Lenovo’s Vibe P1 and P1m handsets to launch in India on October 21st with huge batteries in tow

Some manufacturers follow the strategy of slimming down the handset’s battery to make the device as thin as possible, often, seemingly, to the detriment of the user experience. Lenovo is bucking that trend, though, with its Vibe P1 and Vibe P1m handsets sporting batteries with capacities of 5,000mAh and 4,000mAh respectively. According to a media invite sent out earlier, Lenovo is launching both handsets in India on October 21st.

Let’s take a look at the larger of the two handsets first, the Vibe P1. Lenovo has bundled in features such as Rocket Charge, which seems to be very much like Qualcomm’s Quick Charge 2.0 technology, delivering 2.8 hours of talk-time for just 5 minutes of charge. There’s also a physical switch that enables the OneKey Power Saver function, extending battery life. The Vibe P1 will launch in India for around Rs. 17,500 ($270) on October 21st.

• Android 5.1 Lollipop with Vibe UI
• 5.5-Inch Full LD IPS display (Gorilla Glass 3)
• Snapdragon 615 Octa-core processor @ 1.5GHz (64-bit)
• 2GB RAM
• 32GB Internal storage
• MicroSD card support (up to 128GB)
• 13MP Rear camera with dual-focus and dual LED flash
• 5MP Front camera
• Fingerprint sensor built-in to the Home button
• Dual-SIM standby
• 4G/LTE
• Bluetooth 4.1 LE/ NFC/WiFi 802.11 b/g/n/ac
• Battery: 5,000mAh (non-removable)
• Dimensions: 152.9 75.6 x 9.9mm
• Weight: 189 grams
• Available in Platinum or Graphite Grey.

On to the mini version of the Vibe P1, if you will, the 5-inch Vibe P1m, and here we see a more budget-friendly offering from Lenovo. The Vibe P1m doesn’t have NFC connectivity, bit it does apparently have a nano-coating to help it withstand accidental spills, as well the physical OneKey Power Saver switch, which helps extend battery life. Check out the rest of the specifications below.

• Android 5.1 lollipop with Vibe UI
• 5-Inch IPS display with 1280 x 720 resolution
• MediaTek MT6735P quad-core processor @ 1.0GHz
• 2GB RAM
• 16GB Internal storage
• MicroSD card support (up to 32GB)
•  8MP Rear camera with autofocus and LED flash
• 5MP Front camera
• Dual-SIM support with 4G/LTE connectivity
• Bluetooth 4.1 LE/ WiFi/ GPS/GPS-A
• Battery: 4,000mAh (non-removable)
• Dimensions: 141 x 71.8 x 9.3mm
• Weight: 148 grams
• Available in Onyx Black and Pearl White

The Vibe P1m will launch in India on October 21st, with a price tag of around Rs. 10,000 ($154). What do you think of Lenovo’s Vibe P1 and P1m handsets? Have they been priced keenly enough for India’s congested smartphone market?

Source: Phone Radar

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Feds launch fantasy sports probe due to insider trading scandal

In addition to fighting a class-action lawsuit accusing them of fraud, fantasy sports websites DraftKings and FanDuel now have to face scrutiny from the FBI. According to The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times, feds have been getting in touch with prominent fantasy sports players to ask about their experiences playing on either website. If you recall, both companies are currently embroiled in a scandal after a DraftKings employee leaked data not typically available before the games begin. The same employee was discovered to have won $350,000 within the same week playing on rival website FanDuel. NYT found out soon after that it’s not an isolated case: both companies’ employees have been raking in big money playing on each other’s websites. That gave rise to allegations that they win big by taking advantage of insider info they have access to.

The feds are reportedly looking into whether the websites are preying on their customers, seeing as they have to pay entry fees and are dealing with real cash. That’s not all the authorities are investigating, though — because of what happened, they’re now also looking into the legality of daily fantasy sites. The WSJ says the Justice Department is now investigating whether they can be considered gambling sites, and hence should be regulated under the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006. FanDuel insists, however, that daily fantasy is a game of skill, not luck, and should continue being excluded from the internet gambling act.

[Image credit: Bloomberg via Getty Images]

Source: The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times

Zero Motorcycles’ latest electric bikes pack more powerful engines

Electric motorcycle maker Zero has announced its 2016 line up and it’s expanding its stable of two-wheeled vehicles. The FXS is a lightweight supermoto-inspired bike for the city while the DSR adds more power to the company’s fleet of dual sport bikes with additional toque and horsepower. Powering these new bikes and others in the lineup is the updated Z-force motor with improved performance and efficiency. Slideshow-328316

While rivals Mission and Brammo have either completely disappeared or been swallowed up by a larger company, Zero keeps improving and introducing new bikes. Its steadily improved its offerings over its 10-year history . I rode the DS model a few years and wasn’t impressed. It felt like a bad motorcycle with an electric motor strapped on. A few months back I rode the 2015 DS, FX and SR models and was impressed at how much the company had come at creating vehicles that were not only real motorcycles, but were fun to ride.

The new DSR has 25-percent more horsepower and 56-percent more torque than the regular DS. The performance is due to the new high-output 660 watt motor controller. The base model ($15,995) has a city range of 147 miles and freeway range of 70 miles when cruising at 70-miles an hour. The optional Power Tank adds an additional 2.8 kWh of power storage (at an additional $2,674) that extends the range to 179 miles in the city and 86 on the highway.

The FXS continues the FX’s mission to make riding on the street way more fun than it should be. It has 70 pounds of toque and up to 44 horsepower in a less-than-a-300-pound body. The 3.3 kWh version with 45 mile city range runs $8,495 while the 6.5 kWh version with a 90 mile city range will set you back $10,990.

The motorcycles are both powered by the updated Z-Force motor. Zero says the motor produces power more efficiently, cools more rapidly and has a higher thermal capability. Basically it lets you ride the bike harder and at higher sustained speeds with better range. In addition to the new bikes, the motor will be in the 2016 Zero SR, Zero S ZF13.0 and Zero DS ZF13.0.

Zero is also introducing an industry standard (J1772) charging port in its new Charge Tank accessory. It’s the same charging port system used by Tesla and the Fiat 500e. This is in addition to charging via a regular wall outlet. Known industry wide as Level 2 charging, the new tank will speed up charging from up to over eight hours to about two or three depending on the bike. The Charge Tank will be available in the spring for an additional $1,988 and will work with 2015 and later SR, DS, DSR and S models.

All these new bikes will be available in dealerships starting in November.

Source: Zero Motorcycles