Upcoming Mobiles and more.: 03/06/2012

Saturday, 9 June 2012

Comparison between Kabonn tablet, Micromax Funbook and HCL ME

The main competitor of Karbonn Smart Tab are Micromax and HCL tablets. But the major differences between Kabonn Tablet and other tablet is that the Karbonn tab is mainly focusing on Entertainment whereas Micomax Funbook and HCL Me focus on students.

Here is list of differences between Micromax, HCL Me and Karbonn tablet.

Specification	Micromax Funbook	HCL ME Tab	Karbonn Smart Tab1
OS	Android 4.0.3	Android 4.0.3	Android 4.0.3
Processor	1.2GHz, ARM A8	1GHz, ARM A8	1.2GHz
RAM	512 MB DDR3	512 MB DDR3	512MB RAM
Battery	2800 mAh	3600 mAh	3700 mAh
Connectivity	HDMI, USB and WiFi.	HDMI, USB and WiFi	HDMI, USB and Wifi .
3G	3G Support through USB Dongle	3G Support through USB Dongle	3G Support through USB Dongle
Screen size	7 inch capacitive touchscreen	7 inch capacitive touchscreen	17.8 cm Capacitive 5 Point Multi Touch Screen
Pixel resolution	800 x 480 pixel	800 x 480 pixel	—
Camera	Front VGA camera	Front VGA camera	2 Mega Pixel Front Camera
Memory	Expandable Memory upto 32 GB.	Expandable Memory upto 32 GB.	Expandable Memory upto 32 GB
App store	Support Google play.	Google play not supported.	No info
User interface	G-sensor	G-sensor	3D G-Sensor
Price	Rs 6,500.	Rs 7,999.	Rs 6,990

Karbonn Tablet Specification

As the season of tablet is going on, Karbonnmobiles too jump into tablet business with the Karbonn Smart Tab 1. Its price is Rs 6,990. Other tablet in the same price range are Micromax Funbook tab (Rs 6499) and HCL ME Tab (Rs 7,999).

Although the Karbonn claim that its Smart Tab has superior video and gaming experience, thus targeting consumer who are looking for entertainment in their tablet. Booking of tablet has been started and see here to book Smart Tab1 online.

Before that check out the specification of Karbonn tablet.

Screen Size	17.8 cm Capacitive 5 Point Multi Touch Screen
Processor	1.2 GHz Processor
OS	Android, v4.0.3, Ice Cream Sandwich
Camera	2 Mega Pixel Front Camera
Memory	Expandable Memory upto 32 GB
Wi-Fi	Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n
HDMI support	Yes
3G	3G Support through USB Dongle
Battery	3700 mAh Battery, 25 Hours of Music Playback Time
Video	Full HD Video Playback upto 10 hrs
User Interface	3D G-Sensor for Gaming Experience

Micromax A75 Superfone Lite

Review: Micromax A75 Superfone Lite

'Big things at affordable prices' seems to be the Micromax motto when it comes to budget phones. The company has set a trend in the below Rs.10,000 category with phones running the Android OS like the A55, A60 and A70. Tagged as the Superfone Lite, the A75 is a cheaper version of the A85. Sporting quite an appeal on the outside, we put the device to test and find out if it has what it takes to steal the thunder in its category.

Design & Build

Unboxing the device felt like awakening a black knight from a white coffin! We couldn't help but reminisce the Google Nexus S when we first saw the device. The unit we received was charcoal black, weighing in at 135 grams. Though it is a bit heavy, the phone offers a firm grip and feels very comfortable to hold. The device came neatly packed in a white cardboard box along with a USB Charger, a pair of earphones, a user guide and a 1 year warranty card.

The build is plastic-y with a glossy finish at the back supported by metal on the sides. The display screen and the device overall, act as a fingerprint magnet owing to its glossy finish.

Staying true to the android tradition, the phone has four main capacitive touch buttons at the bottom: Menu, Back, Search and Home. The volume rocker is on the right (which seemed very inconvenient while pressing) while the USB port is on the left. The top panel has the power/sleep button along with a universal 3.5mm headphones jack.

The phone supports Dual GSM SIM functionality with the slots being located under the rear panel. They can be accessed only by removing the battery from its place. There is a microSD card slot located just adjacent to the 3MP camera. The device seems well-constructed and does have a distinctly unique charm to it that adds to its overall appeal.

Display

The phone features a 3.75" TFT capacitive display with a resolution of 320x480 pixels which is decent enough, though nothing to be too proud of. The screen is a bit reflective of background objects which is quite distracting.

The colours appeared bright enough but reading in broad daylight can be quite a task despite increasing brightness levels to the maximum. The screen size is big enough for viewing videos and gaming at ease.

Camera Quality

The device houses a 3MP rear camera with LED flash and a 0.3 MP front facing camera for video calling. There isn't much to expect from the camera since the resolution is quite low. Having said that, the image quality is very dull and it just about gets the job done. If you don't really get into the specifics or if the camera isn't something that interests you in a phone, it's a decent feature to have.

The camera menu is fairly simple with features such as Flash, Zoom (up to 4x), White Balance, Picture Size and Quality, Scene Mode, Capture Mode, ISO settings et al. Each category has various settings to choose from as per one's requirement.

We tried a couple of settings but they did little to improve the image quality. Despite the sharpness being set at high, the pictures still looked blurry. Also, the shutter lag while taking a picture with flash is ridiculously long at about 5 seconds!

Videos didn't fair too well either. They also appeared quite dull and grainy. Well, expecting a 3MP to shoot good quality videos is stretching it a bit too far. YouTube videos however appeared sharp when viewed in the HQ setting.

OS & Interface

The device runs on Androidv2.3.4 and what is disturbing is the sluggish UI over Gingerbread. The 650 MHz processor just isn't beefy enough when it comes to performance. The device has an internal memory of 190MB which is expandable up to 32GB.

There are up to 9 customizable home screens which you can add one-by-one as and when you need them.The device comes with a pre-installed Theme Manager that allows you to choose from a set of 5 colourful themes that look beautiful and vibrant. The icon representation changes with each theme.

You can view the Notifications and Toolkits option by swiping the screen from top to bottom. Toolkits basically gives access to a quick menu with 12 options including power off, reboot, auto brightness settings, Wi-Fi, lock screen settings etc. The Phone, Menu and Messaging icons are located at the bottom of the screen for quick access. The Menu has all the apps listed in alphabetical order. You can choose to add these apps for quick access on your home screen.

Pre-loaded software
The phone comes with a whole bunch of pre-installed apps like TOI, Polaris Office (for accessing MS Documents), Quikr, eBuddy, WhatsApp along with Facebook, Twitter and of course the Google bundle which includes Gmail, YouTube, Gtalk and Maps. There's also a stock market app called InStocks updating you with the latest BSE/NSE figures. UMPlayer is an in-built video player app with a simple interface while you also have a Music Player for songs on your phone.

Saavn is an app that helps you find your favourite songs in Hindi, Punjabi and even Tamil. It also gives you a weekly top songs playlist. You can save them in your very own playlist which can be created by logging in with your Facebook account or with a separate Saavn account itself. Then there's Teen Patti, which is a fun gaming app. Besides these, you have extras like a sound recorder, a post card app and a File Manager as well (Phew!).

Apart from the Android Market, the company has added Mi-Apps which lists a selection of various other apps under three main tabs namely: Applications, Games and Themes, giving the user plenty of options to choose from.

Performance

With smart phones getting smarter each day, functionality and performance now take precedence over beauty. Starting with battery life, the phone performed decently, running an entire day on a full charge though the 1300mAH Li-ion battery does drain out on prolonged usage with multiple tasks at hand.

The foremost purpose of any phone still remains to make and receive calls and this is where the A75 fails miserably. Call drops were unusually high even in high network areas. The worst experience was that the phone hung while multi-tasking and removing the battery was the only way to regain functionality. Texting is more comfortable in landscape mode since the keyboard seems more spaced out as opposed to the portrait mode.

The gaming experience was also ruined to quite an extent. Angry Birds, which has now become a benchmark in gaming for every Android phone, was very slow in loading and hung a couple of times before it finally crashed. Opening and closing applications also consumed a considerable amount of time.

The audio quality is again decent enough on the loudspeaker. While listening to songs on the headphones (that came with the phone), the levels tend to peak quite a bit. The built-in FM Radio was really disappointing as the device had frequency issues and was unable to catch popular stations like Fever 104.0 FM (Our Nokia X2-01 did better than this!).

The Dual SIM feature is one thing we could vouch for. The setting allows you to select the purpose for each SIM and also set preference of usage (whether to operate one SIM at a time or both simultaneously). The SIMs are colour coded and easily distinguishable from each other. Once you insert the second SIM, the screen prompts you for setting your default SIM to make voice calls, video calls, messaging and data connection. You can always deactivate the SIM you don't want to use. When making Voice calls or Messaging, the device gives an option called Always Ask so that you can choose which SIM to use for outgoing calls or messages.

Overall, the performance isn't as satisfying as you'd expect mainly due to the slow processing speeds.

Verdict

The device doesn't quite really justify being nicknamed as the Superfone Lite. Though there are a couple of good features, including the bundle of handy apps and the dual SIM service feature, the phone completely loses out on slow processing speeds. Though it is competitively priced among its peers like the Samsung Galaxy Y and the Motorola Fire XT311 and appears to be a strong contender, it still fails to perform as a 'Superfone'. You ought to miss this one while considering your options for a budget Android phone.

Pros
Great Price
Attractive Design
Good Display Size
Dual SIM

Cons
Sluggish UI
Poor Camera
Slow Processor

Price: Rs. 8,900

Ratings
Performance: 3
Features: 4
Ease of setup: 4
Ergonomics: 3.5
Wow factor: 3.5

Overall: 3.5

Motorola Introduces DEFY XT and DEFY MINI Smartphones in India

The phones crystal-clear Corning Gorilla Glass touchscreens -3.7-inch for Motorola DEFY XT and 3.2-inch for DEFY MINI-- and colourful displays are great for email, texting and browsing the Web. And don?t worry about battery life. Both Motorola DEFY XT and Motorola DEFY MINI come with an extra powerful 1650mAh battery giving Motorola DEFY XT 9.5 hrs hours of talk time and Motorola DEFY MINI 9 hours of talk time. You?ll stay entertained and informed all day and into the night.

The Motorola DEFY XT sports a 5-megapixel camera and the Motorola DEFY MINI a 3-megapixel camera. Both come with VGA front-facing cameras to connect with friends while you?re commuting or just relaxing at home. Featuring an intuitive interface with social and activity widgets, you can instantly share all the fun you?re having with your friends.

The Motorola DEFY XT and DEFY MINI also have the brains to know what matters to you most and how to get it to you fast. They are the first smartphones in India to feature MotoSwitch, a handy user interface which learns the songs you love, who you talk to most and which apps you get the most mileage from. It then cleverly collects all your preferences and stores them, which means you?ll be so organised you?ll have loads of extra time on your hands.

But don?t worry your boredom won?t last long. Since Motorola DEFY XT and Motorola DEFY MINI are Android?-powered smartphones, you?ll have immediate access to more than 500,000 games, apps, music, books and movies available on Google Play.

Our original Motorola DEFY was a hit all over Asia. We are now expanding our portfolio of water-resistant smartphones to give you more choices without having to break your wallet, said Rajan Chawla, country head (sales and operations), India, Motorola Mobility. Now you can stay connected all day long, through every adventure, and share your fun with everyone who matters most to you.

Motorola DEFY XT Features:
? Android 2.3 Gingerbread
? 115 x 58.5 x 11.95 mm
? 850/2100 UMTS; 850/900/1800/1900 GSM; GPRS/EDGE Class 12
? 3.7? inch FWVGA display, capacitive touch and scratch resistant Corning? Gorilla? Glass
? 5MP Auto Focus camera with flash
? Front VGA camera
? MicroSD card support ? 2Gb MicroSD card included
? Water resistance and repellent and Dust resistant, IP67 certified
? WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, DLNA
? MotoSwitch 2.0 user interface
? 1GHz processor
? 512MB RAM
? GPS/aGPS
? 3.5 mm stereo jack
? 1650 mAh battery for up to 9.5 hrs Talk Time and up to 20 days Standby Time
? Video recording: MPEG4, H.263, H.264, 30fpsF
? Video playback: MPEG4, H.263, H.264, 30fps
? Bluetooth? A2DP, AVRCP

Motorola DEFY MINI Features:
? Android 2.3 Gingerbread
? Dual-SIM
? 850/2100 UMTS; 850/900/1800/1900 GSM; GPRS/EDGE Class 12
? 3.2" HVGA with capacitive touch with scratch resistant Corning? Gorilla? Glass
? 3MP camera with flash
? Front VGA camera
? MicroSD card support (up to 32Gb) 2GB MicroSD card included
? Water resistance and repellent and Dust resistant, IP67 certified
? WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, DLNA
? MotoSwitch 2.0 user interface
? 600MHz processor
? 512MB RAM
? GPS/aGPS
? 3.5 mm stereo jack
? 1650mAh battery for up to 9 hrs Talk Time and up to 11 days Standby Time
? Capture/Playback/Streaming MPEG4, H.263, H.264, 30fpsH
? Bluetooth A2DP, AVRCP

About Motorola Mobility
Motorola Mobility, owned by Google, fuses innovative technology with human insights to create experiences that simplify, connect and enrich people's lives. Our portfolio includes converged mobile devices such as smartphones nd tablets; wireless accessories; end-to-end video and data delivery; and management solutions, including set-tops and data-access devices.

10 Reasons why Nokia 1100 was better than Apple iPhone 4

The current trend is of smartphones and every brand wants to get in the heat, trying to make what they call 'iPhone killers' but its not too easy. But, once upon a time, Nokia had launched an iPhone killer of its own. iPhone has not been able to beat it by far, even the latest version of it fails to shadow its legacy. Its the one and only Nokia 1100. Don't believe in this? Let me tell you that Nokia 1100 is the best selling mobile phone ever, about 8 times more Apple iPhone 4 has been sold. Now we will tell you why you can call the Nokia 1100 the real 'iPhone killer'. It had features Apple iPhone 4 doesn't. Incredible, ain't it? Let us reveal the secrets one by one.

Apple iPhone 4 vs. Nokia 1100 - Nokia 1100 had a torch

Well, I am sure you acknowledge the need of light in our lives. It is light which illuminates. In case you fall in a situation of all darkness, Nokia 1100 could light you up with its incredible torch light. This is a very important feature which made Nokia 1100 a big success (don't you agree). Just use a single button and you could find your precious diamond ring which just fell down while with the iPhone 4 you couldn't. Nokia 1100 could thus bring you profits worth millions, iPhone 4 couldn't.

Apple iPhone 4 vs. Nokia 1100 - Nokia 1100 was lightweight

You would be surprised to know that the Nokia 1100 was feather light, when compared to Apple iPhone 4 (I apologize for my exaggeration). Nokia 1100 was just about two-third the weight of the iPhone 4. The iPhone 4 is 137 grams while the Nokia 1100 was lightweight with just 93 grams. That means that there is a chance for your pocket to survive with the 1100 if the fabric is getting out slowly.

Apple iPhone 4 vs. Nokia 1100 - Nokia 1100 had more service centers

Now, you cannot compare the service Nokia provides with that of Apple. Nokia 1100 could be repaired almost in all service centers, authorized and even at non-authorized ones, because it was an easy meat to be treated. However, iPhone 4 asks for high engineering capabilities, pin-point keenness and superb intelligence while repairing it. Wasn't that good. Its just like having local garages for your local car (Nokia 1100 wasn't soooo local though).

Apple iPhone 4 vs. Nokia 1100 - Nokia 1100 had better built quality

The build quality of the two phones aren't comparable. The 1100 was muscular and healthy. Don't doubt on me but you could easily hammer a nail in your durable walls with your Nokia 1100, excitingly. If you dare to do that with the iPhone 4, believe me you will be surprised to know all the secrets of iPhone 4 hardware (because it will open up like a groundnut, its delicate).

Apple iPhone 4 vs. Nokia 1100 - Nokia 1100 served more standby time

According to mobile88, Nokia 1100 could serve you with about 100 hours of more standby time than the iPhone 4 can. Does that mean another 4 days of standby, yes it does. That means you will be saving on your electricity bills, won't you? After all, energy saved is energy produced.

Apple iPhone 4 vs. Nokia 1100 - Nokia 1100 was cheaper

Don't you dare to use the word cheap in sense of quality. No, not at all. It was all about prices. 1100 was much cheaper than the iPhone 4, especially for the Indian users. It was just for about 2k in its medieval reign. At the same time, iPhone 4 was much costly (please, you are forbidden to compare the features of the two pieces, that deteriorates the seriousness of the facts stated in this article, doesn't it).

Apple iPhone 4 vs. Nokia 1100 - Nokia 1100 didn't lock you down

Gandhiji dreamed about India's freedom for Indian people, so did Nokia for its customers. Incredibly, Nokia 1100 did not jail you down in the operator industry. You could use any SIM card in the Nokia 1100, unlike the iPhone 4 which locks you with operators like Verizon and AT&T and you cannot use Reliance, Docomo, Airtel etc. Ah, those were the days!!

Apple iPhone 4 vs. Nokia 1100 - Nokia 1100 was much smaller in size

Going specifically when you research on the sizes of the two pieces, one, which is the favorite of today's lovebirds, while the other, a history, a discontinued breed, you will find that the latter was much smaller in size when compared to the iPhone 4. The length and breadth of the 1100 was lesser than that of the iPhone 4. That means that you could accommodate another couple of 5 rupee coins in your pocket. (You are requested to not count on the screen size of the iPhone piece, this is not our interest, not one bit!)

Apple iPhone 4 vs. Nokia 1100 - Nokia 1100 could not be invaded by viruses

Nokia 1100 was much fortified, just like Akbar's kingdom was. No matter how advanced you have become, you always have to bend in front of the 1100 because it was a piece which couldn't be invaded by viruses. Even for the iPhone, though there are not much viruses yet, but can be designed in future, it is possible according to experts. But with Nokia 1100, you were secure. (Its just another thing that Nokia 1100 has no bluetooth, no infrared, no 3G, no Wi-Fi, not even the USB). So you could rely on it.

Apple iPhone 4 vs. Nokia 1100 - Nokia 1100 had Snake II and flickering screen

Would you believe that Nokia 1100 actually had the most popular mobile phone game - Snake II. Bingo, you could use the hard keys and turn the rattlers the way you wanted to. Now thats what is called action (don't laugh at my poor categorization skills, anyways, you may, cause its deliberate). Besides this, it had a genius screen which could actually flicker when someone called you, during ringtone playbacks, I mean. This is what I call great engineering. (The Retina Display in iPhone 4 is just another thing).

Keeping all seriousness apart (I guess you understand what I mean), Nokia 1100 was a bigger sizzler than what iPhone has been ever since, don't you agree? You can definitely count on it, when you are talking about the iPhone killers. Just don't count on other advancements please, that hampers the basic absolute idea behind this article. Funny?