Starting Saturday, Sept. 10, any purchase made in the Lalitpur Mobile Complex — one of the best places to buy genuine smartphones from different manufacturers in Nepal — will see the company donate Rs. 10 to Mahabir Pun’s led National Innovation Center on every smartphone purchase for 1 year.
National Innovation Center, termed as “Rashtriya Abiskar Kendra” in Nepali, for those unfamiliar, primary intent is to foster research and developments for the economic development of the country. Talking during the inauguration of Lalitpur Mobile Expo (Sept 9-Sept 19), Mahabir Pun said,
The initiatiaion of donating Rs.10 on every mobile purchase is huge for funding young engineers and scientists of nepal. few years ago, a group of engineers didn’t have enough funding to complete a project. Now they are in abroad. the Rs.10/purchase might look small on papers, but it really adds up and will make a significant impact for the development of science and technology.
Mr. Mahabir Pun is well known for his scrupulous work in providing internet access, electronic commerce, education, telemedicine, environmental and agricultural services to a number of remote villages in Nepal, using wireless technologies. According to officials from Lalitpur Mobile Complex, they expect 1000-1500 smartphone purchase every month, and they expect more than 2000 smartphone purchase during the expo.
Samsung has officially unveiled the Samsung Galaxy Folder 2 flip phone-cum-smartphone at an event in China. A successor to the Galaxy Folder, the Folder 2 is a mid-range flip phone that is packed with all the features a smartphone at the present time packs.
After plenty of leaks in the previous weeks, Samsung China finally unveiled the device. The all-new Galaxy Folder 2 sports a design from the 90s with the specifications of a top smartphone of the present time. The Folder two packs a Qualcomm Snapdragon 425 chipset with 1.4Ghz quad-core processor and 2GB RAM. The device has 16GB of onboard storage with a microSD card slot. It has been rumored that the device will feature 128GB of expandable storage. It runs on Android 6.0 Marshmallow out of the box. Samsung has not clarified whether the device will be upgradable to Android 7.0 Nougat or not.
Moving on to the camera, the Folder 2 features an 8-megapixel rear camera with an LED flash, and a 5-megapixel front facing camera. Both these cameras have an f/1.9 aperture. The rear facing shooter can capture videos up to 1080p.
The Folder 2 features a 3.8-inch TFT LCD display with a resolution of 480 x 800 pixels, i.e. a WVGA resolution. The device comes with a battery capacity of 1,950mAh. Samsung has claimed the device to have a whopping 318 hours of standby time.
Other than these features, the Folder 2 has a hybrid dual sim slot where the users can either use dual-sim, or a sim and a microSD card. The phone is an LTE device with a single band Wi-Fi b/g/n. It also features GPS, Bluetooth 4.2, a microUSB 2.0 connector, an accelerometer, a hall sensor, and a proximity sensor.
It is fascinating that smartphone manufacturers can still come up with a device from the past that features specifications of the present. Flip phones are slowly growing in popularity and it’s an exciting news for all of the smartphone lovers. If you want to read more on how flip phones are growing up to be people’s choice, click here.
Key specifications of the Samsung Galaxy Folder 2
3.8-inch TFT LCD display with a resolution of 480 x 800 pixels
Qualcomm Snapdragon 425 chipset
1.4Ghz Quad-Core Processor
2GB RAM
16GB internal memory with an expandable storage via a microSD slot
Android 6.0 Marshmallow
Hybrid dual sim slot (sim + sim/microSD card)
8-megapixels rear facing shooter with LED flash and f/1.9 aperture
5-megapixels front facing shooter
LTE, Wi-Fi b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.2, GPS
Pricing and availability:
Samsung hasn’t yet disclosed the price and as to when the device will be available in the market. However, it has been rumored that the phone will cost around $285 in the international market.
CAN CommTech 2016 has officially started and the event runs until 11th Sept, but what I have seen on the opening day has been a true disappointment. Unlike the CAN infotech where there is involvement of almost all the tech giants in some way or another, the first year’s CAN Commtech has proved to be nothing shy of boring. Despite all that, there are few attractions for tech geeks, and for someone looking for a new FTTH internet connection. Let’s get started:
SMARTPHONES: Where are All the Smartphone Brands?
You could only see stall of two smartphone brands at the CAN comm tech 2016: Samsung and ZTE. Both these brands haven’t launched any new products, however, they are offering some kind of discounts and freebies on their existing products.
1 of 2
Samsung is offering 3% discount on already discounted Dashain offer prices, and ZTE is offering 5% discount and free selfie stick on the ZTE Blade S6, Blade D2, and Blade D3. Both these brand shared their plans for the upcoming models. Samsung will be launching the J5 and J7 Prime in next few days, and ZTE is launching 5 new models next month.
Internet Service Providers (ISP): Everyone’s going gaga over the speed
If you are looking for a new internet connection, the CAN CommTech could well be an ideal place to visit. ISPs like Worldlink, Vianet, Websurfer, Subisu, and Broadlink are providing decent offers on Fibre connection and IPTV.
1 of 4
Worldlink is offering 5Mbps unlimited internet speed with 1:4 sharing ratio for Rs. 1,800.
Vianet is offering free installation, 1-month BONUS, cash discount, and free ONU device for yearly subscribers.
WebSurfer is offering free installation, free ONU device, and cash discount.
Subisu doesn’t have any offer on FTTH internet service, but they are providing cable internet and clear TV combo offers.
Laptops: Solitary Acer
Just like the smartphone brands, the involvement of laptop brands were minimal and I could see only Acer laptops from Mercantile. They showcased Acer Switch Alpha 12 laptop which looks like a cheaper Surface Pro. Specs wise, it includes a dual-core i5 processor, 8GB of memory, a 256GB solid-state drive, and a keyboard case. They didn’t reveal the price, but it is expected to be priced at around Rs. 90,000.
Routers: Free Antivirus! What’s the catch?
Provider of networking products and solutions like Netis and Totolink are providing free antivirus on the purchase of routers. Beltronics, on the other hand, launches a new product. It’s a li-ion battery that provides 5 hours of backup for Wi-fi router.
Allocacoc Products: The WoW factor of CAN Commtech
Allocacoc, a household tech company that promises to replace your poorly designed multi plugs and power outlets, is offering a heavy discount on their products with free goodies and combo deals. Let’s summarise the price discount here:
S.N.
Product Name
MRP (Rs.)
CAN Offer (Rs.)
1.
Power USB cable
490
350
2.
Powercube Original
690
550
3.
Powercube Original USB
1190
1000
4.
Powercube Original Remote Single
1290
1000
5.
Powercube Original Remote Set
1790
1500
6.
Powercube Extended
890
750
7.
Powercube Extended USB
1290
Stock out
8.
Powercube Extended Remote Single
1490
1350
9.
Powercube Extended Remote Set
2490
2450 + Powercube Original Free
10.
Powercube Rewirable USB (type UK)
1590
1500 + USB cable free
11.
Powerbar USB
1290
1250 + USB cable Free
12.
Powercube Rewirable (type UK)
1290
1000
13.
Audiocube |Portable|
7500
6900 + Powercube Original Free
14.
Audicoube |Portable| Timber Wood
9500
8500 + Powercube Original USB Free
15.
Power USB HUB
1350
1450 + USB cable (Combo Offer)
16.
Power USB HUB Portable
2490
2590 + USB cable (Combo Offer)
Others: Things I am not interested in!
Acupressure Health Care System: Health Products
Access Kets Training Academy, Broadway Infosys, Lord Buddha Education foundation, Mentor Institute of technologies: IT Courses
Huawei Mobiles Nepal has announced a month-long Dashain Festival Scheme starting from 9th September to 8th October (24th Bhadra to 22nd Ashoj). According to Huawei, every customer will win various gift hampers on the purchase of Huawei smartphones of both low and high price ranges.
Under Prize Ek-sa-Ek, Yo Dashain Ma Bhagyashaali Anek, Huawei will give out the prizes to its the lucky customers on a weekly and fortnightly basis. The weekly prizes include:
100 Power Banks
20 Huawei Smart Phones
4 Giant Cycles with Kit
The winners will be announced on the official Facebook page of Huawei (Huawei Mobile Nepal). The fortnightly prizes will be given out to two lucky customers and those prizes include:
1 Vespa
1 Royal Enfield (Classic 350 CC)
The fortnightly lucky draw will be aired on Nepal Television via Huawei Namaste TV Show. Not only this, Miss Nepal 2012 and the face of Huawei, Shristi Shrestha will hand over the weekly and fortnightly prizes to the lucky winners.
How to participate in a lucky draw?
You need to buy any Huawei smartphone
SMS Huawei (space) 15 digit IMEI no. to 32200
According to the official statement issued, under this scheme total of 500 winners will be benefited and every customer will win various gift hampers.
Forget all the rumors, the new iPhone 7 is here. Apple has officially announced the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus during the Apple’s Event held in Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, San Francisco. According to Apple, the iPhone 7 pre-order start from September 9 will be available globally ready to be shipped from September 16.
The iPhone 7 start at $649 for a 32GB variant of the phone. The 128GB version of the phone costs $749 while the 256GB version comes in at $849 in the US. While the larger iPhone 7 Plus will cost $749 for the 32GB variant. The 128GB version costs $849, while the 256GB costs $949 in the US.
Hands On Video
iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus in Nepal:
GNext Communications Pvt Ltd., the sole authorized distributor of Apple products in Nepal, has officially launched the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus. The price of iPhone 7 will start from Rs. 92,000 and the iPhone 7 Plus price will start from Rs. 1,13,000. You can pre-order the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus in Nepal starting 11th of November and delivery will start from 18th of November. As usual, the company will be selling the latest iPhones through four major retailers: EVO Store, FutureWorld, OLIZ Store, and Sonu Mobile.
Price of iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus in Nepal:
iPhone 7
32GB – Rs. 92000
128GB – Rs. 108000
256GB – Rs. 122000
iPhone 7 Plus
32GB – Rs. 113000
128GB – Rs. 127000
256GB – Rs. 138000
iPhone has finally ditched the 16GB variant and now comes with the 32GB base variant.
Design
Even though Apple came up saying that the design has changed, but the iPhone looks same as the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus in terms of overhaul design. The iPhone 7 is 138.3 x 67.1 x 7.1 mm while the bigger iPhone is 158.2 x 77.9 x 7.3 mm in dimension. The iPhones comes in 5 colors namely Jet black, (Simply) Black, Gold, Silver, and Rose gold. Also, the iPhones are dust and water resistant.
Apple has also removed the headphone jack and instead have earbuds that connect through the phone’s charging port. So, no charging and listening to the music at the same time. The company also unveiled a set of wireless headphones called AirPods which you can separately purchase at extra cost.
Display
With 25% brighter screen than iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus the iPhone 7 has the HD retina display. With the resolution of 1334 x 750 in the iPhone 7 and 1920 x 1080 in the iPhone 7 Plus stands 4.7 inches and 5.5 inches respectively. According to Apple, the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus has the brightest and most colorful display yet. The display comprises of a wide color gamut and 3D Touch.
Camera
The iPhone 7 comes with a 12 MP camera with optical image stabilization and a Quad LED true tone flash. The camera with f/1.8 aperture and a six element lens to make a whole new experience. According to Apple, this technology used in the camera takes even better low light images and videos. Various features such as wide color capture will enhance the beauty of photos and live photos. The camera also has a special flickering sensor that compensates flickering of extra light from the surrounding.
While the iPhone 7Plus comes with two cameras that shoot as one. The two camera both 12 MP are wide angle and telephoto lens. So with an iPhone 7 Plus it’s possible to get higher-quality zoom from farther away.
Performance
The iPhone 7 and the 7 plus is supercharged with the most powerful chip for a smartphone. The four core designed A10 Fusion chip’s CPU has two high‑performance cores and two high‑efficiency cores. The high‑performance cores can run at up to 2x the speed of iPhone 6, while the high‑efficiency cores are capable of running at just 1/5th the power of the high‑performance cores. That creates the best performance and efficiency when needed. This will create a whole new level of gaming experience.
According to Apple, with the inclusion of the A10 Fusion Chip, the battery life would increase by 2 hours (14h of talk time and 40h of playback time) compared to the 6 and 6s plus for the 7 and 7 Plus.
Specs of iPhone 7
Display: 4.7-inches Retina HD Display with Wide Color Gamut
Processor: A10 Fusion C 64bit Quad Core
32/128/256 GB, 2 GB RAM
iOS 10
Camera 12MP OIS (rear) f/1.8 , 7MP facetime HD (front)
Connectivity: LTE Advanced up to 450 Mbps
Stereo Speakers (2x louder than 6 and 6s)
New Home Button
Water and Dust Protection
Price of iPhone 7 in Nepal: 32GB – Rs. 92,000; 128GB – Rs. 1,08,000; 256GB – Rs. 1,,22000
Specs of iPhone 7 Plus
Display: 5.5-inches Retina FullHD Display with Wide Color Gamut
Processor: A10 Fusion C 64bit Quad Core
32/128/256 GB, 3 GB RAM
iOS 10
Camera 12MP with Wide-angle and telephoto LensOIS (rear) f/1.8 , 7MP facetime (front)
Connectivity: LTE Advanced up to 450 Mbps
Stereo Speakers (2x louder than 6 and 6s)
New Home Button
Water and Dust Protection
Price of iPhone 7 Plus in Nepal: 32GB – Rs. 1,13,000; 128GB – Rs. 1,27,000; 256GB – Rs. 1,38,000
With the growing popularity of Viber in Nepal, it is all set to offer a unique benefit for its 4 Million+ discerning users in Nepal. Starting 6thSeptember 2016 Viber users with a registered Nepalese phone number can make a national or international call to any landline or non-Viber mobile completely free using Viber Out .This offer is available every day between 8pm to 10pm until September 19th, 2016 for calls to 52countries.Having over 754 million unique users worldwide, Viber brings this unprecedented offer exclusively to Nepal.
Nepal was chosen for this unique promotion as it is a key market in South Asia. Starting 6thSeptember 2016, Nepalese users can use free Viber Out feature, designed to call mobile and landline numbers around the world from any iOS, Android, and Windows smartphone or Windows PC or Mac. Can anyone in the world for free – be it in Nepal, India, USA, UK , Canada ,Australia, Kuwait and more countries. All you need is an internet connection – mobile or Wi-Fi – and indulge in Viber Out calls- free of charge for 2 weeks starting at 8pm on 6th September.
“Viber has a very strong presence in Nepal. Since a large part of Nepal’s population stay outside for work or education, the Free Viber Out offer will give people an opportunity to connect freely without worrying about call charges ” – said Anubhav Nayyar , Regional Head , South Asia for Viber
As an important step towards securing full peace of mind for its users, Viber has recently introduced full end-to-end encryption on all platforms for chats and voice calls, as well as an option for hidden chats.
Viber has become a pivotal app for the thriving online communities, where friends and families communicate in a personal, safe and expressive manner. Viber also offers influencers, brands, and organizations a platform to engage with their fans and followers through Public Chats and the exciting ViberStickers. With a growing popularity of Nepali language stickers in Nepal, Viber is all set to provide added value to Nepalese users by offering unique services and facilities in near future.
Allocacoc, a household tech company that promises to replace your poorly designed multi plugs and power outlets, has successfully conducted their first Bloggers Meet. The company showcased their existing Allocacoc products and launched 3 new products: Audiocube, PowerUSB Hub, and PowerUSB hub portable.
The Audiocube is a Bluetooth speaker priced at Rs. 7,500. As the name suggest, the Audiocube is cubical in shape and although it’s not quite as portable as one would expect, but it feels well-made and has some heft to it, weighing around 1330gms. You can check out our full review here:
The PowerUSB Hub Portable is a portable rectangular shaped device with 5000 mAh Powerpack that can charge 4 devices via USB port. It can also be used as a Hub to extend your USB ports. The PowerUSB Hub, on the other hand, lacks the powerpack and offers 4 USB port for charging and data syncing. The PowerUSB Hub Portable is priced at Rs. 2590 and the PowerUSB Hub is priced at Rs. 1,350.
The company also shared their plans for the upcoming CAN CommTech (Starting from tomorrow at Bhrikuti Mandap, Kathmandu). Sammy Traders Pvt. Ltd, the authorized distributor of Allocacoc in Nepal, is representing Allocacoc in their first ever offline promotion campaign at CAN CommTech. The company has been selling its products in Sasto Deal, Kaymu, and Nepal Construction Mart. Outside Kathmandu Valley, you can easily find its products in Butwal and it is planning to launch products in Chitwan, Pokhara, and Dharan. Moving on to the upcoming CAN CommTech, they are offering a heavy discount on their products with free goodies and combo deals. Let’s summarize the price discount here:
LG has officially unveiled the LG V20 smartphone at an event in San Francisco. The LG V20 is the successor to the last year’s LG V10 with updated specs and features. The new LG V20 is the first smartphone to feature Android 7.0 Nougat and will first be available in South Korea later this month followed by other markets in the coming weeks.
Like the V10, the LG V20 is all about the display and camera. It features a 5.7-inch IPS Quantum display with QHD resolution with a secondary display located right above its primary screen. The secondary display is now slighter bigger with a better brightness level of 513nits and a better resolution of 160 x 1040 pixels. Just like the LG G5, the V20 features a dual camera setup: A 16MP primary camera with F1.8 Aperture OIS (Standard Angle) and 8MP secondary camera with F2.4 Aperture (Wide Angle). The camera is accompanied by LG’s hybrid AF system with laser detection AF, phase detection AF and contrast AF for fast and steady focus. LG has also included Qualcomm’s new Steady Record 2.0 EIS (electronic image stabilization) to reduce shakes and jerks while recording videos. As far as the front-facing camera is concerned, it houses a 5MP camera with f/1.9 aperture and 120-degree wide-angle lens.
For all the audiophiles out there, the LG V20 could be an ideal smartphone since it now features an ES9218 32-bit hi-fi Quad DAC with high-quality speakers and sensitive mics. LG says that the updated audio system on the LG V20 eliminates background noises, ambient noise, distortion, and offers finer controls over the volume levels. With the new inbuilt recording app, the phone is capable of recording louder audio without any distortion — thanks to three mics built into the chassis. It also comes with Bang & Olufsen audio tuning and for a limited time, LG USA is offering customers B&O headphones bundled with the V20.
The LG V20 is the first phone to come with Android 7.0 Nougat out of the box, and it’s layered with LGX 5.0+ UI. With the use of the secondary display, there are lots of features baked inside the UI like redesigned notification area and dynamic lock screens. On the hardware front, the phone is powered by the flagship grade Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor with 4GB of RAM. It has 64GB of onboard storage with dedicated microSD card support upto 2TB.
The phone weighs 173gms and measures 7.6mm in thickness. It has a metal chassis that’s made of AL 6013, an aluminum-magnesium-silicon-copper alloy that is primarily used in airplanes. It is also US military MIL-STD-810 Transit Drop complaint, which means that it can survive a drop from the height of 4 feet. The back is removable giving the user access to a 3200mAh battery. LG V20 will be available in 3 color options: Titan, Pink, and Silver colors in South Korea. Pricing and availability of LG V20 in Nepal is unknown since there is no distributor of LG mobiles in Nepal. The phone could be available in grey markets sometime next month.
LG V20 Specifications:
Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 Processor
Display: Main 5.7-inch QHD IPS Quantum Display (2560 x 1440 / 513ppi) /Secondary IPS Quantum Display (160 x 1040 / 513ppi)
Memory: 4GB LPDDR4 RAM / 64GB UFS ROM / microSD (up to 2TB)
Camera: Front 5MP with F1.9 Aperture (Wide Angle) / Rear 16MP with F1.8 Aperture OIS (Standard Angle) and 8MP with F2.4 Aperture (Wide Angle)
Battery: 3200mAh (removable)
Operating System: Android 7.0 Nougat
Size: 159.7 x 78.1 x 7.6mm
Network: LTE-A 3 Band CA
Connectivity: X12 LTE (up to 600 Mbps LTE Category 12 with 3x Carrier Aggregation) / Wi-Fi (802.11 a, b, g, n, ac) / USB Type-C / Bluetooth 4.2 BLE / NFC
Colors: Titan / Silver / Pink
Other features: Hi-Fi Video Recording / Steady Record 2.0 / HD Audio Recorder / Studio Mode / High AOP Mic / Second Screen / 32-bit Hi-Fi Quad DAC / In Apps / B&O Collaboration / Finger Print Scanner / Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0
One of the leading e-commerce companies of Nepal, Sasto Deal launched an Android app on September 3, 2016. The app is available on Google Play Store and the company hopes that the shopping will be much easier now with its app. Also, the company stated that the iOS version of the app is coming out in few weeks and we think Sasto Deal customers can wait for some time to get the iOS version as they have waited almost five years to get the Android version. The app size is amazingly less and Android version 4.1 or above is needed to install the app.
After installing the app, the user has quick signup process or can even sign up using Facebook or Google Plus. You must go through the sign-up process to use the features like Wishlist and Shopping Cart.
On the home screen, you can see the two menus for Discover and On Demand and above these menus, there’s a banner saying discount on various products and similar other hot products. And you can select the product you want to buy, then you will see the overview, details and reviews of the product pretty sweetly. You can also see the sidebar listing out the categories.
UI | Sastodeal App
1 of 3
After using it for a while, I found that it is still missing some of the must have features just like sorting out the products according to the price. It’s still in the version 1.0 and we can hope that the app will progress in coming days. But on the other side it has simple and elegant UI and somehow it has gone to opt for the Google’s Material Design. And most importantly I found it quite simple to use.
This year, many manufacturers are coming with or have already come up with flip phones. Yes, we can say that flip phones are making a comeback.
The users you ask? No, they are not grandparents or children. Celebrities, executives of different organizations and other officials use flip phones because of the growing privacy issues in smartphones. Plus, they probably like to talk rather than text.
These days, many people use smartphones. They are with us everywhere we go. Our important files, documents, and pictures are all saved in our smartphones. Now think what might happen if someone hacks into our smartphones and publicize everything. Yes, that’s the reason why people are switching to flip phones.
Not only that, flip phones are budget-friendly devices with great battery life and durability. You could drop it anywhere, on the floor or into a pool of water, and it could probably survive that easily. They are miles ahead of the smartphones of today in the ‘strength’ department.
And now, these flip phones are getting smarter too. Take a look at Samsung Galaxy Folder 2. It’s a flip phone that will have Android 6.0 Marshmallow out of the box with 8GB of onboard storage and a whopping 2GB of RAM. It will house the Snapdragon 425 chip with a quad-core 1.4GHz processor. The phone has a decent camera with an 8MP rear camera shooter and a 5MP front camera. It has been rumored that the phone might feature 128GB of external storage. It will run on 2000mAH of battery. Samsung has however not specified the release date of the device.
If leaks are to be believed, the Samsung Galaxy Folder 2 is a great flip phone.
Flip phones might never be as popular as they were before, or become our first choice device. But it’s safe to say that it still has a future, and manufacturers will continue to make the device more powerful as the years pass. And the to-be launched Samsung Galaxy Folder 2 proves my point.
