Tech Deals of the Week: Republic Day Discounts on iPhone 5s, Nexus 6, More

This week all major online retailers are celebrating Republic Day with flash sales throughout the extended weekend. We've picked out some of the best offers from the sales, along with some healthy tips to help you make the most out of these offers.

Pro tips for Republic Day weekend sales

Almost all major online retailers are running Republic Day sales this weekend. The sales start from today, and will run up to 26 January, 2015. Here are some tips to help you make the most of this weekend's massive flash sales:

1. Always do a basic price check on other sites before hitting the buy now button on a deal. Most online retailers will match each other's prices during a sale. A basic rule of thumb is to do a price check on Amazon, Flipkart, and Snapdeal to ensure you get the best offer.
2. Keep mobile apps ready. Online retailers will push their mobile apps to increase usage, and will offer better discounts when you buy using their mobile apps. If you spot a great on the web, add it to the cart, but try and checkout from the mobile app itself.
3. Bundle deals with cashback offers on specific cards. Flipkart has a cashback offer for HDFC Bank cards, while Amazon has a promotion on its mobile app purchases for HDFC Bank and American Express card useRs.You can get similar cashback offers on Snapdeal's website and mobile apps.
4. Brace yourselves for slower deliveries. It's simple - if you want it quick, pay for a quicker delivery option if you get one. There's no point whining about slower deliveries after a massive flash sale weekend.

1. Google Nexus 6 32GB
You can grab a brand new Google Nexus 6 32GB for as low as Rs.40,990 on eBay this week. The Nexus flagship is normally available for Rs. 43,999. The Nexus 6 (Review |Pictures) features a 6-inch QHD AMOLED display running at a resolution of 2560x1440 pixels, protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 3 coating that should keep the display safe from minor scratches. The smartphone is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 quad-core processor, supported by 8GB of RAM. Nexus 6 features a 16-megapixel primary camera, and includes a dual LED flash to lighten up those dark interiors. The smartphone is a decent choice if you can handle a phone with a large display.

Coupon code: EBAY09DEAL

Price: Rs. 40,990 (regular Rs. 43,999)

2. iPhone 5s Deals
iPhone 5s prices picked up after the Diwali sale last year. Even with the iPhone 6 launch in India, Apple India pretty much saw to it that the iPhone 5s prices don't fall to ridiculous levels. But with most online retailers now running Republic Day sales, there's a slight discount on iPhone 5s prices too. Both Amazon and Flipkart are selling the 16GB variant of the iPhone 5s for around Rs. 37,500. You can bundle this with a cashback offer applicable on both the sites to get another Rs. 2,000 off that price, making it a sweeter deal at Rs. 35,500. That would have to be the lowest price we've seen lately. You can use an HDFC Bank card to get an instant discount on Flipkart while checking out, or use an American Express or HDFC Bank card to get a cashback on Amazon's mobile app. Please note that you'll need to buy the iPhone 5s using Amazon's mobile app to avail the cashback offer, and cashback for American Express card users will be in the form of an Amazon gift card only.

Price: Rs. 35,500 (effective)

Links: Flipkart, Amazon

3. Xbox One and video games
You can expect a decent deal on an Xbox One every single time Amazon runs a massive flash sale. This time around Amazon is offering multiple Lightning Deals on the Xbox One console as well as the older Xbox 360 console. You can grab the Xbox One console bundled with Kinect, three games, and an additional controller for Rs. 40,990 (regular Rs. 45,990) during the sale. Amazon will also sell the standalone version of Xbox One (without Kinect) for around Rs. 35,000 (regular Rs. 39,990) during its Lightning Deals this weekend. Amazon is also selling Xbox One games at a discount this weekend. There are several games being sold for under Rs. 3,000 during the sale. You can get an additional 10% (maximum Rs. 2,000) cashback when you buy them on Amazon's mobile app, and pay using HDFC Bank cards.

Price: Rs. 40,990 (regular Rs. 45,990)

4. Discounts on Amazon Kindle ebook readers
Amazon has slashed prices on its Kindle ebook readers by Rs. 1,000 on its Republic Day sale again. The discounts are valid on all Kindle variants, and are applicable till 26 January, 2015. You can buy the Kindle Paperwhite for Rs. 9,999 (regular Rs. 10,999), Kindle Paperwhite 3G for Rs. 12,999 (regular Rs.13,999), or the all-new Kindle with touchscreen support for Rs. 4,999 (regular Rs. 5,999). The all-new Kindle is the cheapest Kindle e-reader you can buy today, that comes with touchscreen support now. It's a great device for reading books. If you need an ebook reader with a backlight, go for the Kindle Paperwhite, and if you need 3G connectivity to buy and sync books on the go, get the Paperwhite 3G variant.

Price: Starting from Rs. 4,999

5. ADATA PT100 10000mAH power bank
If you're eyeing a decent 10000mAH power bank, possibly an alternative to the Mi 10000mAh power bank, the ADATA PT100 will definitely suit your needs. Amazon is selling this power bank at a lower price of Rs. 999 (MRP Rs. 2500) this weekend. That makes it equal to the Mi power bank in terms of pricing. The ADATA PT100 includes dual USB outlets, that means you can charge up to two devices at a time. It comes with a battery indicator that enables you to see how much juice you've got left in the power bank. There's an LED flashlight too, just in case you were looking for more features. The power bank comes with 1-year standard manufacturer warranty. This is as good as it gets at that price point of under Rs. 1,000.

Price: Rs. 999

6. Extra discounts on computer components at Snapdeal
If you're assembling your own PC this weekend, you might want to check prices at Snapdeal. The online retailer is offering an extra 7% discount on computer components above Rs. 1,499, up to 40% off on cabinets, and has a wide range of components to choose from. While all products may not match the offline retail price point, we found some components much cheaper than their offline retail counterparts. Power supply units from Corsair and Zeb are much cheaper than what most offline retailers are offering, and Snapdeal has a decent number of cooling fans to choose from. Snapdeal also has a limited period offer on the AMD FX-Series four-core edition. Bundle these with additional cashback offers from State Bank of India, HDFC, and American Express cards to get even sweeter overall discounts.

Airtel launches 'India's first 4G on mobile' in Bangalore

Bharti Airtel on Friday released a joint statement with Apple announcing the launch of "India's first 4G on mobile" services in Bangalore. According to the statement, iPhone 5s and 5c customers will be able to use 4G services, as these phones support the 2300MHz TD-LTE band that Airtel is using for 4G services in the city. Other phones that support the 2300MHz TD-LTE band, like Airtel's co-branded phone with Huawei, the Ascend P1 LTE, will also be able to enjoy the 4G services. Unfortunately, there are not many such phones available in the Indian market, hence the claims of the service being 'exclusive' to Apple's phones.

Notably, Airtel says 3G subscribers will be able to get 4G mobile Internet speeds at the same rate as their current 3G tariffs. To access the services, existing 2G and 3G subscribers will have to upgrade their SIM card to a 4G SIM card.

Airtel says while data browsing will be on 4G networks (where available), voice calls will be routed to 2G/ 3G networks 'seamlessly' with the CSFB (Circuit Switched Fall Back) technology. In addition to the regular 3G plans, Airtel also announced the launch of a new 4G plan for heavy data users, giving customers 10GB of 4G data for Rs. 1,000.

Announcing the launch, Srini Gopalan, Director - Consumer Business, Bharti Airtel India said, "Airtel has always set the technology trends in India and was the first operator to introduce 4G to the country. The Information Technology capital of India saw the advent of 4G in 2012 and today we are proud to announce the launch of the much awaited Airtel 4G services on mobile in partnership with Apple. We will together give customers in Bengaluru the power to upgrade to cutting edge 4G LTE technology at no additional cost. As a brand we are committed to enriching lives of millions by giving them the best user experience and invite our data savvy customers in the city to enjoy this world class data experience."

Airtel had launched India's first 4G network in April 2012 in Kolkata, later expanding the service toBangalore and Pune, though these have been been data-only offerings till date.

Apple offers minimum Rs. 13,000 off on iPhone 5c, iPhone 4S via buyback scheme

NDTV Correspondent, November 15, 2013

Apple, in an attempt to boost sales of its iPhone 5c and iPhone 4S smartphones, is introducing a buyback scheme for the Indian market starting Saturday. The latest scheme will offer a minimum exchange price of Rs. 13,000 for an old smartphone.

The news comes from a Twitter user named Manish Khatri, who is a retailer in Mumbai, and NDTV Gadgets has been able to verify this scheme from another source. Khatri writes on Twitter, "Buyback on iPhone 5c and iPhone 4S 8GB LIVE FROM TOMORROW (get minimum 13000 on selected models) *condition apply."

Khatri has also posted an image that includes the list of smartphones that can be traded in for the iPhone 5c and iPhone 4S. Interestingly, the list includes some of flagship smartphones also.

The smartphones that can be used for the buyback offer includes the BlackBerry Z10, BlackBerry Q10, HTC One dual-SIM, HTC One mini, HTC Desire 500, HTC Desire 600, Nokia Lumia 925,Samsung Galaxy S4, Samsung Galaxy S III, Samsung Galaxy Note 2, Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini,Samsung Galaxy Mega 5.8, Samsung Galaxy Mega 6.3, Sony Xperia Z1, Sony Xperia Z, Sony Xperia Z Ultra, Sony Xperia ZR, Sony Xperia C. The list also includes the Apple iPhone 4 8GB and 16GB models.

Earlier on Friday, the research firm Gartner said in a report that the iPhone 5c was expensive for India and other emerging markets.

In India, Apple is selling the 16GB iPhone 5c at Rs. 41,900, and the 32GB variant at Rs. 53,500. The iPhone 4S 8GB, in newly revised pricing, is available at Rs. 31,500 including taxes.

Apple launched both the iPhone 5c and iPhone 5s in India on November 1, starting at Rs. 41,900 and Rs. 53,500 for the 16GB models, respectively. Both the smartphones were globally unveiled in September this year.

Coz' its Simple

German group claims hacking iPhone 5S Touch ID

BOSTON: A group of German hackers claimed to have cracked the iPhone fingerprint scanner, just two days after Apple launched the technology that it promises will better protect devices from criminals and snoopers seeking access.

If the claim is verified, it will be embarrassing for Apple which is betting on the scanner to set its smartphone apart from new models of SamsungElectronics and others running the Android operating system of Google Inc.

Two prominent iPhone security experts told Reuters that they believed the German group, known as the Chaos Computing Club, or CCC, had succeeded in defeating Apple's Touch ID, though they had not personally replicated the work.

One of them, Charlie Miller, co-author of the iOS Hacker's Handbook, described the work as "a complete break" of Touch ID security. "It certainly opens up a new possibility for attackers."

Apple representatives did not respond to requests for comment.

CCC, one the world's largest and most respected hacking groups, posted a video on its website that appeared to show somebody accessing an iPhone 5S with a fabricated print. The site described how members of its biometrics team had cracked the new fingerprint reader, one of the few major high-tech features added to the latest version of the iPhone.

The group said they targeted Touch ID to knock down reports about its "marvels," which suggested it would be difficult to crack.

"Fingerprints should not be used to secure anything. You leave them everywhere, and it is far too easy to make fake fingers out of lifted prints," a hacker named Starbug was quoted as saying on the CCC's site.

The group said it defeated Touch ID by photographing the fingerprint of an iPhone's user, then printing it on to a transparent sheet, which it used to create a mold for a "fake finger."

CCC said similar processes have been used to crack "the vast majority" of fingerprint sensors on the market.

"I think it's legit," said Dino Dai Zovi," another co-author of the iOS Hacker's Handbook. "The CCC doesn't fool around or over-hype, especially when they are trying to make a political point."

Touch ID, which was only introduced on the top-of-the-line iPhone 5S, lets users unlock their devices or make purchases on iTunes by simply pressing their finger on the home button. It uses a sapphire crystal sensor embedded in the button.

Data used for verification is encrypted and stored in a secure enclave of the phone's A7 processor chip.

Two security experts who sponsored an impromptu competition offering cash and other prizes to the first hackers who cracked the iPhone said they had reviewed the information posted on the CCC website, but wanted more documentation.

"We are simply awaiting a full video documentation and walk through of the process that they have claimed," said mobile security researcher Nick DePetrillo, who started the contest with another security expert, Robert Graham. "When they deliver that video we will review it."

The two of them each put up $100 toward a prize for the contest winner, then set up a website inviting others to contribute. While the booty now includes more than $13,000 in cash, it was not clear that the CCC would receive the full payout, even if DePetrillo and Graham declared them winners.

A micro venture capital firm known as I/O Capital, which had offered to pay $10,000 of the prize money, issued a press release saying that it would make its own determination about who won the contest.