GadgetByte Nepal

Crystal Group, the authorized distributor of UMI Smartphones, has launched its flagship model UMI Super in Nepal. The company has priced the phone at Rs. 34,999, but you can grab now at an introductory price of Rs. 32, 499 from Yes Traders Mobile Zone.

The UMI Super features a metal unibody, Octacore Helio P10 processor, and 13MP rear camera. Add to that list, a whopping 4GB of RAM and 4000mAh battery.

The best part of the UMI Super is it runs on a stock version of Android, this time shipping with Android Marshmallow 6.0. What’s even great about UMI is its openness towards the Android environment — UMI has a dedicated page for Rooting and Custom ROM’s. UMI phones support EMUI, HTC OS, YUN OS, LEWA OS to name few. It has a USB type C connector that supports fast charging. On the front, we’ve got a 5.5-inch FullHD display manufactured by Sharp so one can expect excellent color reproduction, viewing angles, and brightness. The display has a 2.5D curve with gorilla glass 3 protection.

Connectivity wise, the UMI Super boasts hybrid dual SIM slots with 4G LTE (micro SIM+mirco SIM/ microSIM+microSD), WiFi b/g/n/ac, GPS, and Bluetooth. The fingerprint scanner is located on the back of the device which the company claims can unlock the phone in just 0.1 sec. The 4000mAh battery, on the other hand, provides 12 hours of internet use and 15 hours of video playback. It features all the sensors like G- Sensor, P- Sensor, L-Sensor, Accelerometer, and Compass.

Full Specs of the UMI Super:

• 5.5-inch (1920 x 1080 pixels) Full HD IPS display, 2.5D gorilla glass 3
• Octa-Core MediaTek Helio P10 processor with Mali T860 MP2 GPU
• 4GB DDR3 RAM with 32GB storage (microSD up to 256GB)
• Android Marshmallow 6.0
• Dual SIM
• 13MP rear camera with Dual LED flash
• 5MP front-facing camera
• Hi-Fi AW8738 studio grade speakers
• 4G LTE, Wi-Fi 802.11 ac/b/g/n ( 2.4 / 5GHz), Bluetooth 4.0, GPS + GLONASS
• 4000mAh battery with fast charging

It is about time we leave the wired devices behind because Bluetooth 5.0 has finally launched. The jump from 4.2 to 5.0 means there will be some serious improvements. According to the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG), the new Bluetooth will be two times faster with 4 times more area coverage, and the data broadcasting capacity will also be elevated by 800 percentage.

The main purpose of this upgrade is to make it reliable for Internet of Things (IoT). This new version is said to decrease connection barriers and enable a seamless IoT experience. Mark Powell, executive director of the Bluetooth SIG quotes:

“Bluetooth 5 will make beacons, location awareness, and other connectionless services an even more relevant part of an effortless and seamless IoT experience.”

So, what can we expect from Bluetooth 5.0?

Reduced Interference

With so many wireless signals around us, Bluetooth 5.0 will improve the connectivity. It will reduce the potential  interference so that your Bluetooth devices can coexist with other wireless devices. Developers can now use Slot availability masks in Bluetooth 5 to detect interference on neighboring bands and automatically prevent the interference.

Low Energy

If you are thinking the Bluetooth 5 will consume more energy because the speed and range have increased, well, according to the company, developers can decrease bandwidth to achieve up to 4x longer range while maintaining similar power requirements like previous versions. So, with improved power-efficiency in Bluetooth 5, you can use your devices for a longer period of time.

Improved Broadcasting

The broadcasting capacity has increased in Bluetooth 5. This means larger data packets(up to 256-octet) is now supported. This enables new features such as tracking your packages while  maintaining backward compatibility with products developed for an earlier Bluetooth specification. Also, Bluetooth 5 will use broadcasting channels more efficiently on the increasingly crowded 2.4 GHz band so that you can experience smooth Bluetooth connection.

In addition, the speed of Bluetooth 5 has increased to 2 Mbps . This means you can transfer files in less time if your device has Bluetooth 5. Also, Bluetooth 5 will be compatible with previous versions (so you don’t need to throw away your old devices).

The devices featuring Bluetooth 5 will start launching within two  to six months according to Bluetooth SIG. Well, we might see them at CES 2017.  For now, all we can do is wait and see how developers utilize the features of Bluetooth 5.

Signing Ceremony of China-Nepal Interconnection between China Telecom Global (CTG) and Nepal Telecom (NT) was held on December 7th, 2016 at a formal program in Hong Kong. This new inking of a deal has officially ended Nepal’s dependence on India for global data and voice traffic. With this new agreement, China Telecom Global will be providing IP services in Nepal through newly launched terrestrial cable route connecting two nations via Jilong-Rasuwa Gateway.

Chief Technical Officer of NT Lochan Lal Amatya and Executive Vice President of CTG Ou Yan signed this agreement at a formal program in Hong Kong, yesterday. This agreement has made it possible for Nepal to purchase Internet Bandwidth from interested Chinese firms. Until now, different companies from India and other countries were selling bandwidth to Internet Service Providers in Nepal.

In the event, Ou Yan, Executive Vice President of CTG, said, “China Telecom is dedicated to expanding our footprint by connecting with neighboring countries. The China-Nepal route could provide service to Nepal and transit service from India. China Telecom has put tremendous effort into building the route through the Himalayas. We are committed to delivering a state of the art route for Nepal Telecom.”

Hence, The new China-Nepal route is unparalleled as it is a new direct alternative route for traffic demand generated from Nepal to all over the world and provides the highest quality service and low latency solution for end users in Nepal.

Is this new terrestrial connection gonna benefit only service providers? Will it bring some noticeable changes at consumers’ level or not? That is something, yet to see.

Evolution Trading Pvt. Ltd., the authorized distributor of JBL products in Nepal, has introduced JBL Clip 2 in the market of Nepal. This new ultraportable Bluetooth speaker from JBL now can be easily purchased at MRP of NRs. 8,000 from the outlets of Evo Store. JBL Clip 2 is the successor to JBL’s widely accepted budget friendly portable speaker JBL Clip.

The JBL Clip 2 has kept the same hockey-puck design like its predecessors. What has changed is the new stylish yet sturdy fabric in place of hard plastic speaker grills. It feels as good in the hand as it looks with its soft rubberized plastic housing at the button. It comes in five different color options of Blue, Black, Red, Grey, and Teal. Like its predecessors, permanently attached Aux cable with 3.5 mm jack is wrapped perfectly along its edge which can be used with devices that don’t have Bluetooth connectivity in them. The best improvement here is the real carabiner in place of plastic clip. Now, it’s much easier to clip the speaker to your belt loop or bags or anywhere you think it fits.

Now, the battery is of 730 mAh as compared to 600 mAh of older JBL clip. This addition in battery capacity can be felt as well. The speaker now is said to give 8 hours of playback time as compared to 5 hours from its predecessors. The speaker’s performance is just too damn good considering its size and price. It does well while producing mids and lows but distorts a bit in the highs. The vocals sound too immersive and any acoustic music will sound the best. There’s enough of bass but the device struggles a bit while playing some bass heavy tracks but that’s something we can simply ignore.

Its speakerphone capabilities are mind blowing with echo and noise cancellation mic. The 3W speaker is sufficient enough to turn your small parties into musical ones. The volume outdoors is decent too but might fade out in a noisy party environment. It has 15 different volume levels and volume levels are too good. The speaker can be quiet enough for you to listen to your favorite songs before bed and is loud enough to accompany you in your hiking.

You can easily charge it in around 2.5 hours via microUSB cable through your PC’s USB port or any phone’s wall adapter does the job as long as its output voltage is 5 volts. The speaker’s LED light turns red while charging and the light turns off when it’s fully charged.

The Bluetooth connectivity is pretty strong unless your phone and speakers are over 20 feet away. That is when the skipping occurs. You can trigger the Google Now or Siri by long-pressing the phone button.

JBL clip 2 is undoubtedly one of the best portable Bluetooth speaker currently available in the market. Its IPX7 water resistance rating is a must-have feature for any portable speakers. You can expect our detailed video review on this product hopefully at the end of this week or early next week.

[where-to-buy buy_id=21402]

Sasto Deal, one of the largest e-commerce company in Nepal, has introduced Sasto Deal Express Delivery service in Nepal. If you have heard about the Amazon Express delivery, well, it is like that. What is new about this service? Well, let’s look at the features.

Features

According to Sasto Deal, you will get your package within 2 hrs of the order. However, this service is limited to customers inside ring road of Kathmandu valley. And, this “super-fast” delivery will cost you Rs. 150 extra (introductory rate they say!). Plus, the package should not be bigger than 2X2  size (too many limitations). But overall, a good initiation by Sasto Deal!

So, if you have been staying away from the online market because you  are worried about not getting your package on time, well, you might want to try this new express delivery service by Sasto Deal. If you ask me, Rs. 150 delivery charge is a good deal because you will be saving your time (and Khaja and Transportation cost that would come if you visit offline stores). Well, I am definitely trying this service, are you?

Finally, hope this move by Sasto Deal works as a spark for a new era of online shopping in Nepal.

Most of us have heard about start-ups and investors. In my experience, these words are frequently used nowadays, among the groups where individuals are inclined to innovation and eager to establish something on their own. This is facilitated by a web-based platform named passionboard.com.

Passionboard provides a web-based platform where the entrepreneur, investors as well as passionate people come into an interaction. The entrepreneur can easily submit their project, and later raise funds as the their project will be on direct watch of potential and later market their product.Also, the investors can browse the products, invest the project and endorse the project to make it popular. Apart from the regular investor and start-up intermediation, the platform also allows the passionate people to rate the different projects  and make the popular. This will help the project to get popular and eventually bring an interested investor for the project. One has to create an account for the site which is fairly easy but the website does feel little confusing at a first glance. After using it for a while ,I noticed that the site showcases only international investors. The co-founders of the platform stated that currently only the international investors are popular on the platform and Nepalese investors will slowly be active as the interaction and usage of the platform ddevelopand matures. It was further added that the platform is just in introduction phase and will pace its growth soon.

Passionaboard provides several features used by the entrepreneurs and investors in a single platform. To add that it also has an allowed the innovative individuals to play a prominent role to launch a project which one doesn’t see in similar websites. It is good to see an initiative like this in Nepalese context. Do check the site and tell us what you think.

With increasing grey market and other many challenges in the mobile phone industry, all the phone importers in Nepal have decided to go together and have formed an association on Dec. 4th, 2016. Mobile Phone Importers’ Association (MPIA) is the newly formed umbrella body of all phone importers in the country. Deepak Malhotra, chairman of Integrated Mobility Solutions Pvt Ltd, is said to have been elected as the president of this new association.

Furthermore, Sanjay Agrawal (executive director of Teletalk Pvt Ltd), Amit Agrawal (managing director of Life Com Pvt Ltd), and Ramesh Bahadur Shrestha (business unit head of CG Mobile Pvt Ltd) are said to be the vice-president, general secretary, and treasurer of this newly formed body. The primary objective of this association is to drag the Government’s attention towards illegal imports of mobile phones and to discourage such activities. This, in turn, will help the government make more revenues.

Gionee, Huawei, ZTE, Apple, Samsung, Colors, Lenovo, CG, HTC, Lava, Xiaomi, Videocon, Oppo, Sony, Spice, Micromax, OBI, Karbonn, DTC, Panasonic, and Nokia among others are members of MPIA.

The association claims to make domestic mobile phone market more disciplined and responsible. Is this newly formed association really gonna give some new experience in the consumers’ level? Well, that’s something yet to see.