Samsung announces Galaxy Note 3 and Galaxy Gear in India

By Vijay @ 09:23pm

Samsung has launched the highly anticipated Galaxy Note 3 smartphone in India along with its sidekick, the Galaxy Gear smartwatch. The flagship smartphone will set you back by a lofty ₹49,900 ($792), whereas the Galaxy Gear smartwatch comes at a similarly expensive ₹22,900 ($363) price tag.

 

The Indian model will run on Samsung’s Exynos 5 Octa SoC, which means you won’t get the 4K recording option as on the Snapdragon 800 model to be sold in the US. You will, however, get the same 5.7-inch, 1080p Super AMOLED display, 3GB of RAM, 32GB storage space, 13 megapixel camera, 3,200mAh battery and Android 4.3 Jelly Bean.

The Galaxy Note 3 is Samsung’s most expensive smartphone in India as of yet and follows the trend of rising prices of flagship devices every year. Having said that, the popularity of these devices shows that clearly a lot of people are still willing to pay the big bucks to get their hands on these devices.

That may not necessarily be true for the Galaxy Gear, however. Being the first product of its kind on the market, Samsung is going to have a tough time explaining why you need this in your life and moreover, how exactly is it worth the price tag, which is more than most mid-range smartphones in the country. You can, for example, purchase the company’s Galaxy S II Plus for around the same amount of money.

Both the Galaxy Note 3 and the Galaxy Gear will be available in stores starting September 25 at the aforementioned prices.

Google launches Impact Challenge for nonprofit organizations in India

By Vijay @ 08:35am

After awarding nonprofit organizations around the world for their work, Google has now brought its Google Impact Challenge to India. The Mountain View-based company brings with it a kitty of Rs 12 crore to help four Indian organizations to implement their ideas.

“Today we’re launching the Google Impact Challenge in India, inviting Indian nonprofits to tell us how they’d use technology to improve people’s lives,” Google’s Nikesh Arora wrote in a blog. “At the end of the challenge, four nonprofits will each receive a Rs 3 crore Global Impact Award and technical assistance from Google to bring their projects to life.”

Registrations have kicked-off today and will be open until September 5. The top-10 organizations will be selected by Google users around the world based on their ideas. The final event will take place on October 31, where the top three organizations will be awarded by a judge’s panel comprising of Google’s CBO Nikesh Arora, director of Google Giving Jacquelline Fuller, social worker Anu Aga and MD of Omidyar Network India Advisors Jayant Sinha. The fourth awardee, based on online votes from the public, will also be revealed at the event.

Source: BGR

Amazon India added one more store to its list, named Computers & Accessories.

By Vijay @ 01:32pm

Earlier this year, Amazon launched its India e-commerce site and six direct stores—Apps, Books, Movies and TV Shows, Mobile phones and accessories, Cameras and Portable Media Players. Now to its stores list one more store called Computers and accessories  had been added.

The computer and accessories store sells laptops, tablets and printers. Additionally it also offers related accessories like external hard drives, pen drives, memory cards, printer cartridges, laptop bags, keyboards and mice. The store is also currently offering deals and discounts on many of the aforementioned products.

Amazon India claims its new stores have more than 20,000 products listed from more than 150 electronics retailers including Croma, Vijay Sales, UniverCell, Saholic, and J.J. Mehta & Sons. For a limited period, orders fulfilled by Amazon will come with free delivery. As with all ‘fulfilled by Amazon’ orders, customers will get the options of cash on delivery, delivery tracking to the doorstep, and free returns pickup.

 

Sony providing insurance for their Smartphones in India

By Vijay @ 05:27pm

Sony is one of the few brands that are offering water resistant smartphones in India. However, water damage is not covered under warranty. Essentially what it means is even if you are using a phone that is claimed to be water resistant and somehow manage to damage the phone by water, the device is out of warranty and the user will have to bear the cost of repair.

“Currently water damage is not covered under warranty as most of the times it is accidental. Our devices have the top industry rating. But it requires the ports to be closed,” said Tadato Kimura, Head, Marketing, Sony India.

However, Sony is looking at alternatives to tackle the situation. “It is a very sensitive issue and we are currently working out the details. We could provide customers with an option to take insurance for their phones that covers water damage,” Kimura informed.

Sony is currently working on it and it might take them a couple of months to offer insurance. Nokia already provides the option for customers to get insurance for their phones when they buy it from a Nokia exclusive store. The insurance covers water damage, accidental damage if the phone is dropped and even theft.

Source: Sony India

 

LG PD233 Pocket Photo printer, launched in India for Rs 14,990/-(Updated Video)

By Vijay @ 11:57pm

LG has launched a pocket-sized photo printer called LG PD233 Pocket Photo. The printer is compatible with Android and iOS devices and is available at retail stores across India for Rs 14,990.

The LG PD233 is ultra-portable and can easily fit into one’s pocket and connects to a smartphone or tablet via Bluetooth, Wi-Fi or NFC. You can print any photo on from your mobile device onto 5.1×7.6cm papers. The printer is also believed to be value for money as it uses a printing technology called ‘Zink’, which essentially uses an inkless paper system to eliminate the need for expensive ink cartridges.

The printer requires you to download the LG Pocket photo app, using which you can print photographs, birthday invitations, business cards and also personalize them using QR codes. The app also offers simple editing tools for photographs before you print them.

Source: BGR, Fonearena..