Top 10 Gadgets of 2013

The year 2013 witnessed a slew of gadget launches. While some were better versions of existing gadgets, many showcased innovations and new possibilities.

Here's our pick of ten best gadgets of the year 2013.

Samsung Galaxy Note 3

The third-generation of Samsung’s popular Note range of phablet devices, Galaxy Note 3 offers a brilliant full-HD screen, a powerful Exynos Octa processor and a whopping 3GB of RAM. Its best feature though is its unique S Pen stylus that takes scribbling notes and creating other content to the next level.

The international version of the Note 3 even offers 4K video recording.

Apple iPad mini with Retina display

The first iteration of Apple’s compact 7.9-inch tablet had everything a best-seller could offer barring a low-resolution display. The year 2013 saw the Cupertino giant close the gap by bringing its Retina display (2048 x 1536 pixels) to the second-generation iPad mini, and give it brand new internals.

The iPad mini with Retina display is powered by the same 64-bit A7 chip that drives the iPhone 5S. It still retains the premium aluminium chasis.

HTC One

At a time when most flagship Android smartphones offered flimsy plastic bodies, the HTC One emerged as the answer to the iPhone with its solid aluminium frame and chamfered edges.

Its dual front stereo speakers and the first ultrapixel camera lens was among the phone’s major USPs, along with Blinkfeed that brought news and socialmedia feeds to the home screen.

Sony PlayStation 4

Sony’s much awaited new-generation gaming console got an overwhelming response selling more than 2.1 million units after less than three weeks. The PlayStation 4 is powered by an eight-core AMD Jaguar CPU and features 500GB hard drive, 8GB of unified memory, built-in Blu Ray drive and the new DualShock 4 controller.

The PlayStation 4 also features 802.11 b/g/n WiFi connectivity option, an Ethernet port, Bluetooth 2.1, and two USB 3.0 ports. It also features more entertainment and social features.

Apple iPhone 5S

In 2013 Apple launched iPhone 5S, which the company calls its most forward thinking phone. One of the first phones to be powered by a 64-bit processor, the iPhone 5S comes with a major performance boost, an improved camera, a Touch ID fingerprint sensor for authentication and better battery life. It also comes in a brand new Gold colour variant. 

Amazon Kindle Fire HDX 8.9

Amazon’s new Kindle Fire HDX 8.9 tablet features an 8.9-inch display with a resolution of 2560x1600 pixels resolution and pixel density of 339ppi leaving behind the iPad Air.

Under the hood, the tablet is powered by a 2.2GHz quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor and 2GB of RAM, and runs the new Fire OS 3.0 which is based on Android Jelly Bean. It also comes with Mayday, a unique button that offers a 24x7 connection to Amazon’s customer support.

Google Chromecast

One of the major USPs of Google’s new small thumb drive-like media player is its $35 price tag. The other is the ease with which it can be configured and used.

You can just plug it into a TV’s HDMI port and access internet video services such as Netflix and YouTube, and content from Google Play, beaming the content through smartphones, tablets and personal computers connected to it. The content is beamed via the internet and not mirrored unlike the Apple TV.

Google Nexus 7

Google upgraded its popular 7-inch tablet, the Nexus 7, bestowing it with a high-resolution 1920 x 1200 pixels display, and an even more compact form factor. It also got a rear-camera for casual photography. The Nexus 7(2013) is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro processor running at 1.5GHz and 2GB of RAM and offers great performance.

Google’s latest tablet is a complete package, with relatively good hardware, a brilliant HD screen and the promise of the latest software updates.

Nokia Lumia 1020

After bidding farewell to Symbian, Nokia decided to bring its oversampling technology first seen in the PureView 808 to Windows Phone, putting the 41MP sensor on the Lumia 1020. With lossless zoom, that lets one take a big image and crop it without compromising on the quality, the Lumia 1020’s camera is undoubtedly the best compared to the ones on other phones, available at the moment.

Other hardware specs of the Lumia 1020 include 4.5-inch PureMotion HD+ Amoled display, 1.5GHz dual-core processor, 2GB RAM, 2,000mAh battery and 32GB internal storage.

Curved TVs

While 4K TVs are still in the process of infiltrating our drawing rooms, electronics giants LG and Samsung have already announced giant 105-inch ultra-HD TVs with curved screens.

The two launched Curved OLED TVs with full-HD resolution, earlier in the year. The companies claim that a curved display panel offers equal distance from all parts of the screen to the eyes resulting in better viewing angles, less colour distortion, consistent contrast and an immersive TV viewing experience.

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Lenovo YOGA Tablet 10 Review

After establishing an impressive reputation for itself in the global market with conventional notebooks and tablets, Lenovo has taken a fresh leap into Android tablet segment and has launched new tablet the Yoga Tablet 10. 

Much like other Yoga devices in Lenovo's line-up, the Yoga Tablet 10 features multimode design and can be used in different 'modes'. The Chinese giant has been touting the Yoga tablets as the company's biggest launch of the year. 

But can the combination of decent hardware, revamped tablet design with sleek form factor make this the turnaround vehicle for Lenovo's tablet segment in India? Let's try to find out in this review.

Design/ Build

As far as looks go, Lenovo's Yoga Tablet 10 is a complete departure from the tablet norm and features a cylindrical end design at one end, which is reminiscent of a folded magazine, while the other end has a sleek profile. The company has been promoting the Yoga tablet's cylindrical design as being more user-friendly when compared to other conventional tablets. 

While using the Lenovo Yoga Tablet 10, we experienced that the cylindrical design at one end made it easy to grab and move the tablet around. Further, while using the tablet in portrait mode, the Yoga Tablet 10's cylindrical design was more comfortable to hang on to with the left hand, for example for when reading eBooks or for browsing on the tablet. It took some time to get used to the tablet's cylindrical end, though after that period it was quite easy to use the 10-inch tablet with one hand, at times.

However, the tablet does feel a tad heavy at the bottom when using the Lenovo Yoga Tablet 10 in landscape mode and after a point of time; it doesn't balance well in the hands. At around 600 grams, the Lenovo Yoga Tablet 10 is heavy when compared to some 10-inch counterparts.

The Chinese major is touting Yoga Tablet 10's multimode design, offering three modes to work - hold, tilt and stand. The tablet's cylindrical end shape is responsible for these modes.

First is the stand mode which enables doubling up as a hinged stand that can be folded back at the back of the tablet. Second is tilt mode, which refers to placing the tablet on a surface with the cylindrical end offering a tilt shape for users to work. The last is the hold mode, which apparently means holding the tablet by the rounded end. We must confess that we used all the three modes of the tablet, and were impressed with the modes. 

Lenovo Yoga Tablet 10 includes both the aluminium and plastic material in build. The company has smartly used the aluminium on the hinge stand and also at the edges giving tablet a premium look; although in another places the Yoga Tablet 10 is built of plastic material. The rear panel of Yoga Tablet 10 features textured plastic material which doesn't help much in gripping the tablet. 

Another interesting feature of the Lenovo's Yoga Tablet 10 design was the power button, which has been built-in the cylindrical end of the tablet at one end, while the other end houses the 3.5mm audio jack. There was no problem in hitting the power button, sometimes even when not looking at the tablet, thanks to the placement. The top of the tablet houses the Micro-USB charging port, while the volume rocker buttons are placed at the bottom, when using the tablet in portrait mode. 

Display

Lenovo may have spent a lot in terms of R&D for the new Android Yoga Tablet 10 but unfortunately, much of that effort goes in vain due to the display of the tablet. When we first time switched on the tablet, the 10-inch display was a let-down.

At 1280x800 pixels resolution, the Yoga Tablet 10 display offers a pixel density of just 149ppi. The resolution and pixel density of the Lenovo Yoga Tablet 10 is far lower than some of its 10-inch tablet competitors such as the year-old Nexus 10 that offers a resolution of 2560x1600 pixels or the Apple's new iPad Air which offers 2048x1536 pixels. However, the prices of both the Nexus 10 and iPad Air are way above the price of Lenovo's Yoga Tablet 10. There is no doubt that Lenovo has chosen to compromise the screen of the Yoga Tablet 10 to bring down the price.

Camera

The Lenovo Yoga Tablet 10 sports dual cameras --- a 5-megapixel rear camera and a 1.6-megapixel front-facing camera. At the back of the Yoga Tablet 10, one can find the 5-megapixel rear camera embedded on the cylindrical end, which at times gets accidentally covered while clicking images.

In our testing of the Yoga tablet's rear camera in outdoor, dim and indoor environments, we found that picture quality was average. The clicked images were a bit washed out and grainy at edges. They were nowhere near to a smartphone picture quality. The Yoga Tablet 10's camera disappoints while clicking low-light shots, which had a lot of noise.

Users can choose from a host of camera settings on the Yoga Tablet 10, like face detection, self timer, ISO, exposure, colour effects, scene mode and white balance. It also offers a burst mode, letting users click to 99 shots at once; users just need to long-press the camera soft key on the display to take burst shot.

Software/ Interface

The Lenovo Yoga Tablet 10 runs Android 4.2.2, which seemed to be the OS of choice in Android based tablets in the country until few months. However, Lenovo may soon roll out the Android 4.3 Jelly Bean update for the Yoga tablet. The company might even think of skipping the Android 4.3 Jelly Bean update and may directly release the Android 4.4 KitKat update for the Yoga tablet.

Talking about the Yoga Tablet 10's interface, Lenovo has given it a complete overhaul, which seems more inspired by Apple's iPad tablet interface. Initially, there were three homescreen panes filled with apps. It can include up to seven homescreens.

After spending some time with the Yoga Tablet 10, we realised that Lenovo has removed the main menu which houses various apps and widgets in Android tablets. To find apps when required is a struggling task due to lack of menu view and at times had to use Google to search for pre-installed or downloaded apps on the tablet. Thankfully, the new downloaded apps on the homescreen panels sport a 'New' tag until someone opens the app for the first time.

Next thing we noticed in the Yoga Tablet 10 was the oversized app icons, which looked blurred. In an attempt to fix the issue by reducing the app icon size but couldn't find a way to change it. When download the Temple Run and Temple Run 2 on the Yoga Tablet 10, instead of showing the full name of the later app, it only showed Temple Run for both the apps. Further, Lenovo has completely skinned UI elements of the operating system on the Yoga Tablet 10. The tablet offers four themes that come with different icon set.

Performance/ Battery Life

The Lenovo Yoga Tablet 10 is powered by a quad-core MediaTek chipset (MT8389) clocked at 1.2GHz along with 1GB of RAM. There is 16GB of inbuilt storage, which is further expandable up to 64GB with the help of microSD card.

Without any doubts, the Lenovo Yoga Tablet 10's specifications sound quite acceptable on paper. But unfortunately, the same is not the case in real life performance. The tablet was lagging in launching some apps although the lag is not that consistent but considering that a quad-core processor backs the Yoga tablet, it is quiet disappointing. 

However, the biggest compromise for playing games for longer periods on any device, a tablet or a smartphone, is the battery backup. But thankfully, the company has equipped the Yoga Tablet 10 with huge 9000mAh battery and that delivers. Overall, we got an acceptable gaming experience.

The Yoga Tablet 10 was able to play all popular formats including MKV, MP4, MOV and AVI. Also, the tablet played full-HD videos with minimal fuss.

The Verdict

There is no doubt that Lenovo has put in a lot of thought in the whole design of the tablet, making it stand out from the routine crowd. Additionally, it's worth pointing out that Lenovo's Yoga Tablet 10 multimode feature includes those modes, which generally require a separate cover or a stand for a tablet. While it does live up to what Lenovo's Yoga line-up is known for (multimode design), a better chipset and a higher-resolution display could have helped the cause.

The Lenovo Yoga Tablet 10 delivers in some departments but disappoints completely in others. And while everything generally worked well on it, we did experience the odd lag, making us wonder whether the MediaTek's quad-core processor was a good choice by the company. Another deal breaker is the Yoga Tablet 10's display, being a 10-inch device with a display sporting lower screen resolution looked awful. The company has made changes to the UI of the tablet, but that too does not help much in the overall experience. Further, the tablet sports dual front loudspeakers but the sound experience was not that great.

At Rs. 28,999 for the 16GB and Wi-Fi + 3G edition of the Lenovo Yoga Tablet 10 is priced decently. Those looking for alternatives can look for the Apple iPad 2, which is a dated device but offers a better package. 

Now, the Pros and Cons of the Lenovo Yoga Tablet 10:  

Pros

• New (refreshed) tablet design
• Battery life outstanding
• Multimode design helpful at times

Cons

• Disappointing camera
• Average speaker performance
• Low-resolution display

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How to Update HTC One S with Kit Kat 4.4 Android Firmware

This is for all the users who want to update their HTC One S with the latest version of Kit Kat 4.4 Android firmware. Now you can update it with the help of custom ROM firmware. Though, there is no ETA on by when there will be official update of Kit Kat 4.4 for HTC One S, till the time the update arrives officially, you can apply this update.

Features of Kit Kat 4.4:

•  CM based

•  Lockscreen background options (Color fill, Custom image, Transparent)

•  Customizable Lockscreen text color

•  Lock screen rotation

•  Option to enable all widgets

•  Minimize lockscreen challange

•  Use widget carousel

•  Slider Shortcuts

•  Static Lockscreen shortcuts

•  Lockscreen button actions

•  LCD Density

•  Scroll elasticity options

•  Default App grip option

•  Custom Carrier label

•  Dual Pane options

•  Customizable boot animation (off, default, set your own boot animation)

•  Custom original BeanStalk Wallpapers by skyliner33v

•  Custom BeanStalk boot animation by skyliner33v

•  Status bar color and transparency

•  Clock and date options which includes color, location, style

•  Signal Styles which include color and text instead of icons, hide signal icons

•  Breathing SMS option

•  Battery styles – Includes specific colors and styles. Also includes battery bar

•  Do not disturb option

•  Show notification count

Quick Pre Requisites:

• You should take a backup of all the data in your device. To do so, you can use the below mentioned apps:

SMS – Use “SMS Backup & Restore app”,

Contacts – Sync with the Gmail application,

Call Log - Call Log and Restore

Images, Songs, Videos, Files – Copy to internal / External SD Card,

APN and MMS Settings – Note down from the path “Applications > Settings > Wireless and  Network > Mobile Networks > Access Point Names”

• Enable the USB Debugging Mode in your computer from the path “Settings > Applications > Development > USB debugging”. This step is very important so as to provide the access to the core system files.

• Also, the minimum battery life should be a minimum of 40% or else there is a risk of device getting turned off in the middle of firmware update.

• Since this is the custom ROM firmware, make sure that your device is rooted. To check whether your HTC One S is rooted or not, check the same from the “Root Checker” app.

Disclaimer: We should not be held responsible or liable in any manner for any damage caused to the device due to not following instructions. Make sure that your current firmware version is XXUGMJ9 only and not any other version.

Procedure to Update HTC One S with Jellybean 4.3 Android OS:

• Download Jellybean 4.3 Android OS Package from here to your computer. Once downloaded, you need to connect your HTC One S to the computer with the help of original USB cable.

• Place the zip file in your device by connecting your device to the computer using original USB cable.

• Download the “ROM Manager” app from Google Play Store and install the recovery image in your device. Now, enter the device in the recovery mode by selecting the appropriate option in the ROM Manager app.

• From recovery mode, you need to select “install zip from sd card” to choose the placed firmware zip file in your device. Once the update package is selected, it will take around 4 -5 minutes for applying the update.

• Once the device is updated with the latest firmware, all you need to do is to check whether the update is applied or not from the Settings Section where it will show the current firmware as Jellybean 4.4 Android OS.

Note: If the device gets into the boot loop sequence or say gets stuck in the welcome screen, just long press power button to restart the device and re follow the above instructions so as to again follow the above mentioned instructions.

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List of Android Phones getting Android 4.4 KitKat Firmware Update

The Android 4.4 KitKat version was recently announced and it is soon to be officially launched by Google when they would be coming up with the next version of Nexus, the Nexus 5 device. But it would always be a guessing game for the users, to see whether the 4.4 update would be coming to their device or not. With most of the high-end devices that were launched recently, one can easily expect that they would be receiving the KitKat update, but for the earlier devices, you will have to wait to see whether the manufacturer is deciding to send the update and whether the device hardware would be able to support it.

For now, check the list below to know which devices are going to get the next big version of Android OS.

Samsung Phones to get Android 4.4 Update

Samsung has not given any confirmation regarding the devices to be released with Android 4.4 update. However, anyone with a Samsung Galaxy Nexus won't be getting KitKat at all — Google has said the handset is too old to get the OS. Samsung UK will announce the rollout plans for Android 4.4 in due course. For now, a few devices which may be going to get the Android 4.4 update are as follows:

• Samsung Galaxy S4

• Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom

• Samsung Galaxy S4 Active

• Samsung Galaxy Note 3

• Samsung Galaxy Mega (no confirmation whether the 5.8, 6.3 or both)

• Samsung Galaxy S3

• Samsung Galaxy Note II

• Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini

• Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 & Tab 2

The Galaxy S3 and Note II have been facing a few regional lock issues and that is what is prompting Samsung to come up with a major update on these devices, as confirmed by one of the Samsung representatives. But again, the document mentions it is the S3 which has 2GB of RAM, and that is the U.S. version which might be getting the update, and the International users might have to wait and watch if Samsung has made it ready for their devices too or not.

Sony Phones to get Android 4.4 Update

Sony has officially updated the list of the Android smartphones in the Xperia range which are going to receive the Android 4.4 KitKat update, and these mostly include the recent smartphones. The exact dates are not mentioned and the company has advised Xperia owners to keep an eye out on its @SonyMobileNews Twitter account for the specific timing of the release. Here are the smartphones which would receive the KitKat update sooner or later:

• Sony Xperia Z1

• Sony Xperia Z

• Sony Xperia Z Ultra

• Sony Xperia ZL

• Sony Xperia Tablet Z

However, most of those devices will get Jelly Bean first: Sony said it will also begin rolling out Android 4.3 over the next month to the Xperia Z, Xperia ZL, Xperia ZR, Xperia Tablet Z, Xperia SP, Xperia Z Ultra and Xperia Z1. But, that may vary by market or carrier.This directs us to a point that these devices aren’t going to receive the KitKat update any time soon. The Xperia T, Xperia TX and Xperia V are the ones which would get the Android 4.3 update directly from Android 4.1 JB.

HTC Phones to get Android 4.4 Update

The HTC One Max is to be announced very soon, and that should be anyways getting the update after the launch, but the devices which are expected to get the Android 4.4 KitKat update after its launch, includes HTC One. HTC hasn't provided an update on the timing and version of Android for the HTC One max and the HTC One mini, but details will follow. Meanwhile, HTC US this week confirmed it will push KitKat to HTC One owners in the same timeframe as the UK. 

HTC has officially named a few devices on its Twitter account, and these are the smartphones which would be getting the Android 4.4 KitKat update:

HTC One (Verizon Wireless) – end of Jan 2014

HTC Droid DNA – around the end of Quarter 1, 2014 after the approval from the carrier

The other phones where the update is still expected, but with no official update from HTC, include:

• HTC One

• HTC One X+

• HTC One X

• New Desire series phones launched in 2013

• HTC Droid DNA

• HTC J

• HTC Butterfly

LG Phones to get Android 4.4 Update

We did hear that the LG Optimus G Pro might be receiving the update a little later, but the LG G2, latest smartphone from the company is sure to get the KitKat version of Android very soon after the launch.

The company hasn't released a schedule for when its own Android devices, such as the G Pad tablet, and Optimus range, will get KitKat. This is just the initial list of the devices may get the update but it could change anytime:

• LG G2

• LG Nexus 4

• LG Optimus L7, L5, L3

• LG Optimus G

• LG Optimus G Pro

• LG Optimus VU

This page will be updated whenever there will be some actual confirmation or leak from the sources.

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