Samsung Galaxy Alpha: First Impressions

Apple filled a gaping hole in its product lineup with new iPhones boasting larger screens like Samsung's flagship Galaxy smartphones. Now, Samsung is coming out with a smaller phone that looks and feels more like an iPhone.

The new iPhones measure 4.7 inches and 5.5 inches diagonally, up from 4 inches before. Still, that's smaller than the 5.1 inches on the Galaxy S5 and the 5.7 inches on the Galaxy Note 3 and Galaxy Note 4 phones.

But even Samsung is stepping back from its recent practice of releasing ever-bigger phones. The new Galaxy Alpha matches the 4.7 inches on the iPhone 6and has a metal frame like the new iPhones, reflecting Samsung's attempt to mirror Apple's emphasis on design.

The Alpha will be available in the U.S. starting Friday through AT&T. It will cost $200 with a two-year service contract, or $613 without one. The $613 price, which can be paid in installments, is less than the $650 starting price for theGalaxy S5  and the iPhone 6. You also get double the storage with the Alpha, but it's still a high price to pay for technology that isn't top of the line.

The build
The Alpha's metal frame represents a departure from previous Samsung Galaxy phones, which primarily consisted of polycarbonate plastics.

However, the Alpha still has a plastic back, albeit one that feels smoother and nicer than what's on the S5. You can swap in a spare battery, but can't add a memory card.

What struck me most was how the Alpha feels much like last year's iPhone 5s. The sides are smooth and straight, and the edges are at right angles, like the box for a deck of cards. The corners, though, are curved.

By contrast, the new iPhones feature curved edges, so they feel thinner, lighter and less boxy. But the Alpha is actually smaller, thinner and lighter than the iPhone 6 - by a tad. Compared with both, the S5 feels giant.

The screen
Size isn't all that matters. The screens on the iPhone 6 and the S5 are both sharper than the Alpha's. The Alpha's screen is decent for reading text and viewing images, but it's about the same resolution as what Samsung built into the Galaxy S III phone back in 2012.

Like other Samsung phones, the Alpha uses a screen technology called AMOLED, for active-matrix organic light-emitting diodes. This is designed to produce richer colors than iPhones, but sometimes the technology goes overboard. For instance, some people complain that AMOLED technology distorts color, so human skin looks too orange, for instance. There was a hint of that when viewing photos and video, but not enough to bother me.

The camera
The Alpha's camera is 12 megapixels, less than the 16 megapixels on the S5. Although the Alpha's megapixel count is still higher than the iPhone's 8 megapixels, Apple has squeezed many other technological touches into iPhones to deliver consistently good images.

I took dozens of photos with all three phones and found the megapixel count mattered only in a handful. In good light, street signs and posters on a store window across the street came out slightly better on both Samsung phones.

However, the iPhone 6 was typically better at getting the focus right, particularly for low-light and close-up shots. The iPhone 6 quickly captures text on a bottle of contact lens solution, while it took a few tries with the Samsung phones to get the focusing right.

On some evening shots of the New York skyline, I could make out the rectangular windows of apartment buildings when using the iPhone, thanks to anti-shake stabilization technology. With both Samsung phones, the lights from the windows were bleeding into one another.

In my test shots, the iPhone 6 also had better white balance to offset the yellowish coloring of indoor lighting. That said, the Alpha produced the richest colors in a few of my shots.

The remaining hardware
Like the S5, the Alpha has a heart-rate monitor for fitness apps and a fingerprint sensor to unlock the phone. But the Alpha lacks the S5's waterproof coverings. The new iPhones have only the fingerprint sensor. The Alpha and the iPhone 6 have comparable battery life in my tests.

The Alpha's storage stands out. It offers 32 gigabytes for about the same price as a 16-gigabyte phone from most rivals. With the new iPhones, Apple has doubled the storage in the pricier models, but the base models are still at 16 gigabytes. Most phones cost $100 more for a 32-gigabyte version.

Even with the added storage, the Alpha just seems too expensive for what you get. Given that memory costs have been coming down, more storage ought to be as routine as faster processors in each generation of phones.

The Alpha's design is impressive, but the rest of the phone is only adequate.HTC and Apple, for instance, have both been able to produce stunning designs while squeezing in the latest technologies.

Apple has made design central to its iPhones since its first model in 2007. Samsung seems to embracing the importance of design with the Alpha. Along the same lines, the upcoming Galaxy Note 4 phone will have a similar metal frame as Samsung attempts to ratchet up its rivalry with Apple. With better hardware, that phone will have a better chance than the Alpha at challenging the new iPhones.

Ducati Scrambler Finally Breaks Cover

Bike enthusiasts across the globe know how Ducati had been keeping its audience on the edge with all the waiting for the Scrambler. Well, the good news is that one need not wait anymore since the contemporary bike is 'officially' ready. Hallelujah, eh? The company says that this baby is more than just a new bike: it's a whole new world, one that expresses itself via a range of options and versions that provide a starting point for satisfying the different needs and wants of individual motorcyclists.

Cristiano Silei, Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Ducati Motor Holding, said, "Presenting the new Ducati Scrambler brand means for us opening the doors to an entirely new, fascinating, and absolutely contemporary world. We have reinterpreted an iconic motorcycle, part of our history for more than 50 years, in a fully modern way, designing and building the Ducati Scrambler as if we'd never stopped making it. The four bikes of the Ducati Scrambler family represent starting points on a path to personalisation that will make every single Ducati Scrambler a unique, free-spirited bike as individual as the person riding it."

So what is the Ducati Scrambler all about, you ask. Well, to put it in Ducati's own it "is a contemporary bike that expresses the pure essence of motorcycling."

Anyway, let me quickly walk you through the world of the Scrambler.

1. Design: The bike's 'Post-heritage' design is a contemporary take on the iconic bike built by Ducati back in the 60s and 70s. That said, it is not to be mistaken for a retro bike, or at least that's what Ducati says. It gets wide handlebars and a long seat, which, together with the low weight, low centre of gravity and slightly knobby tyres, promise a fun ride all along.

The headlamp, along with the tank, forms an important part of the Scrambler's look. The design is proportions are appealing, the overall look is rounded, classical and yet extremely modern; it features a glass parabola and an ultra-modern LED light guide around the rim that acts as a side light.

2. Engine: The Scrambler is powered by an oil and air-cooled L-twin two-valve 803cc engine that develops 74bhp and 68Nm of torque. The engine is linked up to a 6-speed gearbox.

3. Versions: Ducati will offer the Scrambler in four versions, namely, Icon, Urban Enduro, Full Throttle and Classic; each of the four 'offers its own style and performance-related interpretation of the Scrambler spirit'. The Urban Enduro, with its 'Wild Green' paintjob, is for enduro style enthusiasts and ready to switch from city streets to country backroads in an instant. The Full Throttle is for riders enthralled by the flat-track racing world who have a penchant for pushing things to the limit. And the Classic is for devotees to details and a 1970s look who want the uncompromising riding pleasure and comfort of a modern-day bike.

Out of the four versions of the Ducati Scrambler, Icon will be the first one to become available January, 2015 onwards.

Xolo Q2100 With Fingerprint Sensor Launched at Rs. 13,499

Xolo on Wednesday has launched the Q2100 smartphone with a built-in fingerprint scanner at Rs. 13,499, as NDTV Gadgets exclusively reported on Monday.

The highlight of the Xolo Q2100 smartphone is the built-in fingerprint scanner at the rear, and an IR blaster that is capable of functioning as a universal remote along with the preloaded Peel Smart Remote app. Xolo says that besides being a remote control for the TV and set top box, the Peel Smart Remote app can also control functionality of DVR, DVD player, air conditioner, and other home entertainment devices and appliances.

The dual-SIM (3G+2G) Xolo Q2100 runs Android 4.4 KitKat and features a 5.5-inch HD (720x1280 pixels) IPS display with Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection, offering a pixel density of 267ppi.

The Q2100 is powered by a 1.3GHz quad-core MediaTek MT6582 chipset alongside 1GB RAM. The smartphone boasts of an 8-megapixel autofocus rear camera with Sony Exmor R sensor and dual LED flash, while there is a 2-megapixel front-facing camera also onboard. The built-in storage on the handset is 8GB, which is further expandable via microSD card (up to 32GB).

Other connectivity options on the Xolo Q2100 include Bluetooth, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, USB OTG, A-GPS, and FM radio. The smartphone comes with an ambient light sensor, accelerometer, magnetometer, and proximity sensor. It packs a 2800mAh battery, which is rated up to 27 hours of talk time on 2G and 22 hours of talk time on 3G network. The handset measures 152.4x75x9.3mm.

The Shaukeens Poster With Three Old Boys, A Babe And Akshay Kumar Will Make You Smile!

The posters for 'The Shaukeens' is out and is certain to put a silly smile on your face.

A remake of the Basu Chatterjee’s 1982 classic comedy 'Shaukeen', the 2014 redux stars Anupam Kher, Piyush Mishra, Annu Kapoor, Lisa Haydon and Akshay Kumar.

'The Shaukeens' follows the adventures of three old men who decide to take a naughty trip to Mauritius. They are soon enamoured by Lisa Haydon, who looks very fetching in the posters!

'The Shaukeens' has been directed by Abhishek Sharma, who was catapulted into the spotlight after the success of 'Tere Bin Laden'. Tigmanshu Dhulia steps in as writer.

The film is slated to release on November 7.

Jaguar XE: More Details Revealed on Compact Sedan

The car that will propel Jaguar into higher volumes and bring new customers into its fold - the XE - has a lot riding on it. Quite literally! There are new details we now have from the company, in terms of the systems on board, as well as the variants that will be on offer with the XE sedan. The XE promises to be the stiffest, most advanced Jaguar sedan ever. It is also te first product built on Jaguar's new all-aluminium architecture - a first for this segment.

There will be two diesel variants - both using the same new 2 litre, 4-cylinder engine from the new Ingenium family. The first has a 160 bhp output while the second has 176 bhp on tap. The petrol range uses updated variants of the existing Jaguar 2.0 with 196 bhp and 235 bhp output variants. The Ingenium petrols will be introduced when those engines are ready. The range-topper will be the 3.0 supercharged petrol V6 borrowed from the F-Type and other Jags. The 333 horses are accompanied by a very healthy 450 Nm of torque, available at 4500 revs.

The car will use the 8-speed ZF gearbox that JLR has had at its disposal, but the diesel will have an option of a new 6-speed manual transmission - also from ZF. It is unlikely we will get that in India. The autobox has paddle shifts, and a sport mode, while all cars will come with an ECO driving mode for optimal efficiency.

Also unlikely in India will be some of the base trim options. The range starts with a Pure trim that has cloth seats and some basic technology features. Then comes the Prestige trim and yes I know the names are similar to what we have seen on the Tata Aria! The Prestige trim uses leather seats with a ventilation option and blue ambient lighting. The optional panoramic sunroof also is on offer here. And then there is the Portfolio trim which indulges you with its luxurious interiors, complete with a two-tone dash and better leather and aluminium inserts.

The R-Sport is well - the sporty model with leather, aluminium treadplates, sports steering wheel, R-Sport branding all over, a rear spoiler, a chrome finish on the side-vents, and a sports suspension for better handling. Finally you the S of course with that beast of a V6 engine also has leather-suede interior trim, even more aluminium finishers, large air-intakes up front, side sills, rear spoiler, red brake calipers, and optional 20" alloys wheels.

But the bigger story is some of the equipment the XE boasts. The car has all kinds of software-run systems on board, which Jaguar says have been extensively tested in real, virtual and simulated conditions - to be durable to our kind of humidity, dust and temperature situations.

The XE will have optional safety systems that work in conjunction with its all-new suspension and electric steering system. Jaguar was the first brand to introduce adaptive cruise control in 1996. This is now further enhanced with the inclusion of a new autonomous braking system. The system works with an on-board stereo camera and alerts the driver of an impending collision. It also pre-charges the brakes for action at this time. Failure to respond will mean the car will automatically brake. This avoids a collision at speeds up to 40 kmph and mitigates the crash at up to 80 kmph.

There is also a new head-up display system that uses laser instead of LCD like others do. This means clearer, sharper and high-contrast displays. There is also the advantage of using more colours in the head-up display. The forward facing stereo camera also recognizes road and traffic signs, cross checks with the navigation to bring you the correct display like speed limits, etc. The XE also has reverse traffic detection, which warns of oncoming traffic when reversing out of parking spaces, etc. And there is lane departure warning too.

The new in-car infotainment system combines with the top-range 10-speaker Meridian audio system. The touch-screen led system also connects to both iOS and Android devices and allows you to use a new smartphone app with it. The app provides features like remote locking/unlocking of the car, remote ventilation and start-up to support the air-conditioning if need be, etc. The navigation uses SD-card updates, rather than a software plug-in required at the workshop.

Some of this may not come to India of course. But it is too early to know just what. The car has 17/18/19/20" tyre options, and ground clearance ranges from 110 to 140mm depending on the spec you get. India is likely to go with a more durable road package to suit our conditions. The car does use a passive suspension with lighter springs and dampers. This includes a variable speed-sensitive assistance, which adapts to road conditions and driver inputs. Jaguar claims the XE has the best ride of any car its ever built, and the steering feel of an XFR!

Lastly I want to mention the new all surface progress control or ASPC. If you are driving on a difficult surface, like snow or a slippery road, with an incline lets say, the ASPC takes over when engaged and provides the best use of power and brakes, without driver inputs. The driver simply needs to steer. This allows for the car to handle the surface optimally, without loss of traction or control.

So it's a fully-loaded proposition. Prices will start upwards of $40,000 - which means it will not be a very basic model even at its entry-end. India is likely to have a locally produced XE, which will come from its Pune plant, in the second half of 2015.

Xiaomi and Flipkart Crack Down on Mi 3, Redmi 1S Reselling in India

Xiaomi is known for setting a low price on its smartphones and selling them in batches of several thousand in weekly sales. In nearly all of these sales, 10,000 to 60,000 phones were sold out in a few seconds. This has frustrated several people who have failed to buy a Xiaomi smartphone even after several attempts.

Sensing the high demand and low supply, quite a few people have started adding these phones to their cart on Flipkart and trying to sell them at a profit on classifieds websites. As soon as Xiaomi's weekly sales close a little after 2 pm every Tuesday, a lot of people have also tried to sell these phones via the comments here at NDTV Gadgets (comments that we promptly delete). What is Xiaomi doing to tackle this problem? NDTV Gadgets spoke to Xiaomi's India head Manu Jain at a conference in Bangalore to find out.

Jain is very vocal about his displeasure at people trying to resell Xiaomi smartphones.

"I personally hate this [reselling at profit]," says Jain, adding that Xiaomi is aware of the problem and is actively trying to curb it.

"We are working closely with Flipkart to block people who are gaming the system. Flipkart has an algorithm that blocks people from buying phones if they add repeatedly add [Xiaomi] phones to their carts but don't buy them," Jain says. This is just one of the various flags that the algorithm works on.

Jain says that he himself has bought Xiaomi smartphones for his family members via Flipkart.

"I keep buying phones from Xiaomi and even rival brands, just to see what the competition is doing. After I bought 7 or 8 phones, my account was blocked from buying phones on Flipkart," Jain says, adding that the algorithm probably flagged his account as similar to those of resellers.

Jain says Xiaomi is aware of certain people using scripts and browser extensions to automatically add phones to their carts.

"Flipkart is trying to block those scripts because it's not fair to buyers. I recently saw some people complaining online that they couldn't buy [Xiaomi] phones in spite of using these scripts. That means Flipkart's block is working," he says. When asked whether Xiaomi has considered approaching browser makers such as Google to block extensions, Jain laughs, "That's a good suggestion. Thank you." He adds, "We hadn't thought of that, but we'll consider it."

That's just one of the steps Flipkart has taken. It took just 5.2 seconds for Xiaomi to sell 60,000 Redmi 1S smartphones in its most recent sale on Flipkart. This is the time taken for people to add it to their carts on Flipkart. After this, buyers have to complete the checkout process within four hours, Jain says.

"Earlier, we gave people almost one-and-a-half days to complete checkout which used to give [some people] a lot of time to sell these phones on other websites. This time it was just 4 hours. We had to extend this by some time because of certain technical issues, but we're trying to shorten the checkout time as well," he says.

He says Flipkart and to a lesser extent, Xiaomi, have also been checking websites where people were trying to resell Xiaomi smartphones. "We're trying to track these people and get their accounts blocked," Jain says.

All of these are short-term solutions to solve the problem. One long-term solution that Xiaomi announced recently is the introduction of a priority pass. The company announced that those who have tried to buy its phones repeatedly and failed will be offered a priority pass, which will automatically add a phone to their carts. They will have to complete the checkout process within a stipulated period of time.

Jain says Xiaomi will put a significantly higher number of smartphones for sale every week. Although he didn't mention an exact number, reports suggest that Xiaomi could be offering as many as 1,00,000 smartphones for sale every week.

YotaPhone Dual-Screen Smartphone Set to Launch in India via Flipkart

It seems Yota Devices, the Russian company popular for its dual-display YotaPhone, is all set to launch its first device in India, if a newsletter fromFlipkart is to be believed.

The e-commerce giant spilled the beans about the launch of the dual-screen smartphone in a newsletter sent to the affiliate partners.

Unfortunately, the newsletter only mentions the Yota brand; however, listed alongside Flipkart's other exclusive smartphone offerings from handset makers such as Motorola, Xiaomi, Asus, Huawei, Lenovo, and Spice Android One.

As of now, there is no word about the exact launch day or pricing details about the YotaPhone expected to launch in India, or even which model.

Yota Devices have launched two smartphones thus far. The first generationYotaPhone was unveiled at CES last year while started shipping only by December 2013. The company upgraded its original dual-screen smartphone at MWC with the next-generation YotaPhone.

The company at the launch had claimed that the new YotaPhone (2014) is more 'intuitive and interactive', with new hardware and software features, than its predecessor. One of the biggest upgrades in the new device is the full-touch control for its always-on E-ink display, something missing in previous generation device. The new YotaPhone will launch Europe in late 2014, and thereafter in 2015 make its way globally. For now, no pricing details have been given.

The YotaPhone (2014) comes with a quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor and features a 4.7-inch E-ink display. The smartphone is Android-based, and as for version, Yota Devices had only said 'latest' version at the time of launch. The front display, a 5-inch AMOLED offering, bears a resolution of 1080x1920 pixels, with a pixel density of 442ppi. The next-generation YotaPhone is powered by a 2.3GHz quad-core Snapdragon 800 MSM8974 processor with an Adreno 330 GPU, coupled with 2GB of RAM. It includes 32GB of built-in storage (no details about microSD card slot) and sports an 8-megapixel rear camera with LED flash alongside a 2-megapixel front-facing camera. The handset measures 8.9mm thin and weighs 140 grams. It supports nano-SIM, 2550mAh battery and comes with 4G LTE, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, USB 3.0, Bluetooth v4.0, GPS/ A-GPS and Glonass, and NFC connectivity options.

The first generation YotaPhone features a 4.3-inch HD display; 4.3-inch E-ink display with 360x640 pixels resolution; 1.7GHz quad-core Snapdragon 400 processor, and was based on Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean. Other specifications include 2GB of RAM; 32GB inbuilt storage; 13-megapixel rear camera; 1-megapixel front camera, and 1800mAh battery.