Android

Asus ZenPad 8.0 (Z380KL) Review: Flying the Android Tablet Flag

Asus ZenPad 8.0 (Z380KL) Review: Flying the Android Tablet Flag

February 9, 2016 Richard Gomez 9

Asus has been one of the earliest proponents of Android tablets, producing the excellent Transformer range as well as two generations of Nexus tablets. The company also tried its hand with the FonePad and MemoPad series, although some of these products such as the FonePad 7 (FE171CG) (Review | Pictures) didn't quite impress us.
That hasn't stopped Asus from persisting, and the Taiwanese company has now brought its 'Zen' branding to tablets. Hoping to replicate the success of the ZenFone range, the ZenPad tablets were launched earlier this month. Today, we have the ZenPad 8.0 for review, which is the top-end model. Running on a Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 SoC, the ZenPad 8.0 aims to offer the ZenFone experience with a larger screen. We go into the details in our review.
Look and feel
Although the Asus ZenPad 8.0 goes by the Zen branding that Asus has been using for its smartphone lineup, the tablet itself bears no similarities to the smartphones. There are no off-screen ..

Android 5.0 Lollipop Review [year]: A Sweet Upgrade

Android 5.0 Lollipop Review 2026: A Sweet Upgrade

December 15, 2018 Richard Gomez 0

Android's sweet new “Lollipop” flavor brings security improvements and easier ways to view and respond to notifications. The new Google software for mobile devices even lets you lend out your phone without worrying about a friend circulating your naked selfies on Facebook.
I tested Lollipop on Google's new Nexus 6 phone, which comes out this week. I can only hope that as other phones get the upgrade over time, it will be as good as what you get on the Nexus.
It's a shame many phone manufacturers that use Android believe they have to tweak it extensively to make the software theirs and not Google's. Mucking around with it only confuses customers and steers app developers toward working on iPhone versions first, where there is more uniformity – and thus incentive to incorporate the latest features.
Assuming your phone maker is running Lollipop in its purest form, here's what you'll get:
Notifications
You used to have to pull down the notification tray from t..

Sky Sutra Is Part Shooter, Part Platformer, All Awesome - and Made in India

Sky Sutra Is Part Shooter, Part Platformer, All Awesome – and Made in India

December 26, 2017 Richard Gomez 0

A corner table of a local bar is hardly where you would expect to check out a brand new, unreleased video game, but that's exactly what happened as we huddled around a laptop and played Sky Sutra. Created by Mumbai-based Yellow Monkey Studios, Sky Sutra has a heavy focus on couch co-op, and is coming to the PC and possibly, the PlayStation 4.
Yellow Monkey has already made a name for itself with high quality premium mobile games such as It's Just a Thought, Huebrix, and most recently, Socioball. Sky Sutra is meant for a new audience, but the developers have made a polished game that makes good use of the controller.
(Also see: Playing It Risky: Meet Socioball, a Premium Puzzle Game From India)
At first, we were skeptical, because Sky Sutra can easily be mistaken for many of the side-scrolling, endless runners we're subject to on Android and iOS. There's a cute looking art-style with colourful backdrops, two boxy characters, and a never-ending carpet suspended in..

The Deer God Review: Frustrating, Yet Fun

The Deer God Review: Frustrating, Yet Fun

August 7, 2017 Richard Gomez 0

A hunter waits for his prey in the jungle on a rainy night. At long last he spots a deer and lines up a shot. Just as he pulls the trigger, he's attacked by a wolf. The baby deer and hunter have both collapsed. The hunter's spirit wakes up. As punishment for his violence, the hunter's spirit is placed in a deer's body and that is where you start playing The Deer God, one of the more interesting looking new games to release on iOS (it's also available on Android, PC, and Xbox).
The hunter becomes the hunted and thus begins your adventure as a deer that doesn't know what tasks it has to complete. As a deer you can't do much more than run and jump, but you do get certain powerups along the way that can extend your abilities. Instead of large levels that you can clear through, The Deer God just repeats the same few puzzles, until you find and complete certain tasks. For example, an old man will ask you to find his monocle and until you do that, you will ..

Game of Thrones [year]

Game of Thrones 2026

February 13, 2016 Richard Gomez 0

The second episode of Telltale Games' Game of Thrones series has released on iOS and now Android. To download it, you'll need to buy the first episode, and then either unlock this episode as an in-app purchase, or buy a season pass that will unlock all the remaining five episodes for the price of four. Each episode costs Rs. 300 (Rs. 307 on Android) and it's also worth pointing out that there is often a long gap between each episode – the first part came out two months ago, for instance.
If you're a Game of Thrones fan, or just would like to experience some interactive fiction with a heavy dose of intrigue, betrayal and bloodshed, then you're going to enjoy this game.
(Also see: Game of Thrones Game Review: Welcome to Westeros)
Telltale Games is a developer that lives up to its name – its games are simple narrative driven experiences that have very little to do by way of actual gameplay. The central mechanic in these games is just to choose what to say next ..

Intex Aqua Ace Review: Specifications Aren't Everything

Intex Aqua Ace Review: Specifications Aren’t Everything

February 23, 2016 Richard Gomez 0

Just a short while after reviewing the Intex Aqua Trend (Review | Pictures), we have another model from the same company in our hands for review. The Aqua Trend underwhelmed us, especially considering how many strong alternatives are available at or even below the same price. Intex is well known for selling low-cost products, especially PC peripherals. However, a lot of companies have managed to drive prices down in the smartphone industry without compromising on features or materials, and so Intex's classic formula might not do it any good here.
Today, we have a slightly more premium model, the Intex Aqua Ace, in for review. Priced at Rs. 12,999, this phone will find itself going up against some very polished, premium products. We're hoping Intex can impress us and show that it's able to compete in a market very different to the one it has thrived in so far.
Look and feel
Immediately upon opening its box, we're struck by how derivative the design of the Intex Aqua..

Asus Fonepad 7 Review [year]

Asus Fonepad 7 Review 2026

December 10, 2018 Richard Gomez 0

In the past two years, Asus has released at least four different versions of the Fonepad 7. We saw a Fonepad 7 (3G) release last year, followed by the Fonepad 7 Dual SIM and the Fonepad 7 (FE375CG) in the first quarter of this year. On top of that, the Fonepad 7 (FE170CG) launched just recently, and we have it with us for review.
This Fonepad 7 is Asus's attempt at creating a low-cost tablet for the masses. While the spec sheet may not be impressive, Asus's intended target audience might approve of the Dual-SIM functionality and voice calling features.
Look and feel
The refreshed Fonepad 7 doesn't look too different from the Fonepad 7 we reviewed last year but it looks like Asus has tweaked the design slightly to make it better. Gone is the plain slippery back, which is now replaced by a nice textured finish. This aids in gripping the device. The entire body is made of good quality plastic and feels sturdy in everyday use. Moreover, Asus has shaved 28g from the previou..

Alcatel Flash 2 - [year] Review

Alcatel Flash 2 – 2026 Review

September 9, 2017 Richard Gomez 0

Alcatel Onetouch, the joint venture between France's Alcatel and China's TCL, has been a background player in the Indian market for a while now. Several other Chinese companies have entered and made big splashes – not all have sustained their momentum, but Alcatel has popped up every now and then with a new release, reminding us that it's here.
The new Alcatel Flash 2 might raise the company's profile in India. It has a reasonable price and some interesting looks and features that set it apart in a very crowded space. We're eager to see what this device has in store for us.
Look and feel
The Alcatel Flash 2 has a pretty bold look which most other manufacturers seem to shy away from. At first glance it seems like a premium phone, but on closer inspection the shiny chrome frame which cradles the black front face and wraps around the sides is actually plastic. The front face is black and is bordered by subtle plastic strips which almost make it look as though the ..

Avion Flight Simulator [year] Review

Avion Flight Simulator 2026 Review

November 14, 2017 Richard Gomez 0

Back in the early 2000s, the INS Vikrant had become a museum ship that was anchored in Mumbai. The ship had a room where one could step into a mock cockpit and play Microsoft Flight Simulator. For a wide-eyed teenager, the illusion was complete – a joystick, a screen surrounded by several dials, knobs, unknown instruments, and a virtual plane that kept crashing. No one ever said flying was easy.
Avion Flight Simulator 2015, an Android game made in Hyderabad, is one of the many flight sims you'll find on Google Play and the App Store, but can a mobile game played without a joystick recreate a great flight simulator experience? The game puts you in the cockpit of various aircraft, and assigns a number of missions. It features 12 aircraft and 5 missions per aircraft, apart from a free flight mode for each plane. Add to that three difficulty levels for each mission, and you can see that this game doesn't suffer from a lack of content.
You start with a basic plane – a Cessna 182..

Samsung Galaxy Note 800 review [year]

Samsung Galaxy Note 800 review 2026

August 11, 2016 Richard Gomez 0

The stylus is back in business and we should give Samsung some credit for this, which released its first S-Pen sporting device, the Galaxy Note last year. The so-called phablet turned out to be a decent success for the company. The Korean manufacturer has since moved forward to reveal the successor and a bigger version of its Galaxy Note in the form of the Note 2 and Note 800 respectively.
Samsung Galaxy Note 2 is yet to reach India, but the Note 800 (called Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 in other markets) has already landed in the country. Packing a quad-core processor and Ice Cream Sandwich, the tablet looks enticing on paper but do the specs translate into real performance? We shall find out in this review.
Hardware
Don't expect any design innovation here. Samsung has played safe and kept the looks of the Note 800 similar to its other tablets. Blame it on the design patent troubles with Apple, or just laziness, there is nothing extraordinary about Samsung Galaxy Note 800's looks..

Review: Asus Eee Pad tablet transforms into laptop

Review: Asus Eee Pad tablet transforms into laptop

March 1, 2016 Richard Gomez 0

The tablet computers that compete with the iPad have mostly been uninspiring. The Eee Pad Transformer stands out with a design that isn't just copied from the iPad: It's a tablet that turns into a laptop.
For $399, $100 less than the cheapest iPad, you get a tablet computer with a 10-inch screen and hardware that doesn't cut corners. It's fully usable on its own. For another $149, you can buy a keyboard that connects to the tablet. Together, they look and open like a small laptop.
The Transformer is made by Asustek Computer Inc., the Taiwanese company that started the brief “netbook” craze a few years ago by selling small, inexpensive laptops. With the keyboard attached, the Transformer is nearly indistinguishable from a netbook.
But before you get too excited about the prospect of a laptop-tablet hybrid that combines the best of both worlds, I have to tell you that you're not getting a Windows laptop in the bargain. The Transformer runs Google Inc.'s Andr..