Smartphones from Micromax, both pertaining to the Canvas series or others, have performed extremely well in the Indian market and have gained the confidence of many. Micromax has built themselves a brand in Canvas just like Galaxy from Samsung or Lumia/Asha from Nokia. Now it wants to exploit the market presence to introduce low budget handsets.

The leaked shot of Canvas Lite A92 seems to be taken by Mr. Blurrycam. Apart from the generic design, the leak also confirms that the smartphone will be powered by a dual-core processor. Perhaps it will be the same MediaTek MT6577 dual-core processor clocked at 1.2 GHz and the handset will run on Android 4.1.2 (Jelly Bean). Little else is known about the smartphone apart from these few leaks, but it should be revealed soon considering Micromax releases almost 2 to 3 handsets a month.

The price and other specifications are not confirmed as of now, but we suspect it to stay around the same numbers as that of the Canvas Music A88.

Via: Gizbot

Source: MMNewscaster

But lately, there has been an overkill with smartphone launches in India. Both internationally well-known and local smartphone brands are killing it with more products launched than there are number of days in a year. After the entry of Android, designing, manufacturing and selling a smartphone has become much easier. There are a lot of Chinese OEMs who offer to build and assemble generic Android handsets at very low rates. Let us have a look at the type of phones that are selling a lot and some of the other trends which are responsible for this mayhem.

Demand For Dual SIM Android Phones Coming To an End?

There is a lot of demand for dual SIM phones in India. People use it either for cost effectiveness or for keeping their work and personal lives separate. A low cost smartphone is always better than any dumb (feature) phone in terms of value for money and features. Android is completely feature packed and an additional app store means it only gets better with time.

People who travel between various telecom circles use two separate SIM cards local to the respective telecom circle for cost saving on roaming charges. People also use dual SIM phones for economizing on calls and data usage. Some carriers provide less expensive data plans while others may have special low cost plans for calling. Dual SIM phone solves both problems in one elegant solution. But the Government’s plan to put an end to roaming charges may end the demand for dual SIM smartphones too.

Phablets Are Ruling The Country

Consumers residing in countries where carrier-subsidised smartphones and tablets are popular can buy devices for cheap with upfront payment. But this is not the case in Asian countries where carrier-subsidised handsets are not present. A Phablet would be a better choice for people in terms of ownership cost. Instead of buying a phone and a tablet, which would definitely cost more than $599 combined, a Phablet would be a much better choice for those who have shallow pockets. A Phablet starts from $199 and moves up to $599 depending upon the hardware specifications and brand value.

Micromax and Karbonn are launching a new Phablet every month. If you combine every other local smartphone brand, you can pretty much track at least one Phablet launch every day. They come in various configurations, starting from single-core to quad-core processors. There is a lot going on in the price range of INR 10K to INR 20K. Some of the famous Phablets in the country lie in the mid-price range and they are Micromax Canvas HD (Price: 14K), Karbonn Titanium S5 (Price: 13K) and Samsung Galaxy Grand (Samsung Galaxy Grand price in India: INR 20K). In the higher price range, Samsung Galaxy Note series is famous and it has no competition whatsoever.

In addition to this, LG will also show off it’s 5.7 inch HD Oxide TFT panels with bezels just 1mm thick. Users of other appliances need not feel let down as LG is not just eyeing the mobile sector, it is also set to introduce panels compatible for use with refrigerators. A 14 inch 2560 x 1440 pixels screen will also be introduced and this will be compatible with laptops. Speaking of laptops with high pixel density, LG better come up with it’s bag of surprises because we have already seen eyebleeding pixels in the MacBook Pro 13 (227 PPI) and Google’s Chromebook Pixel (239 PPI). We eagerly await the surprises to come.

Mercury mTab7G runs on Android 4.0.4 ICS OS and is powered by a 1.2 GHz processor and 512 MB RAM. It comes with a 7-inch display running on 800 x 480 pixel resolution, 4 GB in-built memory, 2 MP rear camera, VGA front camera and a 2,400 mAh battery.

The specs of the device don’t impress much, as it runs on Android ICS and includes just a single-core processor, but the 3G and voice-calling features of the device for it’s price range may come to the rescue of the device to compete with other budget tablets.

Quick specs:

• Android 4.0.4 ICS
  
• 1.2 GHz processor
• 7-inch display, 800 x 480 pixel resolution
• 2 MP back camera, VGA front camera
• 4 GB in-built memory, expandable memoru upto 32 GB via microSD, 512 MB RAM
• 3G, WiFi, Bluetooth
• 2,400 mAh battery

Kobian Mercury mTab7G will start hitting the store shelves after May 25

Kobian Mercury mTab7G

A voice-calling tablet with 1.2 GHz processor, 2 MP back camera, VGA secondary camera and 7-inch capacitive touchscreen

Prices start at

Unavailable

Quick Specs

Platform (OS) Android 4.0.4 (Ice Cream Sandwich)

Display 7" (800 x 480 pixels)

Processor 1.2 GHz Cortex-A8

Camera 2 MP (Primary)

Connectivity Wi-Fi, 3G

Internal Memory 4 GB

Dimensions

More Specs →

Kobian Mercury mTab7G : --

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According to Nokia, by means of this update, multiple images from the gallery can be shared via Nokia Share, MMS and Bluetooth. A performance update for the camera has also been included. Noticeable improvements include better start-up times from the lock screen and better Auto White balance in photography with flash switched on.

This is not a firmware update and can be downloaded over the air.

Via: Fonearena

ZTE has partnered with Calyx for distribution, sales and marketing of the ZTE phones in India. ZTE who previously launched their devices in India in association with Idea and Reliance, say that their direct entry into India is aimed at selling over 1 million handsets in the smartphone-rich Indian market. ZTE will also be launching it’s 3G and 4G tablets in India.

CEO, ZTE India, said that ”With our foray into the open handset market in India, we want to become a dominant player here and be among the top 3 in the next three years….handsets already contribute [to] 10 per cent of our revenues here,”

We need to wait and see how this company’s entrance into the Indian market will help ZTE raise it’s sales, which lost it’s global 4th position after the decline in it’s Q1 2013 sales.

Via: TheEconomicTimes

Sony Xperia UL specifications

• 5 inch Full HD (1920 x 1080 pixels) reality display with mobile Bravia Engine 2
• 1.5 GHz Snapdragon S4 pro processor
• Adreno 320 GPU
• 13.1 MP primary camera with Exmor RS sensor
• o.3 MP secondary (VGA) camera
• Water and dust resistant
• 2GB RAM
• 16 GB internal memory
• 4G, LTE, NFC, WiFi,Bluetooth
• 2300 mAh battery

Presently this phone is set to go on sale in Japan only. Pricing is yet to be known.

The update is rumoured to also bring in S4-exclusive features such as the new camera and S-Voice to S III. It is not set in stone whether Samsung will release this features next month or keep them closed until Android 4.3 is released. Whatever may the case be, an official update to Galaxy S III is confirmed for now.

The Android 4.2.2 update will include new enhancements from Galaxy S4 such as the new lockscreen, new screen modes, revamped Setting UI, voice controls, new S-Voice, and a host of other features such as Daydream, Driving mode, revamped Notification center, redesigned Gallery modes and a smart switch widget.

The unofficial ROM is available as of now, but it is still a pre-release candidate; meaning that Samsung can still make changes before releasing it. You can follow the source link for instructions on how to install the ROM, but be warned; given its unofficial nature we suggest users to stay away from it unless they’re sure what they’re doing.

Source: Sammobile

Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 3 had a low key debut last month and featured a dual core processor, Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean) and a 7-inch display (1024x 600 resolution). Sammobile has now spotted benchmarks for an as of yet unannounced tablet called Galaxy Tab 3 10.1 on GLBenchmark. The leaked benchmarks reveal much about the product, including the fact that it will be powered by an Intel Atom processor.

According to the leak, the Galaxy Tab 3 10.1 will be powered by a Intel Atom Z2560 dual-core processor with HT (Hyper Threading) clocked in at 1.6 GHz and a PowerVR SGX 544 MP2 GPU clocked at 400 MHz. The tablet will sport a 10.1-inch WXGA (1280×800) display and will run on Android 4.2.2 (Jelly Bean). No details regarding RAM, internal storage and battery were included in the benchmarks.

The specs look more than decent for this tablet except for the screen which betrays it. A low resolution display on a screen as big as 10.1-inch just doesn’t cut it when it is competing with the likes of iPad with Retina display. In addition to the above benchmarks, the tablet is also reported to feature a 3 MP rear camera and a 1.3 MP front camera. Connectivity options include Bluetooth, microUSB and WiFi, and there is also said to a 3G version of the tablet.

Samsung hasn’t confirmed nor denied the existence of this tablet as of now.

Via: BGR

Source: Sammobile, GLBenchmark

Xolo A500+ specifications:

Xolo A500+ will run Android 4.1 Jelly Bean OS and houses an MT6572 chipset that includes a 1 GHz (or) 1.2 GHz  dual-core processor. It will come with a 4-inch display running on 800 x 480 pixels resolution, 5 MP back camera, VGA front camera and a 2000 mAh battery.

The device would include a 512MB RAM, 4GB in-built memory and a micro SD card slot.

Looking at specs, the smartphone would include few upgraded specs compared to it’s previous version Xolo A500. The OS will be upgraded to Jelly Bean from ICS, the Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 MSM8225 chipset will be changed to MediaTek MT6572 chipset and also the battery capacity will be increased from 1500 mAh to 2000 mAh.

Quick specs:

• Android 4.1 Jelly Bean OS
  
• MT6572 chipset, 1 GHz (or) 1.2 GHz  dual-core processor
• 4-inch display, 800 x 480 pixels resolution
• 5 MP back camera, VGA front camera
• 4GB in-built memory, microSD slot, 512 MB RAM
• 3G, WiFi, Bluetooth
• 2000 mAh battery

Google I/O, the annual technology conference held by the Mountain View software behemoth, is one of the most eagerly awaited conference of the year. Started in the year 2008, many of the major announcements from Google were first brought to light here in the past.

The tickets to this year’s conference being held on May 15 were sold out in under an hour two months ago. The ticket prices varied from $300 for the academics to $900 for general attendance. The audiences go back with goodies worth more than the ticket they’ve paid for in the end apart from attending a splendid conference; Google knows to take care of its admirers very well indeed.

At Google I/O 2012 they unveiled the Nexus Q, Nexus 7 and Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, and gave an impressive demonstration of Google Glass which also included skydiving. While this year major news regarding new versions of Nexus and Android was pretty much absent, Google still decided to impress with a few surprising announcements and other expected ones. Let’s highlight the major announcements from the show.

• More than 900 million Android devices activated, 48 billion app installs

Google’s Android OS has stacked over 900 million devices since its launch in 2008 and is well on its way to a billion devices being activated. Also worth noting down is the 48 billion app installs on Android, 2.5 billion of which came in the previous month alone. Apple’s iOS is still leading with over 50 billion app installs, but Android is sure bound to catch up and surpass it soon.

• Google Play game services: cross-platform game center

A new service for Android gamers called Google Play game services was also announced. It’s a cross-platform gaming service that allows developers to add achievements, leaderboards, matchmaking and cloud save features to their games. Apart from Android, the service can also be extended to other platforms such as iOS and the web. The service is linked to Google+ social networking site and uses it to pull in user data for leaderboards. Real-time matchmaking feature is limited to only Android as of now, but all of the other features can be enabled on the other platforms.

In the wake of this release, Google+ Games will shut down in June. One more disbanded service added to the list, just like Google Reader.

• Android Studio: new development environment for Android

An announcement eagerly awaited from Android developers for quite a while. Google announced a new internal development environment for Android dubbed Android Studio. Google didn’t announce any exact details surrounding this announcement, but made sure to remark that the new development environment will focus on layout tools for various tablets and mobiles, include a real time simulator, help with design and track user app install and usage analytics.

• Google Play updated: new location services, cloud messaging, Google+ sign-in

Hugo Barra, Android’s lead for Google, also announced a string of new APIs for Android developers. Google Play services will be updated with new location-based tools, Google+ sign-in and Google Cloud Messaging. The new location-based tools will introduce a low-power GPS mode, geofencing and user activity recognition. Google+ sign-in and cloud messaging will bring in better integration of Google’s services with the apps on Android.

• Google Play Music All Access: subscription based music service

Google finally announced a music subscription service. Meant as a competitor to services such as Spotify and Rdio, the service lets user stream songs to their Android device or to their computer. Google has also closed a deal with all the three major music record labels and will introduce the service with a rich library of music. The subscription is priced at $9.99 a month and Google is throwing in a free trail of 30 days to get things started. The monthly fee is also discounted to $7.99 if you’re signing up before June 30.

• Google Play apps and Play Store on web to be redesigned

Google will update the Play Store to better reflect its mobile counterpart and also streamline its design on the web. The store on the web will be split according to the apps’ appropriate section and will also feature a “designed for tablets” section; it will certainly help users to find apps designed for larger devices. Google Play Books, Play Music and Play Videos are also being redesigned to match the new look.

• Samsung Galaxy S4 on stock Android is the next ‘Nexus’, priced $649

Google unveiled a Samsung Galaxy S4 running stock Android on the stage at Google I/O. The smartphone will come completely unlocked with a unlocked bootloader and Google promises to deliver prompt updates to this device. While Google didn’t call this device as Nexus, it is still delivering the same features and experience. The handset will sport 16GB of internal storage and will be sold for $649 directly from Google.

• Google Play for Education to target classrooms

Google also announced a new initiative to put Android devices in classrooms for education; particularly the use of its tablets. It will involve having a custom app store which the students and teachers can access to get the requisite apps, and the developers can submit apps directly to the store. The apps will also be arranged according to different classroom grades and the teacher can install one app and then push it to all the devices registered as his/her students.

• Completely revamped Google+, smarter with your pics

Google has completely redesigned Google+ and the layout now reflects the changes Google introduced in their app on iOS and Android. The new layout consists of two or three columns of information cards stacked neatly. The cards can be anything ranging from posts, photos or comment streams and the design is made to achieve maximum possible visual information intake.

The new design also turns the social network into a sort of web app with animations added in for actions performed. Hangouts, the newly introduced cross platform messaging system, has been integrated with the social network. Photos have been made the main focus of the site and features such as “Auto Awesome” have been added to lure users on to the network. It remains to be seen how this affects the ranking of the site in comparison to Facebook.

• Google Chrome Racer: an experiment to connect multiple devices

Perhaps one of the coolest feature at the show, Chrome Racer allows Android and iOS devices to sync with one another while running the same app and then create unique multiplayer experiences. Google chose a game called “Racer” to demonstrate the experiment. The game is run simultaneously across multiple devices with the track extending automatically across connected screens.

• Google Hangouts: unified messaging system across iOS, Android and Chrome

One of the most important announcement at Google I/O was the introduction of a new service called Hangouts (named same as the video chat service on Google+). Cross-platform and cloud messaging has grown to be one of the most sought after feature in smartphones these days. The new messaging system will replace Google Talk, Google+ Messenger, and the video chat service after which it was named. The app is already released on all platforms and works seamlessly on devices across all platforms.

The service is similar to WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger, but differentiates itself with a few new tricks of its own. It allows for video chat with 10 recipients simultaneously and Google is also planning to add Google Voice to Hangouts. Google+ is also integrated with Hangouts and will sync conversations on any device to one account.

• Button free voice-search in Chrome, ‘OK Google’

Chrome will now allow for button free voice search. Just allow Chrome or Chrome OS to listen in to your microphone and then whenever you say ‘OK Google’ and ask a question, the browser will respond with an answer. The feature works pretty much like Siri and other voice search services, and even allows for personalised searches if given the permission to do so. Android, iOS and Chrome will be getting these features soon.

• Google Now updated: voice reminders, email and public transit

Google also updated its ‘personal assistant’ on Android. Google Now will now get new cards such as voice remainders, public transit data and interest lists for books, music and videos. Users will also be able to email their contacts and conduct personalised searches on their Android devices now.

• Google Maps redesigned for both Android and desktop, iPad version launching soon

Google has completely revamped Maps for desktop. A major rehaul since it was first introduced eight years ago, the new Maps fills up the entire screen and brings in a new user interface. Google is shifting from on-demand search in maps to assisting users find the frequently visited places and places of interest based on personalised data. Apart from a single search bar on the left hand top corner, everything else is integrated into the maps itself. Google has also integrated Earth and Street View into Maps, and uses vector based maps now instead of tiled ones used previously.

The mobile counterpart of Maps isn’t left behind and will undergo complete overhaul just like its desktop counterpart. Android users will be the first get the taste of the new UI. iPad users will have to wait until summer to get the updated version of Maps.

• YouTube Live streaming open to all channels with 1000 subscribers

Google is now allowing any channel with a minimum of 1000 subscribers to broadcast their content live. Only select partners and certain developers were allowed to stream live before this. It is not known whether paid live-streaming will be included here, but features such as multiple camera angles and skipping the live stream are allowed.

• Google TV updated to Android 4.2.2

Google also updated their Google TV to Android 4.2.2 (Jelly Bean), the latest version of Android. The update removes Flash support and adds in Chrome content protection so that content producers who want to protect their media can do so. The content protection is also supported at the hardware level and Google also promises to deliver software updates every 6 weeks unlike the irregular updates so far.

That brings us to a close on the major highlights of the show. There were some announcements regarding Google Glass too, but they were too generic to make any dent on what has already been announced regarding the product. No Nexus and Android news would certainly disappoint some, but Google is working towards strengthening their ecosystem for now and perhaps launch the main assault towards the year end holiday season.

Google asks Microsoft to remove YouTube app from Windows by May 22, 2013, at Google’s I/O conference, company’s CEO Larry Page said “I’m sad the Web isn’t advancing as fast as it should be. We certainly struggle with people like Microsoft.”

Google complains that YouTube Windows Phone app doesn’t allow advertisements and also allows users to download YouTube videos, which it says that it’s clearly a violation of it’s YouTube laws.

In return to Goggle’s complain, Microsoft spokesperson replied that “We’d be more than happy to include advertising but need Google to provide us access to the necessary APIs.”

We need to wait and see if these two software giants come to any agreement and don’t restrict the Windows users from accessing YouTube through YouTube Windows Phone app.

Via: WSJ

Xolo X910 specifications:

Flipkart has revealed all the specs of this upcoming smartphone. It runs on Android 4.0.4 ICS OS and includes a 1.6 GHz Intel Atom processor, 4.3-inch qHD display, 5 MP back camera with LED flash, VGA front camera and a 2000 mAh battery. It has 1 GB RAM, 4 GB in-built memory and a microSD slot for storage.

Quick specs:

• Android 4.0.4 ICS OS
  
• 1.6 GHz Intel Atom processor
• 4.3-inch qHD display
• 4 GB in-built memory, expandable memory via microSD, 1 GB RAM
• 5 MP back camera with LED flash, VGA front camera
• 3G, WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS

X910 is the stripped down version of X900 (the first smartphone with Intel inside), we can even expect the chip to be Intel Z2460 chip that is found on the X900.

The official launch date and the pricing of the device is not yet cofirmed, but it is expected to carry the same price tag of Rs.9,999.

Lava XOLO X910

A Dual SIM phone with 1.6 GHz Intel Atom processor, 5 MP rear camera, VGA front camera and 4.3-inch qHD display

Prices start at

Rs. 9,999

Quick Specs

Platform (OS) Android 4.0.4 (Ice Cream Sandwich)

Display 4.3" IPS (960 x 540 pixels)

Processor 1.6 GHz Intel Atom

Camera 5 MP (Primary)

Connectivity Wi-Fi, GPS, 3G

Internal Memory 4 GB

Dimensions 126 mm x 64.7 mm x 10 mm

More Specs →

Lava XOLO X910 : --

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Panasonic P51 specifications:

It runs on Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean) OS and carries an 8 MP back camera with LED flash (records 1080p videos and supports beauty retouch, smile detection features), 1.3 MP HD front camera and a 2500 mAh battery which drives the device upto 23 h of talktime (2G). P51 comes with 1 GB RAM, 4 GB in-built memory and supports external memory via microSD.

Pre-installed apps of P51 include WeChat, ET, Open Office, TOI, Cam Scanner, Business Card reader etc., and the smartphone supports 3G, WiFi, Bluetooth and GPS connectivity features.

The phone also carries a magnetic flip-cover and stylus along with it and will hit the retail stores starting from next week.

 Quick specs:

• Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean) OS
  
• Quad-core 1.2 GHz processor
• 5-inch HD display
• 8 MP back camera, 1.3 MP front camera
• 4 GB in-built memory, expandable memory upto 32 GB via microSD, 1 GB RAM
• 3G, WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS
• 2500 mAh battery

Panasonic is partnering with Jaina Marketing (as the Strategic Partner for Marketing, Distribution and Customer Support) for releasing the device in India and the company is also planing to launch 8 more smartphones ranging from  Rs.6,990 and Rs.35,000 and tablets in India very soon.

Via: FoneArena

After launching the Galaxy S4 to much adulation, Samsung’s latest flagship drew a lot of flak from its customers for taking up a majority of its 16GB internal storage. With so many features added in, it was a given that GS4 would come pre-installed with what some customers are now considering bloat.

Samsung is all set to rectify the initial mistake and update the GS4 to contain all its myriad features in as less storage space as possible, freeing up precious internal memory for other apps. Google’s Android OS doesn’t allow users to install apps on external memory cards as of yet.

Even though Samsung markets the Galaxy S4 as having 16GB of internal storage, only 8GB-9GB of it is available to the end user with the rest being taken up by operating system and various other features and apps Samsung pre-loads their smartphones with. With proper memory optimisation, the Korean electronics giant hopes to address this particular complaint.

Yesterday at the Google I/O conference, a version of Galaxy S4 with stock Android was announced – a.k.a Galaxy Nexus 4. It remains to be seen how much storage this device would have free for its users. Samsung is also planning to release 32GB and 64GB variants of the device soon.

Source: CNET UK