iPhone 6 Release Date

The Apple iPhone 6 launch date is set to September 9. iPhone 6’s major rival, the Galaxy Note 4 has been released. The Samsung Galaxy Alpha release date is set to September 12. Now, its Apple’s turn to roll out the new iPhone 6 models of 2014.

The iPhone 6 will be launched amidst the issue of a hacker gaining unauthorized access to iCloud accounts and leaking nude photos of celebrities online. The iPhone 6 launch event will take place at the Flint Center for Performing Arts which are located at Cupertino, California.

Traditionally, Apple has a habit of releasing new iPhone ten days after launching it. Hence, the expected iPhone 6 release date is September 19. In the US, the four major carriers, AT&T, Verizon, Sprint and T-Mobile will be the first ones to offer the iPhone 6.

The details on the on-contract pricing have not been disclosed yet. The iPhone Air premium phablet with sapphire display may come out with an expensive price tag. Both the handsets will be available in three color variants like grey, silver and gold

Expected Top 10 iPhone 6 Features

Here the top 10 features that we can expect from the iPhone 6:

Two New iPhone 6 Models

Rumors are rife that Apple will be rolling out two iPhone 6 models. The 4.7inch iPhone 6 would come as a replacement for the existing iPhone 5S and the 5.5inch iPhone 6 will be a new phablet model that allows Apple to compete with Android smartphones that come with 5inch and above display screen. The 5.5inch iPhone 6 is referred to as iPhone 6L and iPhone Air by various tech sites

Sapphire Crystal Display

In the previous month, rumors of iPhone 6 will adorn a sapphire display instead of the usual glass display screen.

Sapphire displays don’t come for cheap, but they are highly durable to scratch and cannot be broken easily. Rumors claim that the sapphire crystal display is more suitable for an iPhone that comes with higher specifications. This indicates that the iPhone Air phablet may feature the sapphire crystal display.

 

Rumors coming from some other sources claim that since Apple is facing production issues, the company won’t provide sapphire crystal displays on iPhone 6 but it may be offered on future products.

Sharper Display

iPhone models are yet to support full HD resolution. The iPhone 5S came with a display resolution of 640 x 1136 pixels. Android smartphones are offering full HD and quad HD displays to the audience, but this does not seem to bother Apple as the 4.7inch iPhone 6 is expected to feature a sharper resolution of 1704 x 960 pixels or 828 x 1472 pixels.
If the iPhone Air phablet wants to compete with the likes of LG G3, Galaxy Note 4, Sony Xperia Z3 and HTC One M8, it should come out with full HD or quad HD resolution display screen.

A8 Processor

The A8 processor is a successor chip for A7. Most of the Android smartphones have switched to quad-core processors. The new A8 processor is a 64-bit dual-core chip which can produce a processing speed of 2GHz. The A7 processor can deliver a performance of 1.3GHz.

Moreover, the iPhone 6 is also rumored to feature a Phosphorous co-processor. The iPhone 6 will feature couple of sensors like air pressure and barometer and the job of this co-processor would be able to accumulate data from this processor to the main A8 processor and then the information will be displayed on the screen to the user.

iOS 8

The all new iOS 8 will come preloaded with the iPhone 6. In appearance, the iOS 8 hardly differs from the iOS 7. However, software developers at Apple have done a great job in adding numerous features and enhancements to the new operating system.

The new iOS 8 will allow seamlessly use the iOS 8 running iPhone 6 and other iDevices with Mac OS X Yosemite. This will allow users to receive calls and read text messages through Mac. The Handoff feature will allow users to start a task one device and continue it on other device. There are other host of other features like HealthKit and HomeKit to name a few.

Storage

The iPhone 6 is heavily speculated to come out with a new internal storage option of 128GB. It is also in the news that the iPhone 6 won’t feature a 32GB variant.

Some other rumor reveals that the 4.7inch edition will feature the same old storage options like 16GB, 32GB and 64GB and the 128GB option will be exclusively available on the premium iPhone Air model.

Camera

The iPhone 6 is rumored to feature an improved camera over the 8MP camera that came on iPhone 5S. It will be sporting a new lens from Sony. However, it is not sure whether it will house a 13MP or 16MP camera. One of the major features to come equipped with is Optical Image Stabilization (OIS). The inbuilt sensors would be able to capture bright and high quality images.

 

Touch ID

It is highly speculated that the iPhone 6 will feature an improved Touch ID fingerprint sensor. Rumors claim that the sensor will perform more accurately and will be able to read fingerprint impressions quite quickly.

NFC

The Near Field Communication (NFC) is a feature which allows two NFC enabled devices to establish wireless communication between each other when they are touched together or brought very close to each other. It can be used to share contents, play games, making payments at groceries and so on.

Many Android smartphones come with NFC feature but none of the existing iPhones feature NFC. The forthcoming iPhone 6 is expected to feature NFC.

Battery

As far as battery life is concerned, the iPhone 6 is expected to feature a powerful battery to support the sharper display screen and the new A8 processor.

 

Through leaks it has been known that the 4.7inch iPhone 6 will be featuring an 1810mAh battery. The iPhone Air will house a larger battery of 2915mAh battery. Comparatively, the iPhone 5S came with a smaller battery of 1560mAh. Like the one inside iPhone 5s, the iPhone 6’s battery is going to be super thin in size

Previous week Motorola flaunted four brand new devices, including Moto X for 2014. Earlier, it was rumored that the company will name it as  Moto X+1 or Moto X2 but it is simply known as the Moto X.

Shortly after the release of Moto X Apple launched the new iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus.  Several people are interested in the key differences of the two phones.

Most of the manufactures have released their flagship this year that makes it more difficult for the buyer to choose the best one. Following are the details that people should know before making the final decision.

The iPhone 6 brings a great change in the usual series of iPhones. Apple released it with two different models, one with a display screen of 4.7 inches and the other with 5.5 inches screen. On the other hand, Moto X is also bigger and much improved. The two devices have several features which immediately attracts the user. Both the devices Moto X and iPhone 6 will reach the markets till the end of this month.

Apple plans to officially launch iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus on the 19^th of September. Today, Motorola begins to accept the pre-order for Moto X that promises a delivery within the time period of 10 days. It indicates that people will get iPhone 6 earlier than Moto X; therefore buyers can effortlessly wait till the arrival of iPhone 6 reviews.

Display:

Last year, Motorola launched Moto X with a 4.7 inch display screen and this year Apple offered the similar size in iPhone 6. Nevertheless, the Moto X of 2014 has a relatively larger screen of 5.2 inch than the last one.  It signifies that Moto X is the perfect device for the people who are confused between the two sizes.

The first thing buyers will notice in both the products is the screen size and quality. The iPhone 6 offers a 4.7-inch 1334 x 750 (720p) resolution, whereas Moto X comes with a full 1920 x 1080p HD resolution.

The iPhone 6 introduced a home button along with Touch ID and  sensors that are located at the top of the device. On the other hand, Motorola has equipped Moto X with bezel design and new front facing speakers. Although the difference in size is not that noteworthy, but still Moto X contains higher resolution.

It is essential to look at each and every aspect of the two products in order to get a complete comparison.

Design:

On the whole, the design of new Moto X is similar to the original Moto X. The front outlook is consist of plastic along with an aluminum ring which is for there for purpose of protection. The company offers some really exciting customization in this new set. Buyers can opt from 25 different options which include wood, engraving, plastic, leather and much more.

On the other hand, Apple offers new an incredibly thin iPhone 6 with three different colors.  It is covered in an aluminum shell which is pretty light in weight and makes it one of the most appealing phones. iPhone 6 does not provide a variety of options in customization.

Therefore, if you are more concerned about the appearance of the Smartphone then new Moto X is the best choice for you.

Ultimately, the choice of phone depends upon the need and preference of features. Needs and budgets vary from one person to another therefore, no one else can choose on behalf of you.

Specification:

Specs are really dissimilar in the two devices since both of them runs on a different system. However, following are the details for the people interested in specs:

iPhone 6 Specs

• 4.7-inch 720p HD display
• Apple A8 64-bit Processor (dual-core)
• iOS 8
• 16GB / 64GB / 128GB storage options
• 1.2MP front-facing camera
• 8MP rear-facing camera
• 802.11ac Wi-Fi
• Touch ID Fingerprint Sensor
• NFC
• 138.2 x 67.1 x 6.9mm – 129 grams

Moto X 2014 Specs

• 5.2-inch 1080P Display
• 2.5 GHz Snapdragon 801 Quad-core processor
• 2GB of RAM
• 16GB and 32GB storage options
• 2,300mAh battery
• 13MP rear facing camera w/ 4k video, 2MP front camera
• Dual LED Ring Flash
• Android 4.4.4 KitKat
• Over 25 customizable back options
• 140.8 x 72.4 x 10 mm – 144 grams

Apparently, there are a long list of differences of Moto X and iPhone 6 apart from the size. However, Apple has not disclosed the complete battery details; therefore people are unaware of the battery life of iPhone 6.

Camera:

This time Apple struggled really hard to give an excellent camera to the customers. The iPhone 6 comes with 8 megapixel camera, 5 point lens, new focus system, better flash and 240 fps slow motion video recording. These features will definitely give you a remarkable quality of photos and video.

Motorola offered a 10 megapixel camera on the original Moto X but still it was unable to beat the camera of iPhone 5s. This time new Moto X has a 13 megapixel camera, yet it is hard to say anything about the result of this camera.

Apple is offering the best camera for several years. Therefore, it is quite a big challenge for the rivals of Apple to create that quality of the camera.

Price:

Price is the most significant thing, especially for a budget conscious buyer. The comparison of Android VS Apple is incomplete without this part.

The Moto X is available at a cost of $99 on a two year contract and $499 on off contract.  Whereas, the iPhone 6 comes at a really high price, therefore, the majority of the buyers will try to get it on a two years contract.  These prices are for the phones that offers 16 GB of storage.

Motorola has yet to declare the other storage versions of Moto X. The iPhone 6 comes with three different storage options that are 16 GB, 64 GB and 128 GB.  Following are the price of two year contract of iPhone 6:

• iPhone 6 16GB – $199
• iPhone 6 64GB – $299
• iPhone 6 128GB – $399

Whereas, Apple charge a bit more money for an off contract iPhone 6

• iPhone 6 16GB – $649
• iPhone 6 64GB – $749
• iPhone 6 128GB – $849

Buyers have to pay extra $150 for the iPhone 6.  It is a phone with less resolution display and offers average life of the battery.

Conclusion:

Presently, people are not interested in the argument of Android VS iOS since everyone has a different perception. The above mentioned details are related to size, quality and price rather than software and hardware. If you are looking to try something new then Motorola is surely the best thing for you.

On the other hand, Like several other people you were waiting for an iPhone with a big screen then your treat is ready.

Apple released  few steps to demonstrate the customers how to switch from Android to iPhone.

Previous week, Apple launched some of its brand new products and iPhone 6 was one of them. The company has launched the device in two different models iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. The iPhone 6 comes  with a display screen of 4.7 inches, whereas iPhone 6 Plus has relatively a larger screen of 5.5 inch. These two models will certainly push the iPhone 5s and 5c down the lane.

 

Both the iPhone 6 has a smooth and slim design, A8 processor, improved camera, loads of storage, Retina HD display and much more. Moreover, Apple introduced Optical image Stabilization specially in iPhone 6 plus that promises to improve the quality of your photos and video. Apple marked a record in the history of pre-order because of these exciting features.

Apple declared that it will ship the pre-orders of iPhone and iPhone 6 Plus on Friday. Although the company has not announced any particular figure yet, but most of the buyers are the ones who are probably switching from Google’s operating system. Apple officially released some useful tips that will make it easier for Android users to replace their phones with iPhones.

 

This shift sounds quite easy for most users, but for some users it might be a difficult attempt to switch to an iOS operating system. Apple circulated these tips just before the release of iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. These suggestions will certainly assist a large number of people who intends to purchase a new phone.

The Apple’s in-house tutorial display potential buyers of iPhone 6 how to switch from Android to iPhone. It will solve various problems that Android user will face on Friday.

The company’s how to page shows how users can sync mails, adds contacts and prepare their calendars. It explains in detail to adjust photos and video while moving. It also demonstrates numerous other elements such as filling up the iPhone with music files, books and PDFs. In the end, it directs how to control App store.

Apple is evidently expecting the arrival of thousands of Android users to iPhone 6 Plus due to its massive screen. The majority of the Android smart phones come in merely one size, whereas Apple launched iPhone 6 in two different sizes in order to compete with them.

The iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus will touch the markets of the United States on Friday. In the beginning, these new devices will be restricted to major five carries and C spire.

The other wireless carriers such as Alaska Communication, Appalachian Wireless, Bluegrass Cellular, Cellcom, Nex-Tech Wireless, Silver State Communication, Strata and Syringa Wireless will begin to sell iPhone 6 from September 26.

Apple also intends to launch the iPhone 6 in numerous other countries like Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Russia, Sweden, Spain, Taiwan etc. Whereas, the rest of the countries like India will get this iPhone 6 till the end of this year.

Sales are declining, Samsung and Apple have taken the most of the cellphone market share. How to survive in the market? How to come back in the competition, with the record of past 3 years with reducing sales?? Create something new and diversify the operation. This is what HTC thought and now is rumored to be working on a 16 – Megapixel sports underwater camera.  Not to forget the already established GoPro in this underwater business. HTC is entering a new market, with less competitors and thinking to expand its operations.

The ‘camera’ will be tube shaped, supporting both Android as well as iOS and can be connected through Wi-Fi as well as Bluetooth. The camera is also expected to be suitable for rugged areas and featuring a strong solid body. With this camera HTC is forecasting to gain $244.6 million as revenue, giving GoPro serious and tough competition. HTC’s official latest attempt was the flagship smartphone M8, which offered more than one operating system. GoPro recently released 12 megapixel Hero3+’s however ended up making losses with revenue as little as $19.8 million. GoPro now decides to launch a new Hero4+’s featuring higher performance, better megapixels and much more. This increased competition might result in small companies entering this market and infiltrating it.

Any official announcement has not been made yet by HTC, but these details were given out by a person, who chose to stay anonymous. However HTC is expected to carry an event on Oct. 8 in which the camera will be released along with a new smartphone, suitable for taking selfies at the very same event, it is expected to take place somewhere in New York or California. For now we can only wait until an event takes place or any official announcements are made by HTC.

Recently, Apple has made quite a remarkable entry in the market of SmartWatch with its brand new iWatch. On the other hand, Pebble Technology Corporation launched its Pebble Smartwatch and new Pebble Steel. Therefore, the company is really looking forward to the future.

The Pebble Smart Watch released as a $10 Million Kickstar campaign, which means funding of nearly $100,000.  The campaign was considered as the second highest funded campaign in the history of KickStarter. The company has launched an upgraded version of this watch known as Pebble Steel. Pebble is a smart watch which is connected with the phone.

Design of Apple watch and Pebble Watch:

 

Pebble’s first SmartWatch was not that stylish therefore next year the company launched a newer model with amazing design. Pebble Steel has a metal design along with two bands, one manufactured with steel and the other with black leather. Pebble Steel seems relatively better than the original Pebble Smarrtwach. However, it still cannot compete with the design of iWatch that Apple flaunted on the 9th of September.

Apple intended to ship two sizes with several colors and designs. This kind of variety will certainly attract a lot of buyers. On the other hand, Pebble is successful in appealing man and women who have large wrists. People who look for function more than the style will surely find Pebble SmartWatch and Pebble Steel more alluring.

Whereas, Apple Watch is pretty large and thick for the people who have small wrists. But still the design of Apple is way better than both the smart watches of Pebble.

The Apple Watch still seems bulky and thick for people with petite wrists. However, the smaller watch design will fit better than either Pebble design.

Apple offers three versions in more than two sizes along with various colors and materials.

1. Stainless Steel
2. Silver Aluminum
3. 18-Karat Yellow Gold
4. Space Black Stainless Steel
5. Space Gray Aluminum
6. 18-Karat Rose Gold

Besides these six material designs Apple provided multiple watch bands

These band styles will positively go with the material of the watch.

1. Link Bracelet
2. Sport Band
3. Leather Loop
4. Classic Buckle
5. Modern Buckle
6. Milanese Loop

Apple has released a new way rather than the conventional one of fastening the watch. Instead of pinning the user merely have to slide in strap into the exact place.

The company has introduced three styles of Watches: the basic Apple Watch, the Watch Sport and Watch Edition. It signifies that buyers have a wide choice of 18 different models. In Contrast, Pebbles offers only a steel watch and the original SmartWatch. The Pebble presented the original design with some vivid colors and named it as FreshHotFly.
The original and new Pebble follows the traditional way of connecting the bands. Therefore, the user can mix and match with any other conventional watch band they have that means user have an endless possibility in Pebble.

The Apple Watch buyer will merely get the one that Apple offers due to its proprietary connector.  Although third- parties are planning to design new bands for Apple Watch but the company has not given them permission yet.

Both the watches are quite different in terms of control keys. The Pebbles comes with a button on each side which allow user to scroll screen roll move up/down. Whereas, the Apple Watch includes a touch screen and the digital crown, a scroll wheel and button on the side of the watch.

Battery life of Apple and Pebble Watch:

Pebble provides at least three days and maximum seven days battery life. As far as the battery life of Apple is concerned, People are still unaware of it.

Functionality:
The fundamental function of the two watches is quite similar. Both of them can connect with a phone and inform you about your notification on the watch as well. In short, wearers would not have to look into their phone during exercise, driving or working. It will give a silent alert to the user on his wrist instead of the ring on his phone.

The two watches allow the user to install apps which expand the function of the watch. Pebble offers more apps on the Pebble store as compared to the Apple since it is in the market for a year. Therefore, do not expect Apple to present you a large number of apps because it is new.

The Pebble and Apple watch give users the opportunity to change watch faces.  The Pebble store is full of pebble’s watch faces, whereas Apple will also ship the Apple watch with several faces.

Both the companies allowed the developers to manufacture new watch faces. However, the colors vary since the Pebble only uses black and white e-ink display, while the Apple Watch uses a color display.

Apple pay is a new service of Apple that will definitely alter the technique through which people pay for their goods.  Apple has included this feature in Apple Watch as well. Pebble doesn’t contain any feature that allows users to pay with the help of their watch. Apple has offered this feature both in iPhone and Apple Watch.

Furthermore, Apple introduced a feature through which Apple wearers can interact with each other directly from the watch. It will permit users to reply to the text message and even communicate with the help of drawings and vibrations. Pebble Store contains numerous apps which will send stock responses on text, but still it would not let wearer reply through drawing and vibrations. Moreover, the wearers of Apple watch would be able to talk by means of the watch, a feature which pebble doesn’t have.

Both the two companies Apple and Pebble offer fitness tracking in watches. However, Apple has also included a heart rate monitor that has sensors placed on the back of the watch. In addition, users can also share the heart rate with other users through the watch. On the other hand, Pebble depends on third party apps for the majority of its fitness tracking features.

Apple Watch and Pebble on Compatibility
It is very easy to compare the two watches. Pebble runs on both iPhone and Android. The Pebble app can function on any iPhone or iPad that works on iOS 6 or later. The Android app work on Android Phone which runs on 4.0 or higher Android version.

The Apple watch merely works on iPhone 5 or any other latest model of iPhone. People who have Android Phone or previous models of iPhone cannot use an Apple Watch.  Therefore, they have to choose Pebble if they do not own an iPhone.

Cost of Apple and Pebble Watch:
As far as the price is concerned, the vote goes with Pebble. Apple announced that the Apple Watch will come at a price of $349 that will certainly be very heavy on the pockets. Whereas, Pebble original smart watch or the new Pebble SmartWatch comes at a reasonable price of $150. Even the price of pebble costs is less than the cheapest Watch of Apple.

However, Apple has not declared the entire price list of its watches which means some of them definitely cost more than $349.

The buyers with limited budgets would prefer with any one of the 8 Pebble Smartwatch or spurge $100 for the Steel one.

Apple is not planning to ship Apple Watch before 2015; therefore people cannot decide which watch is better. The people who cannot wait until 2015 can get hold of Pebble Smartwatch or Pebble Steel watch through the official page of the company. Several other retailers are also offering the new Pebble SmartWatch.

The people who are more concerned about their fitness should have a look at the fitness feature of Apple watch. For Android phone users this watch is useless, therefore they have limited choices.

The aim of this short report is to provide a technical comparison between the top two voice-over-internet-protocol (VOIP) applications for mobile phones, in order to help users decide whether it is feasible to use VOIP in place of regular GSM or CDMA  cellular calls when not on WiFi, and which app would suit their needs best. The Skype and Viber mobile apps are available on the most popular mobile operating systems, and allow users to make calls using the internet instead of cellular networks. The apps have differing feature sets, but both apps offer voice calling, instant messaging (IM) and file sharing with other users. In addition, Skype offers video calling, while Viber offers integration with existing phone contacts (like Whatsapp) so there is no need for additional usernames (like Skype) or pins (like Blackberry messaging service) that have to be shared with other users first. Viber is only available on mobile platforms (IOS, Android, Windows phone, Blackberry), while Skype is available to Windows and Mac personal computers too. When using either of these (or other VOIP apps) over a WiFi internet connection, there are considerable cost savings to users compared to making calls over the cellular network. Most WiFi connections are either free, or the bandwidth is much cheaper than cellular bandwidth because of the bulk bandwidth usage over WiFi connections. When no WiFi connection is available, users would need to use cellular bandwidth to connect to the internet in order to use either of these two apps. However, cellular bandwidth is generally much more expensive than WiFi bandwidth, and without information about the amount of bandwidth consumed by these apps, it is impossible to determine whether this is a financially feasible or beneficial option to make calls. In addition to the bandwidth consumed while calling through apps like Skype and Viber, the apps also need to be continually connected to the internet in order to receive calls from other users, and without information about how much bandwidth is consumed during standby, it is impossible to determine whether it is worth keeping the app on constantly, which is necessary if it is to be used as an alternative to cellular voice calls. Other important considerations in comparing the apps include the performance of the apps in respect to battery drainage effects on the phone performance (CPU and RAM usage), although many consumers would agree that the affordability or cost-saving is the most important consideration.

METHODS

Skype and Viber apps are extensively tested on a mobile phone operating Android 4.0.1 (Samsung Galaxy S2). Bandwidth usage was recorded during standby and voice calls using the two apps. The Android OS has a native bandwidth logger which was used to compare the WiFi usage between the two apps, while the cellular service provider’s bandwidth logging / billing feature was used to record cellular bandwidth usage. Calls of varying length (1 min – 5 min) were made on the two apps using both WiFi and cellular bandwidth connections. The call length was consistent between the two apps, such that the bandwidth usage can be compared directly. Daily standby bandwidth usage was also recorded using the phone and service provider’s bandwidth loggers, and was based on a 16 hour day (07:00 – 23:00). The native battery monitor was used to log standby battery usage as a % of total battery drain in a 16 hour day. The battery usage during voice calling was also measured using the native battery monitor. For this the battery was fully charged, and then calls of equal length were made with each of the apps (Skype and Viber), after which the % of battery usage was recorded. It is important to note that this method of comparing battery drain does not provide absolute data on battery usage, but rather provides an accurate measure of the relative battery usage between the two apps, which is useful in determining which app performs best in this metric. The native CPU and RAM monitors were used to log the instantaneous demand on these phone resources by the apps, repeated at set time intervals.

 RESULTS

Bandwidth usage

The average bandwidth usage for voice calls when using cellular bandwidth was very low at about 0.39MB/min. Consumers should compare the bandwidth cost of making voice calls with VOIP apps to using normal cellular voice calls on their specific network and call plan in order to determine whether it is a more affordable option. The Viber app used significantly less bandwidth than the Skype app for both voice calls and during standby.

Bandwidth usage between the apps during voice calls different significantly when using both WiFi (p=0.055, n=20) and cellular bandwidth (p=0.0001, n=20), with Skype using significantly more bandwidth  than Viber in both cases (Figure 1, Table 1). The difference in bandwidth usage was greater when using cellular bandwidth, with Viber (0.36 ± 0.07 MB/min) using 30% less bandwidth  than Skype (0.46 ± 0.05 MB/min). For a one hour call, this would equate to a difference of about 8 MB. Depending on what a user’s specific bandwidth plan and costs, this may amount to a material difference.

The real bandwidth usage during voice calls in these tests differed from that given by the respective app developers. For Skype, the actual usage in these tests (0.46 MB/min) was much less than that given on the website (between 1.76 – 4.10 MB/min), while for Viber the actual usage (0.36 MB/min) was slightly more than that given on the website (0.23 MB/min). It is possible that the bandwidth usage varies with differences in network and bandwidth quality or speed. Assuming that the developers tested bandwidth usage globally, it may account for these differences. However, in the tests described in this report, the standard deviation (a measure of differences between data points within the same group) was always very small.

There was also a significant difference (p=0.0101, n=20; Table 1) in the amount of bandwidth used during standby between the two apps. The Skype app uses approximately 0.77 ± 0.37 MB/16hour day or 23.87 MB/month and Viber uses approximately 0.05 ± 0.03 MB/16 hour day or 1.55 MB/month (Table 1). This is clearly a great difference, although whether or not it makes a material difference largely depends on the cost of bandwidth to the user. The standby bandwidth usage of Viber is less than that of Whatsapp, the popular messaging app (based on ad hoc testing, not reported here).

Phone resources

In general, both apps were very efficient in utilizing phone resources, and there is certainly no reason to not use either of these apps based on their effects on phone performance. Neither of the apps consumed measurable amounts of battery power during standby. The next most important consideration in my opinion is the amount of battery power consumed while making calls. In this regard, the Viber app used significantly less battery power than the Skype app (p=0.0007, n=8; Table 2). The actual values here (a percentage of battery power consumed during a 60 minute call) will vary from user to user (due to differences in phone configurations and battery capacities), but the relative difference is of meaning here (see Figure 2). To give an indication of how this compares to the battery usage during a cellular call (we are after all looking for a more affordable alternative to making cellular calls), the battery usage of the Viber app during calls was less than the battery usage during a cellular call on the Samsung Galaxy S2 (based on ad hoc testing, not reported here).

In contrast, the CPU usage of the Skype app was significantly less than that of the Viber app (p=0.0002, n=30; Table 2). This is somewhat confusing, since CPU usage is mainly responsible for battery usage. The RAM used by the Skype app during standby is also significantly less than that used by the Viber app (p>0.0001, n=20), while the size of the Skype app (21.74MB) is larger than the Viber app (15.54MB).

 

 

Figure 1. The mean bandwidth (data) usage (MB / minute) used by two VOIP apps for mobile phones during voice calls (bars represent means and whiskers represent standard deviation from the mean).  

 

Figure 2. Comparison of the demand on phone resources by two VOIP apps for mobile phones (bars represent means and whiskers represent standard deviation from the mean, where relevant).

 

 

Table 1. Comparative means and standard deviations of bandwidth usage measured for two VOIP apps for mobile phones. The p-values were derived by t-tests (two-tailed, paired), with n indicating the number of data points.  

 

 

 

 

Table 2. Comparative means and standard deviations of phone resource usage measured for two VOIP apps for mobile phones. The p-values were derived by t-tests (two-tailed, paired), with n indicating the number of data points.  

 

 

CONCLUSIONS

            Cellular calls vs. VOIP calls

Due to varying costs of cellular voice calls and cellular bandwidth (country and network specific), it is not possible to conclude whether it is universally more affordable to make calls through a VOIP app using cellular bandwidth than making regular cellular calls. However, by using the mean bandwidth usage (0.46 MB/min for Skype and 0.32MB/min for Viber) to calculate the cost of a VOIP call and comparing this with the costs for cellular voice calls charged by their network, users can determine for themselves which option is more affordable.

            Skype vs. Viber

As far as the comparison between the two apps, the Viber app does trump the Skype app in most departments. The Viber app uses 30% less bandwidth for a voice call than the Skype app, and that can result in a meaningful difference in cost. When it comes to the standby bandwidth  usage and battery usage during calls (both important factors if one is to use VOIP as an alternative to cellular calls), then Viber is by far a better choice, as it uses orders of magnitude fewer resources. The Skype app is of course still a great app in its own right if one wants to make video calls, and this is something the Viber app does not offer.

 GLOSSERY

Bandwidth: equivalent data

Data: equivalent to bandwidth

Whatsapp: a popular texting app that uses cellular bandwidth instead of network-based sms / texting

VOIP: voice over internet protocol

The iPhone 6 Plus is the all new phablet that was announced alongside the new iPhone 6. This is the first time ever that Apple is offering an iPhone which comes with a 5.5-inch display screen. It is the largest ever iPhone ever introduced by the Cupertino. Last year’s iPhone 5S and the iPhone 5C came with a 4-inch screen.
[ps_prices]
The new iPhone 6 comes with a 4.7inch screen and the larger iPhone 6 Plus allows the Apple brand to penetrate into phablet category. The Galaxy Note 3 is the third iteration in the Note category from the South Korean tech giant. The Galaxy Note 4 is the successor model for last year’s Galaxy Note 3. It is yet to arrive in the market for purchase and the Galaxy Note 4 price has not been revealed by Samsung.

The specs of the Galaxy Note 3 are so good that it can even compete with the smartphones that came out this year. Most of the popular handsets of this year such as the HTC One M8, LG G3 and the Sony Xperia Z3 were created to compete with the Galaxy Note 3. Still, the Note 3 managed to survive the competition.

 

The iPhone 6 Plus phablet has to face competition from not just newest Galaxy Note 4 phablet but even from the Galaxy Note 3. Let us compare the iPhone 6 Plus along with the Galaxy Note 3 to see whether the Note 3 is of any competition to the largest iPhone ever built.

Design

The iPhone 6 Plus funts an anodized metal body along with toughened glass. It has a very premium appearance. It is quite slim as it thinness is only 7.9mm and since it sports a metallic body. It weighs 172g. It is available in premium color options like gray, silver and gold.

The Galaxy Note 3 has a sort of boring appeal. It has faux leather at the rear and on the sides there is fake metal band. It used to appear premium but the newer smartphones like the HTC One M8 and Sony Xperia Z2 have come out with sleeker and sophisticated appeal. Its thickness is 8.3mm.

Even though there is no metal on the body, it weighs slightly less than the iPhone 6 Plus. The Galaxy Note 3 weighs 168g. The Note 3 phablet is available in colors like white, black, and pink.

Display

The iPhone 6 Plus comes with a 5.5-inch LED-backlit IPS LCD screen. It supports a display resolution of 1080 x 1920 pixels along with a pixel density of 401ppi.

 

The Galaxy Note 3 has a larger Super AMOLED display screen of 5.7inch. It also supports full HD display resolution like iPhone 6 Plus and offers a pixel density of 386ppi.

Processor, RAM and Internal Storage

Apple is offering a newer 64-bit A8 processor that delivers a clocking speed of 1.4GHz. The dual-core processor is well supported by PowerVR GX6650 which sports high-end gaming. The phablet comes with a 2GB RAM.
When it comes to internal storage, the iPhone 6 Plus is available in three options like 16GB, 64GB and 128GB. There is no external storage support on the iPhone 6 Plus.

The Galaxy Note 3 is powered up with a quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor which is becoming obsolete now but is strong enough to give competition to the iPhone 6 Plus with a processing speed of 2.3GHz. It is coupled with Adreno 330 graphics and has 3GB RAM onboard.

 

The Note 3 is available with beefier CPU version. It features an Exynos 5 octa 5420 processor in which four Cortex A7 cores run at 1.3GHz whereas the four Cortex A15 cores run at 1.9GHz.

The Galaxy Note 3 is available in storage variants like 16GB, 32GB and 64GB. The Note 3 allows its users to expand the memory of the device by adding up to 64GB of microSD on its external storage slot.

Camera and Software

The Apple iPhone 6 Plus sports an 8MP camera which comes with features like OIS, dual-LED flash, autofocus and full HD video recording at 60fps. There is a 1.2MP front-facing camera which can shoot HD videos and has been primarily built to shoot selfie photos.

 

The Galaxy Note 3 features a whooping 13MP camera sensor o on the rear. It lacks OIS but comes with autofocus, LED flash, simultaneous video and photo shooting feature and it can shoot up to 2160p videos at 30fps. The frontal 2MP camera is also capable of shooting full HD videos at 30fps.

Apple is using the iPhone 6 Plus to launch the new iOS 8. It is packed with plenty of new features. The Galaxy Note 3 came out with Android v4.3 Jelly Bean. The most recent OS update available for the Note 3 is the Android v4.4.2 KitKat. The OS is overlaid with TouchWIZ UI.

Unique Features

The iPhone 6 Plus along with the iPhone 6 are the very first iPhone model to feature NFC. It also comes with a fingerprint scanner which lies under the Home button. It is the first time that Apple is offering Wi-Fi 802.11ac connectivity with the iPhone 6 Plus.

[ps_prices]
The most unique and powerful selling feature of the Galaxy Note 3 is the S-Pen stylus. It comes with dedicated apps for making notes. Through Samsung Knox, the Galaxy Note 3 can be used to access apps securely. Lastly, the Multi window feature allows you to toggle between apps and you do not have to close any windows for it.

Features like NFC and Wi-Fi 802.11ac are also present on the Note 3. However, there is no fingerprint recognition feature on the Note 3.

Battery

The Apple iPhone 6 Plus is packed with an 1810mAh battery. The non-removable battery is capable of churning a standby time of 250hrs on 3G and it can offer a talk time of 14 hours on 3G.

The Galaxy Note 3 features a larger battery of 3200mAh battery. It is removal battery which can deliver a 3G standby time of around 21 hours and a 3G talk time of around 420 hours.

The Moto X was unveiled on Sept 4. The handset was rumored to come out with names like Moto X+1 or Moto X2. However, the handset came out with the very same name i.e. the Moto X. It is now being referred to as the new Moto X or the 2014 Moto X.

The new Moto X will come to replace the original Moto X that came out in August 2013. The original Moto X was rolled out into the market by highlighting facts like the device was fully assembled in the US and has plenty of customization features.

 

Moto X Pre-orders

The Moto X pre-orders is slated to begin on Sept 16. The unlocked 2014 Moto X can be yours for $500. This edition as well as the unbranded version of Moto X will be sold as the Pure Edition. The ‘Pure’ word is being used to differentiate this model from the models that will be sold by the carriers. The Pure Edition will not have any bloatware. However, the ones that will come from different carriers of the US will come with numerous bloatware onboard.

The only carrier that is going to start selling the new Moto X is AT&T which will also start receiving pre-orders from Sept 16. AT&T will be selling the handset at an on-contract price of $100.

 

As of now, Motorola has not revealed which other carriers in the US will be supporting the new Moto X. Motorola has started a special discount offer for individuals with .edu mail accounts. If you have such an account, you will be provided with a unique promo code that can be redeemed tomorrow to get the 2014 Moto X at a discounted price of $450.

If you do not wish to pre-order but rather wait till your favorite carrier offers the Moto X, you can still use the code to avail the $50 discount. Tomorrow, Motorola will also be selling the Moto Hint Wireless headset and the Motorola Turbo Charger.

Here are the top 10 Moto X features:

Design

The 2nd gen Moto X has a premium appeal thanks to the aluminum frame that surrounds the edges of the handset. The older Moto X came with a plastic body. The Moto X measures 9.97mm in thickness. Its dimensions measure 140.8 x 72.4mm and it weighs 144g. The Moto X sports a curvy rear. The chassis of the device is not resistant to water. However, the build of the handset can save it from getting damaged by water splashes.

 

Customization Options

One of the salient features of Moto X is that it comes with the Moto Maker customization feature. You can either purchase the Moto X with wood patterns or in genuine leather covering. Rumors have it that the company may roll out a carbon fiber version of Moto X exclusively for Verizon customers.The handset will be available in color options like natural, cognac, black and navy.

5.2-inch Full HD Display

 

The original Moto X came with a 4.7-inch screen that supported HD resolution. Motorola has upgraded the display on the new Moto X. It comes with a larger 5.2-inch AMOLED screen that supports full HD resolution which comes with a pixel count of 424ppi.

Front-Facing Speakers

One of the most striking features of the 2014 Moto X is the dual front-facing speakers. One speaker is placed above the display and the other one can be found below the display. The upper speaker also works as an earpiece. The Moto G also comes with stereo front-facing speakers. So, we feel that even the ones present on the new Moto X are stereo speakers.

Snapdragon 801 Chipset and 2GB RAM

The new Moto X is powered with a Snapdragon 801 chipset which brings a Krait 400 quad-core processor that runs at 2.5GHz. It also comes with Adreno 330 graphics and 2GB RAM. The upgraded processor puts the all new Moto X on par with the likes of Samsung Galaxy S5, HTC One M8, Sony Xperia Z3 and LG G3.

13MP Camera with 4K Video Recording

 

The rear of the Moto X is fitted with a 13MP Sony Exmor f/2.25 aperture lens. It comes with a unique ring flash. The Moto X which came out in 2013 featured a 10MP shooter. The new Moto X’s camera is equipped with full HD video recording. It comes with comes with cool camera features like Best Shot and Highlight Reel.

Dynamic Tuning for Accessing Network

With the new Moto X, Motorola ensures that the handset does well in offering the best cellular connectivity thanks to the dynamic tuning feature it comes housed with. The said feature automatically detects how the user is holding the handset and tries to deliver the best possible reception.

Moto Display

 

When the handset is in its standby mode and the display is off, it will show up to three alerts on the screen. The Moto X allows you to choose what kind of alerts the handset show you when the display is off. You can set alerts for new SMS, email and calls. When you tap on the alert, it will reveal more details of the alert but it will not wake up the entire display.

Moto Voice

Using this feature, without touching the Moto X you will be able to interact with the handset to launch well-known apps like Facebook and WhatsApp. Also, you can create custom voice phrases to communicate the voice assistant on the Moto X.

Battery

 

The original Moto X came with a 2200mAh battery. The newer Moto X is packed with a slightly bigger battery of 2300mAh capacity. According to Motorola, the 2014 Moto X can easily last for a day. The standby and talktime details of the battery have not been disclosed by the manufacturer. By using the Turbo Charger accessory, you can suddenly boost the battery of the Moto X. By only charging the Moto X for 15 minutes using the accessory, you can get up to 8 hours of battery backup.

The reports stated that today the IBM company announced Watson Analytics, an advance and natural language-based cognitive service that can give immediate access to powerful predictive and visual analytic tools for businesses.

According to market analysts, only a little group of business people uses potent analytics tools as part of their decision making today that is why Watson Analytics is planed to make advanced and extra polative analytics easy to get and use.

The initial release of Watson Analytics will comprise a freemium version of its cloud-based service planned to run on desktop and mobile gadgets, it also presents a full variety of self-service analytics, together with access to easy-to-use data improvement and information warehousing services that make it easier for business clients to obtain and organize data further than simple spreadsheets for analysis and visualization that can be acted upon and interacted with.

In a press release explains that the Watson Analytics generates results that give details why things happened and what’s possible to happen, all in common business terms and as business experts work together with the results, they can constantly fine tune questions to get to the heart of the matter.

The company head said that users can input a certain amount of data for free of charge and it’s not being restricted to IBM customers, Our objective is to target any line of business client across huge, medium, and small organizations, who desire to get benefit from this great latest invention capability and we really want the entire world to be capable to bask in this because we developed it so it has the capability to have that natural language dialogue and because we’ve been partnering with consumers all along, so we’ve got lots of client validation.

The company leading head also said that “For us, what we’re doing with Watson Analytics is very applicable to a market problem out there, and it’s hard for the normal person to get the benefit and fully grab up the power of the average BI product, because the products don’t automatically guide them, or make sure that they use the accurate method of visualizing for representing and telling the story around data.

The IBM company is trying to release Watson Analytics in the market by the end of the year.

Overview

Many years have passed since the release of their predecessors, so consequently both companies have had enough time to research what needs to be omitted and what needs to be added.  Because of this reason both  consoles are head to head with each other. Being a runner up is not an option here.  You can buy either of the consoles and you would most likely be happy in the end, but there are some features for one system that may prove more advantageous for you, than the other system. Both the consoles are fully capable of running HD games and playing multimedia files, but in the end one console is better suited to function as a multimedia device while the other console is better suited as a purely gaming console. Gamers have been eager for both consoles to be released, but choosing the right console for you can be difficult, especially because of the differences and the similarities these two consoles offer. Choosing the console that had the highest sales could be a wrong buying strategy, since it does not necessarily mean that it is the better of the two for the specific purpose you want it for.  We have created a detailed rundown on these two consoles. We will compare these consoles head to head based on various aspects of the consoles. The breakdown is to help you decide which console is best for you, and whether you should buy it right now or wait for later releases. The rundown is based on the current market knowledge of both consoles. The Xbox One and the PlayStation 4 both are absolutely great and bring something different to the table.  A suggestion for the reader of this post is to have a notepad and pencil out.  As you go through this post with a comparison of all the features and functions of both consoles, as you read a new section, write down in your notes which console has the advantage in your eyes, of that specific feature, and what that feature is.  When you complete the post, go over your notes and see if one console comes out more dominant in your notes than the other.  If they are about 50/50, take a look at the features, and prioritize which features are the most important to you, down to what is less important.  This should help your decision making process immensely.

Design

On the front, PlayStation 4 has two USB ports while on the back of the console are several ports which include:

• A HDMI out port
• Digital out (optical) port
• A LAN port
• An AUX port
• The Power supply port

The Xbox One on the other hand, is shaped like a rectangular box. It is not as showy, but blends in well with the existing electronics in the room. It gives a retro look, which many have compared to that of a VCR. Its dimensions are 34.3 x 26.3 x 8 cm.  It looks menacing and is larger than the PS 4. The design is very retro, yet somehow futuristic as well.  It weighs in at 7 pounds and just like the PS 4, it also incorporates both glossy and matte materials, just like the PlayStation 4 to give it the next-gen look.  One element to keep in mind is that the Xbox One console should not be set up vertically. It has been created to sit only horizontally on a surface. The Xbox One is larger in size due to it having larger vents and a bigger fan than its predecessor. This was done to eliminate the “red ring of death” fault the previous Xbox models possessed.

As compared to the PlayStation 4, Xbox One has many more ports on the back. These ports include:

• Power input port
• HDMI output and HDMI input ports
• 2 USB 3.0 ports
• Digital out (optical) port
• Kinect 2 sensor port
• Ethernet port

Both the consoles have done well l to cancel the noise that usually comes from electronic gadgets that have cooling fans. Neither of the consoles is loud per se, but there is a slight difference in both. In comparison the Xbox One is more silent than the PlayStation 4. Then there is the heating issue. The PlayStation 4 gets less heated than the Xbox One after continued operation.  However, the Xbox One has better ventilation and a bigger cooling fan. The heat activity does not affect the console’s operations.

Hardware

The hardware for both consoles are very similar. Both run on AMD GPU’s and both possess Blu-ray optical drives.  Both allow users to change their internal hard drives, though it is a lot easier to do so in the PlayStation 4 which requires no extra tools to open.  Both can support 4K resolution. The only thing that gives PlayStation 4 an edge over the Xbox One is their use of a different RAM than the Xbox One. Both use 8GB of RAM but the RAM used is different. The PlayStation 4 uses GDDR5 RAM, whereas Xbox One uses GDDR3 RAM. The Xbox One tries to make up for it by having a smaller choice of super-fast ESRAM than the PlayStation 4. Out of the 8GB RAM, Xbox uses 3GB for itself leaving developers with 5GB of RAM, whereas PlayStation 4 uses 3.5GB of RAM leaving users with 4.5GB of actual RAM. Both the standard versions give 500GB of internal memory to be used by the user.  Both play Blu-ray discs, and allow users to insert USB’s, and both have 8 core CPU’s embedded in them. The only difference in the core, is that the PS 4 uses cores provided by AMD, while Xbox One uses cores provided by AMD but modified by Microsoft themselves. The GPU inside PlayStation 4 is capable of producing speeds of up to 1.84 Teraflops, while the GPU inside the Xbox One is capable of producing speeds of up to 1.31 Teraflops, which in the end makes a huge difference. PlayStation 4 has more graphical power than the Xbox One.

Controller

Having a good controller for a gamer is very important and is one of the most important features of a console. A good controller allows for better control and quicker response time.  Let’s face it; if your controller is sub-par in quality, this will be a source of frustration and you will lose a lot of games.

Microsoft’s Xbox One controller is almost a duplicate of its earlier version, whereas the designers at Sony have gone for a completely new look for the PlayStation 4 controllers. Both systems have amazing controllers as compared to their predecessors, and Sony has done quite well to keep up with Microsoft’s controller; especially since their Xbox controller was said to be an achievement in the gaming world.

When it comes to the battery portion, the PlayStation 4 has chargeable internal batteries just like the PlayStation 3 did, while the Xbox One controller has a battery pack just like the controller for Xbox 360 did, but this time around the battery pack is not external. Though this is a huge change in design, it also poses more problems for a user to change the batteries. A fully charged PlayStation 4 controller has a shorter battery life as compared to fully charged Xbox One controller running on good rechargeable batteries.

The PlayStation 4 controller allows you to place your fingers a lot closer to the buttons and gives you a better grip due to its ergonomic design. It is weightier than the Dual Shock 3 controller and definitely sturdier.  It weighs 7.4 ounces and is available in two different colors. The buttons are larger and more pronounced than that of the PS 3 controller. The design on the underside of the handles lets you rest your fingers more conveniently and the indented analog sticks give your thumbs a place to rest, unlike the controller for the PlayStation 3. The Dual Shock 4 controller is a great improvement when compared to the Dual Shock 3 controller. Sony has added great features to the controller apart from redesigning it. Some features are:

1. A clickable touchpad that can be used as a cursor for online browsing just like a laptop’s touchpad.

2,  A mono speaker that relays audio from games directly to your controller.

3.  A head-jack to allow gamers to attach headphones or earphones.

4. A share button that allows you to record and share videos and screenshots directly to the internet.

The only flaw that users are facing when using the PlayStation 4 controller is the huge color changing light-bar, which creates a distraction because of the light reflecting directly on to the TV. The light cannot be dimmed and further decreases the already short battery life of the PlayStation 4 controller. The only way to solve this problem is to cover the light-bar with something to completely stop the light from showing.

PlayStation 4 only allows 4 controllers to be connected at once, whereas the Xbox One allows you to connect up to 8 controllers at once.

The Xbox One controller on the other hand is quite similar to the Xbox 360 controller and so feels familiar. Instead of completely changing the look, Microsoft decided to perform a few tweaks on the controller. Only slight changes have taken place and the controller has almost no flaws whatsoever. It weighs in at 9.9 ounces with batteries and is only available in black.   It just feels great in hand. The grooves between the front and rear buttons allow users to place their index finger comfortably in position. The analog sticks have been revamped along with the direction pad. These changes now allow the users to apply less force than before when inputting commands.

One great feature that Microsoft has added to the Xbox One controller is the addition of rumble motors. These motors allow more vibrations and a better haptic feedback, which is linked directly to some in-game actions. Microsoft has also added 2 new buttons to the controller. These buttons are:

View Button: Allows user to change view or view more information regarding a game or an application.

Menu button: Allows users to bring up context-specific menus regarding games or applications.

The controllers that were given with a console on the first day of the release have “DAY ONE 2013” written on the center of the controller, right above and between the D-pad and the analog stick.

 

Camera & Motion Control

Both consoles have a motion sensor accessory.  Microsoft’s Kinect 2 comes bundled in with the Xbox One, while Sony’s PlayStation Camera is sold separately.   The camera allows users to log in via facial recognition and also to control the console via gestures.

Sony’s PlayStation Camera formerly known as PlayStation Eye is not as good as the Kinect 2. Its voice command and facial recognition software is not as efficient as the Xbox One’s. It is sleeker in design as compared to the Kinect 2, but is not critical to the PlayStation gaming experience, and so can be regarded as just an optional accessory. There are almost no famous games that have incorporated the PlayStation camera feature into their games. The PlayStation camera has 2 highly sensitive cameras that can record at 720p along with 4 microphones for better sound recording and recognition.

Motion control on the PlayStation 4 console can be done via PlayStation’s Move controller. The Move controller lets a user interact with a game physically by using certain gestures.  Move controllers are the same that was used in PlayStation 3 and have had no changes brought in to them.

The Xbox One Kinect 2 on the other hand, is a lot better than the PlayStation camera. It is an important part of the Xbox One gaming experience.

Though it is not perfect, it still is better than the PlayStation camera at recognizing voice commands and faces. The camera in Kinect 2 is capable of recording at 1080p and also has the infra-red feature that allows for gaming even at night.   Compared to its previous version, the Kinect 2 has a better field of view, and can recognize up to 6 people simultaneously. It can even take your pulse rate.  It can be used to control the console via hand gestures, which after a while tends to become boring, since controllers are a faster way of controlling the console.  It works well in both small and large environments and can also be used for voice chat on Skype, which is only available in the Xbox One console.

Second Screen Feature

A second screen is something that can be used for your console rather than the TV itself. This allows you to play games or view other media on your second screen, while someone else enjoys other programs on the TV. This comes in handy, especially when you only have 1 TV and a large family that loves watching TV.

The PlayStation 4 has a feature called Vita Remote Play. This feature is only handy if you actually own a PS Vita. This allows you to play your games directly on the PS Vita via Wi-Fi. The change in controls may cause some difficulty in playing, but it is a cool feature.  One drawback of remote playing is that it only works when both the console and the PlayStation Vita are connected to the same network. Another drawback is that it works smoothly only if you have a super-fast internet connection, otherwise you face the problem of lag time.

Sony also offers an app called the PlayStation app that enables the second screen function in some supported games such as ‘The Playroom’ which comes pre-installed with the console. This app allows users to use their device as a keyboard to input data easily into the PlayStation 4. With this app you can get notifications and invitations from friends and will also allow you to chat with them. One special feature of the app is that it lets an eager user buy a game from the PlayStation Store, then push the ‘download to install button’ on the PlayStation 4, so that the downloaded game would be ready to play immediately.

On the other hand, Microsoft’s Xbox One has an app called SmartGlass which is available on a variety of devices. This app allows users to control the dashboard directly from the device, as well as other apps, such as Xbox Music. The app also works with some titles such as ‘Dead Rising 3′ to give users a unique gaming experience. The app also lets the device that it’s run from, be used as remote control for movies, music and other entertainment.

Power Supply

• When it comes to the power supply, there is a great difference in the consoles. The PlayStation 4 has an incorporated power supply, whereas the Xbox One needs to be operated on an external power brick.  Microsoft not incorporating an internal power supply is a surprising element,  since they are aware that the power brick is something users do not like carrying around.

• With the large difference in size, it seems evident that Microsoft was planning on having an internal power supply, but that was not the case.  PlayStation therefore is far easier to transport than the Xbox One, since the power brick requires extra space to fit in.

• When compared against each other for power consumption, Microsoft’s Xbox One was the clear winner.  It uses 110 watts when being run at its maximum gaming performance, whereas Sony’s PlayStation 4 consumed 140 watts, creating a difference of 30 watts. When performing simpler tasks like accessing Netflix or just browsing the internet, Xbox One consumed 74 watts, whereas the PlayStation 4 consumed 90 watts for performing similar operations.  The only time when PlayStation 4 consumed fewer watts than Xbox One, was when they both in standby mode.  In standby mode the PS 4 console consumed 9 watts as compared to the 18 watts that the Xbox One console consumed.

Hardware Failures

Both consoles experience some sort of hardware failures at times, despite being in the research and development stage for so many years. The good thing about the failures this time around, is that it has only affected a very small number of consoles, unlike the hardware failures of Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.  The hardware failures of the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3 affected a larger number of consoles, which then had to be returned back to the seller in order to get fixed.  A definite hassle no one likes to experience.

The hardware failure in Xbox One is popularly known as ‘disc drive of doom’. This hardware failure prevents the Blu-ray from being read by the console, thus is makes grinding sounds in the attempt. There is no do it yourself fix for this flaw, and requires you to get in contact with customer service. You may be able to use all other features of the console except for the optical drive.

The hardware failure in the PS 4 is popularly known as ‘blue light of death’. This hardware failure prevents the console from operating at all. The color changing LED strip turns blue and starts pulsating. Just like the Xbox One, this flaw has also only affected 1% of total customers. Sony released a fix for the problem, but that does not ensure a perfect fix.

Game Titles

What is the use of a console without having an exclusive or an outstanding game title?  Nothing but a piece of electronic that lets you play mp3’s and mp4’s.   Gamers look for something new in a console, as well as a game. A good game is one that utilizes nearly all the features a console provides. Both the Xbox One and the PlayStation 4 have a good share of multi-platform games between them. Since a console is long term investment, users want to see good games being released for the console they have chosen.  Games for both consoles can either by be downloaded via their respective networks, or bought from gaming stores in the form of Blu-ray discs, which both consoles play very easily.

What about gamers who are following a particular series, and that particular series has no plans of upgrading to the next console?  Should they wait till a release is announced, or buy the console right away in hopes of seeing their favorite game’s next part being released on these next-gen consoles?

One such title includes the famous Tekken series that is published by Namco.   Many games have been released on both platforms but only some have proven to be successful.  Since its still early in the console wars, we will surely see many great games being released for both models.  Popular games currently available on both the consoles areCall Of Duty: Ghosts

• Battlefield 4
• Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag
• FIFA 2014
• The Lego Movie Videogame
• NBA 2k14
• Need For Speed: Rivals
• Rayman Legends
• Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition
• Thief

 Exclusive Game Titles

Exclusive games are a big issue in the console wars.  Exclusive games are games that can only be played on either one of the console. Exclusive games are an important factor when choosing a console. According to a survey held at the Eurogamer Expo of 2013, game exclusivity was the number one reason  people gravitated to specific console, over the competition’s version. Second most important reason was the price, and least important factor was the device’s functionality as a multi-media device.

A casual gamer may have little difficulty choosing a console, but the hard core gamer that has been following an exclusive game series, will only buy the console on which that particular game’s next version will be released. Exclusivity allows both Microsoft and Sony to bring something new to the table and keeps the gaming scene fresh and ready to be explored.

Popular games exclusive to the Xbox One and already released include:

 

• Dead Rising 3
• Forza Motorsport 5
• Killer Instinct
• Ryse: Son Of Rome
• Titanfall

Exclusive games yet to be released include:

• Untitled Gears Of War game
• Untitled Halo game
• Quantum Break

Popular games exclusive to the PlayStation 4 and already released include:

• Dead Nation
• Flower
• Killzone: Shadow Fall
• Resogun

 

 Exclusive games yet to be released include:

• Deep Down
• Drive Club
• Final Fantasy XV
• InFamous: Second Son
• Shadow Of The Beast
• The Order: 1886
• The Witness
• Uncharted 4

As evident from the list, PlayStation has more exclusive titles coming up as compared to the Xbox One.  Exclusive titles as mentioned earlier, are a key factor for the purchase of a particular console over another. Xbox has done well in its exclusive category, but not as much as PlayStation 4 has.

 Indie Games

These are games that are created by individuals or small teams, and generally lack the financial support given big name games. These games are generally distributed digitally and achieved fame in the latter half of 2000. Indie games are important to both consoles since such games are generally free for the user to download, and in many cases Indie games have proved to be rather successful. Both Sony and Microsoft allow developers to publish games themselves, although in the earlier stages of the console wars, Microsoft had said they would not allow indie games without a proper publisher.  The only difference is that the Xbox One acts as developer kit in itself, whereas developers have to buy expensive developer kits for them to develop something for PlayStation. This may be the only difference but in the end it is a large one. Developers will surely find it easier to work on the Xbox One, rather than the PlayStation 4, which requires expensive kits to perform developer functions

Cloud Gaming

Both consoles give users an opportunity to benefit from their cloud gaming services. Both have cloud services, but the differences in service are large. Microsoft’s cloud technology is called ‘Azure’ and Microsoft has poured billions of dollars into making their cloud service one of the best. They have placed data centers throughout the world for users to have the ultimate, uninterrupted gaming experience. Having a great cloud service is important since Xbox Live will mostly be running from the Azure cloud platform. Microsoft has promised to provide dedicated servers to users, and this will greatly benefit the customer in the long run. PlayStation 4 on the other hand, will offer cloud services though Gaikai which they acquired some time ago.  Gaikai is nowhere near Azure in terms of development yet, and the number of servers, but still packs a punch.

Software, Operating System & User Interface

A good operating system and an intuitive user interface are necessary for a good, all round gaming experience. The software of a console allows a person to install apps and games, and also lets them to switch between those apps and games easily.  Good software allows users the ability to view and sort various types of popular media formats so they can use their files everywhere. Both Xbox One and PlayStation 4 have highly interactive, functional operating systems, and user interface; but there is a noticeable difference in both consoles.  Both systems do not allow backward compatibility which is a flaw.

The Xbox One’s operating system is ‘Windows 8′ inspired which is evident from the tiles available on the dashboard also known as the home screen.  It not only looks pleasing, but is well organized which lets a user manage everything on the screen with ease. On the home screen a user is allowed to choose from various tabs such as Pins, Home, Games, Music, and Apps etc.

Microsoft allows users to pin their favorite apps according to their own liking. These pins automatically change according to which user has logged in. Another great option added to the operating system is the Snap feature which allows someone to run two apps side by side. Using the Snap feature you can browse the web or Skype, while playing a game. You can also select any app or game using voice commands or hand gestures using the Kinect 2.

Added to a list of apps is the ‘Friends App’ that allows a person to follow a friend’s achievements, recorded clips, or images;  just like Twitter you can also follow celebrities who are using the Friends app.  Not only can you play games and run apps, but you can also connect your cable or satellite box directly to you Xbox One and watch your favorite channel through the console itself.

PlayStation 4 has also got an upgrade to their operating system which is quite different from PlayStation 3’s operating system. PlayStation 3 had an XMB bar and now replacing it is the Dynamic Menu, which is more visually appealing and keeps things simple. This menu allows users to quickly switch between apps and games and to navigate between them with ease. The home screen has 5 different tabs initially, but they increase in number as different apps and games are installed.

The Xbox One and PlayStation4 hit the marketplace November 2013, and both have seen good sales. They both generated many alterations, new features, more strength, and many other attributes over their earlier versions.

Sony displayed emphasis on more power, remote gaming via the ‘PS Vita’, and the complete Hi-Def gaming participation.

Microsoft it seems, the goal is not exclusively gaming, but a comprehensive entertainment structure able to interact with TV boxes.  It also provides many entertainment services, if you have Xbox Live Gold. Both systems where very popular and received good reviews for their improvements,  but as almost everything is, not perfection.

There were problems and challenges that impacted both the Xbox One and PlayStation 4.  Issues ranging from hardware fails, to software difficulties, faults, and more.  Software application (firmware) patches or updates are fairly routine.   Both Microsoft and Sony released new fixes for the consoles.

Sony held to its common firmware schedule update for PS4,  similar as with the updates for the PS Vita and PS3. They released minor update on a regular basis, with not many details as to what the updates were actually doing. A more major update called 1.60, brought more enhancements to the system.

Microsoft dropped the slow update processes seen on previously on Xbox 360 for a more rapid way, in response to comments from buyers. They also released some fixes to streamline friends system, party chat, and minor operating system details.

Sony plans to remove HDCP encryption from the HDMI connection (as they stated they would last year), and improve Twitch broadcasting.   This would let users save videos or screenshots on a USB, instead of only social network systems.

Microsoft, plans address enhancements to the friends structure.  Kinect sensor, or the Game DVR system has improvements coming  on the horizon.  Firmware updates not be important to some folks, but it can be a good indicator if a corporation is responsive to the needs of their customers, or not.  Time will tell.

Performance & Graphics

In relation to specifications, it’s a toss up between PS4 and Xbox One. Both consoles possess a 500GB hard drive, an x86-64 AMD Jaguar CPU,  and AMD Radeon GPU.  Xbox One’s CPU measures a speed of 1.7-GHz, and PS4’s comes in at 1.6-GHz CPU.

Both consoles contain 8GB of RAM memory.  PlayStation 4 is packed with advanced GDDR5 RAM, which is suited for giving great graphics performance, and XBox One has DDR5.   PlayStation 4’s hard drive is removable while XBox One’s is not, so those who do modifications can fit all their games on the system in a simpler way.

Maneuvering through XBox One system’s interface is quicker than navigating the PS4. The system came in at 2381.7ms on the Javascript Sunspider test, while beating PlayStation 4’s time of 4538.3ms.  What this is measuring is browser execution.

Both of the consoles are given better load & install times than earlier versions.  Having to wait 15 minutes or so, for an update or an install is now a thing of the past, thankfully.   This is due mostly to the ability of each system to do installs and downloads in the background.

Even though many advances has been made to this next-gen era of gaming, truly stunning graphics are still fairly rarely found.   ‘Killzone: Shadow Fall’ on PlayStation 4 and ‘Forza Motorsport 5’ on Xbox One,  yield impressive graphics, but many others seem like someone just increased the resolution of the previous-gen’s version.

Online Play & Social Media

Gaming is one thing, but having to play online is something that many users now look forward to. Playing online with friends or other people has become one of the important elements of having a complete gaming experience.

Users demand a smooth and flawless system that can allow online gaming without the lease bit of lag. Both Xbox One and PlayStation 4 have great online services, and are still developing this area in order to give users an even greater experience. Playing a game or using an app like Netflix both require internet connection, and for that the online service provided must be outstanding. The Xbox One’s online service is called ‘Xbox Live’ and PlayStation 4 uses ‘PlayStation Plus’. In the past Xbox has been known to have the better provider of online services for users, compared to the PlayStation Network.

An Xbox Live Gold subscription costs $60 per year and includes access to apps like Netflix and Hulu. The subscription also allows people to play games online with friends and family. With Xbox Live Gold you can get up to 2 free games per month. The roster for free games changes constantly, but not as often as it does on the PlayStation Network. The games you download remain with you even if you unsubscribe from the network. Microsoft earlier made promises to enhance the user’s experience of multiplayer gaming by adding more dedicated servers. Along with offering a variety of online features such as party chat, Microsoft also offers discounts to members having the Xbox Live Gold subscription.

Xbox One comes with some great apps like Friends and Skype that allows users to connect with their friends. Also coming in the future will be the Twitch app that will allow users to share video footage of their gameplay directly online. For the time being Xbox One users can share video but only to their Xbox Live friends. The Xbox One allows a video buffer of the last 5 minutes so that you can share the last 5 minutes of your gameplay, or of yourself while playing on Kinect 2 if you wanted to do so. The video is recorded at 720p. When about to be shared, Xbox One gives the users a chance to trim the video according to their liking.

The PlayStation Network offers ‘PlayStation Plus’ service which like ‘Xbox Live Gold’ gives users a variety of online features in addition to offering discounts and free games. The free games listed are changed more frequently than the ones on the Xbox Network. The only drawback is that these games do not remain with you once you unsubscribe from the network.  The cost of the subscription is $50, which is $10 less than the subscription for the Xbox Live Gold. One great feature of the PlayStation Network comes from Sony’s acquisition of Gaikai. This cloud gaming company was acquired by Sony even before they launched the console. This lets users  stream demos and games directly from internet onto their console, without installing the game first. Users that get PlayStation Plus subscription also get to download a popular game called Resogun for free onto their consoles.

PlayStation 4 is integrated with Facebook that allows you to see a friends ID along with their gaming ID. Like the Xbox One, the PS 4 console also records at 720p. The video buffer on the PlayStation 4 console allows it to record the last 15 minutes of gameplay.  By using the share button, you can simply share it with your friends on Facebook as a video, or on Twitter in the form of a screenshot. Just like the Xbox One, it also allows users to trim and edit the video before actually uploading it. One great feature of the PS 4 is that it permits simultaneous streaming of your current gameplay directly on to Twitch.

In the standard version of the Xbox One console you get a 14-day free trial of the Xbox Live Gold membership and with PlayStation you get a 30-day subscription to PlayStation Plus.

Applications

Not long ago it was easier to compare consoles, since all they did was run games. No internet, no apps, no multimedia playback, made it fairly simple for users to compare consoles against each other.  Nowadays, users expect their console to do much more than just play games. They want multimedia playback. They want to access the internet. They want to install and use apps that can give them a great experience.

Both consoles are able to install some apps created especially for the operating system the consoles are operating on. One such app that has created a lot of hype is the Netflix app. The Netflix app will be available on both the consoles. This app allows users to watch their favorite movies or TV shows on their TV sets, via their consoles. The only difference that arises is that on the Xbox One console you need to have an Xbox Live membership in order to run the app, whereas you need no membership on the PlayStation 4 to run Netflix.

Apps for PlayStation 4 can be downloaded via the PlayStation Store. All you need to do is select the app, press X on the download button and you are done. The system lets you know when the app is installed and ready to play. Apps for the Xbox One can be downloaded in similar fashion to that of PlayStation 4. Select the app you want to install by simply pressing the select button. The app will ask you whether you want to install the app, hit yes and you are done!

Apps on the Xbox One are much better than the ones on the PlayStation 4. One big difference in the long list of available apps is that of Skype. Skype is only available on the Xbox One and the ability to use Skype while playing a game, using the Snap feature, is like the icing on top. More apps that are exclusive to the Xbox One include:

• HBO Go
•  YouTube
• NFL
• ESPN
• Machinima
• FX Now

These apps fulfill all your entertainment needs and have no great alternate currently.

Backward Compatibility

Neither consoles allow backward compatibility. Backward compatibility is a great feature as it allows users to play their favorite games on the previous consoles, on the new consoles that have been upgraded to. There are always some games that a gamer never gets tired of and wants to play again and again.  Sony during the initial unveiling revealed that PlayStation will have backward compatibility but soon changed its course when they saw that the Xbox One did not have this feature.

Game Cases

The cases for games have been similar for both the predecessors of the consoles apart from the difference in color, but this time around Microsoft has gone the other way.  Instead of placing the game disc on the right, they have now put it on the left side.  Cases for Xbox One games are thinner and green in color, whereas those of the PlayStation 4 are thicker and blue in color. Cases for both the console games are made from a transparent plastic material and both contain booklets for the game along with the Blu-ray disc.

Bundles

Bundles are special packs that contain some extra features compared to the standard version of the console. The bundles may or may not help you save money.  Bundles may include a game or online pass. Some special bundles have customized consoles with decals that match the game that is being sold with the bundle.  Both consoles were available in bundles at leading gaming stores. Two bundles that stood out include:

1.  The Xbox One Ultimate Bundle: this bundle includes an Xbox One console, 2 wireless controllers, an Xbox Live 12-Month Gold membership, Microsoft Complete for Xbox One, your choice of 3 Xbox One games and a digital download of the Forza Motosport 5 game. The bundle is still available and costs $799.99.

2.  PlayStation 4 Ultimate Bundle: this bundle includes a PlayStation 4 console, 2 wireless controllers, PlayStation Camera and the new Killzone game in blu-ray form. This bundle costs $745.

Public appearance

Microsoft Xbox One and Sony PlayStation 4 both made their first public play through at the Comic Con 2013 event. The crowd was allowed to play a variety of games on both consoles. The event had a lot of hype created for it, and was one of the most awaited events of the Comic Con.

Price

Price is a very important factor for decision making when it comes to buying consoles. Everyone wants value for their money, especially when they are going to make a larger purchase.  Price might be the deciding factor for many people.

At the time of the launch Microsoft released their Xbox One for $499 which included a Kinect as well, whereas Sony released their PlayStation 4 for $399 which did not include the PlayStation Move which is the competition of Microsoft’s Kinect for the Xbox.  This difference in price was only because of Microsoft’s bundling the Kinect with the Xbox One. Both the consoles were sold without any bundled games. The games had to be bought separately.

The current price (at the time of this writing) for Microsoft’s Xbox One is $469 while Sony’s PlayStation 4 is still $399. The PlayStation Camera costs $60 which makes the PS 4 slightly more expensive than the Xbox One. The prices stated are for the standard editions of both consoles. The standard edition consoles are both black in color and doesn’t include any free games, but what they do include is a free limited time online pass.

The standard edition of the PS 4 includes:

PlayStation 4 gaming console

• 1 Dual-Shock 4 wireless controller
• 1 Power cable
• 1 HDMI cable
• 1 USB charging cable
• 1 Wired mono headset
• Booklets and manuals

 

The standard edition of the Xbox One includes:

• Xbox One gaming console
• 1 Kinect sensor
• 1 Wireless controller
• 1 HDMI cable
• 1 Wired headset
• 1 Power supply
• Booklets and manuals

Conclusion

Getting the perfect console can be difficult since new software and hardware upgrades usually come up and change the entire scene, but we hope that the rundown we made might have provided you a clearer answer as to what you should choose as your next generation console. There is no wrong choice here since as mentioned earlier, both the consoles are great.

 

 

 

• If you want a console that is solely focused on running games then definitely go for the PlayStation 4. It is the stronger of the 2 when it comes to graphic prowess. It is sleeker and more edgy in design as compared to the Xbox One.
•  If you are a hard core gamer and care about nothing else then this console is the right one for you. PlayStation 4 is the only console that can actually run games at 1080p making you utilize every bit of your HD TV. The PlayStation 4 was made entirely for gaming, making it a pure breed.  Sony is also working on it cloud based services alongside its PlayStation Network to give users a complete gaming experience.
•   The PlayStation is $100 cheaper because of the PlayStation Camera not being added and to be honest, is completely unnecessary if you are a serious gamer.  PlayStation 4 provides the right amount of eye candy along with performance. The touchpad on the controller is something to look forward to when developers start incorporating the feature into games.
• Sony’s PlayStation 4 has a better and sharper user interface than Microsoft’s Xbox One. It is not only easy on the eye but is also easier to navigate. The PS 4 looks like something that will stay in the future for a long time with even more great games coming its way. The PS 4 does not require a subscription to view apps, unlike the Xbox One console.
• If you’ve made a list of pros and cons on a notepad while reading through this, now is the time to evaluate your list.  Does one out weigh the other?  Rank your priority qualities and see which one tips the scale.  Hopefully, you will have found this guide useful to deciding which console is the best fit for YOU.