8 Hottest Selfie Phones You Can Buy Today

The growing selfie craze has brought the secondary camera in smartphones into focus. The 'oft-neglected' front camera is witnessing not only megapixel jump but also addition of several new feature. As a result, the past few months have seen the launch of several new selfie-friendly smartphones in the market. We've picked the best 'selfie' smartphones from the lot for all those who love clicking their own pictures or even including their loved ones in the frame.

1. Nokia Lumia 730

Microsoft has joined the selfie bandwagon with the new Lumia 730 smartphone that features a 5MP front camera with wide angle lens. The phone also comes preloaded with apps like Selfie Camera for adding effects.

Lumia 730 has a 4.7-inch HD display with Gorilla Glass 3 protection and is powered by a 1.2GHz quad-core Snapdragon 400 processor. It packs 1GB of RAM and 8GB of internal storage; the phone supports microSD cards with capacities up to 128GB. The phone has a 6.7MP rear camera.

2. Huawei Honor 6

Huawei’s latest mid-range offering not only packs in high-end hardware but also sports a 5MP front-facing camera. The camera app also offers beautification effects to get the perfect selfie. The phone sports a 13MP rear camera.

Huawei Honor 6 sports a 5-inch full-HD display (1920x1080p,440ppi) and is powered by a Huawei Kirin 920 octa-core processor and 3GB RAM. The smartphone comes with a 3,100mAh battery and runs Android 4.4 KitKat with Emotion 2.3 UI.

3. Sony Xperia C3

Sony’s selfie focused phone, Xperia C3, features a 5MP wide-angle front camera (25mm with 80 degree field of view), accompanied by a soft flash. Sony claims that pictures are automatically adjusted for suitable lighting conditions and the auto scene recognition function, which works together with HDR and LED flash, ensures that users can capture enhanced selfies and selfie videos.

Powered by a 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon quad-core processor and 1GB RAM, Sony Xperia C3 sports a 5.5-inch HD screen and comes with 8GB internal storage and a microSD card slot (32GB). It runs Android 4.4 KitKat.

4. Oppo Find 7

Oppo is making waves with its new Find 7 smartphone that features a 5MP front-facing camera for taking good quality selfies. The phone's rear camera can take '50MP' photos through a Super Zoom mode.

The phone comes with a 5.5-inch Quad HD (or 2K) display with a 1440x2560p resolution, a 2.5GHz quad-core Snapdragon 801 processor, 3GB RAM and 32GB internal storage with a microSD card slot.

5. HTC Desire 820

HTC's Desire 820 is an attractive option as it shares a large number of features with One (M8) and has an 8MP front camera.

In terms of specifications, Desire 816 features a 5.5-inch 720p display, a 64-bit octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 processor (4x2.5GHz + 4x1.5GHz), and 2GB RAM. The phone comes with 16GB internal storage expandable through a microSD card. The Desire 820 sports a 13MP, f/2.2 rear camera that can capture 1080p video.

6. Apple IPhone 6

Apple’s latest iPhone features a 1.2MP FaceTime HD front camera that features a BSI (back illuminated sensor) capable of taking better selfies in low-light conditions. It also has Auto-HDR and a burst mode.

iPhone 6 sports a 4.7-inch display, the new A8 processor, and an 8MP iSight rear camera that features phase detection. The iPhone 6 is available in 16GB, 64GB and 128GB storage options.

7. Samsung Galaxy Note 4

Samsung has also joined the selfie brigade with its new Note 4 phablet that sports a 3.7MP front camera allowing users to take wide-angle selfies (120-degree).

Galaxy Note 4 has a 5.7-inch display, 2.7GHz quad-core Snapdragon 805 processor, 3GB RAM and 32GB storage expandable via microSD cards.The rear camera has 16MP resolution and comes with Optical Image Stabilization.

8. Gionee Elife E7 Mini

Gionee Elife E7 Mini is the only phone that lets you take selfies with a 13MP camera sensor. The phone comes with a 13MP camera lens mounted on a rotating swivel so the same lens can be used as a front camera and rear camera. It also comes with smile and gesture shot modes for selfies.

Elife E7 Mini comes with a 4.7-inch screen and packs a 1.7GHz octa-core MediaTek MT6592 processor and 1GB RAM. The phone has 16GB storage and runs Android 4.2 Jelly Bean.

Assassin's Creed Unity game review

The Assassin's Creed franchise has remained a constant in the video gaming industry. A saga that spans time melding elements of action, weaving history on a rigid and compelling science fiction framework, charting the never-ending silent battle between the Assassins and the Knights Templar. Assassin's Creed Unity is an important move for Ubisoft. Marking the shift in not only graphics but marking new territory in gameplay and visuals. But is that enough to beat the vast open seas of Assassins Creed: Black Flag or the charm of Assassins Creed III? We find out in our review...

Note: This review reflects just the single player core of Assassins Creed Unity. If you already own the game, there's a Day One update ready and waiting. So, it is imperative you update your game as soon as possible, otherwise the framerate is terrible.

Story



Assassin's Creed Unity's story is as much a coming of age story as it is a sweeping romance set in a backdrop of Paris's slow descent into madness. Young Arno Dorian watched his father die and met the love of his life, Elise, on the same day. Adopted by Elise's family, Arno is a likeable, roguish stable boy who is on the path into the Brotherhood of Assassins courtesy the tides of love and revolution . All of this is perfectly voice-acted, even though many of the characters have sharp English accents.

Arno himself is very much like Ezio from Assassins Creed III and Edward from Assassins Creed IV. In fact, Arno's later introduction is very reminiscent of Ezio's as he's accused of stealing and is pursued by thugs.

There's nothing new about the tale of Assassins Creed Unity. Even as Arno makes his way up through the ranks of assassins, you feel you have read or heard this story many times over. Though the romance between Elise and Arno does have its sweeping highs, the story just tapers into background noise after a point. This is good in a way as Arno serves as a device to lead you into the bigger picture.

What the story does right is get you riled up, watching the overflowing opulence of the upper caste Parisians and the growing anger of the peasant class. All this leads up to the horrific guillotine executions that still resound throughout history. Ubisoft has rendered Paris in such amazing detail, you feel completely transported in time, right into the heart of the revolution.

Gameplay



At its core, Assassin's Creed Unity feels like every other Assassins Creed game out there, which is disappointing. That's not to say there are not a lot of new things, but a lot of them are focused more on making the game feel more realistic that updating the gameplay.

The Parkour, freerunning element has gotten the best and biggest update of the lot. Barring a few glitches, Arno just seems to flow over the environment as he vaults over edges, runs across rooftops and does slight wall runs to grab adjacent hand holds. It's just incredible. You can also freerun down with another button, allowing Arno to do a controlled descent. This more than makes up for a lot of the flaws of the game.

One annoying feature of most Assassin's Creed games was the stealth mechanics, where you could only crouch and hide in certain areas. Taking a page out of Watch Dogs and Splinter Cell, Assassin's Creed Unity now has a new cover system as well as the ability to crouch and walk anytime. However, the controls can get a bit sticky at times.

The combat system is changed a bit to include more of a fencing style; however, it's rickety at best. There were times we could not tell when we are supposed to parry and there were times where it feels like hits were just not connecting. Add to that glitches like enemies clipping into your character and you've got a mess.



There were times I parried, but the animation of the sword was pointing in the wrong direction, which is shameful because an Assassin's Creed clone Shadow of Mordor did combat so well; in the latter, you can feel the power of your character's sword-strokes as you can cut through swathes of enemies with precise control. At best Assassin's Creed Unity's combat feels clunky. We sincerely do hope Ubisoft will fix this in upcoming patches.

Assassin's Creed Unity does not break away from the usual bunch of mission types. You still follow targets, eavesdrop, chase and perform the occasional assassination, but now you get to solve murders too. With a game overhaul, it would have been nice of Ubisoft to mix things up a little more. However, to be fair the, game does give you a lot more freedom on how you can go about your mission. Earlier there were just external buildings you can traverse, but in Unity you can enter certain interiors through open windows.

Assassination is a lot better this time around as well, with you feeling a lot more like an assassin. You will actually need to case the scene, prepare you kill and see the multiple routes to go in, kill and get out in one piece, preferably with the head still attached to said piece. You can either sneak in unnoticed or create distractions or go in sword swinging, taking down guards and target alike.

One annoying factor is the crowds. Sure, it fills you with awe watching the angry mobs from a rooftop. However, on any mission, be it a chase or a sneak, there are milling crowds of people getting in your way. It just gets annoying watching bumbling peasants wearing ridiculous pink and white dress shirts get in your way as your target happily traipses around the crowds to get away from you.

Graphics



Assassin's Creed Unity is one of the best looking games out there to date. Every turn, every corner is so detailed that you have to blink twice and remind yourself that it's not real. The detail in the textures is staggering, stones on a building are varied in style and not just a repeated tile. The ground is mucky in places and dusty near market areas. The crowds look great, as the game distinguishes each member with an astonishing amount of details. Later in the game the crowds are just plain malevolent entities, walls of angry peasants.



All of the famous Paris architecture are rendered in exquisite detail. You can not only visit but also climb to the top of monuments like Notre Dame and Eiffel Tower. Everything just looks amazing. Picture perfect. Interiors of buildings are equally detailed, with gold trimmings along the walls, paintings on the ceilings and old French furniture in the room. Assasin's Creed Unity is just a feast for the eyes.

The animations are very realistic too, marked by Arno's fluid and real movements. Little details in the parkour animation add to the realism, for example, when running over rooftops, Arno seems to accelerate and decelerate on the slopes of the roof; when running he goes into a controlled slide before vaulting easily and hanging off the edge.

Everything about Assassin's Creed Unity will make your jaw drop. Everything. Though such beauty comes at a price. A steep one. Even at 900p on the PS4, the game's framerate drops regularly, especially in places where there's a lot of crowds. Managing so many animations is taxing on even next-gen consoles.

Unity has quite a lot of glitches. While we just experienced weird hair movements, odd character floats with a healthy serving of clipping and we fell under the map several times. However, there's the now-famous kissing glitch, where users took screenshots of a passionate kiss between Arno and Elise, except that Arno just had hair, eyeballs and teeth, nothing else.



The PC version undoubtedly looks the best, but to run it at 1080p with all effects on you will need a juggernaut of a card. At least a Nvidia Geforce GTX 680 and above, an i7 and above processor and a lot of RAM. Those who have beefy PCs will get the best of Assassin's Creed Unity.

Conclusion
Assassin's Creed Unity feels a lot more like a glorified tech demo than an actual full fledged game. A decent game that needs a lot of patching up from Ubisoft. That said, what it gets right turns out to be great. There's good Parkour and stealth with the revolution bursting through the seams. Of course, this is the best looking game out there and has raised the bar graphically extremely high for games.

Android One loses its mojo as Xiaomi, Moto rule

Early trends suggest that Indian consumers have given a lukewarm reception to Google's much-touted Android One devices amid intense competition from the likes of Xiaomi and Motorola, posing a tough challenge for the US company, which has made the standard the centrepiece of its emerging-market strategy for smartphones. 

Import data for October showed Google's Android One partners — Micromax, Karbonn and Spice — together imported just over 2 lakh devices in the first full month of sales. This was less than the nearly 2.3 lakh handsets imported for the 15 days of September, data from market research firm Cybex Exim Solutions, available exclusively with ET, showed. The devices were launched in mid-September. IDC analyst Karan Thakkar and Counterpoint Research Analyst Tarun Pathak said initial sales have been hurt by intense competition as well as the fact that Android One devices were initially only available online, which still has limited penetration in India. The strategy was flawed, especially for a device targeted at a large segment of the population unlikely to have access to the internet. 

"For the month of October, roughly 8 million smartphones were shipped into the country, of which Android One would be just about 2.5%," said an industry tracker, who did not want to be quoted. 

A Google spokesperson, however, said the devices were seeing "very strong sales and consumer interest", particularly in tier II and tier III cities. IDC's Thakkar, too, expects Android One sales to pick up in November and December. 

A person familiar with the matter said though Micromax's sales of its Android One device exceeded that of rivals, it managed to sell only about 1.2 lakh units till October end, as against a total of 2.50 lakh units imported. "They had anticipated huge demand for the device, and therefore had ordered a large stock." Micromax didn't respond to requests for comment. 

Pardeep Jain, managing director of Karbonn Mobiles, said its Android One Sparkle V smartphone had performed below the company's expectations, adding that sales were also marred as suppli es were available for only 15 days in Octo ber. "Traction has started coming now and demand is improving," he said. Prashant Bindal, chief executive officer of Spice Mobility, said sales were hit t by supply issues. "We had faced an out of-stock situation during the month since there was no inventory coming s from China." 

A person familiar with the matter said that Karbonn and Spice, unsure about the product's prospects, had shipped low quantities, which were eventually sold out once they started offline sales in addition to online. "The factories in China couldn't suddenly cater to their requirements for additional stocks, thus creating a supply gap." 

The two companies started selling their devices offline to push sales earlier in October, after their initial strategy of an exclusive online launch failed to gather momentum. The drawback with selling through retail stores is that it increases the cost of handsets. 

Micromax imported 1.32 lakh units of its Canvas A1 device in October com pared with 1.19 lakh in September. Karbonn brought in just 34,390 units of its Sparkle V handset in October, almost half the 67,440 units imported in September. Spice brought 34,390 units in October, compared with 43,100 units in September, according to Cybex Exim. 

Android One devices are facing stiff competition from the likes of China's Xiaomi and Motorola — both of which are also selling only online — as some of these models offer the same or better specifications at lower or similar price points. "Vendors such as Motorola, Gionee and Lava are providing stiff competition," said Pathak of Counterpoint Research. 

Experts added that these phones need to offer more features at lower price points, and that their unique qualities need to be more effectively communicated. 

"The USP of Android One such as software updates and other Google services of the device were not publicised. That was another reason for the lukewarm response toward Android One devices," Pathak said, referring to the close integration of Maps, Google Now and other features. 

Moreover, the inability of these devices to take pictures without adding an external card may have also hurt sales. 

Success in India — among the world's fastest-growing and most price-sensitive markets — is critical for Google, which plans to take the low-cost Android One devices to markets such as Indonesia, the Philippines, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka shortly. The US giant has tied up with new partners including Acer, Asus, HTC, Lenovo and Panasonic apart from India's Lava and Intex and chipmaker Qualcomm for the next set of handsets.

Why Facebook forced everyone to download Messenger app

NEW DELHI: Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has finally explained why the users were forced to download the messaging app — Facebook Messenger. In a public question and answer session held on Thursday in Facebook headquarters, Zuckerberg answered the questions posted and voted by Facebook users across the globe. But the most popular question he addressed was "Why you forced us to install Facebook messenger?"

Below is Zuckerberg's answer to it, and we bring it to you verbatim in his own words:

"I'm grateful for hard questions. It keeps us honest. We need to be able to explain clearly why what we're thinking is good. Asking everyone in our community to install a new app is a big ask. I appreciate that that was work and required friction. We wanted to do this because we believe that this is a better experience. Messaging is becoming increasingly important. On mobile, each app can only focus on doing one thing well, we think."

"The primary purpose of the Facebook app is News Feed. Messaging was this behavior people were doing more and more. 10 billion messages are sent per day, but in order to get to it you had to wait for the app to load and go to a separate tab. We saw that the top messaging apps people were using were their own app. These apps that are fast and just focused on messaging. You're probably messaging people 15 times per day. Having to go into an app and take a bunch of steps to get to messaging is a lot of friction."

"Messaging is one of the few things people do more than social networking. In some countries 85% of people are on Facebook, but 95% of people use SMS or messaging. Asking folks to install another app is a short term painful thing, but if we wanted to focus on serving this [use case] well, we had to build a dedicated and focused experience."



"We build for the whole community. Why wouldn't we let people choose to install the app on their own at their own pace? The reason is that what we're trying to do is build a service that's good for everyone. Because Messenger is faster and more focused, if you're using it, you respond to messages faster, we've found. If your friends are slower to respond, we might not have been able to meet up."

"This is some of the hardest stuff we do, is making these choices. We realize that we have a lot to earn in terms of trust and proving that this standalone messenger experience will be really good. We have some of our most talented people working on this."

Facebook first began to force users to switch to Facebook Messenger in July this year, a move that was highly criticized by everybody. Users complained that switching between Facebook app and Messenger app was inconvenient and they should rather be given a choice than to be forced.

10 horrible tech habits you must get rid of

We're all guilty of it. There are plenty of times when we do things simply because they're easier or more convenient — even though they may be damaging to the gadgets we use every day.

Or, even worse, some poor habits could put our personal information at risk. So, time to get your act right by getting rid of these 10 horrible tech habits.

1. Using same password for everything

This is probably the most common (and one of the worst) habits people fall into. It's easy to use the same password for all of your online accounts. Who wants to remember dozens of different passwords?

The truth, however, is that this is incredibly dangerous. If a hacker happens to obtain one of your passwords, he or she will be able to access your entire digital life. If you're having a hard time creating new passwords, try using a password management app such as Last Pass or Dashlane.

2. Never changing your password

While you should never use the same password for multiple accounts, you should also change your existing passwords on a regular basis. Microsoft suggests that you change your passwords every 30 to 90 days to be safe.

3. Not using two-step authentication to protect important accounts

In the age of sophisticated hacks and vulnerabilities such as the Heartbleed bug, it's important to set up extra protection for your online accounts. Services such as Gmail and Dropbox offer two-step authentication.

This allows you to use your phone to verify your identity when logging into your account. After you type in your password, the service will send a text message to your phone with a code. You would then type that code into your account to log in. 

Two-step authentication prevents hackers from logging into your account even if they have your password.

4. Forgetting to delete photos, music from phone

If there's one way to waste space on your phone, it's by forgetting to delete things you don't use. Every once in a while, make a habit of cleaning out the old photos in your Gallery or Camera Roll. The same goes for music, too, which eats up much more space on your phone than photos. 

You can always back up these files to an online cloud service if you run out of iCloud storage, such as Dropbox or Google Drive.

5. Sitting in bad posture while working on PC

For those of us who have 9-to-5-desk jobs, this is a particularly important habit to break. Research shows that sitting for 8 hours a day or more can put you at higher risk for muscular skeletal disease, diabetes, and obesity, among other disorders.

You can always talk to your employer about getting a standing desk, but if you want to keep your standard sitting desk you should make sure the top of your monitor is between 2 and 3 inches above your eye level when you're seated. This helps you maintain proper posture while sitting for longer periods of time.

6. Forgetting to log out of devices

If you're a college student, you probably spend a lot of time logging in and out of computers at the library. Chances are you've logged into your friend's computer at least a few times. 

It's crucial to remember to log out of these devices and clear your browser history when you're finished. If possible, avoid logging into really critical accounts such as your banking account on any computer but your own. Google, Facebook, and Skype all offer handy tutorials on how to log out of other devices remotely.

7. Never restarting your computer

Constantly leaving your computer in sleep or standby mode won't pose any real damage to your computer, but it will slow it down.

Giving your computer a good restart is a great way to kill all the background processes that may be making your computer slow or sluggish. Try to get into the habit of completely shutting down or restarting your computer every once in a while, or else you may end up as frustrated as this guy.

8. Constantly checking your phone before you go to sleep

Artificial light is believed to be one of the biggest causes of sleep deprivation in modern humans, and using your smartphone or tablet before bed can really mess with your sleep cycle, according to the American Chemical Society. 

According to the ACS, the blue light your mobile device emits tricks your body into thinking it's morning.

9. Delaying installing important updates

Installing updates can be a long and annoying process, but it's important. Software updates, especially those for your phone, usually come with fixes for bugs that could either be slowing your phone down or making it susceptible to security vulnerabilities. 

So, when you see that notification warning you that a new update is ready, don't put it off.

10. Never backing up your files

Luckily, our phones already back up most of our photos, contacts, and messages to either iCloud or Google Drive. But, if you're doing a lot of work on the desktop in services such as Microsoft Office, you'll want to remember to always back up your files. 

With all the cloud services available today, there's no reason to have all of your important stuff stored only in one place. Google Drive, for example, gets you a whole terabyte of storage for just $10 per month.