GADGET GIZMSPECIAL ..................GOING MOBILE IN 2014

GOING MOBILE IN 2014

A look at the telecom market for this year — some rumours, hard truths and gadgets to watch out for...

    There’s going to be one buzzword in 2014 and you better get ready for it: 4G. The major telecom operators are expected to start rolling out 4G services in the country, giving a boost to mobile internet usage. 4G, or fourth generation mobile telecommunications standards, raise the bar on internet speeds on mobile phones. There’s going to be a lot of jargon thrown around once the tech starts rolling out, like TD LTE, FD LTE, LTE Advanced, IPv6 support, etc. But most of it is not going to affect you, the end consumer, in how you use a mobile phone so don’t bother too much with that. Where it will matter is in compatibility and the only jargon you need to remember is this: TD-LTE in 2300MHz.
    The bad news about 4G is that most of the current line-up of phones will not work with it. Different countries use a different frequency for 4G and India has decided to go with the 2.3GHz band, so you will need phones that have an antenna for it. You will almost certainly have to buy a new device, unless your handset already supports TD-LTE in 2300MHz – in our knowledge, only the iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c support that in India at the moment.
    Airtel has already started testing its 4G technology in select cities like Kolkata and Pune, and has planned a wider rollout in 2014. But the major player to step into the market is Reliance Jio Infocomm, which is the only firm with a pan-India license for 4G.
    Of course, smartphones will not be the only thing that lets you access 4G. In fact, carriers are making a push through USB dongles and Mi-Fi hotspot devices, which will give affordable 4G access.
    The prices of 4G tariff will not be too different from what 3G was, starting at Rs 450 for 2GB of data.
    Of course, with 4G rolling out, you will get a bunch of new smartphones that come with 4G antennas from all the major mobile manufacturers in India. Expect the first lot of these to be 4G-compatible iterations of current handsets.
    The next year will also see flexible phones coming to India, with the LG G Flex announced to hit here in February. Samsung has also globally announced its Galaxy Round, although there’s no official word on when it’ll hit India.
    There’s also movement on the lowcost Android market, as smartphones with quad-core processors come closer to the Rs 5,000 mark. In 2013, companies like Micromax and Lava introduced high-spec phones for extremely low prices, and the trend will continue in 2014 as prices fall further.
    Recently, there have also been reports that Nokia, which was bought by Microsoft a few months ago, is looking at launching a phone with a forked version of Android – which means it would be a custom operating system that lets you install Android apps on it. But remember, it’s just a rumour, so don’t get your hopes up for it.
    Finally, 2014 should see a lot of movement on accessories that pair with your mobile phones, whether it is smartwatches, smart glasses or anything else.
    There are already quite a few of those out, but with these wearable gadgets gaining traction, the next year might just see them become more ubiquitous.
    And in the coming year, expect a bigger push on gaming accessories on the mobile front, whether it’s gamepads for your phone, custom cases and docks that introduce controllers, or the ability to play on your tablet and stream it to your TV.

WHAT WE GOT RIGHT
Google Glasses
THOUGH THEY didn’t launch a consumer edition, a fair amount of devices were distributed through their Explorer program for approximately $1,500 a pop. The glasses became instantly notorious for their ability to record people without explicit permission. While that is still being ironed out, the beta version of the device have already started getting applications and updates. There is no official mention of when a consumer edition would make it to the shelves, but the rumour mill pegs it at sometime this year.

WHAT WE GOT WRONG
Android 5.0
KEY LIME PIE or Android 5.0 was not launched this time around. However, we did see a major update in the form of Kit-Kat along with a huge advertising campaign that game away free Nexus tablets... even in India. The update didn’t change the look of Android but it was light enough to run on most entry level devices that sport just 512MB RAM. Giving a chance for low-end devices to enjoy extras from the updated OS. Hopefully this year will see Android 5.0 finally making it out.

WHAT WE DIDN’T SEE COMING
nVidia Shield
nVIDIA MADE A jump in to the handheld gaming arena alongside huge players like Nintendo and Playstation. The Android gaming device runs on the company’s Tegra 4 chipset that packs 72-core GeForce GPU and a quad core ARM A15 CPU. The device can be connected to your HDTV or played on-the-go on its 5-inch 720p touchscreen. Though it is still too early to tell if the handheld will give the PS Vita and 3DS XL a run for their money, it has most definitely made a splash with its debut device.

MIHIR PATKAR