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mardi 15 novembre 2016

Vivo V5: Hands on and first impressions

vivo-v5-4

vivo-v5-4

Earlier today, Vivo announced the launch of their mid-range flagship device in India. The Vivo V5 packs in an unprecedented 20MP front camera and wraps it with mid-level internals in a stylish metallic chassis.

Vivo V5 Specifications

  • Operating System: Android 6.0 Marshmallow with Funtouch OS 2.6
  • Display: 13.97cm (5.5-inch) HD (1280 x 720) | 2.5D curved Corning Gorilla Glass
  • Processor: 1.5GHz octa-core 64-bit MediaTek MT6750
  • RAM: 4GB
  • Internal Storage: 32GB; expandable up to 128GB with microSD card
  • Camera: 20MP rear camera | 13MP front camera
  • Dimensions: 153.8 x 75.5 x 7.55mm
  • Weight: 154g
  • Battery: 3000mAh

Design

vivo-v5-5

vivo-v5-5

The Vivo V5 looks like a regular slab of metal – the unibody design that we see too often, and yet it does not look bad. The metallic construction with a matte finish at the back and an engraved Vivo logo gives it a premium look, but of course, it does not stand out. It's slim, and the curved edges makes it quite ergonomic to grip in the hand.

The 5.5-inch display with Corning Gorilla Glass protection is brilliant. It's bright and vivid, the viewing angles are great, and it impresses, even though it is a tad reflective and struggles in bright outdoors.

vivo-v5-3

vivo-v5-3

The joy of the nice display is, however, short-lived as you realize it's only an HD display, quite a disappointment for a phone at this price. Unless you look close enough, the 294ppi display does not look pixelated, but it's a definite mishit on the specifications sheet.

Despite the protection on the glass, the out-of-the-box unit comes with a tempered glass protector applied on it that I took off as soon as I could. There's also a silicone back cover bundled in the box.

Hardware

Powered by the 1.5GHz octa-core MediaTek MT6750 chipset with Mali 860 GPU, the V5 makes up for the mid-level processor with a generous 4GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage.

In the little time I spent with the device, the phone performed okay with no apparent lags even during multi-tasking. Of course, that could change as we install and use more apps, and try out those graphic-intensive games.

The V5 also packs in the custom built AK4376 Hi-Fi audio chipset that promises an immersive audio experience by giving a signal-to-noise ratio of up to 115dB. It's loud, and not rash, in the couple of songs I heard on it during my time with the device.

vivo-v5-6

vivo-v5-6

The fingerprint scanner is placed below the display on the front of the device (doubles up as the home button), and unlocks the device in quick time without any issues each time.

The phone boasts of a 3000mAh non-removable battery. It's good enough, but there's no fast charging, yet the box includes a 5V/2A charger. Also, the phone includes microUSB port for charging the device, while I would prefer USB Type-C on all smartphones going forward.

I'd expect better battery performance with an HD display instead of Full HD, but we'll know better only when we test the phone for a longer period of time.

Software

Out of the box, the Vivo V5 comes with the company's proprietary Funtouch OS 2.6 running on top of Android 6.0 Marshmallow. Like is the case with most custom Android implementations, there is no app drawer here, but is otherwise a straightforward and plain, vanilla UI.

Camera

vivo-v5-7

vivo-v5-7

Of course, the highlight of the Vivo V5 is the 20MP front camera with Moonlight Glow technology for better selfies. The few selfies I clicked gave mixed results. Some were pretty good and seemed to validate company's tall claims of balanced illumination and no noise, but few ended up being too over exposed for my liking.

The 13-megapixel rear camera performed quite okay in daylight, but indoors or in poor light conditions, the noise was very apparent. Of course, these observations are from a limited photos I clicked without being specific of test shots and ambient scenes.

Summary

vivo-v5-1

vivo-v5-1

If you take out the front camera from the equation (for those who're still not in on the selfie craze), the Vivo V5 is a tad uninspiring smartphone. However, with that marquee feature and good-looking metal body, and the fact that the V5 is available in physical retail stores across the country, unlike a lot of its competition, the company might be on something interesting.

The Vivo V5 is priced at ₹17,980 ($265) in India, and goes on sale on November 26. Let us know your initial thoughts about the phone with 'Moonlight Camera' in the comments below.



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Samsung Galaxy S7 receives November security update (India)

samsung galaxy s7 review aa (4 of 20)

samsung galaxy s7 review aa (4 of 20)

Samsung is now rolling out November's Android security patches to the Samsung Galaxy S7 in India. The security update, which brings the S7 up to build version G930FXXU1BPJJ, has been rolling out to the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge in various markets recently, though the S7 Edge is yet to receive it in India.

The November patch comes in at 64.42 MB and addresses 14 vulnerabilities associated with Samsung devices, in addition to a number of other Android-wide exploits. No other improvements are outlined in the change log, though device performance and stability may see a benefit as with any other update.

See also:

Samsung Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge Android 7.0 Nougat Firmware leaks

5 days ago

Head to settings > about device > download updates manually to see if your device is ready to download the upgrade. Galaxy S7 Edge owners should look out for the same update within in the next few days.



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Google reveals RAISR: an image enhancement tech which uses machine learning

google pixel xl initial review aa (47 of 48) camera

google pixel xl initial review aa (47 of 48) camera

Google has shared details on a new image enhancement technique it has developed called RAISR. RAISR, or rapid and accurate image super-resolution, incorporates machine learning to produce high-quality versions of low-quality images.

Google Research Scientist Peyman Milanfar explained the technology on the Google research blog and how it differs from existing methods image enhancement methods. While Upsampling, a common way to increase the quality of low-resolution images, relies on fixed values – applying the same effect to every image, RAISR uses a non-linear approach.

With RAISR, the team employs "machine learning and train on pairs of images, one low quality, one high, to find filters that, when applied to selectively to each pixel of the low-res image, will recreate details that are of comparable quality to the original," said Milanfar.

See also:

Google Photos now allows you to create animations offline

4 days ago

Essentially, RAISR uses high-quality images as a benchmark for which its algorithm can identify ways to adjust a low-resolution image. See its effect in the photos below (RAISR's image enhancement is applied to the bottom one.)

newimage-18

newimage-18

There's no indication of how Google might use the technology commercially but Milanfar says that it can be run "on a typical mobile device in real-time." It seems possible that RAISR could be integrated into Google's Camera app or an upcoming smartphone.



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eBay’s updated Android app will make your Christmass shopping a lot easier

ebay

ebayShutterstock.com

The holiday season is just around the corner. A good time to be alive if you love to kick back and spend time with your friends and family. It's also the best and busiest time of the year for retailers, who want you to open up your wallet, and do your Christmass shopping with them.

If you want to avoid the crowds in brick-and-mortar stores during the holiday season, shopping online is the way to go. That's way eBay has recently updated its app, which now offers a better, simpler, and faster shopping experience. It brings a few new features to the table that will assist you in finding the right products and make your purchasing decisions a bit less stressful.

See also:

Amazon launches curated holiday gift guides and Black Friday deals store

2 weeks ago

The first major change is an improved browsing experience. When you tap on the »Categories« icon, you'll be directed to the new »Browse« pages, which offer relevant information for the category of your choice. eBay's updated app also keeps track of the items you're looking at and shows you interesting and best-selling products on the home screen, based on your recent activity.

To make your holiday shopping even simpler, you can now check out the improved unbiased opinions and reviews of products you're interested in, written by people who have already bought and used them.

Sound interesting? Click the link below and download or update eBay's app on your device. Happy shopping.

Download it from the Play Store


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Google and Facebook make moves to stop circulation of fake news

Google app now

Google app now

Google and Facebook have announced plans to prevent the spreading of fake news by cutting off advertising revenue to the websites which produce the content.

Google said it was working on a policy change to its Adsense network to exclude such websites yesterday, while Facebook has updated its Audience Network policy to include fake news sites under its prohibited "misleading, illegal and deceptive sites" category.

This action follows soon after the United States presidential election, which saw fake news websites produce (often malicious) content that some argue could have unfairly swayed voters' decisions.

See also:

Google says Chrome is now installed on two billion devices

4 days ago

Though Google and Facebook's move won't outright stop the production of fake content, it would reduce the financial incentive for its creation.

"Moving forward, we will restrict ad serving on pages that misrepresent, misstate, or conceal information about the publisher, the publisher's content, or the primary purpose of the web property," said Google in a statement.

Meanwhile, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has denied accusations that fake news circulated through Facebook gave Trump his election win, stating that "more than 99%" of all the content that people see on Facebook is authentic. (Read Zuckerberg's statement, and his responses to questions from Facebook users, at the link.)

To what extent do you think bogus news played a part in the election? Let us know in the comments.



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Those who pre-ordered a Google Pixel can now order their free Daydream View (US)

daydream-view-1

daydream-view-1

Google is now sending redeem codes for its Daydream View VR headset to those who pre-ordered the Google Pixel. According to 9to5Google, once a customer receives the code via email, they can follow the link to the Google Store where they will be able to order their free Daydream View.

In early October, Google announced Google Pixel and Pixel XL pre-orders would include a free Daydream View coupon when the device launched. It was only last week that Google started shipping the VR product.

The Daydream View is Google's new VR headset which works in conjunction with a compatible smartphone (like the Pixel or Pixel XL). In our full Daydream View review, we said we'd hesitate to recommend the headset for the full $79 retail price. If you're one of those who can get it for free, it's certainly worth checking out.

See also:

Launch day: Daydream VR apps roundup

5 days ago

If you pre-ordered one of the Pixels in the US, check your inbox to see if your promo code has arrived – it's valid until the end of this year.

Have you received your code yet? Let us know in the comments.



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WhatsApp steps up its game by introducing video calling to all users

whatsapp-video-calling-20

whatsapp-video-calling-20

There's no arguing that WhatsApp is extremely popular around the world. At the beginning of the year, the Facebook-owned app announced that it has over a billion monthly active users. In order to keep those users engaged and stay competitive in its space, the company knows it has to bring new features to the table.

Today, WhatsApp announced that video calling, a feature first released in the beta version of the app, is going live. Available for Android, as well as iOS and Windows devices, it will roll out to users across the world within the next few days. To use it, you'll have to update your app, jump into the chat window, and tap the familiar phone icon. Then choose between starting a video or a voice call, and you're good to go.

See also:

You can finally send GIFs in the latest WhatsApp beta

October 4, 2016

WhatsApp is obviously fighting to keep its market share and hopes to increase its user base by adding a few new features. In addition to bringing video calling to its app, WhatsApp has recently been testing out a Snapchat-like "Status" feature, which hasn't officially been released yet. It has also introduced a two-step verification process (beta version), which will hopefully be available soon.

Any thoughts regarding WhatsApp's video calling feature? Will you be trying it out?



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