Moto g : Review

I am very excited to share my experience with all new Moto g. Motorola and Google together have really worked hard to make this wonderful device. It has surprisingly reasonable set of specifications such as 1.2GHz quad core processor, 1GB RAM, 4.5 inch IPS LCD, 5MP back & 1.3MP front camera, A-GPS, and Android OS at a price of Rs 12499 (for 8GB model) and 13999 (for 16GB model). I ordered 16GB model considering that device do not support memory expansion. Indeed, it is an inexpensive cheerful pocketable device that meets all my aspirations but camera. Anyway, one cannot expect a great camera at this price. But I will say HD video recording on Moto g is awesome. Impressed!

Look and feel:

Let me start from the box itself. The phone and entire accessories – charger and headset come packed in small and sleek box. The phone is pretty. Build quality is great.

On the front, there is a 1.3MP camera for video chat and selfie. The phone has three capacitive keys - Back, Home & Recent.

5MP camera is placed in the middle on the back top of the phone and LED flash is just below the camera. The brand’s logo is imprinted just below the flash. The back panel is made from soft touch polycarbonate. In the left of camera, you can see speaker. 

Interestingly, the back panel has a nano coating, which is smooth to touch and acts as light water repellant. Please note the phone is not water resistant. It can only withstand light splashes of water.

On the right side, there is a music rocker and power button. MicroUSB port is position on the bottom and 3.5mm audio jack is fitted on the top. The position of hard buttons is apt.

The phone has curved edges that offer a good grip. The best thing is that the handset is comfortable for one hand operation. 

The phone is not unibody but battery is non-removable. It is fixed. When you open the back panel, you can find two SIM slots - one on the side top (SIM 1) and other on the side bottom on the other side (SIM 2). It is important to mention that SIM 1 supports only 2G and SIM 2 supports 3G. If you have to use 3G, insert the SIM in SIM 2 slot.

Moto G (SIM 1 supports 2G + SIM 2 supports 3G)

Initially, I tried accessing 3G Internet with SIM in slot 1 but I failed. I thought to give a try in SIM 2 slot and it worked :) 

Display:

Moto g has 4.5 inch 720x1280-pixel IPS LCD with 329ppi on offer. The display is crisp. I love watching video, playing games, and reading books J.Note, the display is sharper than that of iPhone 5S which has 326ppi :D.  I noticed some black spare space below the screen, which I do not appreciated L

Motorola has blessed the phone with Corning Glass 3. No tension for scratch on display. Corning Glass 3 in a device under the price Rs 20,000 is something a great to count on. I do not encounter any problem with viewing angle as well. Video playback is impressive. 

Processor, memory, storage:

Powered by 1.2GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor and Adreno 305 graphics, the phone perform flawlessly. To complement this, the phone has got 1GB RAM. You can flip between apps in fraction of second. Multitasking on phone is just awesome. The phone comes in two storage variants – 8 GB and 16GB. I bought 16GB so that I will not get low on space. Memory of the phone is not expandable.

Connectivity: 

It has GPRS, EDGE, Wi-Fi, 3G, Bluetooth, and USB connectivity. It also have support for GPS and GLONASS. You can use the phone as Wi-Fi hotspot. USB tethering and OTG are also supported. 

Camera:

The 5MP back camera with LED flash clicks decent images but my expectations were bit higher. So, I am not very happy with the camera. I could not get the WOW feel. But it doesn’t mean the camera is bad. You cannot expect a great camera in this price bracket along with so many great features the phone owns. Images captured are crisp and clear. Camera features include 4x zoom, control focus and exposure, HDR, panorama shot, and geotagging. There is a 1.3MP camera on the front panel for video chat and self portrayal. 

The camera can simultaneously capture images and record videos. There are three modes of video recording: HDR, Slow motion video, and normal VGA. I must say that HD video output is wonderful. I recorded  this video while moving in an auto. 

See sample:

Battery:

A decent 2070 mAh battery fuels Moto G which lasts for a day. The phone gives fast booting with only few seconds time. Battery charges bit slowly but once charge, you will get rid of the need to refuel the phone for the entire day. I would suggest you to charge the phone every night to get it life for the whole day without any interruption.  

On the whole, Moto G is the best Android phone available in the market under 20K. 

Moto g - Video Test

Moto g video samples

HD video sample using Moto g:

Slow motion video sample : Moto g

Normal video sample: Moto g 

Moto g - look n feel

Yes, I have received my Moto G. Just clicked few images of the product :) 

Trend of Smartwatch

Wearable computing device is trending now. The revolution of “Wearables” foresees a good market in the technology driven world.  After Google Glass, it is the smartwatch category, which has drawn attention of both media and technology bluff. Considering the usability of the concept of smartwatch, almost all top players including Google, Apple, Samsung, Sony, and LG are engaged in expanding their horizons.

A recent survey conducted by NextMarket Insights concluded that smartwatch market is forecast to reach a total of 15 million smartwatched shipped worldwide in 2014, up from 5 million in previous year.

Let us know in what way smartwatch can help us? Smartwatch is basically an interface for smartphone. One may make and receive calls, send and receive SMS, control music, capture images and record videos (if there is camera fitted in smartwatch), and interact with the phone in various other ways making it easier for user to use much of the smartphone without the need of actually taking it out from the pocket and bag. The smartwatch can follow touch, voice and gesture commands.

The real use of smartwatch can be justified while driving or doing things when your fingers are not free to make use of it and your sweet little smartwatch will do all for you with just simple command :)

Part of what makes this wearable significant is its functionality but another factor which has made it show-stopper is the style, the fashion statement. The elegant geek centric
  designed device has become center of attention among the youngsters and corporate.

Heavyweights such as Samsung and Sony recently set the trend of launching smartwatches along with the smartphones (Samsung Galaxy Note 3 and Sony Z1). Even LG is going to release G-Arch smart watch and the G-Arch fitness band with or just after the release of its flagship LG G3. With the release of G-Arch fitness band, LG is ready to set the trend of yet another wearable gadget, which will be your fitness tracker apart from being a sweet angel that can interact with your phone.  Apart from phone makers, there are other conglomerates including Adidas and Nike who have jumped their feet in the corresponding market with fitness chip. They are aimed to capture the market share by providing a module to track their daily activity and motivate users to stay fit by measuring step counts, head beats, etc.  

The growing interest for smartwatch among tech lovers set a fertile ground for such wearable. 

You may like to read:

Karbonn Titanium S5i - a budget smartphone

LG G2 vs Samsung Galaxy S4

Apple iPhone 6 is coming with 4.8 inch sreen

Karbonn Titanium S5i - a budget smartphone

Karbonn, one of the leading indigenous handset makers, has released a new smartphone, Karbonn Titanium S5i. In order to gain some substantial toehold in the steaming Android smartphone market, the Bangalore based company has come up with low-end variant of its own flagship Titanium S5 with a price tag of Rs 7,999. The handset is packed with bounty of features to make your experience sweet and satiating with your phone.

The features that make this device ahead of the game of are its 5 inch capacitive touchscreen and 8MP rear camera. Browsing web, watching video, and playing game on the mammoth display size is really a delightful experience. The display resolution of 854 × 480 pixels renders crisp clear color of visuals. The 8MP rear camera with LED flash is capable of snapping beautiful images with details and shooting crystal clear videos in HD. A VGA camera is brilliantly placed on front of the phablet for self portrait and video chat. Powered by 1GHz dual core processor and 512MB RAM, the device promises flawless multitasking. In comparison, its forerunner - Karbonn Titanium S5 come packed with 5 inch qHD display and 1.2GHz quad core processor complemented by 1GB RAM, and 2MP front camera with a price tag of Rs 12, 990.  

Karbonn Titanium S5i is ace in connectivity section with options such as 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and microUSB.  It is also equipped with GPS for navigation. The dual-SIM configuration allows users to keep personal and professional life completely apart. The storage of the phone can be expanded up till 32GB via microSD card. Store the stock of your favorite songs, videos, and important data in your phone to access when you need. Karbonn Titanium S5i has intelligent sensors such as proximity sensor, accelerometer sensor, and Ambient light sensor. 

To entertain users, the phone comes packed with music player and FM radio. Its universal 3.5mm audio jack lets user enjoy music with the favorite headphone across the brands.

Powerful 2000 mAh battery offers ample juice to the Android device. The promised talk time over 2G is 13 hours and over 3G is 11 hours. The battery gives a standby time of 2 days over both the 2G and 3G network.  Users will not require charging the device very often. I hope, this is satisfactory for a fuel hungry droid.

With a price of Rs 7.999, this Android 4.2 Jelly Bean device is a worth buying.

You may like to read:

HTC and Nokia Working on Dual-SIM Windows Phone Devices

HTC to Make Smartphone for Amazon

Mobile Security: Myths and Facts

Take care of your gadget in rainy season