Mobile World

Samsung dual-SIM smartphones

2012-02-14T21:00:00.001-08:00

Samsung Electronics Co has launched three dual-SIM smartphones in the Indian market:

Galaxy Ace Duos (SCH-i589), Galaxy Y Pro Duos (GT B5512) and Galaxy Y Duos (GT-S6102).

The company also strengthened its feature phone dual SIM portfolio with the launch of Samsung Champ Deluxe Duos (C3312) and Star 3 Duos (GT-S5222).

Samsung Galaxy Ace Duos (SCH-i589) comes with dual-SIM Dual Active technology that allows users to be available on CDMA and GSM nos. at the same time. It has an 832MHz processor and runs on Android 2.3 Gingerbread OS.

Galaxy Ace DUOS has an 8.89 cm display HVGA display, EvDO Rev A capability, 1,650mAh battery. The smartphone is priced at Rs 16,900.

Galaxy Y Pro Duos is the first Android-based Dual SIM QWERTY bar device. With WiFi direct and BT 3.0 support, the device offers improved connectivity along with an enhanced productivity with Touch + QWERTY Key Pad and an optical track pad. With the increasing demand of staying connected, the device supports Social Hub Premium that enables the user to stay connected with their companions.

With a 6.5 cm LQVGA, Capacitive Touch Screen, 3MP FF with VGA Video Telephony Camera and a 1,350 mAh battery, the Samsung Galaxy Y Pro is priced at Rs 11,090/-.

Samsung Galaxy Y Duos (GT-S6102) is a touchscreen dual-SIM smartphone. Galaxy Y Duos comes with Social Hub and Samsung messenger, Chat ON. It has 3.14" screen with QVGA resolution and an 832 MHz processor.

Galaxy Y Duos is priced at Rs 10,490.

Samsung Champ Deluxe Duos' (C3312) features virtual QWERTY, Hindi language input, native Facebook and Twitter apps and all messengers including Yahoo, MSN, GTalk, etc. For connectivity, it comes with 3.0 Bluetooth, Push Mail with Activesync and Opera Mini Browser.

The smartphone has a 1.3MP camera, MP3 player, FM radio and 3.5mm ear jack. The device is priced at Rs 4790.

Samsung Star 3 Duos features include Push IM (Ch@tOn, mFluent), Native SNS (Facebook, Twitter), Weather Widget, Push email (EAS), POP3 email with WDS easy email setup, dictionary and hindi language input (3x4 keypad).

With a 3.0" QVGA TFT screen, 3 MP camera and 1000mAh battery, the device is priced at Rs 6290.

amsung, which claims to be the market leader in India's smartphone space with a 41 per cent market-share, expects its dual SIM devices to further consolidate its leadership.

""These devices combine the effectiveness of all smartphone features and give consumers the opportunity to maintain their work life balance. Dual SIM phones enable consumers to separate their personal life from their professional life,"" said Samsung India's country head (mobile & IT) Ranjit Yadav on Tuesday.

At present, one of the three dual SIM phones, the Galaxy Y Duos, is being rolled out of the company's mobile phone manufacturing unit in Noida. Eventually all three models will be manufactured there, said Yadav.

At present, the Noida unit can churn out some 2.5 million phones a month. Samsung has invested in excess of $70 million towards trebling cellphone manufacturing capacity here.

It is the Korean handset maker's sixth overseas manufacturing unit which churns out a mix of multimedia, dual sim and touchscreen phones. Samsung has installed highly advanced and hi-speed SMD machines at the mobile unit.

With the latest launch, Samsung has as many as 16 smartphone models in circulation in the domestic market which are priced between Rs 7,360 and Rs 38,250.
source-timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Comparison Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 750 and Apple’s iPad 2

2012-02-09T20:52:00.001-08:00

Design:

The Galaxy Tab comes in at just 8.6mm — thin enough for Samsung to tag it "the world's thinnest tablet". Compared to the iPad, it is 0.2mm thinner and 36g lighter, weighing in at just 565g. The plastic construction of the Galaxy Tab feels comfortable, yet stylish and is extremely well built — from the glossy black bezel garnishing the display to the soft plastic that surrounds the back of the tablet to its smooth curved edges — and one can see that its makers have not skimped on either its quality or presentation. Comparatively, the iPad2 has an aluminum outlay similar to what was used for the original iPad. This aluminium casing, while looking good, translates into the heavy feel of the iPad2.

Internal makeup and Screen:

The processor in the Galaxy Tab doesn't take a back seat to the iPad2 which has a 1GHz dual-core Apple A5 chip with 512MB of RAM. In fact the Galaxy tab trumps the iPad2 when it comes to space capabilities. The Tab is powered by a 1GHz Dual-Core NVIDIA TEGRA 2 processor and 1GB of RAM, the worth of which is realised while multi-tasking. Samsung's bluetooth capabilities come with a 3.0 version which ensures the faster transfer of files, compared to the iPad2 which has Bluetooth 2.1. The Galaxy Tab is a winner even with its display. It has a slightly larger display at 10.1 inch compared to the iPad's 9.7 inch screen and a vibrant TFT LCD display with a resolution of 1280×800 pixels, giving the tab an edge over the iPad's resolution of 1024×768 pixels.

Camera and Sound:
The Tab has a significantly better camera compared to its rival, the iPad 2. It packs a 3.2MP autofocus camera accompanied by an LED flash, which can make snapping pictures in low light conditions very useful. Additionally, the camera doubles up as a 720p HD video recorder. And while the iPad2 also captures HD quality video at 720p and has a 5X digital zoom its primary camera captures images at a measly 0.7MP.

The Tab's front (or secondary) camera also beats the iPad 2. Its 2MP front facing camera can be used for video conferencing with friends and family via Google Talk which is not limited to one single platform —unlike the iPad 2 which uses Face Time (Apple's proprietary video conferencing software) on its VGA camera up front.

On the sound front, the iPad 2 has a single speaker located on the back of the tablet, while the Galaxy Tab 10.1 offers stereo support with its dual speakers, one on each side of the tablet when held in landscape mode.

Software:

Now this is where the Galaxy Tab shines the most. It runs the Honeycomb version of Android (3.2). Samsung said in a blog post that the Ice-Cream Sandwich a.k.a. 4.0 update will be pushed out to the Tab early this year. This update will keep the tablet fresh, especially considering the heap of new tablets scheduled to release this year. The Tab's Honeycomb version is dressed with Samsung's proprietary TouchWiz User Interface that brings a number of new features to the Galaxy Tab 10.1. The browser is faster and the availability of Adobe Flash allows the user to conveniently view millions of websites. The iPad 2 on the other hand lacks the Flash support and thus makes the browsing experience a little starved.

Android's unique selling point as the platform of choice is due to its ability to let individuals customise their phone and/or tablet. Unlike the iPad 2, the Galaxy Tab can be customised to one's heart's content — from live wallpapers to third party launchers to various browsers — ultimately transforming the Tab into a "you" device.

Battery and Pricing:
Here's an aspect that both, Samsung's Galaxy Tab and the Apple iPad are on par. The Galaxy Tab is powered by a 7000mAh battery which according to Samsung, can clock up to 9 hours of video and 72 hours of music — similar to what Apple's iPad2 offers. The 16 GB Wi-Fi only versions for the Galaxy Tab 10.1 (or the Galaxy Tab 750 in India) and the Apple iPad2 are being sold for Rs 33,000 and Rs 29,500 respectively at retail stores.

source-firstpost.com

Biological Computer

2012-02-08T21:14:00.001-08:00

Scientists in the US claim to have developed the world's first "biological computer" that is made from biomolecules and can decipher images encrypted on DNA chips.

A team from the Scripps Research Institute in California and the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology claims it has created the computing system using bio-molecules, 'Angewandte Chemie' journal reported.

In the research, when suitable software was applied to the biological computer, the scientists found that it could decrypt, separately, fluorescent images of Scripps Research Institute and Technion logos.

And, although DNA has been used for encryption in the past, this is the first experimental demonstration of a molecular cryptosystem of images based on DNA computing, say the scientists led by Prof Ehud Keinan.

"In contrast to electronic computers, there are computing machines in which all four components are nothing but molecules," Prof Keinan said.

"For example, all biological systems and even entire living organisms are such computers. Every one of us is a biomolecular computer, a machine in which all four components are molecules that 'talk' to one another logically," he said.

The hardware and software in these devices, Keinan notes, are complex biological molecules that activate one another to carry out some predetermined chemical work.

The input is a molecule that undergoes specific, predetermined changes, following a specific set of rules (software), and the output of this chemical computation process is another well-defined molecule.

But, what a biological computer looks like? "This computer is built by combining chemical components into a solution in a tube. Various small DNA molecules are mixed in solution with selected DNA enzymes and ATP. The latter is used as the energy source of the device.

"It's a clear solution - you don't really see anything. The molecules start interacting upon one another, and we step back and watch what happens. And by tinkering with the type of DNA and enzymes in the mix, researchers can finetune the process to a desired result," said the scientists.

Added Keinan in a statment: "Our biological computing device is based on the 75-year-old design by the English mathematician, cryptanalyst, and computer scientist Alan Turing." source-economictimes.indiatimes.com

Mobile phone below INR 5000

2012-02-06T20:33:00.001-08:00

Nokia C2-03- Rs 4,425

The phone is a touch and type slider device based on Nokia S40 operating system.

It offers dual SIM functionality, but unlike other dual SIM phones, this one does not require you to switch off the phone to change SIM cards. In fact, the second SIM card slot is located on the left edge of the device. The phone can remember the settings for up to five separate SIM cards. It has a 2 megapixel camera, which takes decent pictures, and the device supports a 32 GB micro SD card as well. It is powered by a 1020 mAh battery that can easily give you two days of backup with average use.

C2-03 has a 2.6 inch display which hides a multi-tap keypad under it. You can use a stylus to navigate the menu on the phone's resistive touchscreen.

There are GPRS and Edge internet connectivity on the Nokia C2-03; while for file transfers you can use Bluetooth or USB

Motorola Quartz EX212 - Rs 4,599

Motorola Quartz, which is a dual SIM clamshell slim, smooth and shiny phone. But unlike Razr, Motorola Quartz is not a costly phone and comes with basic features like a 2.4 inch TFT that displays 262k colours, and a 2 megapixel camera with video recording at 15 frames per second.

The phone plays videos well and the sound output is good too. It has a 3.5 mm jack so you can connect any headphone of your choice. Besides, it has stereo FM and a music player too.

For connectivity, Motorola has provided GPRS, WAP, Bluetooth, and a USB drive in the Quartz. The device has external memory capacity of 16 GB and is powered by a 750 mAh battery that gives talktime of up to 375 minutes according to the company.

Nokia Asha 200 - Rs 4,370

Asha 200 is a dual SIM phone running on Series 40 operating system. The phone has a 2.4 inch display screen and a well spaced Qwerty keypad that aids typing.

The phone sports a 2 megapixel camera, and weighs just 105 gram despite having a large 1430 mAh battery, which will last for days on a single charge.

Asha 200 has an internal memory of 10 MB which is expandable up to 32 GB through a micro SD card.

For connectivity, it has GPRS, Edge, Bluetooth and micro USB. There is also a 3.5 mm jack for earphones. Asha 200 comes with games, life tools, Nokia music unlimited and access to Nokia store - a big plus for any handset.

Samsung Chat C3222 - Rs 3,850

The Samsung Chat C3222 comes with a Qwerty keypad and a 2.2 inch display. The dual SIM active mode renders both the SIM cards active at all times. Chat C3222 features a 1.3 megapixel camera.

A 1000 mAh battery powers the Samsung Chat C3222 and gives 12.8 hours of talktime. The 60 MB of internal memory on the phone can be expanded up to 8 GB via a micro SD card.

C3222 features a music player with 3D sound technology, FM radio with recording, and a 3.5 mm audio port.

Connectivity options on the Samsung Chat C3222 include GPRS, Bluetooth v2.1 and a micro USB port. The C3222 features an optical trackpad for better menu navigation

Karbonn K1616 Magic - Rs 4,829

Karbonn K1616 Magic looks like a smartphone with a sleek design and matte finish, a metallic battery cover and a highly sensitive 3.5 inch capacitive touchscreen.

The phone has a 3D user interface, cut-copy-paste feature for SMS and notes, proximity sensor and gravity sensor. Karbonn K1616 is a dual SIM phone and comes with a 3.2 megapixel camera, 8 GB of external memory support, and Edge connectivity. It also has Bluetooth and USB.

This phone is powered by an 1150 mAh battery that offers very decent battery life (close to two days during our use)

source-in.news.yahoo.com

Top 5 Android mobile phones under Rs 10,000

2012-01-29T21:38:00.001-08:00

LG Optimus Net P690 - Rs 9,999

Successor to the popular Optimus One, the new Optimus Net P690 has instantly been accepted as a budget friendly smartphone, mostly because the phone is a feature rich package. Optimus Net P690 has a 3.2 inch touchscreen display with 320 x 480 pixel resolution and runs Android 2.3 Gingerbread operating system.

Under the slim chassis, Optimus Net houses an 800 MHz mobile processor along with 512 MB of RAM, which is a good enough combination to run Android 2.3 Gingerbread smoothly. If third party developers get interested in this device then perhaps a custom ROM with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich might be supported on it.

Supporting 3G networks, Optimus Net offers wireless connectivity via WiFi and Bluetooth 3.0 as well. LG has used a 3.15 megapixel camera at its rear for decent quality photos to be uploaded and shared on social networks.

Finally, a mobile phone with a seemingly fast processor, decent camera and capacitive touchscreen should be your best bet if you plan to spend under five figures.

Samsung Galaxy Y S5360 - Rs 7,500

Packing a 3 inch capacitive touchscreen, the new Galaxy Y is quite popular amongst users of all ages and occupations etc. It's one of those mobile phones that come with Android 2.3 Gingerbread pre-loaded and with a flavour of TouchWiz user interface layered on it. Galaxy Y GT-S5360 mobile phone houses an 832 MHz processor to run the mobile operating system smoothly with 290 MB of RAM.

The compact candy-bar form factor makes it quite enjoyable and easy to hold. The Galaxy Y also comes in a special package - Galaxy Y Color Plus, which packs four additional inter-changeable backpanel covers, just like the Samsung Corby series phones. The Galaxy Y is kind of disappointing with a mere 2 megapixel camera at the back without any secondary camera in front.

Galaxy Y also features WiFi and Bluetooth 3.0 support. Of course, it comes with FM radio that works with an RDS and location services chip with A-GPS. Not counting the camera, this handset offers the best budget friendly Gingerbread experience.

Sony Ericsson W8 - Rs 9,300

Sony Ericsson's Walkman series mobile phones come with the special Walkman software and audio profiles loaded in them. The new Sony Ericsson W8 features a nice 3 inch capacitive touchscreen display and Walkman branding targeted at music lovers. By default the mobile phone bundles a 4 GB microSD card for music files.

Unfortunately, Sony Ericsson's Android phone buyers have to wait for weeks to get the latest update and enjoy a smooth OS experience. W8 comes with the age old Android 2.1 Éclair operating system that is powered with a 600 MHz mobile processor and a mere 168 MB of RAM. However, this mobile does not have enough hardware muscle to run even Android 2.3 Gingerbread smoothly, let along the upcoming Android Ice Cream Sandwich

Sony Ericsson has added custom Walkman styling with the TimeScape interface, bringing a W shortcut to the top right corner of the homescreen. This smartphone supports 3G networks and also offers WiFi support for wireless internet connectivity. It is a good phone which does appear slightly over priced. If you wish for a good music experience with your favourite pair of earphones and a fancy looking mobile, W8 should be the apt choice.

Motorola Fire XT311 - Rs 8,950

Android is indeed cumbersome to use with a Qwerty smartphone in candybar form, but if there's a capacitive touchscreen involved, the task is a wee bit easier. Motorola Fire XT311 is a Qwerty candybar phone with 2.8 inch capacitive touchscreen display supporting 240 x 320 pixel resolution.

Fire is one of the good entry level Motorola devices with Android 2.3.4 Gingerbread operating system for those who wish for the fastest and best features. Under the hood, Fire XT311 houses a 600 MHz mobile processor that might appear a bit slow, but is decent enough to run the operating system with a 256 MB RAM and 512 MB ROM.

The Fire XT311 is one heck of a good looking Android smartphone. It is very different from the dual-SIM EX119 that has a minimalist design. This mobile phone promises talk time of 7 hours on 2G networks and 5 hours on 3G. Considering the healthy talk time and physical Qwerty keypad, Fire XT311 is indeed worth a try

Micromax Superfone Lite A75 - Rs 8,900

Micromax launched the iPhone 4-mocking Superfone with a bang and quietly slipped in the Superfone Lite, which is a stepped down version of the former model. Superfone Lite A75 comes with Android 2.3 Gingerbread. Micromax offers a 3.75 inch capacitive touchscreen display to enjoy Gingerbread goodness to the maximum without spending more.

Under the hood, it packs a 650 MHz mobile processor and offers dual GSM SIM support with dual-standby mode. 3G and WiFi enabled, this mobile phone is expected to eat up loads of battery life and that's why the company has packed a 1300 mAh battery, which is pretty decent for a budget phone. Then again, Superfone Lite comes with just 256 MB of RAM and there would be performance as well as battery issues on dual-SIM mode.

All the above mobile phones are available in Indian markets at different rates in different regions because of the variable taxes, octroi and other charges.
source-in.news.yahoo.com

Samsung’s Note - a Hybrid of Tablet-Smartphone

2012-01-23T21:06:00.001-08:00

Benefit:

Large & immersive screen with smartphone
portability
Full screen utilization for fast and effective tasking
Free capturing and creation
Powerful performance
5.3" large screen + Light & thin design
The 5.3" display is the largest screen size with smartphone portability which allows you to see more and do more, while on the go.
The 1st HD Super AMOLED display
The world's first 5.3" HD Super AMOLED display, provides you with an expansive high-resolution screen for an immersive viewing experience.
Minimum screen scrolling & transition
By fully taking advantage of the 5.3" screen, you will be able view more in one glance with minimum scrolling and screen transitions
Smart & Intuitive scheduler
The S Planner, provides you the tools to manage complicated schedules in an easy and intuitive way.
The best multi-input experience on the go
The GALAXY Note provides you with the ability to freely capture and create ideas anywhere and everywhere. The S Pen is combined with the full touch screen to create a best-in-class mobile input experience. It is the most advanced pen input technology featuring an array of functions including pressure sensitivity, preciseness, speed and more. With the S Pen, you can easily sketch drawings or write notes with increased accuracy and ease. Also, the S Pen functionality is deeply integrated into the GALAXY Note's native applications to provide a richer interactive experience.
S Pen optimized advanced memo
The S Memo lets you record all forms of ideas instantly and freely. A quick memo can be taken from any screen to capture your ideas before they float away. Those ideas along with pictures, voice recordings, typed text, handwritten notes or drawings can be captured into S Memo, to be edited, annotated and shared as desired.
Instantly Capture and Annotate Any Screen
Any screen can be instantly captured and annotated in detail. In addition, captured screens can be freely cropped in any shape or form using the precision S pen.
Expressive personalization of photos and videos
You can easily personalize photos and videos using the advanced S Pen. You can scribble in personalized notes and drawings on your memories
of precious moments such as family outings, a baby's first walk and
many more.
Rich communication of ideas and emotions
Communication is no longer limited to just text. You can draw and send your ideas, emotions and more via text messages, emails and Samsung's ChatON communication service.
Advanced 8MP camera
With the powerful camera feature, you capture the world's every moment in deep detail. Also, using the vivid and large display, you can easily review photos and show them to your friends.
A 2500mAh battery
The strong battery prolongs your GALAXY Note experience, letting you enjoy all the features that it has to provide
HSPA+ 21Mbps or 4G LTE - 1.4GHz dual core processor
Experience the unrivaled web & application powered by lightning fast network speed (HSPA+ up to 21Mbps or 4G LTE) and 1.4GHz dual core processor
Comprehensive security capabilities
- MDM (Sybase Afaria) - H/W encryption (Samsung ODE)
Business users can access to enterprise assets securely. Samsung Security solutions cover all data such as contact names and numbers as well as e-mail, email attachments. Also, it provides security capabilities to ensure that mobile workers enjoy an up-to-date and reliable experience on the device.
Flexible and reliable messaging
- Messaging (Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync)
Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync offers optimized secure access to enterprise resources. It allows for real-time communication with employee phones to remotely configure settings, monitor compliance with policies, guarantee synchronized data safety and wipe or lock managed With Galaxy Note.
Professional mobile meeting
- UCC (Cisco WebEx)
Business users can stay connected for important meetings on the go. Cisco WebEx brings web conferencing, instant messaging, telephony, and fixed mobile communication capabilities to a mobile workforce. Users can view shared desktops, browsers, applications and documents.
Uncompromised secure access
- VPN(Cisco AnyConnect, Juniper Junos Pulse, F5 Networks
BIG-IP Edge Gateway)
The GALAXY Note enables mobile access from anywhere. VPN solution provides reliable and easy-to-deploy encrypted network connectivity. Business users can open and review documents, update reports, approve expenses and join webinars using virtualization solutions.
Multi-input business experience
- S Pen
The GALAXY Note provides business users with the ability to freely capture and create ideas anywhere. With the S Pen, users can easily sketch drawings or write task notes. Also, the S Pen functionality is deeply integrated into the GALAXY Note's native applications to provide a richer business experience
Efficient real time record to planner & memo
- S Planner, S memo
With Galaxy Note, business users can manage complicated schedules in an easy way using S Planner. Also, S memo lets users record all forms of ideas instantly. Various Data can be captured into S Memo and users can edit or share the memo

source-samsung.com

HTC smartphone with a ST Ericsson Nova A9500 application processor chip

2012-01-16T03:44:00.001-08:00

The chip runs augmented reality applications such as the demonstration showing the contents in the box which can be seen in the background. source-in.news.yahoo.com

New Gadgets 2012

2012-01-16T03:38:00.001-08:00

Wi-Spi video surveillance helicopter sends live video signals and can be controlled by a smartphone. Cost -$119.99. source-in.news.yahoo.com

New Gadgets 2012 - Gametel wireless controller

2012-01-16T03:34:00.001-08:00

A Gametel wireless controller by Fructel is used to play a video game on a smartphone.The device can turn most Android or iOS smartphones or tablets into portable gaming consoles. source-in.news.yahoo.com

Electronics Innovations

2012-01-10T20:34:00.001-08:00

Televisions

Samsung Super Oled

Samsung showcased its new upcoming flagship TV - a 55-inch, super OLED 3D TV. It has a super-thin 4mm bezel and is amazingly just 7.6mm thick. While OLED provides for superb colors and sharpness, it is also a Smart TV & now comes with a 1.5Ghz dual core processor inside - providing better performance for apps.

Panasonic 4K Panels

Panasonic showcased a range of 3D LCD & plasma TVs with Wi-Fi & 4K (ultra HD, 4096 x 2160 pixels) TVs but the highlight was the 4K, 20.4-inch LCD IPS-Pro panel monitor that packs a huge 8 million pixels into a 3.5mm thin frame.

LG Oled TVs

Not only did LG show off their own 55-inch OLED TV (above), they also gave CES visitors a sneak peek at their upcoming Google TV, 4k ultra high definition TV, the first Wi-Di certified TV and glasses free 3D TV in sizes from 55-inch and above. Their Magic Motion remote control has been upgraded to support gestures.

Sony Crystal LED TV

While the competition is looking towards OLED as the future, Sony has discontinued it. Instead they announced 'Crystal LED' display technology. Sony claims that the new tech offers three times the contrast, 10 times faster performance and overall better color accuracy as compared to regular LED TVs.

Cameras

Canon GX1

Canon's newest pro-class compact (part of the popular G-series) is the G1 X. The camera features a large 14MP CMOS sensor, Digic 5 processor and the HS (high sensitivity) system. It may offer only a 4X optical zoom but it makes up with full manual control, RAW shooting & a stainless steel chassis.

Fujifilm X-PRO1

Fuji's mirrorless X-Pro1 offers delectable retro style and uses a magnesium alloy chassis. The shutter speed and exposure control dial are milled from solid metal and it has a 16MP DSLRsize CMOS sensor. Fuji also launched 18mm, 35mm and 60mm lenses for the camera.

Samsung WiFi Range

Samsung's new camera range features built in Wi-Fi for remote upload of photos/videos and remote control. Many different options with different zoom lenses and resolution are available. The DualView DV300F (pictured) has a 16MP sensor, 5x optical zoom & 1.5-inch front LCD - good for self-portraits.

Smartphones

Nokia Lumia 900

Nokia has taken the wraps off its 4G-ready Windows Phone device with a 4.3-inch amoled touch screen. Most features (hardware, single piece polycarbonate construction, storage, OS, rear camera and even the button placement) are the same as the Lumia 800. The 900 however, adds a front camera and gets a bigger 1,800mAh battery.

Huawei Ascend P1 S

The P1 is the new slimmest phone in the world at just 6.7mm thick. It runs Google's Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) on a 1.5Ghz dual core processor with 1GB RAM, 4GB storage and 8MP rear camera. It also has a 4.3-inch super amoled display and a large 1670 mAh battery.

Sony Xperia S & ION

The new Ion & Xperia S (not pictured) have a heady mix of style and substance. Both have 1.5Ghz dual core processors with 1GB RAM and 16/32Gb. Both have Android 2.3 & a 12MP camera that does 1080p video. The Xperia S features a 4.3-inch display while Ion has a 4.6-inch display.

Laptops/Ultrabooks

Acer Aspire S5

Acer's second ultrabook, the Aspire S5 is even slimmer at just 15mm and comes with a cool brushed metal finish and magnesium-alloy shell. While the specifications meet Intel's 'Ultrabook' requirements, Acer has included its own 'Instant On' technology for faster boot and resume from sleep (just 1.5 seconds).

Lenovo Ideapad Yoga

Lenovo's business-class Ultrabook (the Think-Pad T430u, with dedicated graphics and 1TB storage) is impressive, but they've also pushed the bar higher with the Yoga. It's a Windows 8 Ultrabook/tablet hybrid with a 13.3-inch touchscreen. It bends a complete 360 degrees to form a tablet and includes GPS, a gyroscope and accelerometer.

HP Envy 14 Spectre

HP's Envy Spectre Ultrabook has a 14-inch display (1600 x 900 pixels) in the chassis of a 13.3-inch laptop. It stands out from the crowd by offering glass panels, built in NFC and a wireless audio feature (streaming music to up to four nearby devices).

Samsung Series 5

Samsung showcased the new Series 5(13 and 14-inch) and Series 9 (13 and 15-inch) Ultrabooks, with the Series 9 claiming to be the slimmest in the world at just 12.7mm. They have 1600 x 900 pixel displays and both series can be configured with either speedy SSDs or regular (lower cost) HDDs for storage. source-economictimes.indiatimes.com

Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 + in India now

2012-01-09T21:21:00.001-08:00

Korean giant Samsung has quietly refreshed its tablet line-up in India with the launch of a 7-inch Android Honeycomb tablet, Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus aka GT-P6200.

Measuring 193.65 x 122.37 x 9.96mm, Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus weighs 345 grams. Powered by 1.2 GHz dual-core processor, the tablet features a 7-inch capacitive touchscreen (1024x600 pixels resolution), 3 megapixel camera with 720p video recording, 2 megapixel front facing camera, 1GB RAM and 16GB built-in storage expandable up to 32GB via microSD card.

For connectivity, the tablet supports Wi-Fi, EDGE, accelerometer, gyroscopic sensor, GPS and 3G. The Galaxy Tab 7.0 also features Samsung's TouchWiz UI (user interface) and comes with Samsung apps like Social Hub, Music Hub and Readers Hub. The tablet's battery promises up to 20 hours of talktime and 41 hours of standby time.

Mumbai-based retailer Mahesh Telecom and online shopping site flipkart.com are selling the tablet for Rs 26,499.

Last year in November, Samsung launched Galaxy Note in India, a hybrid between a smartphone and a tablet. With Galaxy Note, Samsung aims to target users who want both a smartphone and a tablet but do not want to invest in both.

Samsung Galaxy Note runs on Android 2.3 Gingerbread, sports a 5.3-inch Super AMOLED screen and comes with a capacitive stylus called S Pen. It is powered by a 1.4 GHz dual-core processor. There's an 8 megapixel rear and 2 megapixel front camera. The smartphone comprises 16GB internal memory, expandable upto 32 GB with a microSD card slot. source-timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 + in India now

2012-01-09T21:16:00.001-08:00

Korean giant Samsung has quietly refreshed its tablet line-up in India with the launch of a 7-inch Android Honeycomb tablet, Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus aka GT-P6200.

Mumbai-based retailer Mahesh Telecom and online shopping site flipkart.com are selling the tablet for Rs 26,499.

Hercules eCAFÉ Slim HD Netbook

2012-01-08T20:54:00.001-08:00

The Hercules eCAFÉ Slim HD Netbook is built around the ARM Cortex-A8 based 800 MHz Freescale i.MX515 processor and offers over 13 hours of battery life in normal use. The eCAFÉ Slim HD weighs just 2.4 lbs, is only 1.1 inches thick and the screen folds into the body to provide greater protection for the device. It features a 10.1 inch screen and up to 72GB flash storage together with Wi-Fi, Ethernet and USB connectivity.

Features:

10.1 inch LED screen
720p HD video playback
Application download center
Storage: 8Gb Flash (iNAND), extensible up to 72Gb + additional 50GB available online
ARM Cortex-A8 Freescale i.MX515 @ 800 MHz processor
Comfortable "chiclet" keyboard with flat, separate keys - 88% of a standard keyboard
Connections: 3x USB, 1x Headset, 1x Microphone, 1x LAN RJ45, 1x DC-in 12V, 1x External card reader: SD/MMC/SDHC, 1x Internal card reader: SD/SDHC
DIP Switch

ARM Processor Family: Cortex-A
ARM Processor: Cortex-A8
Silicon Supplier: Freescale i.MX515
Operating System: Hercules eCafe Netbook OS (Linux)
Source: ARM.com

Olivetti OliPad 100

2012-01-08T20:49:00.001-08:00

Olivetti has taken the wraps off of Italy's first tablet, the ARM Powered OliPad, designed for both consumer and business use. The tablet offers access to a broad range of applications, some which are already installed and others that can be downloaded from the Olivetti Application Warehouse.

Features:

10-inch touchscreen display
3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth
1 GHz NVIDIA Tegra 2 dual-core Cortex-A9
Android OS
USB/SD card
HDMI ports
Optional docking station
1.3 megapixel webcam

ARM Processor Family: Cortex-A
ARM Processor: Cortex-A9
Silicon Supplier: NVIDIA Tegra 2
Operating System: Android 2.2 (Froyo)
Source: ARM.com

Blackberry Playbook a review

2012-01-08T20:46:00.001-08:00

Blackberry Playbook features dual-core processing, seamless multi-tasking with QNX technology, uncompromised web browsing, crisp HD multimedia and wireless connectivity to your BlackBerry smartphone.

Features:

7" LCD display, 1024 x 600 screen resolution
Multi-touch capacitive screen
Full Adobe® Flash® 10.1 enabled
Built-in support for HTML 5
3G/4G, WiFi, Bluetooth
3 MP high-definition forward-facing camera
5 MP high-definition rear-facing camera
Codec support for superior media playback, creation and video calling
1080p HD video
Micro USB and Micro HDMI ports
1 GHz dual-core TI OMAP 4 processor

ARM Processor Family: Cortex-A
ARM Processor: Cortex-A9
Silicon Supplier: Texas Instruments OMAP 4430
Operating System: QNX Software Systems

source-ARM.com

G'Five mobile handset became cheaper by 10-30%

2012-01-03T03:55:00.001-08:00

Mobile handset maker G'Five today said it has slashed product prices between 10-30 per cent across the board against the current trend of hiking rates by competitors due to depreciating rupee.

"G'Five is one of the biggest manufacture of mobile handsets in China. Unlike other companies, we don't need to buy from a third party. Though depreciating value of rupee has certainly impacted our margin but by slashing prices we are looking at large volume business," Managing Director of Kingtech Electronics, a G'Five group company, Arshit Pathak told the news agency.

He said that company has reduced prices on each model and the lowest price model is below Rs 1,000 and high end model from company is in range of Rs 4,500.

"Our low end phone have camera, 1.8 inch screen, music player and other feature phones. There prices have gone down below Rs 1,000. Our high end phone is a projector phone which was earlier prices over Rs 6,000 and now we are selling it for Rs 4,500," Pathak said.

He said that first was option was to pass on the burden on to consumers but brands that have done so are not in good shape.

Explaining rationale behind the reduction in price, Pathak said that the company has adopted view that it should decrease prices when other companies are increasing their handset prices to increase the price gap with them.

Also, the company does not see new consumers adding to mobile subscriber base in the country

"The new subscriber addition has fallen drastically. This means all addressable market is connected but we all know first time buyers are not coming for certain reason. Low end market is impacted by lot of economic condition. We want to make phone affordable for them to connect," Pathak said.

He added that sales of handset reflects addition of new subscribers and in India where teledensity is still low acquisition of new customer can only drive business growth. source-economictimes.indiatimes.com

After Aakash Tablet, Now Classpad a better Cheap Tablet

2012-01-03T03:53:00.001-08:00

An IIT-Delhi and IIM-Calcutta graduate, he has worked on creating a personalised education tablet,

The tablet facilitates personalised and interactive learning in the classroom. The software enables testing students problem-solving, creativity and application of language skills. It is for students from class II onwards.

With a touch screen, seven-hour battery life, 1.3 Ghz processing speed, a built-in memory of 4 GB expandable up to 8 GB, the classpad is available in two models trolley model for multiple-student usage in the classroom and one tablet per child (OTPC) model, which students can carry home.

Launching the tablet on December 29, 2011, Pande said, When we started out we wanted to focus on webbased education, which eventually failed. After working on various interactive learning programmes in the last two years, we finally came out with our innovation classpad.

With the launch, 22 schools across the country have tiedup for the installation of the device, including Fr Agnel School, Delhi, SSB Bangalore, and Centre Point School, Nagpur.

The tablet is available in three sizes seven, eight and 10 inches and costs between Rs 7,500 and 14,000. However, the tablet is not available for retail sale yet, it is available only for schools.

Setting up his own venture as CEO of Classteacher Learning Systems in 2000, Pande along with Sameer Buti, his former classmate at IIT, decided on taking education to a different level through designing programmes for personalised education.

Since our education system does not differentiate students according to their learning capabilities, the tablet will enable teachers to categorise students as fast learners, average learners and slow learners, concludes Pande. source-timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Aakash tablets

2012-01-03T03:50:00.001-08:00

NEW DELHI: The new year may be a year of low-cost computing in India. Sales bookings for the world's cheapest tablet, Aakash, have soared to 14 lakh units just two weeks after it was put up for sale online for Rs 2,500 a piece.

To cater to the 'unexpected' demand, UK-based vendor Datawind, the maker of the $35 tablet, has decided to establish three new factories - in Cochin, Noida and Hyderabad - in the first half of 2012 to assemble the tablet. Datawind currently has only one factory in Hyderabad, with its vendor Quad, which makes the LCD panel for the tablet.

"We never expected such a high response from both corporate and individual buyers. We plan to supply 70,000-75,000 units per day once the factories are in place by April," Suneet Singh Tuli, CEO, Datawind told ET from Panama, where he was invited to advise its government on its low-cost computing project.

"Around two weeks ago, we received a call from India's computer emergency response team that our website was probably suffering from a large cyber attack. We had to inform them we had just opened sale through our website," Tuli said. Datawind, which put out a limited 30,000 tablets for sale online with e-commerce provider Ncarry.com, has already exhausted the first lot.

A spokesman for Ncarry.com, said that the website is catering to orders across India, with delivery in 5-7 working days. Ncarry is a subsidiary of Netherlands-based Nimbuzz, which makes instant messaging applications. The Nimbuzz IM comes pre-installed on Aakash.

Pre-sales bookings for the Aakash tablet (about 400,000 in October) had surpassed the Indian tablet market which grossed about 250,000-300,000 tablets till last year.

Even with a resistive touch and slow processor, Aakash has received about 1 lakh orders a day since online launch last month. In comparison, Apple sold about 10 lakh iPads in 28 days and 30 lakh in 80 days of its launch in April 2010. Currently, the cheapest model of iPad at Rs 29,500, is about 12 times costlier than Aakash.

Aakash's maker Datawind is, however, strangulated with supply constraints, compared to Apple which managed smooth deliveries of the iPad. "We are not accepting cash for bookings currently, as we want to sort out supply issues," Tuli added.

Datawind plans to put on sale online the next version of Aakash - Ubislate 7, priced at Rs 2999, by mid-January. The newer version will come with a slot for insertion of a SIM card, for access of internet by GPRS or 2G connection. The current version of the tablet can access internet via Wi-Fi access.

Besides, the newer version will be twice as fast with a 700 Mhz processor compared to a 366 Mhz processor in the current tablet. In another development, the government has extended the letter of credit to Datawind to supply the next lot of 90,000 tablets, even though IIT Rajasthan is yet to provide the test specifications for the next version, which it wants to procure for supply to students. The delay from the government's end is likely to land Aakash in the hands of commercial buyers before students for whom the low-cost tablet was meant for in the first place. source-timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Tablet Aakash’s upgraded version

2011-12-29T20:36:00.001-08:00

The world's cheapest computing device- Aakash tablet PC- will now come in an upgraded version.

Nearly a month after the Union ministry of human resource and development instructed the universities to order Aakash tablet PCs for their students, the company that manufactures the product, DataWind, has decided introduce the upgraded version of the tablet PC in January. The upgraded version will be called Aakash 2.

The new version will have better installed accessories. Its battery life will be longer and it will operate on Android 2.3. The USP of Aakash 2 however will be its SIM and phone functionality. Unlike the previous version, the upgraded version will support GPRS and phone functionality. It will also support USB devices. All this will come at just Rs 500 more than the price of Aakash 1.

The company has claimed that Aakash 1 was already sold out. Earlier, the company had said that the PC will be made available within a week of placing the order. However, the delivery of the older version has now been extended to January.

Devi Ahilya Vishwa Vidyalay (DAVV) is yet to send its order list for Aakash to the Union HRD ministry. "We still have to send an order list to the ministry. As we have not received any updates about the upgraded version, we will send our list for the regular Aakash PC," said officiating vice chancellor of the varsity Dr Rajkamal.

The commercial version of Aakash called Ubislate 7 will also be replaced by Ubislate 7. DataWind has opened the booking for Aakash 2 or Ubislate 7 on its official website. Educational institutes will get a government subsidy of 50 per cent on every Aakash PC under the scheme of National Mission on Education through Information and Communication and Technology (NEM-ICT). source-daily.bhaskar.

MAXX MAESTRO MT255 Mobiles

2011-12-29T20:34:00.001-08:00

NEW DELHI: MAXX Mobiles toady launched a dual-SIM touchscreen phone MAXX MAESTRO (MT255). The phone has 2-inch touchscreen and the device is powered by 1000 mAh battery. The phone sports 2 megapixel dual cameras with flash.

The device is WAP and GPRS enabled and has connectivity options like Bluetooth, MySynch (PC suite) and USB Mass storage. The phone memory is expandable upto 4GB. The phone also has an in-built audio player that supports all major file formats.

The company is also offering Reebok shoes worth Rs2499 free with MAXX MAESTRO MT255. The device is priced at Rs 4568.

source-timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Samsung Galaxy Y Duos and Galaxy Y Pro Duos

2011-12-26T22:00:00.001-08:00

Samsung today introduced the Galaxy Y Duos and Galaxy Y Pro Duos, a pair of Android smartphones in the Galaxy product family that hve space for two SIM cards, letting you lead a double life on your phone.

The two SIM cards mean you've got two phone numbers at your disposal, one for work, for instance, and one for your personal life. You can use data according to your plan, regardless of the SIM. Both phones run on the GSM technology (850/900/1800/1900 MHz bands) and have Samsung's TouchWiz software overlay.

The Galaxy Y Duos is an all-touch Android 2.3 Gingerbread setup with a 3.1-inch QVGA screen, a 3-megapixel fixed-focus camera, and the Android works. It also has a 1,300mAh battery.

On the slightly higher end of the scale there's the Galaxy Y Pro Duos, which runs the same Android version and has a full QWERTY keyboard on its candy-bar frame (that keyboard is how you know it's "pro"). As a result, the screen is a smaller 2.6 inches. There's a 3-megapixel camera on the back, but Samsung has also added a front-facing VGA camera and a slightly larger 1,350mAh battery.

While there's no pricing for this yet, Samsung has shared a January release date, and a first market: Russia. The Galaxy Y Duos will then "gradually" roll out to Europe, Africa, CIS, Latin America, Southeast and Southwest Asia, the Middle East, and China. The keyboarded Pro version is headed to Europe, Africa, CIS, Latin America, Southwest Asia, and the Middle East.

North Americans looking for this type of solution are sadly going to have to keep looking for now (or start lobbying Samsung). I'm interested in seeing this in action; hopefully, Samsung brings the duo of Duos along with it to CES, just for fun.

source-reviews.cnet

Samsung Galaxy Y Duos and Galaxy Y Pro Duos

2011-12-26T21:59:00.001-08:00

The Galaxy Y Duos is an all-touch Android 2.3 Gingerbread setup with a 3.1-inch QVGA screen, a 3-megapixel fixed-focus camera, and the Android works. It also has a 1,300mAh battery.

source-reviews.cnet

Microsoft plans 'silent' updates of Internet Explorer

2011-12-16T20:40:00.001-08:00

From January, Internet Explorer (IE) users will be automatically updated to the latest version of the browser.

Microsoft said it was starting the project to update millions of machines to improve security online.

Future updates to the browser would be applied without a user's knowledge to help beat scammers catching people out with fake updates.

Those who did not want their browser updated could opt out or uninstall the software, said Microsoft.

"The Web overall is better - and safer - when more people run the most up-to-date browser," wrote Ryan Gavin, Microsoft's IE boss, in a blogpost explaining the plan.

He said the data gathered by Microsoft for its security intelligence reports showed that many cyber criminals targeted old or outdated software when they tried to trick people into installing fake updates.

To beat such scams, Mr Gavin, said that once the latest version of the browser was installed all future updates would arrive silently and be applied without a user getting involved.

Chester Wisniewski, senior security advisor at Sophos, said the plan would aid those who did not see the importance of staying up to date.

"Microsoft has been struggling with browser stragglers for years," he said in a statement.

Demise of IE6

The giant upgrade programme will affect IE users running Windows XP, Vista and 7, and will first be rolled out in Australia and Brazil. Only those Windows users with automatic updates turned on will be enrolled in the programme.

Those using Windows XP will be upgraded to IE8, while those on Vista and 7 get bumped up to IE9. This will probably mean the demise of IE6, a 10-year-old version of the browser that Microsoft has been trying to kill off for a while.

Figures gathered by Microsoft suggest IE6 is used by about 8.3% of people around the world, with the biggest number of users in China, where almost 28% of people remain wedded to it.

Globally, Internet Explorer is still the most popular browser, with more than 52% of people using it, according to net market research firm Net Applications. Mozilla's Firefox and Google's Chrome are battling it out for second place.

Microsoft said it had made tools that would let people avoid or uninstall the more up-to-date versions of the browsers if they wanted to stay with an older copy.

source - bbc.co.uk

Aakash tablet at Rs.2500

2011-12-16T20:36:00.001-08:00

About 30,000 tablets have been put online for sale. Students' version of Aakash will be available for Rs.2,500.

The has a three-hour battery and no 3G connectivity. The payment mode for the tablet is cash on delivery.

The government has till now procured only 10,000 tablets. DataWind, the Canadian company that is manufacturing Aakash, has started the online booking as well as pre booking of the low cost Android tablet.

Aakash's next commercial version called the Ubislate 7, with a faster processor, is slated to be launched late in January.

Online booking for the tablet has started through the official website www.akashtablet.com.

Source-indiatoday.intoday.in

Dual-SIM Galaxy Y Pro Duos

2011-12-16T20:33:00.001-08:00

A tipster sent GSMarena a snapshot of Samsung’s dual-SIM Galaxy Y Pro Duos, the handset most likely to be released by the manufacturer in the near future. From the picture, it seems that Samsung has all its plans in place and the phone will be hitting the market sooner than later. 

From the first look, the dual-SIM Galaxy Y Pro Duos doesn’t look very different from the original Y Pro. The most obvious difference between the two is that the new version sports a front facing camera and of course, carries the Duos logo. Further details about the new phone including its specs, price and availability are still unknown, unfortunately.

The Duos is being marketed as a ‘Galaxy + QWERTY’ phone, leading experts to believe that it is, in fact, identical to the Galaxy Y Pro in a lot of ways. The original Y Pro was launched last month with an 832MHz CPU. Running on Android’s Gingerbread OS, it has an internal memory of 160MB which is expandable up to 32GB with a MicroSD card. 

The phone offers connectivity support for GPRS, EDGE, 2G, 3G, WiFi, Bluetooth and USB. Its 2.6’’ display sports a TFT capacitive touchscreen and a resolution of 320 x 240p. The handset has both, a QWERTY keypad and an optical trackpad. Its 110.8 x 63.5 x 11.5mm frame houses a single primary 3.15MP camera which offers a resolution of 2048 x 1536p.

More details about the Galaxy Y Pro Duos should be available in the coming days, especially if the phone is almost ready for release. Hopefully, it will offer something more than its predecessor and be reasonably priced. source-news.in.msn.com