As we’ve mentioned in our last post, Ncell has successfully launched its 4G service in Kathmandu valley starting from today. Other than the valley, the Ncell users from Banepa, Dhulikhel, and Nagarkot can also upgrade to this new service. However, the service will be launched on Pokhara a month later on July 1 followed by other cities in coming months. After NTC’s launch of 4G, Ncell users have been desperately waiting for the 4G LTE service in their network. Finally, the most awaited service is now live with some promotional offer valid only for today. We’ll discuss the Ncell 4G offer for today later in this post. First, you must be super excited to find out how to activate for 4G in Ncell SIM and that’s what follows the next.
How to activate 4G in Ncell SIM (Postpaid/Prepaid)
To activate the 4G service in your Ncell SIM, there are few steps you need to follow and they are:
Activate 4G in your NCell SIM
To activate Ncell 4G in your SIM card, all you gotta do is “Type Q” and “Send it to 324“. Then you’ll get one of two replies.
If your current SIM supports 4G, the 4G service will be activated and you’ll get the reply accordingly.
But if it doesn’t support 4G, you have to go to the nearest Ncell Center with SIM owner’s citizenship card and upgrade your SIM for FREE.
Does your smartphone support 4G LTE?
If you have a 4G supported/upgradeable SIM card, the second step is to find out if your smartphone supports 4G LTE or not. To make things easier for you, we’ve listed the 4G supported smartphones in Nepal.
Just go through the list and if your current smartphone is on the list, you’re now just a step away from activating 4G in your Ncell SIM card.
After 4G is activated and if your smartphone supports the 4G, the last step to follow is selecting network type/mode to 4G LTE from your mobile’s setting. Then you can enjoy the newest 4G service from the Ncell.
Ncell 4G offer on June 1
There are two offers from Ncell for its users activating the 4G service today. They are:
You can get a free 1GB data from Ncell that will be valid for 3days.
You can get free music from Ncell using Yonder Music app for 30 days. To get this offer, you’ve to activate the service by dialing “*325#”
Ncell 4G Data Pack Offers:
The data pack for 4G users is no different than that are available currently. However, you might be interested in checking current data packs from Ncell with their latest pricing, validity and time of the day. And, here they are:
Gionee recently launched the selfie focused Gionee A1 in Nepal. Despite being a midrange phone, A1 has premium build and offers decent specs for the price. Now, Gionee has planned to launch the larger version of Gionee A1, the Gionee A1 Plus as early as the first week of June in Nepal. We got some early hands-on with the soon to be launched phone and here are our first impressions of the device.
Specifications of Gionee A1 Plus:
6.0 inches (1080 x 1920) @367ppi
Amigo OS 4.0 on top of Android 7.0 Nougat
Mediatek MT6757T Helio P25 Chipset
Octa-core (4×2.5 GHz Cortex-A53 & 4×1.4 GHz Cortex-A53) CPU
Mali-T880MP2 GPU
4GB RAM
64GB Internal Storage, Expandable up to 256GB
Dual 13 MP + 5 MP Rear Camera with f/2.0 aperture, phase detection autofocus
20MP Front Facing Camera with f/2.0 aperture
Non-removable Li-Ion 4550 mAh battery with fast charging
Expected Price: Rs. 49,999
Design:
TheGionee A1 Plus on the first glance looks like a giant slab of glass with a stealthy dark finish. The device has a massive footprint with 6.0 inch of display. Picking up the phone, it feels premium with the smooth metal back. The phone is heavy at 226grams which is the result of huge screen real-estate, metal body, and a beefy 4,550mAh battery. Although the phone is almost unusable with one hand, the curved edges make it easier to grip the phone. So, despite the polished metal back and huge form factor, the phone felt safe in my hands.
A1 Plus comes with tactile buttons and I find the orange tint on the power button visually pleasing. It has got a fingerprint sensor on the front which also acts as a home button. It has got Incognito back and recent capacitive keys on the sides of the fingerprint sensor. The phone has Micro-USB port instead of the USB C that we’ve been seeing on many devices.
Display:
The 6.0inch display here is of full HD resolution with 367pixels per inch. A1 Plus comes with a 2.5D glass giving it a seamless look from the front. The display produces sharp and vibrant colors and I haven’t found any pixelation. The display gets really bright which helps for better visibility in the direct sunlight. Also, Gionee has included smart eye protection option which helps to protect your eyes by cutting off blue light from your display while using the phone at night.
User Interface:
Gionee A1 Plus is running of Amigo UI on top of Android 7.0 Nougat. Like any typical Chinese phone, it lacks app drawer and everything is right on the home screen. And by everything, initially when you boot up the phone, there are just tons of Gionee Bloatware. The phone offers some instantly notable and usable features like a swipe on the fingerprint sensor to bring out quick apps, double tap on the screen to lock the device and the smart eye protection. The phone also comes with Maxx Audio for a rich sound experience.
Camera:
The main highlight of the phone is its dual camera sensor where the primary shooter is of 13MP and the secondary shooter is of 5MP. The dual camera works together to provide depth of field effect in photos. This mode is accessible via the camera with Portrait Mode. I strolled around Patan with the phone and took some pretty good images. I haven’t got the chance to use the camera in all the lighting conditions so it’s hard to make any hard and fast fact about the camera.
Up front, it has got a whopping 20MP camera with f/2.0 aperture and it comes with tons of beauty modes if that interests you. The front also provides an option to shoot with bokeh effect despite the lack of secondary camera.
Performance:
Gionee has opted for a higher mid-range processor on the A1 Plus. The phone is powered by Hello P25 Octa-Core chipset coupled with 4GB of RAM. The phone is pretty fluid with no hiccups on general use. Installing and using some basic apps; app openings were quick and switching between them was a breeze. (Will be tested with heavy apps on full review)
Battery:
The phone is backed up by a decent 4,550mAh battery which seems justifiable for the given set of specs. It also supports fast charging with its ultrafast 18W charger which should completely charge the device within 2 hours. It also features a dual chip charging technology that keeps the battery cool and safe when the phone is being charged.
Early Impression on Gionee A1 Plus:
Gionee A1 Plus is a flagship phone from the company, it really has all the compelling features that one looks for while buying a smartphone. It is expected to launch with a price tag of 50k. For that price, you’re definitely getting flagship grade specs but the processor is a major letdown as the company should have opted for the more powerful Helio X20.
Gionee A1 Plus will go head to head with OnePlus 3T, Oppo F3 Plus, and Galaxy C9 Pro.
It has been a long time since Intel has released anything exciting for their users. Their latest processor was core i7 which was released nearly a decade ago. With many improvements along the way Intel finally accepted it was as perfect as it’s going to get. Finally Intel is back with its Core X-series processors, at least for its desktop users. This includes the Core X-i5, Core X-i7 and the lastest member to the family the Core X-i9 and Core X-i9 EXTREME.
What do We get in this line up?
Customers will have a choice from 4 cores to 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16 and 18 cores. Almost all models will have Intel’s Hyper-Threading, thereby doubling the thread count.
The nine processors, at the bottom of the pack is Core i5-7640X and the Core i7-7740X with 4 cores clocked at 4.0 GHZ and 4.3Ghz. The are priced at $242 and $339 respectively.
The i7-7740X has 6 cores and 12 threads with HT. It is clocked at 3.5GHz and Turbo boast of 4.0Ghz priced at $389. Core i7-7820X has 8 cores and 16 threads with HT. It has 3.6GHz base clock speed and Turbo Boosts up to 4.3GHz priced at $599.
On the high end side, Core i9-7900X has 10 cores and 20 threads with HT. It has 3.3GHz base clock speed with 4.3GHz Turbo Boost 2.0 clock speed and 4.5GHz Turbo Boost 3.0 clock speed. It is priced at $999.
At the top there is the Core i9-7980XE with the jaw droping 18 cores and 36 thread count which will be priced at a whooping $1999.
Whats in store for us Commoners?
Core X series is not the only thing Intel announced. The 8th generation Core CPUs will be shipping with the new devices in the second half of this year. Intel next generation chips will perform up to 30% better than the ones out today. It’s a signification improvement. Like the 6th and 7th generation Core processors, the 8th generation models will also be built on 14nm process with slight refinement. The 8th gen architecture is code named ‘Coffee Lake’.
Verdict
Most PC owners today won’t be able to take full advantage of an 18-core, 36-thread of the X-Series. But that’s not really the point.Is it? Core X exists less for the present than it does for the future. It’s for the high end desktop market. Don’t get disappointed as Intel has though of us, mere commoners as they are soon to ship 8th gen Intel processors. Its a win win for all.
On an event in Computex Taipei 2017, one of the world’s largest computer and technology trade shows, Asus launched five laptops, one monitor, and two all-in-one PCs. Among those revealed, the Asus Zenbook Flip S has been getting attentions worldwide because of it’s thinnest profile among the 2-in-1 convertible laptops. Asus claims the 10.9mm thick Zenbook Flip S (UX370) is the world’s thinnest convertible. Not just the thin profile, this new laptop is hitting nails right on the head both on the design and the specs. So, here’s a brief overview of the device.
Asus Zenbook Flip S: What’s Inside?
This new convertible laptop from Asus is not just thin but is arguably light at just 1.1kg. It looks as stunning as any other Asus laptops but has a newer NanoEdge design profile with much slimmer bezels around its 13.3inch (1080p/4K) display that senses multitouch and supports a stylus. This display is Corning Gorilla glass protected and supports 100% sRGB color gamut. The high-end version of the laptop packs a 7th gen Intel Core i7-7500U paired with 16GB RAM of 2133MHz whereas the affordable option will rather pack Core i5-7200U CPU paired with 8GB RAM. The storage options in the device ranges from 256GB/512GB SATA SSD to 1Terabyte PCIe SSD.
Source: ASUS
New to the device is the ErgoLift Hinge that is engineered to tilt and lift the keyboard when tilt angle is beyond 135degree. Asus claims to have tested the hinge for 20,000 open/close assuring the hinge’s durability. It has a full sized backlit keyboard with 1mm key travel and a glass-covered trackpad. Rest of the specs include, a side mounted fingerprint sensor, dual USB 3.1 ports, a webcam, microphone-array and Harman Kardon tuned 2 channel speakers. Addressing Wireless connections, it has WiFi 802.11ac and Bluetooth 4.1.
Asus Zenbook Flip S has a 39Wh 2cell li-po battery with fast charging capabilities. Asus claims the battery charges upto 60% in 49minutes and lasts for 11.5hours on single charge.
The base model starts at $1099 and there are still some uncertainities regarding the pricing of higher end ones. Plus, the Asus will start shipping of the device only in early september.
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.
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.
The new iPad as they call it sport the last gen Apple A9 chip. It is a 1.85 GHz dual-core Apple Twister processor. It is backed by 2 GB of DDR4 RAM. The device also has a 9.7-inch Retina display with the resolution of 1536 x 2048 pixels. Out of the box, it runs on the latest iOS 10.
iPad 2017 are available for purchase from Oliz Store and Evo Store.
The new iPad has an 8-megapixel rear-facing camera sensor with f/2.4 aperture. At the front, it has a 1.2-megapixel camera sensor. The back camera can shoot videos up to 1080p while the front camera can shoot videos up to 720p. In the battery department, the device is powered by a 32.4Wh battery which Apple claims a battery life of 10 hours. iPad 2017 is available here in Nepal in 3 colors Silver, Gold and Space Gray.
Price of iPad 2017 in Nepal
Variant
Price
Apple iPad | 9.7-inch | Wi-Fi Only | 32 GB
Rs. 49,000
Apple iPad | 9.7-inch | Wi-Fi Only | 128 GB
Rs. 59,000
Apple iPad | 9.7-inch | Wi-Fi + Cellular | 32 GB
Rs. 65,000
Apple iPad | 9.7-inch | Wi-Fi + Cellular | 128 GB
Rs. 78,000
Specs:
Network: GSM / CDMA / HSPA / EVDO / LTE
Weight: 469 g (Wi-Fi) / 478 g (LTE)
SIM: Nano-SIM
Dimensions: 240 x 169.5 x 7.5 mm
Screen: 9.7 inch LED backlit IPS display with resolution of 1536 x 2048 pixels
OS: iOS 10.3, upgradable to iOS 10.3.2
Processor: Apple A9 Chipset and PowerVR GT7600 GPU
Oppo F3 is a subdued version of the Oppo F3 Plus. That said, it is a completely new device as compared to the Oppo F3 plus with a different primary camera, display, processor and much more. This device can also be perceived as a successor to last year’s Oppo F1s with which it shares remarkable similarities including the design. Two months ago, I reviewed the Oppo F3 Plus which wasn’t the best device of the price range but yet, it managed to be one of the considerable devices in its price range. But can same be said about its toned down version, the Oppo F3? Keep this thing in mind, I used the device as my daily driver for a whole week. And here, I’m sharing my views regarding the different aspects of the phone.
Design
Starting with the design, there’s nothing unique about this device. It is yet another phone from Oppo that looks more or less like an iPhone. Don’t get it confused with a full metal unibody phone since it’s part metal and part plastic. Only the back plate below the camera is made out of metal and the rest is made out of plastic. There is a rough transition between the front glass and the side frame which I personally, didn’t like at all. So you must be thinking isn’t there any element in the phone’s design that I liked? Well, there are some and they are its lightweight, backlit capacitive buttons on the chin and the well placed physical buttons.
Display
The phone has a 5.5inch Full HD display which can be considered an upgrade as compared to the Oppo F1s. But the display didn’t impress me in real life as it first impressed on paper. This display was a true fingerprint magnet. And, when on direct sunlight the screen is super reflective giving me a hard time while using the phone outdoors. The good impressions display had on me is it’s Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection, good viewing angles, great touch response and thin borders around it.
Performance
Oppo has made some remarkable compromises in this phone as compared to the Oppo F3 Plus to make it more budget friendly. To point a few, the MediaTek MT6750T is its biggest compromise that has shown a remarkable impact on the phone’s performance. The load time of pre-installed apps are considerable but few post-installed apps took noticeably longer time to load. I played few graphics demanding games like Nova and Asphalt 8 on the device. But there were realizable drops in the frame rates, especially while playing Asphalt 8. And, the device keeps getting warmer on the top-right of its back plate not just while gaming but even while using social media, video streaming, and camera apps. Coming to bright sides of the phone’s performance, the phone’s fingerprint sensor was remarkably fast and accurate.
Oppo F3 Benchmark Scores (Antutu and GeekBench)
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Camera
Oppo F3 Camera Samples
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16MP, f2.0 Front Camera Sample
Oppo F3 Wide Angle selfie
Oppo F3 Macro Shot Sample
Non-HDR Sample
Oppo F3 Back Camera Sample
Oppo F3 HDR-On Sample
Coming to the cameras, the dual cameras on the front did impress me just like the Plus model did but the same cannot be said about its back camera which performed just average. The selfies from the primary 16MP front camera look well detailed producing near-to skin tones. But the wide angle selfies from 8MP does come with noticeable distortion at the edges. Now, coming to the back camera, it isn’t anything phenomenal like the front modules. I compared few of its back camera samples with other phones of same price range and there weren’t much of noticeable differences. There were times its back camera underperformed as compared to the competition. However, it had slightly better low light performance and it’s RAW photo capabilities and expert mode for manual control are appreciable.
For the videos, the phone tops out at 1080p at 30fps. The videos from its back camera look a bit oversharpened to my liking.
Software
Oppo F3 UI (Screenshots)
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The phone runs on Color OS 3.0 based on Android 6.0 Marshmallow. For a phone of 2017, the Android 6 sounds a little dated. And, the Color OS has the UI that might be preferable to iOS users than the Android ones. But it comes with few tricks up its sleeves like app cloning along with different gesture and motion controls. In this device, checking the notifications is bit clumsy and I personally, hated it a lot.
Connectivity
This is a dual SIM phone with another dedicated slot for the microSD card which can be considered as an added benefit as compared to phones with hybrid SIM tray. Throughout the time of my review, I didn’t have any issue with the network reception and performance both for the calls and the 4G.
Battery
Oppo F3 has a 3200mAh battery that easily lasted for a full day. However, it’s 2017 and the device neither has a USB type-C nor supports fast charging. And the 10W charger that comes with the phone takes longer than 2 hours to fully charge. For instance, I plugged the phone into the charger at 6% and after half an hour of charge, all I could get was 29% of added charge making the total battery charge to be at 35%.
Verdict
Oppo F3 Gallery
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In nutshell, Oppo F3 does live up to its tag of “selfie expert” but I wish if it had a dedicated front flash. Taking selfies is one of the reasons to buy a smartphone but is not the only one. So, I don’t think this phone with average performance, dated OS, generic design and typical battery performance is worth the price of Rs.35,490. However, if you prioritize on a light weight phone with great selfie camera and the competitive back camera then you can never go wrong buying the Oppo F3. That said, if you are after a phone with an overall performance worth the price then you should be looking somewhere else.
During my period of review, these are the things I liked and disliked about the Oppo F3.
What I liked about Oppo F3 (PROS):
First and foremost, it’s the dual camera setup that let me choose between detailed selfie or a wide-angle selfie as and when required. Plus this wide-angle unit also can be used while taking Full HD videos from the front.
The fingerprint sensor is quite snappy and did unlock the phone with almost zero misfires.
Though the phone doesn’t sport a unique design, it’s still lovable and it’s light weight almost got me sold.
What I disliked about Oppo F3 (CONS):
This phone with MT6750t is just not the right device for gaming. So, the phone’s performance isn’t worth the price.
I didn’t like the fact that the phone is running on Android 6.0 Marshmallow and Color OS 3.0 isn’t the one I’d prefer.
The phone has a typical battery performance and doesn’t support fast charging.
The display is a bit undersaturated to my liking and is a true fingerprint magnet.
If you weren’t impressed by Oppo F3, Here are some other options you can consider:
If you already have a budget of 35K, the best is to add 5K more and buy the OnePlus 3 instead which will checkmark all the boxes for a phone with the performance worth the price.
If you have a budget of less than 30K but looking for a better battery life and performance, the Redmi Note 4 ticks all the requirement — all thanks to efficient Snapdragon 625 SoC and enormous 4100mAh battery.
Coolpad’s Cool 1 is also an excellent choice if you looking for an excellent rear camera and reliable gaming performance. Priced at Rs. 30,996, it comes with a dual 13MP rear camera and a powerful Snapdragon 652 processor.
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.
