Tag: Android

Micromax SuperFone Lite A75 Hands On

We just got hold of a unit of the Micromax A75 SuperFone and we couldn’t wait to get our hands on with the device. Before i get down and dirty unboxing the unit, here are a bunch of sneak peak images for the A75.

The build quality of the device is fairly surprising, its really well built. The overall form factor and shape feels really good in the hand and fits well. First impressions of he unit show that the display is bright and vivid and the screen is very responsive. The device does not show lag or slow down while moving from screen to screen or navigating the menus. The device comes preloaded with Android 2.3.4 and is supposedly good enough for Ice Cream Sandwich, But no official words on that. (We are still struggling with 2.3 on A70). The device is more expensive looking than it actually is. It also comes with unique UI enhancements done by Micromax that make the experience a little better.

Specs include a 650Mhz processor, a nice 3.75 inch 320×480 capacitive screen, Android 2.3.4, 10.9 mm thickness, 1300 mah battery, the standard Wifi b/g/n- Bluetooth 3.0. Not to forget the fact that this is a dual sim phone, both gsm+gsm.

Most of Micromax’s new marketing and dev team is from HTC so you will start to see some Ui flavor(maybe its because i already know this fact). The device is an excellent add on the the Under 10k list and will definitely make the holiday list of the phones to get under 10k. Wait for the Unboxing video going up shortly followed by a full review.

December 13, 2011
Asus Delays Transformer Prime Launch due to Wifi instability

Asus has pushed the release of their Prime tablets due to issues with the stability of Wifi chipsets on them. The Prime were the first tablets to be showcased with Androids latest and greatest Ice Cream Sandwich. The company says that “the WiFi range on the TF201 did not meet our quality standards” and will not release the tablet till it met with standards.

Asus has clarified to this issue by saying that the tablet is now being prepped to be released a week late post 19/12/11, but are still skeptical if they can implement a fix by then.

December 13, 2011
Micromax Launches the A75 Superfone Lite with Dual Sim (PR)

Micromax has launched the next version of the Andro A70, dubbed it as the lite version of the A85 , called it the Superfone Lite A75. The device features Android 2.3 , a 3.75 inch Capacitive touch screen, 650MHz Processor, Dual sim and dual camera, with a 3.25MP camera at back and a .3mp front facing snapper. It supports upto 32GB microSD and a 1300 may battery.

The price of the phone is kept at a decent Rs.8999/- at launch.

Stay Tuned for a full unboxing, followed by a full review IG style.

[toggle title_open=”Press Release” title_closed=”Press Release” hide=”yes” border=”yes” style=”default” excerpt_length=”0″ read_more_text=”Read More” read_less_text=”Read Less” include_excerpt_html=”no”]

Micromax launches A75 SUPERFONE Lite Dual SIM Android 2.3

– An affordable SUPERFONE for the youth

– Dual SIM (GSM + GSM) Android powered so you could enjoy the benefit of both voice and data plans.

New Delhi, December 12^th, 2011: Micromax Informatics Limited (“Micromax”), the 12th largest handset manufacturer in the World (According to Global Handset Vendor Market share report from Strategy Analytics), launches their latest Android SUPERFONE- Micromax SUPERFONE Lite A75.

This is the second device under the SUPERFONE category focusing on the smart and tech savvy youth of the country. This phone has best in class features, keeping in mind the requirements of its consumers. The A75 runs on Google Android 2.3 Gingerbread giving users the freedom to download over 2 lakh applications from Android Market.

This dual SIM Android powered device from Micromax has a 650 MHz processor for fast web browsing, checking mails, blogs, sharing photographs, and updating your status on social networking sites. The phone also comes with features like a 3.75 inch capacitive touchscreen, dual camera, 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth etc.

The A75 comes preloaded with apps like Google Voice Search which enables you to perform various actions by speaking to the phone, live sending text messages, taking down notes, play music, access websites, and find directions to places etc. The phone also has a series of apps like SAAVN for users to listen to their favorite music using this online music store, Times of India online newspaper, NETQIN ANTIVIRUS, to protect devices from certain virus threats using this antivirus etc.

The phone offers a practically unlimited phonebook and SMS memory and comes with a 3.5 mm universal jack for the best music experience.

A75 is available at Rs. 8999/- This model will be available across all leading outlets.

For more information, please visit www.micromaxsuperfone.com

About Micromax:

Micromax is the 12th largest handset manufacturer in the World (According to Global Handset Vendor Market share report from Strategy Analytics). The Indian brand is reaching out to the global frontier with innovative products that challenge the status quo that Innovation comes with a price. Micromax has sales presence across India and global presence in Hong Kong, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri-Lanka, Maldives, UAE, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Afghanistan and Brazil.

* Micromax holds the 3rd position amongst the handset manufacturers in India as pre revenue with a market share of 6.9% for the FY 2011. (Source: V&D report)

[/toggle]

December 12, 2011
Google introduces Currents, its Flipboard for Android

Flipboard yesterday launched its new iOS app for iPhone and iPod, after its great success on the iPad. Google has today finally announced its Android rival, called currents, funnily enough the app is available on both Android and iOS with cross platform support from the get go. The app gives a magazine like reading experience for online feeds. The app is free and offers you a swipeable, graphics-heavy way to read material from partners like AllThingsD, PBS, Huffington Post and Fast Company, as well public Google+ feeds and RSS. You can also import our own content and add feeds like the iGyaan Rss.

For publishers, Google is providing self-service tools for customizing how their content is displayed in the app. Currents is US only for the time being. You can always head over to XDA-Dev for the hacked link for using it in India for Android only.

[Android Market]

[App Store]

December 9, 2011
Facebook for Android Gets a Facelift and Tweaks

The new Facebook for Android app update, adds a whole lot of tweaks and and bunch of turbo speed boosts. According to Facebook :Photos and albums are up to two times faster than the previous Android app. It’s also easier to share photos, view comments and edit captions on the go. Your messages and notifications are now at the top of your screen. You can respond to friends and stay updated without leaving the page you’re on in Notification style. Just like the iOS App you can quickly access your News Feed, Groups, games and apps from the new left-hand menu.

[Facebook]

[ Android Market]

December 8, 2011
Eric Schmidt says ‘Android will be bigger than iOS’

Speaking at Le Web in Paris Google CEO, spoke about why Apps were first written for iOS and then ported over to Android. The response was one that would not surprise any Android user, Schmidt claims ” In about 6 months its going to be the other way round.” He predicts that the new OS Ice Cream Sandwich will remove the device fragmentation and lead people closer to the OS, making it a preferred choice of developers.

[Engadget]

[Le Web (YouTube)]

December 8, 2011
Kindle Fire Gets Unofficial iCe Cream Sandwich

The Kindle fire is one of those tablets thats taking the world by storm, with awesome pricing and specs the device is turning out to be a developers fantasy. XDA-Developers forum members have been able to get the ICS ported to the tablet with a promise of the kernel release soon. Both hardware acceleration and touch input work great but audio and wifi are giving trouble.

Now where is that unboxing unit ?

[XDA-Developers]

December 8, 2011
Ainol launches the NOVO7, the world’s first Android 4.0 tablet Rs 5000 add Shipping and tax (PR)

Eagerly waiting to get in on the tablet action, but need something that will secure future updates? Enter Ainol NOVO7 a US$ 100 tablet that has already been launched with Android 4.0. The device was previously selling as a Android 2.3 tablet but now comes with ICS preloaded. It features a Ingenic JZ4770 mobile applications processor and 1GHz MIPS-based XBurst CPU, 7-inch capacitive touchscreen, a Vivante GC860 GPU clocked at 444MHz, 1080p video decoding, rear 2MP camera with VGA front-facing cam, USB 2.0, HDMI 1.3, microSD slot.

The company is also working on 8 inch and 9 inch versions of the tablet. Seems like an excellent option for an under 5000 Rupee tablet. oh wait1 the dollar is much more expensive now.

[toggle title_open=”Press Release” title_closed=”Press Release” hide=”yes” border=”yes” style=”default” excerpt_length=”0″ read_more_text=”Read More” read_less_text=”Read Less” include_excerpt_html=”no”]MIPS Technologies and Ingenic Semiconductor Announce
Availability of World’s First Android™ ‘Ice Cream Sandwich’ Tablet

1GHz, Low-Power Tablet Sets New Market Standard at Sub-$100 Price Point

SUNNYVALE, Calif. – December 5, 2011 – MIPS Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: MIPS), a leading provider of industry-standard processor architectures and cores for digital home, networking and mobile applications, and Ingenic Semiconductor, a leading China-based CPU provider for mobile multimedia applications, today announced worldwide availability of the world’s first tablet based on Android ™ 4.0, known as ‘Ice Cream Sandwich’, that is retailing for less than $100 (U.S). The tablet is powered by Ingenic’s JZ4770 mobile applications processor, which leverages a MIPS-Based™ XBurst™ CPU running at 1GHz.

According to Andy Rubin, senior vice president of mobile at Google, “I’m thrilled to see the entrance of MIPS-Based Android 4.0 tablets into the market. Low cost, high performance tablets are a big win for mobile consumers and a strong illustration of how Android’s openness drives innovation and competition for the benefit of consumers around the world.”

The new Android 4.0 tablet is available in China and online through Ainol Electronics Co., Ltd. It will be available in the United States and other geographies within the next several months under brands from companies including Leader International Inc. and OMG Electronics Ltd.

The new tablet is available with a 7″ capacitive multi-touch screen. 8″ and 9″ form factors will be available soon. All versions include support for WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, USB 2.0, HDMI 1.3 and microSD, as well as 3D graphics with the Vivante GC860 GPU, 1080p video decoding and dual front/rear cameras. The XBurst processor’s power-efficient architecture provides extended battery life-the 7″ tablet draws less than 400mA during active web browsing.

“We are pleased to join with MIPS to announce these breakthrough high-performance, low-power, low-cost Android 4.0 tablets. Combining the elegance of the MIPS architecture and Ingenic’s innovation in processor design, we are bringing a new level of processor technology to mobile devices. As we continue to collaborate with MIPS to broaden the mobile ecosystem around the legendary MIPS architecture, we anticipate even broader proliferation of our devices worldwide. We believe the mobile world will be more versatile and colorful with another processor joining in,” said Qiang Liu, chairman and CEO, Ingenic Semiconductor.

“The openness of Android is enabling a new level of connectedness and interaction between devices and between people across the globe. We are excited to be a part of the Android ecosystem delivering on that vision. We applaud Ingenic’s accomplishment in developing this new high-performance, feature-rich Android 4.0 tablet, and offering it at a price point that makes it widely accessible. We look forward to teaming with Ingenic as it continues to develop MIPS-Based mobile innovations,” said Sandeep Vij, president and CEO, MIPS Technologies.

Ingenic JZ4770 SoC
The Ingenic JZ4770 SoC inside of the new tablet is one of the first MIPS-Based systems-on-chips (SoCs) targeted for mobile devices that delivers 1GHz+ frequency, increasingly a requirement for tablets and other devices that incorporate rich multimedia and high-performance applications/functionality. The JZ4770 SoC is powered by a MIPS32 compatible XBurst CPU designed by Ingenic. The XBurst CPU core adopts an innovative ultra-low-power pipelining architecture which consumes less than 90mW in 1GHz (with L1 cache), and the entire SOC consumes ~250mW with the CPU and video engine operating under full load. In addition to the XBurst CPU, the JZ4770 SoC integrates an optimized 1080p video processing engine, OpenGL ES 2.0 3D graphics processing unit from Vivante Corp. and numerous on-chip analog and application blocks such as audio codecs and GPS.

Pricing and Availability
Ingenic’s JZ4770 SoC for Android 4.0 tablets is available now. The new Android 4.0 tablet is available in China and online through Ainol Electronics Co., Ltd. at www.ainovo.com. The 7″ tablet retails for less than $100 (U.S.) non-subsidized. The tablet will be available in other geographies within the next several months.[/toggle]

December 6, 2011
HTC Flyer gets OTA Honeycomb update

HTC Flyers owners must finally be happy. After spending a chunk of their fortune on he overpriced tablet they had to suffer the backlashes of the non tablet os Gingerbread. Now HTC is finally seeding Honeycomb to the the tablet owners via an OTA update (version 3.55.405.1) of about 210MB. But there is a catch the update is for the 3G version of the tablet only, the poor folks who spent less on the Wifi only version need to wait for the “coming soon” badge to disappear.

[HTC Hub]

December 6, 2011
Dual Core Meizu MX fully Released, Launching 1st Jan 2012

Meizu has been in the news since the invent of the iPhone, a company trying to take down Apple at what it does best. But with announcements and corp take downs, legal action suits and what not. The MX is a successor to the M9 announced last year, this dual core model will be available in mainland China starting from ¥2,999 ($470) on January 1st, with a quad core coming later.

Spec list now includes a 4-inch 960 x 640 ASV display, 1.4GHz Samsung Exynos 4210 dual core chip, 1GB of LPDDR2 RAM, 16GB of storage, 0.3 megapixel front-facing camera, a secondary mic for noise cancellation and a 1,600mAh battery. The device is 10.3mm-thick and the MX will pack pentaband 3G with HSPA+, the os is customized Android 2.3.5 initially but will eventually get the 4.0 update, as already promised by CEO Jack Wong.

The camera is an 8 Mp shooter with full hd video capabilities and a f/2.2 backside-illumination lens.

[toggle title_open=”Press Release” title_closed=”Press Release” hide=”yes” border=”yes” style=”default” excerpt_length=”0″ read_more_text=”Read More” read_less_text=”Read Less” include_excerpt_html=”no”]Calling all dreamers, the Meizu MX is unveiled

HONG KONG-9:30 AM GMT +8, October 6-Today Meizu unveils a new product, the Meizu MX. Borrowing the first two letters from the Chinese characters of the word “dream,” or “meng xiang,” the MX is a dream phone in all its senses. The MX comes with a dual-core 1.4GHz processor, 1GB RAM, 8 megapixel back-illuminated camera and LED flash, along with a gyroscope and other sensors. Its design is clean, intuitive and minimalistic, which is the result of countless discussions, prototypes, and revisions.

The Meizu MX has a gorgeous 4-inch, high resolution (292 PPI) AVS screen with the ideal 3:2 aspect ratio. Compared to wider 4.3-inch screens, the screen edges are easily reachable with your fingers, while providing better readability for text; both in horizontal and landscape mode. In addition, the phone comes with Meizu’s unique Flyme OS, which features a custom designed UI, as well as cloud services such as data syncing, music store (China-only), and an applications market. The Meizu MX also features a Meizu-only innovation, namely our patented situation-aware bottom light keys.

MX offers ample connectivity and media sharing options such as a micro USB port, coaxial digital audio output, MHL, USB Host and other features.

A 16GB version of the MX will be available January 1, 2012 priced at 2 999 CNY.

With the MX, Meizu is taking its first steps into the international market. Meizu is opening a store later this month in Hong Kong, on Sai Yeung Choi Street, Mong Kok.

About Meizu
Founded in 2003, we began producing music players which later came to be world renowned. Since 2008, all our efforts have been focused on making great smartphones, which have made us one of China’s most loved smartphone makers.

Since the beginning, something we have always held dear was the power of daring to dream. We believe in focus, in doing few things, but doing them really well. To us, focus is the key to achieving and exceeding our dreams. In focusing, our team is devoted, plans for the long-term, and strives for perfection. As a company, we want to transcend convention and imagination, with the ultimate goal of making products worthy of dreaming about.

Meizu International Division
Address: Unit 01-02, 19/F, Hollywood Plaza, 610 Nathan Road, Mongkok, Kowloon, Hong Kong
Press contact: [email protected]
Mobile: +852 9383 6433
http://www.meizu.com.hk[/toggle]

December 6, 2011
Google Testing Ice Cream Sandwich on Nexus S – Works Great

Google employees are testing Ice Cream Goodness on the Nexus S and apparently it works great. This means that if you are rocking a Nexus S you are only weeks away from receiving an official update to the next delicious version. The company is also hoping to remove any and all kinks during this test process so that they can deliver a very stable bug free version for an update.

Tasty treats anyone?

[Android Police]

December 5, 2011
Motorola working on two new Razr tablets with LTE

Motorola Mobility Droid Xyboard in two sizes: a larger 10-inch design and a smaller 8-inch may be coming out soon. Several images and rumors later the company finally showed their goods to Cnet. Both come with a 1.2GHz CPU, 1GB of RAM and a five-megapixel camera, along with a 1.3 megapixel front-facing cam. They’re also coated in Corning Gorilla Glass.

Cnet said both are “thinner than a AAA battery and lighter than a paperback book.”

The stylus-equipped ten-inch version is reportedly geared toward the enterprise market, whereas its little brother is described as more media-friendly and aimed towards the consumer. Both these tablets are set to launch with US carrier Verizon, therefore these will be sim free CDMA devices. Unlocked versions are expected to release in the form of XOOM tablets for GSM and global consumption in 2012.

[CNET]

December 5, 2011
Google Maps on Android now with indoor locations

If you have updated to the latest version of Google Maps on Android, you will now notice that Maps is now updating indoor locations on its maps app. Google Maps 6.0, which is a free update for phones loaded with Android 2.1 and up, will bring you intimate details of many shopping centres and airports in the US and Japan. The app is also sensitive to which floor you’re on, so if you go up an escalator in the shopping centre, the list of stores will update.

Now this is seriously useful utilization of your portable handheld device.

[Google Blog]

November 30, 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
ARM launches Android dev kit, focus on Power management (PR)

ARM is playing its fever and has launched the Android Development Kit for ARM SOC and other chipsets. With the release of Development Studio 5 Community Edition, the company has expanded its dev kit’s repertoire to include not just Linux, but Google’s Linux-based mobile OS we all know and love. DS-5 even integrates with the standard Android SDK as well as Eclipse IDE.

[toggle title_open=”Press Release” title_closed=”Press Release” hide=”yes” border=”yes” style=”default” excerpt_length=”0″ read_more_text=”Read More” read_less_text=”Read Less” include_excerpt_html=”no”]ARM Launches Free Toolkit For Android Application Developer Community
28 November 2011

ARM® Development Studio 5 Community Edition helps Android™ application developers create native software that can run up to 4 times faster than Java code.

Cambridge, UK – 28th November 2011 – ARM today announced the release of the ARM® Development Studio 5 (DS-5™) Community Edition (CE) – a free-to-use edition of its reference software development toolkit. The new edition is dedicated to the Android application developer community and helps them create native software for compute intensive tasks that can run up to 4 times faster than Java code. DS-5 CE complements the standard SDK and NDK Android development kits by offering developers a unique set of tools to help them achieve the performance and energy-efficiency advantages made possible when ARM native code is used in Android applications.

DS-5 Community Edition includes limited, but essential functionality from the premium DS-5 toolkit to help solve common Android application developer pain points. It achieves this by providing an integrated graphical debugger for NDK-generated code and visibility of advanced processor information, including ARM NEON™ Single Instruction Multiple Data (SIMD) registers. The new toolkit permits development of Java and C/C++ code in the same Eclipse integrated development environment (IDE) to maximise productivity and ease of use.

DS-5 Community Edition features a tailored version of the ARM Streamline™ Performance Analyzer for use with compatible Android development platforms. Streamline captures detailed, system-wide performance statistics from a variety of sources which helps developers to locate hotspots in their code and isolate potential causes. Platform builders can add support for Streamline by integrating an open source driver available from the Linaro website.

“With over half a million apps on the Android market today, developers need to deliver an outstanding user experience to succeed commercially,” said John Cornish, executive vice president and general manager, system design division, ARM. “ARM DS-5 Community Edition offers developers an easy to use environment for debugging and optimizing C/C++ code. This allows them to take full advantage of ARM processor technology using native code to deliver the performance and functionality that consumers demand.”

Partner Quotes:

“We have been using DS-5 extensively for system level debugging and performance tuning”, said Duan ZhiQiang, CTO, Thundersoft. “With the release of the Community Edition, it will enable our ISV and IHV partners to access similar capabilities, improving our platform as an application development target and expanding its ecosystem.”

“The community edition of DS-5 (DS-5 CE) will further reduce the barriers to open source development on ARM. We have worked closely with ARM to ensure that DS-5 support is available as an easy to install add-on for Linaro Ubuntu images in the past and are working together to deliver a similar convenient developer experience for DS-5 CE as part of our Android images”, said Alexander Sack, Platform Technical Director, Linaro. “This initiative will help users of the community edition take full advantage of Linaro optimized images.”

“The release of ARM DS-5 Community Edition is welcomed by Orange and solves some of the pain points of Android native apps developers”, said Yves Christol, Head of Advanced Software Centre, Devices, Orange.

Availability

The DS-5 CE is available free-of-charge for use by individuals and organizations with annual revenue of $100,000 or less, and up to 10 employees. DS-5 CE is available from ARM and can be downloaded now. For more information go to:

DS-5 CE: http://www.arm.com/ds5community
DS-5: http://www.arm.com/ds5
Linaro platform evaluation builds http://www.linaro.org/downloads/

About ARM

ARM designs the technology that lies at the heart of advanced digital products, from wireless, networking and consumer entertainment solutions to imaging, automotive, security and storage devices. ARM’s comprehensive product offering includes 32-bit RISC microprocessors, graphics processors, video engines, enabling software, cell libraries, embedded memories, high-speed connectivity products, peripherals and development tools. Combined with comprehensive design services, training, support and maintenance, and the company’s broad Partner community, they provide a total system solution that offers a fast, reliable path to market for leading electronics companies. Find out more about ARM by following these links:

ARM website: http://www.arm.com/
ARM Connected Community: http://www.arm.com/community/
ARM Blogs: http://blogs.arm.com/
ARMFlix on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/ARMflix
ARM on Twitter:
o http://twitter.com/ARMMobile
o http://twitter.com/ARMCommunity
o http://twitter.com/ARMEmbedded
o http://twitter.com/ARMLowPwr
o http://twitter.com/ARMTools
o http://twitter.com/ARMMultimedia

ARM is a registered trademark of ARM Limited. Cortex, Connected Community and MPCore are trademarks of ARM Limited. All other brands or product names are the property of their respective holders. “ARM” is used to represent ARM Holdings plc; its operating company ARM Limited; and the regional subsidiaries ARM Inc.; ARM KK; ARM Korea Limited.; ARM Taiwan Limited; ARM France SAS; ARM Consulting (Shanghai) Co. Ltd.; ARM Germany GmbH; ARM Embedded Technologies Pvt. Ltd.; ARM Norway, AS and ARM Sweden AB[/toggle]

[ARM]

November 29, 2011