How to take a photo sphere?

Gadgets and Apps - You need to decide whether you’d prefer to have a super-sharp screen or killer battery life. The Lenovo Yoga 920 lasts hours longer than the HP, and performs better in benchmarks and games with the same CPU (although if this is thanks to the Meltdown vulnerability, the playing field is effectively levelled). lasvegas, well we have collected a lot of data from the field directly and from many other blogs so very complete his discussion here about Gadgets and Apps, on this blog we also have to provide the latest automotive information from all the brands associated with the automobile. ok please continue reading:

June 02, 2015: After posting some sphere photos in social medias, I have been getting request from people, to tell them the process to take photo sphere. Though I am not that perfect in this, I would like to share the process for taking the photo sphere.

• At first all you need a smartphone with Google camera app on it. (available in Android Playstore and Apple store).
• Open the google camera app in your mobile.
• Slide right in the screen and click the photo sphere icon.
• Hold your phone vertically and keep the closest comfortable distance between you and the phone.
• You will be told to start  and make sure you keep dot inside the circle.
• Start moving the camera slowly from left to right, top, bottom in all directions to have a complete coverage.
• Try to keep the distance between you and the phone to be uniform.
• After some processing, the photo sphere will be available to you where you can see the complete 360 degree view from the point you stand. 
• To present it in a different view as posted in http://lasvegasin.blogspot.com /2015/06/my-fascination-with-dharahara-with.html">my picture, click edit in the picture, then create tiny planet. You can even zoom in and rotate the photo to make it look you have clicked it from some top point.

Here is a photo that I have clicked with a mobile tower on it. 

How to find your phone through Google Search

Gadgets and Apps - You need to decide whether you’d prefer to have a super-sharp screen or killer battery life. The Lenovo Yoga 920 lasts hours longer than the HP, and performs better in benchmarks and games with the same CPU (although if this is thanks to the Meltdown vulnerability, the playing field is effectively levelled). lasvegas, well we have collected a lot of data from the field directly and from many other blogs so very complete his discussion here about Gadgets and Apps, on this blog we also have to provide the latest automotive information from all the brands associated with the automobile. ok please continue reading:

April 17, 2015: Whether you have lost your phone outside or you are sure it is just around your home but could not figure it out, now you could easily spot your phone with the latest feature from Google. You can simply go to Google in your PC and search for "find my phone", then it will show the location of your Android phone with the last online date through Android Device Manager. But make sure you have logged into the same Google account in your PC that is in the phone that you are searching. You can also ring your phone for 5 minutes through a button "Ring" in case you know it is near to you somewhere below pillow, sofa or some corner. Once you find your phone, you have to press the power button to stop ringing. Similarly if you know the phone is stolen, you can even lock the phone and erase the data or reset the password. As I tried with my phone and tablet, all other worked with the search except for the online date which was one week earlier. The location for my phone showed exactly the same point of my house with accuracy of 22 meters whereas for my GPS less Tablet, the search could not locate the point though it was online. As Google can easily tell the location of devices with internet though there is no GPS, it may be due to the disabling of location sharing feature in my Tablet settings.

The feature is now only available to search from PC and may be later available to phones/tablets as well. This sort of feature is already there for iPhone with iCloud or Find my phone app. Whether it is Android phone or Apple, you can only find the location of the phone if it is connected to the internet with the logged in Google or Apple account.

Latest affordable phones not available in Nepal

Gadgets and Apps - You need to decide whether you’d prefer to have a super-sharp screen or killer battery life. The Lenovo Yoga 920 lasts hours longer than the HP, and performs better in benchmarks and games with the same CPU (although if this is thanks to the Meltdown vulnerability, the playing field is effectively levelled). lasvegas, well we have collected a lot of data from the field directly and from many other blogs so very complete his discussion here about Gadgets and Apps, on this blog we also have to provide the latest automotive information from all the brands associated with the automobile. ok please continue reading:

April 05, 2015: If we look at the world domain, there is fierce competition among handset makers to launch new, affordable and quality phones to have bigger market share. Giants like Samsung and Apple keep the race tight by launching high end and expensive flagship at some specific time in a year. Whereas Chinese and US phones makers releases some new phones time and again to allure people for the different range of specs and quality. Only handful of phone makers launch their phones officially here and almost none to make it available on the same time of launch internationally. Though Micromax, Karbonn, Lava, Huawei release their phone officially, their latest phones takes time to reach in Nepal, unlike some which do not land here. Here are some latest affordable phones with good quality/features, that are not available here in Nepal.

Asus Zenphone 2: Asus, the Taiwanese electronic company is growing its market share in smartphones and with the popularity of two latest phones, it is expected to join the top ten list of phones worldwide. Zenphone 2 was released in Consumer Electronic show (CES) 2014 with two variants of 2 GB and 4 GB RAM, which is also the first one in the world to have the 4GB RAM. Major specs include Quad core Intel processor, 5 inch 403 PPI, 13 MP dual tone LED flash/ 5MP shooter, micro SD support.

One plus one: One plus, the Chinese phone maker stormed the world with the one plus one phone which was more popular in other parts of the world than in China. The quad core phone has all of the features (Quad core 801, 3 GB RAM, 13/5 MP snapper, Gorilla Glass 3) that is found in the flagship with price tag of 300 dollar for 16 GB phone. With the tussle between one plus and CyanogenMod, one plus one has now launched a new android skin called OxygenOS which is yet to reviewed from the mass.

http://lasvegasin.blogspot.com /2015/01/xiaomi-releases-two-flagship-devices.html">Xiaomi Mi Note: Xiaomi: the Chinese start up and biggest grower in the smartphone business today (Third in the world) has launched two flagships Mi Note and Mi note Pro in early 2015. The Mi Note: the lower version of the duo with 801 SOC, OIS camera and 3 GB RAM has most of the greatest features required to be called a high end phone. Xiaomi's growth and the current line up of phones is  even troubling Samsung and Apple for the affordability and high quality specs.

Micromax Yu Yureka: Micromax, the US phone maker has launched a new series called Yu, whose first version Yureka is getting very popular in New York. The 150 dollar phone has 5.5 inch HD IPS display, 64 bit Quad core 615 SOC, 2 GB RAM, and runs on CyanogenMod UI. Is not it dirt cheap to have such specs on paper??

Meizu M1 Note:  http://lasvegasin.blogspot.com /2015/02/meizu-on-rise-m1-note-and-m1-gets-sold.html">Meizu, another growing Chinese phone maker has sold 2 million smartphones in the month of March only. The huge number of sales was possible due to the high end MX4/MX4 Pro and mid-range Meizu M1 note/M1. Meizu M1 note is a 5.5 inch phablet with 64 bit MT6752 processor, 2 GB RAM, 13/5 MP Snapper and whopping 3140 mAh battery. The phone runs on Flyme OS over Android Kitkat and known to be releasing new Flyme over Lollipop. Meizu is even rumored to collaborate with Nokia to launch a new device within this year, as Nokia is indirectly involved in handset business after selling our it to Microsoft. http://lasvegasin.blogspot.com /2015/04/meizu-m1-note-review.html" style="background-color: lime;">Click here for my review on Meizu M1 note.

File photo: Meizu store in Shenzhen, China

ZTE Nubia Z9: Though the OEM giant ZTE is not able to have enormous sales like Huawei, it is not giving up for its handset business and has been launching flagships in the Nubia series. Recently ZTE has launched two flagships Nubia Z9 mini and max, with 64 bit processors 810 and 615 respectively. The mini version is about 5 inch, and comes with 2 GB RAM, 16/8 MP snapper, 2900 mAh. and priced at $240.

Lenovo K3 Note: After acquisition of Motorola, Lenovo has been releasing some nice affordable phones to up the market share, now fourth in the world (most of them in China). This 5.5 inch phablet has got most of the specs similar to Meizu M1 note ( 64 bit MT6752 octacore processor, 2 GB RAM, 13 MP/ 5MP shooter and 3000 mAh battery) but at lower price tag of 900 yuan (147 dollar) and expandable up to 32 GB through micro SD slot. 

Huawei Honor 6 plus/Honor 4X: The largest telecom manufacturer in the world, Huawei has also remarkable business in the phone market (fifth in the world in terms of shipment last year). It has wide range of phones from the high end flagships to low end feature phones. Huawei has given more focus on its phone business with Honor and Ascend series phones. Honor 6 plus is a 5.5 inch flagship with its own processor Kirin 925 octa core, 3 GB RAM, Dual 8 MP rear and 8MP front camera, 3600 mAh, 425 dollar price tag and runs on Emotion UI over Kitkat. whereas Honor 4X is a mid ranger with 5.2 inch 720 p screen, quad core snapdragon 410 processor, 2 GB RAM, 3000 mAh and $168 price tag. Huawei Honor 6 plus has the greatest camera application/features and hardware known so far in Android phones.

Motorola Moto X, 2nd Gen: Motorola has revamped the 2013 flagship Moto X in screen size, pixel density, processor for Moto X second generation. The 5.2 inch phone runs on quad core Snapdragon 801 with 2 GB RAM, 13/2 MP snapper, 2300 mAh battery and 485 dollar price tag. There are also second generation version of Moto G  and Moto E priced at $180 and $115 price, that do not raise the eyebrows due to specs and features if you compare those with other phones in the race. But the best thing about Motorola phone is that you could get the latest android update as early as possible in its pure form. Now after being swallowed by Lenovo, lets see how the brand value of Motorola will be utilized.

From the above phones, it seems like the mid rangers are approaching very near to the flagships in specs with bigger screen size, quad core to Octa core processor, higher resolution camera with manual controls and at price of around 200 dollar. As such nice affordable phones are not available in our market, we are missing a big business here in Nepal but some people even manage to get the phone here from their friends and relatives, like the way I did for two of my mobiles in recent years.

Meizu M1 Note review

Gadgets and Apps - You need to decide whether you’d prefer to have a super-sharp screen or killer battery life. The Lenovo Yoga 920 lasts hours longer than the HP, and performs better in benchmarks and games with the same CPU (although if this is thanks to the Meltdown vulnerability, the playing field is effectively levelled). lasvegas, well we have collected a lot of data from the field directly and from many other blogs so very complete his discussion here about Gadgets and Apps, on this blog we also have to provide the latest automotive information from all the brands associated with the automobile. ok please continue reading:

April 03, 2015: After months of desperate wait, finally I have got Meizu M1 note in my hands. Thanks to my friend Dinesh Panthy and Chinese officials who helped him buy this phone for me. As the phone has got a big demand and it is not even sold internationally, the phone gets sold out in a matter of some seconds there. So, it was almost impossible to buy it officially in the original price, and it took vigorous search to buy it at 1200 RMB i.e. around 200 dollar (just for the 16 GB phone). Just a week of usage, here is what I have found regarding the smartphone.

http://lasvegasin.blogspot.com /2015/02/meizu-on-rise-m1-note-and-m1-gets-sold.html" style="background-color: lime;">Meizu M1 note, the affordable beast with awesome specs and quality, says it all for the review in one sentence, but it does have some lacks that i will be writing in the later half. The 5.5 inch phablet runs smoothly with no any lags even in several multitasking tests, due to 64 bit Octa-core processor (MT6752) and 2 GB RAM. The IGZO display is well lit and the 403 PPI resolution is near to other high end phones. One of the best part of the phone is the whopping battery of 3140 mAH that keeps you surf, use multimedia for long. Another big up is with the cameras: 13 MP rear one having dual tone LED flash, Panorama, Light field (like the refocus in Xiaomi), Slow motion video and Manual mode (up to 1 sec of slowest shutter time) whereas the front shooter of 5 MP has beautify feature. I also happen to like the HDR feature in the camera app, making it a phone with good photography options. Along with the similar looks to iPhone 5C, the phone is on par with the iPhone experience. The flat and simple design of the android skin: Flyme OS (latest one 4.0 being over Android Kitkat 4.4.4) resembles iOS like the way it is in Xiaomi (no app drawer), which are so far liked mostly by the users. Though Flyme has some unique features (like gesture controls, camera apps, smart touch) compared to Xiaomi's MIUI, it misses some basic features (like saving a contact from call/message logs, easily viewable call logs and messages ) that I am sure will definitely be there in the next version of Flyme over Android Lollipop, even enhancing some in others. The double tap to wake the phone, scribble some pattern to open some apps directly before unlocking the phone (also available in Nokia Z launcher, but not available to many Android phones) are some features to make it attractive. The poly-carbonate unibody plastic, small bezels and Gorilla glass 3, makes it look and feel comfy. The thin width and lightweight (145 gm) phone also supports double SIM with FDD LTE/WCDMA/GSM on SIM1 and only GSM on SIM2 slot, makes it easy to use one just for phone calls and another for fast internet. The inbuilt browser app in Flyme is also nice and smooth, as compared to other default browsers on other skins. I am enthralled with the viewing experience of the videos but not with the audio quality of the speakers (sounds nice in earphone though).

As the size of the screen is going up, converging the devices: phablets, smartphones and even tablets into one, 5.5 inch phones are definitely worth for better reading and viewing experience whereas to make our pants feel comfy, their pocket size even needs to grow.
Here is a quick review of the phone:
Thumbs up:
Fast and smooth multitasking experience,
Nice camera app (Manual, refocus, beautify feature).
Comfortable feel while grabbing.
Gesture controls.
Battery capacity (3140 mAh)
Dual SIM (4G + 2G)
Cheap price of 1000 Yuan ($160)

Let down:
Missing basic features in Flyme OS.
Awkward experience with single Home button (its may be due to myself being a typical android user).
No external micro SD slot.
Speakers.

All in all, the phone a.k.a blue charm is a nice, affordable mid range phone with some unique features and specs which definitely allures those who want to upgrade from the entry level phones. The phone is even highly preferred for the entry level users, due to the higher specs in such a cheap price. As some missing features on software will definitely be there in the next Flyme over Android Lollipop, which is learned to be available soon with major enhancements, the phone is definitely worthy buying. The phone is known to be available for official sales in New York but don't know when it will be available here in Nepal, or you can simply ask your friends going to either North neighbor (China) or South Neighbor (India) to bring one for you. Recommended!

Samsung unveils Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge at MWC

Gadgets and Apps - You need to decide whether you’d prefer to have a super-sharp screen or killer battery life. The Lenovo Yoga 920 lasts hours longer than the HP, and performs better in benchmarks and games with the same CPU (although if this is thanks to the Meltdown vulnerability, the playing field is effectively levelled). lasvegas, well we have collected a lot of data from the field directly and from many other blogs so very complete his discussion here about Gadgets and Apps, on this blog we also have to provide the latest automotive information from all the brands associated with the automobile. ok please continue reading:

March 2, 2015: Samsung, the Korean Giant, is the top phone maker in the world, probably in Nepal too. The Korean firm though being the top first handset maker, has lost significant sales volumes in the year 2014. There are many thoughts who forced them to come up with new innovations in whole range of phones to keep the top spot, as the competition is now rife with Apple standing firm (with iPhone 6 sales) and rise of Chinese firms like Xiaomi, Meizu, Huawei for cheaper mid range and Flagship devices. Samsung has upped the ante by unveiling the two awaited flagships: Samsung Galaxy S6 and S6 edge in an unpacked event at this years MWC (Mobile world Congress). 

The two devices are of similar high end specs with all the features that make it flagship, but S6 edge is having the curved edge, fewer grams lighter and higher battery capacity. Samsung S6 is a 5.1 inch all metal phone powered by 64 bit Exynos octacore processor (two quadcore of 2.1 GHz and 1.5 GHz), having 3GB RAM (DDR4) and latest version of OS (Android 5.02). The 5.1 screen is of Super Amoled technology having bright and vivid display, with higher QHD resolution (2560 X1440, 577 ppi) as compared to its predecessor S5. Both the devices are sported with better and faster 16 MP rear and 5 MP front camera, having superior quality images (even in low light), along with features like Auto Real Time HDR, Smart OIS (Optical Image Stabilization), and IR detect White Balance, which is more enhanced by the direct access "quick launch" feature. Apart from the high end feature, Samsung has focused on the design and looks, being impressed from similar metal smartphones (like iPhone 6). The Glass encase both in the front and back has Corning Gorilla Glass 4, making it look premium and feel comfy. Additionally the curved edges on both sides in S6 edge makes it look different (appealing to many but not to me) and the first smartphone to have like that (Others to follow suit?? depends on how it sells in the market). Some of the features that disappeared with this new flagships are the non-removable battery/back, water resistant feature and microSD card slot, that may disappoint many. Though rumor is also something resulting most of it to be true, the removal of Samsung touch wiz happens to be false. 

I feel the battery capacity of 2550 mAh (2600 mAh in Edge) seems to be insufficient for such LTE enabled flagship but their better power efficient and fast charging technology, needs to be proven from public to back up. The phone also supports wireless charging feature that is available in the industry, promoting it to be universal from now on. Quick Contact in the edge is one of the new features for the S6 edge for some tricks. The phones comes in basic storage of 32 GB, along with 64 GB and 128 GB variant. The phones are known to be available on sales from April 10th with price ranging from USD 800 to 900 ( NRs 80,000 to 90,000) but the official prices are not yet out. With the phones, Samsung has also launched new payment platform "Samsung pay" to counter Apple pay and Google wallet.

With the specs, looks and reviews from pundits, the S6 and S6 Edge keeps Samsung alive for the competition in the high end market (wary of premium looks and features) but need some more innovation to compete with the cheaper Chinese firms.

Google releases Nexus 6 phone and Nexus 9 tab with Android L.

Gadgets and Apps - You need to decide whether you’d prefer to have a super-sharp screen or killer battery life. The Lenovo Yoga 920 lasts hours longer than the HP, and performs better in benchmarks and games with the same CPU (although if this is thanks to the Meltdown vulnerability, the playing field is effectively levelled). lasvegas, well we have collected a lot of data from the field directly and from many other blogs so very complete his discussion here about Gadgets and Apps, on this blog we also have to provide the latest automotive information from all the brands associated with the automobile. ok please continue reading:

October 15, 2014: In the fierce race of smartphone and tablets, Google releases two new devices in Nexus series to rival the existing players like Samsung, Apple and Xiaomi. Like before Google collaborates with other vendors to make these devices. Motorola made Nexus 6 is a 6 inch aluminium Phablet with Quad HD screen (493 ppi), 2.7 GHz Snapdragon 805 processor, 13/2 MP Rear/Front camera and 3220 mAh battery. The 3 GB RAM phone is known to support DC HSDPA, LTE Cat 4 FDD and has two front facing speakers. According to most of the websites, the phone looks similar to MOTO X and has no SD card support either. 32 GB and 64 GB memory variants will be available where the first one costs $650 (without any contract).

HTC made Nexus 9 is a 8.9 inch tablet with QVGA screen (2048 X 1536) screen, 2.3 GHz Nvidias Tegra K1 processor, 2 GB RAM and whopping 6700 mAh Battery. Among the three colors ( black, white and sand), all except the sand color LTE variant will be available to buy this November. This tablet with soft grip and moderate weight, will compete well with iPad Air (though some new device is launching tomorrow), Samsung S Tab, and Microsoft Surface. Magnetic keyboard can be added with the tablet to do some office work. The first 64 bit device from Google also supports HTC's own boom sound speaker technology. The price of the 16 GB device is $400 whereas 32 GB variant costs $480 and the 32 GB LTE variant will cost $600. 

Both of the new devices runs the latest OS: Android 5.0 L (L for Lollipop), also being the first ones to get the new and pure OS. The colorful new OS dubbed as Material Design is known to have new lock screen, new notification bar, new multitasking menu, new ways to access Voice assistant, higher battery efficiency and 64 bit support. The interesting one among others is the kill switch feature that can kill your stolen phone and make useless, the first OS to have this and others will definitely follow suit. As the Android 5.0 Lollipop was already speculated to be the biggest Android release after long, the features says it has live up to the rumors but I could only tell when I get the OS in hand, probably with a new device. Meanwhile I have not even managed to get Android 4.4 Kitkat for my phone though my tablet: Mipad comes with it but I am still waiting the official MIUI 6 for Mipad. If you compare Xiaomi Mipad with HTC Nexus 9 by specs, both lacks the 3G network which is not a big deal if you have WiFi around for most of the time. But 7.9 inch screen of mipad (over 8.9 inch of nexus 9) is perfect for reading with lighter weight to lift for long and the best part of Xiaomi devices being the tempting price of $ 250. Oh I love my Mipad so much.

It seems Google has brought these new devices to compete well with the flagships of biggest players, but the price seems to be more as compared to other vendors as it comes without any new features/innovations. More review when the unboxing unfolds.