Hands-on: ViewSonic VCD 22, world’s largest ‘tablet’

TAIPEI: It's not exactly a tablet. But it's not really a desktop computer either. VCD 22 is a unique device. It is a low-power, all-in-one device with a 22-inch touchscreen. It runs on Android 4.0 aka Ice Cream Sandwich! At Computex 2012 we had a chance to use the device briefly. As a concept, the VCD 22 doesn't make any sense. After using it, we can say it looks even worse of a folly than what it appears on paper.

THE NEW ViewSonic VCD 22

There is virtually nothing right about VCD 22. In terms of hardware, it is a daringly low-powered device. As far as design is concerned, it looks just like any other regular monitor, complete with a TN (Twisted Nematic) panel screen with a resolution of 1920 X 1080 pixels and poor viewing angles that most monitors have. Under the hood there is a 1Ghz dual-core processor and 1GB RAM.

During our use, we found the user experience to be poor. The 1Ghz dual-core processor struggled to provide smooth experience. There was lag while switching between tasks and browsing apps. The bigger issue was the Android on a 22-inch screen. The operating software is just not meant for large screens. The scaling of user interface to a full HD resolution made it look blurry. When the apps designed for mobile phones were used on the big screen, not only they looked ugly but also functionally wrong.

The VCD 22 we used had a number of educational apps preloaded on it. Like there was an app that showed anatomy of human body. This hints that Viewsonic may sell the device only in schools or colleges. If that is the case, the device may work though Viewsonic will have to sort out the performance part. But in the current state VCD22 is definitely not for mainstream users and homes.


Courtesy: The Times Of India

Samsung Galaxy SIII: 9 things to know

South Korea's Samsung Electronics has unveiled its latest flagship smartphone -- unveiled Galaxy SIII in the country. One of the most-awaited phones of 2012, Samsung Galaxy SIII (SAMSUNG GALAXY S3)  succeeds company's Galaxy SII.

Here are nine things to know about the Samsung's all-new smartphone Samsung Galaxy SIII.
Runs on Android 4.0

Samsung Galaxy S III runs on Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich). However, the default user interface of the OS is TouchWiz Nature UX, a custom skin prepared by Samsung.

Screen is 22% bigger than SII

Samsung's latest Galaxy phone sports a 4.8-inch touchscreen with an HD Super Amoled display at 1280 x 720 pixels. Overall, the screen is reportedly 22% larger than Samsung Galaxy SII.

Has 8 Mega Pixel Camera

Samsung Galaxy SIII comes with an 8-megapixel rear-facing camera with a zero-lag shutter speed to provide instant image-capturing. There's also a 1.9-megapixel front-facing camera.

Has Siri rival 'S'

A feature similar to Siri on iPhone, Galaxy SIII has 'S' Voice that will help users in doing several tasks through voice commands. A demo at the launch event showed how a user can use the voice command feature to play a song, for example. Samsung claims that 'S' voice goes beyond earlier voice recognition technology from Samsung.

Thickness & weight

The smartphone has 16GB of internal memory. This can be expanded with a microSD card. Samsung said the Galaxy SIII will have a 2,100 mAh battery. The phone weighs 133 gram and has a thickness of 8.6mm.

Runs on Samsung's latest Chip

The phone has Samsung's new Arm-based processor Exynos 4 Quad. The 1.4 Ghz quad-core chip is based on the ARM Cortex A9 and enables more tasks in a shorter period of time claims the company. 

Samsung claims that it is the first quad-core processor built on the High-k Metal Gate (HKMG) low-power process technology. Other features of the processor include a video hardware codec engine for 1080p/30fps video recording and playback and an HDMI 1.4 interface.

Comes with free DropBox storage

Every user of Galaxy SIII smartphone will get free 50GB cloud storage from Dropbox, according to the company. This means the storage for Galaxy SIII users will be double of what Dropbox is giving HTC One series owners. The storage will, however, be valid for two years only.

Price and availability in India

Samsung Galaxy SIII has launched at an MRP of Rs 42,180 in India. However market price is expected to be lower by a few thousands rupees.

Courtesy: The Times Of India

Samsung Galaxy Ace Duos GSM-only smartphone launches @ Rs 13,490

THE NEW SAMSUNG GALAXY ACE DUOS GSM SMARTPHONE

Samsung: The Samsung Mobile has launched GSM-only version of dual-SIM smartphone Galaxy Ace Duos. Galaxy Ace Duos' GSM+CDMA version is already on sale in India for Rs 13,490 approximately.

The smartphone is powered by a 832 MHz processor and runs on Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) OS. The phone has a 3.5 inch TFT touch screen display with 320 x 480 pixels. Dimensions are 11.5 mm thick and weighs 122 gram.

Samsung Galaxy Duos comes with a 5MP autofocus caSamsung Galaxy Ace Duos GSM-only smartphone launches @ Rs 13,490mera, 3GB internal memory, 512MB RAM, and a microSD slot (expandable up to 32GB.

On connectivity front, it supports 3G HSDPA 7.2 Mbps, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n and Bluetooth 3.0.

Key specs:
* 3.5" HVGA (320x480) TFT-LCD
* Android 2.3 (Gingerbread)
* 832MHz processor
* 5MP camera with autofocus
* Wi-Fi 802.11, USB 2.0, Bluetooth v 3.0
* 512MB (RAM), microSD slot (up to 32GB)
* 1,300 mAh battery


Courtesy: The Times Of India

Sony launches Xperia U, Xperia P, Xperia Sola in India

TRIO LEAD: THE SONY XPERIA SOLA, XPERIA P & XPERIA U

Sony Mobile Communications has officially launched three new Xperia smartphones in the country: Xperia U and P, and Xperia Sola. The smartphones were initially unveiled at the Xperia S launch last month. 

Sony Xperia U has a 3.5 inch scratch-resistant TFT touchscreen with a resolution of 854 x 480 pixels and is powered by a 1 GHz STE U8500 dual-core processor. The smartphone runs on Google Android 2.3 operating system (upgrade to Android Ice Cream Sandwich promised). There's a 5 megapixel camera with auto focus, 16x digital zoom and LED flash. The phone has 8 GB internal memory and 512 MB RAM. The smartphone is priced at Rs 17, 399. 

Sony Xperia P is powered by a 1 GHz U8500 dual-core processor. It sports a 4-inch scratch-resistant TFT touchscreen with a resolution of 960x540 pixels. It runs on Google Android 2.3 OS (upgrade to Android 4.0 or Ice Cream Sandwich promised). There's an 8 megapixel camera with auto focus, 8x digital zoom, LED flash. The phone offers internal phone storage of 16GB, and 1 GB RAM. The Sony Xperia P is priced at Rs 26,799. 

Sony Xperia Sola is powered by a 1 GHz dual-core processor. The smartphone has a 3.7 inch scratch-resistant TFT touchscreen The phone's 5 megapixel camera has auto focus and LED flash. There's 8 GB internal storage with microSD memory card slot expandable up to 32GB. Sony Xperia Sola is priced at Rs 20,449.


Courtesy: The Times Of India

No problem with HTC One X multitasking: HTC

The HTC One X is not suffering from any multitasking related Issues comments HTC.

Smartphone manufacturer, HTC has dismissed reports that its flagship smartphone, One X has any multitasking problems.

NO PROBLEMO: The new HTC One X

Earlier some users claimed that the HTC One X's memory management system automatically kills any possible application running in the background if it is left unattended for more than 30 seconds. So if you are browsing and you get redirected to Google Play Store then after 30 seconds your browser will automatically shut down. Hence, you have to continue from the beginning and start the application again for re assuming the browsing.

But in a statement sent to The Verge, HTC stated that there is absolutely no problem with the One X or with its operating system. But it has all to do with the Sense User interface for which the memory control feature has been tweaked to provide a better user experience.

"HTC is aware of some questions in the enthusiast community about how the HTC One X handles multitasking and memory management for background apps. We value the community's input and are always looking for ways to enhance customers experience with our devices. That said, right now multitasking is operating normally according to our custom memory management specifications which balance core ICS features with a consistent HTC Sense experience," HTC said in its statement.

Courtesy: The Mobile Indian

Huawei to launch MediaPad tablet soon

THE NEW HUAWEI MEDIAPAD

Huawei Technologies Co, China's largest maker of phone equipment, said its MediaPad tabletcomputers are being tested by Tribune as news readers. 

The Chicago Tribune and Los Angeles Times are conducting trials of the tablets through the end of this month, and the devices may be rolled out nationwide once those tests are complete, said James Jiang, executive vice president of product solutions at Huawei's device business in the US. 

Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei is diversifying the company into consumer mobile devices to expand business in the US, where lawmakers have opposed sales of its phone-network equipment because of his Chinese military background. Tribune Chief Executive Officer Eddy Hartenstein is seeking to add a new business to stem losses from declining newspaper circulation and increased printing costs. 

"We are always looking for opportunities to provide companies with products and solutions that will enhance the level of service that they provide to their customers," Jiang said in an e-mail. "In this case, it is about providing the Tribune's readers with a platform that allows them to access news and other content." 

The Chicago-based Tribune Co, which also owns radio and TV stations, filed for bankruptcy in 2008, one year after a leveraged buyout led by real-estate billionaire Sam Zell. Tribune, valued earlier this year by the company at more than $7 billion, owes creditors about $13 billion. The company said May 15 it will stop publishing LA, Los Angeles Times Magazine, on June 3. 

THE NEW HUAWEI MediaPad

Gary Weitman, a Tribune spokesman, declined to comment. 

Huawei unveiled the MediaPad tablet, which runs Google's Android operating system, last year as profit was cut by half. Huawei plans to boost total revenue as much as 20 per cent this year, aided by the push into the consumer market, Controller CT Johnson said last month.

Android-based ViewSonic 3 smartphone comes to India

THE NEW VIEWSONIC 3 SMARTPHONE

NEW DELHI: ViewSonic on Thursday launched first Android-based dual-Sim 3G smartphone, ViewPhone 3 in India. The device features a 3.5-inches touchscreen with 320 X 480 resolution and runs on the Android 2.3 operating system(OS). The phone has 512MB RAM and it is powered by Qualcomm 800 MHz processor. The phone sports a 5-megapixel rear autofocus camera.

For connectivity, the device offers HSDPA 7.2mbps for browsing, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, USB port and tethering options. The phone memory is expandable upto 32GB through a microSD card. The other features include ViewScene 3D technology, 3.5mm audio jack, G-sensor, E-compass and 1500 mAh battery.

ViewSonic 3 is available at price of Rs 9,990.


Price Courtesy: The Times Of India

HTC Desire C goes official

THE ULTIMATE DESIRE: HTC DESIRE C

HTC  has officially taken the wraps off its Desire C smartphone. The smartphone which runs on the latest version of Android operating system --Android 4.0 or ICS -- is expected to launch in India in mid-June. 

HTC Desire C is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon S1 600MHz processor with 512MB of RAM. It features 3.5-inch HVGA screen with 320x480 resolution. There's a 5 megapixel camera with LED flash and VGA front camera. 

The smartphone will reportedly be available in white and black colours. Though there is no word on the handset's India pricing, HTC Desire C is likely to be priced between Rs 13,500 to Rs 15,000. The smartphone has already been launched in some European markets. 

Key specs: * OS: Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich * Display: 3.5 inch with a resolution of 320 x 480 pixels * Processor: 600MHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S1 * Storage: 4GB internal storage, expandable up to 32GB with MicroSD card * Camera: 5 MP * Connecitivity: 3G with 7.2Mbps HSDPA, Bluetooth 4.0, Wi-Fi and USB 2.00 * Battery: 1230 mAh battery.


Courtesy: The Times Of India

Karbonn launches Android-based A9 smartphone

SMART BOY: THE NEW KARBONN A9

Karbonn has expanded its Android-based handsets portfolio in India with the launch of Karbonn A9. 

Karbonn A9 is powered by a 1GHz processor and runs on Android 2.3.6 Gingerbread. It also includes dual-SIM capability (GSM + GSM) making it another contender in low-cost, dual-SIM Android market. The smartphone has the functionality to allow users to use both the number simultaneously. 

Karbonn A9 sports a 3.8-inch display with a 800x480 pixels resolution, 3G and WiFi capabilities, 5 megapixel camera with LED flash and a secondary front facing camera. It supports expandable memory up to 32GB via microSD card. 

The device is officially priced at Rs 10,990.


Courtesy: The Times Of India

Lenovo unveils 55-inch smart TV

BEIJING/HONG KONG: What a difference nearly 50 years makes. Although the exact origins are lost to time, it was around 1965 that the phrases "boob tube" and "idiot box" were coined to describe the small cathode-ray tube television and the content broadcast on it that many thought foolish.

Fast-forward to 2012 and it's the era of the "smart TV," a slim and stylish - and large - LED flatscreen model connected to the Internet that allows viewers to download movies, play video games and Skype their relatives around the world.

Lenovo K91 smart TV

Smart TVs are also the latest battleground for technology giants like Apple Inc, Samsung Electronics Co Ltd and Lenovo Group Ltd, each of which is trying to capture the eyeballs and wallets of consumers hungry for content displayed in the comfort of their home in 3D on a high-definition screen.

The latest entry in the market was unveiled in Beijing by Lenovo on Tuesday, where the world's second-largest PC maker showcased its 55-inch K91 smart TVs to attendees who were reading Sina microblogs, playing simulated tennis and watching the movie "Inception" on demo models.

While relatively established in other parts of the world, smart TVs have been slow to catch on in China because of restrictions on content and the concept itself is relatively new.

The K-series is Lenovo's first smart TV and the company decided to launch it on its home turf because it said it would be easier to negotiate content deals in China.

"We been very busy this spring sowing seeds for the future," Lenovo's CEO and chairman, Yang Yuanqing, said during the launch. "Lenovo not only wants to be a leading PC vendor, it also wants to be a global leader in providing Internet consumer devices."

Lenovo may have to play catch-up in the rest of the world as tech heavyweights Samsung and Apple power ahead with their own offerings. Another Korean firm, LG Electronics Inc, the world's No.2 TV maker, plans to launch Internet-enabled TV based on Google's platform in theUnited States in May.

"Whatever Apple does, it sets the trend for some other PC makers," said Vincent Chen, an analyst at Yuanta Securities in Taipei. "For Lenovo, the smart TV is a good strategy for it to consolidate its market share in China. However, content will be the biggest obstacle for Lenovo's smart TVs to be sold outside of China."

Diversification

Lenovo, which has been diversifying into making its Lephone smartphones and Lepad tablet PCs, derived more than 40 per cent of its total nine-month sales of $22 billion in 2011 from China.

Analysts said Lenovo had been dominant in the traditional PC sector, but its foray into smartphones, tablet PCs and now smart TVs, has not been as successful.

The launch of its smart TVs will unlikely have an immediate boost on Lenovo's earnings in coming quarters since it is only being sold in China. By 2015, smart TVs will make up about half of total TVs shipped globally, Lenovo executives said.

Lenovo's smart TV, which comes in four models with prices ranging from 6,499 yuan ($1,032) to 14,999 yuan, uses a Qualcomm Inc processor and runs Google Inc's Android 4.0 operating system.

Lenovo K91 smart TV

Lenovo plans to start selling its smart TV this month at electronics retailer Suning stores in nine cities: Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, Nanjing, Suzhou, Hangzhou, Ningbo, Guangzhou and Shenzhen.

The company is already selling a console that could be paired with the new smart TV. The company's Eedoo unit in April launched the CT510 console that will compete with Microsoft Inc's XBox Kinect and Sony Corp's Playstation.

However, Lenovo said its CT510 device is primarily an exercise and entertainment device since sales of so-called gaming consoles are banned in China.

Lenovo's shares fell 4.2 percent on Tuesday, underperforming the main Hang Seng Index's 0.4 per cent loss.

Information Courtesy: The Times Of India

Sony Mobile India rolls out Android 4.0 update

Sony Mobile India has started rolling out Android 4.0 update for select devices in the country. These devices include arc S, neo V and Ray from company's Xperia series. Consumers will have to use the PC Companion or Sony Bridge for MAC software on their computers to upgrade the device.

Sony is the second manufacturer to start the Ice Cream Sandwich update process for its smartphones in India; earlier Samsung released Android 4.0 for the Nexus S phone. Majority of Android consumers in the country are still waiting for the updates, including the owners for popular smartphones like Samsung Galaxy S II, Galaxy Note and Motorola RAZR.

The Ice Cream Sandwich update for Xperia phones brings new lock-screen, smart dialer, resizable widget, face unlock, new task switcher, and performance improvements.

Other smartphones in the Xperia series - Xperia arc, Xperia Play, Xperia neo, Xperia mini, Xperia mini pro, Xperia pro, Xperia active and Sony Ericsson Live with Walkman are scheduled to get the update at the end of May or early June.

Courtesy: NDTV GADGETS

Review: Huawei Honor

NEW DELHI: The name Huawei may not ring a bell for most phone buyers in India, but it is a huge multinational firm. The company is among the leading manufacturers of telecom equipment in the world and in the recent years has become a big player in phone and tablet market. 

Gartner, a market research firm, said in February that Huawei had 2.3% share in 2011 in smartphone market worldwide. This put it marginally ahead of Motorola and Sony Ericsson. 

After some success in its home country - China - the firm has started expanding operations abroad. Due to similarities in Indian and Chinese phone market - both are developing countries and price sensitive - consumers here are obvious targets for Huawei. Last year, it had tested the waters here with Ideos range of phones. This year it is more assertive. It has already launched Honor, a mid-range Android phone, and plans to bring Ascend D, the flagship device, soon. 

We have Honor with us today. With this phone, Huawei promises consumers best-in-class features at most competitive price. Not an easy promise to fulfill, we know. Let's find out if Honor can take on the competition in mid-range smartphone market. 

Looks good on paper Honor may not have superstar looks but it's not shabby either. The design is classic candy bar. It has a plastic body with two buttons - power and volume rocker - given chrome finish. Under the 4-inches screen, which has a resolution of 480 x 854 pixels, there are four touch buttons for Options, Home, Back and Search. The back cover, which has a textured finish, can be removed to access SIM slot and battery. 

With a thickness of 11mm and a weight of 140grams, there is nothing striking about Honor. But at the same time, it is functional design, which makes using the device very easy. 

Honor is powered by a single-core 1.4Ghz processor. It has 512MB RAM and 4GB storage, with option to add a micro SD card. The highlight of the device is 8MP primary camera with a LED flash. The phone can record videos in up to 720P resolution. A 2MP camera is provided for video chats. 

User experience
In terms of hardware, Honor is better many mid-range phone. But after using it for weeks, we feel that the hardware advantage has not translated into the user experience that can put Honor ahead of the pack. Let us elaborate. 

For most parts, Honor acts like a nice mid-range Android phones. This means it may not dazzle you with speed and superfast user interface but for all practical purposes the performance is adequate. Apps open without any lag, casual games like Angry Birds work very well, GPS locks in a snap, browsing experience is pleasant, and call quality is good. Media playback is average with the phone failing to play several file formats, like the ones encoded with DivX, but that is acceptable from a mid-range phone. Honor's speaker, though, is very loud considering its size. 

But there are two aspects that stand out. One for good reasons and another for, well, not being up to the mark. 

Good news first. The 8MP pixels camera in Honor punches above its weight. The photograph taken with it have decent amount of details and balanced colours. It doesn't perform very well in low-light but it is all same with most midrange smartphones. Videos shot in 720P resolution are acceptable. 

Now, the bad news. Honor's 4-inch screen is disappointing. It shows good colours and is sufficiently bright until you are not standing in sunlight. Viewing angles could have been better but they will not be any issue for most buyers. The problem is with the screen's touch sensitivity, which is a tad slow. It is not as slow or bad as what found on sub-10K phones but then Honor is not competing with these phones. While in many tasks - for example web browsing - it doesn't affect the user experience, playing games like Temple Run, which require flawless touch sensitivity, is difficult on Honor. 

Another problem with screen is 'ghosting'. It is especially apparent if you are using a Twitter app. While scrolling through timeline, display pictures of contacts leave traces. Ghosting may not be a problem in most cases but if it occurs - in our case it was during Twitter use - it will bug users. 

Battery life is good. When used for emails, Twitter, some photography, some gaming, some calls and lots of browsing the phone lasted over 10 hours on 3G connection. 

Worth its price
Huawei Honor is a decent phone for its price. Screen could have been better but given its good performance and a decent camera for still pictures, our experience with Honor wasn't bad. At the same time, it is not the kind of experience that can make us give Honor a clear recommendation. The phone has an MRP of Rs 19,999. At this price, its primary competitors are HTC One V,Samsung Galaxy S Plus, Sony Ericsson Neo V and Nokia Lumia 710. 

If you are out in the market, looking for a mid-range smartphone, you should definitely consider Honor. Just that before buying it, make sure you demo it at the store to see if you are comfortable with the touch response or not. 

Pros: Good camera for still photographs, lag-free performance 

Cons: Screen touch sensitivity is not optimum, out-of-box runs on Gingerbread and not Ice cream sandwich, the latest version of Android.


Courtesy: The Times Of India

Indian affordable tabs: HCL ME U1, MyEdu Tab

HCL Infosystems recently unveiled two tablet computers - HCL ME U1 and HCL MyEdu Tab. While HCL ME U1 has been introduced with a price of Rs 7,999, the HCL MyEdu Tab - K12 Version is priced at Rs 11,499. 

The U1 tablet is powered with the latest Android Ice Cream Sandwich Operating Software (OS). HCL claims that the tablet is equipped with 17 local ready to use applications. It has a 7 inch 800X480 pixel screen and a 1Ghz processor. 

The tablet has a front camera and 512 MB RAM, with an internal memory of 4GB expandable to 32GB. HCL ME U1 also has a full USB, mini USB and a Micro SD card slot. The U1 also provides for Wi-Fi connectivity.  

Huawei launches Honor & Ideos X5 smartphones in India.

NEW DELHI: Huawei has announced the launch of Honor and the improved version of Ideos X5 smartphones in the Indian market. 
Running on Google Android Gingerbread,Huawei Honor features a 1,900 mAh battery, promising upto 9 hours of talk time, 6 hours of gaming and 10 hours of video. 

Featuring a 4-inch scratch resistant Gorilla glass and FWVGA display with 245 pixels per inch (PPI), Huawei Honor has a textured scratch-proof back. 

With a 1.4 GHz processor and a gyroscope, Huawei Honor packs an 8 megapixel AF rear camera with HDR, allowing users to capture pictures in ultra-bright and low lights. There's also a front camera for video chatting and 720P video recording and playback features. 

The phone is also DLNA-certified, which means it can play content wirelessly on other DLNA-certified devices such as digital cameras, game consoles and TVs. 

The phone will also let users blacklist and whitelist calls or protect their SMS from unauthorized use. Honor comes with a lock screen that has a built-in quick launch to the camera, SMS and phone apps. 

The phone also bundles an app called 'Data Traffic Manager' which lets users to set their monthly data package budget and offers an overview of data consumption over 2G/3G, WiFi networks and the apps consuming traffic. The phone is priced at Rs 19,990 (approximately). 

The Chinese phone maker has also launched an upgraded and improved version of Ideos X5 with Cloud features, a 1Ghz faster processor, FM Radio and 14.4 Mpbs faster download speeds. 

Priced at Rs 13,800, the new Ideos X5 offers 16GB Cloud space to store images, music and books. With Phone Finder, users can remotely locate phone or lock, backup or delete data to prevent phone from unauthorized use. Huawei Ideos X5 comes with a 5 megapixel camera with LED flash and ability to capture 720P high definition HD videos. 

Featuring a 3.8-inch WVGA capacitive touch display with multi touch support, Huawei Ideos X5 comes with 1500mAh battery which according to company promises a good standby and talk time.


Courtesy: Times Of India