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Xiaomi 'Ferrari' With Octa-Core Snapdragon 615 SoC Spotted in Benchmarks

Xiaomi has so far launched three new smartphones this year, including the new Redmi 2, Mi Note, and the Mi Note Pro. These smartphones haven't really reached many markets; but the company seems to have more planned for this year - with what appears to be a new mid-range smartphone leaked in benchmark results.

Tech Gadgetsz.com (via PhoneArena) spotted two new benchmark listings of a new device called the Xiaomi Ferrari, which is likely to be a codename of an upcoming mid-range smartphone. According to the GFXBench results, the Xiaomi Ferrari will purportedly feature a 64-bit octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 processor clocked at 1.66GHz coupled with 2GB of RAM and Adreno 405 GPU. The handset is seen sporting a 4.9-inch full-HD (1080x1920 pixels) display while running Android 5.0.2 Lollipop; though considering that Xiaomi handsets run MIUI on top of Android, we can expect the Ferrari smartphone to also run a new version of MIUI.

There is a 12-megapixel rear camera capable of recording full-HD videos while a 4.8-megapixel front camera is also on board. The GFXBench further tip that the handset comes with 16GB of built-in storage out of which only 12GB will be user accessible.

The Geekbench Browser benchmark listing of the Xiaomi Ferrari on the other hand shows a single-core score of 692 and a multi-core score of 2481. The benchmark listing also shows upload date back from January tipping that Xiaomi has been testing the device for a while.

Considering that the popular Xiaomi Redmi 1S got a successor in the form of the Redmi 2, it is probable the Xiaomi Ferrari is the successor of the Redmi Note. Further cementing the speculation is the relatively large 4.9-inch display; though we will have to still wait for the Xiaomi's confirmation.

Clash of Clans Maker Supercell Sees Revenue Hit EUR 1.5 Billion

The maker of hit game Clash of Clans said Tuesday its revenues shot up to EUR 1.55 billion ($1.6 billion) in 2014, a 130 percent bound over the prior year.

Finnish mobile game studio Supercell, in announcing its results from last year, reported making EUR 515 million in operating profit as defined by earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation.

The revenue figures make Supercell 10 times larger than its rival and fellow Finnish game maker Rovio, which is behind Angry Birds.

"We're very thankful to the millions of players around the world who play our games," Supercell CEO Ilkka Paananen said in a statement.

Born as a start up in 2010, Supercell was bought in 2013 by Japanese telecom group SoftBank and game studio GungHo which paid EUR 1.1 billion for 51 percent of the company.

At the time Supercell only had two games: Clash of Clans, a strategy game where players build a village while battling competitors, and farm management game Hay Day. The company rolled out a third strategy game Boom Beach in March 2014.

Top Rated Windows Games For Tablets Or Anything Else Running Windows 8 For That Matter

Top Rated Windows Games for tablets (or anything else running Windows 8 for that matter)

Windows Central Roundup: Top Windows 8 Games

We are taking a slight change of pace for this week”s roundup. Instead of focusing on apps for Windows Phone, we are going to take a look at a few of the top rated Windows games.

An HP Stream 8 tablet was left under the tree with my name on it this past Christmas. While my Windows Phone is my primary device for gaming these days, I”m finding the 8″ Windows tablet can hold its own rather well. I think in many respects a tablet is more amenable to gaming than a laptop or desktop, especially when touch screen controls are in play.

I”ve plucked four gaming titles from the Windows Store (plus a few honorable mentions) that I have found to be nice gaming options when you need the elbowroom a tablet offers. Many of these gaming options are available for your Windows Phone and I”ll add the download links with those titles for the Windows Phone Store and make not if the version is available for low-memory Windows Phones.

Fairway Solitaire

While a game of solitaire may not be everyone”s cup of tea, it can be an enjoyable way to pass the time. Fairway Solitaire takes the gaming concept of solitaire and adds a unique twist to game play. The result is a card game that should appeal to most (maybe even to those who hate cards games).

At the core, Fairway Solitaire isn”t very different from your traditional game of solitaire. You are presented with a collection playing cards that are either face up or face down. You have to remove the cards from the playing field in sequence (regardless of suit). You start the card in your draw deck at the bottom of the screen and pull from the other cards. So if you have an 8 showing in your draw deck, your next card will be a 7 or a 9. The goal is to hit long drives by playing as many cards in a row as you can and ultimately remove all the cards from the playing field.

Scores are based on the number of cards you leave in play once your draw deck is depleted with each hole or level of play having a set score that is considered par. You will want to score par or better.

The game has sand traps to overcome, water hazards to conquer and sometimes your cards are knee deep in the rough. To help you out, you will discover golf clubs during game play (or buy them as your earn golf bucks) that serve was wildcards. The seven iron would become a 7 card that might help keep your string of cards going or get your score under par.

Fairway Solitaire includes three courses of play that combine for 350 golfing holes (or levels of play). The game also includes 37 trophies to earn, four mini-games and a pesky gopher that is prone to steal your golf bag.

The free version of the game has enough game play to either get you hooked or have you run for the hills. The paid version is running $1.99 and gives you access to the full collection of courses. The same can be said of the Windows Phone versions of Fairway Solitaire but the game is not a universal app.

Download Fairway Solitaire for Windows 8 (Free)Download Fairway Solitaire for Windows Phone (Free)

Sonic Dash

If you are looking for a fast paced, endless runner styled game you may want to give Sonic Dash a try. For those who may not know, Sonic is a world famous Hedgehog that dates back to the Sega Genesis gaming console days. Sonic has come a long way since those days and Sonic Dash is a popular, entertaining installment to the gaming series.

Controls are gesture based, as is the case with most endless runner games and there are plenty of power-ups to collect during game play or buy through the game”s store.

As you make your way through the endless course, you have rings to collect, enemies to bash and bosses to battle. There are also red stars to collect and earn that will unlock additional characters to play such as Knuckles, Tails and Shadow.

Another nice feature of Sonic Dash is that your endless runner course is broken up into segments. This not only gives you a slight breather but also an opportunity to earn bonus points by mimicking screen gestures as Sonic jumps from one stage to the next.

All in all, Sonic Dash is a fun game to pass the time with whether you are playing from your Windows Phone or the larger screen of a Windows 8 device. Both versions are free but there is no means of synchronizing your gaming progress between the two.

Download Sonic Dash for Windows 8 (Free)Download Sonic Dash for Windows Phone (Free)

Asphalt 8: Airborne

As far as personal choices are concerned, Asphalt 8: Airborne may be my favorite Windows 8 game to play from a tablet. The graphics are outstanding and when you steer with your device sensors, the gaming experience will have you leaning into every turn and raising up in your seat as you send your car airborne.

The racing game is constantly being updated to offer new cars and courses to master. To date, Asphalt 8 has 47 high performance cars to race, 9 different racing venues with 180 events in the Career Mode. You also have an Infected Mode and Drift Gate modes to keep the game interesting.

Asphalt 8 has quality sound effects, plenty of airborne stunts and did I mention outstanding graphics? Add ghost challenges and simultaneous multiplayer action for up to eight opponents and Asphalt 8: Airborne may be the only racing game you will ever need.

The Windows Phone version of Asphalt 8 is addictive but it takes a backseat to the Windows 8 version when played on a tablet (especially when you play with headphones on). Asphalt 8 is a universal app that has the option to save your gaming data to the cloud. This will allow you to bounce back and forth between your Windows Phone and Windows 8 device without missing a beat.

The game pulls down a 5 Star rating in both the Windows Phone Store and Windows Store with over 136,000 reviews. Asphalt 8: Airborne is an impressive game and we will gladly concur with the 5 Star ratings.

Download Asphalt 8: Airborne for Windows 8 (Free)Download Asphalt 8: Airborne for Windows Phone (Free)

Halo: Spartan Assault

While most have enjoyed the Halo series of games over on Xbox, the Windows Phone platform has enjoyed its own installment of the Sci-Fi series with Halo: Spartan Assault. The game has since transitioned to a Windows 8 version and an Xbox version.

It is an entertaining, challenging game for your Windows Phone and, as we see with many of the universal games, the Windows 8 version offers you more elbow room to play and pulls out a little more detail in the graphics.

Game play departs slightly from the traditional Halo gaming titles in that instead of playing the game as a first person shooter, you play the game overlooking the action in arcade style. You still have to battle the Covenant forces, scavenge for weapons and ammo as you play the game and take control of the many Halo vehicles.

Virtual joysticks are positioned in the bottom corners of the screen to control your Spartan”s movement and weapons fire. You also have grenade buttons conveniently placed next to the joysticks for easy deployment. On a tablet, the control spacing feels comfortable and everything is within thumbs reach to help with game play efficiency.

Halo: Spartan Assault includes 30 missions and your progress is carried over should you switch between your Windows Phone and Windows 8 devices. Experience points earned will unlock emblems to enhance your Spartan career in Halo 4.

Graphics are impressive, game play challenging, as well as addictive, and if you are a Halo fan or just like combat oriented games, Halo: Spartan Assault deserves a hard look. The full game lacks a trial version but there is a Lite version available in both Stores that is free and will give you a feel for game play.

Download Halo: Spartan Assault for Windows 8 ($4.99)Download Halo: Spartan Assault for Windows Phone ($4.99)Download Halo: Spartan Assault Lite for Windows 8 (Free)Download Halo: SA Lite for Windows Phone (Free)

Honorable Mentions

Call of Duty: Heroes

Call of Duty is successful first person shooter gaming series that throws you in the middle of a wide range of combat situations. While Call of Duty normally places you behind the sights of a weapon, Call of Duty: Heroes places you in command of an army of soldiers in a 3D combat strategy game.

You take command of a small base and build it up into a major military installation. At your disposal is a host of Call of Duty heroes along with over thirty defensive and offensive structures. The game isn”t all about defending your base with plenty of missions where you launch attacks against enemy positions.

There isn”t a Windows Phone version of Heroes so if you need to fill your Call of Duty itch while away from your Xbox, Call of Duty: Heroes may do the trick.

Download Call of Duty: Heroes for Windows 8 (Free)

Dragon Mania Legends

I recently reviewed the Windows Phone version of this city builder game and found it to be an entertaining title. Playing Dragon Mania Legends on a tablet brings out the finer details of the graphics and with the ability to synchronize your gaming progress, you won”t miss a step by switching between the two devices.

In a nutshell, Dragon Mania Legends is a time management, city builder where you breed dragons, build your kingdom and fight Vikings and their dragons. The game is a nice mix of time management tasks and battle sequences. Graphics are great and the game can be rather addictive. Connect with Facebook and your Windows Phone and Windows 8 game play can synchronize.

Download Dragon Mania Legends for Windows 8 (Free)Download Dragon Mania Legends for Windows Phone (Free)

Hungry Shark Evolution

Hungry Shark is just a fun game to play. The Windows Phone version offers you mobility and the Windows 8 version pulls out the detail in all the fish, fishermen, swimmers and other objects your shark will consume.

The game is rather simple. You play the role of a shark and swim the ocean eating everything in sight. As you eat, your shark will grow but if you fail to satisfy its endless appetite, you will find the shark go belly-up and the game end.

Download Hungry Shark Evolution for Windows 8 (Free)Download Hungry Shark Evolution for Window s Phone (Free)

While these titles are amongst the top rated Windows games, they aren”t the only game in town. The Windows Store is packed full of quality, entertaining gaming titles.

If we have overlooked your favorite Windows game to play on a tablet (or any other Windows device for that matter) there is nothing sinister at work. Just add your recommendation below in the comments. Also, if you have tried any of these Windows titles or others, remember to rate the games in the Windows Store. It is the best way to offer feedback to the developer.

Honor 6 Plus and Honor 4X Smartphones Launched in India

Huawei's Honor brand, as expected, on Tuesday expanded its smartphone portfolio in India with the launch of the Honor 6 Plus and Honor 4X smartphones.

Both the smartphones will be available exclusively via Flipkart. The Honor 6 Plus has been priced at Rs. 26,499 and will be available from April, while the Honor 4X has been priced at Rs. 10,499, and will be made available via its first flash sale on Monday - registrations kick off from Tuesday.

The firm added that both phones will come with a free screen replacement offer that's valid for the first month. Both smartphones will also come with 'app gifts' from Hungama, Yatra and other services. 

Huawei's Honor 6 Plus was initially unveiled in December last year in China. It runs Emotion UI 3.0 based on Android 4.4 KitKat. It features a 5.5-inch full-HD IPS display.

The most notable feature of the Honor 6 Plus is its HTC One (M8)-like dual 8-megapixel rear camera sensors, which the company calls "symmetrical dual camera technology".

The Honor 6 Plus camera sensors are said to capture 13-megapixel resolution images with twice the amount of light as compared to a single sensor, take 0.1 seconds to autofocus, and use SLR-grade ISP technology. There is a 5-megapixel front-facing camera also onboard.

The Honor 6 Plus is powered by an octa-core Kirin 925 processor with Mali T628 GPU and 3GB of RAM. The Huawei's own Kirin 925 processor also offers Cat. 6 LTE connectivity at 300Mbps. It features 32GB of inbuilt storage via microSD card (up to 128GB). A 3600mAh battery backs the smartphone.

Huawei's Honor 4X, on the other hand, is a budget smartphone featuring a 64-bit 1.2GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 MSM8916 processor.

It comes with a 5.5-inch IPS HD (720x1280 pixels) display and runs Emotion UI 3.0 based on Android 4.4 KitKat. It features 2GB of RAM and an Adreno 306 GPU. The smartphone packs 8GB of inbuilt storage, which can be further expanded via a microSD card (up to 32GB).

The Honor 4X was launched last year initially in China. The handset sports a Sony-made 13-megapixel rear camera with f/2.0 aperture, and a 5-megapixel front-facing camera. Backed by a 3000mAh battery, the company claims that the Honor 4X can deliver up to 72 hours of battery life with regular usage. The smartphone will be available in Red, Blue and Golden colour variants and is 7.9mm thick.

The connectivity options on the handset include 4G LTE, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS/ A-GPS, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n and USB 2.0.

Huawei's Honor brand is also promising monthly OTA updates for the two smartphones for six months, followed by quarterly OTA updates.

The Best Free MP3 Players for Android

One of the biggest factors that drive people towards buying a smartphone is that it doubles up as a handy music player. Feature phones had music players too, but some of the amazing music player apps available on smartphones just blow features phones - and even dedicated portable media players - out of the water.

Android, in particular, is a favourite among those who have a large collection of music stored locally. This is because Android phones let you drag and drop music from a computer to the phone, without needing any additional software to start playing your favourite songs. Also, many Android smartphones come with expandable storage, which means you can easily carry your media with you.

Here are our favourite apps for playing MP3 and other audio files.

Google Play Music

This is the music player app that ships with Nexus and other 'stock' Android phones. It's a fairly decent music player that looks good thanks to Material Design. If you just want a player that'll play your songs, this will serve your needs. But if you prefer to browse by artist, albums, etc, those views are hidden in the sidebar. It also has advanced equaliser settings in the sidebar.

Download Google Play Music

Musixmatch

Musixmatch is a decent music player but we recommend you install it for how it enhances the overall music experience on your smartphone. Musixmatch has a floating lyrics widget that works with apps such as Google Play Music and Spotify. This widget pulls lyrics of the currently playing song and scrolls automatically so you only see the line that's playing right now. Download this app just for the awesome widget.

Download Musixmatch

Rocket Player
Rocket Player may not be the prettiest music player but it is the best option if you want to sync your iTunes library with your Android phone. This isn't a free feature - you'll have to pay Rs. 60 and buy the iSyncr app (Rs. 99) by the same developer to sync your iTunes library and metadata. If you use an Android phone and iTunes on Windows or Mac, then this combination of apps will serve you well.

DoubleTwist is a good alternative for iTunes syncing, but you'll need to pay Rs. 300 to unlock that feature.

Download Rocket Player

Shuttle

Shuttle is among the best looking music player apps on Android. If a developer makes a Material Design App even better than Google's own, it deserves special mention. Shuttle has done that and it shows tabs such as artists, albums, etc on the app's home screen and lets you swipe between these tabs. It also has a neat equaliser and a Suggested tab to help you pick a song quickly from your large library.

Download Shuttle

Orpheus

Orpheus is a minimalist music player that will appeal to some people, but others might find it confusing. It has neat tab views like Shuttle and a player toolbar at the bottom with just one button - play/pause. Double tapping this button brings up other actions such as next track, etc and you can even "flick" this button out to switch to now playing view. These actions are configurable so if that's the kind of thing you like, give it a whirl.

Download Orpheus

Poweramp

The free version of this app is just a two-week trial, after which you'll have to pay Rs. 60 to keep using it. That said, Poweramp is the best music player app for nerds. It has advanced equaliser controls and features such as gapless playback, replay gain, etc. We don't recommend this app for casual listeners, but it's a must have for the compulsive audio output tweaker.

Download Poweramp

These are the best music players we found for Android. There are several more good ones, but if there's any app in particular that you prefer, let us know via the comments.

Also see

The Best Free MP3 Players for Windows

The Best Free Email Clients for Android

The Best Free Dialer Apps for Android

The Best Free Alternatives to the SMS App on Your Android Phone

The Best Free Launcher Apps for Android

The Best Free Browsers for Android

The Best Free Browsers for iPhone and iPad

The Best Free Web Browsers for Windows

The Best Free Antivirus Software for Android

The Best Free Antivirus Apps for Windows

Lollipop update news for HTC Desire 816

Released about a year ago, the Desire 816 is arguably one of HTC's best mid-range handsets to date. At launch, the 816 ran Android KitKat, and it still does. Fortunately, it looks like HTC is almost ready to start updating the smartphone to Android 5.0 Lollipop. 

According to HTC ROM developer LlabTooFeR, the Desire 816 will be updated to Android 5.0.2 Lollipop next month (April). It's not clear if the handset will also get HTC's Sense 7 UI (which debuted on the One M9flagship), or if it's going to keep using the current Sense 6 UI. But we'll let you know when we find out more about this. 

The Desire 816 is currently available for as low as $200 in the US (off contract, Virgin Mobile version). It's one of HTC's largest Desire smartphones ever, as it offers a 5.5-inch 720p display alongside a pair of front-facing speakers. The handset also features LTE connectivity, a 5 MP front-facing camera, 13 MP rear camera, 1.5 GB of RAM, and 8 GB of expandable internal memory. Furthermore, the 816 comes with a quad-core Snapdragon 400 processor clocked at 1.6 GHz, and a 2600 mAh battery. 

Do you have an HTC Desire 816? If yes, do you think Lollipop will make it a significantly improved device

Samsung Galaxy S6, Galaxy S6 Edge Price in India Confirmed

Samsung has announced the launch of Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge flagship smartphones in India. The Samsung Galaxy S6 will be available at Rs. 49,900 for the 32GB variant while the equivalent Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge is priced at Rs. 58,900.

Both the smartphones will be available for purchase starting April 10, with pre-orders opening on Monday. Customers who pre-book will get price protection for the next 6 months. If Samsung reduces the price of Galaxy S6 or Galaxy S6 Edge - or introduces any cashback schemes - in India during that time, customers who pre-book will get the difference back as Payback points. 

The Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge feature 5.1-inch Quad HD (1440x2560 pixels) Super Amoled display with a pixel density of 577ppi. The only difference is that the latter sports a dual-edge display. The new Samsung Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge run Android 5.0 Lollipop and are powered by a 64-bit octa-core (quad-core 2.1GHz+ quad-core 1.5GHz) processor coupled with 3GB of RAM (LPDDR4). Three storage variants are available: 32GB, 64GB, and 128GB.

The 64GB and 128GB Samsung Galaxy S6 variants are priced at Rs. 55,900 and Rs. 61,900 respectively, while the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge will be priced at Rs. 64,900 and Rs. 70,900 respectively for same storage capacities.

There is a 16-megapixel rear camera with OIS (optical image stabilisation) and LED flash while there is a 5-megapixel front camera on board. Both the handsets come with a slew of camera features such as quick launch, tracking AF, auto real-time HDR, f/1.9, IR detect white balance, low light video, high clear zoom, virtual shot, slow motion, fast motion, pro mode, and selective focus.

The new premium Galaxy handsets also pack fingerprint scanning with an enhanced touch-type fingerprint scanner on the home button. Additionally, both the handsets will come pre-installed with upgraded Samsung Knox. Both handsets come preloaded with Microsoft apps such as OneNote and OneDrive with 115GB cloud storage free for 2 years.

The Galaxy S6 is backed by a 2550mAh battery while the Galaxy S6 Edge comes with 2600mAh battery. For connectivity, both the handsets come with LTE Cat. 6 featuring up to 300Mbps download speeds and support for India's 4G LTE networks.

New Apple TV With App Store, Siri to Be Announced at WWDC: Report

Apple will show off the much-awaited, revamped Apple TV at the upcoming World Wide Developers Conference (WWDC) in June, a new report indicates.

The current Apple TV is pretty limited in its capabilities, essentially functioning as a media streamer. It's long been rumoured to get additional capabilities like the ability to run apps, similar to the iPhone and iPad. It seems Apple is finally ready to make this move and graduate the Apple TV from a mere 'hobby' by giving it more powerful hardware and an App Store of its own, amongst other new features.

BuzzFeed quotes "sources familiar with the company's plans" to report that Apple will use its annual developers conference - dates for which are yet to be confirmed, though it's usually held in June - to unveil the new Apple TV as well as a software development kit (SDK) that developers can use to build apps for the next-generation hardware.

To drive these apps, Apple will reportedly fit the new Apple TV with the A8 SoC seen inside the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, as well as enhanced storage. The report adds that the new Apple TV is also likely to ship with a brand new remote and "will "support Siri voice control of Apple TV, and enable it remotely for a selection of HomeKit-enabled home automation devices."

The report ties in with recent developments like the price of current-generation Apple TV getting slashed to $69 and reports of Apple planning to launch its own online TV service.