99Techreviews: Technology Advice And Reviews

Soon after the Android 5.0 (Lollipop) announcement from Google, Sony Mobile confirmed that it will update the entire Xperia Z series of smartphones and tablets to Android Lollipop. Today the company announced at its CES 2015 press conference that it will start rolling the Lollipop update for its Z series globally starting from next month, which is February. The list of Z series devices that would get the Android 5.0 Lollipop update include, Xperia Z, Xperia ZL, Xperia ZR, Xperia Tablet Z, Xperia Z1, Xperia Z1 S, Xperia Z Ultra, Xperia Z1 Compact, Xperia Z2, Xperia Z2 Tablet, Xperia Z3, Xperia Z3v, Xperia Z3 Compact and Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact. The Sony Xperia Z Ultra Google Play Edition already got the Lollipop update directly from Google last month. The Android 5.0 Lollipop brings Material Design with bold, colorful, and responsive UI design, better notifications, battery saver feature, better security including Android Smart Lock, New Quick Setti...

Toshiba has unveiled two models of Encore 2 Write tablets that come with a pressure-sensitive pen and an ultra-responsive screen for more paper-like precision. The company has revealed 8 inch Encore 2 Write WT10PE-A and 10.1 inch Encore 2 Write WT8PE- B which come with 1280×800 display. Both are powered by Windows and use an Intel Atom processor. 2GB of RAM, 64GB of storage, an 8- megapixel rear-facing camera, and battery life of up to 11 hours. The Encore 2 Write tablets includes a multi-touch screen with innovative sensor technology that supports sharp pen strokes so you can write more naturally on the tablet’s surface, Both the tablets will come with a one-year subscription to Microsoft Office 365, along with a preinstalled TruNote handwriting application. Toshiba Encore 2 Write tablets will go on sale January 11th starting at $349.99 for the 8-inch variant and $399.99 for the 10-inch version in “satin gold flavour”.

It was announced that Kodak will be launching an Android smartphone and as teased the firm has taken advantage of the CES 2015 platform to launch the same. The smartphone is dubbed Kodak IM5 and it will be made available initially in Europe followed by the other global markets by the end of the first quarter and it is priced at $249 (approx. Rs 15,800). Kodak has teamed up with British firm Bullit to make most components of the smartphone. Notably, Bullit was involved in making the rugged CAT branded smartphones as well. The highlight of the Kodak IM5 is its imaging hardware comprising of a 13 MP primary camera with flash at the rear and a 5 MP front facing selfie camera at the front. The features of this camera are yet to be revealed, but it was earlier claimed that the handset will pack best in class image management aspects. Otherwise, Kodak IM5 comes packed with decent specifications including a 5 inch HD display with a resolution of 1280×720...

Leading India based tech maker Micromax has unveiled a new tablet in the country called Canvas Breeze Tab P660. The slate supports 3G connectivity and has dual SIM functionality that enables voice calling capabilities. The Canvas Breeze Tab P660 has been launched in Black and Red color options and it is priced at Rs 9,999 and will be available exclusively via Snapdeal. The Canvas Breeze Tab P660 is given a 7.85 inch IPS display with a screen resolution of 1024×768 pixels that is standard and is incorporated with a quad core MediaTek MT8389WM processor clocked at 1.2 GHz backed by 1 GB of RAM. Fueled by the dated Android 4.2 Jelly Bean operating system, the slate bundles 8 GB of native storage capacity that can be extended externally by another 32 GB using a micro SD card. For imaging, the Canvas Breeze Tab P660 uses a 5 MP primary snapper and a 2 MP front facing selfie camera. The slate also houses a 4,000 mAh battery that can pump in a decent ba...

Asus recently launched Asus Pegasus X002 in China with a 64 bit MediaTek chipset and a very aggressive price of $799 Yuan or Approx. 8,100 INR. On the outside, it carries forward the same design language which we saw on all Zenfone devices in 2014. The display is 5 inches in size with 720p HD resolution. The handset is powered by 1.5 GHz MT6732 64 bit chipset with four Cortex A53 cores and Mali t-760 GPU. 2 GB RAM and 16 GB internal storage in this price range, again add to its ‘Value for money’ appeal. Software is Andorid 4.4 KitKat with Zen UI on top. Imaging hardware includes 8 MP rear camera with wide aperture f2.0 lens on top. LED flash is also present to assist low light photography. The front camera has also been designed to entice selfie lovers. It includes a 5 MP sensor , f/2.2 aperture and 88 degree wide angle lens. Battery capacity is 2500 mAh, which again seems like an improvement over Zenfone 5. Other features include 4G TD-LTE / 3G HSPA...

As expected LG has launched its curved display smartphone LG G Flex 2 at CES 2015 and it is feature loaded to the brim. LG has taken a huge leap with its second generation curved surface smartphone but the basics remain the same. Besides the dynamic curve, the self healing technology is now much faster. LG claims that minor scratches can now heal in just 10 seconds (vs 3 minutes in G Flex). This is also the first smartphone to feature. This time the 5.5 Inch curved display has a more reasonable 1080p full HD resolution (LG G Flex had a 6 Inch 720p HD display) which is better suited to this high end device. The Gorilla Glass 3 on top has been toughened (LG calls this Dura-Gaurd Glass), resulting in 30% more durable smartphone. LG cited the same reasons for why you need a curved display smartphone after all. The curved surface makes the phone nicer to hold against your ears and brings the microphone closer for better call quality. We will le...

The year is yet to run out, but  rumor is rife that Lenovo is getting ready to release a new phone at CES. And nope, it is not a flagship or high- end device but from the sounds of it, something that will pretty much be a shot fired across the decks of Xiaomi’s bestselling Redmi Note 4G .

Motorola has launched a 64GB variant of its Moto X (Gen 2) smartphone. The smartphone will be available in the US unlocked - or Pure Edition as Motorola calls it - for $100 more than the 32GB variant, which makes it $599.99 (roughly Rs. 37,900). Moto X (Gen 2) 64GB variant with leather or wooden back panel costs $624.99 (roughly Rs. 39,500). Motorola announced the 64GB variant of the Moto X (Gen 2) handset on Twitter. "New 64GB #MotoX Pure Edition now available. Store more for just an extra $100 off- contract," tweeted Motorola Mobility. Motorola Moto X Pure Edition, for those who are unaware, is a fancy name for the unlocked version of Moto X (Gen 2). It is worth mentioning that Motorola Moto X (Gen 2) is only available in 16GB and 32GB variants worldwide and the 64GB inbuilt storage stays Moto X Pure Edition exclusive for now. So if you've been waiting for a high capacity Moto X smartphone but been put off by limited storage, here's yo...