Andy Rubin revolutionized the smartphone experience through the software means by co-founding Android OS. Now, to take smartphone experience to another level through the hardware means, he just brought a new smartphone named Essential PH-1. On the hardware side, the phone has somewhat quirky specs but seems to offer greater functionality and usability than most of the smartphones of these days.

Essential PH-1 comes with a spacious 5.71-inch display with no bezels on three sides of the phone but a little on the chin. The bezels-less design reminds of the Xiaomi MI Mix but what makes the PH-1 different is the placement of the front camera. The front camera is placed on the top-center of the phone, with a groove cut out within the display. The display comes with 504 PPI pixel density with Gorilla Glass 5 protection.

The device is powered by Qualcomm’s flagship chipset Snapdragon 835 backed by 4 GB of RAM and 128 GB of internal storage with no provision for storage expansion. PH-1 bears Ceramic back and with Titanium frame around. Titanium is tougher than the Aluminium and shows greater resistance to scratches and bends during the drops.

On the optics side, the phone comes with Dual-camera setup on the back with the megapixel count of 13MP. The dual-camera setup is the assembly of Monochrome and RGB sensors. The focusing of the camera is done by Phase detection autofocus and Laser autofocus. And the LED flash completes the rear camera assembly. On the front, the round groove within the screen is an 8MP sensor with f/2.2 aperture. It is interesting that both the cameras (front and back) are capable of shooting 4K videos.

Essential PH-1 ditched 3.5mm headphone jack but has added the magnetic wireless data transfer feature. The concept seems quite alike to Motorola’s Moto Mods in which custom accessories could be attached to the phones through the magnetic connector. So, there are rumors of shipping headphone dongles in the box as an alternative. Essential’s first add-ons include a 360-degree camera and a charging dock. The 360-degree camera can be clipped to the rear-end of the phone and can be used to capture 4K 360-degree videos at 30fps with the help of dual 12MP fisheye sensors.

The phone embraces 3040 mAh battery with the provision of fast charging. Essential PH-1 is priced $699 (£543) and comes in black, gray, white and green color options.

What do you feel about the new Essential PH-1 phone? Could it be the iPhone or Pixel killer? Let us know in the comment section.

The Government of Nepal yesterday proposed a budget of total Rs. 1,279 billion for the fiscal year 2074/2075. As the reformed local bodies of the nation received some proper development budget, the technological world was not forgotten. Although the Financial Minister didn’t necessarily explain the details regarding tech ‘stuffs’, we got to hear about a couple of pretty good inclusions which will surely work great for the people of Nepal.

So, in this article, I have tried to list down the couple of plans our government has regarding the technological world here.

• Compulsory IMEI number registration

This rule has been on tabs for quite some time now. But this time around, it looks as though it will surely come into effect. The government had come up with this plan in order to control the illegal import of mobile devices. If you want to know more about this rule, you can read it here.

Read more: How to register IMEI number

• International e-payment

The Government of Nepal has planned to bring the much-needed e-payment for online money transactions internationally. This is probably the most exciting thing for me as it has always been a hassle when I have wanted to buy things online on the international sites.

• Internet Banking

The Financial Minister emphasized that the government would encourage the banks in Nepal to provide the service of ‘branchless’ banking, internet banking, and mobile wallet. This is a welcome addition as it will save us from time-consuming banking transactions.

• Telecommunication and internet service

I was really impressed when I heard the government’s plan of connecting all the Municipalities, VDCs and District headquarters via optical fiber through what it calls ‘Suchana Marga’. Likewise, the Financial Minister explained about the plan regarding the extension of broadband internet service to all the wards of the nation. He also highlighted on how the telecommunication companies of Nepal should work together in order to provide a managed and competitive telecommunication service to the public.

What do you think of the Government of Nepal’s plan for the fiscal year 2074/2075? Do you think these plans are enough at the present time? Or should the government give more emphasis on the technological aspects of the nation? Let us know in the comments below.

Addressing the gradual increase in the number of illegally imported mobile phones in Nepal, the government has decided a mandatory registration of IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity) number of such devices. On the budget presentation for the fiscal year 2074/75, Finance Minister Krishna Bahadur Mahara mentioned it as a prerequisite step to bring illegal mobile imports under control.

Since most of the mobile phones in the country are nastily overpriced, and the number of people heading for foreign employment is rising exponentially, people find it easy and somewhat reasonable to get the phones imported. This reason resulted in an uncontrollably large number of illegal mobile phones in the country.

So, to reduce the gray market of cell phones and to help control the criminal activities that are committed with the help of mobile devices, government primarily focused on making the IMEI registration of the illicitly imported cell phones mandatory. On the budget presentation, Minister Mahara also mentioned on encouraging the telecom service providers to merge to improve the service quality.

Good news for all! Finally, the long awaited internet connection from China to Nepal will be completed in a week. This is the result of the signed agreement between Chief Technical Officer of Nepal Telecom (NT) Lochan Lal Amatya and Executive Vice President of China Telecom Global (CTG) Ou Yan in Hong Kong on December 7, 2016. Therefore, from next week Nepal can purchase Internet Bandwidth from interested Chinese firms.

Re – Routing of Nepal-China Link

NT had entered into a bandwidth purchase agreement with the Chinese company around six months ago. Sadly, it had not been able to acquire connection till date due to the avalanche that hit the area during the optical fiber laying process. The avalanche disrupted connections on the Chinese side. The Chinese then used an alternate route to lay down the cable. A ton of link build and testing had to be done which led to this delay.

The Wait is Over

Presently, Nepal is only linked through Indian telecommunication companies via different optical fiber connections at Bhairahawa, Biratnagar, and Birgunj, among other checkpoints. Now, all the process have been completed and now Nepal will be connected to the world via Hong Kong through China Telecom. The connection is through the optical fiber from the Geelong (Keyrong) to Rasuwagadhi border point.This will end Nepal’s sole dependence on India to connect with global internet service.

Will the internet from China prevent Google Services?

As NT is buying bandwidth from China, users here in Nepal will not face any problems while surfing Google’s sites. Nepal will be tapping Hong Kong’s server belonging to the US-based company.

As Nepal-China optical fiber link gets successfully established, internet service will become faster and cheaper in the country.