Sony is just about ready to launch their new unibody marvel into the market, and we go unboxing and hands-on, iGyaan Style. The new smart phone has an amazing unibody construction with the top part as a plastic shield to allow network connections.
India, China and Vietnam have all seen triple digit percentage growths in 3G penetration since last year, according to the report by venture capital firm KPCB. Also out of the 663 million online users added over the last three years major chunk comes from India and China. According to the report boon in connectivity is also being pushed by the broader availability of 3G data connections. However , the lack of properly set infrastructure leads to incorrect number swapping. You can read the full report below.
Netgear has just launched the new NETGEAR R6300 WiFi Router; the first 802.11ac dual band gigabit WiFi router enabling 5th generation WiFi (5G WiFi) at gigabit speeds. The new router is powered by Broadcom’s 5G WiFi IEEE 802.11ac chips and is up to three times faster than traditional 802.11n routers.
The R6300 WiFi Router has speeds of up to 1300 Mbps on 5GHz and 450 Mbps on 2.4GHz.
Features Include
NETGEAR Genie®: This free app for PCs, Macs, iOS and Android smartphones and tablets enables home users to control, monitor, repair, and manage their home networks easily through a simple, elegant dashboard. NETGEAR customers can download the utility at http://www.netgear.com/genie or from the Google Play or App Store.
NETGEAR MyMediaTM: The NETGEAR Genie mobile app feature provides the ability to find photos, video or music files anywhere on the network and play them on a DLNA media player.
AirPrint TM Support: The NETGEAR Genie app enables users to print on any USB or networked printer directly from an iPad or iPhone.
Guest network access: The NETGEAR Genie app makes setting up a guest network simple. Guests and visitors can go online through the router without the need for secure login information. The guest network also prevents users from seeing and accessing a household’s computers, printers, storage devices and other home network devices.
ReadySHARE® Printer: Makes it easy to turn any existing USB printer into a fully functional networked printer that is fully compatible with Macs and PCs.
Media Server-DLNA: The R6300 Router is DLNA ready and can stream to any DLNA compatible device in your house, including the latest Smart TVs, Blu-ray players, media players, game consoles, handheld devices, tablets and more.
NETGEAR Live Parental Controls: Centralized, flexible, and reliable parental control solution for all the devices on the network, including Macs, Windows PCs, smartphones and tablets, for a safe online environment for children and teenagers. No subscription is required.
Automatic WiFi Security: Comes with wireless security turned on out-of-the-box, complete with a pre-configured network name and password, protecting home WiFi networks by default.
Easy Installation: No CD required so users can set it up with smartphones, tablets, ultrabooks, and even MacBook Air.
2 USB ports: To simultaneously support USB storage and USB printer on the router.
The NETGEAR R6300 WiFi Router will be available in May starting at $199.99. (Rs. 11,045)
[toggle_box title=”Press Release” width=”Width of toggle box”]
New Delhi, Delhi, May 10, 2012 /India PRwire/ — NETGEAR®, Inc. (NASDAQGM: NTGR), a global networking company that delivers innovative products to consumers, businesses and service providers, today announced the availability of the NETGEAR R6300 WiFi Router; the first 802.11ac dual band gigabit WiFi router enabling 5th generation WiFi (5G WiFi) at gigabit speeds. The router is also backwards compatible with 802.11a/b/g/n which provides optimum interoperability with legacy WiFi devices.
The NETGEAR R6300 WiFi Router, powered by Broadcom’s 5G WiFi IEEE 802.11ac chips, is up to three times faster than today’s 802.11n routers. With an elegant new design that fits perfectly in consumers’ living spaces, the router increases the coverage area for HD streaming in the home. The NETGEAR R6300 WiFi Router has speeds of up to 1300 Mbps on 5GHz and 450 Mbps on 2.4GHz enabling consumers to download web content from any device in the home in a fraction of the time it would take on a similar 802.11n device.
The upcoming 802.11ac wireless standard is the world’s fastest WiFi, providing gigabit WiFi speeds allowing for web content to download faster, and large video or music files to synch more quickly. The increased speed of 802.11ac technology is ideal for mobile devices, like smartphones and tablets, by providing three times the performance for a similar amount of battery consumption of devices utilizing the current 802.11n WiFi standard.
Other advanced features of the NETGEAR R6300 WiFi Router include:
NETGEAR Genie®: This free app for PCs, Macs, iOS and Android smartphones and tablets enables home users to control, monitor, repair, and manage their home networks easily through a simple, elegant dashboard. NETGEAR customers can download the utility at http://www.netgear.com/genie or from the Google Play or App Store.
NETGEAR MyMediaTM: The NETGEAR Genie mobile app feature provides the ability to find photos, video or music files anywhere on the network and play them on a DLNA media player.
AirPrint TM Support: The NETGEAR Genie app enables users to print on any USB or networked printer directly from an iPad or iPhone.
Guest network access: The NETGEAR Genie app makes setting up a guest network simple. Guests and visitors can go online through the router without the need for secure login information. The guest network also prevents users from seeing and accessing a household’s computers, printers, storage devices and other home network devices.
ReadySHARE® Printer: Makes it easy to turn any existing USB printer into a fully functional networked printer that is fully compatible with Macs and PCs.
Media Server-DLNA: The R6300 Router is DLNA ready and can stream to any DLNA compatible device in your house, including the latest Smart TVs, Blu-ray players, media players, game consoles, handheld devices, tablets and more.
NETGEAR Live Parental Controls: Centralized, flexible, and reliable parental control solution for all the devices on the network, including Macs, Windows PCs, smartphones and tablets, for a safe online environment for children and teenagers. No subscription is required.
Automatic WiFi Security: Comes with wireless security turned on out-of-the-box, complete with a pre-configured network name and password, protecting home WiFi networks by default.
Easy Installation: No CD required so users can set it up with smartphones, tablets, ultrabooks, and even MacBook Air.
2 USB ports: To simultaneously support USB storage and USB printer on the router.
“802.11ac is the next-generation of WiFi connectivity and is set to revolutionize the way we consume content wirelessly by delivering Internet speeds up to three times faster than consumers are used to experiencing,” said David Henry, vice president of product management, retail products at NETGEAR. “NETGEAR’s leadership in the industry, and collaboration with Broadcom to introduce the first 802.11ac router, will future proof your network by ensuring your home is capable of supporting new faster 802.11ac devices as they begin to roll out this year.”
Pricing and Availability
The NETGEAR R6300 WiFi Router will be available in May starting at $199.99.
More Information
Learn more about the NETGEAR R6300 WiFi Router at www.netgear.com/R6300 and more about 802.11ac/5G WiFi, the next generation in WiFi at www.netgear.com/80211ac and www.5GWiFi.org.
Notes to Editor
About NETGEAR, Inc.
NETGEAR (NASDAQGM: NTGR) is a global networking company that delivers innovative products to consumers, businesses and service providers. For consumers, the company makes high performance, dependable and easy to use home networking, storage and digital media products to connect people with the Internet and their content and devices. For businesses, NETGEAR provides networking, storage and security solutions without the cost and complexity of big IT. The company also supplies top service providers with retail proven, whole home solutions for their customers. NETGEAR products are built on a variety of proven technologies such as wireless, Ethernet and Powerline, with a focus on reliability and ease-of-use. NETGEAR products are sold in approximately 29,000 retail locations around the globe, and through approximately 36,000 value-added resellers. The company’s headquarters are in San Jose, Calif., with additional offices in 25 countries. NETGEAR is an ENERGY STAR® partner. More information is available at http://www.NETGEAR.com or by calling (408) 907-8000. Connect with NETGEAR at http://twitter.com/NETGEAR and http://www.facebook.com/NETGEAR
The Sony Xperia S, was launched recently in India, and despite the high price and low specs seems to doing just great in the market. The device has an impressive display one of the best till date, with a 1280×720 px resolution crammed into a 4.3 inch display along with the Mobile Bravia Engine .
First impressions of the device make you feel like the phone is more eye-candy and less functional, but that is quickly changed when you power on the device and the crisp display shows up. The phone appears to be very functional and responsive.
At the heart of the device is a Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM8260 Dual Core chipset with 1.5GHz of speed, and a Adreno 220 GPU . The Xperia S has an whopping 12 megapixels of camera resolution at the back with full HD 1080p video capability. On the front is a 1.3 MP camera which is however capable of 720p video aswell.
The design is brilliant and the glowing bar in the bottom area looks exceptionally good. The back panel opens up to give access to the micro-sim slot, the battery is a 1750 mAh battery and is not changeable. The phone has a 16GB store with no micro SD expandability.
Check out the Images and size comparisons below and stay tuned for the full video review.
Blackberry is really trying hard to regain lost traction in the Indian Mobile market. After several price drops the company is now considering desperate measures, and in the said attempt has launched a new mobile device for India. The new Blackberry 9220 belongs to the curve class, and is know as the “most affordable” Blackberry, priced at Rs. 10990 (US $ 219).
Whats more the company is adding in a free set of apps worth Rs. 2500 (about $50) if you get on board before June 30th. This unique blackberry also has a FM radio and Wifi capabilities, but is lacking a 3G radio. You also get a 2MP (no flash) camera and 512MB of Ram, an expandable microSD slot. The display is a 2.44 inch 240×320 px LCD and the battery is a fairly big 1450 mAh.
RIM Introduces a New, Easy to Use and Easy to Own BlackBerry Smartphone for India
Sleek, stylish, affordable BlackBerry Curve 9220 puts Indians in control of their social life
India – Research In Motion (RIM) (NASDAQ: RIMM; TSX: RIM) today announced its most affordable BlackBerry® 7 smartphone for customers in India. The new BlackBerry® Curve™ 9220 smartphone offers all the market-leading BlackBerry messaging and social-centric features that people love in India. Designed to be easy to use and easy to own, this compact and sleek smartphone provides many conveniences and applications to help keep users connected to the people and information that matter most to them. It also offers the longest lasting battery life yet in a BlackBerry Curve model, allowing users to make the most of their day.
“India is a very important market for RIM and we are extremely proud and excited to officially unveil and launch the new BlackBerry Curve 9220 for the first time here in India,” said Carlo Chiarello, SVP, Smartphone Business at Research In Motion.
“The new BlackBerry Curve 9220 offers a unique mobile experience that young Indians will love thanks to its affordable pricing and unmatched messaging and social connectivity features,” said Sunil Dutt, Managing Director for India at RIM.
The BlackBerry Curve 9220 has everything a user needs to stay socially connected throughout the day. It even features a dedicated BBM™ key, bringing the power of RIM’s popular mobile social network up in an instant. The Facebook® for BlackBerry and Twitter® for BlackBerry apps are included as well as Social Feeds, which allows users to post updates to multiple social applications simultaneously and capture updates from news sources (RSS), social apps and instant messaging apps all in one consolidated view.
BlackBerry® 7.1 OS supports the full complement of BlackBerry services and the smartphone’s built in Wi-Fi® can provide smooth and fast Internet browsing without incurring mobile data usage costs. It also includes a built-in FM radio, allowing users to tune into their favorite local stations, and listening to the FM radio does not require a data plan or use data services.
The user experience with this compact and sleek smartphone is further enhanced with a long lasting battery, giving users up to 7 hours of talk time or up to 28 hours of music playback or FM radio listening on headphones.
Free applications for download
As part of the launch in India, BlackBerry Curve 9220 customers can download a selection of apps from BlackBerry App World worth 2500 Rupees, for free*. The offer is valid until June 30, 2012 and includes a wide range of apps that will roll out in a phased manner, including utilities, games and other apps. Pencil Camera, Photo Studio Pro, Horoscope Oracle – Follow Your Lucky Stars, Drive Safely Pro and Ultimate Cricket are just a few of the popular apps that will be available through this promotional offer.
The BlackBerry Curve 9220 will be available from April 19th for purchase from authorized retailers and distributors across India. It is expected to be available in other markets starting in the coming weeks. For more information please visit: http://in.blackberry.com/Curve
* Separate data charges may apply for users on limited data plans.
Another one of those duos phones, the Samsung Star 3 Duos is the next version of the Samsung Star Series and is a great add on to their existing lineup. Priced just in the Rs. 5000 price bracket the phone delivers quite a bunch of surprises.
Wifi, Dual sim, Facebook, Twitter, and even Sammy’s own Chat On messenger – the TouchWIz esque UI is a good add on as well. The phone feels great in the users hand is well built for a long lasting experience.
Good speakers and microphone make it a good phone aswell. The network seems capable, although the range of the wireless is weak according to us.
The Micromax A73 was next right after the A78 Superfone Gossip, The new A73 Superfone Buzz is a great add-on to the market of dual-sim devices. Android 2.3, capacitive touch , great design and a quick video by Bharat , The price of this phone is just Rs. 7400/-. Check it out
If you already haven’t checked out our videos , Bharat went and unboxed the A78 for you a couple of days back. The A78 Superfone gossip is a QWERTY + Touch dual sim Android 2.3 device and brings a lot to the table. The Phone is priced at Rs. 8000/-.
Intex has just launched their new iTab (names don’t get any better than this). The new iTab priced at Rs. 11990 features a poor capacitive two point touch, with Android 2.3 Gingerbread, which appears to be customized in the images.
Under the hood is a 1 GHz cortex A8 core processor, an 8GB internal memory , Wi-Fi, GPS, 360 degree G-Sensor and a 5000 mAh battery. You can get 3G using the Intex 3G dongle on the USB 2.0 port. Apps like Word, Excel and Power Point viewer, Adobe Reader, Android Market, Angry Birds, Solitaire and Talking Tom are preloaded.
The product is already available throughout the country via the Intex dealers, Intex plans to launch new tablets with in-built 3G in 7-inch and 10-inch flavors. We don’t know if can can arrange a review unit, we will try none the less.
Exclusive news coming in for iGyaan, As per various sources including some top level executives at Samsung, we have been able to confirm that the much awaited Galaxy Nexus will not be coming to India in January. Although confirmed reports of the handsets being available in warehouses of the company. For some reason Samsung is not selling the devices just as yet.
The Galaxy Nexus is expected to be launched on Feb 20th 2012, availability should follow soon after. The Galaxy Nexus is the first phone to officially get ICS out of the box, but is the last phone to arrive to India in the recent times.
The phone features a impressive spec list, plus excellent features including Android Beam, Face unlock, Siri type voice dictation. The Nexus has a 720 x 1280 pixels, 4.65 inch curved Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen.
The device has been more than well awaited, so much so, that it may actually be too late for the device to hit India. With the rumors of a Galaxy S3 abound MWC 2012, we can only hope the Indian consumer still wants a 6 month old phone. The pricing on this phone rumored to hit Rs. 30,000 during launch, although we have personally seen packaged boxes with a price of Rs. 27,000/- . It is said that these phones were brought in the initial lot, before pricing was revised.
The booking form for registration, has been up on google.co.in/nexus for some time, hopefully not for much longer.
Stay tuned for updates.
Update :
The news of the Galaxy Nexus launch has been bothersome to a lot of people, especially those looking forward to buying one. There are several claims for the Nexus and we are unable to get a official quote from the company as to why its taking so long.
According to our sources, the company has got the stocks of the Nexus, but is speculating even placing the product in the market due to forex fluctuations. It could be possible that Samsung never launches the Galaxy Nexus in India (oh the disappointment), on the flip side : first week of March also seems like a probability.
Samsung has finally brought the three well awaited phones to the Indian market, the Y duos and Y pro duos are dual sim versions of the existing Y and Y pro, with a slight bit of difference between the two the physical keyboard, a 2.6-inch LQVGA display and 1,350mAh battery in the Galaxy Y Pro Duos. Both devices feature 832MHz processor, Android 2.3 OS, 3MP fixed-focus camera, front-facing VGA camera (Pro Duos only), TouchWiz UI, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Samsung Apps, Social Hub and ChatON support. Galaxy Y Duos and Galaxy Y Pro Duos are priced at Rs. 10,490 and Rs. 11,090 respectively.
The Ace Duos will feature CDMA/GSM capability with active standby. Powered by an 832MHz processor, Android 2.3 OS, 3.5-inch HVGA display, EVDO Rev. A support and 1650mAh battery. It is priced at Rs. 16,900.
Finally a commendable CDMA/GSM phone from a promising vendor.
The Microsoft India Store was hacked in India earlier today and users who visited the site were met with a “Anonymous” like image and the name of the hacker group called Evil Shadow Team, who, in addition to putting a new face on Windows products, revealed that user passwords were saved in plain text.
The intentions of the group are unknown , but since the attack the site has gone down and is now under tinkering from Microsoft for improved security measures.
State-run Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) plans to outsource operation and maintenance (O&M) of its 40,000 telecom towers across the country.
BSNL has proposed to set up tower operating centres (TOCs) at each of its circles, a tender inviting comments from interested parties till January 23 has been issued by the company. A TOC would have a centralised web-based monitoring system and the access would be with BSNL.
According to BSNL officials this would cut costs down by 50% and therefore also free up the over worked and used up staff. This step may have come after the company recent financial situation. BSNL posted a loss of Rs 1,823 crore in financial year 2009-10 and about Rs 6,000 crore in 2010-11. Its revenue came down toRs 28,876 crore in 2010-11 fromRs 32,072 crore in 2009-10.
The contract would be valid for three years and would carry an extension for two years if required. The company hopes that private enterprise would improve overall performance from the company. Chairman and managing director R K Upadhyay had said it expected to get Rs 3,000 crore from this segment in the current financial year. The company is also hoping for an overall 15% increase in revenues from circle management and improvement.
The Time for a change, in the way we look at smartphones, has come to India, funnily enough technology has started to come to our shores than faster the time it takes to penetrate the Western Hemisphere.
The Samsung Galaxy Note is a device that is being targeted as a Hybrid device and trust us, its doing wonders for Samsung aswell. So why does the Samsung Galaxy Note spin a different note? We’ll tell you why!
Build Quality
The Galaxy Note is simply well built, with an awesome bezel that looks like metal – feels like metal – is strong like metal, but is actually a plastic composite. The back cover is a larger version of the flimsy plastic we saw on the S2 Review, somehow it seems a bit more durable on the Note. The front of the Note features a gorilla glass-type reinforced display, which is a very tough, scratch and impact resistant glass. But, its not invincible and the glass is raised above the bezel, which makes it a point of worry for us considering the large size of the Note (5.3 Inch Display).
Hardware
In terms of specs, the Note is really top notch. check out the full list below.
Manufacturer
Samsung
Phone Style
Touchscreen + Hybrid Pen Input
OS
Android 2.3.5 Gingerbread + Touchwiz
Thickness
9.7 mm
Length
146.9mm
Width
83mm
Weight
178g
Built-in Memory
16/32GB, 1 GB RAM
Additional Memory
Up to 32GB, 2 GB included
High-speed Data
GPRS, HSDPA,Wi-Fi,
Connectivity
Bluetooth, USB
Screen Size
5.3-inch screen Super-Amoled Display
Processor
Dual-core 1.4GHz ARM Cortex-A9 proccessor
Screen Colours
16M colors
Camera
8 megapixels + LED flash + HD Video 1080p
Radio
Yes
Speaker
Yes
Internet
Yes
Browser
HTML
Games
Yes
Battery
Li-Ion 2500 mAh
Display, Camera and Multimedia
One of the most beautiful displays to cross our paths the Note has a gorgeous 5.3 inch Super AMOLED display which has a resolution of 1280x 800 px. The display replicates black on the screen and the depth of color actually shows on the screen. Pioneers in the AMOLED display industry, Samsung has really proved their point. Watch movies or play games, the end resultant is stunning Visuals. The MultiTouch capacitive display has 10 point input system, which makes for a brilliant touch experience. Fruit Ninja anyone?
The camera has an 8MP sensor that does wide angle imaging and a stunning video at full hd 1080p. The endless list of settings in the Note allow for users to really tweak their cameras before they go about snapping the world or themselves using the 2MP front camera.
Sound quality from the device is good, the speaker is loud enough and media is simply amazing considering the large AMOLED monster of a display. The movies playback really smooth and its actually an experience to watch on this device. Brilliance in all multimedia aspects, including the most unused feature of an FM radio.
Tablet-Phone and S PEN.
The device is not quite a tablet and is definitely much more than a simple phone, hence a hybrid title. The device has the most impressive form factor to deal with both aspects. Although it runs Android 2.3 GB, it going to be one of the first devices to get ICS by Samsung. The TouchWIz user interface cleans up the Note to a much deeper level than ever possible on Android. The custom editing and look of the device when you power it on is very clean and therefore is preferred by users.
From Editing documents , to making presentations, the Note has the screen real estate and the juice to do what the work demands. Combined with the realistic and lifelike S Pen the Note actually hands you a Magic Wand to play around with. We detailed the S Pen in a video you will find in the links below, but to sum it up, you can crop, edit, scribble, write and draw, convert writing to text and even sign documents with the SPen, great job Samsung!
Phone Calling and Messaging
The Samsung Galaxy Note is a brilliant phone, considering it comes with a loud earpiece and a very good quality mic. The network reception on the Note is also very solid. With no dropped calls and excellent network connections including HSPA and 3G , we were impressed with the network handling of the chipset within the Note.
The screen is large enough to accommodate the largest of fingers, and with a 10 point input, its practically impossible to miss the keys while typing. The standard keyboard includes swype for the drag and type – types. The Samsung keyboard can also be replaced with a host of others available in the Android Marketplace for free as well as a minor premium.
Internet and Battery Life
We found the performance of the Galaxy Note great in all aspects especially the internet and data transfer access. The Note handles all apps in a wonderful fashion so allows the full use of the World wide web and its applications. The device is a great bit of joy to read your books on , or even get the latest news, get updates on your stock purchases all with the flick of your wrist.
Battery life was bit of a shocker initially, especially when we got really low run times with a massive 2500 mAh battery pack. The culprit was data usage, and the OS is not optimized in the best possible fashion to handle media. A few tweaks of the background data usage setting and we got the following usage life :
2G Usage
3G Usage
Wifi Usage
Calling
7 Hours
4.8 hours
– NA-
Standby Time
3 Days
2 Days
7 Days
Internet
7 Hours
4 Hours
11 Hours
Gameplay Multiplayer
4 Hours
3.75 Hours
5 Hours
Conclusion
The Galaxy Note is an amazing device, the best possible device, but only if you plan to use it intensively the way its meant to handle the usage. The S-Pen adds functionality we only dreamt of on devices during the time of i-mate and O2 XDA phones. Its definitely a great device for a business user, also for a person looking to make a consolidated investment b/w phone and Tablet. The screen is beautiful the performance great and the experience difficult to replicate with any other device available today. The device is slim enough to fit a pocket, yet large enough to feel awkward when you hold it to your face.
