Tag: phone

Meizu MX Quad-core with Android 4.0 ICS coming in June (PR)

Meizu is one company that kept its hype going since the beginning. With the launch of their new Meizu MX Quad Core the company is yet again trying to prove that it is not behind when it comes to staying up to date. Called the MX Quad-core, this new device will be powered by a Cortex-A9-based, 32nm HKMG (High-K Metal Gate) quad-core Samsung Exynos chip, which supposedly clocks in at 1.5 GHz.

Meizu claims the battery life is 20% better compared to the dual core MX, also the upgraded 1700 mAh battery probably plays a major role in that aspect. Other specs include a 4-inch 960 x 640 ASV display, an 8 MP BSI camera. 32GB for ¥2,999 (US$480, INR 25,000) in China and HK$3,099 (US$400, INR 20,000) in Hong Kong; 64GB version priced at ¥3,999 (US$635, INR 32,000) and HK$4,099 (US$530, INR 26,500)), respectively.

The price of the Original Meizu MX has been reduced starting today.

[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”]

MEIZU officially announces the new MEIZU MX Quad-core

MEIZU announces the world’s first smartphone with the quad-core Exynos A9 CPU

HONG KONG – April 16, 2012 – MEIZU today announces the brand new MEIZU MX Quad-core smartphone to be available in June this year. Among many surprises, the MEIZU MX Quad-core is the first smartphone in the world to use the brand new and powerful Exynos A9 quad-core processor.

The MX Quad-core uses a power efficient quad-core Exynos A9 CPU with industry-leading 32 nm HKMG technology which has been optimized to reduce CPU power consumption by up to 20%. In addition, it will last even longer with a new 1700mAh battery.

With its state-of-the art hardware, the MEIZU MX Quad-core is better in every way than its predecessor. The MEIZU MX Quad-core CPU is 60% faster, and GPU 50% faster compared to the previous MX. Whether it is browsing through menus, playing the latest games, or watching 1080p video, the MX Quad-core easily beats dual-core devices.

MX Quad-core comes with a vivid 292 PPI high definition ASV display. With no visible pixels on the screen, it provides the user with the ideal smartphone viewing experience. On the back side, the MX Quad-core has an 8 megapixel BSI camera with an f/2.2 lens aperture, capable of taking great photos even in low light conditions. The MX Quad-core will come with MEIZU’s unique Flyme OS based on Android 4.0, providing users with beauty, simplicity and buttery smooth performance at every interaction.

The MEIZU MX Quad-core will be available in MEIZU’s 400 retail stores during June at ¥2999/3999 CNY and $3099/4099 HKD for capacities 32GB and 64GB in Mainland China and Hong Kong, respectively. With MX Quad-core, the company also releases MX back covers in five colors in addition to the original white, allowing users to experience the MX on their own terms. Coinciding with the announcement of MEIZU MX Quad-core, the MEIZU MX will have its price adjusted to ¥2399 CNY and $2599 HKD in Mainland China and Hong Kong respectively. The reduced price for the MEIZU MX is effective as of April 16, 2012.

[/toggle]

April 16, 2012
Nokia Asha 303 launched in India for Rs. 8899
Nokia is finally bringing the Asha 303 to India for a price of Rs. 8899 this QWERTY phone was announced in 2011, and is now on sale for as low as 7750/- at some online retailers. It also comes bundled with 1GB of free Vodafone 3G/2G data per month for 4 months incase thats your network of choice.

The Asha 303 is powered by a 1 GHz processor, has a 2.6-inch (320 x 240 pixels) capacitive touch display and a full QWERTY keyboard. For optics there is a 3.2MP Full Focus camera with video recording at 15 fps. The Asha 303 has 170MB internal memory with 32GB expandability options vis microSD.

The phone comes with DRM-free Nokia Music Unlimited service. It is only 13.9 mm thick and weighs only 99g.

Other Specs:
- 3G, HSPA Quad-band Network
- WiFi 802.11b/g/n , Bluetooth 2.1 +EDR
- Stereo FM Radio with RDS and MP3 music player
- Facebook, Shazam
- 1300 mAh battery with 7.2h talk time and 731h standb
March 21, 2012
New YouTube Android App brings HD Streams to your Old Androids

Still rocking Froyo or Gingerbread devices that fail to stream in HD? Fret no more, the new app update from YouTube will bring HD res YouTube streams to all those devices. Although Honeycomb and ICS devices have been rocking this for some time now, the new app now allows streaming on all those devices that were left out.

Still not all devices will be able to enjoy this app as the update is dependent on screen size and resolution. Alternatively you can find the .apk online and install it! which may or may not work for you.

[Android Market]

March 4, 2012
ASUS PadFone comes to life officially, 4.3-inch Super AMOLED, ICS April Release (PR)

Ah the infamous Asus PadFone, shown off last year to tease us with its dual functionality, the company has finally introduced the device at the MWC 2012. The phone part of this hybrid has a 4.3-inch Super AMOLED qHD display, Snapdragon’s new dual-core S4 chip, an Adreno 225 GPU, Ice Cream Sandwich and an 8-megapixel rear camera with an LED flash and f/2.2, with autofocus.

The phone has 16-64 Gb capacity options plus MicroSD (32 GB) , Bluetooth 4.0, HDMI, GPS, A-GPS, a gyroscope, 1,520mAh battery and a compass. The phone has a thin profile with only 9.2mm thickness.

But the best feature of the PadFone is its ability to slide into a tablet housing ( a 10 inch tablet housing), and not only operate as a full fledged tablet but also charge in there. The Tablet part of the PadFone will have its own standalone battery pack and a much higher resolution, did we mention a S-Pen esque stylus will also be included.

You can also optionally opt in for a Keyboard dock. The PadFone will start shipping in April 2012 (finally!) , no information on pricing.

MORE MWC NEWS CLICK HERE

February 27, 2012
ViewSonic launches 3 dual sim phones with Ice Cream Sandwich

ViewSonic has just released three new smartphones into the market the 4s (not to be confused with iPhone 4s ), 4e and 5e.

The ViewPhone 4s features a 3.5-inch 960 x 640 Super Clear IPS LCD (identical to the real 4s) along with a five-megapixel camera, a VGA front-facing imager and a 1GHz chip, the second device the ViewPhone 4e has a 3.5-inch 480 x 320 LCD, a slower processor at 650MHz only, a three-megapixel camera and one extra touch button. The third one aka the 5e has a lower 800 × 480 resolution and a larger 5 inch screen.

February 25, 2012

Samsung Galaxy Note Gt N7000 Review – iG Video and Pics

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.

We Rate the Note 4.75 /5.0

Price : Rs. 32500/-

Videos

Images

January 11, 2012

Windows Phone Marketplace crosses 50,000 Apps mark

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

[All About Windows Phone]

December 29, 2011
Samsung Galaxy Note S Pen Demo – Features : Video

The Galaxy Note Review is long pending, and coming soon. But before we really look at that, we take out the time to highlight the features of the S-PEN, the stylus type capacitive pen. The PEN is actually ( according to us) one of the major reasons the Note is such a wonderful device. Check out the full video below.

December 28, 2011
Airtight brings Airplay features Google TV

Have an iOS device but miss the Airplay feature because you didn’t get the Apple TV ? Well Airtight is the answer, considering you got Google TV instead. A simple app that costs only 99 cents allows you to use any Airplay enabled device like an iPad or iPhone to share with a Google TV on the same network. It currently works with only sharing of Non-DRM Movies, and Music and direct mirroring is not yet supported. So a US $ 99 Apple TV seems like a better option if you still haven’t invested in a Google TV.

[Airtight]

December 28, 2011
Samsung Galaxy Note to get a Qualcomm chip in the US, Leave Exynos, add 4G LTE

Looks like fragmentation continues for Samsung on their global launch platforms. The Galaxy Note for the US At&t is said to sport a dual-core 1.5GHz MSM8660 Qualcomm chip. Everything else will remain the same, including the brilliant 5.3 inch screen, and smart pen features. The new radios will support 700MHz / 1700MHz bands to power up the LTE.

[PocketNow]

December 16, 2011
Windows Phone 7.5 SMS bug found, requires a Hard Reset to fix

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

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

December 16, 2011
Pick : iG Holiday Gift Guide : Mobile Phones under 10,000
Tis’ still the season to be jolly and our next guide covers all sorts of phones we recommend under Ra. 10,000 check it out.

Android Phones

Samsung Galaxy Y (Rs. 7150/-) Android 2.3, a cheap price, 3 inch capacitive touch, 835 Mhz processor, a good 2MP camera and decent performance. We recommend it.

Alternatives
- LG Optimus Net (Rs. 9999)
- Dell XCD 35 (Rs. 8599)
- Micromax Andro A70 (Rs. 7500)
Android Qwerty

Not a lot of options in this category

LG Optimus Pro C666 (Rs 9599) Android 2.3, 800MHz processor, full QWERTY, 2.8 inch touchscreen, that the best you can get in this price. The only other option is the Motorola Fire, which we don’t recommend.

Blackberry

There are not many blackberry devices that can fit in this price bracket but you can get lucky.

Blackberry Curve 8520 (Rs. 9800) The blackberry messenger, push mail, and enterprise ready support, along with upgradability to BB OS5. not much you can ask for in the 10,000 price bracket. The device is a favorite with Blackberry addicted college going ladies, as says Deviana, So if you have a girlfriend a good holiday gift would be a pink/purple version of this.

Its not always fun and frolic, but if you are really lucky you can snag a brand new Blackberry 9000 (original bold) for about Rs. 9500 if someone still has stock.

Nokia / Symbian

Symbian is almost dead, but its popularity in India is nowhere near extinction. People still love Nokia phones, simply because they can’t seem to grow out of it to try something else. Nokia phones are built to last, and have a friendly and easy to remember OS. Although not our top recommendation, if you must buy a Nokia and your budget is 10k then here are our recommendations.

Nokia C5-03 (Rs. 9750) : Features include 3G connectivity, 3.2 inch resistive touchscreen, 5 MP Camera and LED flash, VGA video, Nokia apps world, Facebook and Twitter.

Nokia E5 (Rs. 9730) : Symbian v9.3 OS, 2.36-inch Display, QWERTY keypad, push mail, ARM 11 600 MHz processor, 5 megapixel camera with LED Flash and VGA video.

Stay Tuned for more gift guides.
December 12, 2011
RIM Looses BBX trademark battle, renames it to boring Blackberry 10 (PR)

Planning a BBX phone in the future? Better wait up, since Blackberry has announced that the BBX name patent was lost and the new OS will be renamed to Blackberry 10. The US Federal Court has blocked the company from using the BBX trademark, favoring the existing use by BASIS International for its software. The company just can’t seem to catch a break, as it announced at BlackBerry DevCon Asia that the new name for its next phone OS is BlackBerry 10.

[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”]December 06, 2011 09:18 PM Eastern Time
US Federal Court Bars RIM (BlackBerry) from Using BASIS’ BBX Trademark

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–The United States Federal Court in Albuquerque today granted a temporary restraining order (TRO) against Research in Motion (RIM), immediately barring RIM from using BASIS International Ltd.’s incontestable federally registered BBX trademark at RIM’s Asian DevCon on December 7-8 in Singapore.

RIM had refused BASIS’ requests to stop the infringement at the DevCon conference, which resulted in BASIS filing for the TRO.

In rejecting RIM’s arguments against the issuance of a TRO, the court found that, “The BBX mark is identical to the mark which RIM is allegedly using to present its BBX product (TRO page 8).” and “despite the fact that the two companies are not direct competitors, the parties’ respective BBX products are highly related and target the same class of consumers, that is, business application software developers (TRO page 9).” The court went on to concur with BASIS that “The alleged infringement is likely to cause customers and prospective customers to wrongly believe that the software applications created using BASIS’s development tools are only compatible with RIM’s BBX operating system (TRO page 11).”

The order described how the “Courts use a well-established four-part test to decide whether to grant injunctive relief (TRO page 7)” and concluded that “Accordingly, after considering all the factors relative to a determination of whether an injunction should be granted, the Court finds that all factors weigh in favor of BASIS (TRO page 8).”

See BASIS’ latest generation of BBX in action by running the sample restaurant tip calculator and home mortgage calculator applications from links.basis.com/buidemos to experience BASIS’ BBX platform-independent solutions on your own smartphone or tablet.

About BASIS

BASIS International Ltd. is a global software company whose software developer community is a worldwide network of partners for whom the BASIS “BBx Generations” of products form the foundation for proven and reliable software solutions. Since 1985, BASIS’ mission has been to blaze a trail by producing ambitious and innovative programming languages, database products, development tools, and an application framework for their community to build upon. BASIS is committed to delivering platform independence to the server and client, including browser-based mobile clients.[/toggle]

December 8, 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
Apple’s request for block of Samsung sales in the US denied

US District Court Judge has rejected Apple’s request to block the sales of Galaxy devices. The two companies are engaged in a bruising legal battle that includes more than 20 cases in 10 countries as they jostle for the top spot in the smartphone and tablet markets. Apple sued Samsung in the United States in April, saying the South Korean company’s Galaxy line of mobile phones and tablets “slavishly” copies the iPhone and iPad.

It is not clear that an injunction on Samsung’s accused devices would prevent Apple from being irreparably harmed”.

The case in U.S. District Court, Northern District of California is Apple Inc v. Samsung Electronics Co Ltd et al, 11-1846.

December 3, 2011