MasHD Blog

If you went through a recent OnePlus Reddit AMA and tonnes of similar news articles on the internet , you can see that One Plus is planning to continue its tradition of making affordable flagship smartphones for half or one third the cost ($299) of rival products. The company has stayed as a underdog manufacturer but those who got word of the OnePlus One grabbed whenever they had the opportunity , and now the company is rumored to be working on the second generation of its One Plus handset lineup which is nicknamed as the  OnePlus "Two" . The new handset is said to feature the best of the last model - which includes swappable back covers with some exotic choices. The phone will definitely pack the latest and greatest hardware for 2015 (Snapdragon 810 maybe) with a improved display and more "Surprises" including a Cyanogenmod based version of Android 5.0 ROM and cost no more than its $500+ rivals .The handset is rumored to be introduced in April  2015 . Written

Qualcomm is "Intel" of the the mobile chipset business , the company has seen rapid growth since 2013 after the introduction of the Snapdragon S4 series . The company since then has come a long way and it stepped into the 64 bit territory early this year with the Snapdragon 610 and Snapdragon 410 processors , although lesser processor models got the 64bit expreience , the flagship 800 series processors still rolled in 32 bit until the announcement of the Snapdragon 810 a few months ago . The 810 has a 4+4 "Octacore" Big.Little mobile chip architecture that allows 4 Cortex A57 cores to work with 4 A53 cores giving variable throttling when needed . The 64 bit jump also makes the processors acquire more  RAM , 4K support out of the box and higher quality GPU's like the Adreno 430 found in the 810 . To promote the chipset to developers and manufacturers , Qualcomm announced a new reference Smartphone and Tablet running the chipset and some insane specs with a indu

Panasonic has launched a new affordable handset called the Eluga 1 , the phone , like most Panasonic smartphones today  is aimed at the developing smartphone markets so don't expect to see it on carriers outside Asia . The phone costs $117 , which is a decent price for a 5" smartphone that has a Quadcore processor and 8mp rear camera . The phone will go on sale starting from India at INR 10,400 ($117) Display - 5" 1280x720p resolution IPS display , 294ppi OS - Android 4.4.2 Design - Smartphone with removable battery , 73.6 x 147.1 x 9mm (HeightxWidthxThickness), 115g Connectivity - dual sim GSM,HSPA+ 3G, WIFI 802.11 b/g/n , Bluetooth 4.0 MicroUSB 2.0 ,GPS + GLONASS Processor - QuadCore 1.3 Ghz GPU - Unknown Ram - 1GB Storage - 8GB Onboard +MicroSD expansion Camera(s) - 8MP rear camera , rear flash, HDR 1080p@30fps recording - 2MP front camera Battery - 2000Ah removable Other - Gesture controls , double tap to wake Price - $117 Wri

Jolla had a tough time selling the Jolla smartphone that ran its own Custom Sailfigh OS. The phone , designed up by ex- Nokia employees and former developers from its Meego division produced a great and unique device with a few logistics and pricing problems that ultimately sealed its fate . Now the company is back and this time they are introducing a tablet that runs a improved Sailfish OS with better Android app compatibility. The new tablet is set up as a crowd funded project aimed at earning $380,000 by December , but as of now the company has reached well over $1 million in a awesome two days . The company originally planned to sell the tablet at $189 for the first 2000 backers and $199 for the next 2000 backers , but now the company has 7370 indigogo backers who donated well over the company's target price for a device , which the company expects to sell well. To celebrate the 1 million dollar mark , the company dropped EUR100 off its Jolla smartphone , which now sells for

TLDR - specs listed below  Oh the tears we shed for Nokia , Oh the hate we built on Microsoft for erasing the name from Lumia , oh the sadness we all had about the once great...wait a minute ..i believe that its a little too early to cry because Nokia is back (atleast not in full form that is - Nokia is rumored to have sold some brand licences to Foxconn , which is a famous equipment manufacturer that makes devices for many companies including "Apple" ) Nokia has unveiled their new surprise - a Android tablet called the Nokia N1 at a special event in London . The company , which was stripped to the bone and re assembled using Microsoft badges is no longer a handset company but they do have services and in this case a Tablet which means that Nokia might continue in the consumer computer department in the future as well . The Nokia N1 tablet is also the first device to carry a N badge after the coveted N Series went bust with the Nokia N9 . The Tablet , unlike the plethor

With tightening safety regulations and market availability issues (in the U.S)  many thought the Lotus Evora was basically a dead duck after the company failed to introduce a new 2015 model , but now the company is hoping to introduce a upgraded Evora at the 2015 Geneva motor show which is said to bring some of the biggest upgrades since its introduction 4 years ago . The new Evora will remain a 2+2 coupe and minor styling additions are said to be added to the body to make it more appealing and a 15% weight reduction which means the engine power to weight to ratio will be better , that being said the new car will likely have a more powerful Toyota sourced V6 with more power than the older engine that produced 276 Bhp .  The car is also said to feature new safety standards which will satisfy U.S road safety rules and allow Lotus to have a "road legal" car other than the track versions of the Elise and Exige .The 2014 model was given a 12 month notice in order for Lotus

Sandisk is a well known manufacturer of memory (storage) products , the company is mostly known for their flash drives and using that advantage, Sandisk has introduced a iOS friendly USB stick that connects to your iPhone or iPad and allows you to transfer or access media like photos and video with Sandisk's iOS app . The iXpand drive comes with a lightning connector , which is hidden in the chassis of the drive , to access or send files , you first need to install the iXpand app and this way you can send and receive content and free up valuable storage on your device . The iXpand also has a large USB 3.0 port which allows you to access the stored data by fixing the drive to any USB reading device . The iXpand flash drive is said to work on iPhone 5 , 5S , 5C , 6 and 6 Plus as well as iPad mini , Mini 2 ,Air and Air 2 . The 16GB iXpand drive costs $59.99 and the 32GB - $79.99 and the 64GB version is said to cost $119.99 . The flash drives will go on sale starting from the 16th of

Project Tango was Google's new attempt to create a virtual measuring and object recognition system using multiple sensor data . The virtual geometry project , which lead to the production of the Google Project Tango Tablet meant that keen developers and interested parties could see it in action for real . The Project Tango tablet is now available on Google's playstore , like most new arrivals , the tablet is still listed as un-available but at $1024 the tablet which sells with No warranty or refunds is probably not going to appeal to to general consumers as the device is mostly aimed at the scientific/advanced developer community  . The tablet packs a Nvidia K1 processor with Denver 64bit architecture . The device has 4GB of RAM  ,128GB of Built in Storage and a 7" 1080p display . a 2Micrometer RGB-IR sensor with 4mp and a 1mp IR sensor as secondary .The system runs on a custom version of Android 4.4.4 Written by Rakitha for MasHD Source - GSMArena

Microsoft has been keeping a good update record for its Windows Phone smartphones after the backslash of Windows Phone 7 . The new crop of Windows Phone 8 devices have gone through 2 major updates and now according to sources , they are set to receive their third major update in the form of Windows 10 . The Windows 10 update is said to bring some major changes to the Windows phone field as it is the first update that is said to remove the "Phone" in Windows phone . The news of the coming update comes from Microsoft's "Lumia" twitter account and it boldly states that all current Windows Phone 8 handsets will receive the update although we are not quite sure as the confirmation is not given by Microsoft , but instead by a affiliated party . The update might rely upon certain hardware capabilities of smartphones and lesser Windows Phone makers might decide to omit the update altogether , but whatever it is , news of having a update for a series of devices that ar

Nvidia shield Tablet is probably one of the best gaming oriented tablets this year , the Nvidia K1 powered beast is pretty much Nvidia's show-slate to promote the Tegra series of processors to the mass market with graphical prowess that matches some big named consoles in the past . The tablet , which cost $299 for the 16GB model wifi was selling quite well but as with most things Tegra , users started to question software support for the tablet but so far Nvidia hasn't turned them down . Presenting Android 5.0 Lollipop plans for the Nvidia Shield tablet , like i said earlier , Nvidia is really keeping the Software updates coming and this time , the tablet is making a huge step forward as it jumps from Android 4.4 to 5.0 starting from the 18th of November . The Nvidia shield tablet runs a very much stock Android experience except for Nivida's custom tweaks in the hardware department . The update is also scheduled to bring in some more goodies to the already sweetened dea

Samsung has launched a new system called flow , the connected device system , which works like Apple's Continuity program allows Samsung users to access their browsing , missed calls , battery status and other notifications on a connected device which can range from a connected Galaxy Smartphone , a Tablet or even a Smart TV . The system also has a defy mode that lets you access the task ( a movie or a song) you were doing on a connected Samsung phone or tablet on your current handset at a delay , which means that you can pause and play according to your liking .The SDK is open to developers so many more features will be added in the future . But like most things Samsung , this feature only works with Samsung products. Source - AndroidAuthority

Sony has a reputation of launching 2 flagship smartphones every year ,but starting from the Xperia Z4 , the company hopes to skip that upgrade cycle for 1 smartrphone per year . According to new rumors , Sony is said to be working on a Xperia Z4 smartphone , Xperia Z4 Tablet and a Xperia Z4 compact and a long awaited Xperia Z1 ultra replacement called the Xperia Z4 Ultra smartphone . The new rumors state that the Xperia Z4 series will get the new Snapdragon 810 processor and improved displays and thinner designs that will also skip the 16GB option in favor of  32GB basic version . The Xperia Z4 smartphone is said to have a 2560x1440p resolution display and 4GB of RAM , there is also a new design platform that  will have a QI wireless charging protocol that will replace the old magnetic charging option found on older phones . The Xperia Z4 tablet will have similar specs as the z4 smartphone and it will keep the same 10.1 " display size as the older z2 tablet , but the bezels are

LG's G watch is probably one of the most desired legacy Android wear watches in the market right now ,although its not appealing as the Moto 360 or a G watch R , the normal G watch is probably a good option if you are on the hunt for a affordable Android wear device . The G watch is sold globally at about $150 right now , but in other countries , taxes propel the cost to a even higher amount and in this case the G watch is priced at INR 15,000 which is about $245 , but Flipkart , a Indian online retailer has slashed the price to $122 ( INR 7500 which is a 50% drop from the original price , and this is a even lower price than the international list price in Amazon and some Ebay deals , so if you are in India , you can get it now for this bargain price , and if you live elsewhere , better hold up for the great Black friday deals that are happening now . (Price has dropped to INR 6499 now ) Written by Rakitha for MasHD Source - Gizmobic

Many Nexus users are really impatient and angry over the fact that non nexus devices are getting a taste of Android 5.0 before them , LG , a company that was mocked for having late updates anounced that their LG G3 will recieve the new lollipop flavor within this week ,and if that wasn't enough ,Motorola has already started a "soak test" of Android 5.0 on the budget Motorola Moto G (2014) with the official update set to arrive in a short time . The Motorola Moto G is a budget handset that runs stock Android so almost all the core Material design elements of Android Lollipop will arrive on the new phone with some additional software from Motorola which includes Moto Assist . Written by Rakitha for MasHD Source - GSMArena

Philae snapped this photo after it seperated from the Rozetta module (ESA/Rosetta/Philae/CIVA )via CBS If you were following mainstream media sources , the Rozetta orbiter mission to the comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko is probably not new to you . The European Space Agency (ESA's) mission to the 4km wide comet that is travelling at 66,000 km/h marks the first time man (or in this case a unmanned vehicle) has attempted to land on a comet . The 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko comet is 6.4 Billion Kilometers away and it took Rozetta and its probe - Philae 10 years (launched in 2004) to complete the journey . Rozetta has successfully launched its probe - Philae and once it does reach the surface of the comet (afer a 7 hour journey, which will conclude at 11.03 AM E/T) , the probes built in ice screws and harpoon will tether it to the surface as the probes primary active thrust system that was supposed to keep the probe in place failed to launch . The probe , which weighs about 100kg'

Luxury car companies are enjoying record sales from Asian markets , Rolls Royce , Bentley are already steaming ahead with they new full size road yachts and Maybach is probably one of the last ones to join the show with the new Maybach S class  . The Maybach luxury company as you know is owned by Mercedes , the 100 year + company has gone through several changes over the years and it was once even scheduled to be phased out due to financial recession  . The new Mercedes - Maybach S class builds on some design cues of the standard S - Class including a v12 engine and so it is now numbered as S-600 although Mercedes hopes to make Maybach a seperate brand from the usual list of Mercedes products . Speaking of products , the company has also re-shuffled its lineup and it now has a new numbering/class system that gets rid of the old M  class off road vehicle series in favor of the "GL" class  . The SLK roadster is also shelved in favor of  SLC that goes under the SL class . Me

Proposing to that special someone in your life is a very tedious and a expensive task , although you might have planned something like a expensive day out or a expensive ring or a musical band they still might not add up to the nearly $100,000 one guy spent on buying iPhones for making a large heart in order to propose to his fiance . The lucky-now sort of unlucky chap is a computer programmer from China and he spent $95,000 on 99 iPhone 6's and three other smartphones for setting up a heart  shape in the middle of a public area . He then asked his girl for  hand in marriage while offering a bouquet of roses but the deal went sour and he was turned down . Although he maybe at a loss in his love life , iPhone 6's are still in good condition and due to the high demand in China , it wouldn't be hard to sell them off to cover up the cash spent on his effort . Written by Rakitha for MasHD Source - DigitalTrends

LG has unveiled a fun and a bit childishly cute looking phone  called the AKA , pronounced Aw-Kuh , the phone is basically a midrange device that has a animated  screen which displays as a pair of eyes that blink depending on what type of notification you get . The phone comes in a set of pastel colors which means this is mainly aimed at young buyers . The phone ,while being fancy is not cheap and considering the fact that its $455 when you convert (KRW 500,000) its highly unlikely that the phone will be sold other than in LG's home turf in South Korea. Display - 5" 1280x720p resolution IPS display OS - Android 4.4.4 Design - Metal unibody smartphone , non removable back cover Connectivity - LTE , WIFI 802.11 , Bluetooth 4.0 ,NFC Processor - Qualcomm Snapdragon 400  1.2 Ghz Quadcore  GPU - Adreno 305 Ram - 1.5GB Storage - 16GB+MicroSD card slot  Camera(s) - 8MP rear camera with LED flash , HDp recording - 2MP front camera Battery - 2610mAh non r

Say hello to the new Microsoft Lumia 535 , this at first glance looks like another Nokia lumia handset ,but thank's to Microsoft's new renaming strategy , the phone and everything that was Nokia now goes as "Microsoft" . The phone is said to be a offshoot of the not so successful Lumia 530 and the Lumia 630 and it is said to be priced at a very affordable cost . The phone has some internal parts shared by previous Lumia devices including a Snapdragon 200 chipset , 5" 540p display and 5mp cameras and interchangeable backs with pastel colors . (specs below) Display - 5" 540x960p resolution IPS display , Gorilla Glass 3 OS - Windows Phone 8.1 "Denim" Design -  smartphone ,  removable back cover 40.2 x 72.4 x 8.8mm , 146g Connectivity - DualSim, WIFI 802.11 b/g/n , Bluetooth 4.0 Processor - Qualcomm Snapdragon 200  1.2 Ghz Quadcore Cortex A7 processor GPU - Adreno 302 Ram - 1GB Storage - 8GB + MicroSD expansion slot upto

As of now Microsoft is really busy pasting their brandname on all things "Nokia" .From Websites to Apps , the company is shedding the old Nokia name in favor of calling them either "Lumia" or Microsoft depending on the situation . Nokia Blog , a old site we used to visit for everything new in Nokia's world has been refreshed under the Lumia Conversations , Microsoft also released a new teaser showing a box with a new Lumia handset which is said to be either the rumored Lumia 535 or the mysterious Lumia 1330 handset . Written by Rakitha for MasHD Source - WMPoweruser

Asus announced that they will be launching their Android Wear powered Asus Zenwatch at BestBuy stores today(or yesterday if you live in a different timezone) .The watch was said to be priced at $199 which is a whole lot less considering that current watch offerings from LG and Motorola haven't exactly been considered "cheap" .The Zenwatch first demoe'd at IFA 2014 was thought to be more expensive at launch but the new $199 is quite appealing to many , and so far we have skipped the launch date and the product is still listed as unavailable at BestBuy with many Reddit users reporting that walk-in store employees have no idea about such a product .Although the product will eventually launch in a few hours/days this Bestbuy page suggests that the announcement was rushed or BestBuy "jumped the gun" on their website by announcing it earlier than planned , so if you are after this watch be sure to refresh the Bestbuy item page or wait around Reddit/AndroidWear a

LG has always been critized for skipping Android updates , but now the company is turning the table around by announcing Android 5.0 Lollipop for the smartphone this week , which is probably the fastest update cycle of any smartphone OEM upto-date . The LG G3 is said to feature the new update with most of Google's stock 5.0 features instead of a bloated custom versions which will eat up more memory and update time . Currently LG is testing out a demo of Lollipop for developer editions of the G3 and if you own a G3 with the model number F400S then you can install it provided you know the possible outcome of installing unstable beta versions on your expensive handset . Written by Rakitha for MasHD Source - GSMArena

After the near-disastrous fire-phone smartphone , we all thought that Amazon gave up on the idea of venturing into uncharted territory  , but now the company is back with its new Echo wireless smart-speaker system , this cylindrical speaker - which costs $199 if you don't have a Amazon prime account (Prime users can bag one up for $99) can play streaming music via Bluetooth once you install the companion app on your iOS or Android device , the device also has Wifi which allows the device to reveal its secret weapon - Alexa (Personal assistant) , this personal assistant uses omni-directional microphones to listen to the keyword "Hey Alexa" and the question and task following it . Alexa is "always On" and it is connected to the internet via Wifi , you can assisn tasks , set reminders or ask  silly questions like the ones said in this rather cheesy commercial which reminds us of the 90's TV commercials designed to teach people how to use the internet . Whate

When Motorola launched the Moto G 2014 , many users complained that it was ill equipped as it had the same Snapdragon 400 chipset from last year , but now Motorola has some change of heart and or Business strategy (a-la Lenovo) and are said to be working on a Snapdragon 410 powered device that might ultimately replace the Motorola Moto G (2013) 4G . The current 2014 Moto G comes with 1GB of Ram and a Cortex a7 based 32Bit Snapdragon 400 Quadcore unit , this is perfectly capable of handling 4G but  the company skipped the option as the older generation Moto G received a 4G hardware refresh  a few months before the 2014 edition. So as it goes , the new phone might be a 4G capable Moto G 2014 edition which will possibly go on sale earlier next year (just my estimate) and this model will replace the 2013 4G model and it might retail for a similar price point thanks to Lenovo's new cash injection and its new business stratergy of turning Motorola profitable once again most of the other

In the good old days of tech , Macs were considered to be safe and "Virus free" , but now in the age of  large scale spying and eavesdropping and cloud storage violations , that term might just be a thing of a past ,and the latest "WireLurker" malware might be Apple's worst nightmare yet . Wirelurker - a Chinese iOS and OSX based virus is probably a first of its kind Trojan horse program that can attach and replicate its malicious code through apps , 467 apps ,which have been downloaded from third party app stores in China ( Maiyadi appstore) over 350,000 times has started the inditial crisis , Wirelurker also has a backup method of infecting and this is done through USB connections , the host device , which is already compromised with the virus can transmit Wirelurker when a iOS device like a iPhone or iPad is connected to sync or even charge .Apple recommends users not to use 3rd party USB connectors or unrecognized computers as a precautionary measure.

The Moto 360 is probably one of the most popular smartwatches to date , the luxury looking "round" watch was originally sold for $249 , but the leather strap and the "steel" or stealth black option was not enough for many ,so the company decided to introduce a Champagne Gold version of the watch with a metal strap which is now taking the Moto 360's price to $299 .The standard steel versions are also available with a metal strap , and they too cost $299 The Moto 360 Gold and standard versions with the metal strap will be sold from Google Play but the company says that availability of these products might be limited due to demand. Written by Rakitha for MasHD Source - Engadget

LG has launched two budget Android powered handsets for the Brazilian smartphone market . The new LG G2 Lite and LG G2 prime feature some cut-rate specs but at a sub $270 price point LG G2 Prime Display - 5" 480x854 resolution IPS display ,196ppi OS - Android 4.4.2 Design - removable back cover 138.2 x 70.6 x 10.7 mm,123g Connectivity - Dual Sim 3G , WIFI 802.11 , Bluetooth 4.0 Processor - Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 1.3 Ghz Quadcore GPU - Adreno 305 Ram - 1GB Storage - 8GB + MicroSD Card slot Camera(s) - 8MP rear camera with LED flash , 720p recording - 1.3MP front camera Battery - 2460mAh removable Other - Colors - White , Titanium, Gold Price - $265 /BrL -750 LG G2 Lite Display - 4.5" 480x800 resolution IPS display ,207ppi OS - Android 4.4.2 Design - removable back cover 127.5 x 67.9 x 11.9 mm,153.7g Connectivity - Dual Sim 3G , WIFI 802.11 , Bluetooth 4.0 Processor - Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 1.2 Ghz Quadcore

The Motorola Droid Tubo is probably Motorola's best smartphone yet, but like many other Droid products, the Turbo was meant to be U.S only .But now , the company has announced a international version (more like for the America's ) of the Droid Turbo , but instead of having "Droid" in its name plate , the phone just goes as Moto Maxx . The Moto Maxx , which is basically a 64GB version of the Droid Turbo has the exact same specs as the Verizon bound smartphone . The innards are identical and even the back cover has the same Nylon or metallic Kevlar coating options .The phone will also carry the same 3900mAh battery ,the same display and even the same water repellent nanocoating as the Droid turbo . Availability is still limited to the South Americas with the phone said to launch in Brazil and Mexico on the 8th of November with other Latin American countries added to the list ,price of the phone is still unknown. Display - 5.2" 2560x1440p resolution SAMOLED

Apple products have always "inspired" other companies in the field of designing and marketing , although directly coping a product might be a bad idea unless you are a small Chinese OEM like GooPhone ,Lenovo - the World's 3rd largest handset manufacturer has openly embraced all the goodness in Apple's new iPhone 6 and have successfully produced a -kind of a clone called - Lenovo Sisley S60 . The Sisley S60 , which is probably a China-Only handset is said to feature some mid-range specs and a metallic unibody that clones the iPhone 6 very well , the phone has a dedicated webpage that has been designed to look a lot like Apple's official iPhone webpage and some of the phones are packing iOS8 like wallpapers in them , overall the Android 4.4.4 powered handset is said to cost RMB 1999 which is about $327  Display - 5" 1280x720p resolution SAMOLED display OS - Android 4.4.4  Design - Metal unibody smartphone , non removable back cover  Conn

According to a new Report from Russia , Apple mobile devices -namely the iPhone series and iPad tablets are said to be be banned from sale starting from 1st of January ,2015 . The move ,according to sources is said to be the result of a new legislation that dictates that all online services should keep localized data in Russia , currently , Apple's iCloud service has servers based in the U.S and so Russia is doubtful and concerned about data stored beyond its borders .One solution to overcome a ban will be for Apple to open a dedicated Server site in Russian soil catering its citizens ,and if the law goes into effect , users currently owning iDevices will be shut out from accessing iCloud due to ISP banning but so far Apple has kept silent on the issue . Source - Ubergizmo