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Micromax A115 Canvas 3D Review

Micromax has recently taken the budget smart phone market with their Canvas Series in India. The Micromax A115 Canvas 3D is another addition to the lineup. Cheaper than the Canvas 2 at launch, the Canvas 3D adds a 3D Stereoscopic Display into the mix. Lets see how it fares out in our full review.

Display in 2D mode

Build Quality and Design

The Canvas series of phones including the Canvas 2 and Canvas HD are nicely built phones from Micromax. The Micromax A115 Canvas 3D takes it one step ahead. The back of the device is now coated with a soft touch material that makes the phone seem more robust and easy to handle. While the whole chassis is made of plastic it is able to withstand a couple of drops and high intensity jerks.

In terms of design the Micromax A115 Canvas 3D will be easily spotted from a distance, the unique build and design will also set it apart for those who want slightly premium looking phones. The ID of the phone resembles more HTC devices vs their previous obsession with Samsung Design. The phone does not appear to be the strongest phone at this time or even price, however it is well-built , looks and feels good in the hand.

[youtube id=”sJhvi6qdRhM” width=”100%” height=”300px”]

Hardware

The insides are laden with the previous-gen Mediatek 6577 chipset, which in terms of performance lacks behind, in comparison to many of the other devices available at a slightly higher price. Inbuilt storage remains at 4 GB, but the minute you insert a micro SD card the internal storage combines with the card enabling up to 34GB of capacity (32GB card + 2GB onboard). The RAM on the Canvas 3D is lower than required at 512 MB and you will see the grunt of it during gaming and application usage.

The Micromax A115 Canvas 3D’s name comes from the 5 inch 480 x 800 px Glasses-Free Stereoscopic 3D display, which turns on in certain applications including the 3D YouTube videos, certain apps from the 3D HUB and Picture preview. The camera is a 5 MP camera that combines two individually clicked images to make a 3D image, unlike other 3D phones which have dual sensors.

The power source is a 2000 mAh battery pack and is capable enough, read the battery section below.

3D Mode

Micromax A115 Canvas 3D and its Use

[pullquote_left]Economies of Scale vs Economies of Fail[/pullquote_left] So, a 3D display in a budget phone, what does that mean? Essentially, there are only two ways a technology becomes cheaper. One; if a tech has reached its saturation point, and enough development and numbers produced to make the process work for it, to make it cheaper (Economies of Scale). Two; if the technology was not successful to begin with and the stocks and design frameworks liquidate (Economies of Fail?). Well, Glasses Free 3D on mobile phone may as well be a part of the latter, while many companies including LG and HTC tried to make Glasses Free 3D phones. They were just not appreciated by the world, and eventually that technology thrown out. Nintendo used the Glasses Free 3D on their portable gaming console and that just did wonderfully well. The fact remains that the 3D technology is still at far from becoming mainstream, simply because it just does not look that good.

So thanks to the effect of expensive phones with this technology not being successful, the technology became cheaper, cheap enough to get fitted inside an under Rs. 10,000 phone for users to enjoy 3D content. Unfortunately there is no ALL time 3D switch , or any form of 2D to 3D conversion engine.

The content on 3D is also decent enough and enjoyed once in a while, and not all the time. So at the end it only plays to the fact that you have 3D in your phone, but you will not use it a lot.

Camera and Multimedia

The camera on the Micromax A115 Canvas 3D is a Fixed Focus 5 MP camera, that has a software ability to capture 3D images. Unlike standard 3D cameras which have two lenses, the Lens on the Micromax Canvas 3D utilizes time shift and user movement to capture a 3D image. The images are half decent and truly may not pass off as 3D images, unless the user is professionally focusing on the angle and the distance of the shot from the first click. Video shot is also poor quality, and is not shot in 3D mode. You do not have auto focus or tap to focus what so ever, the phone does recalibrate white balance and ISO for every picture taken.

Multimedia performance is good, you can enjoy 3D content on the Micromax Canvas 3D without the need of glasses. The viewing angles improve once in 2D mode, but are not great in 3D mode. The Micromax A115 Canvas 3D also has good sounding audio from the main speaker as well as through headphones.

[youtube id=”It_A9ayPcdM” width=”100%” height=”300px”]

Performance, Gaming and UI

Basic UI navigation within the interface was fast and fluid, we did face a bit of lag and it seemed that the phone held back when it came to performance. While the Canvas 2 did really well for Micromax, the Canvas 3D has the same performance only reduced by the 3D display’s punch of the graphics card.

In the case of the Micromax A115 Canvas 3D, almost all games are downloadable and installable thanks to the storage on memory card option. But, even though the phone can download, install and run almost all games, only basic games will work perfectly on this phone. The Canvas 3D does not have the capability of performing in games like NOVA 3 and Modern Combat 4, simply because of the lack of power under the hood. See out Gaming Video below.

The UI remains mostly vanilla, with only the addition of basic things like quick toggles in the notification panel, and custom apps and icons. Every other UI element looks and performs vanilla with the Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean OS, which comes as stock on the Micromax A115 Canvas 3D.

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

Phone and Networks

Phone call quality remained good throughout, with little or no dropped calls keeping the network strength in the high range. While the microphone and earpiece are great to use the Speakerphone is not as loud as some would expect.

Switching b/w Sim cards maybe still a problem, since both SIM slots don’t support 3G outright, only one fixed slot will run 3G at a time, creating issues in low or no network areas for that sim. You will get stuck on 2G or no data network on both sim cards.

Battery life

The Micromax A115 Canvas 3D has varied battery life as we demonstrate below, in normal usage the phone lasted a good 5-6 hours on talk time, add any online access etc., the battery life for talk time drops to just 3 hours.

[tabgroup]

[tab title=”Battery Life with 3G ON” icon=”icon-headphones”]Talk time : 5 Hours
Standby : 48 Hours
Gaming : 2-3
Online : 5 hours
Music 7 hours[/tab]

[tab title=”Battery Life with 3G OFF” icon=”icon-headphones”]Talk time : 6 Hours
Standby : 54 Hours
Gaming : 3
Online : 5 hours
Music 7 hours[/tab]

[/tabgroup]

Conclusion

While The Micromax Canvas 3D brings to the market which no other company is offering in the price bracket, one truly needs to understand the give and take for it. Does one really need the 3D feature? why not. If you are getting the same performance like other products in the price bracket and yet you get additional features, why would you refuse. For the sake of the argument, the A115 is as good as the A110 but with 3D powers.

If you want performance and gaming capabilities, you should seriously reconsider your price bracket, No, you cannot get a Samsung Galaxy S4 replacement in Rs. 10,000 not yet anyway.

More than anything the Micromax A115 Canvas 3D gives you yet another option in this wide array of phones in the market. If you were considering the A110 the A115 is another option to consider. In Our opinion Micromax has held back on their hardware capabilities and should have used the newer Mediatek Chipset instead of the outdated underpowered MTK 6577.

Full Review Video

(upcoming)

Images

May 11, 2013
BenQ By Launches GH650 And GH210 (PR)
BenQ has launched two new digital cameras adding to its GH series with GH650 in the bridge type category and GH210 in the point & shoot category.

GH650:

Featuring 26x optical zoom with 16-megapixel image quality and 22.3mm wide-angle view, the GH650 is set to expand and share your view of the world with ultra-clarity, combining O.I.S. support, 1cm Super Macro Mode and a large 3” 460k LCD screen. The GH650 shoots HD 720p videos at 30 frames per second with zoom for fluid movement in fast-action scenes from far or close and an independent recording button provides a quick access to start recording instantaneously.

GH210:

Another model launched by BenQ is GH210 with 12.5x optical zoom, 4x Digital Zoom with 16- megapixel image quality , 720p Movie Recording and 1cm Super Macro Mode. The GH210 comes with the O.I.S. anti-shake technology to captures crystal clear and sharper images. In addition the GH210 has a MagiQ filter which is designed to add better intensity to photos with heightened contrast and color saturation

The GH series digital camera enhances user experience through wide selection of shooting modes such as:
- Color Filter modes that include LOMO Mode which adds artistic effects to photographs, turning them into artworks with unlimited creativity
- Color Accent allows a selected color in the photo to stay whilst having the rest converted into black and white
- 1cm Super Macro Mode Capturing close-up shots is easy with both GH600’s & GH210’s Super Macro mode captures objects from as close as 1 cm, preserving incredible details and an intimate feel.
- Panorama mode helps to capture splendid landscapes or large group shots. In addition there are some other interesting shooting modes such as P/Av/Tv/M Mode, Speedy Burst, Beauty Enhancer and the Advanced Smart Scene Mode.
“BenQ expands the exciting GH series of digital cameras in India by adding two new models in the point and shoot and high zoom bride type category. With this launch we reiterate our commitment to offer trendy and innovative products power packed special features to capture crystal clear images of your moments of life. Combining the advantages of point-and-shoot cameras with DSLR-like imaging effects both the cameras are unique in its use and will set the benchmark for high zoom digital cameras in India” said Mr. Rajeev Singh, Country Head, BenQ India

The BenQ GH650 is available in black color at a price point of Rs. 11990(MRP) & GH210 is available in red color at a price point of Rs. 7490(MRP).

[toggle title=”Press Release”]BenQ expands its GH series of digital cameras in India by launching GH650 and GH210
High Zoom bridge type and point & shoot camera

New Delhi, April 29, 2013– BenQ, an internationally renowned provider of digital lifestyle innovations today launched two new digital cameras adding to its GH series with GH650 in the bridge type category and GH210 in the point & shoot category. Providing the convenience of High zoom and point & shoot delivering innovative imaging effects, these models give the users a sophisticated photography experience with added creativity.
GH650:
Featuring 26x optical zoom with 16-megapixel image quality and 22.3mm wide-angle view, the GH650 is set to expand and share your view of the world with ultra-clarity, combining O.I.S. support, 1cm Super Macro Mode and a large 3” 460k LCD screen. The versatile GH650 shoots brilliantly crisp HD 720p videos at 30 frames per second with zoom for fluid movement in fast-action scenes from far or close and an independent recording button provides a quick access to start recording instantaneously so that no precious moment will be missed.

GH210:
Another model launched by BenQ is GH210 with 12.5x optical zoom, 4x Digital Zoom with 16- megapixel image quality , 720p Movie Recording and 1cm Super Macro Mode. Compact, slim and stylish GH210 comes with the O.I.S. anti-shake technology to captures crystal clear and sharper images. In addition the GH210 has a MagiQ filter which is designed to add better intensity to photos with heightened contrast and color saturation
The GH series digital camera enhances user experience through wide selection of shooting modes such as:
• Color Filter modes that include LOMO Mode which adds artistic effects to photographs, turning them into artworks with unlimited creativity
• Color Accent allows a selected color in the photo to stay whilst having the rest converted into black and white
• 1cm Super Macro Mode Capturing close-up shots is easy with both GH600’s & GH210’s Super Macro mode captures objects from as close as 1 cm, preserving incredible details and an intimate feel.
• Panorama mode helps to capture splendid landscapes or large group shots. In addition there are some other interesting shooting modes such as P/Av/Tv/M Mode, Speedy Burst, Beauty Enhancer and the Advanced Smart Scene Mode.

“BenQ expands the exciting GH series of digital cameras in India by adding two new models in the point and shoot and high zoom bride type category. With this launch we reiterate our commitment to offer trendy and innovative products power packed special features to capture crystal clear images of your moments of life. Combining the advantages of point-and-shoot cameras with DSLR-like imaging effects both the cameras are unique in its use and will set the benchmark for high zoom digital cameras in India” said Mr. Rajeev Singh, Country Head, BenQ India
The BenQ GH650 is available in black color at a price point of Rs. 11990(MRP) & GH210 is available in red color at a price point of Rs. 7490(MRP). For further information please visit www.BenQ.co.in
About BenQ Corporation
BenQ Corporation, a leading provider of networked digital lifestyle devices, is a multi-faceted company with strengths in product design, visual technology and mobile technology. BenQ offers unrivalled breadth and depth of products and integrated technologies across platforms through the brand promise of “Bringing Enjoyment and Quality to Life,” including digital projector, LCD monitors, laptop PCs, Netbooks, All-in-One PCs, LCD TVs, digital cameras, storage devices, eBook reader, mobile phones, storage media and human interface devices such as mice and keyboards.

About BenQ Group

The BenQ Group is currently comprised of 16 companies that operate independently while sharing resources and leveraging synergies among them. The BenQ Group companies include BenQ Corporation, AU Optronics Corporation (world’s top 3 manufacturers of large-size TFT-LCD panels), Qisda Corporation, Darfon Electronics Corporation, Daxon Technology Inc., Daxin Materials Corp., Forhouse Corp., Light House Tech, SiPix Imaging, Lextar Electronics Corp. BenQ Guru Software Co., BenQ Hospital, Darwin Precisions, Ltd, Raydium Semiconductor Corporation, Cando Corporation and Wellypower Co., Ltd.
[/toggle]
May 1, 2013
Applications Open For Astronauts Willing To Take A One-Way Trip To Mars

The main requirements are strong health, good people and survival skills, being 18 or older, and having a reasonable grasp of the English language.

The non-profit company, called “Mars One,” aims to land its first four astronauts in 2023 for a televised reality show that would follow the exploits of the first humans to attempt to establish a colony on Mars.

At a press conference in New York City, the company’s CEO Bas Lansdorp announced an open call for anyone to apply for the flight.

The mission will be one-way only, since there currently is no technology that would enable a return trip from Mars to Earth.

“Today, the Mars One foundation starts the search for Mars inhabitants. The search for people from all nations who want to settle on Mars,” he said. “Mars One is a non profit organisation that is working on landing the first crew on Mars in 2023 and another crew every two years after that.”

The goal is to establish a permanent human colony, he said.

The biggest obstacles, he said, are financial. The company has revealed some of its sponsors and hopes to gain more via media coverage. It’s not clear whether enough money will be collected in time.

There are also practical issues: Can the kinks in having a sustainable system for people to survive in such a harsh environment be worked out by 2023?

The Netherlands-based non-profit plans to send new missions thereafter every two years, with the second crew joining in 2025.

Each flight will carry two males and two females, but Lansdorp said Mars One was not requiring anyone to take fertility tests.

“These people will be living on Mars in a very small environment with just four people. It will be a dangerous environment and any prospective parent should always ask themselves is this the right time and place for me to have children,” he said. “These are responsible people that we are sending to Mars.”

A range of potential pitfalls might prevent the project from becoming a reality, including the inability to return to Earth, the small living quarters and the lack of food and water on Mars.

What do you think?

[Telegraph]

April 23, 2013
Intel’s Pentium Processor Turns 20 Years Old Today

Following Intel’s previous series of 8086, 80186, 80286, 80386, and 80486 microprocessors, the company’s first P5-based microprocessor was released as the original Intel Pentium, 20 years ago today, on March 22, 1993.

Marketing firm Lexicon Branding was hired to coin a name for the new processor. The suffix -ium was chosen as it could connote a fundamental ingredient of a computer, like a chemical element, while the prefix pent- could refer to the fifth generation of x86.

If you’re old enough to recall, the chip ran circles around its 486DX2 predecessor, and thanks to a heavy dose of marketing from Intel, the brand quickly became synonymous with the PC. For you trivia types, the original Pentium P5 was available in 60MHz and 66MHz variants, and was manufactured with an 800-nanometer fabrication process, which is quite the contrast to the 22nm chips on the market today.

Despite Intel’s poor initial handling of the Pentium FDIV bug, the processor went on to become arguably the firm’s most successful piece of silicon. Intel’s Pentium chip hasn’t been its highest volume part, as the computer industry was considerably smaller during its original three and a half year run, but such is its association with the firm that the company still uses the branding to this day, 20 years on.

These chips also ran extremely hot, meaning they required a large heatsink and noisy cooling fan to keep under control. The misstep ultimately allowed AMD to take the performance crown with their highly successful Athlon line for several years.

Intel eventually found their way again with the Core architecture that debuted near the end of 2007. Interestingly enough, this platform was based on the same P6 architecture used in the first Pentium Pro back in 1995.

So there you have it: Happy birthday, Pentium!

March 23, 2013
Kodak Transaction Related To Digital Imaging Patents Closed At $527 Million

Eastman Kodak Co. said Friday it has completed the transaction for the sale and licensing of its digital imaging patents for net proceeds of $527 million.

The transaction, which achieves one of Kodak’s key restructuring objectives, continues its momentum toward emergence from bankruptcy midyear, the company said.

A portion of the $527 million was paid by 12 intellectual property licensees organized by Intellectual Ventures Management LLC and RPX Corp. Another portion was paid by Intellectual Ventures, which acquired a substantial majority of the digital imaging patent portfolio subject to these new licenses, as well as previously existing licenses, Kodak said.

The consortium includes industry giants Amazon.com Inc., Apple Inc., Facebook Inc., Google Inc. and Samsung Electronics Co.

Kodak originally had hoped to receive more than $2 billion for the patents.

The deal includes an agreement to settle current patent-related litigation between the participants. Kodak retains the rights to use the 1,100 digital imaging patents sold in the transaction.

“The licensing and sale of our digital imaging patents is another major milestone toward successful emergence,” said Chairman and CEO Antonio Perez in a statement. “We are on track to emerge as a profitable, sustainable company.”

The completion of the sale enables Kodak to repay a substantial amount of its initial debtor in possession loan, satisfies a key condition for its newly approved financing facility and positions its core Commercial Imaging business for future growth and success, the company said. Kodak maintains ownership of some 9,600 patents.

[RBJ]

February 4, 2013
Microsoft Q2 2013 Earnings Indicate $21.56b Revenue, $6.38b Profit

Microsoft says its fourth-quarter earnings slipped 4 percent, despite a lift from its latest version of Windows.

The Redmond, Washington-based software giant posted revenue of $21.46 billion and net income of $6.38 billion, with earnings per share of 77 cents. That’s largely in line with what Wall Street had been expecting, though a bit lower on the revenue side and higher on the earnings side — ahead of today’s financial report, the analyst consensus was that Microsoft would post earnings of 75 cents a share on $21.53 billion in revenue.

The results announced Thursday are the first to include Windows 8. The program is a dramatic overhaul of the Microsoft Corp operating system that powers most PCs. Windows 8 came out 26 October with slightly more than two months left in Microsoft’s fiscal second quarter.

When Windows 8 finally hit the market, Microsoft also unveiled its own tablet computer, Surface, as a showcase for the operating system. Microsoft didn’t disclose Thursday how many Surface devices were sold in the October-December period.

Microsoft’s Entertainment & Devices division, which is responsible for the Xbox and Surface, saw an 11% decline from last year, with only $3.77 billion of revenue. This comes after Microsoft announced that the Xbox 360 was the top-selling gaming console for two years straight. It looks like holiday sales weren’t as great as the company expected.

Microsoft’s Online Services division saw more growth, however, with $869 million in revenue, which is an 11% increase year-over-year. Thanks to the upcoming Office 365 suite and SkyDrive, Microsoft’s online services don’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon, especially with the deal that Microsoft made with the city of Chicago to bring Office 365 services to city employees.

January 25, 2013
Polaroid Confirms Mirrorless Android-Powered Camera For CES

Polaroid will debut an Android-powered camera with interchangeable lenses at CES, according to the company’s CEO, Scott Hardy. “Additional information and specs will be released during the show.”, he said.

Days after an image of said camera popped up on a Russian social network, it appears that we don’t have to wait long to take shots with the snapper.

It looks to be called the Polaroid IM1836, and Sakar will likely build it for Polaroid. The mirrorless camera should come with an 18.1 million pixel sensor. Physically, it resembles Nikon’s J1/J2.

The baked-in Android gives the camera access to downloadable apps, including email, Facebook and Twitter.

We should also see pop-up flash, built-in Wi-Fi, HDMI output, microSD memory and a 3.5-inch touchscreen, while the Russian photo looks to show a 10mm – 30mm optic.

We’ll know more in the coming weeks, but until then you can always buy the Samsung Galaxy Camera and Nikon S800c.

December 21, 2012
Apple And Google Join Forces To Acquire Kodak Patents

According to a Bloomberg report, Apple and Google could be joining forces to buy Eastman Kodak patents out of bankruptcy for around $500 million.

Apple’s groups aiming for the Kodak patents included Microsoft and Intellectual Ventures Management LLC, sources said, while Google’s associates included patent risk solutions company RPX and the makers of Google’s Android phones.

Kodak went into Chapter 11 bankruptcy in January and got a cash infusion based largely on the value that could be realized on the auction of its patent portfolio. Kodak has a huge amount of digital imaging patents and estimates the stack’s value at over $2bn at current market rates.

Unlikely partnerships are typical in patent sales because they allow competitors to neutralize potential infringement litigation. A group including Apple,Microsoft Corp. and Research in Motion Ltd. bought Nortel Networks Corp.’s more than 6,000 patents for $4.5 billion out of bankruptcy last year. Google lost the auction for those patents after making an initial offer of $900 million.

[quote]”Apple and Google learned a lesson from the Nortel’s auction,” said Richard Ehrlickman, former vice president of Intellectual Property at International Business Machines Corp. and president of IP Offerings, a patent brokerage and consulting company in the Bloomberg report. “They have decided to come together in this process to reduce the cost of purchasing the Kodak patents, while meeting their business needs.”[/quote]

What exactly the two companies would do with the Kodak patents is unclear, but owning patents is a thing companies like to do. So, maybe they’ll just own them to own them. There’s always that option.

December 9, 2012
New Windows 8 Accessories Launched By Logitech

Logitech India today introduced a new line of products specifically designed to facilitate intuitive navigation of Windows 8.

The new products are: Logitech Wireless Rechargeable Touchpad T650, Touch Mouse T620, Zone Touch Mouse T400 and Bluetooth Illuminated Keyboard K810 and Wireless Touch Keyboard K400R.

[quote]”We have a tradition of launching innovative products and believe in their superiority. Windows 8 allows users to move from one form factor to another, and hence we are offering mouse with horizontal navigation,” Logitech Country Manager India and South-West Asia Subrotah Biswas told reporters here.[/quote]

The Logitech Wireless Rechargeable Touchpad T650, lets you use all Windows 8 gestures to navigate on a old laptop running the new OS. The T620 mouse too lets users do the same – even the top corner swipes to cycle through apps and open settings. You can swipe though pages by running you fingers on the mouse and open Start with a double tap.

The new family of products includes the K810 Bluetooth Illuminated Keyboard that can connect with up to three different devices at the same time (Rs 8,295), the K400 Wireless Touch Keybaord with a Windows 8 compatible 3.5-inch touchpad (Rs 2,995) and the T650 rechargeable touchpad with a glass surface and full gesture compatibility (Rs 4,995). The Logitech Touch Mouse T620 will be priced at Rs 4,295, while the T400 Zone Touch mouse will cost Rs 2,895.

November 21, 2012
HTC and Apple Settle Patent issues with 10 year licensing deal

So at least one patent dispute is coming to an end, HTC and Apple have entered a 10 year patent licensing deal to end all issues with their disputes.

[quote]HTC is pleased to have resolved its dispute with Apple, so HTC can focus on innovation instead of litigation,” said Peter Chou, CEO of HTC. [/quote]

[quote]We are glad to have reached a settlement with HTC,” said Tim Cook, CEO of Apple. “We will continue to stay laser focused on product innovation.[/quote]

The license extends to current and future patents held by both parties. The terms of the settlement are confidential.

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

Posted Nov 11, 2012
HTC AND APPLE SETTLE PATENT DISPUTE. All Patent Litigation Between The Companies Dismissed

1.Date of occurrence of the event:2012/11/11

2.Company name:HTC Corporation

3.Relationship to the Company (please enter “head office” or
“affiliate company”):Head Office

4.Reciprocal shareholding ratios:N/A

5.Cause of occurrence:HTC and Apple have reached a global settlement
that includes the dismissal of all current lawsuits and a ten-year
license agreement. The license extends to current and future patents
held by both parties. The terms of the settlement are confidential.

6.Countermeasures:None

7.Any other matters that need to be specified:There is no material
adverse impact on the financials of the Company.

HTC AND APPLE SETTLE PATENT DISPUTE

All Patent Litigation Between The Companies Dismissed

TAIPEI and CUPERTINO, California – November 11, 2012 – HTC and Apple have reached a global settlement that includes the dismissal of all current lawsuits and a ten-year license agreement. The license extends to current and future patents held by both parties. The terms of the settlement are confidential.

“HTC is pleased to have resolved its dispute with Apple, so HTC can focus on innovation instead of litigation,” said Peter Chou, CEO of HTC.

“We are glad to have reached a settlement with HTC,” said Tim Cook, CEO of Apple. “We will continue to stay laser focused on product innovation.”

-end-

[/toggle_box]

November 11, 2012
Record 10 Crore Mobile Handset Sales

Mobile phones shipment to India during the first-half of 2012 crossed 10 crore units, registering a growth of 16.6 per cent over the same period over the previous year, according CyberMedia Research (CMR).

“During January-June 2012, the total India shipment of mobile handsets was recorded at 102.43 million units (10.24 crore),” CMR said in its report.

The total number of smartphones shipped during the period was 55 lakh units.

Nokia has 22.2 per cent share in the overall shipments, followed by Samsung at 13 per cent.

In smartphone category, Samaung’s share is 41.6 per cent, followed by Nokia and Blackberry handsets maker Research-In-Motion with 19.2 per cent and 12.1 per cent, respectively.

CMR’s Lead Analyst for Telecoms Practice Faisal Kawoosa said the first-half of calendar year 2012 witnessed high -decibel launch of phones like Samsung Galaxy S III, HTC One X and second half of 2012 continues to see launch of a number of high value smartphone models such as the Nokia Lumia 910, Samsung Galaxy Note II and the Apple iPhone 5.

“This push from vendors and the increasing maturity of the India mobile subscriber community is expected to further push up smartphones as a proportion of total mobile handset shipments in the country in the next few quarters,” Kawoosa said.

As per this report, Google’s Android platform dominated among mobile operating system, with 56.4 per cent share, followed by Nokia’s Symbian at 17.4 per cent share, Blackberry 12.1 per cent, Bada 8.5 per cent, Apple’s iOS 3 per cent and Windows mobile phone with 2.6 per cent.

According to CMR, the total mobile phone shipments for sales in India market was 18.3 crore units by end of 2011.

[Economic Times]

October 28, 2012
Leaked : Samsung Nexus 10 Quick Start Guide

If you needed any more proof that the Nexus 10 is coming next week, here it is. The Samsung Nexus 10’s quick start guide has leaked online, courtesy of Korean site Seeko.

The photos show the name “Nexus 10” on the cover of the guide, and inside it are basic images of a tablet with both Samsung and Nexus branding. The outlines show that the Nexus 10 has a camera and notification LED on its face and a second camera with a flash on its rear. On the left side is a 3.5mm headphone jack and microUSB port, and over on the right side is a microHDMI port, and speakers are on either side of the display. The power/lock button looks to be on the top of the device along with a volume key.

There are no specs confirmed for the tablet but, from we’ve been hearing this could well become the Samsung tablet that packs a wonderful 2560×1600 display and a quad-core Exynos 5250 with Android 4.2, which would make for a compelling tablet, Android or otherwise.

The Nexus 10 name popped up on our radar last week when it appeared in the EXIF data of a photo posted to Picasa.. This purported manual doesn’t confirm or debunk any of those details, but it does give us a peek at what the (basic) design of the Nexus 10 will be like, which appears to be similar to the Galaxy Note 10.1 with the speakers on its face and a panel around the rear camera.

While none of this is official until Google makes it so, the company’s Android event is just a few days away, so it may not be long before we get to see the Nexus 10 in real life. Are you interested in a 10-inch Nexus tablet from Google and Samsung?

All will be revealed on Monday!

October 25, 2012
Couple Finds Camera Buried In Earthquake With Wedding Photos Intact

A crazy story of photo survival has emerged over in New Zealand. Apparently a couple had lost their camera during the Christchurch earthquake last February. They found the demolished camera yesterday, 18 months after it got buried in silt, and were overjoyed to find that their precious photos were still readable.

According to Stuff (via PetaPixel), Martin lost his camera in the damaging earthquake that struck Christchurch in February, 2011. He and his wife had just returned from their honeymoon, and had only been back in their home an hour when the quake hit.

In the ensuing panic to evacuate their crumbling house, the camera – with more than six months’ worth of pictures on its Adata 4GB SDHC memory card – was washed away with other belongings in silt more than a meter deep. The newly married couple, though upset by the loss of the precious photos, accepted there was nothing they could do and carried on.

Then on Wednesday evening, a full 20 months after the quake, Martin noticed an object sticking up out of his driveway. On closer inspection, he realized it was his long-lost camera. As you can see from the image above, the snapper was in bad shape, but Martin wondered if the memory card might be made of sterner stuff.

To his astonishment, following “a bit of tinkering” with the memory card on his computer, the New Zealander was able to recover all the shots contained on it, including those from his wedding and honeymoon.

October 21, 2012
No plans To Release Instagram for Blackberry 10, Says Facebook

In what could turn out to be a considerable blow to RIM’s upcoming operating system, Venturebeat has learned that Facebook has no intention of bringing its popular Instagram app to BlackBerry 10. While RIM has promised native apps from social network leaders such as Twitter, LinkedIn, Foursquare and, of course, Facebook, a company insider has shared that at least for the time being there are no plans to do the same for Instagram.

As much as non-users tend to dismiss Instagram as a silly little photo app, the fact is that there are over 100 million users posting thousands of photos per hour, all from just two platforms. While the iPhone provided the amniotic fluid in which Instagram gestated, its expansion to Android has been the true catalyst for growth, adding nearly 70 million users since April.

But for RIM, getting application makers to build for the platform is arguably the single most important factor to determining whether consumers go back to (or discover) BlackBerry, especially if task management flow is all the platform has to set it apart from iOS and Android. RIM has been providing thousands of developers with beta devices, dubbed Dev Alpha, on which they’ve been tasked to build the very apps that users will have access to at launch. They’re already accepting apps, despite the fact that the first devices will launch in Q1 2013.

However, Kevin Michaluk from CrackBerry on Monday disputed the report. Michaeluk has a well established track record reporting on RIM, and said that his sources have confirmed that RIM’s relationship with Facebook is still solid. He added that we “will see Instagram come to Blackberry 10.” He said he’s so confident that, if he’s wrong, he’s willing to buy somebody a car!

More on this to come!

October 16, 2012
Google+ App Update For iOS, Android Brings iPhone 5 Support, New Widget

Google+ for iOS and Android now seem to be iterating at the same pace, after months of what seemed like preferential treatment by Mountain View for the latter version.

The most recent update adds Pages administration abilities, so you can add, view and comment on posts if you own a company or a brand. This is one of the most helpful new additions, as it doesn’t you to your computer when performing social media-related work duties. Facebook already has a separate app for its Pages administration.

Google+ for Android also received a new widget design (above), while iPhone 5 users can now stretch out in front of your 4-inch display. iOS users can now edit posts, while both versions have gained the ability to search for people and posts.

October 11, 2012