The world has seen progressive developments in the ICT (Information and Communication Technology) area and such advancements happen in our country at a languid pace. Despite myriads of setbacks and limited resources on the country, there are people, who have dedicated themselves to bring a positive change in national ICT Sector. So intending to address such contributions, I C Tech Media is set to organize the ICT Award 2017. The award ceremony is scheduled on August 18, 2017 (2nd of Bhadra, 2074) with the deadline on 15th July (Ashar 31) for Nomination Registration. The award will honor five different personnel, who have shown their heroics in the ICT area.
This will be the second time I C Media Tech to organize the award ceremony. On the anniversary of Living with ICT Magazine, a year back, I C Media Tech began this tradition of honoring ICT heroes. Last year’s winners were Sato Deal, Cool Techno Lab, NepFlight, and Yellow Nepal. At the event, Computer Scientist Muni Bahadur Shakya was honored by ICT Pioneer Award.
Award Categories for ICT Award 2017
BEST START-UP COMPANY ICT AWARD 2017
This award will be awarded to the ICT based company with a recent start-up but with a clairvoyant business model to ensure growth and success of the organization in the long run. The companies with start-up history no longer than three years will be considered eligible for the nomination.
BEST INNOVATIVE PRODUCT ICT AWARD 2017
The ICT based company, which came up with an innovative product along with the potential to make an impact on the lives of mass population and likely to gain success in the business will be favorite for this award. The product with a market history longer than a year will be considered ineligible.
ICT PIONEER AWARD 2017
This award will be awarded to one individual who nurtured ICT when it was still a sapling on our country. The man behind the curtain, who made commendable contributions to the growth, promotion, and development since the dawn of ICT era will be the favorite.
BEST NEPALI DIASPORA ICT AWARD 2017
An individual dwelling outside Nepal but with a Nepali origin, who has made a remarkable imprint in the international arena and has helped identify the country as internationally competent in the global stage will be eligible for this award.
ICT SCHOLAR AWARD 2017
This award will be honored to the creative scholar for their innovation on IT sector during their education up to graduation. Only full-time and the regular student will be eligible for this award.
If you or your company is eligible for the award, then you can apply for the nomination here. Forms can also be filled through the official mobile app of Living With ICT.
We all know about Xiaomi’s Redmi Note series. They have always been the best bang for the buck phone, providing great specs for the prices it offers. And now, their new iteration of the Redmi Note series – the Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 has been leaked.
The Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 maintains its tradition by offering the same 5.5″ 1080P IPS display. It seems there will be two versions of the device this time as well. One with the Snapdragon 630 SoC and the other running on the Snapdragon 660 SoC. The 660 is obviously a better SoC with its more powerful Kryo cores and better GPU. Although, both SoCs are very power efficient — all thanks to the 14nm process.
According to the leaks, the front camera houses a 13MP sensor. The back camera is also a single lens 16MP Sony IMX 234 sensor with f/2.0 aperture and 0.3s focus lock (PDAF). So, if leaks are true, we will have to wait for another generation to get the dual rear camera setup.
The phone houses a smaller 3,790mAh battery compared to 4100mAh battery on Note 3 and 4, this could be done maybe to make the device thinner (7.5mm). It also comes with the USB C port and Quick charge 3.0. The phone is available with up to 4GB RAM and 64GB storage.
Expected Price of Redmi Note 5:
Xiaomi Redmi Note 5
CNY
USD (est)
EUR (est)
3GB RAM / 32GB storage
1,200
$175
€155
4GB RAM / 32GB storage
1,400
$205
€180
4GB RAM / 64GB storage
1,500
$220
€195
So, What do you think of this phone? Will it succeed as its predecessor? Given the specs and price, is it a good buy? Let you thoughts in the comment section down below.
Samsung just launched a new budget-friendly phone – The Galaxy J5 Pro 2017. This phone is a slightly improved version of the Galaxy J5 2017.
The phone runs on the same Exynos 7870 SoC and Mali-T830MP2 GPU along with the 5.2-inch HD screen. There is a 13MP f/1.7 sensor on the back and a 13MP f/1.9 lens on the front. The battery remains at the same capacity at 3000mAh. The device’s home button doubles as a fingerprint sensor and the OS is Android Nougat.
Where the Pro version shines is in the memory department. There is 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage which is a bump from the normal J5 (2017).
The device is already available in Thailand for about $295 (30k Nepali). Although the availability of the device internationally is unsure yet very likely. Would you buy the new J5 Pro (2017) if it was available in Nepal?
Xiaomi has released a list of smartphones that are eligible for the Nougat update. The list contains 14 Xiaomi devices, among which three devices already run on Nougat.
Xiaomi has always been slow at updating their devices to the newer Android version. They do however update their phones to their own latest MIUI versions. If you don’t see your device in the list above, you don’t need to be disappointed much. Xiaomi delivers most of the latest features through their MIUI update anyway.
The list comes from the MIUI team in China, so this is very official. From the list, the Xiaomi Mi 6, Mi Max 2, Xiaomi Redmi 4/4x and the Mi 5c will be getting the Android 7.1.1 version. The rest will get the Android 7.0 Nougat.
If you plan to buy a Xiaomi device, the phones on this list should be your priority. Do note that all the future devices that Xiaomi releases are expected to come with Nougat out of the box until Android 8.0 is released.
The Galaxy S5 mini was the last phone from Samsung to feature a mini flagship. But now, after three years rumors of a Galaxy S8 mini are surfacing. This is going to be interesting seeing we will get the same infinity display in an even smaller package.
If you remember the mini flagships from before, they never had the best specs as their bigger counterparts. The S3, S4, and S5 mini were just not as capable in the specs department, and they didn’t exactly get the same software update treatment either. But this S8 mini is rumored to have better specs. Not on par with the normal S8 but still better than these minis traditionally had.
According to the rumors, the new device will feature a 5.3″ infinity display on a body as small as the iPhone 7. This is thanks to the edge to edge display on these new Galaxy flagships. Inside could be a Snapdragon 821 SoC with 4GB of RAM and 32GB ROM. This keeps its specs on par with last year’s flagships and some of this year’s flagships as well (LG G6). This will adopt the same 18.5:9 wide screen ratio along with the iris scanner and Samsung’s own Bixby assistant.
Although the screen technology and resolution aren’t mentioned in the rumors as well as the battery and the cameras. But going by their recent lineups of smartphones, this one will most probably work with the SuperAMOLED display.
These rumors come from the Asian website ITHOME. The prices and the availability of the phone are still unclear, although South Korea will be the first to get this phone. If a phone like this exists, it will have to compete with smaller phones like the Sony Xperia XZ compact.
What do you think of this rumors? And what price do you think is acceptable for a phone like this? Comment below to let us known.
If you are in the market for a smartphone, this is the best time to buy one. Daraz Kaymu is offering very interesting deals this week in their Mobile Week 2017. Keep in mind these discounts ends on the 7th of July, so don’t wait around for long. Plus they are providing free shipping on selected phones all over Nepal.
Here we have listed some of the best deals under their respective price range along with the links to buy them.
Best Deals Under 10k
Micromax E451 (Canvas Pulse) : Rs 16,720 Rs 9,500 with additional Rs 500 discount using voucher code MW500
3. Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 64GB : Rs 28,499 with JBL Go portable mini bluetooth speaker worth Rs 3,900 and Rs 2000 additional discount using voucher code MW2000
One Plus recently launched its flagship phone of 2017, the One Plus 5. The phone is already available in countries like US, India, and UK. However, the phone is now available for preorder in Nepal, and online retailer Kaymu has started taking preorders of the phone from through its official website.
One Plus 5 offers lots of improvements over its previous generations (OnePlus 3 & 3T). They have also fixed one of the biggest complaints they received, the camera. Their answer is the new dual-camera setup which the company claims to offer improvements over the previous versions. Their new phone doesn’t offer the much hyped bezel-less displays, but the whopping and a little gimmicky 8GB of RAM is sure to win over the enthusiasts. But, the version that’s available for preorder in Nepal is the 6GB version.
The 5.5″ Optic AMOLED screen with a 1920*1080 resolution is the same from last generation. But the new Snapdragon 835 SoC built on 10nm architecture is sure to deliver butter smooth performance and better battery life. Pair that with 6/8GB of RAM and 64/128GB of storage, this device is a beast on its own. The phone runs on the latest version of Android 7.0 Nougat out of the box with Oxygen OS on top.
But the star of the show is the Dual Camera. With one 16MP f/1.7 lens and another 20MP f/2.6 lens capable of 1.6x optical zoom and a dual LED flash. The camera is capable of 4k video recording at up to 30fps. The front camera is a 16MP f/2.0 lens with EIS. These cameras are capable of taking great photos, definitely an improvement over the last generation.
Other things include Bluetooth 5.0, Dash Charge (20Watts), USB C, NFC, front mounted fingerprint sensor, 802.11ac Wi-Fi, and a 3300mAh battery.
Price and where to buy the One Plus 5 in Nepal
The One Plus 5 is priced at Rs 59,499 for the 6GB RAM and 64GB ROM model. Although if you preorder it right now, you can get Rs. 4000 worth of Kaymu Voucher. Click this link to pre-order the One Plus 5 right now.
Do you think the One Plus 5 price in Nepal is little pricey? Or You think the Pricing is right? Let us know in the comment section.
Daraz Kaymu is not an unfamiliar name to the Nepalis who have internet access. The company is a leading online platform here and garners thousands of orders every day. It had organized ‘Black Friday’ on 2016 and had a steep rise in sales during the campaign. Fast forward several months and the company is back at it again; this time with Mobile Week.
Mobile Week, like its name suggests, is a promotional event for the sale of mobile phones. Customers will get to exercise discounts and deals, and even win some freebies and gift hampers.
The event has already started and will end on 7th July 2017. We got an exclusive look at some of the deals Daraz Kaymu is offering in its campaign, and we are quite impressed by it.
So, today we have listed out some of the deals that you should look and for. We will update the list gradually so keep tuning into GadgetByte Nepal to know about the best deals different brands will be offering.
Up until now, Daraz Kaymu is providing discounts on only select Samsung mobile phones. We will be updating other offers from Samsung as soon as possible.
We rarely see Apple providing deals on their latest iPhone models, but the Kaymu Mobile week is an exception. They are offering deals and freebies on iPhone 7, 7s, and SE.
One of the major highlights of the Daraz Kaymu Mobile Week is that customers will exclusively get to pre-order the recently launched OnePlus 5. The device has made headlines due to the inclusion of dual rear-facing cameras and 8 GB of RAM. Discounts are also available on all the other OnePlus devices currently sold in Nepal.
Among all the deals and discounts, the one that first caught my eye was Huawei. The Chinese company is offering a TV, 10 GB of Ncell data, JBL Flip 4 Speaker, lens kit and a whopping 50% discount on the purchase of its different smartphones. Daraz Kaymu will also sell one of the newer entries to the Nepali smartphone market – the Huawei P10 Plus.
Discounts and deals will also galore on some of Xiaomi smartphones. Customers could get JBL Go, JBL T110 or a 23.90% discount with the purchase of the devices.
Along with the deals and discounts provided by different brands, Daraz Kaymu is itself offering some discounts on mobile phones through voucher codes. Customers can use the codes at checkout to get extra cash discounts. Here are all the available voucher codes:
We all remember what happened to the Galaxy Note 7 in 2016. But now, after recalling the same device twice, Samsung is going to try a third time. And this time, it’s called the Galaxy Note Fan Edition.
The naming of the device comes from the promotional poster put on display in South Korea. This is purely targeted towards the core Note fans and those who want a last year flagship phone on the cheap.
galaxy note fan edition promo in South Korea
Samsung has just begun to recover from their PR disaster. If this device happens to show any battery issues, it’s going to be even worst for Samsung’s reputation. And with a risk that big, Samsung has placed a more stringent safety testing procedures in place. This is basically a way to counter the huge financial losses and environmental issues.
The new device is going to be exactly the same as before, except for the battery. The older batteries are going to be replaced by a smaller battery, so that’s reassuring. Right?With the newer Galaxy Note 8 just a few months away, this phone is going to have to provide something special.
The refurbished device is expected for the reveal in selected regions on July 7, for a price tag of $611. So, what do you think of the Note Fan Edition? Would you buy the refurbished smartphone? And what do you think about the pricing of the device? Comment below to let us know.
We see new mid-range phones ever so often and most of them come with similar pricing and specs so there isn’t much distinguishing factor between them. Some may come with bigger RAM, others with storage and some with sheer battery power. Today we’ve such phone from ZTE, the ZTE Blade A2 Plus which promises us with the best battery life possible. Let’s find out if the device delivers what it promises.
ZTE Blade A2 Plus: Specs Highlights
5.5-inch, full HD (1920 x 1080 pixels) IPS LCD display
Android v6.0 Marshmallow with MiFavor UI on top
Octa-core MediaTek MT6750T with Mali T860 MP2 GPU
4GB of RAM
13 MP rear-facing camera, Dual tone LED Flash
8 MP front-facing camera
Hybrid Dual SIM tray
32 GB Internal Storage
MicroSD card support (up to 256GB, uses SIM2 slot)
5,000 mAh battery
Rear-mounted fingerprint sensor
Price: Rs. 23,900 (Free Laptop Bag worth Rs. 1200)
First let’s start off with the feature focus of the phone, which is its massive 5,000mAh battery which has added some heft to it. It’s tagline “More Bigger Battery Larger Endurance” surely justifies the real life durability as well. With normal use, I could easily squeeze two days of battery life and with heavy gaming and frequent use, it lasted me until the end of the day which is what I would generally expect from a battery of this size. The phone comes with a lot of power saving modes if you want to get more out of the massive battery.
Also, accompanying the phone is a 5V-1.5A charger which fills up the device within 2 hours 15 minutes give or take.
Build
1 of 5
Talking about the build of the device, the back comprises of metal finish and feels premium in the hand. The back also holds the fingerprint sensor and the camera parallelly. The top and bottom of the phone have a textured finish which goes well with its design. And on the front, the design feels uninspiring as it looks bland with nothing much going on. It has got capacitive navigation bar which is backlit. The lights turn ON when you press them but you can also always keep them ON. The phone is on the heavier side with 189 grams but feels sturdy nonetheless. And on the bottom, there are dual grills where one acts as a mic and another as the speaker.
Display
The A2 Plus comes with a 5.5 inch Full HD display and its colors are on the softer side. But you won’t notice that until you compare it with another device side by side. The colors of the display are tweakable with the use of MIRA VISION option included in the settings. Watching movies and playing games on this screen won’t disappoint you but make sure you keep your hands off the speaker grill as it can completely suppress the sound. The viewing angles of this display are excellent from multiple viewpoints. I like how the display gets really dim making it easier to use at night, also it gets bright enough to be seen in direct sunlight. The display is susceptible to fingerprint smudges so it can sometimes hinder your visibility in direct lights.
Performance
For performance, the A2 Plus has opted for MediaTek’s MT6750T octa-core chipset clocked at 1.5Ghz and comes with 4GB of RAM. The usual walkthrough in the device is smooth. The opening of basic apps are quick but the demanding apps surely take a lot of time. Titles like NOVA Legacy and Asphalt 8 are playable at low settings with low or no frame drops. Despite having a metal body, I could only feel a trivial amount of heat near the camera section while gaming for a longer period, this is definitely an attribute of having a low powered processor. And with 4GB of RAM, you can swiftly multitask between apps with ease. But the processor’s mediocrity is felt when you’re heavily multitasking with demanding apps.
Software
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ZTE’s Mifavor UI is running on top of Android 6.0 Marshmallow which is pretty dated. As these phones never get Android updates, it’s outdated software can be a letdown for many people. Like with most of the Chinese UI, there is no app drawer and everything is right on your home screen. The phone comes with plenty of bloatware which fortunately can be disabled. The usability is straightforward with very few features for the launcher. If you swipe up on the home screen it will provide you with options to change the accent color of the UI, icon shape, and swipe transitions. There isn’t much you can do from the default launcher so if you want more functionality, you should opt for a third party launcher.
Most of the functionality here has been directed towards its fingerprint sensor. It has a clickable fingerprint reader, so there’s a lot you can do with it. A single click will take a screenshot, double click will turn on the camera and a long press will turn on the flashlight, however, these actions cannot be modified. I found these features handy for my daily use. But wait there’s more!
You can click pictures, answer your calls with a touch. Swipe down the fingerprint sensor for notification drawer, swipe up for recent apps and left or right swipe on the gallery will flip through images. I really didn’t use these features but they are there if you want to make use of it.
The phone provides options to hide SMS, photos, lock apps and so on. It also comes with its own health app called S Life which counts your steps and calories burned. It has Family Mode which by turning ON, you make the UI elements larger and easy to use. This feature is directed toward someone younger or older who finds using smartphone overwhelming. So overall, the phone has got minimal UI and features which will not intimidate you.
Camera
Jumping into the camera of the phone, the UI is basic and there aren’t a whole bunch of features to play around with. Literally, there’s just the filter menu to choose between the different color filters and nothing more as a standard option. The UI seems inspired from the days of KitKat.
At daylight, the primary 13MP Camera results in acceptable photos but the colors are warm and the details are not on point. And in low light, the camera suffers well with lag in viewfinder and inability to focus. The images in low light are dark and contain lots of grains.
The 8MP Front Facing Camera, however, results in well enough photos. At low light, the front camera uses the screen as a flash which enhances the photo to some extent.
Verdict
So, coming to the conclusion of the ZTE A2 Plus, the phone is really impressive when it comes to build and battery performance. If you want a decent smartphone with great battery life, then the ZTE Blade A2 Plus will suffice your need. But for the price, it feels comparatively deficient as there are better alternatives offering more for the same price.
Pros of ZTE Blade A2 Plus
Battery Life
As a battery oriented phone, it is essential to carry a substantial sized battery and also make sure it provides a justifiable standby time. With 5,000mAh battery and mediocre specs, the device easily makes it until the end of the day or next. Such backup comes handy especially if you’re someone who travels a lot and also not having to charge your device every now and then is a great relief.
Build Quality
Midrange phones are opting for metal bodies but substantially a lot of phones still lack this, so the ZTE Blade A2 has the edge when it comes to build quality. Although the phone is on the thicker side and is heavy due to the massive battery, it feels premium and has a solid build.
Usability/Fingerprint Gestures
Usually, phones with Chinese UI is hard to use with loads of feature crammed into every other corner of the UI. But the ZTE has taken a minimalist approach, you can take this as a lack of feature or you can just appreciate how easy it is to use the device. You can navigate with ease and sort how things work in a jiffy.
Also, the praiseworthy feature of the ZTE Blade A2 Plus is how well they have managed to make use of the fingerprint sensor. Out of the usual convention, the fingerprint sensor serves more than one purpose which comes really handy.
Cons of ZTE Blade A2 Plus
Camera
The first thing we look for in a new smartphone is its camera and the ZTE Blade A2 Plus’s Camera didn’t impress us that well. The Camera can be termed as average, as the images on the daylight are good with the slight lack of details and colors. Also, the lack of features in the camera UI has handicapped the users from getting creative with the camera.
The main issue here is when you open the camera UI in low-lighted conditions. The viewfinder lags a lot, leaving trails of objects as you struggle to maintain your focus on the subject.
Performance
After Camera, performance is the second thing people look for in a smartphone. The phone uses a mediocre MT6750T chipset which falls short when you push the device with heavy multitasking and extreme gaming. Opting for SnapDragon 625 would have been great for the performance.
Here are few of the alternatives of ZTE Blade A2 Plus:
