Aakash tablet - Ubislate 7

Android 4.0 Mini PC

2012-08-11T23:37:00.000-07:00

MRP: 4500

Rating: Average

3/5

Features:

Performance:

Value:

Design:

PROS

Extremely portable
In-built Wi-Fi adapter
Affordable
Easy setup
Complete Android 4.0 experience on your TV/monitor

CONS

Poor gaming experience
Noticeable lag with certain apps
Mouse responsiveness is not the best

Summary

The Android 4.0 Mini PC is definitely a very interesting device and probably your best bet if you are looking to buy a budget web-connected media player. Its extremely small form factor makes it very attractive. Connect it to your regular flat-screen TV and convert it into a smart TV. It does come with its fair share of flaws such as the response of the mouse, apps automatically changing their orientation despite forcing the auto-rotation off, among others. It is definitely not a tablet replacement. But it shines when it comes to video playback and that should be one of the main reasons why you should consider getting this. If you are a YouTube junkie, then watching HD videos on the big screen is a treat. Regular surfing, checking mails and...

REVIEW

When we got the fluorescent green box of this product, our first impression was that this was just another cellphone. But the words ‘Android Mini PC’ caught our eye and we got really curious as to what was housed inside. On opening the box, we had a palm-sized plastic enclosure, almost like one of your SD card readers, staring back at us with the Android greenbot embossed on one of its front face. On the rear side of the box we found the Android 4.0 Mini PC specifications. That is when it dawned on us, that this was in essence a smartphone or tablet SoC housed in a tiny enclosure which would require you to connect the peripherals to make it an Android-ready PC.

Bottomline is, Android 4.0 Mini PC KY-108 allows you to convert any display into an Android 4.0 ICS based PC. Thanks to its connectivity options, this can be used as a media player, and can convert any display into a Smart TV. It is developed by a Chinese vendor named OEM Systems Co.

Build Quality and Design
Like we said, the enclosure is palm-sized, measuring 89x35x13.5 mm and weighing less than an average cellphone. It is a black coloured matte-black plastic body which seems poorly built.

It has a mini HDMI port on the left hand side, a USB port and the power port on the right hand side. On one of the edges it has a groove which houses a mini-USB port. It bundles a mini USB to USB adapter wire. On the other edge you have a microSD card slot. It also bundles in a mini HDMI to HDMI cable which is a big plus. It comes with an inbuilt Wi-Fi adapter. So all-in-all, it has quite a lot of connectivity options for its size, but you will be better off using a USB hub along with this device. Just like a cellphone it is extremely portable.

Mini USB port to connect the PC to a power adapter	MicroSD card slot	USB port to attach peripherals
Bundled apps that come with the Android Mini PC. You will notice quite a lot of Chinese apps	The mini HDMI port	The first time you access the menu. It is a bit strange that it talks about 'Touch and Hold' when this clearly is not a tablet.

Features
The Mini PC houses an Allwinner A10/1.5 GHz Cortex A8 SoC but on checking the processor clock speed using the AnTuTu app we realized that it is underclocked to 912 MHz. It comes in a variety of memory and internal storage options. The model we got had a 1GB DDR3 memory module and 4 GB of internal storage. Since this is a PC, you have to use a keyboard and a mouse to operate it. There is no dedicated power switch on the device. It can be powered on by connecting the mini USB to USB cable to a powered source (such as your TV) or using the bundled power adapter. To turn off the power, you simply disconnect the power adapter.

It comes bundled with a lot of apps including the Google native apps, Twitter, Angry Birds, Skype and a couple of Chinese apps such as QQ, Yokuku, etc which are of no use here. Most of the popular audio and video formats are supported.

Performance
We tested this device on an LG 42LK430 TV using a USB keyboard and mouse connected to the device via a USB hub. Since Android is primarily a touch-based OS, navigation using a mouse feels as alien as using Windows XP or 7 with a touch interface. It will definitely take some time getting used to. Also the responsiveness of the mouse pointer is not as smooth as we would have liked. This gets even worse when some apps forcefully go in the landscape orientation, when it becomes cumbersome to use the mouse.

There is no right click mechanism here. If you hold on to an app, then the OS gives you an option to rearrange the app or remove it, by dragging it to the top of the screen. When you are in the app menu, you can long hold onto an app to get it on any one of the five home screens.

Flipboard app always went in the portrait orientation (with respect to the TV) despite keeping the auto-rotate function off	Websites look quite good on the big screen	1080p content played flawlessly
The black outline on the mouse pointer becomes quite prominent when you turn on any video file	Google Play Store and Quick settings menu	As seen from the benchmarks, the device is not competing with the existing smartphones or tablets out there

Apps such as Flipboard, Quadrant, etc went from portrait to landscape orientation despite keeping the auto-rotation tab off. There may be many more such apps which make the overall experience a bit annoying. Considering this is a mini PC, there should have been a mechanism which disallows you from installing camera related apps or navigation apps, as it does not make sense on this product. Browsing experience was quite good. We noticed minor issues with scrolling on certain ad-heavy sites.

The pre-installed file manager quickly recognizes any external storage that you may add. You can also search for content based on its type: image, video, documents. It played most of the video formats we threw at it including .MKV and .MOV formats. It failed at playing .FLV files. The dual-core processor comfortably plays back even 1080p content, despite it being underclocked to 912 MHz and not the 1 GHz CPU speed as promised in the specs. We did not notice any frame skipping while playing our test samples. The YouTube app works quite well, but we did face some issues when we tried to play live Olympics content. The mouse pointer develops some sort of weird black halo around it once you start any video.

Since Android games are built around the touch interface and keeping in mind the slow response of the mouse, it is a nightmare to play games on the Mini PC.

We did notice the system responding very slowly at times. Specially whilst in the Google Play Store, where the mouse clicks were registered after a definite delay. Scrolling is a bit problematic.

Looking at the synthetic benchmarks, it performed better than some entry level tablets such asMercury Mtab, Reliance 3G Tab and Beetel Magiq. But then, it is not really fair to compare the Mini PC with tablets, as they are completely different product categories, but the scores are just for reference purpose.

Quadrant – 1116
LinPack Benchmark (multi-thread) – 10.5
GLBenchmark Egypt Standard (Frames) – 1707
NenaMark2 – 15 fps

Verdict
This is definitely a very interesting device and probably your best bet if you are looking to buy a budget web-connected media player. It’s extremely small form factor makes it very attractive. Connect it to your regular flat-screen TV and convert it into a smart TV. It does come with its fair share of flaws such as the response of the mouse, apps automatically changing their orientation despite forcing the auto-rotation off, among others. It is definitely not a tablet replacement. But it shines when it comes to video playback and that should be one of the main reasons why you should buy this. If you are a YouTube junkie, then watching HD videos on the big screen is a treat. Regular surfing, checking mails and minor office work is also quite easily doable on this Mini PC.

Samsung reveals details of the new Exynos 5 Dual chipset

2012-08-10T05:57:00.000-07:00

Details about Samsung’s new Exynos 5 Dual chipset have been revealed, a 32nm offering that outperforms the previous Exynos 4 Quad chipset in terms of battery life, graphics performance, and connectivity.

The Samsung Exynos 5 Dual chipset bears a dual-core 1.7GHz ARM Cortex-A15 processor, along with a quad-core Mali-T604 GPU that supposedly provides 5 times the performance of previous generation Mali graphics, with support for resolutions up to 2560x1600 pixels, and stereoscopic 3D.

The new quad-core Mali GPU also features support for OpenGL ES 3.0, OpenCL 1.1, and DirectX 11 APIs, with the last a direct nod at the Windows Phone 8, and Windows RT platforms (Samsung's got a RT tablet due in October).

The Exynos 5 Dual chipset bears SATA III and USB 3.0 controllers, and support for 800MHz LPDDR3 RAM, with a memory bandwidth of roughly 12.8GBps, far ahead of the Exynos 4 Quadand Snapdragon S4.

While Samsung’s new chipset won’t be the one replacing the Exynos 4 Quad in terms of raw processing power, it will give the company a stronger contender against the likes of other current-generation dual-core mobile chipsets, like the Qualcomm Snapdragon S4, in terms of performance versus efficiency.

Samsung hasn’t yet announced any devices that will ship with the new Exynos 5 Dual chipset, and for now, no benchmarks have yet been shared. We’ll have to wait a while to see just how well the new chipset performs in front of the competition - though on paper, it looks like Samsung has a winner.

Nokia launches Asha 305 and Asha 311 feature phones, with 40 free EA games

2012-08-09T07:51:00.002-07:00

Nokia has added to its existing lineup of Asha phones with two new models, the Asha 305 and the Asha 311 in India. The Asha 305 is priced at Rs. 5,029 whereas the Asha 311 is priced at Rs. 7,139.

The Nokia Asha 305 and 311 were first announced in June along with the Asha 306 that was expected to beannounced today but didn't make the cut.
Nokia Asha 311

The Nokia Asha 311 boasts of a 3-inch scratch resistant capacitive touchscreen with a resolution of 400x240 pixels. The device has 256MB internal storage of which 100MB is available to the user. The storage is expandable up to 32GB via a microSD card. The device is quite lightweight, weighing a mere 95 grams. Under the hood, the Asha 311 is powered by a 1GHz processor and runs on an 1110mAh battery. The rear of the device houses a 3.2MP camera and the device doesn't have a front facing camera.

Nokia Asha 305

The Nokia Asha 305 on the other hand is a dual-SIM phone. The SIM cards are hot swappable meaning that you don't need to switch off the device or remove the back cover to insert the SIM cards. The phone also boasts of a 3-inch touch screen but it is resistive in nature. The Asha 305 has internal storage of just 10MB but it is expandable via a microSD card up to 32 GB. The device has a 2MP rear snapper and weighs a mere 98.3 grams.
Both the devices boast of a new Nokia swipe user interface, a browser that boasts of cloud acceleration and 40 free EA gamesincluding the likes of Tetris, Bejeweled, Need for Speed: The Run, Fifa 12 and more.
Announcing the latest Asha Touch range, Mr. Viral Oza, Director Marketing, Nokia India, said, “The Nokia Asha family has received tremendous consumer response. With a variety of form factors across price points and innovations such as Nokia Browser, Nokia Maps and DRM free Nokia Music, Nokia Asha family has triggered data consumption habits in first time data users. With the launch of Nokia Asha Touch range, we are strengthening our range of ‘mobile internet’ devices that offer these exciting experiences to the consumers.”
The latest Nokia Asha devices were launched by India’s ace racer, Karun Chandhok. “I spend most of my time on the road and this is a great device for me to stay connected with my friends and loved ones. Being a gaming enthusiast, I am impressed by the EA Gamespackage on these devices. With these devices, Nokia again has launched a winner true to its legacy,” said Karun Chandhok.

Mr. Viral Oza, Director Marketing, Nokia India and F1 racer Mr. Karun Chandhokat the press conference, launching Nokia Asha 311 and 305 mobile phones.

LG Optimus L3 Dual available online at Rs. 8,299

2012-08-04T09:57:00.000-07:00

The LG Optimus L3 Dual E405 is now available in India via online shopping website Flipkart. Priced at Rs. 8,299, the LG Optimus L3 Dual is the dual-SIM version (GSM-GSM) of the Optimus L3, which was launched in India last month.

Specifications of the LG Optimus L3 Dual are reminiscent of the original L3. The device runs on Android 2.3 Gingerbread operating system and is powered by a Cortex A5 800MHz processor. It has a 3.2-inch TFT display with a resolution of 240 x 320 pixels. The Optimus L3 features a 3.2MP camera, 384MB of RAM, 1GB of internal storage and micro-SD card slot that supports storage up to 32GB.

For connectivity, the Optimus L3 Dual supports Wi-Fi, 3G, Blutooth and USB 2.0. The device comes with a 1,500 mAh battery, which is rated to deliver 17 hours on 2G and 10 hours on 3G.

The Optimus L3 Dual comes preloaded with a number of applications such as YouTube, Android Market, Google+, Gmail, Latitude, News and Weather Update, Software Update, Google Talk, Google, Gmail Sync, AOL, Yahoo, Hot Mail and LGE Mail.

The Flipkart page does not reveal the exact availability of the device right now, but promises 'delivery' in seven to nine days. LG has also not yet officially announced the availability of the device in India.

LG Optimus L3 Dual listed on Flipkart

With the new Optimus L3 Dual, LG looks to tap the growing dual-SIM smartphone market, currently dominated by Samsung, Micromax and Nokia. Samsung has released quite a few dual-SIM smartphones of late; the company recently launched the Galaxy Ace Duos. Nokia has maintained its dominance in the segment with the new Asha phones.

Karbonn officially launches Jelly Bean-based Smart Tab 1 at Rs. 6,990

2012-08-04T09:52:00.000-07:00

Karbonn Mobiles has officially announced the launch of Android 4.1 Jelly Bean-based Smart Tab 1 tablet PC. Priced at Rs. 6,990, the new Karbon Smart Tab 1 comes with MIPS-Based JZ4770 SoC from Ingenic as its running core. The tablet is powered by a 1.2GHz processor. Karbonn has also announced rolling out Jelly Bean update for the customers of the Android 4.0.3 ICS-based Smart Tab 1. Booking for the Jelly Bean-based Smart Tab 1 has already begun.

The Karbonn Smart Tab 1 features 17.8cm capacitive 5-point touch screen, 2MP camera, Full HD video playback up to 1080p, HDMI support, 3D gravity sensor, Wi-Fi and 3G support through USB dongle, Pre-embedded applications - Karbonn Smart Browser & Karbonn Smart Games and local apps such as Times of India & Economic Times app and Facebook. The device comes with a 3,700 mAh battery.

Karbonn has also explained features of the Ingenic JZ4770 SoC loaded in the Smart Tab 1:

JZ4770 SoC is powered by a MIPS32 compatible XBurst CPU designed by Ingenic
Adopts an ultra-low-power pipelining architecture which consumes less than 90mW in 1GHz (with L1 cache) with the entire SoC consuming ~250mW with the CPU and video engine operating under full load
The JZ4770 SoC integrates an optimized 1080p video processing engine, OpenGL ES 2.0 3D graphics processing unit from Vivante Corp
Also integrates numerous on-chip analog and application blocks such as audio codecs and GPS

“This new tablet demonstrates continued adoption of our cost-effective JZ4770 SoC in mobile devices. The JZ4770 SoC leverages the simplicity and elegance of the MIPS architecture, and features extremely low power consumption, 1.2GHz performance, and a high level of functional integration. Millions of tablets are already shipping around the globe based on our design, and we anticipate increasing success as more and more companies recognize the differentiation our solution can enable,” says Qiang Liu, Chairman and CEO of Ingenic Semiconductor.

There are already a range of budget tablets in the market right now. Karbonn, however, has grabbed an edge over the rivals by becoming the first Indian brand to announce a tablet which features Jelly Bean out of the box, apart from an update for existing customers of the Smart Tab 1, which currently ships with ICS. As for now, there are quite a few ICS-based tablets such as Funbook, Funbook Pro and Penta T-Pad WS802C in India. For more, check out our list of Top 10 Budget Tablets.

Google's Goggles

2012-07-10T08:28:00.001-07:00

Project Glass, the latest sci-fi concept to come out of Google's X Lab, has gotten a lot of attention online in the past 24 hours thanks to a clever demo video that shows a user donning a pair of augmented-reality eyeglasses which project a heads-up display of video chats, location check-ins, and appointment reminders.

Reactions to the product design have ranged skeptical to enthusiastic, but I was curious about the psychological and visual-cognitive aspects of the user experience. What would these "digital overlays" actually look and feel like? Would they really be as sharp and legible as the ones shown in the video? (I don't know about you, but I can't focus sharply on anything less than an inch away from my eyeball, which is where the eyeglasses' tiny screen would be dangling.) Would they obstruct my vision and make me motion-sick? How would my brain make perceptual and physical sense of the graphics: where would I "look," exactly, in order to "watch" the tiny picture-in-picture video chat shown at the conclusion of the clip?

I asked Mark Changizi, an evolutionary neurobiologist and author of The Vision Revolution, to answer some of these questions in an audio commentary track on the video, which you can watch above.

"The graphics are not going to look like they're floating out in front of you, because it's only being displayed to one eye," Changizi explains. Instead, the experience would be similar to "seeing through" the image of your own nose, which hovers semi-transparently in the periphery of our visual field at all times (even though we rarely pay attention to it). "Having non-corresponding images coming from each eye is actually something we are very much used to already," Changizi says. "It's not uncomfortable." So Google's one-eyed screen design seems biologically savvy.

Then again, Changizi continues, "they're presenting text to you, and in order to discern that kind of detail, you need to have it in front of your fovea"—the tiny, central part of your visual field. "That's typically *not* where we're used to 'seeing through' parts of our own bodies, like our noses." Which means that those crisp, instant-message-like alerts won't be as simple to render as the video makes it seem.

"The more natural place to put [these interface elements], especially if it's not text, is in the parts of your visual field where your face-parts already are," Changizi says. This could be in the left and right periphery, where the ghost-image of your nose resides, or in the upper or bottom edges of your visual field, where you can see your cheeks when you smile or your brow when you frown. "There could be very broad geometrical or textural patterns that you could perceive vividly without having to literally 'look at' them," he says. This would also make the digital overlays "feel like part of your own body," rather than "pasted on" over the real world in an artificial or disorienting way. That experience might feel more like "sensing" the digital interface semi-subconsciously, rather than looking at it directly as if it were an iPhone screen.

A Google employee (who preferred not to be identified) confirmed to Technology Review that "the team is involved in many kinds of experimentation, and some of that will involve outdoor testing," but wouldn't provide any details about what that testing has revealed about the perceptual aspects of the user experience. Clearly, the concept video is meant to convey the basic premise of Project Glasses, rather than render the user experience in a biologically accurate way.

But if Google really does plan to bring this product to market before the end of 2012, as it has claimed, it is exactly these psychological and phenomenological details that will have to be examined closely.

For his part, Changizi is optimistic. "Right now we have everyone walking around focusing their vision on tiny four-inch screens held in their hands, bumping into each other," he says. "Whatever Google does with Project Glass, it'll surely be an improvement over that."

Apple Iglasses concept

2012-07-10T08:26:00.000-07:00

eyewear is a unique and fun glasses that detects your expressions, blood pressure, heartbeat, etc. These glasses display its wearer expressions through animation display, thus improving the communication and relationship with other people. “Magic Emotion” concept uses a new LED material called lightform for the glasses. The micro detector detects your expression while the CPU processes and transmits the result to the lightform LED.

EVERYTHING ABOUT IOS 6

2012-07-08T06:10:00.002-07:00

Compatibility : iPhone 3GS, 4 & 4S, iPod Touch 4Gen, iPad 2 & the New iPad

As expected, Apple is to launch the latest edition of iOS for in August’12. Let’s take a closer look at the latest offering and see if you should go for it or give this one a miss.

Apple promises a whole bunch of new and upgraded apps and continues with the ‘seamless experience across devices’ focus that it started with iCloud. Lets take a closer look at what’s in the pack and see if we can separate the winners from the also ran’s

MAPS

Apple makes a bold move by ditching the well established Google maps partnership. Hit GPS- Navigating on the app store search and about a hundred and fifty apps ranging from $0.99 to $ 36 show up. Clearly navigation is a market that Apple has decided to focus more on. With Tom Tom, the well established GPS player, as a new partner Apple clearly intends to take the maps experience to the next level. Some cool stuff that you will be able to do with ‘maps’ is genuine ‘in-car’ GPS navigation and a ‘Fly by’ superman like view of some of your favorite cities around the world

SIRI

Our friend Siri continues to prosper, now integrating with more devices such as the new iPad and even voice navigation systems of smart cars. He also promises to speak more languages such as French, Korean and Cantonese. However voice commands are no mean task to achieve. When Microsoft launched the Xbox peripheral Kinect , the voice commands were restricted to certain English speaking territories. MS has been on a crusade for the last 12 months collecting voice samples through the Voice Studio application on the Xbox dashboard. Overall Siri has been a source of jokes rather than a serious companion app on the iPhone. I feel Apple is trying to do too much too soon with Siri without perfecting the basic experience. Overall I think Siri will continue to underperform, so a thumbs down

Facebook

It’s interesting to see Apple’s continued openness to facebook. You will not need to open the facebook app or web browser for most of your activities. Upload pictures directly from the camera, ‘like’ a song or app from iTunes and see it magically get updated on your wall. It will definitely be easier to interact with facebook on your mobile, but not that it was too difficult today. Most technology relationships are symbiotic but in this case its seems that Mr. Zuckerberg has gotten the better deal

Shared Photostream

While facebook will be happy to get a bigger bite of the ‘Apple pie’ through integration with iPhotos, camera and calendar, it should sit up and take notice of what’s happening in the new Photo Stream. You can now directly share photos with a selected audience from your photo stream. Apple users, off course access it directly from their devices, however even your friends without Apple devices can access a weblink to see your pics. If only Apple adds a ‘like’ & ‘comment’ functionality, facebook would get really worried. This is the classic experience that Apple is famous for, a big thumbs up.

Passbook

This new app seems to be a friend of Siri’s. Get all your loyalty cards, concert, movie and flight tickets organized in one place. The appropriate reminders automatically get displayed on your lock screen so you never miss a flight or waste time looking for those seats in the theatre. A little birdy also tells us that this will be Apple’s foray into the payments space. With NFC rumored to be introduced in the iPhone 5, this might be a direct challenger to mastercard pay pass and visa pay wave. Sounds like a great innovation but we would wait and see how well Apple packages this one.

Facetime

Ok hold your breath for this one. You can now make facetime calls over cellular networks. Ok now let go, cause this one does come with sufficient caveats. For starters the networks are likely to be restricted. And secondly no matter how good Apple makes the software it will always be dependent on internet speeds or your network coverage. Having said that this is a step in the right direction. Nokia can no longer use the tagline ‘bringing people closer’

Phone, Mail and Safari

Cosmetic upgrades to your basic service, most of which should have been around anyways, It seems Apple is only plugging the gaps with these ones.

New features for China

There is a clear acknowledgement of the burgeoning Chinese market for Apple. Integration with the local counterparts of Google, youtube and twitter showcase this importance. There is also continued support for the Chinese character dictionary with additional characters and English to Chinese translations. Queuing up overnight to get that latest Apple device makes it even more worthwhile for the Chinese fans of Apple

Guided Access

I have examined the next feature very carefully. It’s likely to have the least commercial impact for Apple, but scores a direct hit on the ‘loveability’ meter for the company. Apple recognizes the needs of special children such as those with Autism and helps teachers use the iOS device to keep their attention focused. It also improves the voice over app for the visually impaired and makes more of the world available to them through maps, assistive touch and zoom. Kudos to Apple for this one

Overall iOS 6 is a clearly a ‘major’ upgrade. It delivers more than enough for you to plug in your iPhone, hit the upgrade button and spend those few minutes watching the Apple logo disappear and re-appear with abundant joys on the other side.

HCL launches cheapest laptop @ Rs 13,990

2012-07-07T14:41:00.002-07:00

HCL Infosystems today launched MiLeap – a fully functional, portable range of laptops that sport a starting price tag of Rs 13,990.

Slated to be the world’s cheapest ultra-portable laptops (Allied Computers announced laptops priced at Rs 14,999 a couple of days back), the MiLeap would be available in two series, X and Y, at a starting price of Rs 13,990 and Rs 29,990 respectively.

The X series would have both flash-based and disk-based storage options, with a Linux-based operating system. The most expensive model of the series would be available at Rs 16,990.

The high-end Y series (from Rs 29,990-39,990) would have multiple navigational features such as touch screen, thumboard, stylus, keyboard and touch buttons, with Windows Vista (Home) as the operating system.

Both the models have network ports, are Wi-Fi ready, have an option for a data card and are available with GUI-enabled, user friendly Linux operating system.

Weighing less than a kilogram, the MiLeap laptops have a 7-inch screen and are equipped with an Intel processor.

The company would start shipping the units on January 26 and these would be available at all HCL retail outlets and distribution centres.

“We will manufacture these PCs at our two plants in India. Initially, we will utilise our Pondicherry plant, beyond which we will use our plant in Uttarakhand,” said George Paul, associate vice-president - Marketing, HCL Infosystems.

“If the demand for the laptops rises, we are open to scaling up through a new centre,” he added.

“With a legacy of having pioneered India’s first micro-computer, the country’s first desktop PC and the first home PC, this revolutionary range of ultra portable ‘MiLeap’ laptops will herald in a new category of computing devices, opening up a wide range of new usage scenarios and application areas,” said Ajai Chowdhry, chairman & CEO, HCL Infosystems.

ACI to offer low-cost laptops at Rs 4999

2012-07-07T03:08:00.000-07:00

ACi -- UK's longest standing laptop specialist brand marketed in India by a BSE-listed, Allied Computers International (Asia) Limited, is now all set to offer super low-cost laptop to Indian public at Rs 4,999.

"We are launching India's super low cost laptop at Rs 4,999 in mid-June. It will be real fully functional, windows compatible working laptop at a lowest price tag in the country," Allied Computers managing director Hirji Patel said.

London-based missile scientist turned entrepreneur, Hirji Patel established Allied Computers International (Asia) Limited under the ACi brand in May 2002.

ACi India offers laptops and PCs in the Indian market with innovative design.

Talking about the viability of the project, Patel said, the company will import the product from China and depend on volume growth and will have thin profit margin.

Patel is all set to unveil to market few third generation models of laptops including Rs 4,999 windows compatible with 10" screen. Among other low-cost models, laptop PC for lower-mid class segment for Rs 9,999 and latest 3rd generation model housing Intel i3 CPU for Rs 19,999 will be launched shortly.

The company is also launching latest 3rd generation model housing Intel i7 with 32GB RAM - fastest gaming laptop ever built - first laptop in India with RAM exceeding 8GB for Rs 49,999, Patel said.

"We will never compromise on quality with price. The range we will be offering are carefully designed and developed just like majority of our models launched both in UK and India," Patel said.

In the recent times, we have seen much hype and heard much hoopla around so-called low-cost computing devices, which created enough buzz, but failed to live up to their expectations purely because they could never deliver computing, Patel said.

Patel pointed out that although, India on Sunday enjoys a volume sales of around 2.5 million laptops per annum, it is still barely 10 percent of what western countries like UK and other leading European countries are churning out into the market.

Laptop cost-to-earning factor is still rather high in India and in lower middle class to the poor it is still considered beyond reach.

Introducing such low-cost computing devices becomes more significant in the wake of various state governments like Tamil Nadu, UP and others announcing to provide laptops for students. The company is looking at offering the low cost laptops to these state governments, Patel added.

Help needed

2012-07-07T03:06:00.000-07:00

Anyone interested to write a few articles here is welcome.
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Go Tech brings Android tab for Rs 3,999

2012-05-17T12:26:00.002-07:00

The tablets Funtab Fusion and Fonetab has normal features as most entry level Android tablets.

Delhi based Go Tech has unveiled two affordable tablets, named as Funtab Fusion and Fonetab. While the Funtab Fusion is priced at Rs 3,999, the Fonetab will be available in the market for Rs 6,999.

Unveiling the tablets, Go Tech's managing director, Gaurav Khanna said, "We are very happy to launch two new tablet PCs which are designed keeping youth in mind. Fun and education are two important aspect of a youth's life; and with this launch we have tried to meet their experience."

Funtab Fusion comes with a 7 inch resistive screen with dual touch facility with 800x480 resolution. It has an 800 Mhz processor which runs Android 2.3 Gingerbread operating system. It has though a paltry 256 MB RAM. The Fusion has 2 GB internal storage capacity which is expandable upto 32 GB through a micro SD card.

Besides, Funtab Fusion has WiFi, and a USB port along with a mini USB port. The tablet though has no Bluetooth. It comes with a 2800 mAh battery that according to Go Tech would provide over 7 hours of utility. On Fusion, users can enjoy 3G connectivity through a dongle as well. Besides, it has a 0.3 megapixel front camera for video chats.

The Fonetab is the costlier cousin of Funtab Fusion and comes with 800 MHz processor, 512 RAM and Android 2.3 operating system. Like Fusion, it too has a 7 inch resistive touchscreen. It has WiFi, USB and mini USB ports but has no Bluetooth facility.

The Fonetab has a bigger 3600 mAh battery that too according to Go Tech provide over 7 hours of usage. Like Funtab Fusion, the Fonetab too comes with a 0.3 megapixel front camera.

Both the tablets will come with a smart case, headphone, and charger. Both are available in silver colour only.

Best PC tricks

2012-05-05T04:08:00.001-07:00

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plz help us

2012-04-07T22:47:00.002-07:00

Micromax unveils tablet at Rs 6,499

2012-04-07T14:53:00.002-07:00

A digital education and entertainment device, "Funbook on Ice Cream Sandwhich", combining learning and fun was launched by eucational publisher Pearson, Micromax Informatics and education company Everonn. Micromax Funbook is available in 2 variants; suave silver and brilliant black. A perfect combination of hardware, content and seamless connectivity for a high-quality and engaging experience, Funbook is poised to change the way fun and learning is consumed on the go. The device is targeted at at nearly 20 million of the total urban youth population in India and costs Rs 6,499.

The device, launched on the Android 4.0.3 digital platform, will help children watch their favourite movies, read books and play games at the same time.

Micromax unveils tablet at Rs 6,499

2012-04-07T14:51:00.001-07:00

Micromax Fun Book

2012-04-05T02:41:00.000-07:00

Get absorbed in the world of education & entertainment on this unique device that brings it all on a single platform. Empower your intellect with study material right from kindergarten up till IAS civil services exams with the biggest & largest exchange of supplementary course material in India. And get access to the latest movies, songs and clips or keep yourself busy with the latest games, apps or even watch your favorite show on Live TV. The all new Funbook is powered by 1.2ghz processor and runs on the latest Android OS- the Ice cream Sandwich. The all new Micromax Funbook has been made to excel at every task it handles.

Get the exclusive Interactive course material for CBSE ranging from class 1 till class 12th on a 4GB MicroSD card. Now learning would be fun with the animated videos, diagrams and pictorial representation where applicable. Wise up to the new-age way of learning. For other course study material, visit mmx.vriti.com

Technical Specifications
Network & Connectivity:
3GYes (Supported by an external USB Dongle)WiFiYesUSBYes3.5 MM JackYesHDMI PortYes
Display:
Type Capacitive Touch ScreenScreen Size17.8cmFeaturesMulti-Touch Screen, Pinch Zoom
Storage:
Internal 4GB NANDExpandableUp to 32 GBCard Slot MicroSDRAM512 MB
Camera:
Primary0.3 Mega Pixels (VGA camera)Video recording Yes
Battery:
Capacity Li-Ion battery - 2800 mAhBrowsing timeUp to 5 hrs
Other:
BrowserYesGamesYesJAVAYes
Color:Midnight Black & Slate Grey

Just @ 6.5k...!

2012-04-05T02:38:00.002-07:00

Micromax :: Funbook

www.micromaxfunbook.com

Ira Tablets

2012-03-30T12:33:00.000-07:00

IRA TABS GO WORLDWIDE AT RS.4000 WITH A CAPACITIVE TOUCH

2012-03-30T12:31:00.000-07:00

Datawind's Aakash is set to get more competition as Wishtel has announced the launch of its budget tablets in the Indian market today. Dubbed as Ira and Ira Thing, these tablets have been priced starting Rs 4,000.

Wishtel was the second lowest bidder after Datawind in the Aakash tablet project tender and it was only a matter of time before we could see budget tablet announcements from the company.

It is planning to release two variants of its tablets in the country. While one variant will be running on Android 2.2, the other variant will have Linux Sugar OS on-board. The Linux variant of the tablet will also have the native Hindi language support.

The cheaper version Ira features 7 inch resistive display, 800MHz VIA WonderMedia ARM SoC , Wi-Fi connectivity, 2GB internal memory, 512MB RAM, 3G modem support via USB, 3.5mm audio jack and a 2800 mAh battery. It is being sold at Rs 4,000.

On the other hand, Ira Thing will come with 7 inch capacitive display, but rest of the specifications will remain same as Ira. It will be priced at Rs 5,500. Both the tablets are now available nationwide.

Raspberry Pi miniaturized computer available for pre-order

2012-03-30T12:30:00.000-07:00

Raspberry Pi, a single board computer is now available for pre-order on the element14 site. It is a credit card-sized computer, that can be connected to a TV and lets you connect generic USB mouse, keyboard and even a monitor. The mini computer has been developed to improve the programming skills of children and has been selling since the day of its launch. It is capable of many tasks your PC does, such as spreadsheets, word-processing and also games. It can also handle high-definition videos. The computer is designed around a Broadcom BCM2835 SoC and includes ARM1176JZF-S 700 MHz processor, VideoCore IV GPU, and 128 or 256 MB of RAM. Interestingly, for booting it relies on an SD card and doesn’t require an HDD or SSD and runs on Linux kernel operating system.

Two versions of the computer will be released dubbed Model A and Model B. The former will equip 128 MB RAM, one USB port and no Ethernet, while the latter will be integrated with 256MB RAM, two USB ports and a 10/100 Ethernet controller. Model A doesn’t feature an RJ45 Ethernet port, but can be connected to the network using the supplied USB Ethernet or Wi-Fi adapter. Generic keyboards and mice will also be compatible with the computer. Debian GNU/Linux, Iceweasel, Calligra Suite and Python are expected to be bundled with the Raspberry Pi. It isn't accompanied by a real-time clock, so the OS uses a network time server, or can ask the user for time information at boot time to get access to time and date info for file time and date stamping. This doesn’t mean that a real time clock (such as the DS1307) with battery backup cannot be added.

It is available for pre-order on the element14 website and is priced at Rs.2,350. Those who have pre-ordered the device will receive an e-mail about the delivery time and other details, while others can pen down their interests on the site and Raspberry will let you know when the units are available. The Model B Bundle with mouse, keyboard, Wi-Fi dongle, SD card reader and other accessories, likewise Plus Bundle and Accessory Pack will be made available soon.

BSNL launches Aakash tablet's rival

2012-03-30T12:27:00.000-07:00

BSNL has launched three tablets including two 7 inch resistive screen based tabs with Android 2.3 operating system while the third tablet comes with an 8 inch capacitive touchscreen.

Made by Noida based company - Pantel, the tablets will be sold with discounted data plans from BSNL. The three tablets are priced at Rs 3,250, Rs 10,999 and Rs 13,500.

The cheapest model is Panta Tpad IS 701r which is priced at Rs 3,250. Notably, Aakash is priced at just Rs 2500. However, Tpad has better specification than the Datawind's low cost tablet.

Panta Tpad is a WiFi only tablet with Android 2.3 operating system, it has a 1 GHz processor (ARM11 IMAP210) clubbed with 256 MB RAM. The tablet also offers HDMI port through which it can be connected to a TV. Its 7 inch resistive touch screen comes with 800x600 resolution and 16:9 aspect ratio.
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The tablet has a 3000 mAh battery and 2 GB internal memory which can be expanded through micro SD card. The tablet also has a VGA front facing camera for video calling. While Panta Tpad IS 701r has the BSNL branding, the other two tablets images do not have.

The second tablet is named 'Panta Tpad_ws704c'. It has the same specification as its cheapest cousin (701r) but offers added 3G connectivity which supports both CDMA/EVDO and GSM, inbuilt A-GPS, Accelerometer and Bluetooth. It also comes with a 2 megapixel rear camera and also has bigger 512 MB RAM for faster performance.

The costliest amongst the three is the Tpad WS802C which has an 8 inch capacitive screen. It comes with a faster 1.2 GHz processor and 512 MB RAM. The internal memory is also bigger at 4 GB. Rest of the features like GPS, camera and Bluetooth are same as the 704C.

farmville secrets whole book

2012-02-29T10:19:00.001-08:00

http://www.plunder.com/Farmville-Secrets-whole-book-download-7C8JAYCV1T.htm

Future plans

2012-02-28T15:24:00.000-08:00

The UbiSlate 7+ will be launched between January and February 2012.

DataWind is already working on giving the device a capacitive touch screen and 3G connectivity. This version will be priced around Rs.7,000, making it, when it releases, the cheapest 3G tablet in the market. The aim thereafter is to bring down the price - through sheer volume sales - to 3,000.

Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) has announced the plan to launch LTE(4G) Tablet between 3500-5000, with low cost Internet service. This tablet will be an upgraded version of Aakash developed by DataWind.

Indian Govt. HRD has revealed that Aakash 2 will be announced in April 2012, and Datawind may not be its manufacturer Hindustan Computers Limited (HCL), Indian Telephone Industries Limited(ITI), and Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) are Interested in bidding at the Aakash 2 contract auction.

IIT-Rajasthan's specifications are 1.2Ghz CPU and 700 MB RAM. It wanted the tablet to work after steep falls and in Monsoon season, making the cost over Rs 5000. So responsibility of drafting specifications will be shifted to IIT Mumbai, IIT Madras and IIT Kanpur while PSUs are being considered for procurement of the Aakash Tablet. Aakash 2 could have the 1 GB RAM and a front facing camera capable of capturing video, that was announced earlier by Kapil Sibal.

Reception

2012-02-28T15:21:00.000-08:00

Problems such as low memory, frequent system freezes, poor sound quality, absence of support for all formats and inability to install free software available online were also cited by users.Technical commentator Prasanto Roy criticized issues such as a low battery life, an insufficient 7" screen and absence of training and support infrastructure, especially in rural areas. UbiSlate 7+ will be released by 2012. The producer has finalized the improvements of Aakash.

After receiving feedback of the early release model from over 500 users from educational institutions, DataWind announced the next iteration that will have a new microprocessor of 700 MHz versus the original 366 MHz processor. This will improve the speed of the tablet and solve the existing problems of quick overheating, frequent system freeze, poor sound quality, absence of support for all formats and the inability to install free online software. The amount of memory, storage, and USB ports will remain the same.

On 16 December 2011, DataWind opened Aakash ordering online in their official website at 2500 with one week delivery time and cash on delivery facility and its upgraded version Ubislate 7+ is available for pre-order at 2999.

On 19 December 2011, DataWind reported that the first phase of Aakash tablet has been sold-out completely, just three days since it was opened for Online order. UbiSlate 7+ production capacity of January, February and March has already been sold. Now, April production is open for pre-Booking.

By 3 January 2012 1.4 million orders had been received since the UbiSlate 7+ was put up for sale online.

By the end of January, 2012 pre-orders for UbiSlate 7+ have crossed two million.