EHEAR E2: A $65 Smart Bluetooth headset that doubles as a Video Camera

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Sep 5, 2014

While I am sure you must have seen or used a Bluetooth headset in the past, recently we came across a product which looked exactly like any other wireless headset in the market, but did much more than any of those.

EHEAR E2 is the product that we are talking about which functions not only as a Bluetooth headset but also as a music player and a smart camcorder.

DESIGN

As mentioned above, E2 looks like any other Bluetooth headset in the market, so even with its extra set of features, the company has managed to keep it sleek and portable. It weighs only 19 grams which means you won’t feel any discomfort wearing it for long hours. The ear piece fits comfortable inside your ear and the provided ear hook makes sure that the device stays in place.

For some the E2 may look longer than other Bluetooth headsets, but the inbuilt camera justifies the slight increase in the length. Overall, the device looks well built and sturdy.

FEATURES

EHEAR E2 can perform three main functions. It can make and receive calls via your connected smartphone. It can play music and finally it can capture and record Point of View videos with just a touch of a button.

Ofcourse, E2 cannot replace your high quality headphones that you would normally use, but it can definitely come in handy when you don’t have a pair around or while you are waiting for a call.

The 2MP onboard camera can capture 320p and 480p videos at 20 fps and 15 fps respectively. E2 can automatically adjust to the surround lighting conditions even in low light depending whether you are indoors or outdoors. The videos on the device are recorded in 3GP format and you can even perform live streaming in VGA format.

For storing these videos, you get a MicroSD card slot inside which can hold cards up to 64GB in size. That’s more than enough for your everyday use given that 3GP videos are usually quite small.

EHEAR E2 comes with a 200 mAh Li-Polymer battery which provides talk time of around 5 hours. In case you are recording, you’ll get around 1.5 hours of 320p and 1 hour of 480p recording time. EHEAR claims that the device can charge within 20 minutes, which means a quick stop at a charging port should get the device ready for another round of recording.

E2 is available in five colors namely, Black, White, Yellow, Red and Blue. With the product, you get two Ear Buds, two Ear Hooks, one English / Chinese Manual, one English / Chinese Instruction, and a Cable for connecting and charging the device.

So, if you are looking for a portable Bluetooth headset or a personal camcorder, make sure you consider EHEAR’s E2 headset. You can get one of these directly from GearBest for $65.40.

The video below from Gear Best shows exactly how you can use the device in your daily life. So make sure you check it out first before heading to the product page.

EHEAR E2 Full Product Specifications

VK 1000 Review: An affordable 4G LTE Android smartphone

By

Frank Tu

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Sep 5, 2014

In the past few months, VK has been releasing a number of affordable smartphones in Europe, which has increased its popularity in the region.

The company’s latest offering is the new VK 1000 which retails for only around $150 making it an extremely affordable LTE handset in the market. Given its affordable price, we decided to take a look at the specifications and features of the device.

DESIGN

Like most other Android smartphones out there, VK 1000 comes with a rectangular design with slightly round edges. The device is made of plastic but still looks sturdy. There’s a camera up front, besides the ear piece along with three capacitive buttons at the bottom. On the back, you get the rear camera module along with the speaker grill.

The power button is situated on the right side, while the volume rocker keys are on the left. The button placements feel quite natural and overall, we are happy with the design. Nothing too fancy, but still well built enough for the price tag.

DISPLAY

VK’s latest offering comes with a 5.0 inch 960 x 540 resolution screen. This display should be good enough for your daily use as it will deliver clear and bright pictures.

You get the same resolution display on most smartphones in this price range, so we are pretty happy with the screen.

HARDWARE

VK 1000 comes with a Mediatek MTK6582 + 6290 Quad Core processor which has helped the company to keep its price low. You also have 1GB RAM inside with Mali 400 GPU alongside the 4GB internal storage which can be expanded up to 32GB using a MicroSD card.

After the OS and apps that come pre-installed with the device, you only get around 2.5GB of internal storage, so you may have to purchase an external card to suffice all your storage needs.

CAMERA

VK has included an 8MP rear camera on the device with flash and features like auto focus and touch to focus. There’s a 2MP shooter too for selfies and video calling.

Camera is one area where we felt VK could have done better. Our recently reviewed Leagoo Lead 2 smartphone had a much better 13 MP Sony Exmor sensor with a 5MP front camera. So, Lead 2, which is way cheaper, clicks better pictures than the 8MP camera sensor found on VK 1000.

BATTERY AND CONNECTIVITY

You get all the standard connectivity features like Bluetooth, FM Radio, Wi-Fi, proximity and compass sensors, GPS etc. But the highlight of the device is its 4G LTE support, which makes it one of the cheapest LTE handsets currently in the market.

VK has included a 2,300 mAh battery inside the device, which we feel is a bit small given the LTE support. But it should power the device atleast for a few hours, if not a whole day like other Android handsets.

SOFTWARE

The device comes with the Android 4.4.2 Kitkat version out of the box.

CONCLUSION

VK 1000 may not be the best Android smartphone in the market in its pricerange, but it is still one of the cheapest LTE handsets that we have seen. It offers decent specifications for a great price and anyone who’s looking to take advantage of the high LTE speeds should take a look at this device first before making a decision.

VK 1000 is currently available on Deal Extreme for $149.61, so head over to the website to take a look at this low cost LTE device.

Unboxing: ASUS Zenfone 5 purple edition

By

Frank Tu

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Sep 4, 2014

Below the speaker is ASUS’ logo. The screen is covered by Gorilla 3 glass which has great scratch resistance and texture.

At the bottom of the phone is an opening that could be used to detach the rear case. However, since the battery is undetachable, users can only change the SIM and TF cards when opening the rear case.

At the bottom of the phone is the USB port for recharging and data transmission. The little hole beside it is a microphone.

The main buttons are located at the left side of the phone. The one on top is the power button while the one below is the volume switch.

The Zenfone 5 uses a processor from Intel. At the bottom on the back of the phone is a “Intel Inside” tag. A lot of people must have rejoiced when they saw this.

3 million presale orders! Everyone goes wild for the Meizu MX4

By

Frank Tu

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Sep 4, 2014

Since its launch in September 2, pre-orders for the Meizu MX4 have been insane. Not surprisingly, it costs 1799 RMB (292.93 USD).

Today, Meizu’s Vice-CEO, Li Nan, said in Weibo that 3 million orders have been made online alone. Offline pre-orders are expected to be high as well since there are more than 800 Meizu stores total.

Given the craze the Meizu MX4 has created, it would not be surprising if it is sold out soon. However, Meizu has already prepared for this as according to reports as they have already ordered more than a million other phones.

Our next focus should be on the Meizu MX4 Pro. If the price is reasonable, it should be a crazy season for Meizu.

Photos: One version of Lenovo Vibe X2 has multi-colored mid-frame

By

Frank Tu

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Sep 4, 2014

Last night, Lenovo formally launched their new ultra-slim octa-core cellphone, the Vibe X2, and besides its excellent hardware, its mid-frame’s design is amazing.

The Vibe X2 is 7.27mm thick and weighs 118g but its mid-frame is only 2.45mm thick. These snapshots from Phonearena show that its outer shell comes in many colors. Even more interesting is that one version has a rainbow mid-frame made up of four colors. These colors are put in a certain order. The first is black as it actually part of the screen. The next one is the same color as the back. The third color will be the same color as the power and volume buttons. Then, there is the fourth color.

What do you guys think? Impressive, right?

Vivo to release limited edition of Vivo X5L with sapphire screen　this month

By

Frank Tu

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Sep 4, 2014

When news that the iPhone 6 would use a sapphire screen broke out, more brands followed suit. Soon, Huawei announced that they would also release a version of the P7 with a sapphire screen. Now, Vivo has joined in by confirming that they will release a limited edition of the X5L with a sapphire screen.

Many videos featuring testing of the sapphire X5L have hit the web that confirm the news. The videos show that the sapphire screen has greater hardness and abrasion resistance and does not consume more power. The biggest selling point of the Vivo X5L is its Karaoke features and its glamorous package is incredible. The sapphire screen should only leave more users in awe.

Other than the glass, all the other specifications will be the same. Its processor will still be the MTK6592 octa-core chipset. It will have 2GB RAM and 16GB ROM, sport a 5-inch 720p screen and 5mp/13mp camera, and will be powered by a 2230mAh battery. It also has a built-in Yamaha signal chip and a combination of the CS4398 and MAX97220 HiFi solution.

Given the higher production costs, expect this phone’s price to be higher than the regular X5L’s 2498 RMB price (406.58 USD).

OnePlus plans to enter India with their 64GB One for $415

By

Frank Tu

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Sep 4, 2014

Chinese manufacturer OnePlus is thinking of launching its power packed smartphone ‘One’ 64 GB in India for INR 25,000. The phone has enviable features like 5.5 inch 1080p display with a 2.5 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor and 3 GB RAM. It also has a 13 MP rear camera and a 5 MP front camera with 4G support. The phone’s 64 GB version is currently priced in the USA at $350.

The director of OnePlus global, Carl Pei has said that this decision is due to the high degree of interest shown by Indian customers even though India is not one of the launch markets. He added that Indian customers were buying the products from the official website and used several shipment services to finally receive the phone. He added that the company aims to replicate the global sales model in India and would also think of launching the 16 GB version for a cheaper price. OnePlus is also putting together an ‘Indian’ team to understand the Indian market and thus boost sales. The company also wishes to strengthen its service base in India before the launch of the phones.

The company currently has an invite-only system for purchasing the phone. In this, existing users can share invites with their friends and new users can request invites from the official website. Thus, customers can either preorder the phone and wait for the product or use their invite to get ahead in the line.

OnePlus offers ‘One’ in CyanogenMod and Color OS software flavours with the the Color OS variant being sold in China due to its support for Chinese input and customization options.

IFA 2014 : Lenovo launches 64-bit Android smartphone – Vibe Z2

By

Frank Tu

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Sep 4, 2014

Lenovo jumped on the 64-bit smartphone bandwagon with the Vibe Z2 which will be launched in October. Other companies have also lined up 64-bit handsets like HTC’s Desire 510 which was announced last week. The Vibe Z2 and Vibe X2 were launched by Lenovo at the IFA trade show. The current phone has a large 5.5-inch screen and is 7 mm thick. The Vibe Z2 is thus Lenovo’s thinnest phone. It is powered by a quad core 64-bit Snapdragon processor and 2 GB RAM. It also has 32 GB of internal memory. These features are topped up with a 13 mega pixel rear camera and an 8 mega pixel front camera which is specialised to click selfies. The front camera is programmed to click selfies and also has smile detection and auto timer among other features.

Vibe Z2 would be priced around $429 and will be first ship to China in September and to the rest of the world in October. Whether or not they will sell this phone in the USA is still to be disclosed.

Lenovo has also announced another new smartphone, the Vibe X2. This phone has a 5 inch screen and a 32 bit processor. It is 7.27 mm thick and has a 13 mega pixel rear camera and an 8 mega pixel front camera like the Vibe Z2. This handset too is LTE compatible and comes at a price lower than that of the Vibe Z2 ($399).

Lenovo is currently world’s fourth largest smartphone manufacturer and will soon complete its acquisition of Motorola Mobility, thus making it the world’s third largest manufacturer. Though Lenovo does not do business in the USA but has good market in other countries.

Lenovo Launches its octa-core smartphone – Vibe X2 at IFA 2014

By

Frank Tu

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Sep 4, 2014

Lenovo which is the world’s fourth largest smartphone manufacturer launched the new Vibe X2 at the IFA trade show, Berlin. Lenovo also introduced a new ‘layered’ design in which the smartphone is made up of layers of different colours. These layers are not functionally useful and neither can they be changed. The Vibe X2 has a 5 inch full HD screen and has improved battery efficiency of 20%. It houses a 13 mega pixel rear camera and a 5 mega pixel front camera. The front camera is programmed with many special features for the selfie obsessed customers.

The company also had a lot to talk about its Vibe 2.0 UI which can do a lot of functions at two taps like open the most used app or even take a picture. It also has a ‘beautification bar’ which enhances selfies and makes them more beautiful and attractive. Thus, this handset could be called Lenovo’s selfie phone. This year at the IFA trade show many companies have featured phones with special features for clicking selfies.

The Vibe X2 is powered by an octa core 2 GHz processor with 2 GB RAM. It also has 32 GB internal storage. The dual sim version of this phone will be available in the Asia-Pacific while the single sim version will be available in other countries. It runs on Android Kit Kat 4.4 topped with the Vibe 2.0 UI. Other features include a 2300 mAh, supports 4G LTE, and other connectivity options like WiFi and Bluetooth. The phone is priced at $399 and will be released in China soon.

Xiaomi now showing its charm in Indonesia : 5000 Redmi 1S sold in 7 minutes

By

Frank Tu

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Sep 4, 2014

It is not at all surprising to know about the flash sales of Xiaomi devices in India. In India, Flipkart, the sales partner of this China based company has always ended the flash sales in few seconds because of the high demand of the products of Xiaomi. But this time it’s not Flipkart, it’s Lazada. In Indonesia, Xiaomi has collaborated with Lazada for the sale of its smartphones and all other smart gadgets. The company has claimed that this joint venture has proved very fruitful for both the partners. Lazada has declared that the newly launched Redmi 1S from Xiaomi vanished from the site in just 7 minutes. Xiaomi has expressed its happiness over this sale.

But are these facts are true or they are just rumours spread as the publicity stunt!! The doubt arises because the website of Lazada crashed during the sale for around 42 minutes. Some reports have mentioned that after one hour the option of sale gets transformed to “sold out”. It was the first flash sale from Xiaomi for the online sale of its smartphone Redmi 1S in Indonesia. The reports from the company has unveiled that 5,000 phones were sold out in just 7 minutes. Although the first flash sale of Indonesia is not able to beat the records set up in Indian flash sales of Xiaomi phones. In India, 40,000 Redmi 1S was out of the stock in just 4 seconds. The Lazada will do free home delivery of these smartphones. Redmi 1S was launched officially last week in Indonesia.

Huawei Mate 7 announced officially

By

Frank Tu

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Sep 4, 2014

Huawei at IFA and has just unveiled its latest flagship, the Ascend Mate 7.

The latest addition to Mate family is officially announced.

Here’s a chart of all main specs:

Display: 6-inch FHD IPS LCD display, 368PPI

CPU: New Kirin 925 Octa-core CPU (4 x A15 1.8 GHz quad-core and 4 x A7 1.3 GHz)

GPU: Mail T628

RAM: 2GB

ROM: 16GB with microSD slot (up to 32GB)

Rear camera: 13MP CMOS camera

Front camera: 5MP

Battery: 4100 mAh Li-Polymer

Dimensions: 157mm x 81mm x 7.9mm

Sensors: Accelerometer, Proximity sensor, Ambient light sensor, Compass, G-sensor, Gyroscope, Hall sensor, GPS / AGPS

Fingerprint scanner integrated

Features: Bluetooth 4.0, Wifi 802.11 a/b/g/n,NFC support LTE Cat 6 support, NFC support LTE Cat 6 support

OS: Emotion UI 3.0 based on Android 4.4 KitKat

Colors: Obsidian black, Moonlight silver, Amber gold

More info coming soon.

Lenovo reveals new version of the 4G octa-core phone, A808T called the A808t-i

By

Frank Tu

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Sep 4, 2014

The China Mobile 4G edition of the Golden Warrior A8 has the model number, “A808T.” Now, another version of this phone has been revealed. Its model number is the Lenovo A808t-i.

Information about the A808t-i in the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology’s website shows that its basic specs are the same as the A808T. They both use a 1.7GHz octa-core chipset that supports TD-LTE, TD-SCDMA, and GSM internet. It should be a combination of the MT6592 and MT6290. Other similarities include its use of a 5-inch 720p screen, 2G RAM, 16GB ROM, and 5mp/13mp camera. Its OS is still the Android 4.42.

So, what is the difference between the A808t-i and the A8080T? Perhaps there are some new upgrades in the A808t-i that they have not yet announced like its use of a dual-SIM card. Let’s wait and see.

Unboxing: Coolpad Dashen F2

By

Frank Tu

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Sep 4, 2014

The Coolpad Dashen F2 is finally in the market. It uses an octa-core CPU and supports 4G internet. It sports a 5.5-inch screen and has 2GB RAM. This phone only costs 999 RMB (162.73 USD). Here are photos of this new phone’s package unboxed.

The Coolpad Dashen 2’s rear case is made of plastic. When users take it off, they can change the batteries. It also has a height of 8.8mm.

The Dashen F2 has a powerful rear camera with 13mp and LED light.

The Dashen F2’s front camera has 5mp and also includes a beauty enhancement feature.

Its OS is the new Cool UI 5.7.

The Coolpad Dashen F2’s Cool UI 5.7 uses a desktop interface instead of a user interface, simplifying the system.

The F2 uses an 8-core CPU and can stream 1080p HD videos.

OPO welcomes Sony and Samsung’s Flagship with some exciting offers.

By

Frank Tu

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Sep 4, 2014

Chinese OEM has welcomed Samsung’s and Sony’s latest offering to the market with some quite little immolate jab. The two latest flagship from giants can prove to be chart busters this year, but hold on OPO a phone old company has compared their phone with those two smartphones and has trolled them up to some extent(competition).

Not just that in its official facebook page they have arranged a giveaway saying, The Flagship Battle continues. To welcome the launch of the Sony XPERIA Z3 and Samsung Note $4 we are giving away another free 64GB Sandstone Black OnePlus One and 100 Invites! separate contests for each.

Though there are many high end features in all, Galaxy Note 4 stands tall in terms of specification and OPO deserves in budget factor.

Since IFA is on fire, let’s see still who all gets a poke from this Little Lad from China.

CKCOM K3 coming soon; has 5-inch screen, uses MT6582 processor, and costs about 1000 RMB (162.90 USD)

By

Frank Tu

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Sep 4, 2014

After the release of the C-One, CKCOM is planning to release another cellphone. This phone’s model number is K3 and though its specs are common among other phones in the same price race, they are higher than the C-One’s. Also, it only costs about 1000 RMB.

The CKCOM K3’s main selling point is its simple desight. Its round HOME button at the front and the camera’s position are similar to those in the Nubia Z5S mini’s design. Its measurements are 143 x 71 x 7.9 mm. It is available in 7 colors.

The CKCOM K3’s specs, though, are just so-so. It sports a 5-inch 720p OGS display screen, uses the 1.3GHz MT6582 processor, and has 1GB RAM and 4G ROM. It also sports a 2mp/8mp dual-camera and is powered by a 1500mAh battery. It supports WCDMA+GSM dual-SIM. Its OS is the Android 4.3 which is rare among devices that use MTK’s processors.

The CKCOM K3’s market price is 1698 RMB (276.60 USD) but costs 999 RMB (162.73 USD) in online stores like JD.

Teardown: P98air

By

Frank Tu

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Sep 4, 2014

Here are photos of the P98air disassembled.

P98air vs. iPad

Close-up of the PCB board. All the chips are neatly placed and organized.

The power management chips. One is the Axp809 and the other is the Axp806. Both allow both CPU boards to share power more efficiently. The AC100 is the audio chip.

The WiFi processor, the AP6210, which has a strong signal.

Under the battery is the P98air’s 2K screen. Its model number is lp097qx2 and was made by LG.

ZTE’s smartwatch, the Bluewatch, receives authentification from MIIT, photos posted

By

Frank Tu

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Sep 4, 2014

Today, ZTE’s smartwatch, called the BlueWatch, received certification from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. The MIIT’s website posted snapshots of the upcoming smartwatch.

As the photos show, the BlueWatch has a plastic body and sports a square screen. Above the screen is ZTE’s logo and below it is a round rectangular button.

According to reports, ZTE will launch the BlueWatch smartwatch in New York on September 16. Since it has already received certification from the MIIT, it should come out in China soon.

Meizu to release Pro Edition of MX4 with Yun OS, enables payment by fingerprint

By

Frank Tu

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Sep 4, 2014

Although the MX4 has been launched, it cannot be called a flagship phone in the truest sense since it has a Pro edition.

Insiders revealed that a new version with the Yun OS will come out next month. This phone will be the result of a cooperation between Meizu and Alibaba. They also revealed that this phone supports payment by fingerprint. If this is true, then this should be the MX4 Pro since it supports fingerprint recognition.

Take not that Huawei has already introduced the Mate 7 which is the first cellphone to support fingerprint payment. Its scanner recognizes fingerprints when pressed. Meizu must be using the same formula.

The difference though is that the MX4 with the Yun OS will still use the Kirin 925 processor like the Mate 7. Why? Because according to reports, Huawei’s chip offers the best security settings for fingerprint payments.

Huawei launches Mate 7 today, does fingerprint recognition

By

Frank Tu

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Sep 3, 2014

Today, Huawei will release their newest device, the Mate 7.

According to reports, four versions will be shipped to stores: MT7-CL00, MT7-TL00, MT7-TL10, and MT7-TL10. The Mate 7 sports a 6-inch 1080p display screen. The biggest highlight about this device is, of course, its fingerprint recognition function.

The Mate 7 also uses the 1.8GHz Kirin 925 octa-core processor. Users can choose between a 2GB RAM/16GB version and a 3GB RAM/32GB ROM version. It also sports a 5mp/13mp camera. Tonight at 9 PM, let us witness the arrival of the Mate 7.

HTC to launch “world’s first 64-bit octa-core cellphone” called the Desire 820

By

Frank Tu

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Sep 3, 2014

Taiwan-based electronics company, HTC, plans to challenge Samsung and Sony by releasing a new cellphone. Today, in Berlin, they will launch the “world’s first 64-bit octa-core cellphone” called the Desire 820.

It was reported that the HTC Desire 820 will sport a 5.5-inch 720p display screen, an 8mp/13mp camera, and have 1.5GB RAM and 8GB ROM. It is said to be powered by a 2600mAh battery.

Expect the Desire 820 to use the Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 64-bit processor and Adreno 405 GPU.