Category: Brands and Companies

All Brands and Company Names

Nokia Asha 308 Dual-SIM Phone Launched At INR 5,865

The Nokia Asha 308 unveiled last month alongside the Asha 309, is now available in the country for Rs. 5,865. Users can head to the Nokia store and purchase the device online. The Nokia Asha 308 is available in Black and Gold colour variants. The company is also offering Yatra.com travel vouchers worth Rs. 4,500 for a limited period.

As far as the specs are concerned, Asha 308 has a 3 inch capacitive multi-point touchscreen display with 400 x 240 pixel resolution, 800MHz processor, 2MP rear camera with fixed focus, 64MB internal memory, 128MB mass memory and a micro SD card slot supporting up to 32GB expandable memory.

In terms of connectivity, the Nokia Asha 308 packs features including Bluetooth and micro USB 2.0. Also, the handset is powered by a 1,110 mAh BL-4U battery.

Also, the Nokia Asha 308 comes with a fluid ‘swipe’ user interface and an open environment for third-party application development. We have seen the fluid ‘swipe’ interface before when Nokia unveiled the Asha 305 and the Asha 311.

The Nokia Asha 308 also comes with the free gift of 40 premium EA games, and pre-loaded Facebook, Twitter and WhatsApp apps. The device also features Nokia Messaging Service, and video streaming through the browser from sites like YouTube.

October 22, 2012
13 inch Macbook Pro Retina gets Leaked in Images

What appear to be images of a Macbook Pro Retina 13 inch running Windows, yep Windows, have been found online. The possible leak shows a 2,560 x 1,600 LCD (4 X resolution than the existing MacBook Pro) there are also dual Thunderbolt ports and HDMI video that shipped with15inch variant.

No information on how the computer performs or if it runs on the Ivy Bridge platform, the images do show Windows running on it. However the macbook pro 13 inch with Retina display could be a perfect balance between a unibody and SSD design and portability.

The images are also speculated to be of a Chinese ripoff replica running windows on substandard hardware, like the macbook Air replica seen earlier.

Apple will hold a special event on Oct 23rd to launch several products including the new iPad Mini and the rumored revised Macbook Pro 13 inch with Retina Display.

[Source]

October 22, 2012
Samsung Nexus 10, LG Nexus 4 and Asus Nexus 7 3G all to come on 29th Google Event

According to rumors Google “has been distributing a video recorded at one of its weekly all-hands “TGIF” meetings on its internal network” to present the new products coming in just over a week: the Samsung Nexus 4, LG Nexus 4, and the new Asus Nexus 7 (32GB Wi-Fi version and 32GB 3G + Wi-Fi model), all running Android 4.2 Jelly Bean. Looks like the Key Lime Pie versions will come out in the early 2013 event.

Nexus 4

Several sources including TheNextWeb have stated that LG will make the SmartPhone which will feature a quad-core 1.5 GHz Qualcomm APQ8064 Snapdragon processor, 4.7-inch 1280 x 768 display, 2GB RAM, 16GB storage, an 8-megapixel rear-facing camera (and 1.3-megapixel front-facing snapper) and a 2100mAh battery.

Nexus 7

The new variant of the tablet is supposedly going to come with not only a 32 GB capacity but also a 3G modem built in, expect a nano sim card slot. Asus will continue to make the Nexus 7 and the new variant will supposedly feature a newer chipset which is more battery efficient.

Nexus 10

Here is the big news after the positive success of the Google Nexus 7, Google will launch a new Nexus 10 tablet. The device will feature a 10-inch display with 2560 x 1600 resolution, 16:10 aspect ratio and 300 pixel per inch (PPI) density. It is also believed that Samsung will be the manufacturer of the said tablet and the Nexus 10 will also run the new Android 4.2 Jelly Bean.

Google’s October 29th event also will hold host to launch of several other products making it a total of 5 Nexus launches on the Day. The Google Nexus launch date of Oct 29th also co-incides will Microsoft’s Windows 8 and Phone 8 launch that will take place on the very same day.

[more]

October 22, 2012
Google Contemplating FTC Settlement Over Patents : WSJ

According to a report in the Wall Street Journal, Google is contemplating a settlement of an FTC investigation that is probing whether the company purposely refused to license industry essential patents to competing mobile device makers, and in some cases leveraged the IP to seek injunctions.

The FTC in June began investigating Google’s use of patents it acquired after purchasing Motorola in May.
Following the buyout, the internet search giant continued to press forward with a number of existing lawsuits, including possibly anticompetitive litigation regarding standards-essential FRAND patents.

One of the sources noted that the FTC had threatened to bring a case against Google over alleged unfair business practices involving the use of Motorola’s IP against rival mobile device makers like Apple and Microsoft. During discussions, the agency’s lawyers cited a number of cases in which the Google subsidiary possibly violated FRAND terms.

Google reportedly argued that competitors currently holding FRAND patents also violated their duties in bringing suit against Motorola and others, including filings from Apple. The company went on to say that if a settlement was reached, it would be left defenseless as rivals push forward with their own FRAND claims.

[Apple Insider]

October 21, 2012
Apple Opens Largest Store in Asia Near Beijing

Apple’s largest store in Asia opened in Beijing on Saturday. The store, located in the city’s commercial street of Wangfujing, is Apple Inc’s third in Beijing.

John Browett, Apple’s senior vice president of retail, had previously said the new store is the company’s largest store in Asia, with an area of 2,300 square meters and more than 300 employees.

Big Apple events in Beijing tend to get a little rowdy, but Saturday’s opening, tightly controlled by dozens of security personnel, went smoothly. A half hour before doors opened, hundreds of employees in the company’s typical blue t-shirts lined up in formation, slapped high fives with one another and the crowd. Some even jogged around the perimeter of the store, drumming up excitement from customers. By 10 a.m., the line barricades were removed, although a steady stream of customers continued to file in.

It was reported on Thursday that Apple Senior Vice President of Retail John Browett visited the Wangfujing location to offer media a guided tour of what he called the best store Apple has built in Asia. The executive also let loose that construction of a fourth Chinese location was already well underway in Shenzhen, a city in which Foxconn and other Apple manufacturing partners run major fabrication facilities.

October 20, 2012
RIM Invites Key Government Officials for BlackBerry 10 Sneak Peek

Some of Ottawa’s key government officials will be among the first to get a sneak peek of the new BlackBerry 10 operating system.

Over the past number of months RIM has been consistently traveling the world promoting the upcoming BlackBerry 10 OS. Execs have mainly communicated their enthusiasm to the developer community and respected carrier partners, but for those loyal customers, now 80 million strong, rely on leaked information or various hands-on reviews.

One of RIM’s backbone customers are those in the government. Many high-ranking officials, like President Barack Obama, rely on the encryption technology to secure their info.

Apparently invitations have been sent out to Members of Parliament, their assistants, members of Industry Canada, and regional caucus members encouraging them to “get a sneak peek of the next generation mobile platform that will change everything.”

Big test for Blackberry!

October 20, 2012
7digital to provide music services to RIM’s Blackberry 10 smartphones

BlackBerry 10 is still months away from being released, but that hasn’t stopped partnering companies from sending press releases that will help power the platform. Apparently TomTom will be partnering up for the maps application, plus Scalado will assist with the camera features. As for the music capabilities it’s 7digital.

This really comes as no real surprise as the music service has been working with RIM since 2009 – currently have an music store app for various smartphones and the PlayBook. In a press release we received it notes that “7digital and RIM are working closely together to leverage both 7digital’s open music platform technology and BlackBerry platform abilities, such as the social integration and recommendation engines. 7digital’s platform allows BlackBerry App World to build digital music services into the core of the product.”

Along with the RIM partnership announcement, 7digital also revealed on Thursday its decision to expand beyond music downloads, introducing new digital music services to the firm’s application programming interface (API).

Following what it claims was “a successful year of growth”, the API update will include a scan-and-match feature similar to Apple’s Itunes Match, as well as a streaming functionality akin to Spotify, which won’t be locked to any particular hardware or OS. 7digital said these features will be introduced to the service across Europe, North and South America and Australasia “in the coming months”.

It’ll be interesting to see how the social integration and recommendations happen, possibly even deeper tie in with BBM Music app. 7digital also stood by what RIM has declared, “BlackBerry 10 smartphones are expected to become available in calendar Q1 of 2013.”

October 19, 2012
Philips Launches New DJ Party Machine

Driven by innovation and an obsession with capturing sound in its purest form, Philips, today announced the launch of the Philips DJ Party Machine. Philips has designed this new product keeping in mind Indians’ love for music and their desire to create their own sound. This latest gadget delivers a full and rich sound experience, while giving the DJ inside you a chance to express himself!

The Philips DJ Party Machine is packed with advanced features and dynamic lights. The most interesting feature of the machine is the dual rotatable docks that allow you to play, mix and scratch music from the machine’s archives. Just dock two iPods/ iPhones at the same time or use a USB direct for easy MP3 music playback to swap and play music. An added bonus is that the iPod/ iPhone can charge on the machine while playing. The machine is easy to set up and has channel faders for swapping playback between the 2 devices.

The party machine is designed to enrich your sound experience with MAX sound technology. This technology produces instant bass, maximizes volume performance and instantly creates the most impressive listening experience with the touch of a button. Add to this the digital sound control and 300W RMS total power output and this machine makes for an amazing experience. Anyone can sharpen his/her DJ skills with the Optional djay app for mixing and scratching iPhone music. The app has advanced DJ features that sync up easily with the party machine.

Complementing the excellent sound is the Philips DJ Party Machine’s light feature. The dynamic lighting matches the rhythm of the songs and the jazzy bright blue lights are a great addition.

[quote]Launching the Philips DJ Party Machine, ADA Ratnam, President – Consumer Lifestyle, , Philips India said, “The Philips DJ Party Machine is the perfect blend of Philips’ obsession with sound and our passion for innovation. Designed with the fast-evolving entertainment needs of the young Indian consumer in mind – entertainment, great sound quality, ease of use and contemporary design- this is your chance to unleash the DJ inside you and make sure your party is on fire.”[/quote]

The Philips DJ Party Machine is priced at INR 34,990/- and will be available at all leading retail stores across the country starting Nov,12. It’s just 2 weeks away!

October 18, 2012
DELL Partners with HCL Infosystems for Distribution of Enterprise Products
Dell India and Digilife Distribution and Marketing Services (DDMS), the distribution arm of HCL Infosystems Ltd. (www.hclinfosystems.in), announced today their strategic partnership for the distribution of Dell’s Enterprise class products to partner in emerging markets. This is a first-of-its-kind engagement for DDMS and Dell in the market. DDMS will deal in a wide array of Dell’s Enterprise product categories including servers, storage and networking products in India. The partnership with DDMS will enhance Dell’s Enterprise solutions reach beyond tier-1 cities and propel its focus to target mid-market customers with open, easy to deploy and affordable solutions.

The partnership is geared to promote and extend businesses for both DELL and HCL Infosystems; under this deal DDMS and Dell will collaborate on marketing, sales and technical areas and overall go-to market activities. DDMS will take care of the marketing related activities for Dell Enterprise products and services, and further help promote, participate and extend the sale of the Dell products through activities such as market research, advertising, trade shows, internet marketing etc.

Dell’s Global Commercial Channel (GCC) division retains around 19,000 commercial partners in the Asia Pacific region. The division takes care of programs and policies relevant to channels, which cover all types of business entities such as public companies and large-/medium-sized companies. In India, Dell currently engages with 1700 commercial channel partners, and this agreement will further strengthen the reach of its enterprise solutions to key markets.

[quote]Commenting on the announcement Mr. Sameer Garde, President & Managing Director, Dell India, said “India is the first market for Dell, to define and categorize the new market opportunity as the mid-market segment. DDMS’s strong distribution network in mid-markets, coupled with our broadened product & solutions portfolio will surely help us strengthen our presence across these growth markets, moving beyond the top eight cities in India”.[/quote]

[quote]Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Sanjay David, CEO Digilife Distribution and Marketing Services, a 100% subsidiary of HCL Infosystems said, “We are confident that this collaboration will gain robust traction with our channel and also achieve market leadership in this space. We believe this partnership will add a new dimension to our current offerings. With Dell’s wide product and service portfolio and DDMS’s extensive distribution network across the country, the engagement provides us an opportunity to address the needs of enterprises in diverse locations through our distributors in this segment.”[/quote]

[quote]This program further strengthens the point of Dell being a stable and a long term partner for their partner community. Mr. Ajay Kaul, Director & General Manager, Global Commercial Channel, Dell India said: “Our partners are a very important part of Dell’s overall growth strategy and we have always aimed at providing maximum value to our partner community. We realize the importance of our channel partners in the growth of our business, and hence we take utmost care to enable them to effectively meet the needs of their customers and deliver more value to their growing business. This step again is an indication that we are listening to our partners and shifting our approach in making Dell solution available to them off-the-shelf and thus addressing the run-rate requirement of our customers.” [/quote]

The partnership will enable DDMS to supply the complete range of Dell Enterprise Products and Services. HCL‘s DDMS will help boost the growth of Dell, through the distribution providers in the market. HCL Infosystems widespread network of distributors will further ensure a robust funnel to Dell products and services.

In the past two years, Dell has made 15 strategic acquisitions to enhance its capabilities as an end to end solutions provider and has carefully aligned its channel program with the acquisitions it makes. To enhance Dell’s security capabilities, the company recently acquired SonicWALL, Inc. Having an immense focus on the distribution of its products and its channel partners, Dell has offered SonicWALL’s existing channel partners, an opportunity to join the company’s current PartnerDirect program, which will enable them to preserve the investments made with SonicWALL. Also, in order to offer best to the channel partner community the company will take the best of SonicWALL channel programs and model and combine it with Dell’s PartnerDirect program. This move has not only provided the best for the channel partners but also Dell has expanded its own channel team’s customer relationships by further enabling its existing partners to sell SonicWALL solutions.

Check out the Press Release below :

[toggle_box title=”Press Release” width=”Width of toggle box”]

DELL Partners with HCL Infosystems for Distribution of Enterprise Products
- DELL enters into a strategic partnership with Digilife Distribution and Marketing Services (DDMS), distribution arm of HCL Infosystems
- DELL takes the next leap in enhancing its commercial and enterprise solutions offering through this new distribution partnership and which is a further expansion of Dell’s PartnerDirect program which has developed a significant amount of the commercial channel partners in India
- Partnership to target Mid-Market customers
New Delhi, India, October 16 2012 – Dell India and Digilife Distribution and Marketing Services (DDMS), the distribution arm of HCL Infosystems Ltd. (www.hclinfosystems.in), India’s premier hardware, services and ICT Systems Integration and Distribution Company announced today their strategic partnership for the distribution of Dell’s Enterprise class products to partner in emerging markets. This is a first-of-its-kind engagement for DDMS and Dell in the market. DDMS will deal in a wide array of Dell’s Enterprise product categories including servers, storage and networking products in India. The partnership with DDMS will enhance Dell’s Enterprise solutions reach beyond tier-1 cities and propel its focus to target mid-market customers with open, easy to deploy and affordable solutions.

The partnership is geared to promote and extend businesses for both DELL and HCL Infosystems; under this deal DDMS and Dell will collaborate on marketing, sales and technical areas and overall go-to market activities. DDMS will take care of the marketing related activities for Dell Enterprise products and services, and further help promote, participate and extend the sale of the Dell products through activities such as market research, advertising, trade shows, internet marketing etc.

Dell’s Global Commercial Channel (GCC) division retains around 19,000 commercial partners in the Asia Pacific region. The division takes care of programs and policies relevant to channels, which cover all types of business entities such as public companies and large-/medium-sized companies. In India, Dell currently engages with 1700 commercial channel partners, and this agreement will further strengthen the reach of its enterprise solutions to key markets.

Commenting on the announcement Mr. Sameer Garde, President & Managing Director, Dell India, said “India is the first market for Dell, to define and categorize the new market opportunity as the mid-market segment. DDMS’s strong distribution network in mid-markets, coupled with our broadened product & solutions portfolio will surely help us strengthen our presence across these growth markets, moving beyond the top eight cities in India”.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Sanjay David, CEO Digilife Distribution and Marketing Services, a 100% subsidiary of HCL Infosystems said, “We are confident that this collaboration will gain robust traction with our channel and also achieve market leadership in this space. We believe this partnership will add a new dimension to our current offerings. With Dell’s wide product and service portfolio and DDMS’s extensive distribution network across the country, the engagement provides us an opportunity to address the needs of enterprises in diverse locations through our distributors in this segment.”

This program further strengthens the point of Dell being a stable and a long term partner for their partner community. Mr. Ajay Kaul, Director & General Manager, Global Commercial Channel, Dell India said: “Our partners are a very important part of Dell’s overall growth strategy and we have always aimed at providing maximum value to our partner community. We realize the importance of our channel partners in the growth of our business, and hence we take utmost care to enable them to effectively meet the needs of their customers and deliver more value to their growing business. This step again is an indication that we are listening to our partners and shifting our approach in making Dell solution available to them off-the-shelf and thus addressing the run-rate requirement of our customers.”

The partnership will enable DDMS to supply the complete range of Dell Enterprise Products and Services. HCL‘s DDMS will help boost the growth of Dell, through the distribution providers in the market. HCL Infosystems widespread network of distributors will further ensure a robust funnel to Dell products and services.

In the past two years, Dell has made 15 strategic acquisitions to enhance its capabilities as an end to end solutions provider and has carefully aligned its channel program with the acquisitions it makes. To enhance Dell’s security capabilities, the company recently acquired SonicWALL, Inc. Having an immense focus on the distribution of its products and its channel partners, Dell has offered SonicWALL’s existing channel partners, an opportunity to join the company’s current PartnerDirect program, which will enable them to preserve the investments made with SonicWALL. Also, in order to offer best to the channel partner community the company will take the best of SonicWALL channel programs and model and combine it with Dell’s PartnerDirect program. This move has not only provided the best for the channel partners but also Dell has expanded its own channel team’s customer relationships by further enabling its existing partners to sell SonicWALL solutions.

About Distribution Partnership

The products that are available through distribution agreements will be priced at par with similar products available direct from Dell. This agreement will give our partners added flexibility in the way

they procure Dell solutions for the end-customer. With the distribution agreement, Dell also aims at their goal of penetrating better in the tier-2 markets of India

About Dell

As the visionary outcome of a true entrepreneur, Dell (NASDAQ: DELL) is committed to helping small and medium businesses solve their technology challenges, ease business pain points and draw greater value from IT. With ProManage-Managed Services, Optiplex – the world’s No. 1 business desktop, new Latitude laptops, the designed-for-small business Vostro line, energy-efficient PowerEdge servers and Small and Medium Business Solutions Center, Dell is here to support entrepreneurs every step of the way.

About HCL Infosystems

HCL Infosystems Ltd, with revenue (LTM) of US$ 2.0 billion (Rs 10,840 crores) is India’s premier hardware, services and ICT systems integration company offering a wide spectrum of ICT products that includes Computing, Storage, Networking, Security, Telecom, Imaging and Retail. HCL is a one-stop-shop for all the ICT requirements of an organisation. India’s leading System Integration and Infrastructure Management Services Organisation, HCL has specialised expertise across verticals including Telecom, BFSI, eGovernance & Power. HCL has India’s largest distribution and retail network, taking to market a range of Digital Lifestyle products in partnership with leading global ICT brands, including Apple, Cisco, Ericsson, Kingston, Kodak, Konica Minolta, Microsoft, Nokia, Toshiba, and many more. HCL today has India’s largest vertically integrated computer manufacturing facility with over three decades of electronic manufacturing experience & HCL desktops is the largest selling brand into the enterprise space. With India’s largest ICT services network that reaches to every corner of India, HCL’s award winning Support Services makes it the preferred choice of enterprise and consumers, alike. For more information please visit us at www.hclinfosystems.in

About HCL

HCL is a $6.2 billion leading global technology and IT enterprise comprising two companies listed in India – HCL Technologies and HCL Infosystems. Founded in 1976, HCL is one of India’s original IT garage start-ups. A pioneer of modern computing, HCL is a global transformational enterprise today. Its range of offerings includes product engineering, custom & package applications, BPO, IT infrastructure services, IT hardware, systems integration, and distribution of information and communications technology (ICT) products across a wide range of focused industry verticals. The HCL team consists of over 90,000 professionals of diverse nationalities, who operate from 31 countries including over 500 points of presence in India. HCL has partnerships with several leading global 1000 firms, including leading IT and technology firms. For more information, please visit www.hcl.com

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October 17, 2012
HTC J Butterfly Launched, First phone with a 5 inch full 1080p Display – Only for Japan

HTC has made it to the worlds first record when it comes to the display matrix with the new HTC J Butterfly. The phone is a Android 4.1 Jelly Bean device and features a 5-inch, 440ppi full-HD “Super LCD 3” panel. The HTC j Butterfly also has a 1.5GHz quad-core APQ8064 underneath which is actually a Snapdragon S4 Pro SoC.

The HTC J Butterfly also has 2GB RAM, 16GB internal storage, microSDHC expansion, 802.11a/b/g/n WiFi, Bluetooth 4.0 (LE), NFC, LTE and CDMA/GSM/UMTS/GPRS radios which means its perfect for the rest of the world. The phone weighs 140g , and it’s waterproof as well, rated at IPX5. The Battery is marked at 2,020mAh although the specs arn’t final the phone has been launched with thte carrier KDDI in Japan. Users of KDDI network can get this mammoth and powerful phone in early December, in color options of red, white or black.

HTC is a Taiwanese manufacturer of smartphones and tablets. The company initially made smartphones based mostly on Microsoft’s Windows Mobile operating system software, but in 2009 it began to shift its core focus away from Windows Mobile devices to devices based on Android OS, and in 2010 to Windows Phone OS as well.

HTC is also a member of the Open Handset Alliance, a group of handset manufacturers and mobile network operators dedicated to the advancement of the Android mobile device platform. The HTC Dream, marketed by T-Mobile in many countries as the T-Mobile G1 or Era G1 in Poland, was the first phone on the market to use the Android mobile device platform.

October 17, 2012
HTC One S Special Edition will come in White and with 64 GB of Storage

While it may not be the best phone to buy in India, the One S will now globally come with a special edition moniker swell. Just after an apparent success of the HTC One X Fashion edition, the HTC One S will also be branded, slapped in a white coat along with a bump in storage, will be called a special edition. The HTC One S Special Editions’s new color is called the unicorn white and will feature the S4 variant of the SoC unlike the S3 available in India.

The downside to the HTC One S Special Edition is that it will mostly be targeted for Hometown, Taiwan users and it may never hit the Indian shores, officially anyway.

The original One S is 0.31 inches (7.9 mm) at its thinnest point. The phone uses an aluminum unibody shell, with two finishes available – a black micro arc oxidized finish, and a light-blue to dark-blue gradient anodized finish. HTC states that the micro arc oxidized finish makes the body five times stronger than the bare aluminum, although some users claim that the finish chips easily. The phone has a power/lock button and a 3.5 mm headphone jack at the top, a volume rocker on the upper right side, and a MHL/Micro USB port on the upper left. Three capacitive buttons are located on the front of the phone, below the display. There are two speakers, one on the front (serving as the earpiece) and one on the back. A two-color notification LED sits under the earpiece grille. The top piece of plastic on the back is removable and is where the phone accepts a micro-SIM card. One S’s Super AMOLED display measures 4.3 inches (110 mm) diagonally, with a resolution of 960×540 pixels (qHD resolution), and is protected by a sheet of Corning Gorilla Glass. The display uses a PenTile RGBG subpixel arrangement.

October 17, 2012
Apple Announces Oct 23rd Special Event- Here comes the iPad Mini

Apple has just sent out invites for a “Special Event” to be held on Oct 23rd, supposedly announcing the new iPad Mini. While its only been a couple of weeks since when the iPhone 5 was launched Apple has still got a lot more up its sleeve.

While the iPad Mini has been leaked all over the internet, there are more rumors of various other products being launched. Alongside the iPad Mini, Apple will also reportedly update the Macbook Pro 13 inch and offer a retina version of the laptop. A new Mac Mini, revised Cinema displays and iMac are also long overdue.

But its unlike Apple to announce so many products at a single event. While the iMac and revised Cinema display may have to wait, a new Mac Mini is reportedly being worked on alongside the fully confirmed Retina Macbook Pro 13. While speculations will continue to go on, we wont let down the coverage come Oct 23rd, So stay tuned.

The iPad Mini apparently has a 7.85-inch display powered by an A5 processor and 512MB of RAM, priced starting anywhere from $250 to $350, available in a week or two. It will probably come in both Wi-Fi and 3G versions, and will look like, well, a smaller iPad. The event will be held at 10am PST/1pm EST at the California Center in San Jose.

October 16, 2012
Microsoft Surface Windows RT Tablet To Cost $499 For 32GB Model, Without Keyboard Attachment

Microsoft accidentally listed the selling prices of its Windows RT Surface tablets this morning, and the prices are surprisingly high: $499 for the cheapest model and up to $699 for a fully loaded one. At those prices, Surface tablets likely won’t make a dent into the iPad’s dominance.

The Microsoft Surface tablet with RT is 680 grams, 9.3 millimeters thick and has a 10.6-inch screen. It will come with 32GB and 64GB storage, and a quad-core Nvidia Tegra 3 processor, which is based on an ARM processor.

The 32GB model comes in at $499 without a Touch Cover, which on its own sells for $119.99. For an extra $100 you get the 32GB model with a Touch Cover, and for $699 you get the 64GB model with a Touch Cover.

Microsoft is also selling the Type Cover, which is a thicker physical-key keyboard cover for $129.99. The Touch Covers look to come in a variety of colours, including white, orange, blue, pink and the default black. There’s no indication whether the Surface tablet itself will come in any other colours but black.

The Microsoft Surface is the company’s first Windows computing device, and expectations are high. Microsoft has made its own hardware in the past, succeeding with the Xbox game console but failing with the Zune multimedia players and Kin smartphones, which have both been discontinued. Microsoft has tried to differentiate from rival RT tablets with some interesting design tweaks like a kickstand and the Touch Cover accessory. Windows RT and 8 are Microsoft’s first tablet OSes, and the company hopes to bring its package of home-grown software, services and hardware to rival Apple, which has a commanding lead in the fast growing tablet market.

October 16, 2012
Leaked iPad Mini Pricing Shows 8GB Version Listed As Low As $249
Apple is widely expected to announce a smaller version of its market-leading iPad tablet on 23 October, although the company has not yet issued invites or given any indication that it has a product in the pipeline.

Most expectations are that it will be half the size of the existing iPad, which has a screen measuring 9.7in diagonally; rescaling would mean an iPad mini would have a screen measuring 7.85in diagonally, but with a total of half the screen area of its bigger sibling.

Over the weekend, a German blog posted what looks like an inventory list of the various iPad mini models along with their pricing. According to the screenshot, the iPad mini will be available in 16 different versions. It will come in both black and white and range in storage from as little as 8GB to as much as 64 GB. Additionally, the image indicates there will be versions of the device that can connect to cellular networks.

As per the screen cap, iPad mini will start with 8GB Wi-Fi only variants in black or white that will cost €249. You can double the capacity or add cellular networking to the same capacity for an additional €100. In other words, the 16GB Wi-Fi iPad mini will cost €349, as will the 8GB iPad mini with cellular networking. The trend continues with the top end model with 64GB storage and cellular networking priced at €649.

Given Apple’s current pricing strategy, US prices are likely to be the same i.e. between $249-$649, rather than exchange rate equivalents of their Euro counterparts.

This is apparently the complete line-up of iPad minis that we’ll see upon release next month:
- 8GB iPad mini Wi-Fi in Black – $249 / €249
- 8GB iPad mini Wi-Fi in White – $249 / €249
- 16GB iPad mini Wi-Fi in Black – $349 / €349
- 16GB iPad mini Wi-Fi in White – $349 / €349
- 32GB iPad mini Wi-Fi in Black – $449 / €449
- 32GB iPad mini Wi-Fi in White – $449 / €449
- 64GB iPad mini Wi-Fi in Black – $549 / €549
- 64GB iPad mini Wi-Fi in White – $549 / €549
- 32GB iPad mini Wi-Fi + Cellular in Black – $549 / €549
- 32GB iPad mini Wi-Fi + Cellular in White- $549 / €549
- 64GB iPad mini Wi-Fi + Cellular in Black – $649 / €649
- 64GB iPad mini Wi-Fi + Cellular in White- $649 / €649
If accurate is the iPad mini priced low enough for you to consider?
October 16, 2012
Asus Padfone 2 Launched (Press Release)

Just a couple of days after the PadFone 2 images were leaked via Twitter, Asus today officially unveiled the PadFone 2. Asus’s Padfone concept encapsulates a smartphone and a 10-inch tablet in one convenient sandwich, with the smartphone module being home to most of the processing internals.

The Asus Padfone 2 is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro quad-core chip clocked at 1.5GHz and has a 4.7-inch 720p display which uses Sharp’s IGZO technology, wrapped under a scratch-resistant Corning Fit Glass. The maximum brightness on the device is an astounding 550nits!

It sports a new 13-megapixel with a burst mode capable of capturing up to 100 shots at a blisteringly quick six shots per second, while simultaneously recording 1080p HD video at 30fps, or 720p HD video at 60fps.Apart from this, it has a 1.2-megapixel front-facing camera, 2GB of RAM, Corning Fit Glass, NFC and 50GB of Asus Web storage.

[quote]ASUS Chairman Jonney Shih unveiled PadFone 2 in front of the world’s media at a press conference in Milan, Italy. “Our relentless drive to innovate through Design Thinking has empowered us to create PadFone 2. It’s beautiful, it’s fast, it’s seamless and, best of all, it’s intuitive,” said Mr. Shih[/quote]

The Asus PadFone 2 has a 2140mAh battery provides up to 16 hours 3G talk-time and 13 hours Wi-Fi web browsing, while PadFone 2 Station’s 5000mAh battery gives up to 36 hours 3G talk-time. PadFone 2 Station’s internal battery also has enough capacity to recharge the docked PadFone 2 three times over.

As far as the pricing is concerned, users can opt to buy the PadFone 2 either as a standalone or together with the PadFone Station. The price ranges between $620 (Rs. 32,739) and $750 (Rs. 39,607) for the smartphone alone and the entire combo costs an additional $210 (Rs. 11,089).

Check out the Press Release below :

[toggle_box title=”Press Release” width=”Width of toggle box”]

Live Life Intuitively with ASUS PadFone™ 2

Quad-core smartphone with incredible battery life and a thinner, lighter PadFone 2 Station deliver the ultimate mobile flexibility.

Milan, Italy (October 16, 2012) – ASUS, a global leader in the new digital era, today announces the PadFone™ 2. Building upon the successful PadFone combination of an Android smartphone and dockable tablet for incredible mobile flexibility, PadFone 2 consists of a higher-specification quad-core smartphone and a completely redesigned tablet.

ASUS Chairman Jonney Shih unveiled PadFone 2 in front of the world’s media at a press conference in Milan, Italy. “Our relentless drive to innovate through Design Thinking has empowered us to create PadFone 2. It’s beautiful, it’s fast, it’s seamless and, best of all, it’s intuitive,” said Mr. Shih.

PadFone 2 is a fully featured 4.7″ Android™ smartphone with industry-leading specifications that docks with the unique PadFone 2 Station to become a lightweight, but fully featured, 10.1″ tablet. Apps are seamlessly optimized on-the-fly to support both tablet and phone modes, with an instant transition between smartphone and tablet screen sizes.

Enlarge and Charge

ASUS’ world-renowned Design Thinking philosophy has significantly reduced PadFone 2 Station’s thickness and weight. At just 649g, the combined weight of both PadFone 2 and PadFone 2 Station is now lighter than most tablets on the market, and the dock mechanism has been redesigned to require just one swift step to use. PadFone 2 has also been subtly refined to increase its screen size to 4.7″, while reducing its thickness and weight to just 9mm at its thickest point and 135g, respectively.
Battery life is astounding, too. The higher-capacity PadFone 2 2140mAh battery provides up to 16 hours 3G talk-time and 13 hours Wi-Fi web browsing, while PadFone 2 Station’s 5000mAh battery gives up to 36 hours 3G talk-time. PadFone 2 Station’s internal battery also has enough capacity to recharge the docked PadFone 2 three times over.

Super Phone, Super Performance

A 1.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 quad-core processor with 2GB of RAM ensures incredible PadFone 2 performance in both smartphone and tablet modes. The new 4.7″ 1280 x 720 HD Super IPS+ display uses scratch-resistant Corning® Fit Glass and delivers sharp, detailed images with accurate colors, ultra-wide viewing angles and 550 nits brightness for stunning outdoor visibility.
A new 13-megapixel high-performance camera captures incredibly detailed images with no shutter lag. Burst mode can capture up to 100 shots at a blisteringly quick six shots per second, while simultaneously recording 1080p HD video at 30fps, or 720p HD video at 60fps. Low-light performance is also enhanced by the wide f/2.4 aperture and a dedicated image signal processor. Both PadFone 2 and PadFone 2 Station feature superlative sound quality too, thanks to ASUS SonicMaster technology and audio tuning by Waves, recipient of a Technical GRAMMY Award®.

Easy to Share, Easy to Save

With capacities up to 64GB and 50GB of ASUS WebStorage provided free for two years, PadFone 2 offers endless possibilities for storing data. Data syncing between devices is also a thing of the past, since PadFone 2 storage is used by PadFone 2 Station when the two are connected. Shared mobile data connectivity between smartphone and tablet also means just one data plan is needed for both devices, while support for up to 42Mbit/s DC-HSPA+ and 100Mbit/s LTE delivers super-fast web browsing and downloads.

User-friendly enhancements

PadFone 2 also features a new version of the SuperNote app that instantly converts handwritten notes made in multiple languages into editable text. Its Instant Translation tool also translates any word, phrase or sentence in an email, web page or app at a touch, without the need for a third-party translation tool.

Availability

PadFone 2 will be launched before the end of December in Europe (Bulgaria, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden) and Asia (Hong Kong, India, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, U.A.E). Availability in other countries will be announced at a later date.

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October 16, 2012