Samsung Galaxy Star Pro Android smartphone with 4-inch display spotted selling for Rs 6,989

By Vijay

Here comes another Samsung Galaxy smartphone which falls in the 4-inch entry level smartphone segment to compete against the likes of Mircomax and other domestic handset vendors ruling this segment. Samsung’s unannounced Galaxy Star Pro S7262 has spotted selling on a popular online retail portal for as little as Rs 6,989. It becomes Samsung’s second 4-inch smartphone priced under Rs 10,000 after the Galaxy Trend Duos.

The Galaxy Smart Pro supports dual-SIM and comes with a 4-inch WVGA display (480×800 pixels) just like the Galaxy Trend Duos. It runs on the Android 4.1 Jelly Bean and is powered by a 1GHz single-core cortex A5 processor coupled with 512MB of RAM. In addition to that, there is 4GB of internal storage which can be supplemented with a 32GB of microSD card. Basically, aside the display, it is an extension of the Galaxy Star smartphone launched earlier for Rs 5,240.

It also features a 2-megapixel rear camera which is capable of shooting videos but lacks a front-facing camera like the Galaxy Trend Duos. The Galaxy Star Pro supports Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, but doesn’t have 3G connectivity. Other features in the phone include an accelerometer and a 1500mAH battery, which is claimed to offer up to 15 hours of talktime and up to 370 hours of standby time. In addition to that the smartphone will come pre-loaded with several Samsung apps including ChatON, as well as other apps like mFluent IM, and ActiveSync.

With this phone, it is clear that Samsung has its eyes set on its domestic rivals, especially Micromax which with 22 percent smartphone market share has become a threat to Samsung’s 26 percent market share in India.

HTC One mini and HTC Desire 500 listed online in India for Rs 37,299 and Rs 21,490

By Vijay 

 

The One mini is available on e-commerce sites in India for Rs 37,299. The Desire 500, on the other hand, is listed online for Rs 21,490 and will ship in the coming days. 

 

 

To recap on the specifications, the One mini flaunts a 4.3-inch HD (1280×720 pixels) display cramming in 341ppi and is powered by a dual-core Snapdragon 400 processor clocked at 1.4GHz. Other features included are 1GB of RAM, Ultrapixel rear camera with LED Flash and a BSI Sensor, 1.6-megapixel front camera, Beats audio support, 16GB of internal storage and a 1,800mAh battery. It runs on Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean wrapped under Sense 5 UI and comes pre-loaded with HTC’s BlinkFeed, Zoe and BoomSound.

The dual-SIM Desire 500, on the other hand, sports a 4.3-inch (480×800 pixels) display and is powered by a quad-core Snapdragon 200 processor clocked at 1.2GHz. It features 1GB of RAM, 8-megapixel rear camera, 1.6-megapixel front camera, Beats audio support, 4GB internal storage that is expandable to up to 64GB using a microSD card and 1,800mAh battery. On the software front, it runs on Android 4.1 Jelly Bean wrapped under Sense 5 UI.

The fact that they have been listed on e-commerce sites in India indicates that an official launch is right around the corner..

Nokia launches community mapping tool in India for Here maps

By Vijay

 

Nokia’s Here maps are considered to be among the best mapping solutions in the market. Now, the company has launched a community mapping program in India that will combine industrial mapping techniques with crowd mapping techniques. Nokia has hired a team of 1,000 people in India, and it will work with local experts from a dozen of universities around the country. Nokia will leverage the map creator tool that will allow people to add missing streets, bridges, points of interest and other information. This not too dissimilar from what Google is doing with its Map Maker tool in India.

To maintain the accuracy of the data and map quality Nokia has built a community moderation mechanism that will allow the Here team and the community to verify the edits to the maps before they get integrated into the base map.

According to Nokia, Here will work with a variety of communities across the country. In smaller towns and cities, Nokia believes locals will help Here build out road networks, while in densely populated areas contributors will provide information about points of interest and capture changes.

LG G2 launched in India for Rs 41,500/-

By Vijay

LG has launched the G2 in India for Rs 41,500 for the 16GB model and Rs 44,500 for the 32GB variant. The LG G2 is the company’s flagship smartphone for the second half of 2013. The phone has already been up for pre-order for Rs 40,499.

The phone is packed to the hilt with the latest processing chops and will compete with the Sony Xperia Z1 and the Samsung Galaxy Note III. It packs a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 CPU clocked at 2.3GHz, a 5.2-inch IPS screen with a resolution of 1080p, 2GB of RAM, and 16GB/32GB of internal memory. There is no micro-SD card slot.

It also has a 13-megapixel camera with optical image stabilization, a 2.1-megapixel front facing camera and has an IR Blaster and a 3,000-mAh battery. It also is one of the first smartphones in the world, which will be able to relay 24-bit audio.

Interestingly, LG has innovated with the design of the device and placed the power button and the volume keys on the back right beneath the camera module claiming better ergonomics.

As always the phone runs a custom skinned version of Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean on top which LG has implemented its Optimus UI. As a part of this one gets access to a number of Q-Slide applications, a multi-windows mode and new swipe gesture enabled multitasking system. LG also allows the user to choose between various permutations and combinations of on-screen software Android controls. As an introductory offer, LG will also be offering QuickWindow case free for a limited time.

 

HTC Desire 500 goes up for pre-order in India

By Vijay @ 06:08pm

 

HTC’s affordable dual-SIM smartphone, the Desire 500, is now available for pre-order in India with deliveries expected to start within a week. It is currently available on Snapdeal, where it can be pre-booked for Rs 999, with the balance to be paid at the time of availability. There is no word on the pricing yet but we would be surprised if it is priced upwards of Rs 20,000, though given HTC’s past record they might just price it higher. 

The Desire 500 features a 4.3-inch WVGA display, a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 200 processor clocked at 1.2GHz, 1GB of RAM, 4GB of internal storage and a microSD card slot. It also features dual-SIM card slots (micro SIM) and the regular connectivity options. We expect HTC to highlight the 8-megapixel rear camera with a 1/3.2-inch BSI sensor, f2.0 aperture and 28mm lens. If priced correctly, this could be one of the best camera phones from a global brand in its price segment.

What worries us, however, is the use of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 200 SoC, which has four Cortex A5 cores (there’s a Cortex A7 variant as well but it seems HTC has gone for the Cortex A5 version), which could mean lower performance than competing devices running on MediaTek’s quad-core chipsets. Add to it HTC’s Sense UI and its pricing strategy, which could make the Desire 500, less desirable.

Nokia announced discounts on its latest Lumia 925 and Lumia 625 buyback offers

By Vijay @ 06:02pm

Nokia has extended the buyback scheme it had started with the Lumia 520 and Lumia 620, and has now included the Lumia 925 and Lumia 625. The company claims to now offer up to Rs 10,000 discount on the Lumia 925 and up to Rs 7,000 discount on the Lumia 625 when customers trade in their old smartphones. Under the scheme, the Lumia 925 is available for Rs 28,529 and the Lumia 625 for Rs 14,919. In reality however, the discounts are much lower.

The said discounts are exaggerated and are given on the phone’s MRP, which is much more than the MOP of these phones. Nokia mentions the MRP of the Lumia 925 to be Rs 38,529 while in India the phone was actually launched at an MOP of Rs 33,499. Similarly, the Lumia 625 was launched at Rs 19,999 and is already available for about Rs 16,000 at popular online retail stores. So the effective discount for exchanging an old smartphone against a new Lumia 925 or Lumia 625 phone would be Rs 5,000 and Rs 2,000 respectively instead of Rs 10,000 and Rs 7,000 as highlighted by the company.