Recently we have been hearing rumors about an upcoming car from Xiaomi called as the Xiaomi ‘Mistla’. The reports said that the Chinese giant, Xiaomi was planning to release its own car for a very affordable price tag of $6400. However, we don’t think that company is ready to expand into making something as big as a car.
Here’s are a few reasons why we don’t think Xiaomi will release a car called ‘Mistla’ anytime soon.
1: The rumor was initially posted on wechat at 10th December, and from the screenshot below we can see it got 100000+ views till right now, and after 2 days, it’s been published on Mydrivers.com. My drivers.com’s alexa rank is 1874, it’s a second class press website in China, the news is not spreading to sites like Sina.com, neteasy.com and qq.com, the first class press websites.
And if we search the title of the article “小米汽车内部代号米斯拉 我这算传谣吗?” in the largest online search engine “Baidu.com”, we will find Xiaomi’s fans also re-posted the article to Xiaomi’s official forum “http://bbs.xiaomi.cn/”
The article was initially posted at here, but after you clicked this url, you will see the screenshot below, and the translation of the Chinese is “The post has been removed or under review”.
So even Xiaomi’s official forum is preventing people fromp gossiping about the “Mistla” supermini car. Do we still have the reason to believe it’s true?
3: Back on 5 April 2014, Xiaomi’s CEO Leijun has outrightly said that Xiaomi has no plans to make electric cars right now. And to produce a car takes time, it’s impossible to make a team for cars and start producing in several months without letting people know.
4. Finally, its practically impossible to create an electric car for 39,999 Yuan or just $6400, atleast at the moment. Batteries are costly as well as the technology to make it road friendly. So, you can’t just make a good quality electric car for such a low amount.
As you can see, we have our reasons to believe Xiaomi’s Mistla doesn’t exist. Just because someone said that Xiaomi was working on a car, it doesn’t mean it’s true. So, unless you see some hard evidence, or at least a sizeable leak, don’t go around thinking that Xiaomi ‘Mistla’ actually exists.
This phone sports some pretty interesting specifications. First, its CPU chip is the 1.7GHz 64-bit Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 octa-core processor. As for memory, it has 2GB RAM and 16GB ROM which can be increased to 128GB using a memory card like a TF card. This is also a dual-SIM 4G smart phone. It sports a 5mp front-facing camera and 13mp rear-facing camera with the Sony IMX214. Music enthusiasts may also be pleased to learn that it has all kinds of karaoke-related features. Its audio chip is the Yamaha YSS-205X and it supports Hi-Fi 2.0. Its operating system is the Android 4.4.4-based Funtouch OS 2.0. The Vivo X5 Max goes on sale on December 22 for 2998 RMB (485.64 USD).
Having said all that, let us now focus on the Vivo X5 Max’s display screen. How does its 5.5-inch 1080p display screen compare with the Vivo X5’s 5-inch 720p display screen. Both of them are not considered flagship phones but the X5 Max’s specs are what you can expect from flagship phones.
Furthermore, to make the X5 Max as thin as possible, Vivo decided to use a Super Amoled screen. Not only is it thinner but the colors and resolution are much better than the regular LCD cell phone screen. Compare the way the colors come out in both phones in these pictures.
Left: Vivo X5, Right: Vivo X5 Max
As you can see, because of its use of a Super Amoled display screen, the colors in the Vivo X5 Max’s screen come out much better than in the Vivo X5.
Here are some other photos:
The smart phone on the left in the three pictures above is the Vivo X5, while the one on the right is the Vivo X5 Max.
Although Meizu’s new brand, the Meizu Blue Charm, has not yet been launched, based on recent reports, their cell phones seem to have good specifications and prices.
The first one that will see its release is the Meizu Blue Charm Note. This phone sports a 5.5-inch display screen and has a 16:9 contrast ratio. Its CPU is MTK’s MT6752 octa-core processor. As for memory, it has 2GB RAM and 16GB ROM. It also sports a 5mp front-facing camera and 13mp rear-facing camera. Of course, we cannot forget to mention that it will also have Meizu’s classic small round Home button. The Meizu Blue Charm Note is expected to cost around 999 RMB (161.39 USD). The other phone in Meizu’s Blue Charm brand is the Meizu Blue Charm cell phone which has a 5-inch display screen and will cost around 799 RMB (129.08 USD). The Meizu Blue Charm brand will be launched on December 23, with the Blue Charm Note being one of the products to be launched.
In the meantime, Meizu has already started to sell the remaining Meizu MX2 in their inventory, probably to make room for the Meizu Blue Charm. You know what they say. “Out with the old and in with the new.” It is now on sale for just 699 RMB, and its specifications still look quite nice.
The Meizu MX2 sports a 4.4-inch 1280 x 800 display screen. Its CPU is the Samsung MX5S quad-core processor. This 3G cell phone also has 2GB RAM and an 8mp camera. It will still use the Flyme4 operating system which is compatible with the Meizu MX2. With specifications like these, it still seems worth paying for.
December 23 will be a big day for Meizu. This is when they will launch their new brand, “Meizu Blue Charm”. The products in this brand include cell phones, smart bands, a router, tablet, and even a television set. Based on the invitation to the launch which was sent out yesterday, it looks like it will be similar to the iPhone 5C. Although Meizu will release a lot of products, the stars of the show will still be, first and foremost, their cell phones. Meizu is planning to release two versions of the Meizu Blue Charm cell phone with different sizes. Only the big-screened version will make its debut on December 23.
It was recently reported that there is a version with a 5-inch display screen and a version with a 5.5-inch display screen. One will simply be called the “Meizu Blue Charm” phone, while the other will be called the “Meizu Blue Charm Note”. The one that will make its first appearance on December 23 is the Meizu Blue Charm Note which is the one with a 5.5-inch display screen and 16:9 contrast ratio. Its CPU chip is MTK’s MT6752 octa-core processor. As for memory, it has 2GB RAM and 16GB ROM. The Meizu Blue Charm Note also sports a 5mp front-facing camera and 13mp rear-facing camera. Not surprisingly, it will retain Meizu’s classic small round Home button.
Whereas the Meizu Blue Charm Note will appear a few weeks from now, we can expect the Meizu Blue Charm phone to be launched some time during the 2015 Q1 season. The Meizu Blue Charm and Meizu Blue Charm Note may cost 799 RMB (129.08 USD) and 999 RMB (161.39 USD).
In addition, a blueprint of the Meizu Blue Charm cell phone’s design was released online.
2014 has been quite a year for Meizu. First there was the release of the flagship phone, the Meizu MX4 Pro. Now, they plan to close the year by introducing to a brand new line of products. I wonder what is up their sleeves for 2015.
UPDATE: We have increased the coupon value to $167! So, you can buy both the models at a much discounted price.
Looking to buy a flagship this holiday season? Its your lucky day as we have got a number of $167 coupons for the Meizu MX4 smartphone.
All you have to do is send an email to [email protected]. You’ll instantly receive a coupon to buy the device from a reputed retailer. With this coupon you can purchase the 32GB Meizu MX4 Grey edition for $355 and the 32GB Meizu MX4 White Edition for $365. Pretty good deal right?
Make sure you avail this coupon as soon as you receive the mail as it will expire 24 hours after you receive it! Enjoy!
Bad news: The coupon had expired.
Good news: You can buy on aliexpress for just $325, it’s much cheaper now.
As we approach the end of 2014, electronics companies are trying to make one last impact by releasing new products. Xiaomi has just released an air purifier. Then you have Meizu which will soon launch its new brand, the Meizu Blue Charm Brand. Not to be left out, Huawei is also going to release a new product called the Huawei Honor 6 Plus which will be formally launched on December 16. The other day, Huawei released a new poster for the Honor 6 Plus in the official Weibo account of its Honor subsidiary. The poster features a photo of Alan Turing, which Huawei makes a tribute to. Below it is a message that says, “To revolutionize smart chips in memory of Alan Turing”. As of now, most of Huawei’s cell phones use processors made by its in-house CPU manufacturing company, HiSilicon. The Huawei Honor 6 Plus will not be any different as it will use a new processor provided by HiSilicon.
The Huawei Honor 6 Plus will use HiSilicon’s Kirin 925 CPU chip. This octa-core CPU chip has a maximum frequency of 2.0GHz. With a chip this powerful, the Honor 6 Plus could be a good choice.
As HiSilicon continues to grow, it is beginning to make an impact on the market while competing with the likes of CPU giants like Qualcomm and MTK, and it will only grow further.
As for its other specifications, the Huawei Honor 6 Plus will sport a 5.5-inch 1920 x 1080 display screen. It will also have 3GB RAM. In addition, it will also sport an 8mp front-facing camera and two 8mp rear-facing cameras. Its operating system is the Android 4.4.2-based EMUI OS.
What do you readers think? It could make a nice Christmas gift, right?
It has been quite a year for Meizu with their release of popular cell phones such as the Meizu MX4 Pro. But it is not over yet as they still plan to introduce us to more new cellphones. “No Blue”. This phrase appears in a poster released by Meizu announcing the upcoming launch of their new brand of products. For the last several days, news spread fast that Meizu was planning to release a 1000 RMB (162.00 USD) cell phone. Now, it was announced that Meizu will release a new brand of products called the “Meizu Blue Charm”. Meizu plans to introduce to these products on December 23 in Beijing.
The Meizu Blue Charm will sport a 4.6-inch 1080p display screen. Its CPU processor will be the MT6752 octa-core chipset. As for memory, it will have 2GB RAM and 16GB ROM. This phone is also a dual SIM phone. In addition, the Blue Charm brand also includes the Blue Charm Note. According to rumors, this phablet will have a 5.5-inch display screen with a 16:9 contrast ratio. It will use a one-body design. As for the camera, it will sport a 13mp rear-facing camera with a dual LED flash. This phone will come in many colors but it will still have Meizu’s classic small white round Home button.
Besides cell phones, the Meizu Blue Charm brand will include a router, television set, smart band, and many other products that Meizu will soon introduce to use.
First, they release the Meizu MX4 Pro. Now, they begin a new era with a new line of products. It is pretty clear that Meizu does not plan to end the year without making one last statement. In the meantime, here are photos of the package featuring the invitation to the launch. Notice how it includes an iPhone 5C rear cover.
There have been some reports recently about Xiaomi releasing a new cell phone. Now, it received its network license at the TENAA which released photos of this new phone. Some say that it is a new 4G version of the Xiaomi Red Mi1S, while some say that it is the Red Mi2. Whatever it is, it definitely uses the Red Mi’s style but is slimmer than the Red Mi1S.
This phone sports a 4.7-inch display screen but is quite thin on all sides. There are three buttons at the bottom. The way they were designed is similar to the Xiaomi Mi4. Its weight is 134g and some improvements must have been done with the texture.
The way that the back was designed is also pretty interesting. An LED light is located on the right side of the rear-facing camera, while the speaker is in the middle. This phone has a 4.7-inch 720p display screen and a 1.2GHz quad-core processor (most likely the Qualcomm Snapdragon 410). As for memory, it has 1GB RAM and 8GB ROM. It also sports a 2mp front-facing camera and 8mp rear-facing camera. It is powered by a 2200mAh battery and runs the Android 4.4.4 OS.
This phone will be available in several colors: black, white, red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple. However, when this phone first goes on sale, only the black and white versions will be released. As for connectivity, this mysterious new 4G phone supports GSM, WCDMA, TD LTE, and LTE FDD networks. We can expect this to go on sale either at the end of the year or early next year. It should not cost more than 699 RMB (113.22 USD). Maybe it will even cost 599 RMB (97.03 USD).
UPDATE: Meizu has just scheduled an event for 23 December 2014, where it will probably unveil the Blue Charm brand. Check out our latest post for more detailed information.
It looks like finally everything is falling into its place. Although Meizu has been quite about its rumored Blue Charm Note phablet, our investigation reveals a much bigger picture.
Meizu’s Blue Charm Note is probably one piece of the puzzle as the Chinese manufacturer is reportedly establishing a whole new sub-brand by the name Blue Charm. Today, we saw more than five VERIFIED Weibo accounts by the name Meizu Blue Charm, each ending in a new product. So, Blue Charm won’t be just a smartphone sub-brand, as you may soon see more Blue Charm products like Blue Charm TV, Blue Charm Router, Blue Charm watch and Blue Charm tablet.
Here’s the list of all the weibo accounts under the Meizu Blue Charm brand. You’ll see the verified icon on top of every account.
Meizu could be adopting a strategy like Xiaomi, i.e. strengthening its smartphone brand and expanding into new product lines at the same time. The recent launch of Xiaomi’s Mi Air Purifier is the best example of the company’s expansion plans. The strategy seems to be working for Xiaomi, so if Meizu was to follow a similar path, we don’t see why it wouldn’t succeed.
The company recently released a teaser giving out the date 12.11,which probably means 12 December 2014, i.e. tomorrow. So, this particular teaser could be for the launch of the its new sub-brand, Blue Charm. Unfortunately, other than the image, the company did not reveal anything about the significance of the date. But with these new verified accounts suddenly cropping up on China’s most famous social networking website, Weibo, its more than likely that some of these products under the Blue Charm banner will be announced tomorrow.
Blue Charm logo
Blue Charm logo 2
Moreover, a few hours back, the Blue Charm logo was leaked and Note specifications were leaked. So, everything points out to a big release.
Unfortunately, without an official company confirmation, we cannot be 100% sure whether this all is true. But as you can see, the bits and pieces are slowly coming together to reveal this big picture. We hope we’ll hear something about the Blue Charm brand tomorrow.
There is a new model called “Che2-TL00” shown up in the popular graphics benchmarks database Antutu, according to the specifications in the picture, we can confirm it should be the first HUAWEI Kirin 620 device ─ Huawei Honor 4x. The device is sported Huawei’s newly announced Kirin 620 64-bit SoC, it’s also Huawei’s first 64-bit SoC on smartphones.
Key specifications of this application processor include:
Huawei Honor 4x’s benchmark is 27741, The Huawei Kirin 620 SOC is definitely not a top-of-the-line chipset, but is nonetheless a solid performer, designed for mid-ranged devices. And the Huawei Honor 4x kirin620 edition’s benchmark score is higher than Huawei Honor 4x Snapdragon edition. It still use the Mali450 MP4 GPU, which is a little dated, but we don’t know why Huawei always use Mali450/ Mali400 on it’s phones. Perhaps, this new 620 is aimed for midranges to low ends.
Apart from the CPU, Huawei Honor 4x(Kirin 620) will use 5.5 inch 1080p display, 1/2GB RAM, 8/16GB rom, 1300/500 megapixel rear/front camera and EMUI 3.0 UI based on Android 4.4.2.
A while ago, someone leaked a photo online of what appeared to be the new logo for the upcoming Meizu Blue Charm Note. As the photo shows, the new logo is basically just a single “M” but the lines are a bit clearer unlike the logo used for most of the Meizu MX series.
In addition, a photo of the invitation to the Blue Charm Note’s launch was released online. From the “Think Young” slogan that was used, it is clear that they are targeting younger users.
Earlier reports have said that this phone will come in two versions with different screen sizes. One will sport a 4.6-inch display screen, while the other will sport a 5.5-inch display screen. They will be available in more than five colors, including blue, orange and white.
The Meizu Blue Charm Note with a big display screen will have a contrast ratio of 16:9, while the one with a smaller screen will have a 15:9 contrast ratio. It was originally reported that it would only support a single SIM card but now, it was revealed that while Meizu will release two versions as reported, both support dual SIM cards. The Blue Charm Note will only have one SIM slot. Users can just insert both SIM cards there.
As for its other specifications, the Meizu Blue Charm Note will use the MT6572 CPU chip. It will have 2GB RAM and 16GB ROM. Its Home button will be the same small white button found in Meizu’s other phones. Its chassis will be less than 3mm wide. Although Meizu vice-CEO, Li Nan, said that their devices cannot cost 799 RMB and the price has been expected to be around 1000 RMB (161.88 USD), it has now been reported that the Meizu Blue Charm Note will cost at least 799 RMB.
This afternoon, Vivo formally launched the world’s thinnest cell phone to date—the Vivo X5 Max. This 4G smart phone has a thickness of only 4.75mm. At the same time, it also uses the newest Hi-Fi standard, Hi-Fi 2.0. This provides excellent sound quality, making this cell phone one of the best smart phones for listening to music to date. It uses the 64-bit Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 octa-core processor and sports a 5.5-inch 1080p Super Amoled display screen. As for memory, it has 2GB RAM and 16GB ROM which can be increased to 128GB by Micro-SD. It also sports a 5mp front-facing camera and a 13mp rear-facing camera with a Sony IMX214 sensor and 6P lens. It also runs the new Funtouch OS 2.0. It costs 2998 RMB (485.38 USD) and goes on sale on December 22. This smart phone sports a 5.5-inch Super Amoled display screen that is only 1.36mm thick. It is the world’s thinnest smart phone display screen. The package is just like those of Vivo’s other cell phones. It comes with a pair of earphones, cable, charger, manual, and protector. The earphones are pretty good and music lovers should be pleased with it. This phone sports a 5mp front-facing camera. The wires in the speaker are made of metal. On the right is the light and sensor and proximity sensor. It sports a 13mp rear-facing camera with the Sony IMX214 camera sensor and 6p lens. The lens of the camera is protected by a sapphire sheet. This smart phone has a thickness of 4.75mm. Its chassis is only 3.98mm thick. Although it is only 4.75mm thick, it has a 3.5mm earphone jack. It is a dual-SIM phone. Vivo X5 Max vs. Vivo X5
In the 21st century, it should be no surprise that everything is becoming “smarter.” We have smart phones, smart tablets, etc. Now, we have smart bands. More and more of these devices are hitting the market and it does not look they will slow down anytime soon. Right now, there are two kinds of smart bands in the market.
On one hand, you have the more expensive ones like the Fitbit, and Jawbone. They have very good features and the digital data display is excellent, but we found out that many users, including ourselves, got the same impression after using them. Although the features are very impressive, users can only look at the statistical data collected by the smart band every day. Quite frankly, it gets tiring. You cannot really use them in the long run.
On the other hand, you have a new smart band like the Oaxis Star 21, which is not like the other smartbands we have come to be familiar with. If you are looking for a device that can help you come up with better and healthier habits, this just might help you. Yes, we mentioned habits, which are to be formed by this little device on your wrist. Sounds scary? Let’s start with the overview of the packaging and unboxing first before getting on to it.
Packaging and unboxing
This one of the most beautiful cell phone packages I have seen in a long time. Check out the flashy design.
On the back, there is a simple description of the product. Besides its special features and the fact that you can look at the time with it, it is not that different from other smart bands today.
The idea behind the Oaxis Star 21 is that it is a device that can help you develop good habits in 21 days. We will delve more on that later.
Here are the specifications. Its weight is 18g is one of the highlights, but we will analyze the specs and features later in this review.
The Oaxis Star 21 International Edition Package comes with the outer and inner boxes, the band itself, the manual, charging cable, etc.
Photos and Analysis
Notice how shiny Oaxis Star.21 is. That’s because it comes it comes with 84 triangular folds. No matter what angle you look at it, every surface will reflect light. What is more fascinating is the fact that there are 21 LED lights underneath it, which provide you notifications, according to the different activity or function.
Check out the latch. It even has two triangular folds.
The rubber used to make this band is very soft and comfortable to the touch. The designers at Oaxis had some hard time choosing the right material, which could be a perfect combination of weight, style, durability, but most importantly – comfort to the user. The rubber is made of the thermoplastic polyurethane, which should ensure the latter mentioned features. What is more, this material should perfectly resist dirt, should be capable of resisting sweat and moisture, and be dermatologically safe. During our testing we found out that the smart band does feel comfortable on the hand. Of course, you would need to get used to it (as you would need to any new watch). However, after extensive use in the gym (2.5 hours), we found that there was some sweat underneath the smart band and a bit of smudginess (which is kind of natural to everyone), but overall, it did not itch like hell. Having said that, we can say that it is comfortable smart band for those active ones and it would not become annoying even after extensive periods of time.
We have a black version as our review unit. However, we think that other colour options, which include blue (two variations), red, green, white, are more appealing than this one. Anyway, it is always a personal choice.
There are four screws at this part of the band. The two on the left hold together the small cover, which can be opened. This is where the charging port is located. We do not think that this is the best place to put it. Thus, charging this device may be a bit of a pain. On the other hand, the Star 21 has an advantage over other smart bands by installing Micro USB charging port. Therefore, it eliminates the need of carrying an extra proprietary charger. Thus, you can charge this device with a spare Micro USB cable found in your drawer or use the one provided with your smartphone. Also, other manufacturers find it difficult to manage the Micro USB charging port with the waterproof capabilities. Therefore, we need to give a lot of credit to the Oaxis’ design team.
There are many LED lights hidden here! (the total of 21, which matches the number of 21 days – the main concept of the device). When they light up, it is like watching the stars at night. The layout that you see here is the time display mode, in which you can read the time like using a watch. As you may presume, the combination of lighted up LED’s changes according to the functionality you choose. Also, they are used to track your daily progress. The whole idea behind this is that LED’s can show things much simpler and elegant. Besides that, OAXIS believes that opting out numbers or letters lets a user concentrate more on his/her activities rather than competing with other people or having additional distractions. Well, we can say that it is an interesting and quite innovative idea. During our testing, we noticed that it is really less distracting and lets you forget about the numbers when exercising. On the other hand, part of the reason we say this, because it takes some time to get used to seeing only LED’s. Another thing to consider is that we are not sure if it could be really motivating for all the people, as some of us are used to measure their achievements by numbers. In the end, we congratulate Oaxis on taking a different approach.
This layout is for looking at how much calories you burned. When all five light up, it shows that you have reached your goal for burning calories. Honestly, it is a bit hard to reach the goal, as we are not really sports people. Anyway, we always tried to take “smart band motivates us” approach to succeed. Well, it helped, kind of.
The N-shaped layout shows that this band is in night mode.
When in night mode, there is a faint red light.
As we have walked through the design and some notification LED’s functionality, we can see that it is a very attractive device for both women and men. It may be also be suitable for all age groups, as it does not look sporty per se, but more on the fashionable side. We should say that more and more manufacturers manage to produce an appealing design, but what about the features? Are they any useful?
Specs and Functions
To understand what the OAXIS Star 21 is capable of, let’s start with the main specs, which include Bluetooth 4.0, water and dust resistant capabilities (IPX6 rating, which should let you easily exercise during rain), 50mAh lithium polymer battery (non-removable), which should last you for 10-15 days on stand-by (as initial testing proved that the manufacturer delivered its promise, where we were able to reach 10-12 days of stand-by time). Moreover, it has built-in storage, which is capable of recording 7 days of activity data. Furthermore, The smart band works on two most popular operating systems in the world – Android (4.3 and up) and iOS (7.0 and up). What is more, besides the black colour, which can be seen in the pictures, there are White, Red, Blue, Green, Black colours to choose. The smart band has the size of 25 x 1.3 x 0.8 cm and it weighs 18 g.
Some Considerations and Further Functionality
Oaxis made a lot of effort and took great steps in designing the Oaxis Star.21 band’s outer appearance so that consumers could wear it for a long time. Furthermore, this smart band is only 18g and its slimmest part is only 1.8mm thick. As we have already mentioned, it took a bit of time to get used to it, but now, after extensive use for days, it does not cause any inconvenience or discomfort even if you use it for 24 hours. It has a port that was exclusively made for this device that is used to connect the Star.21 band to cellphones via Bluetooth connection.
It can monitor the amount of exercise you get in real time as well as how much sleep you are getting (and the quality of it by measuring your heart rate). It can even notify users it is time to work or rest. 21 lights make up the band’s screen.
As far as the steps counter, not all smart bands are capable of doing it right. During our testing, we found that the Star.21 has achieved very high level of accuracy with counting each step we took.
Many smart fitness bands have this feature that allows users to see and rank how much they exercise and how much progress they are making (kind of Leader Board). Although the pedometer and distance rankings look a bit interesting, can they help you develop workout habits in the long run? The Star.21 armband seems to advocate the idea of following a “balanced workout.” Within a span of 21 days, the band lets users set checkpoints in the Star.21’s corresponding App to develop workout habits as well as create a more balanced lifestyle. This device comes with all kinds of functions. The Oaxis Star.21 can monitor your progress through any kind of weather, as well as measure how much calories you burned and quality of sleep. It can also automatically synchronize data and save 7 days worth of information. It was also designed with IP67 dust and water-proof protection and can last for more than 10 days. However, the core and the band cannot be separated. Users will have no choice but to get another band.
Furthermore, to make achieving your goals easier, the creators decided to include the “game” in to their app. It shows if you are in line with your daily goals and the 21 days habit-changing plan. We think that it is quite amusing way of motivation as you are going up in the road if you succeed and go down if you fail. Who want to go down, right?
Another functionality is one of our favorites. It is an alarm function, which works in tact with the built in hardware vibration motor. We loved the fact that we can use it as a silent alarm without waking up others.
As stated before, the idea behind the Oaxis Star. 21 smartband is that you can cultivate good health habits in 21 days. After you keep doing the same thing every day, it eventually becomes a fundamental habit that you cannot forget. Doing the same thing over and over again for 21 days can get really boring. So, to fix this and make it more enjoyable, Oaxis did some things with the design that can give users a great experience using this device as well as help form healthy habits.
Conclusion
To support the whole concept, the Oaxis use some scientific information. Studies show that you can cultivate good and healthy habits by doing them over and over again for 21 days. The Oaxis Star.21 fitness band can help you do this with its many features. It can monitor your sleep, count your steps, how much calories you burn during exercise and some other nifty things for a healthy lifestyle. You can also use it to look at the time just like with a regular analog watch. In addition, when the all the lights are turned on, it is like staring at the bright starry sky at night. It makes a nice alternative to more expensive fitness armbands.
We left the main question to the end – did it change our habits? Did we become healthy and active people? Of course, it is not a magic pill, which get you ripped without going to the gym. Anyway, the Oaxis Star. 21 indeed helped us being more motivated, but for how long, we are not sure. In the end, it all depends on us.
In conclusion, we definitely recommend the Oaxis Star. 21 smart band as we had no issues with any of its features during the review period, the battery life was almost the same as declared by the manufacturer, it has an appealing design, which lets you wear a device all the time and the price point would not drill a hole in your wallet.
Smartphones are becoming thinner and thinner everyday. Today’s release of the Vivo X5 Max, currently the world’s thinnest smartphone proves exactly this. But back when Oppo announced its R5 flagship which was just 4.85mm thick, we almost thought that it would be impossible to slim down a phone further. So, we were wondering how did Vivo make its X5 Max even slimmer than the R5.
Well, the answer lies in X5 Max’s design. If you look at the device carefully, you’ll realize that you have seen this design before. If you still don’t get what we are saying, look at the images below.
Left – Vivo X5 Max & Right – Oppo R5
Vivo X5 Max has borrowed most of the its design from the OPPO’s R5 smartphone. The overall design, button and camera placement, and finish seems all too familiar.
While there are a few differences like the 3.5mm headphone jack on top as well as the speaker grill at the back of the Vivo X5 Max, rest of the design seems to be borrowed from R5.
see the similarities in camera and buttons?
For example, the protruding camera lies on top of both the devices along with an LED flash besides it. Both have a dual color tone back design with a similar looking power and volume buttons (as well as their placements). Even the front looks similar, but we are not counting that since most smartphones these days have the same frontal design.
Vivo X5 Max Back
Oppo R5 vs iPhone 6 Plus back
Vivo X5 Max camera
Oppo R5 camera
So, it looks like Vivo may have taken design inspiration from its direct competitor, OPPO R5.
What do you think?
[socialpoll id=”2236450″]
Meanwhile, check out some additional pictures of the newly launched Vivo X5 Max.
If you are still not convinced, take a look at our hands on review of the Oppo R5 flagship here. There are lots of pictures of the Oppo device in the post.
Today, Vivo introduced what is now the world’s slimmest cell phone at 4.75mm—the Vivo X5 Max 4G smart phone. The company took great steps to make a phone as slim such as them. For example, they created a motherboard for the Vivo X5Max that is only 1.7mm.
In addition, it uses a 3.98mm chassis which is the thinnest in the industry right now. As for the screen, the Vivo X5 Max sports a 5.5-inch 1080p super AMOLED display screen and is also the world’s thinnest screen with a thickness of only 1.36mm.
It also uses the world’s thinnest speaker box (2.45mm) and has excellent sound quality. It has a dual SIM slots. One is for a Micro-SIM card while the other is for a nano-SIM card or TF card. Users can just decide for themselves which card to put in. It is also worth pointing out that this phone sports a 3.5mm earphone jack.
Next, let us move our attention to the Vivo X5 Max’s core specifications. Its CPU is the 1.7GHz 64-bit Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 octa-core processor. As for memory, it has 2GB RAM and 16GB ROM which can be expanded to 128GB with an expansion card. You can also take photos using the Vivo X5 Max’s dual cameras. It sports a 5mp front-facing camera and 13mp rear-facing camera which has the Sony IMX214 sensor.
Furthermore, KTV fanatics should be happy with this phone. This phone has a Karaoke function and uses the YAMAHA YSS-205X CHIP. This phone supports all kinds of Apps that can give you a great karaoke experience. It also supports Hi-Fi 2.0.
Let us not forget its operating system. The Vivo X5 Max comes pre-installed with the Android 4.4.4-based Funtouch OS 2.0. This phone goes on sale on December 22 for 2998 RMB (485.64 USD).
Here’s our exclusive hands on video of the device.
Although the Huawei Honor 4X (Kirin 620) has yet to be formally launched, it looks like we will see it soon as not only have pre-sales for this phone have already started, but photos of a gold version were released online. Also, reports say that there will be a high-end version and low-end version which will cost at least 999 RMB (161.70 USD).
As said before, this phone uses the Kirin 620 CPU from Huawei subsidiary, HiSilicon. This 28nm processor’s main feature is its use of 8 ARM A53 cores. It is also a 64-bit processor. It has a frequency of 1.2Ghz and its GPU is the Mali-450 MP4. As for connectivity, it supports TD-LTE, FDD-LTE, TD-SCDMA, WCDMA, and GSM networks.
Other than that, the Huawei Honor 4X’s specifications are the same as other versions. It sports a 5.5-inch OGS display screen, has a 5mp front-facing camera, a 13mp rear-facing camera, and GPS. It is powered by a 3000mAh battery which can last for 72 hours.
It is important to point out that Huawei will release a high-end version and low-end version of the Huawei Honor 4X. The biggest difference between the two is the memory. The high-end version will has 2GB RAM while the low-end version will have 1GB RAM. Of course, their prices will also be different. Reports say that the low-end version will only cost 799 RMB (129.31 USD), while the high-end version will cost 999 RMB (161.68 USD). It looks like Huawei is trying to have them compete with Xiaomi’s Red Mi Note.
However, someone in an internet forum said that pre-sales for other versions of the Huawei Honor 4X have already begun in Huawei’s official website. These versions use the Snapdragon 410 and cost 999 RMB, while the so-called high-end versions may use the Kirin 620 but actually cost 1299 RMB (210.23 USD).
Recently, two new phones from Meizu were introduced online. One is the Meizu K52 which has a 4.6-inch display screen. The other is the Meizu Blue Charm Note which has a 5.5-inch display screen.
The Chinese cell phone industry has been undergoing a price war for some time now. More cell phone companies are trying to outdo each other in selling high quality phones at relatively low price. There are reports that say that the Meizu Blue Charm Note and K52 are set to cost 799 RMB (129.34 USD).
Regarding their price, early this morning, Meizu vice-CEO Li Nan said in his Weibo account, “Meizu cannot make 799 RMB cell phones. The price is too low which means that the quality cannot be that good.” In addition, Li Nan also said, “In a price war, there is no going back. It is more important to make higher quality devices, regardless of how expensive it can be.” Based on this statement, we can say that whether it is the Meizu K52 or Blue Charm Note, the price cannot be 799 RMB. They are more likely to cost between 1100 RMB (178.01 USD) and 1300 RMB (210.38 USD) as analyst Bo Jiutang said.
However, we cannot help but be sceptical about his comments about Meizu’s new devices given his previous comments on how much the Meizu MX4 Pro would cost and what its true price actually was. Still, we have no problem with what he said about the quality of the products. Li Nan soon deleted his Weibo post.
Recently, Meizu announced that something big will happen on December 11. Also, there are rumors that say that it is related to the Meizu Blue Charm Note, while some say that it is related to the release of the Meizu K52. We will just have to wait and see.
Back at CES 2014, ZTE unveiled its latest flagship, the ZTE Grand S2. Although the device is yet to hit many developed and developing markets, we already have new information about its next generation device, the ZTE Grand S3.
ZTE Grand S3?
Today, we have two renders of a ZTE device which will most likely replace the existing Grand S2 as the company flagship. The device will be called as the ZTE Grand S3 and will feature a similar design profile as the existing flagship.
ZTE Grand S ext?
As you can see from the given renders, the new flagship will feature a clean unibody design with a thick metal frame supporting the chassis. Both the power button and the volume rockers are situated on the right side, while on the left, you just have a SIM card tray. The back is almost as curved as the ZTE Grand S2, however it looks like the company is adopting the ‘band aid’ design for its camera module like its first generation Grand S.
ZTE Grand S
ZTE Grand S2
ZTE Grand S3?
The leaked renders which claim to be the next ZTE flagship look exactly like the ZTE Grand S ext model that we saw a few months back. If you zoom into the picture, you’ll even notice the letters ‘Grand S ext’ on the device. So, this probably means that the renders that we are seeing today are the same as the ones from 8 months back or atleast from the same batch. However, even that doesn’t rule out the possibility of this device being the flagship, as at that time, it was said that the upcoming ‘ext’ model would be the next ZTE flagship. So, what we are seeing today could very well be the Grand S3 aka Grand ext.
The Grand ext was said to feature a unique Nano molding technology (NMT) which would fuse in metal and plastic together to make it extremely durable and lightweight. Also, it was rumored that the phone features wireless charging. So, if this is the next ZTE flagship, its more than likely that these features end up in the upcoming device.
Apart from the possible renders of the next ZTE flagship, we also have some alleged camera shots from the device’s 16MP rear camera sensor. Check out the gallery below for the camera shots.
The Grand S3 will also reportedly feature the same voice recognition technology as its previous generation which allowed users to unlock their devices, open up apps like camera and perform other functions with the help of simple voice commands. You’ll also get the My-Drive feature which helps reduce driving distractions by enabling clearer voice calls, messaging and other voice operated controls.
Unfortunately, we don’t have any information on the phone’s hardware as of now, but we are very positive that ZTE will announce this new device at the upcoming CES 2015 to be held in Las Vegas.
Xiaomi has recently introduced a home air purifier. The purifier can be controlled by a smartphone and alerts users when its filter needs to be replaced.
In a press conference at the company’s Beijing headquarters, Chief Executive Officer Lei Jun demonstrated that the product can be easily managed through a cellphone. Xiaomi’s air purifier has the capacity to produce 406 cubic meters (14,000 cubic feet) of clean air an hour whereas users are regularly informed when the filter is exhausted. Its available at a cheap price of 899 yuan ($145).
Xiaomi just can not stop on their way to borrow design from other companies, from the Mi2 borrow design from Meizu, Mi3 borrow design from Nokia, Mi4 borrowing deisgn from Apple, Mi5 borrowing design from HTC. And they shift their eye on Air Purifier market and Balmuda— A Japan’s Technology company established in 2003 in Tokyo
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