Dhruv Bhutani | Fone Arena

Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 8 inch and Galaxy Tab 3 10.1 inch tablets announced

Samsung today introduced two new models as part of its Galaxy Tab range of tablets. The tablets that will be retail in 8 inch and 10 inch sizes will be available starting June. The 8 inch tablet has a 1.5Ghz dual core processor of an unknown variety. The screen has a resolution of 1280×800. Internally you’ll also find 1.5GB of RAM and 16/32GB of storage. A rear facing 5MP camera is available while a 1.3MP unit performs front facing duties. The battery unit on the Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 8inch is rated at 4,450 mAh battery.

Acer Liquid S1 with 5.7 inch 720p display, 1.5 GHz quad core processor announced

Computex has just begun in Taipei and Acer is already leading the pack with a steady stream of announcements. The company has just announced the launch of a brand new large screened Android smartphone. Called the Liquid S1, it packs a 720p 5.7 inch screen. Aimed at emerging markets in Asia and Europe, it will come equipped with dual SIM card slots. There are no plans to bring the smartphone to the US and hence it lacks LTE radios which are critical for the market.

Acer Liquid S1

Powering the smartphone is a 1.5Ghz quad core Mediatek processor. This is paired with 1GB of memory which should be more than sufficient to facilitate multitasking. The software on top is Android 4.2 with an almost stock interface layer. That is not to say that the handset is running stock Android 4.2 because Acer has taken the time out to make some fairly useful additions to the software. Holding down on the multitasking button reveals a pop up window that offers shortcuts to windowed apps. This functionality is somewhat similar to the pop up window functions seen on Samsung’s Android handsets. Continue reading “Acer Liquid S1 with 5.7 inch 720p display, 1.5 GHz quad core processor announced”

Nimbuzz introduces enhanced app with lower memory consumption for Blackberry devices

Nimbuzz today introduced a new version for Blackberry devices. The popular multiplatform instant messaging application has worked to drastically reduce the run time memory footprint for low powered Blackberry devices. The updated application is also geared towards better performance on slow data networks keeping in mind the popularity of both the service and Blackberry devices in emerging markets.

Vikas Saxena, Chief Executive Officer, Nimbuzz said, ‘’ Nimbuzz has always believed in delivering a communication platform that understands the evolving needs of its users. With a majority of conversations moving towards apps like Nimbuzz, it is extremely important for us to innovate solutions that enhance the communication lifestyles of our existing and new users. The newNimbuzz for Blackberry is a testament of our commitment to make our app more relevant to our audience.”

Additionally, Nimbuzz has added new features like bubble chat and contact list separation from the chat list making it more convenient for the end users. Nimbuzz plans to add phone number verification in the future to facilitate secure and efficient communication. The application is currently available in 19 languages including English, French and Arabic.

Google’s Sundar Pichai sounds off on the future of Nexus at D11

Google’s Sundar Pichai introduced a Google edition of the HTC One at the ATD D11 conference yesterday which we’d reported on earlier. But the announcement was just the first of many interesting tid bits dropped by the Chief of Android and Chrome during his keynote session. While two top end phones by Samsung and HTC might signal the end of the Nexus device program, Pichai was quick to point out that, “The goal with Nexus was to push forward hardware as well. That will continue.”

Sundar-Pichai Continue reading “Google’s Sundar Pichai sounds off on the future of Nexus at D11”

Apple’s iPhone sales grow 400 percent in India

Credit Suisse has issued a note to clients stating that iPhone sales in India have shot up by close to 400 percent. Reported by the Economic Times, the note suggests that the EMI plans and other schemes initiated in India have had the desired effect resulting in quadrupled sales.

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Apple supply chain to shift from Foxconn to Pegatron

In a move aimed at giving Apple greater supply chain balance, the company is expected to shift over a greater percentage of manufacturing to Pegatron. Historially, Foxconn has been responsible for the production of all iPhones and iPads. However starting 2011, Pegatron has been responsible for making a small segment of iPhones and has since graduated on to production of the iPad Mini.

Continue reading “Apple supply chain to shift from Foxconn to Pegatron”

Motorola’s flagship Moto X to be out by October

At the D11 conference, Motorola CEO Dennis Woodside, confirmed that the smartphone manufacturer that has been keeping a low profile will be out with a new smartphone dubbed the Moto X later this year. Expected to be out by October, the phone is geared to have exceptional power management.

woodside-d11

Woodside claims that this will be achieved by the use of dual processors though he did not clarify whether this meant the use of ARM’s big.LITTLE architecture or a physically distinct low power mode chip. Motorola has also been working on the use of low power sensors and the results of that research will be seen in the Moto X which will be a contextually aware handset as claimed by Woodside. Continue reading “Motorola’s flagship Moto X to be out by October”

Mail for Exchange now available for Asha Touch devices

Nokia’s Asha Touch devices just got a new feature that inches them slightly towards the ‘smart phone’ category. The Finnish phone manufacturer has pushed out an application on the Ovi Store that will allow Asha Touch phones to sync data via Mail for Exchange.

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White Nexus 4 now available from Flipkart

LG announced the white version of its popular Nexus 4 smartphone today and the phone is already available on Flipkart. The specifications of the handset remain identical to those on the black variant with the only difference being the color.

LG Nexus 4 White

LG have opted to go for a two tone finish with a black bezel on the front and a white finish on the sides, back of the handset. Flipkart claims to have the handset available now for sale with an estimated delivery in 6 to 8 days. The phone is priced at Rs. 25,990. Continue reading “White Nexus 4 now available from Flipkart”

Zync Quad 10.1 Tablet Review

The world of budget Android tablets has been set ablaze by the likes of Zync and Spice who are constantly innovating and bringing high performance products at very affordable price points. Sure these devices still can’t compete with the iPads of the world but that is not the target audience. Delivering 90% of the experience at a fraction of the price point is what they aim to do and are quite successful at. That said, we recently got our hands on the newly announced Zync Quad 10.1 Tablet. The name alone suggests some of the highlighted spec points. We’ve put it through our standard range of rigorous tests to find out if it makes for a sound purchase. Read on to find out. Continue reading “Zync Quad 10.1 Tablet Review”

Limited edition Superman branded Nokia Lumia 925 heading to China

Nokia has a history of introducing limited edition handsets to tie in with popular movie franchises amongst others. The Batman branded Lumia 800 turned out to be quite popular and this year Nokia is introducing a Superman branded varient for its latest handset, the Lumia 925.

lumia-superman
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Updated Evernote Windows Phone app to allow pinning of tool tiles

We’d recently reported on a major update to the popular note taking app on Microsoft’s struggling mobile platform. The update gave Evernote much needed features including a freshened up design and homescreen. Today the company is rolling out a new update that adds some nifty features like pinned tool tiles.

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Gionee GPad G2 Photo Gallery

Cashing in on the popularity of giant sized Android phablets, Gionee has introduced a new entrant in the field called the GPad G2. We’ve got our hands on the behemoth with a 5.3 inch screen and decided to bring you a photo gallery while we put it through its paces.

The GPad G2 is powered by a 1.2 Ghz quad core processor that is paired with 1 GB of RAM. The screen has a resolution of 960×540 and is called a True Color display.We’ll have more on this in our review. At the back of the phone there is an 8MP camera that can capture 720p video. The complete specifications include :

5.3-inch (960 × 540 pixels) capacitive touch screen display
1.2 GHz quad-core MediaTek MT6589 processor with PowerVR SGX544 GPU
Android 4.1.1 (Jelly Bean)
Dual SIM (GSM + GSM) with Dual Standby
8 MP auto focus camera with LED Flash, 720p HD video recording
2 MP front-facing camera
3G, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0 and aGPS
3.5mm audio jack, FM Radio
1GB RAM, 16GB internal memory, expandable memory up to 32GB
3000 mAh battery

The Gionee GPad G2 is priced at Rs. 13,990 and is now shipping. Check out our photo gallery below. Do let us know if you’d like to know anything specific about the phone while we work to bring you the review.

Gionee Elife E3 Photo Gallery

Indian Android smartphone manufacturer, Gionee recently unveiled its new device called the Elife E3. The USP of the phone is its slim shell while still packing in a significant amount of features. The phone is powered by a 1.2Ghz quad-core Cortex A7 processor and runs Android 4.2 Jelly Bean.

Continue reading “Gionee Elife E3 Photo Gallery”