How to buy a used smartphone ?? (Guide)

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It has become so important to stay relevant in today's smartphone dominated world..not everyone can afford the expensive samsung, sony high end androids and iphones but still want to use them. This is where websites like olx , ebay , Quikr come in handy. Almost every type of phone is available in these second hand product markets, people who desire to use the best phones at low prices prefer these market or people who desire to play with the latest gadget at low prices.

Pros and Cons of Such markets

Pros -

• variety of mobile phones available .
• There is no middlemen in such markets .
• you can choose the seller closest to your place .
• you can check the phone in front of the seller .

Cons-

• phones sold may be damaged ,refurbished & Stolen etc.
• altered ( fake ) phone bill.
• Minor Screen damage not visible to eyes.
• So now that you know about such markets , Lets get back to our real question .

minor screen damage not visible in day light.

So be careful.

Things to keep in mind before Buying a USED Smartphone :-

l. Match the IMEI number on the box with the phone.

Some people on these sites Make fraudulent trades by Convincing the buyer regarding the genuinity of the product.
TO be on the safer side always check the IMEI number .

2. Always check for wear & tear

Its an old saying "  how a person treats his gadgets tells a lot about himself"
never buy a scratched phone , it may indicate the falls incurred by the phone ( it may also have hardware issues. )

3. Always buy a phone under warranty or insurance ( best)

Let me ask you a simple Question " When does a person sell his phone ? "

•  He is bored
•  hardware problems 
•  Extra phone or gifted ( Reasons you will find on these sites)
•  Exchange. 
•  Want to buy an iPhone 5 or Galaxy s4 (90% fake, i have tried this ,though it Works )
•  Warranty expired.

CHOOSE WISELY !!!

4. Check the phone thoroughly

• operate the phone properly
• check for lags , 
• check charging port , 
• USB port 
• 3.5mm audio jack,
• always check the ringtone volume ( is it loud enough)
• check for water damage.

water damage indicator(white turns red)

• check if any nuts And screws are tempered with.

not tempered

                                           

there are differences in both the images, one is tampered  and one is not

tempered

• Always check battery , a healthy battery has less Scratches and less than nominal wear & tear, ( check if the battery is swollen/expanded or not )

.

5. Secret service code test

this simple test will let you know  if all components of your second hand phone are working.Smartphones come with secret service code which you can search online.
enter the code into the dialer of the phone and a service menu will show up.This menu will include options like Service info., service test and customization settings

e.g. galaxy s2 Wlan test mode *#232339#
link for other codes is here

6.  Age of the phone

don't buy a phone Older than 8 months .

70 % of the Users stop caring about the phone after 7-8 months.
I have seen people buying 1-1.5 yrs old iPhone 4/ 4s after a while which becomes buggy.

7. Always check the genuinity of the bill.

I have seen many people getting unlocked iPhone from Other countries and sell it with a fake bill.

PREFER A COMPUTERIZED BILL OVER A HAND WRITTEN BILL ( alterations are possible)

CHECK serive tax no. ALSO

8. Venue of exchange.

Try to meet the seller near service centres (of respective Smartphones you are interested in ) So that you can check the genuinity of the bill and enquire about the warranty status.

9. which phones to buy?

• Samsung galaxy s2 
• Sony Ericsson xperia arc
• Samsung Galaxy note 
• Samsung Galaxy S3
• mostly all androids with removable battery

i do not advice buying an iphone especially without  a bill.
iphone tends to have a poor battery life and over that a used one so u cant even change the battery

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The best smartphones under Rs. 20,000/-

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The lower-end of the mid-range segment is full of competition. Mid-range smartphones ideally should offer very good performance but inside a chassis that’s clearly better looking and well-built than those offered by their budget compatriots.

1. SAMSUNG Galaxy Grand Duos (I9082)

Since the launch of the Galaxy S III, Samsung has gone out of its way to ensure that there’s a Galaxy smartphone in every possible price-range and with every kind of feature. The Android Jelly Bean powered Galaxy Grand Duos is a smartphone that meets the needs of users looking for a dual-SIM phone with all the software bells and whistles that can be found on more expensive Galaxy smartphones. The Galaxy Grand Duos may not have the most amazing specs, but it does enough to make itself a good buy for the people who are specifically looking for what it offers.

2. LG Optimus L9 (Rs 17,400)

LG Optimus series is not as famous as the Galaxy series from Samsung, however this one is totally worth your money. Supporting a 4.7-inch IPS screen with 960×540 pixel resolution LG Optimus L9 is powered by a 1GHz dual core processor coupled with PowerVR SGX540 GPU. There’s a 1GB RAM to aid the multitasking capabilities and a 5-megapixel shooter to capture pics and record HD videos. Other basic features include Wi-Fi, 3G, Bluetooth 4.0, A-GPS, 4GB internal memory, microSD slot and 2150  mAh battery.

 3. Nokia Lumia 720 

Its one of the best looking and most stylish handset you can get without crossing the 20000 price mark. Featuring a 4.3” WVGA IPS screen with ClearBlack technology.  It packs a 1GHz processor with Adreno 305 graphics and well build Windows 8 interface. Lumia 720 has a 6.7 megapixel auto-focus camera offering incredible low light performance. 8 GB internal memory, microSD card slot, Wi-Fi, 3G, GPS, Bluetooth 3.0, NFC etc are the other basic features included.

4.Sony Xperia Ion 

Yet another Sony smartphone, the Xperia Ion is a phone with a list of specs that will make your jaw drop. The Xperia Ion uses the Android v4 (Ice Cream Sandwich) OS and is powered by the 1.5 GHz Qualcomm Scorpion, Dual Core processor with 1 GB RAM. This killer combination gives you amazing speed and undoubted reliability. The Xperia comes with a 4.6 Inch TFT capacitive touchscreen that supports 1280 x 720 pixel HD resolution and 16 M colours. The Timescape user interface allows for easy use of the phone.

With a 12 megapixel primary camera that offers 16 x digital zoom you won’t be needing another camera on your trips. The amazing picture quality is further enhanced with nifty features like 3D Sweep Panorama, LED flash, Auto Focus and Geotagging that make taking pictures on the Xperia lots of fun. The phone also comes with a 1.3 megapixel secondary camera and supports HD video recording.

Key Features

• Android v4 (Ice Cream Sandwich) OS
• 12 MP Primary Camera
• 1.3 MP Secondary Camera
• 4.6-inch TFT Capacitive Touchscreen
• 1.5 GHz Scorpion Dual Core Processor
• Full HD Recording
• Wi-Fi Enabled
• Expandable Storage Capacity of 32 GB

5.Lenovo IdeaPhone S890

Let’s start with the display. The S890 features a 5-inch screen just like the Grand, but it does better by offering a higher 540 x 960 resolution and an IPS panel in lieu of standard TFT. The colours are fairly punchy but not very vibrant or sharp. Sunlight legibility is not very good either. The screen tends to get washed out quite a bit, making it really difficult to use. The phone runs on a heavily skinned version of Jelly Bean 4.1.1. Despite this, the phone is very quick and snappy with no lag. You’ll notice minor slowdowns once in a while, but it’s nothing drastic. Just like the S880, the skin will take some getting used to, but once you do, it’s extremely functional and there are shortcuts for literally everything.

prices may vary, and list random(no ranking)

EA's PS4 & Xbox One games will cost £54.99

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EA's PlayStation 4 and Xbox One titles will carry an RRP of £54.99 - £5 more than the average current-gen RRP.

Confirmation of EA's next-gen pricing was revealed in an FAQ with GAME, which states:

"At present, the only publisher to confirm costs of their next generation games are EA, attaching a price of £54.99.

"No other game prices have been confirmed. We will of course update our listings as and when this happens. And if the price changes before release day, you will always pay the lowest price."

Bar a few exceptions, current-gen titles typically RRP for £49.99 in the UK. Recent releases in the Call of Duty and FIFA franchises have each carried a higher £54.99 RRP.

But despite the higher price planned for next-gen, RRP isn't typically indicative of shop prices, of course. Games usually float around the £39.99 price-point on the high street.

It isn't yet known whether next-gen titles will be sold for their full RRP at launch or carry a lower price tag, but online retailers are currently asking full whack.

EA has a variety of titles in store for Xbox One and PlayStation 4, including launch window titles Battlefield 4, Need For Speed Rivals, FIFA 14, NBA Live 14 and Madden 25, with Mirror's Edge, Star Wars: Battlefront, Titanfall and more set to follow.

Only third-party publisher to confirm next-gen prices.

Source: game.co.uk

google flight search service coming to India

A fledgling effort by Google portending the launch of its flight travel search service in India is creating jitters among online flight aggregators, who fear their business model is under threat.

Google, whose services include Gmail and YouTube, is "very close" to introducing Flight Search in India, according to people with direct knowledge of the plan. Flight Search - first launched in the US and then in parts of Europe - lets users compare fares offered by airlines and book tickets directly from airline websites. This could, in effect, make flight aggregators such as Makemytrip, Yatra and Cleartripredundant, industry observers said. Another website, kayak.co.in lets users compare flight options from hundreds of travel sites at once. 

In response, the aggregators are considering steps to protect their interests, including a possible complaint to the Competition Commission. They claim discrimination by Google when it comes to search results for queries relating to online travel.Separately, Google is the subject of investigations by the Competition Commission based on complaints that it is abusing its dominance in the country's search-engine market. In February last year, matrimonial site Bharatmatrimony.com had filed a complaint against it.

Company already faces probes in US, Europe

Last month, Google launched a 'Start Searching India' campaign aimed at providing users with instant responses on weather and flight status, among other things. This move was read as precursor to the eventual launch of Flight Search in India. Google India said in May that it does not comment on future plans or speculation when asked about its plans to launch Flight Search in the country.

Hrush Bhatt, founder and director of travel portal Cleartrip, refused to count Google's Flight Search as a direct treat but conceded that it could alter the way aggregators allocate their online marketing budget. "We are not sure what value Flight Search would add to consumers, especially if it can only let you compare prices," he offered.

Online travel firms such as Yatra. com, Makemytrip and Goibibo declined to comment. Google denied any knowledge of market participants planning to approach the Competition Commission but said that in the event of that happening, the company will extend "full assistance and cooperation on the matter."

"We're always happy to answer questions about our business," the company said. KPMG's Tuteja said that Flight Search is likely to be popular among India's fast-growing internet user base—150 million at the end of 2012—that has been increasingly been booking travel tickets and hotels through online portals.

In Europe, Google's Flight Search is under pressure from travel portals such as Expedia and TripAdvisor, which have filed antitrust complaints against Google with the European Commission for promoting rival services and disrupting fair competition in the online travel space. Flight Search makes use of the vast amount of flight-related real-time information from US based travel information company ITA Software.

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Grand Theft Auto V gameplay footage

Rockstar has finally released gameplay footage of upcoming open-world heist game, Grand Theft Auto V.what we glimpse is a world more sprawling and gorgeous-looking than anything Rockstar has put together before.It looks very much like the spiritual successor to San Andreas, though this time around you play as three separate protagonists.

Most of the new things we saw were optional: tennis, golf and cycling all look like deep game systems in themselves rather than basic mini-games. We also glimpsed base-jumping, previously mentioned but never shown. You can also invest the money that you make in the stock market and in property, using what looks like a whole self-contained in-game Internet. We've seen diving before, but there's also a whole hunting sim in there, taking advantage of the SoCal wilderness.

During these open-exploration segments, you can bounce back and forth between your three characters, though the video describes this as “voyeurism.” I’m not sure if this means you won’t be able to play each at will, relegated to observing during different parts of the game, or whether Rockstar is simply being glib.

Hopefully this comes to PC and next-gen consoles. Certainly the graphics we’ve seen in many of the trailers look amazing.

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Android Jelly Bean ahead of Gingerbread for the First Time

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Android Jelly Bean is now the most popular version of Google's mobile operating system, surpassing Gingerbread for the first time.

According to stats , Jelly Bean is now running on 37.9 percent of Android devices. Gingerbread lands at 34.1 percent, followed by Ice Cream Sandwich at 23.3 percent.

Last month, approximately 33 percent of Android users were on Jelly Bean, 25.6 percent were on Ice Cream Sandwich, and 36.5 percent were on Gingerbread.

Jelly Bean first topped Ice Cream Sandwich back in May, when approximately 28.4 percent of Android devices were running Jelly Bean, beating out ICS at 27.5 percent.

Very few Android devices are running the earliest versions of the mobile OS at this point. About 3.1 percent are on Froyo, 1.4 percent have Éclair, and 0.1 percent are running Donut (as well as the tablet-centric Honeycomb).

At least two high-profile Android Jelly Bean devices have debuted in recent months: the Samsung Galaxy S 4 and the HTC One. In late May, Samsung said it had shipped more than 10 million Galaxy S 4 devices, a number that has reportedly now reached 20 million.

Last month, Samsung rival Apple took a swipe at Android fragmentation by adding a pie chart to its website that said 93 percent were using iOS 6, 6 percent were on iOS 5, and 1 percent were on an earlier iOS. The pie chart was clearly a nod to the charts featured on Google's Android developer website.

Google will reportedly unveil the next version of Android, Key Lime Pie, in October, which is the fifth anniversary of the launch of the first Android-based phone, the T-Mobile G1, aka the HTC Dream.

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Samsung Galaxy S4 Review

INTRODUCTION

The Samsung Galaxy S4 is the most anticipated smartphone ever from the Korean brand, and with top end features, it's the most powerful and desirable device Samsung has created yet.

The Galaxy S4 comes in at 136.6 x 69.8 x 7.9mm (5.38 x 2.75 x 0.31 inches), the thinnest bezel around

The screen on the S4 has been increased once more, to a whopping 5-inch display with Full HD resolution.

Both the Sony Xperia Z and the HTC One have screens that rock the same resolution, but neither of them have the jaw-dropping clout of the Super AMOLED HD screen on offer here.

There is more under the hood

-a much faster processor and Gpu

• CHIPSET---Exynos 5 Octa 5410  
• CPU---------Quad-core 1.6 GHz Cortex-A15 
• GPU---------PowerVR SGX 544MP3

-ample storage space for media thanks to an expandable memory card slot

-4G 

-Bluetooth 4.0, 

-NFC

-2600Mah battery 

-Infra Blaster to control your TV

The biggest compliment we can pay the Samsung Galaxy S4 - where its predecessor felt a little bit cheap in the hand, the S4 manages to bring a much more solid build and better construction to boot.

So while the "faux metal" band makes a comeback on this model, it looks a lot more premium. And there's very little flex in the chassis when you hold it tightly, which was another problem with the Galaxy S3 at times. It can get dented very easily though, and be careful not to crack your screen if you do so - we've heard of a few instances where this has happened to S4 users, although that can be said of many other polycabonate smartphones.

That doesn't mean that the phone is completely remodelled from the S3 - it's very similar in appearance,. The polycarbonate chassis remains, but that brings with it the faithful battery cover, which conceals a removable battery and microSD slot. However, it's a small gripe with the S4, as while the cover feels flimsy, it's better than it was on the S2 and the S3, and they both sold like hot cakes.

Buttons have barely changed from before - the power button has been shifted slightly on the right-hand side, and is now much easier to hit. Samsung has clearly taken some lessons from the Galaxy Note 2, which has a really well positioned power/lock button.

The volume key is less easy to hit, and could be lower down in our eyes, but the travel on both of these buttons is satisfying, and you'll always know when you've hit them.

image comparison between galaxy s2 vs galaxy s3

SCREEN

The Samsung Galaxy S4 has an all-new screen.It is the best display on the market.

It's the same Super AMOLED technology used in other Galaxy smartphones, but this time it's been cranked up to Full HD resolution, which is 1920 x 1080 pixels.This uses the same PenTile matrix that's drawn so much criticism for Samsung over the years, as some state that Samsung is using too many of one colour of pixel, or sub-pixel is too basic – all of this has meant that older Galaxy smartphones have had something of a blue or green tint, or been a little low-resolution when viewed (admittedly really) close up.

You can change the brightness from the notification bar by sliding your finger up and down the screen - but if you want to make things easier you can just tag the Auto button and have the Galaxy S4 working away at deciding the optimum brightness for you.

What's new here is the ability to customize the auto level - so if you like things a little lighter or darker, then you can choose such a thing. It's a good way to manage your battery even easier.

Another feature, which is both good and bad, is the improved capacitive technology used in the screen which enables you to wear gloves and still use the phone - which will be a key feature to those in colder climes, or like to wear gloves for sport or similar.

However, while this works well for gloves, it does over-power the screen somewhat, in that when you're holding your finger over the screen looking to scroll up and down when you're read a certain paragraph, it will sometimes register a press when you've no intention of doing so. It's irritating to say the least, and something that we hope Samsung irons out with future software updates.

Overall ,This is the best screen we have come across. the 441 ppi is very vivid and clear to the eye.

CAMERA

The Samsung Galaxy S4 camera is a big upgrade over other sensors it has put into phones, and with a 13MP sensor you can see why. It is capable of taking some stunning photos and comes with a decent auto mode, which enables you to get really great shots no matter what the framing.

This means you can be taking a picture of a landscape one minute, then trying to get an extreme close up of a daffodil the next, and the Galaxy S4 camera will handle both with ease.There are also a number of clever modes available on the handset.

These options include Drama Shot, Eraser mode and Beauty Shot, as well as cueing up the likes of HDR mode to improve the quality and light levels of your snaps. For the most part they have a good role to play in your photography, and we're glad Samsung hasn't over-burdened the user with too many modes.

LOW LIGHT

In low light, the HTC One with its ULTRAPIXEL technology is streets ahead of the S4, unless you place the latter into Night Mode after which it's more even. However, the One manages low light shots almost instantly, while the S4 needs a lot of processing.

When compared to the HTC ONE,  the S4 is a superior device in one way, but less useful in another. For one, the focal length is much poorer, meaning you have to stand further away from the subject to get the same shot you would on the One.

BATTERY

Ah, the old battery life test. One of the world's most difficult things to rate, thanks to the sheer range of things you can do with the phone to keep it from throwing out all its juice in a heartbeat.

If you can't be bothered to read why, just understand that Galaxy S4 = good battery life.

But the good news is that the Samsung Galaxy S4 is able to handle all the things you can throw at it and still keep the 2600mAh battery chugging along at the end of the day. We found that in general use it was very well received, as nothing we found could hurt it.

Our usual test is performed on the commute to work, the time where we're at our most 'phone-use-y'. For this test, like all other phones, we streamed the audio over Bluetooth headphones

A 10 minute cycle ride with music playing dropped things by 2%. Streaming video over 4G for 10 minutes with full brightness on the screen pulled down another 3%. Then it was more music for 30 minutes, which ate another 2%, and then downloading a 86MB game file over 4G, which munched 1%.

VERDICT

It is the same old S3 nothing new like the HTC One but samsung have definately worked on their flagship handset.The screen is out of this world. Even at a lower PPI the 5-inch display dominates the competition. We love how Samsung has evened out the colour by default.

The camera upgrade is awesome. Front facing camera is cherry on the cake. battery life is impressive. Touch wiz is the same old with some glitches but we hope that it will be resolved in the future updates.

But the biggest problem we have is with the supposed 'innovation' Samsung has brought to proceedings. Air View, Air Gestures, Smart Scroll - these are all cool in their own way, but all are flawed or overly complex, marring the overall simplicity of the device. Samsung will have to make a big step forward to keep users interested with the next galaxy flagship, but for now we love the S4 and would be proud to have it in our hand.

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