Category: Android

Lava Introduces entry level 3G Android Smartphones – Lava 3G 356 And Lava 3G 402

Lava is prepared to introduce its new phone in the Iris series which is the Iris pro, but that does not stops them from introducing two more entry level products in the market. Lava has introduced two new phones in the smartphone range the Lava 3G 356 and the Lava 3G 402 which are available in the market for Rs. 4499 and Rs. 5499 respectively.

Lava 3G 356 is powered by a dual core processor and the latest Android 4.2 (jelly bean) operating system with OTA upgrade, the company claims that 3G 356 provides the user with exceptional performance for enhanced multi-tasking and connectivity. With 3.5-inch capacitive touch screen which is HVGA Display (480*320), Lava 3G 356 smartphone comes loaded with 1.3MP camera, a Li-Ion battery with 1500 mAh capacity and proximity sensor for longer battery life which gives upto 5 hours of talktime and 200 hours of stand-by time.

Specification for Lava 3G 356:

Specifications	LAVA 3G 356
Display	Large 8.9 cm (3.5) High-res HVGA Display (480*320)
Processor	Dual Core 1 GHz Cortex A7
Chipset	Mediatek 6572
Memory	512 MB ROM + 256 MB RAM, External Memory Card expandable upto 32 GB
Camera	1.3 Mega Pixel Fixed Focus with Flash/Front- VGA Camera
Connectivity	Bluetooth with A2DP Support
	Wi-Fi 802.11 g/b/n
	USB
	WAP/GPRS/EDGE/3G
Navigation	GPS/A-GPS
Dimensions & Weight	116.962.512.6mm
Battery	Li-Ion Battery with 1500 mAh
OS	Android v4.2 Jelly Bean with OTA Upgrade
Audio	MP3/MIDI/AAC/AAC+/WAV Player
Video	3GP/MP4/AVI Player
Recording & Playback	MPEG4, H263,H.264 Video Recording at 30 fps
Browser	Android Browser, Opera Browser

Whereas, the Lava 3G 402 is a 4 inch capacitive touch screen smartphone with comes with WVGA Display (480*800) with 16 Million Colors. The 3G 402 runs on latest version of android (jelly bean) 4.2. The smartphone comes equipped with a a 5MP camera. Powered by a dual core 1.2 GHz processor and a 1500mAh battery.

Specification for Lava 3G 402:

Specifications	LAVA 3G 402
Display	Large 10.16 cm (4.0) High-res WVGA Display (480*800) with 16 Million Colors
Chipset	Mediatek 6572
Processor	Dual Core 1.2 GHz Cortex A7
Memory	512 MB ROM + 256 MB RAM, External Memory Card expandable upto 32 GB
Camera	3.0 Mega Pixel Fixed Focus with Flash/Front- 1.3 MP Camera
Connectivity	Bluetooth with A2DP Support
	Wi-Fi 802.11 g/b/n
	USB
	WAP/GPRS/EDGE/3G
Navigation	GPS/A-GPS
Dimensions & Weight	125.564.511.4mm
Battery	Li-Ion Battery with 1500 mAh
OS	Android v4.2 Jelly Bean with OTA Upgrade
Audio	MP3/MIDI/AAC/AAC+/WAV Player
Video	3GP/MP4 Player
Recording & Playback	MPEG4, H263,H.264 Video Recording at 30 fps
Browser	Android Browser, Opera Browser

Lava claims that both 356 and 402 give users enough battery hours to browse internet on 3G, download videos & songs and check emails on the go. Both devices comes up with 512 MB ROM + 256 MB RAM, which can be expanded upto 32GB through external memory card.

At Lava, we are committed to constantly strive to innovate and develop great value for our consumers. In line with this commitment, Lava has introduced affordable, yet fully loaded entry level 3G android smartphones which will now fuel the aspirations of the evolving mobile user in India. The Lava 3G 356 and 3G 402 are uniquely designed smartphones which lets a consumer enjoy the power of 3G by consuming online content” said Mr. Hari Om Rai, Co-Founder & Director, Lava International Ltd.

“Internet usage is increasing rapidly in non-metro cities, with more people using internet through mobile devices. As 3G enabled handsets become affordable, mobile internet would be the next big thing in the country which would take penetration to the remote corners of the country.Lava is aiming to drive huge volumes with both models combined”, he further added.

[toggle title=”Press Release “]LAVA storms the entry-level 3G handset market with Android powered 3G 356 and 3G 402 smartphones

New Delhi, INDIA, August 14, 2013: LAVA International Limited, a fast growing company in the mobile handset industry, today introduced its entry level 3G android smartphones- Lava 3G 356 and Lava 3G 402, value for money phones designed with a purpose to give the best possible 3G mobile experience at an affordable price to the consumers who like staying connected to social media and accessing the Internet. Through its feature rich 3G smartphones Lava aims to help the existing 2G users to upgrade to 3G technology, essentially bring the fastest internet access to the masses.

Powered by a fast dual core processor and the latest Android 4.2 (jelly bean) operating system with OTA upgrade, the 3G 356 provides the user with exceptional performance for enhanced multi-tasking and connectivity. With 3.5-inch capacitive touch screen featuring high-res HVGA Display (480*320), Lava 3G 356 smartphone comes loaded with 1.3MP camera, a large Li-Ion battery with 1500 mAh capacity and proximity sensor for longer battery life which gives upto 5 hours of talktime and 200 hours of stand-by time.

The Lava 3G 402 is a 4 inch capacitive touch screen smartphone with high-res WVGA Display (480*800) with 16 Million Colors. The 3G 402 runs on latest version of android (jelly bean) 4.2. The smartphone sports a 5MP camera. Powered by a dual core 1.2 GHz processor and a powerful 1500mAh battery, both 356 and 402 give users enough battery hours to browse internet on 3G, download videos & songs and check emails on the go.

The 3G series comes with 512 MB ROM + 256 MB RAM, which can be expanded upto 32GB through external memory card.

Mr. Hari Om Rai, Co-Founder & Director, Lava International Ltd., said, “At Lava, we are committed to constantly strive to innovate and develop great value for our consumers. In line with this commitment, Lava has introduced affordable, yet fully loaded entry level 3G android smartphones which will now fuel the aspirations of the evolving mobile user in India. The Lava 3G 356 and 3G 402 are uniquely designed smartphones which lets a consumer enjoy the power of 3G by consuming online content”

“Internet usage is increasing rapidly in non-metro cities, with more people using internet through mobile devices. As 3G enabled handsets become affordable, mobile internet would be the next big thing in the country which would take penetration to the remote corners of the country.Lava is aiming to drive huge volumes with both models combined”, he further added.

Priced at Rs. 4499 and Rs. 5499respectively, Lava 3G 356 comes in white, black & greyand 3G 402 comes in – white, grey and red. The accessories that comes bundled with the 3G 356 and 402 includes a screen guard and silicon soft pouch

The handsets are available for sale across all national retail stores, multi-brand outlets across India and leading online stores.

For more information, please visit www.lavamobiles.com. For more updates on these exciting products, follow Lava Mobiles on Facebookand Twitter.

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August 14, 2013

Samsung W789 Dual Screen Android Flip-phone Launched

After all the rumors, Samsung has finally launched its new flip-phone called the Samsung W789.

The Samsung W789 supports a 3.3″ 320 x 480 (HVGA) TFT screen and is powered by a Quad-Core 1.2GHz chipset. The phone also includes a 1500 mAh battery and runs on android 4.1Jelly Bean. The phone runs two Sim Cards simultaneously one GSM and one CDMA.

Samsung claims that this device is designed to make daily tasks convenient, as one can reply to messages or browse the web without even flipping open the phone thanks to the 3.3″ dual touch screens.

The Samsung W789 has a variety of camera modes for you to choose from, rapid continuous shooting, beauty shot, buddy photo share are a few that can be named as of now. For now the handset will be available only in China and there is no word about it being launched in Indian market. But we will keep you updated with the latest news.

August 14, 2013
2013 Nexus 7 Users Report Buggy Multitouch, Google Is Investigating

Google launched the new Nexus 7 in the market recently and previously we covered that users are facing problems with the GPS in the tablet, it seems that the Nexus 7 is into the the trouble picture again, as per the new reports the Nexus 7 has some issue with its 1920 x 1200 display.

The video clip below demonstrates the bug , where touch targets are sporadically jumping around the screen, occasionally reversed and sometimes registered as a storm of semi-random taps.

[youtube id=”MYGd7GFVqB0″ width=”100%” height=”300px”]

Over the past few weeks, chatter on the XDA Developers and Google Product forums suggests it’s fairly common, with a response from Google on the latter stating: “The Android team is aware of this issue and investigating.”

While Google is still investigating this is the second problem that came up for the Nexus 7.

[via]

August 13, 2013
Google Nexus 7 2013 2nd Gen Review – Tablet of the Year

Last year the Google Nexus 7 became the best 7 inch tablet on Android, only because the best 10 inch tablet turned out to be the Nexus 10. This year the Nexus 7 is back in a sleeker and more refined format, only to tackle the title yet again. This is iGyaan’s review of the new Nexus 7.

Build Quality and Hardware

[pullquote_left]Slimmer, Taller, and Thinner[/pullquote_left]

Setting the standards yet again the new Nexus 7 from Google offers the perfect mix of the right build and design you would expect from a tablet today. The back of the Nexus 7 loses the ribbed texture, only to be replaced with a plain soft touch back panel which not only is more comfortable to hold but also adds to the aesthetic. The new Nexus 7 2013 is slimmer, taller, and thinner than the first edition of the market breaking Android tablet.

The front of the new Nexus 7 2013 is laden with a Gorilla Glass display that stretches out to 7.02 inches and features a high resolution of 1920 x 1200 px, simply dwarfing any and every tablet in the market today when it comes to the display resolution. The overall pixel density of the display rests at 323 ppi and the Touchscreen will accept a 10 point touch input.

[youtube url=”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dq6MCDLmKXI”]

The Innards are comprised of a Quad core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro chipset with a 1.5 GHz Krait CPU and an impressive Adreno 320 GPU which is clocked at 400 MHz. The 3950 mAh battery provides the juice and the optics are defined by a 5 MP main shooter and a docile 1.2 MP forward facing peephole. All this is supported by fixed internal storage options of 16 GB and 32 GB along with 2 GB of RAM.

Display and Multimedia

Who says extra pixels are not good? On a larger screen the more pixels you can get the less they seem. The New Nexus 7 2013 finds this balance in the display size and pixel density nearing the retina stature for small handhelds. The display is gorgeous no matter what you do with it, movies, browsing and even gaming. The display delivers with vivid colors and excellent viewing angles.

The new Nexus 7 is a great content consumption device you will almost always enjoy picking up the tablet. The interface is instant in terms of response and the overall multimedia experience is just shy of what you could expect from a flagship tablet. The only real downside is the lack of enhanced audio, the inbuilt speakers, although stereo and well placed, simply are not enough.

Cameras

The new Nexus 7 2013 is US $ 20 more expensive than last years edition, most of which can be blamed on the additional 5 MP camera at the back of the tablet. The new camera may be an addition in price, but a lot of owners will accept is as a welcome addition and a valid additional expense.

The camera is no design and engineering marvel, with flat pictures and no real points of emphasis, it is just a camera on a tablet which may as well not have been there. Pictures from the main camera are prone to loss of focus and sometimes exposed inaccurately causing a severe problem in the overall feel when using the new Nexus 7.

Video capture is also average, with a lot of shake getting carried through to the 1080p footage.

Nexus Performance and Gaming

One of the biggest reasons the Nexus 7 came out on top last year was the fact that the tablet ran a completely vanilla Nexus rom with no customizations. Same is the case with newer edition Nexus 7 2013, the experience of pure Android makes performance of the device a notch better, the tablet a notch more responsive than any other custom Tablet UI including those from Samsung and Sony.

[youtube url=”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yFROkb4Qc7c”]

Gaming has been best defined in our video below. But, to elaborate a little more, the perfect size of the tablet, the light weigh and the hardware on the inside promises an unmatched gaming experience. You really will appreciate the Adreno 320 Graphics and the S4 chipset in action along with the ample 2 Gigs of RAM which make for an exciting gaming experience.

[youtube url=”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8FAzR1TjrxM”]

Nexus 7 as a Tablet

The new Nexus 7 2013 is more a tablet than its predecessor. Since a modern day tablet has to be portable, powerful, thin and light yet capable of long hours of use, the new Nexus 7 fits those criterion like a glove. The new Nexus 7 is a perfect balance, where on one hand it give you the portability you will need, on the other it offers up the performance you will demand. The tablet choses to look good while doing it as well.

Charging port and Speaker

Buttons Layout

Analogue TV OUT

smooth UI

still pocketable

Conclusion

Since the lower strata of the market is crowded by tablets of the third edition, the slightly expensive Nexus 7 provides the ultimate satisfaction. But since no one is ever fully satisfied, the Nexus 7, just like the iPad, will never be a phone. Honestly, we don’t want it to be a phone, the 4G variant will offer up data on the go for those who need it. The new Nexus 7 has the highest resolution display, the best gaming performance, good looks and portable yet solid construction. Need we say more?

The new Nexus 7 gets tablet of the year 2013 (till September) from iGyaan.We expect the new Nexus 7 to launch in India soon, for pricing and more details click here.

August 13, 2013

Intex Launches Tablet IBUDDY Connect II

Intex launched the IBUDDY Connect in the market earlier this year and now is ready with the new tablet which is IBUDDY Connect II. The new tablet is available online to shop in some websites.

The new Intex tablet IBUDDY Connect II supports 3G, and has a 7 inch HD Display with a 1024 x 600 resolution. It is powered by a A5 dual core, 1.2GHz processor with 512MB RAM. Surprisingly this tablet runs on Android 4.0 when we have Android 4.3 in the market. This device is available on few online websites for 7500 INR.

It comes with 4GB inbuilt storage that can be expanded up to 32GB. The tablet features SIM slot with voice calling support. It comes pre-loaded with apps such as Skype, Facebook, Moto Racing and Office Suit PRO to handle documents on the go. There is a 3000 mAh battery that can deliver up to 4 hours usage on WiFi.

Excluding this new tablet Intex has 9 more tablets which are Aura, Tablet Pulse II, Tablet Avatar 3, Tablet Avatar 2, Tablet IBUDDY 3, Tablet IBUDDY Connect, Tablet Titan 3G, Tablet IT-M016AL DEZIRE and Tablet IT M809RC AVATAR. If you are planning to buy a new tablet which one would you consider to buy ?

Product specifications :

Make	Intex
Device Type	Tablet
OS	Android 4.0
Proccessor	A5 Dual Core 1.2 Ghz
Chipset	Qualcomm MSM8625A
GPU	Adreno 205
Primary Camera	2 MP
Secondry Camera	0.3 MP
Battery	3000 mAh
Video	Support recording 720p video

August 12, 2013

Exclusive : Google and Asus Planning to Launch the new Nexus 7 in India by September

Happy news for everyone waiting for the new Nexus 7 2013 to officially launch in India. Google and Asus are working closely to bring the device to India through official Google means and should be available for sale as early as End of September.

Our source at ASUS points out :

The Google Nexus 7 did really well in India, despite the delayed launch and Asus has received overwhelming response for the new Nexus 7, despite it not being officially announced for India.

The early launch of the new Nexus 7 will make sense for the computer manufacturer in India, especially considering that Asus is the company working on the 10 inch variant.

The new Nexus 7 is expected to launch at a price of Rs. 18999 for the 16 GB and Rs. 20999 AND 23999 for the 32GB and LTE variants respectively. While we gather more information on the device from the companies, watch our initial set of videos below.

[youtube id=”Dq6MCDLmKXI” width=”100%” height=”300px”]

[youtube id=”8FAzR1TjrxM” width=”100%” height=”300px”]

August 10, 2013
HTC One X+ Receives Android 4.2.2 Update With Sense 5.0 And BlinkFeed

HTC One X+ users can look forward to pretty significant feature and performance improvements in the next few weeks as the Taiwanese OEM rolls out an update to Android 4.2.2 that brings Sense 5 and BlinkFeed.

The update adds to the HTC One X+ many of the features first experienced on the this year’s HTC One, including the homescreen news aggregation widget BlinkFeed, automatic video highlights, a new and improved lockscreen, a new music app, autofocus lock in the camera app and more.

All this is part of HTC Sense 5, the company’s relatively new and vastly improved user interface that has gained so much praise since the launch of the HTC One.

Battery endurance on the HTC One X+ is reportedly also improved thanks to a new sleep mode switch. Users can track the status of the battery easily by turning on the percentage battery meter in the status bar. Since this is Android 4.2.2, the Quick settings panel is also presents and can be accessed by a two-finger swipe down.

HTC is yet to reveal any more information regarding the HTC One S, which it previously said would be updated to Android 4.2 but has since cancelled its plans for the handset. The news that the HTC One S would not be updated was met with dissatisfaction by device owners and a petition is still underway to pressure HTC into changing its mind.

August 9, 2013

LG G2 vs LG Optimus G Pro vs Samsung Galaxy S4 vs HTC One | Flagships Compared

LG is in the lime light once again with its latest flagship smartphone, the G2. Powered by the mighty Snapdragon 800 chipset with four Krait 400 cores clocked at 2.3GHz, an Adreno 330 GPU and 2GB of RAM, the LG G2 simply blows the competition out of the box in terms of processing power.

The battle of the Flagship devices is always on, today we are going to compare the latest Flagship devices available or to be available in the market which are LG G2, LG Optimus G pro, Samsung Galaxy S4 and HTC one. All these devices are of different screen sizes which are 5.2″, 5.5″, 5″ and 4.7″ respectively. All of these devices have a full HD resolution, which can give an edge to HTC one for the ppi. We think most people would not notice difference between 424 ppi of the LG G2 and 469 ppi for the HTC one.

Let us compare all of these devices in detail below:

Device	LG G2	Galaxy S4	LG Optimus G Pro	HTC One
OS	Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean	Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean	Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean	Android (4.2.2, 4.1.2)
Display	5.2″ IPS LCD	5″ Super AMOLED HD	5.5″ IPS LCD	4.7″ Super LCD 3
Resolution	1920 x 1080 (424 ppi)	1920 x 1080 (441 ppi)	1920 x 1080 (401 ppi)	1920 x 1080 (469 ppi)
Dimensions	135.5mm x 70.9 mm x 8.9 mm	136.66 mm x 69.8 mm x 7.9 mm	150.2 mm x 76.1 mm x 9.4 mm	137.4mm x 68.2 mm x 9.3 mm
Weight	143 grams	130 grams	160 grams	143 grams
Chipset	Snapdragon 800	Exynos 5 Octa 5410/ Qualcomm CPU; varies by market.	Snapdragon 600	Snapdragon 600
Processor	Quad-core 2.3 GHz	1.6 GHz Quad + 1.2 GHz Quad / 1.9GHz quad-core,(Varies)	1.7 Ghz Quad core	1.7 Ghz Quad- core
GPU	Adreno 330	PowerVR SGX 544MP3	Adreno 320	Adreno 320
RAM	2 GB	2 GB	2 GB	2 GB
Storage	32 GB	16 GB	32 GB	32/64 GB
MicrosSD card slot	Yes	Yes	Yes	NO
Primary camera	13 MP Full HD @60fps	13 MP Full HD @30fps	13 MP Full HD @30fps	4 MP Ultra pixel Full HD @30fps
Front camera	2.1 MP	2 MP	2.1 MP	2 MP (HDR)
Battery	3000 mAh	2600 mAh	3140 mAh	2300 mAh
WiFi	Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n/ac, Wi-Fi Direct, DLNA, Wi-Fi hotspot	Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n,ac, DLNA, Wi-Fi hotspot	Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n,ac, dual-band, DLNA, Wi-Fi Direct, Wi-Fi hotspot	Wi-Fi 802.11 a/ac/b/g/n, Wi-Fi Direct, DLNA, Wi-Fi hotspot
Bluetooth	Yes, v4.0 LE with A2DP	Yes, v4.0 with A2DP, EDR	Yes	Yes, v4.0 with A2DP
Network	Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE Quad-band UMTS/HSPA Penta-band LTE support, LTE-Advanced	GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 HSDPA 850 / 900 / 2100 HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700 / 1900 / 2100 LTE 800 / 1800 / 2600	GSM 850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz LTE 800 MHz, 1800 MHz, 2600 MHz	GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1900 / 2100 LTE (market dependent)
NFC	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Speakers	mono	mono	mono	Stereo
Availability	Expected this month	available	available	available
Price	TBA Exp. 45,000	39,500	35,000	40,000

It’s a matter of preference, but it’s hard to compete with the big guys. LG might not beat any of these in sales. The general consumer tends to go with the popular choices like Samsung and HTC. This does not mean that the LG G2 is not the best your money can buy. As far as India is concerned pricing may be the biggest factor. So which one would you take home ? you can leave your views in the comment section below.

August 8, 2013

Android Occupies Nearly 80% of Smartphone Market, iOS 13%

Apple’s iOS is losing ground to Android when it comes to smartphone operating system market share, according to a new report from research firm IDC. Apple’s share of worldwide smartphone shipments dropped to 13.2% during the second quarter of 2013, while Android climbed to 79.3%.

The loss in market share is of course attributed to the lack of new product launches during the three month period, as was the case with IDC’s report on tablet market share earlier this week. But it’s also losing ground to both Android and Windows Phone, both of which increased market share and shipments year-over-year during Q2.

“The iOS decline in the second quarter aligns with the cyclicality of iPhone,” says Ramon Llamas, Research Manager with IDC’s Mobile Phone team. “Without a new product launch since the debut of the iPhone 5 nearly a year ago, Apple’s market share was vulnerable to product launches from the competition. But with a new iPhone and revamped iOS coming out later this year, Apple is well-positioned to re-capture market share.”

Available on a growing range of Nokia and HTC devices, Microsoft’s Windows Phone 8 operating system was launched late last year and has continued to make third place its own, while BlackBerry continues to fall. Windows comes in at 3.7% during the second quarter of 2013, up 77.6% from its 3.1% share during Q2 2012.

[Via]

August 7, 2013
LG G2 Images Leak Ahead Of Official Launch

LG is all set to unveil its new flagship smartphone G2 at an event in New York later on Wednesday, but that hasn’t stopped the device from making ‘another’ appearance.

Evleaks has posted some images of the LG G2. The latest leaked images are in line with the previous leak and shows nothing new. One of the image shows the front panel of the yet to be announced smartphone that shows the 5.2-inch display with thin bezel at the sides, the back panel shows the rear camera along with an LED flash, power key and volume keys.

The LG G2 is rumoured to be powered by a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor, 2 GB of RAM and a 13-megapixel rear camera. The smartphone is also expected to be so thin that it features back-mounted volume controls, instead of ones on the side. It is likely to sport a 5.2-inch full-HD display and would run on Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean.

LG G2

Earlier, LG also released a teaser video featuring the G2. The video ended with a teaser of the black round-edged device that clearly showed the rear camera with up and down arrows above and below it.

The company is aggressively promoting the handset globally with ad campaigns hitting the web and TV in various parts of the world.

With this the company also unveiled a series of colorful Quick Window cases for its upcoming smartphone. The company announced that the all new line of premium cases for the LG G2 will be available at the same time as the smartphone. The cases will be available in seven different colors that include Black, White, Pink, Purple, Blue, Mint and Yellow.

[via]

August 7, 2013
Micromax Testing Android 4.3 With Canvas HD Update Coming Soon

Micromax has been lambasted by consumers in the past for not following up with software updates for their devices. That might change soon.

A tweet by regular @MMXNewscaster reveals an image of the Canvas HD A116 running the recently revealed Android 4.3 Jelly Bean. If true, this would please all Micromax consumers.

Micromax testing Android Jelly Bean 4.3. #Canvas HD #ComingSoon pic.twitter.com/icAWYYrKuY

— MMX Newscaster (@MMXNewscaster) August 6, 2013

At its Canvas 4 launch event, Micromax focused on the importance of consumer satisfaction and introduced the 7-day service center policy to improve its service. Providing regular software updates should be the next step forward for the company if it wants to really establish itself as a brand that can compete with the big players. We expect the Android 4.3 update for the Canvas 4 after the Canvas HD update is rolled out.

If we talk about Android 4.3 itself, the new operating system will feature multi-user restricted profiles. This will let users control access to contents and apps per user—so parents, for example, can control which applications their kids can access. When accessed from restricted profiles, applications behave differently. On stage, Hugo Barra demonstrated this by showing a puzzle game whose in-app purchase functionality was automatically disabled when it was accessed on the kid’s restricted profile.

Other features include built-in OpenGL ES 3.0 support, DRM APIs for providing hardware-based encryption for protecting content, which will allow it to provide 1080p video to its tablets. The first partner is Netflix, which supports 1080p HD streaming. The Nexus 7 is the first device to support it.

Android 4.3 also introduces many other features, including support for Bluetooth Smart devices, background Wi-Fi location, more language support and “easier text input.”

The Micromax Canvas HD sports a 5 inch HD display with a screen resolution of 1280 by 720 pixels backed by a MediaTek’s MT6589 Cortex-A7 SoC quad-core processor clocked at 1.2 GHz. The Canvas HD launched with Android Jelly Bean 4.1.2 operating system.

August 6, 2013
New Google Play Store 4.3.10 Update Brings New Features Including Recently Updated Section

Google is rolling out a new version of the Play Store for Android phones and tablets, bringing a much-requested feature that many will be sure to appreciate. Since the implementation of automatic updates, many users have complained that they don’t know which apps are updated. They’re supposed to update and leave an entry in the notification panel, but many times that either doesn’t happen or they are overlooked.

In version 4.3.10, Google has added a ‘Recently Updated’ section appended to the top of the My Apps tab. Now, when you’re checking for your favourite apps to be updated, they will display at the top of the page, in descending order from recent to least recent. While there’s no word on how many apps the section will fit — it hasn’t been available long enough to test more than a few — it’s a great feature nonetheless.

Additionally, it seems that the Wallet logo is no longer displayed in the Play Store. Apparently, the update notification will now prompt users to “Touch to update.”

And, when multiple apps are updated at once now, users will see a single expandable notification indicating which ones were altered, not a never-ending list of intruders. It’s a small but worthy change.

Also, the new Play Store shows full list prices for book sales, while also packing a series of small tweaks, such as swapped position for the Buy and Rent buttons (with the former now placed at the top now, and the latter at the bottom).

According to Android Police, which links to the available download, the file’s cryptographic signature guarantees that it hasn’t been modified, and that users can safely download and install it on their devices.

[Via]

August 6, 2013
Report : Sony Xperia Tablet Z Receiving Android 4.2.2 Update

Even though the Sony Xperia Tablet Z was released in early July in India, it came preloaded with Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean, retaining some of the legacy Android tablet features that Google did away with in Android 4.2 and the Nexus 10.

It appears that some variants of the Tablet Z are already being updated to Android 4.2.2, though it seems that the Indian version is currently not among them.

The most immediately obvious change in Android 4.2.2 is the relocation of the onscreen navigation buttons to the centre middle on the Xperia Tablet Z, mimicking the Nexus 10. The notification bar has been moved to where phone users would expect it: the top of the screen. While this isn’t stock Android 4.2, it’s the closest you’ll find in a non-Nexus tablet.

It’s not clear what else Sony added to the new version, but one can expect standard features found in 4.2 like lockscreen widgets, performance improvements and a number of bug fixes.

August 5, 2013
Android 4.3 Will Keep WiFi Always On

The latest Google Android 4.3 upgrade brings all new features and also offers great performance. Google has also made a new change to the WiFi settings in Android 4.3.

To improve location accuracy and for other purposes, Google and other apps may scan for nearby networks, even when Wi-Fi is off ” – describes Google.

It has been seen that the new version of Android will keep the WiFi radio always on, even after the user has manually turned it off. This feature is probably designed to save one’s battery life instead of wasting it, given that the only other way for one’s smartphone to discern one’s location is to drain the battery using GPS.

To check and see whether your phone has this feature enabled by default (a number do not), you’ll have to navigate through the Android operating system’s settings. Here’s how:

Open up the Settings app and tap your finger on the Wireless and Networks option. Tap on the WiFi option, and then tap on the Menu button on your phone’s lower-right-hand corner. When the list pops up, tap your finger on the Advanced option. From there, you’ll want to make sure to check the “Scanning always available” option if you want to participate in the new Android 4.3 feature. Otherwise, if it’s checked, you need merely to uncheck it to ensure that “WiFi off” really means “WiFi off.”

However, many now expressed their concern that malicious applications might exploit this new functionality.

Various user reports indicate that this feature remains off by default when they’ve updated their devices to Android 4.3. That means, it’s more important that you know about this potentially useful setting than to freak out about it, but it’s also worth checking this, and many of Android’s other “Advanced” wireless configuration options, when you’ve upgraded your mobile OS.

Now will Google resolve this or add something to counter the issue is to be seen, but for the time being users must carefully read the application access and if they feel something suspicious they should avoid installing that application.

August 5, 2013
Google’s New Android Device Manager Will Help Locate Lost Phones

Apple’s Find my iPhone has been a very useful feature for those who frequently misplace their gadgets. Or, for those who just enjoy the peace of mind that comes with knowing that Apple has a piece of technology dedicated to securing a lost phone.Android and iOS have been going back and forth battling over feature inclusions for some time now, and it looks like Google’s the follower in this case. The company just introduced the Android Device Manager, which as you may suspect, will help Android users track down lost devices in a similar manner.

If you discover you’ve lost your phone, you can go to any computer and log into the Android Device Manager, which will be part of the Google Play Store. All that is required is your Google account login, the same one you used to activate your Android phone.

Choose your registered phone and push out a signal to ring at full volume, even if your lost phone was last put on vibrate or silent mode. If this doesn’t do the trick, find the phone as a blip a Google Map.

If you discover that your lost Android phone is on the move and you don’t feel safe going into full-on vigilante mode (or are worried it will get turned off soon), delete all data on the device using a special built-in wipe mode in the Android Device Manager, to keep your data safe from prying eyes.

August 3, 2013