India

Le Max [year] Review

Le Max 2026 Review

May 1, 2018 Richard Gomez 0

China's Letv started making headlines in India back in April 2015, and less than a year later, the company has arrived here to compete in the gruelling smartphone race. Originally one of the largest online video companies in China, Letv has added a couple of 'firsts' to its name within a short span. Its Le Max Pro is the world's first smartphone with Qualcomm's highly anticipated Snapdragon 820 SoC, and the company also had the world's slimmest 65-inch TV to its credit this CES, with a depth of just 3.9mm thick. Other than phones and televisions, the company has a diverse range of products too, which it plans to launch in India over time.
With its sights set on major developed and emerging markets, the company has undergone a rebranding exercise and is now called LeEco, which signifies a whole ecosystem of tech products and services. LeEco has rolled out its first smartphones in India and today, we'll be reviewing its flagship offering, the Le Max. T..

10 Big Technology Trends Likely to Emerge in 2016

10 Big Technology Trends Likely to Emerge in 2016

February 21, 2016 Richard Gomez 0

Predicting the future is a dangerous game. It's easy to speculate and easier still to hope, but what we have to do is carefully look at all the promising developments we've seen in the recent past and then evaluate how we think they'll keep going, and what else they'll lead to. Some companies are kind enough to provide roadmaps and projections, but surprises can pop up out of anywhere, anytime.
We've looked at the state of tech and of the world at large to bring you our list of ten things we think will be significant in the world of personal technology in 2016. From global-scale trends that will shape politics and policy to the individual features of our next smartphones, there's a lot to think about.
1) The death of the traditional desktop OS
With Microsoft taking full control of Windows 10 updates and doing whatever it can to push users to its latest OS, the traditional notion of the OS is dead in 2016. From forced updates to a dependency on being comp..

Coolpad Note 3 [year]

Coolpad Note 3 2026

June 27, 2018 Richard Gomez 0

Coolpad, a tech company that is still taking baby steps in India, announced last year that it would soon launch its first 'Made in India' handset. As promised at the time of announcing the Coolpad Note 3, the company on Friday introduced a variant called the Coolpad Note 3 Lite, which is manufactured in India in partnership with Videocon. The Chinese firm continues its tie-up with Amazon for exclusive sales of the device. Priced at Rs. 6,999, the Note 3 Lite will be available through scheduled flash sales starting on January 28.
The Coolpad Note 3 Lite is a budget smartphone, but still packs a number of features and some specifications that customers look for in mid-range handsets. Although on paper it is not as powerful as its elder sibling, it does leave us with some overall positive first impressions. It is also one of the least expensive smartphones in India with a fingerprint sensor.
(Also see: Coolpad Note 3 Lite vs. Coolpad Note 3)
The design of the Coolpad Note 3 L..

Meizu m2 [year]

Meizu m2 2026

February 22, 2016 Richard Gomez 0

Meizu might have some way to go before establishing itself as a serious player in India, but it's fairly well established in its home market China. In the business of smartphones since 2008, Meizu is one of the top 10 manufacturers in China. Following a heavy infusion of capital investment from Alibaba in February, the company announced plans to launch in India a month later and finally launched the m1 Note in May.
The latest product from its stable to launch in India is the Meizu m2. Priced at Rs. 6,999, the m2 offers a solid set of specifications and features, while keeping the price competitive. We explore the device in our in-depth review.
Look and feel
The Meizu m2 has a distinct look, which follows the same design philosophy that the company has used with all of its devices. It apes Apple's designs to a certain extent, especially the front which has only a single physical button. While this might look good, the button has to serve as both the Home and Back keys, since i..

QiKU Q Terra [year] Review

QiKU Q Terra 2026 Review

April 12, 2018 Richard Gomez 0

Another day, another Chinese smartphone maker enters India. This time, it's a joint venture between Qihoo 360 Technologies and the handset maker Coolpad, who have formed the brand QiKU. Its debut offering, the Q Terra, is yet another “flagship killer”, if you will, but comes with a unique set of features which should help it stand on its own feet. Priced similarly to the Moto X Play (Review), let's see if the company's debut offering in India has what it takes to get noticed.
Look and feel
The Q Terra is a massive phone and there's no getting around this fact. QiKU has tried to minimise this by shaving down the bezels to a razor-thin 1.4mm and leaving only enough plastic on the top and bottom for the earpiece and navigation buttons. The end result is quite stunning, mostly because almost all you see is the display. The near borderless design looks cool, but it isn't the most practical. We had to put up with many accidental presses of the touchscreen and naviga..

OnePlus Icons [year]

OnePlus Icons 2026

March 11, 2016 Richard Gomez 0

OnePlus was founded in December 2013, though the company first burst onto the scene in 2014 when it launched the OnePlus One. The self-proclaimed “flagship killer” promised top-end performance at entry level prices. Now, OnePlus is making a push into the audio space as well, and the brand has launched its second pair of earphones, the OnePlus Icons. While the OnePlus Silver Bullet earphones were priced fairly affordably at Rs. 899, the Icons, at Rs. 2,999, are clearly at the upper end of what can be called “budget”.
The OnePlus Icons are a nice looking pair of in-ear headphones, but are they comfortable enough and most of all, do they sound good enough to justify the price tag? Or should you consider spending as much or a little more to buy something nicer, or save your money and pick up a cheaper pair?
(Also see: Best In-Ear Headphones for Every Budget)
Design, specifications, and comfort
The design of the Icons is eye catching. The angled earpieces look nice and help ensure a good..

InFocus M680 [year] Review

InFocus M680 2026 Review

January 6, 2018 Richard Gomez 0

InFocus has been a player in India for less than a year now, but it has been releasing a steady stream of new models, most of which we have received well. The US-based company, which specialises in projectors and office communication equipment, is working with Chinese electronics giant Foxconn to put its name on a line of smartphones aimed at emerging markets. Through this relationship, InFocus is trying to carve out a space for itself, and it seems as though the periodic flash sales it holds are receiving quite a lot of attention.
It can't be easy to compete in the Indian smartphone market, where a disruptive new device comes along nearly every other week. Still, InFocus appears to be gunning for the budget segment with a combination of low prices and premium features. Let's see if the new M680 can take on existing low-cost champions and leave a good impression.
Look and feel
We liked looking at the InFocus M680 from pretty much every angle except head-on. The front face is ..

OnePlus X [year] first impressions

OnePlus X 2026 first impressions

February 22, 2016 Richard Gomez 0

Soon after the launch of the OnePlus 2 back in July, OnePlus started creating buzz about another handset due this year which would cater to a different audience. The OnePlus X, the Chinese company's third smartphone, was finally unveiled on Thursday at simultaneous events in New Delhi and Beijing, among other cities.
OnePlus had also announced plans earlier this month to start manufacturing phones in India, further further affirming that the company considers India one of its most important overseas markets.
At the launch event, we asked OnePlus India General Manager Vikas Agarwal how the OnePlus X fits into the company's smartphone lineup, as the older OnePlus One still has better innards. Agarwal, without specifying an exact time frame, confirmed that the One will eventually be discontinued – though not this year. This made it clear that the OnePlus X is here for a reason, and the company wants to make sure that it caters to consumers looking for a powerful device but who c..

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..