MasHD Blog

Android has come a long way from its humble start in 2008 , the platform , which was backed by Google was a instant hit among manufacturers and consumers alike , the opensource nature and the ability to transfer media without syncing made it the only choice in a world of closed source smartphones of the era ,the envy and fear of Android's dominance shook most rival manufacturers to their core , and as a result , almost all major Non Android OEM's had a go at firing their canons at Android -which only proved to be futile on the long run as Android has now passed the 81% marketshare mark , this rapid success can be attributed to Google's efforts to push the Android platform even further , but that doesn't mean that all Android's are Google - a significant amount -37% of the Android pie consists of "Forked"  or modified versions of Android , this can be either Color OS , Amazon's Fire Os or even Microsoft/Nokia's own Nokia X platform , these AOSP ba

Personally , i find  the Motorola Moto G to be the best bang for buck smartphone right now , the phone series , which started out as a  Nokia 520 rival from Motorola became instant success story for the then Google owned company  ,although the first model came in small onboard storage sizes and no LTE , it was quickly adopted by many users who wanted a secondary phone , and based on those reviews , the phone started to gain traction among first time buyers as well , later on , Motorola announced a 4G version with a expandable memory card slot and LTE comparability . As months went by , Motorola anounced a second gen Moto G (2014) -this phone has a larger display , better cameras , front firing speakers from the Moto E and a splash resistance certification ,this followed the path of the first gen Moto G and therefore it too had only 3G ,but apparently ,Motorola has anounced  the long awaited 4G version of the phone in Brazil without any noise on the subject . The second gen Moto G

After much betrayal , OnePlus has finally decided to skip out on cyanogenmod alltogether with the introduction of its own AOSP based ROM called - Oxygen OS . Cyanogenmod - a popular 3rd party Android ROM was basically the cement of the small startup company and it was even declared as one of the phone's main features,but like most small companies that taste big money ,Cyanogen decided to spray sand on the eyes of OnePlus and eventually made deals with Micromax giving them official rights to use the operating system on their devices leaving OnePlus with their pants down  . As time went on OnePlus started to erase everything Cyanogenmod , newer units no longer contain Cyanogen logo but the operating system was still Cyanogenmod , to change things in this sour break up , OnePlus is set to unveil their own -Oxygen Os - a rom developed on android 5.0 which is said to bring purity just like the element its named after , details about Oxygen OS is still not given , but we expect the

Samsung's next big thing - the Galaxy S6 is almost ready for launch , the phone -which is said to be packing Samsungs own Exynos -chipset or a modified version of the controversial Snapdragon 810 processor .The phone , which we expect to look similar in design to the Galaxy Alpha has now leaked in the form of renders ,actual cases and schematics leaked by Nowhereelse.fr and Spigen . First up , we have a clear render showing some Spigen cases - the accessory company , which has a long reputation of leaking product renders way before the device's actual launch has now given out three case designs which clearly show Samsung's camera and side mounted rear flash and heart rate monitor . Next up , we have a new rumor from Nowhereelse.fr, these guys have allegedly leaked out a schematic drawing showing a case design with accurate measurements of the device including a actual case designed for the phone , the silicone case , which has a rear cut outs for the MicroUSB port , 3.5mm

The Motorola Moto G is probably one of the most successful Motorola phones to date , the Snapdragon 400 chip , along with a 720p display made it a instant hit so Motorola launched its successor under the same name last year . The 2014 model and the 2013 one shipped with Android 4.x versions out of the box but since the end of last year  they too jumped onto the Android 5.0 bandwagon, although regional changes delayed the update , Motorola is happy to announce that U.S and Indian Moto G's are ready for the Lollipop treat . If you own a 2014 Moto G in the U.S or India (or a 2013 model) go into settings and click the about phone tab to check for system updates if you didn't receive a notification regarding the update on your notification tray. #Lollipop is rolling out in phases to #MotoG (2nd Gen) in US & #MotoG (1st & 2nd Gen) in India. Look for the notification on your device! — Motorola Mobility (@Motorola) January 23, 2015 Written by Rakitha for MasHD

HTC's upcoming One M9 - also known as "hima" in this part of the internet is probably the next big thing for the company , the phone , which is said to pack a Snapdragon 810 chip , 3GB of RAM and a 20.7mp rear camera is said to be the device that will supposedly take on the other top champs from the rest of the Android gang ,but like all companies ,HTC is said to work on a regional -carrier model which according to the new leak is China bound . Say hello to the HTC One M9 Plus this phone , originally leaked in China packs a Mediatek processor instead of the Qualcomm chip , the chip however is in question as the preliminary Antutu leaks show the phone lagging behind the Xperia Z2 from 2014 and even the Snapdragon 800 powered Mi3 . This poor rating is possibly caused by either the processor being underclocked or the processor  failing to handle the 2K display ,this however is yet to be seen as . The rest of the specs include a possible duo camera set up (like the M8) a

Microsoft's next big thing is almost here , Windows 10 - officially  announced and explained about  a few days back , the OS is said to revolutionize and fix the errors Microsoft made with Windows 8 and 8.1 ,although the OS is mostly focused on the desktop experience , the OS name will also be relevant to Microsoft's Windows Phone platform as it is said to be the first step in giving smartphones and desktops a common platform to work with .The new Windows 10 update for Windows Phone smartphones are is said to bring in new sync options , new theming options and the ability to share a common appstore and apps while being simple . At first Microsoft promised that all existing Windows Phones will get the Windows 10 update ,but now they are slowly reverting that statement with the new statement - "today's Lumia devices can be upgraded to Windows 10" - the statement "Today" might indicate that Microsoft might drop off some of the older ,less capable Lumia a

After more than a half a century of driving in the extremes , the once mighty Defenders are now reaching the end of the line after a 68 year production history . The Land Rover Defender -a powerful , sturdy off road vehicle born out of the remnants of World war 2 lived on as a one of the last proper old school Chassis based 4x4 in the 21st century .The standard defender came in Wagon and short wheel base models (Defender 110 and 90) and it also came in truck versions as well , although the vehicle was considered a go anywhere vehicle , it was banned from entering the U.S after 1998 due to stringent safety factors to which the Defender was not designed for (no airbags and no pedestrian safety). To address this , and the poor fuel economy the 2100cc 4 cylinder engine had , LR is officially closing the tap on the classic Defender for good . As a final good bye , Landrover will produce 3 editions of its last 2015 Defender lineup , the LR Defender Heritage - a old school designed D

It looks like Google has finally pulled the plug on GPE devices , the HTC One M8 -the Taiwanese company's 2014 flagship was effectively the last GPE standing as all other devices from Samsung , Sony , Motorola  and LG are now removed .The phone , which was basically a stock Android running device didn't appeal to general smartphone consumers as the high list price and the lack of OEM features not found in Stock Android were scrubbed over .Although things look bleak for GPE's there is still hope , HTC is planning to launch the successor to the current model - One M9 next month ,so this removal might just be a routine clean-up of the inventory . Written by Rakitha for MasHD Source - GSMArena

The HTC One M9 - also codenamed HTC Hima is HTC's top secret next gen flagship for 2015 . The product ,which is said to be HTC's main Xperia Z4 , Samsung Galaxy S6 and G4 rival  is said to contain most of HTC's previous design DNA and a new camera module that will ultimately seal the fate of the 4mp ultra pixel units used in the two previous generations . Leaks about the device came thick and fast , about a day back , we saw preliminary leaks that appear to show a single large camera at the back , this is said to be a HTC modified 20.7 MP camera (Possibly from Sony) along with two LED's for color balance . The module also shoots 4K video - a feature absent in previous models . The phone is also packing similar design cues from the previous gen model , but a new 5" QHD screen and 3GB of RAM and a Snapdragon 810 processor  are said to take center stage this time . The second and the most convincing leak comes from a phone case maker from China . The M9

Microsoft has revealed new details about Windows 10 at a special Microsoft briefing  held today (21st) The new stratergy of windows 10 includes new ways of adding more users onboard by making the OS free for existing users who are already using Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 on their desktops or laptops . The move however only allows users to have it " Free" for the first year . Windows 10 brings new improvements to the somewhat of a unsuccessful Windows 8/8.1 ,The update brings things like the start button but instead of programs you still get a list of live tiles which is not as bad as the previous version , Cortana is also present in the OS so she can work as a desktop personal assistant .Windows 10 also says bye bye to the good old Internet explorer as it is now kicked down (THIS IS SPAARTAA!!) to the pit of death by the new Spartan browser which brings a Google chrome like interface and more fluidity to the otherwise laggy experience. The browser will have custom the

Hp unveiled two 4:3 display Android tablets today .The new HP Pro Slate 8 and Pro Slate 12 tablets are stylus equipped , Snapdragon 800 based  tablets come with decent specs and a bit of a heavy price tag . Both tablets come with Qualcomm's Duet Pen technology that lets you record text you write on normal paper and then relay it into the tablet instantly  - kind of like a tracing pen - this stylus also works as any standard stylus once you use it on them . The Hp Pro Slate 8 is the cheaper option of the two , the 7.9 " tablet is priced at $449 which sound like a lot , but for that price you get a 2k resolution display , a Duet pen - which is powered by Qualcomm's digital pen technology and a Snapdragon 800 chip Specs at a glance Display - 7.9" 2048x1536 resolution IPS LCD Processor - Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 OS - Android 4.4 Kitkat Storage and Ram  - 2GB Ram , 16/32GB storage + MicroSD expansion Camera- 8mp rear , 2mp front Others -  Duet Pen styl

Rumors about the next gen flagship smartphones are running wild these days , Sony - a company that prides itself in launching some stunning smartphones in the Z series is now set to launch their 5th gen product - The Xperia Z4 at MWC 2015 . The phone , which is rumored to have a monumental 4GB of RAM , a upgraded camera and a new QHD IPS display with improved thinness and water resistance is now said said to have another feature - Dual sim capability  .The new rumor - in which a  Z4 variant stating to have dual sim capability is probably expected as the new Xperia's use the nano sim standard which reduces space in a already humongous smartphone , The leaked model PM-0851-BV is said to share the same layout as the standard version with the dual sim option being the only difference . The older Z3 also has a dual sim version but it was limited to high demand markets where dual sims are very popular, so the same can be expected of the Z4 dual sim version as well . Sony is said to lau

Samsung has started to drop its all plastic image with the introduction of the new Note , Alpha and E series of metal banded smartphones and apparently they are doing a really good job for now , While Samsung was busy making new metal , their competition has also gone a step further and finally smartphones today are starting to look like well polished and capable handsets compared to their predecessors from a year back , that being said Samsung has not forgotten its flagship S series and that too is said to get a metal frame in the next iteration -the Galaxy S6 . According to a Bloomberg report , the next Samsung flagship is said to pack the latest heat in the smartphone game , but sadly that heat might also be a factor in what processor the phone might pack as Qualcomm's new Snapdragon 810's are said to have overheating problems . Samsung - a company that basically makes everything has its own in house Exynos Octa (4+$ Cortex A57 and A53 core) processors that might replace Q

The HTC One M7 - a top flagship phone from 2013 is now available off contract (Carrier unlocked) for $199 . the phone , launched way back in 2013 was HTC's first One series phone to come with a ultra pixel camera , front firing speakers and a aluminium unibody with the battery placed in the middle of the chassis assembly , although the phone didn't reach the popularity of its peers , the phone is still considered a stylish and a capable daily runner as the Snapdragon 600 processor  , 2GB of ram and the boomsound speakers are still quite capable .The Phone , which is said to be ex-stock is still available only for customers on U.S carriers Sprint ,Verizon or AT&;T and if you are a customer you can pick up the Blue or the silver version by clicking the best-buy link below Written by Rakitha for MasHD . Source - Bestbuy Reddit

Xiaomi's MiNote is the company's lesser equipped variant of the awesomely spec'ed Xiaomi MiNote Pro . The phone ,which comes with a 1080p panel rather than the 2K version will probably help the phone achieve a good battery life and its sort of slower Snapdragon 801 will also help in this department , other specs are also a bit of a downgrade but considering Xiaomi's low price of $370 off contract , the trade off might be a bit alright Display - 5.7" 1920x1080 IPS LCD display Gorilla Glass 3 OS - Android 5.0.1 (MIUI) Design - candybar smartphone 155.1 x 77.6 x 7 mm , 161g Connectivity -Dual nano sim , Dual 4G LTE, HSPA+ 3G, WIFI 802.11 b/g/n , Bluetooth 4.0 MicroUSB 2.0 GPS + GLONASS ++ Beidou Processor - 2.5Ghz  Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 GPU - Adreno 330 Ram -3GB Storage - 16/64GB Onboard + No MicroSD expansion slot Camera(s) - Sony IMX214 - 13MP rear camera ,OIS, Dual tone LED flash , video recording at 1080p - 5MP front camera Battery -30

Xiaomi has always been considered to be China's Apple . The company reached Godlike popularity in China and it is one of the worlds larges OEM's to date ,but so far much of Xiaomi's success lies at its home market , but recently the company has started to venture outside with cheap priced handsets that had good designs anda solid build ,  and now with mouthwatering products like this newly anounced Xiaomi MiNote Pro , one can easily understand why Xiaomi came to its current popularity . like previous Xiaomi phones , the MiNote Pro has the latest Snapdragon innards at a fraction of the cost of rival products from well known manufacturers .The phone packs a Snapdragon 810 chip , which is said to be the fastest chip produced by the company yet (and also the hottest - literally) The phone comes with a 2K resolution 5.7" IPS display , a Whopping 4GB of ram and a 13mp camera with what appears to be a 4mp front facing unit borrowed from the ultrapixel camera parts bin a

Ford's new Shelby GT 350 series are probably the meanest looking Shelby's yet .The GT 350 and the 350R were present at the 2015 Detroit motor show along with the new Ford F150 Raptor .The standard GT 350 is just as impressive as its tracked based brother , the 350 has a naturally aspirated , flat plane crankshaft 5.3 liter V8 with 500 Bhp and 400 pound/feet of torque , and like all Shelby mustangs , it has a 6 speed manual gearbox . The rest of the specs , according to a newly leaked ordering guide shows that the standard 350 will be available with black suede Recaro seats , there is also a leather seat option for the standard 350 . The 350 will also get Michelin Pilot super sport tires with 295 in front and 305 at the back Of course the 350R is a different story , this asphalt munching monster is designed to work without creature comforts like Air conditioning , rear seats , most of the center console (audio , navigation A/C knobs etc) but they are listed as optional.

Google has finally decided to launch their Ara modular smartphone to the general smartphone market .The Spiral 2 model , a developer model that has all the basic functions of a standard 3G smartphone is now said to go on sale in the U.S (more like its territories) The phone has a 1280x720 display module and a Tegra K1 processor or a Marvell PXA1928 module depending on your choice , there is also a 5mp camera module that can be upgraded in the future .Rest of the specs include a speaker module , bluetooth and Wifi module and a 3G module with Band 2 and Band 5 antennas and a Microusb 2.0 port . The phone runs Android as its operating system Google expects to add 4G and better modules with the Spiral 3 phone , which is said to go on sale in more territories and possibly outside the U.S  . The current model -Spiral 2 is said to go on sale in Puerto Rico where the small population and high internet user base will  benefit future versions of the product . Currently Google has 11 modules f

Oppo has been regarded as a manufacturer that makes classy hardware , the company started to hit mainstream with the Oppo Find 5 and it has since come a long way . the Oppo R1C is the company's Latest Snapdragon smartphone and one of the first Sapphire glass smartphones .The phone has some familiar looks and comes in a bluish black and a white variant with champagne gold sides.  This phone is said to run Color OS (a forked version of Android) and cost about $400.(see specs below) Display - 5" 1280x720p IPS LCD display ,Sapphire glass OS - Color OS 2.0.1 (Android 4.4) Design - candybar smartphone 118.1 x 64.7 x 11.7 mm , 134g Connectivity -Optional Dual Sim HSPA+ 3G, WIFI 802.11 a/b/g/n , Bluetooth 4.0 MicroUSB 2.0 GPS + GLONASS Processor - 1.7 Ghz Octa Core Snapdragon 615 SOC ,64bit 4 A57 cores+ 4 64bit A53 cores GPU - Adreno 405 Ram -2GB Storage - 16GB Onboard +MicroSD expansion slot upto 128GB Camera(s) - 13MP rear camera , LED flash , video re