Tablets supporting 23 Indian languages launched

Wishtel, a Mumbai-based company, on March 25,2012 launched a 7-inch Android tablet of its kind which supports 23 Indian languages. The company launched two versions namely 'Ira' and 'Ira Thing' with a few differences in specifications. The only considerable difference between these two versions is that Ira has Resistive touch screen and Ira Thing has got Capacitance touch screen. These tablets are launched targeting middle class customers with affordable prices. Ira is available at Rs. 4,000 and Ira Thing is available at Rs. 5,500. 

LAVA XOLO X900 – “BLINK AND ITS DONE” with INTEL inside - $400 (Rs 22000)

             Xolo X900 is the first Smartphone to hit the market packing Intel chips. It is manufactured by relatively unknown Indian manufacturer Lava. Xolo X900 has a good polished classy design which feels nice in hand and somewhat resembles iphone 4. Anyway the most attractive thing about this Smartphone is the logo Intel inside. The big daddy of ICs has at last decided to join the competition. Xolo X900 comes with Intel Atom processor which has 1.6GHz processing speed and graphics engine of 400 MHz. It has 1 GB DDR2 RAM and the entire platform is codenamed medfield. It boasts of 8 MP rear camera with burst shot mode which helps you to take 10 photos in one second! That is amazing considering the fact that many SLRs lack that. But the image quality is not upto expectations. In the case of multitasking Intel has shown is remarkable capability. With 2 games running in the background Xolo X900 was able to play HD videos very smoothly. Actually this can be considered second in the performance rating just behind HTC One X which is way too much costlier. Xolo with its Intel processor scores more than Samsung galaxy S2 and HTC sensation which are the major rivals and is very close to Sony Xperia S. You must bear in mind that these 3 phones are very expensive considering Xolo’s price. The major disadvantage is that it comes with android 2.3 but android 4 ics updated is expected soon.

SPECIFICATIONS:
*  Android 2.3 gingerbread (android 4.0 ics update expected soon)
*  1.6 GHz Intel Atom processor with Hyper Threading
*  Graphics core clock speed: 400 MHz
*  1 GB DDR2 RAM
*  16 GB internal memory
*  4.03” display
*  1024 x 600 screen resolution
*  Camera: 8 MP rear camera with LED flash and burst mode, 1.3 MP front camera
*  USB 2.0, Bluetooth 2.1, Wi-Fi, NFC
*  1460 mAh battery

              
              Xolo X900 is definitely a good buy at the given price range. Some of the disadvantages you should keep in mind are battery life is not good as the others; some apps are not compatible with Intel mobile platform. But Intel is working on this and hopefully all apps will be available in the future. Another downside is the speakers which do not have the right volume and it will be difficult to see videos without headphones. Video quality is also not so good considering other phones in this range. All in all Xolo scores way better than many phones which are pretty expensive with some small demerits. Definitely Intel has a solid start with the introduction of its first Smartphone and considering the Intel revolution in computers hopefully there will be a revolution among Smartphones too.

India's First CDMA Android Tablet Launched

                One of India's Telecom majors, Reliance Communications, on March 12,2012 launched country's first CDMA tablet. Dubbed Reliance CDMA Tab, the slate is available for Rs. 12.999 ($260 or 200 EUR). The 7-inch capacitive touch screen Tab with Android 2.3 OS comes with a 512 MB RAM and micro SD external storage. Weighing 397 gram, it has a 2 MP rear camera and a front camera. The company, which launched 3G Tab in 2011, is offering a free 4GB SD card with the CDMA version. THe device supports up to 32GB storage. The CDMA tab was launched in Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Pune.

ACER ICONIA A500 - $450 (Rs 22000)

            Iconia A500 comes with android 3.2 which can be updated to android 4.0 ics. It comes with front and rear cameras and also has full USB port and HDMI out. It was released as a competitor to Motorola xoom and Asus transformer pad. It has a surprisingly good LCD screen and speakers. But it is bulkier than its rivals. This tab comes with Nvidia Tegra 2 1 GHz dual core processor and 1 GB RAM. At this price this tablet is definitely a good buy.

SPECIFICATIONS:
*  Android 3.2 honeycomb (can be upgraded to android 4.0 ics)
*  Nvidia Tegra 2, 1 GHz dual core processor
*  1 GB DDR2 RAM
*  16 GB internal memory, expandable upto 32 GB
*  10.1” display
*  1280 x 800 screen resolution
*  Camera: 5 MP rear with LED flash and 2 MP front
*  3260 mAh battery
*  Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.1, USB, HDMI, GPS
* Sensors: Proximity sensor, Accelerometer, Ambient light sensor, Three-axis gyro sensor, Digital compass

PROS:
*  Very good LCD screen and speakers
*  Reasonable price
*  Solid build quality
*  Has front and rear cameras
*  Has full sized USB and HDMI

CONS:
*  It is thick and bulky
*  Less native software
*  Battery life below average
*  Some minor crash issues
*  Does not come preloaded with android 4.0 ics

          Acer iconia A500 is overall a good tablet with lot of nice features. It also comes with a reasonable price. But the honeycomb feels like unfinished version. However since it can be upgraded to android ics, it will not be a problem. Bulkiness of this tablet is also a downside. Considering the given price range, ASUS’ EEE Pad Transformer is a good deal than the iconia A500. Anyway you will not be displeased with the performance of iconia A500 once you buy it. But don’t forget to carry the charger with you always.

Android 4.1 Jelly Bean To Debut On Nexus 7 Tablet.

         Google’s $199 Nexus tablet to become the first ever device to feature android 4.1 jelly bean. The device also features a software build number JRN51B in which J represents jelly bean. Jelly bean was speculated as a major release as android 5.0 but the new information suggests that it will be more of a minor update and hence labeled as android 4.1. Nexus 7 comes with Nvidia Tegra 3 quadcore 1.3 GHz processor and features a 7” display with 1280 x 768 screen resolution. Jelly bean is rumoured to come with a lot of new features which will hopefully provide an awesome user experience.

MOTOROLA XOOM - $449 (Rs 22500)

MOTOROLA XOOM with WiFi. [Image Source : www.motorola.com]

        Motorola xoom was first introduced to the market a huge price of $799. It was one of the first tablets to make use of android 3.2 honeycomb. But it was not so attracted due its price. However its price now dropped to $499 and it can also updated to android 4.0 icecream sandwich. It also comes with 4G LTE connectivity. It has front and back cameras and has 1GHz processor with 1 GB RAM. Xoom was one of the first tablets that had the capability to compete with ipad.

SPECIFICATIONS:

*  Android 3.2 honeycomb (can be upgraded to android 4.0 ics)
*  Nvidia Tegra 2, 1 GHz processor
*   1 GB DDR2 RAM
*  10.1” display
*  1280 x 800 screen resolution
*  32 GB internal memory, expandable upto 32 GB
*  Camera: 5 MP rear with dual LED flash and 2 MP front
*  Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.1, USB 2.0, HDMI, micro USB, GPS
*  24 Wh battery
*  Sensors: Accelerometer, Ambient light, barometer, gyroscope

PROS:
*  More powerful and capable and can be alternative to ipad
*  Has 4G LTE connectivity
*  Rear and front cameras
*Good sleek design
*Great multitasking

CONS:

*  There are some problems with hardware buttons
*  Native apps are very less
*  Honeycomb feels buggy and unfinished

       The honeycomb OS was actually introduced for tablets but it felt unfinished and was a little buggy. However it can be upgraded to android 4.0 ics. Motorola xoom with its great performance is surely a good rival to ipad. But with the introduction of new ipad, apple has taken a giant step. The availability of 4G LTE is also awesome. Overall xoom is a very good buy for the price at which this is available.

Ultra-Fast Internet (Coming Soon)

                 There is a good news for people who get upset with slow speed of Internet connections. As per reports published on March 12,2012, thanks to a new ground-breaking fibre-optic technology, lighting quick Internet speeds, more robust connections and a considerable increase in network capacity will soon be possible. The landmark project is known as Sardana and involves a consortium of European Universities. They have already demonstrated speeds of up to 10 Gigabytes per second (Gbps), which is about 2000 times quicker than todays fastest Internet speeds.
                The researchers also showed that such speeds can be achieved at relatively little extra cost using existing fibre infrastructure. The fully optical technology would mark a giant leap forward in fibre network performance. It is sure to prove a boon for these times characterised by hectic Internet traffic. According to estimates, yearly global Internet traffic will need to be measured in Zettabytes (one trillion Gigabytes) within next three years, which is a four fold increase from now. The data traffic size will be equivalent of all the movies ever made passing through Internet operators' networks every five minutes.

NOKIA LUMIA 610 - $210 (Rs 11000)

Nokia Lumia 610  [Image source : www.nokia.com]

         Nokia introduces lumia 610 with Microsoft OS Windows Mobile 7.5 (Mango). The phone comes with Xbox live access and also has Nokia maps. Currently this is the cheapest Windows mobile available in the market. It comes with a 3.7” TFT capacitive touch screen and has a 5 MP camera with LED flash.However it does not have a front camera. It has 8 GB internal memory but it cannot be expanded.Another problem with the lumia 610 is its RAM which is only 256 MB. So many apps are not compatible in this phone. The user interface is similar o all Windows phones but sometimes small lagging occurs which may be due to the low RAM. It has a great build quality and looks very stylish indeed. Another favoring factor is the 1300mAh battery which helps us to use the phone whole day with solid 3G connection or whatever. Social networking experience is awesome like all other Windows phones. The main disadvantage is the incompatibility of many great apps due to its low RAM. Anyway lumia 610 is a great Windows phone and a cheap one which attracts low budget customers.

SPECIFICATIONS:
*  Windows Mobile 7.5 (Mango) OS
*  800 MHz single core processor
*  256 MB RAM
*  3.7” display
*  480 x 800 screen resolution
*  8 GB internal memory (No micro SD slot)
*  1300 mAh battery
*  5 MP rear camera with LED flash, No front camera
*  Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.1, 3G, micro USB
*  Sensors: Accelerometer, compass
*  Colours: White, Cyan, Magenta, Black

         Lumia 610 is a great addition to the Windows Mobile series. It has good value for money we spend. The main attraction is its price tag which is great for a Windows Mobile. It also looks very nice and is solidly built. Battery is also capable of doing a great job. The social networking integration is awesome like all other Windows Mobiles. However Nokia has compromised many things to reduce this mobile’s price. 256 MB RAM is the main problem. Many great apps like Skype cannot run in lumia 610 and it can be sluggish sometimes too. The absence of SD card slot also hurts users as well. Once you download maps for navigation purposes you will realize the space eaten up by it and thus many apps cannot be maintained in the mobile. Overall this is good deal and no alternatives can be found for this phone at similar price. However it has made several sacrifices to reduce its price. So if you can stretch your budget to a small extent then you will get better. Anyway as a low budget phone this comes recommended.

MICROMAX FUNBOOK - $120 (Rs 6400)

        Micromax funtab is one of the cheapest tablets available in the market. It runs on android ics and has 1.2 GHz processor. It has very good specs considering its price. Like all low budget tablets its body is plastic built and its screen is a bit disappointing. It also has hardware buttons which was not actually needed since it runs on android 4.0. It has the capability to play 1080p videos and its pretty smooth. Anyway for a low budget tablet Micromax funbook looks pretty nice.

SPECIFICATIONS:

*  Android 4.0 icecream sandwich OS
*  1.2 GHz cortex A8 processor
*  512 MB RAM
*  Dual Mali -400 2D/3D GPU for Multimedia Processing
*  7” display
*  800 x 480 screen resolution
*  4 GB internal memory and expandable upto 32 GB
*  Camera: 0.3 MP front and no rear camera
*  2800 mAh battery
*  Mini USB, HDMI ports
*  Wi-Fi, 3G via USB dongle
*  Sensors: Gravity sensor, Accelerator sensor
*  Preloaded apps: Read/edit any docs on the go, zip files, text editor, Adobe PDF, Adobe Flash, Youtube…

PROS:
*  Low price
*  Can play 1080p videos
*  Has HDMI port
*  Very slim design
*  Has a good processor

CONS:
*  Touch screen performance is not good
*  Screen is susceptible to glare
*  Poor user experience

         Micromax funbook is a good buy considering its price tag. It has android 4.0, 1.2GHz processor and can also play 1080p videos which are pretty good in this range. But its screen is of sub standard and you will not have a good time using it. But for anyone who is looking for a new tablet at a very low budget this can be considered.