this has not stopped it from bringing the latest update to its new smartphones –

Xperia XZ2 Premium
Xperia XZ2 Compact
Xperia XZ2
Xperia XZ1 Compact
Xperia XZ1
Xperia XZ Premium

Samsung – Hey guys, we are working hard to bring Android Oreo

In case you are a Samsung user, you might have as well not bothered to come here. Samsung does not believe in rolling out incremental Android updates to its smartphones. Instead, updating the hardware specifications seems to be easier for them. That is why you’ll see a new-gen model being launched before providing the update to the previous-gen device. Typical Samsung.

We are not too hopeful about the Android Pie update for Samsung smartphones as their last year’s flagship, Galaxy S8 received Android Oreo a couple of months ago. There is still a long list of devices waiting to get the taste of Oreo!

Xiaomi – Android One is what we got

Xiaomi believes in customizing the Android versions with their MIUI ROM (Priorities!). Hence, consuming a lot of time before pushing out the actual update. The latest version of MIUI has its own pros and cons. While it may provide a lot of features already, using the framework for Android Pie is still a task on their to-do list.

Nevertheless, since Xiaomi has introduced Android One smartphones, there’s a list of Xiaomi phones getting updated to Android Pie –

Mi A2
Mi A2 Lite
Mi A1
Mi MIX 2S

Huawei/Honor

Huawei and Honor have an unimpressive track record when it comes to providing the latest updates. Just like Xiaomi, Huawei too likes to dedicate more time to blend the actual Android experience with its own skin. Some like it, others hate it. But it is what it is. Still, there are some of the phones which are ready to receive the Android Pie update –

Huawei P20 Pro
Huawei Mate 10 Pro
Honor 10
Honor View 10 (Honor V10)

Asus – Finally getting a rhythm

Despite facing issues with its phones in the past few years, Asus didn’t give up. And now they are looking solid with their new devices. Thanks to popular devices like the ZenFone Max Pro M1 and the flagship 5Z, Asus has been able to make a comeback. It offers a near stock-like experience with these new devices. Hence, making them a new favorite amongst smartphone enthusiasts. These Asus smartphones will get the Android Pie update –

Zenfone 5Z
Zenfone 5
Zenfone Max Pro M1

Motorola – Gone are good old times

Gone are days when Motorola used t o be the second in line – just after Google – to roll out the latest Android updates. Although they have kept a vanilla Android experience on their phones, updates haven’t followed as quick as they should have had. However, Motorola has prmised to begin working on the Android Pie update shortly.

They haven’t yet released a list of smartphones which will taste the Pie. But these smartphones are expected to get the update –

Moto G6, Moto G6 Play, and Moto G6 Plus
Moto Z3, and Moto Z3 Play

Also Read – Moto P30 images leaked, worst iPhone X design rip off yet?

Oppo and Vivo – Only one device confirmed to receive Android Pie yet

Both Oppo and Vivo have had an amazing year till now. With innovations like underglass fingerprint scanner and slider cameras, they have made their mark for the future of smartphone design. They have gained a lot of attention lately, thanks to their respective gorgeous looking flagship models.

But we are yet to confirm as to which of their devices will get the Android Pie update. While Oppo has promised the update for the Oppo R15 Pro, Vivo was already a part of Android Pie beta testing with the Vivo X21 UD.

So these were all the smartphones that have been confirmed to receive Android Pie update till now.

Was your phone on the list? If not, will you be flashing a new unofficial ROM or will you bother buying a new device? Do let us know in the comments below.

Smartphone

Google Pixel 3 Images Leak suggest Display Notch, Dual…

June 1, 2018June 1, 2018
by indreport staff

There are various leaks about Google’s new Pixel 3 which have come in the last couple of months. Some renders revealed the new smartphones from the company will have OLED panel manufactured by LG to the company’s own leaks about its new generation of smartphones. Well, Apple’s WWDC 2018 is about to arrive. So it makes sense that the rival tries to steal the air time! The German blog ‘WinFuture’, source of several leaks in the past, ensures that the Pixel 3 will be released in August or September! If true, Google may hit the market before Apple, which is expected to launch the successor to iPhone X in September! Now latest leak has provided us with the images of Google Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL suggesting a big display-notch, less bezels and Dual selfie camera. However, they are just rumors. Well, as you may know, Google launched its latest Pixel in October, which is also the expected date for this year.

Specifications: Google Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL

Both Pixel 3 mobile phones will feature a Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor with Full view display. However, for the operating system, the Android P version would release in August. So, the company might introduce its flagships at that time only with their latest Android operating system. For which the customers believe in Google from these many years should be achieve by it. After all, the Pixel mobile phone, is the Google storefront for your Android operating system. By the image we can depict that there is dual camera on the front of both mobile phones.

Code-named ‘Google GB1’, the Pixel 3 XL should have a new type of screen, with a ‘notch’! But the ‘Google GC1’, or the Pixel 3, will have more traditional hardware. It is all updated that Google Pixel 3 and Pixel 3XL will replace Google Pixel 2 and Pixel 2XL. In 2016, Google has given its manufacturing contract to HTC, however it divides the collaboration between HTC and LG. But, another speculation is there about manufacturing of devices which will be done by Foxconn, a Taiwan based electronics industry.