Category: Microsoft

iGyaan Holiday Guide : Extreme Phones 21,000 and UP

The end of the year is upon us, and what better way than to look at the amazing phones of 2011, the top list, or the commercial giants. Here is a list of Smartphones which we think make sense in the Bracket from 21-40 thousand. Of course we only list our favorites.

Missed the Other Guides ? Check them Out:

Best Phones in Rs. 20,000/-

Best Phones in Rs. 15,000/-

Best Phones in Rs. 10,000/-

Android

Possibly the largest category in this guide we have literally more than 15 phones that can fit in this price range, so we take out what we think is the best of the lot.

Samsung Galaxy Note (Rs. 32000) : Phone? Tablet? Relax its a Galaxy Note! The best Android device money can buy today in India. The Note features a massive 5.3 inch screen with an awesome Super Amoled Display ( beautiful), it also has a S-Pen which is a capacitive pen with more features than a stylus ever had before : Detailed here. The Note also has a fast 1.4GHz processor, 16 GB storage, Android 2.3 with confirmed ICS. 8MP camera + front camera with Video calls. Check out our Unboxing and Hands On : Review is out Shortly!

Motorola Razr XT910 ( Rs. 33990) : The slimmest phone in the Android Series, Motorola has revived the Razr brand, with just a 7.1mm thickness for a smartphone. The device is powered with a 1.2 GHz dual core ARM Cortex A9 processor, the RAZR also packs in 1 GB of RAM and a PowerVR SGX540 GPU. A 4.3 inch super AMOLED advanced display make for the best viewing with a qHD resolution. 8MP camera allows great pictures and Full HD video recording 1080p. Our Review Out Shortly!

HTC Sensation XE ( Rs. 32000) and XL ( Rs. 37000) : While we really recommend HTC phones simply because of brilliant build qualities, we feel that they are overpriced and thus they share the third spot in the Android Lineup. The XE packs Beats audio and iBeats , 1.4 GHz processor a great 4.3inch qHD screen and Sense UI on top of Android 2.3.4. Our Review covers it in-depth. The XL is just a bigger version of XE with a much bigger price tag. The specs are strange, a 480x800px resolution, a 1.5GHz processor and Android 2.3. Its a way to express that you love HTC phones and thats it. Need we say our review is out shortly!

HTC Evo 3D (Rs. 35000) : Want to jump on the 3D bandwagon? this is the device to choose. The LG Optimus 3D is a cheaper alternative, but we feel that the HTC is a better device. Specs include 1.2 GHz dual core processor, an Adreno 220 GPU based on a MSM 8660 chipset and 1 GB of RAM. An auto-stereo-scopic Display makes 3D viewing without 3D glasses possible. The 4.3inch display has a qHD resolution and the device has HTC Sense on Android 2.3 – to be upgraded to ICS and newer Sense in 2012. Our unboxing and Video Review cover the Evo 3D extensively.

Samsung Galaxy S2 (Rs. 28,000) : The best selling Android Premium smartphone in 2011, the Samsung Galaxy S2 is truly an amazing device. An upgrade to the Galaxy S, the S2 brought a lot of firsts for Samsung. An 8 MP camera with stunning pictures and full HD video, a beautiful Super AMOLED Plus display which hosts Android 2.3 with Touchwiz – flick and tap. A large in-built memory of 16 GB and is expandable up to 32 GB, good battery life and a gorilla display. This device truly answered all questions that buyers had in 2011. Check out our Full Review.

Sony Ericsson Arc S ( Rs. 28000) : No its not the best phone for the money thats why it falls under the S2, The SE ARC S is the only SONY entrant in our list, because of the beautiful Timescape UI and the stunning Bravia Engine on the display. Powered by a ~~poor old~~ 1.4 GHz Qualcomm Scorpion processor and Adreno 205 GPU, no this does not make this device incapable. The UI is stable and the performance is excellent from the device.

Samsung Galaxy S Plus ( Rs. 21000) : The Lowest range handset in our list, powered by the same processor as the ARC S , 1.4GHz Scorpion, The S Plus is exactly what the name says, a plus to the Galaxy S. 8GB memory and 512MB RAM, a Super Amoled Display. The funny thing is you get better specs on a cheaper device the Galaxy R ( Rs. 18800) .

The Galaxy Nexus didn’t make our list because its not officially available in India, Yes it should be at the top of the list, considering ICS is already on board and a 720 x 1280 px, 4.65 inch Super Amoled Capacitive touchscreen, a Dual-core 1.2 GHz Cortex-A9, 16GB internal storage – Optional 32GB . The phone also has a 5MP camera with full HD video and a front camera for native 3G video calls. A lot more specs than we can list here. The phone enters India end January 2012, you can get it from ebay ranging 35-45k. Best of luck!

Apple

iPhone 4S (Rs. 44900) : The Apple of everyone’s eye, the Apple iPhone 4S is the flagship phone from Apple this year. With millions sold within weeks its also one of the most sold handset in 2011 (considering iPhone 4). The new iPhone 4S brings the A5 chipset with dual core capabilities, best in class 8MP camera with full HD video and Image stabilization ( 5 Lens system). The highest resolution Retina Display. But the most popular thing of 2011 is Siri, the voice activated Assistant that follows your every command. Check out our Unboxing : Review Shortly

iPhone 4 ( Rs. 32,000) : Yes two Apple devices made our list, the iPhone 4 is the taster for those unwilling to shell out big buck for the bigger brother. Still you get iOS5, iCloud and Siri after jailbreak of course. The iPhone 4 has a 5 MP rear illuminated camera, the same Retina display, Front facing camera for FaceTime calls and Millions of Apps from the iOS AppStore. The iPhone 4 is a perfect device for those with the budget and the urge to jump over to iOS while Apple unveils the next-gen iPhone sometime in 2012 for big buck. Of course we reviewed it back in the day.

Blackberry

Bold 9900 ( Rs. 31000) : The Bold 9900 is the flagship Bold from RIM. The same keyboard layout from the original bold 9000, with a new capacitive touchscreen, a super slim profile and BB OS 7 . The only disappointment is the poor fixed focus 5MP camera. The 9900 is a businessman’s powerhouse, especially if you are a previous BB user. The device has excellent mail capabilities and of course has BBM. The new OS 7 also supports a lot more new age apps and games. The phone features a 1.2 GHz processor , 768 MB of RAM, 2.8-inch capacitive LCD and 8GB storage. Our Video Here

Torch 3 / 9860 ( Rs. 28000) : Our Second BB recommendation, the beautiful screen and the full touch display make the device feel really nice in the hands. Liquid graphics on a 3.7-inch TFT capacitive touchscreen. 4GB internal storage and 768MB ram. BB OS 7 and new age emailing and messaging, excellent media capabilities and an excellent form factor. A great Blackberry for those looking for a BB – iPhone Hybrid (minus iOS) . Our Video Here

Windows Phone

HTC Radar (Rs. 23000) : Our first recommendation simply because of Price vs Features. The Radar has a beautiful build quality with WP7.5 Mango running on top of a 1 GHz Qualcomm Scorpion processor. The 3.8-inch Super LCD screen has a resolution of 480 x 800 pixels and look great. The device has a 5MP camera and a 0.3 MP front camera no 3G video calls though. Check out our full review. If you don’t really rely on Build quality, a better and cheaper alternative is the Omnia W for 18,990

NOKIA Lumia 800 ( Rs 28900) : The Amazing Everyday, no not yet ! Yes this is Nokia’s Answer to Android, but is it the right answer? The device runs WP7.5 Mango with proprietary Nokia Apps ( not really since we ported them to HTC) but the device has a 1.4 GHz Qualcomm Scorpion processor, 512 MB of RAM and 16GB of onboard storage. Lumia 800 has a 8MP camera with full HD recording, but wait! where is the second camera? Our Review and Comparison with Omnia W comes out shortly.

December 31, 2011
Windows Phone Marketplace crosses 50,000 Apps mark

Microsoft’s Windows Phone Marketplace has hit another milestone of 50,000 in just less than a couple of weeks of the 40,000 Apps mark. Over 17,000 apps have been submitted to the Marketplace in the last 90-days from over 13,000 different publishers (265 per day). The iOS AppStore and the Android Market are still way ahead in the lead for the Redmond Mobile OS, but the gap seems to be diminishing soon.

[All About Windows Phone]

December 29, 2011
WindowBreak Project wants a single universal unlock tool for Windows Phone Devices

Windows Phone developer Jaxbot is back, after a long time, to modding and developing for Windows Phone 7.5 Devices. His new Project WindowBreak seeks a universal unlock tool for all / any Windows Phone 7-7.5 devices. This just means a possibility of jailbreak, which can be unlocked using this tool. Jaxbot has already demonstrated this process on Samsung devices in his video below. He wants to get the app running for othe manufacturers including Nokia and HTC.

[xda-developers]

[WindowBreak]

December 28, 2011
iGyaan Holiday Guide : Best Phones for 15,000

So many questions, so little time. Its the time for holiday cheer and we are literally getting bombarded with hundreds of emails asking us what phones to buy. So here is our guide for the best options in the Rs. 15000 price.

(In order of preference)

Android Phones

1. Micromax A85 SuperFone : (Rs. 15290) The price drop has already been announced, and at this price it is the best spec’d phone. A dual core Nvidia Tegra 2, 3.8 inch touchscreen, 5 MP camera and gesture control make this the best bet at the price. But sadly it ships with Android 2.2.

2. Sony Ericsson Xperia Mini Pro Sk17i: (Rs 15,000) One of the most recommended devices by iGyaan in 2011 our extensive review will tell you why this device is an excellent purchase.

3. Motorola Defy (Rs 14,000) : The original defy is still an awesome phone, with Android a brilliant rugged construction that resists water and dust. The design is also shock proof. Check out our Review.

4. HTC ChaCha (Rs. 14500): A brilliant form factor with excellent build, the only touch and type phone with this design from HTC. Also the first phone with a dedicated FB button on the Android platform, a Social king. Our Review Covers it.

5. Samsung Galaxy Ace (Rs 13000): One of the most loved phones of 2011 the ace has a nice display along with impressive looks, a good processor and Touchwiz on top of Android 2.3. The device is well supported in the developer community and will get ICS courtesy Root and Custom CM9 rom. Check out our Review

6. HTC Wildfire S (Rs 12,500): Not our last option but an alternative to the Galaxy Ace, the build is far superior also is the quality of materials used. The device features HTC Sense on top of Android 2.3 and is arguably the best built phone of this bracket. The camera in some aspects is better than the Ace and pulls out great images. The processor is only a 600MHz compared to the 800MHz on the Ace. We reviewed it Here

Blackberry

Blackberry Curve 3G 9300 (Rs. 14,450): The only berry in this range, you also get the CDMA version of the curve 8520 (called: 8530) which is not worth mentioning. What is to say this is an old outdated berry running on the older OS6 but features a great and responsive OS. It is a great upgrade for some one on a Blackberry high . We however say, spend more and get the Curve 9380 : we covered here.

Nokia Symbian

Nokia 700 (Rs 15299) : Younger version of the 701, this device is available in the market in select locations, features new Symbian Belle and a 3.2 inch Capacitive Amoled Clear Black display. A 5 Mp camera and 720p video capabilities make it a good competitor. Another add-on is the tough gorilla glass front. The price seems a bit high for this old-school Operating System. The phone also has a 2Gb internal storage and is a grab option for those who refuse to abandon the legendary OS in its dying days.

Nokia 500 (Rs 11,000): Then there is the 500, its the only other Nokia phone in this bracket apart from the discontinued C6-01. This features a 1GHz processor along with a 3.2-inch TFT nHD Capacitive Touchscreen. The phone features Symbian Anna and has great 5MP camera, which is fixed focus. Again price is a bit of a pinch especially because the device is unable to offer the freedom that say an Android device would offer, But on the upside it does have a 1GHz processor.

Windows Phone

Samsung Focus (Rs 14000) : The device was never announced in India, but New and unlocked US versions can be bought on Ebay. The device features a nice 4.0 Inch Super Amoled Display with a native 480 x 800 px resolution. Already updated to Mango this device offers all the new features of Windows Phone 7.5 at a bargain, everything of course except a front facing camera. The Focus also has 8GB of memory and 512MB Ram and 512MB Rom

December 27, 2011
Chrome 15 now the worlds most popular browser, IE 8 bites the dust (Report)

According to a new report from StatCounter,Chrome 15 recently reached a total global market share of 23.6% compared to Microsoft’s Internet Explorer 8 market share of 23.5%. IE is still the most popular browser if all versions of the Browser are added. Chrome 14 and 15 are said to be most popular of chrome version and possibly the reason of this overtake. Microsoft and their IE team is banking hard on the push they want to receive from IE9 and IE10, possibly to remain strong. If that does not hold true, chrome may not be far away from global victory. check out the full report below

[box type=”note” style=”rounded” border=”full”]

Chrome 15 Becomes World’s Most Popular Browser

Boston, USA; Dublin, Ireland; Thursday, 15th December, 2011: Google’s Chrome 15 has become the most popular web browser version worldwide for the first time on a weekly basis, according to StatCounter, the free website analytics company. The firm’s research arm StatCounter Global Stats reports that in the last full week in November, Chrome 15 took 23.6% of the worldwide market compared to Microsoft’s Internet Explorer 8 at 23.5%. If one aggregates all versions then IE still leads the global market with Chrome in second position, having overtaken Firefox in November.

“Google announced Chrome for business exactly a year ago and IT administrators appear to have embraced it in a remarkably short time,” commented Aodhan Cullen, CEO, StatCounter. “Looking at the daily stats, Chrome 14 and 15 have been overtaking IE8 at weekends since the beginning of October. However, Chrome 15 overtook IE8 for the first time during the five day working week, in week commencing 5th December. It looks as if people favour Chrome on weekends at home but office commercial use has now caught up.”

In the US Internet Explorer 8 continues to be the most popular browser version with 27.0% for week commencing 5th December compared to 18.1% for Chrome 15. However, in the UK Chrome 15 overtook IE8 in the week commencing November 7th. Last week (commencing 5th December) Chrome 15 had 24.7% in the UK compared to IE8 on 21.1%.

StatCounter Global Stats are based on aggregate data collected on a sample exceeding 15 billion page views per month (4 billion from the US) from the StatCounter network of more than three million websites.

As well as free web research, StatCounter (http://statcounter.com/) provides free web analytics. This allows website owners, developers and bloggers to capture valuable intelligence on their site in real time including number of visitors, visitors by country/region, search terms, popular pages, download stats, exit links and other data.

In September StatCounter announced its new website with added features.

[/box]

December 23, 2011
Windows Phone 7.5 SMS bug found, requires a Hard Reset to fix

A new SMS bug has been found in the Windows Phone 7.5 devices, WP devices that receive a text containing a certain string of characters will reboot and return with a non-functional messaging client which can only be restored via a hard reset. The bug does not affect any particular device, but the OS. The funny bit is that the same bug message could be received via Facebook messenger or MSN messenger.

Android and iOS have had their fair list of SMS bugs, But never one that disables the messaging interface all-together.

December 16, 2011
Microsoft Launches Skydrive app for WindowsPhone and iOS, what no Android app?

Microsoft is going the Nokia way, where iOS is not a threat and Android is too much clutter. The company today released the Skydrive app for Windows Phone and iOS leaving out Android out of the picture, for the time being at least. The apps will bring the ability to browse all of your files, share them with others, delete them and create new folders. When sharing links you can even choose whether or not a person can edit a document or simply view it. Check out the videos below.

December 14, 2011
Windows Phone 7 Delayed further in China

It’s almost been a year since Microsoft announced that WP7 devices will be launched in China in 2011 mid, the release was later shifted to the 31st Dec 2011, now the company has expressed that it will not be able to make that deadline. The WP7 devices will now be launched sometimes in the early bits of 2012.

Microsoft mentioned that the delay is at least in part due to trying to ensure that Chinese citizens will have a good experience using the platform (Nokia mentioned that localization is needed in certain aspects of its phones to keep in line with the government’s media censorship policy). Either way a delay of three years may just turn off the population that is already becoming a keen to iOS devices.

[ComputerWorld]

December 6, 2011
Microsoft brings WP emulator to Android and iPhone

[dropcap]M[/dropcap]icrosoft is using a browser based demo of WP7 on Android and iOS to lure users into shifting into their new OS. The HTML5 demonstration showcases Windows Phone’s Metro user-interface and allows you to follow through and experience the operating system’s basic functionality.

The demo goes thorough basic functionality and demos some of the key features like Phone, People, Messaging, Outlook, Calendar, Family, Local Scout and Picture tiles. Just visit the link http://aka.ms/wpdemo on your Android or iOS device and enjoy the demo exploits. Its like owning the phone without owning it, Microsoft is playing those naughty games again. Trying to itch you into buying a WP7 device.

[Microsoft]

November 30, 2011
BFRA: Microsoft is preparing a new “Office” for Lion and iPad

This one is a Blunt Force Rumor Attack.

According to The Daily, Microsoft may be preparing a series of apps, or a single suite of Office apps to target the iPad market. These apps would directly take on Keynote, Pages and Numbers from the Apple software arsenal. The company is also reportedly prepping an Office Suite update that will add official support for Lion and may be available from the Mac App Store. Apps for the iPad and Mac App store could cost upto US $ 9.99 (the same Apple Charges for its apps) these apps will support sync with Office 360 and will be available before the end of the year 2011

We already deliver Office on multiple platforms and devices and are committed to expanding in the future, but have nothing further to share today,

Microsoft in a statement to CNET

[The Daily] [CNET]

November 30, 2011
Internet Explorer 10 Preview 4 out : Windows 7 not supported

Microsoft has just released the 4th preview of the Internet Explorer 10, with feature improvements targeted at creating Rich and creative Web Apps for the Browser. There should be little energy movement for this new preview because most devs will not be able to use the browser, because it can only run on Windows 8 preview release that came during BUILD conference.

The new features include Cross-Origin Resource Sharing (CORS), JavaScript typed arrays and binary file manipulation, and HTML5 video subtitling. Typed arrays and support for binary files enable much better performance for JavaScript applications that handle binary data, such as images and audio. CORS provides a safe way for JavaScript applications to use services offered by different providers. CORS allows one application to expose its data to another application even when the same-origin policy would otherwise deny such access.

Focusing more on Metro Style UI and Apps, looks like Microsoft missed the point of the preview. Since the entire developer community develops on Windows 7, excluding them from the preview will exclude the time and the insights they could have given.

November 30, 2011
Sony to intro PS4 in time for Xbox 720

So we all have heard news that the next version of Microsoft’s gaming console will come next year around E3 time. Sony’s gaming division is also tracking the growing rumours of a new Microsoft console, with the aim being to release its PlayStation4 .

PlayStation Europe president Jim Ryan, said it would be “undesirable” for Sony to launch a new console “significantly later” than the next version of the Xbox, to avoid handing Microsoft another huge lead. This makes Sony’s plans clear to announce the PS4 sooner and not later than the launch of the Xbox 720.

November 28, 2011
Microsoft Lync the first to link WP7 – Blackberry – Android – iDevices

Microsoft Lync is ready to hit your portable devices in a fast and swift motion. MS Australia tweeted that they are working on a synergised app for all Smartphone OS’s software becomes available for Android, BlackBerry, iOS and Windows Phone.

[Microsoft Australia (Twitter)]

November 26, 2011
Qualcomm: Snapdragon-powered Windows 8 PCs coming in 2012

Qualcomm has confirmed that it will launch Snapdragon chips to support the Windows 8 architecture. CEO Paul Jacobs confirmed that his company is working with Microsoft in an effort to deploy Windows 8-powered computers that run on Qualcomm’s ARM-based Snapdragon processors.

We’re going to see some interesting stuff going on,Windows 8 on ARM is a big opportunity

-CEO Paul Jacobs, Qualcomm

The task is not going to be easy since all apps and the whole windows architecture is designed to run on x86 processors. The applications will need to be rewritten to work on ARM processors.

November 19, 2011
Nokia Lumia 900 Revealed in Leaked Promo

Not tastefully satisfied with the recently launched Nokia 710 and Nokia 800, Then Nokia still has a few other number up its sleep. Poof and here is the Nokia Lumia 900, code-named Ace, is expected to feature a 4.3-inch ClearBlack AMOLED display, a 1.4GHz processor and an 8-megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss optics.

November 18, 2011