Telecom service provider BSNL and India based handset manufacturer Champion have announced their first co-branded smartphone, called Champion Trendy 531. The Android operating system based smartphone is priced at Rs 13,999. BSNL is also offering 500 MB of 3G data every month for a year with the smartphone.
The Champion Trendy 531 comes with a 5.3 inch display, a 1.2 GHz quad core processor, and Android Jelly Bean 4.2 operating system. Besides, it has 1 GB RAM and 4 GB built in memory, which can be expanded further to 32 GB through a micro SD card. The Trendy 531 also boasts of a 13 megapixel autofocus camera with LED flash. It also comes with 2 megapixel front camera featuring full focus lens. The 3G handset has WiFi, Bluetooth, and a micro USB port for connectivity. There is a 3200 mAh Li-Polymer battery that claims to provide over six hours of talk time or 300 hours of standby time.
There's good news for close to 870 million subscribers of mobile phones. Following Telecom Regulatory Authority of India's recommendations issued on Wednesday that full mobile number portability (MNP) should be implemented throughout the country within six months, users will soon be allowed to retain their numbers even when they shift from one service area to another.
However, you will still have to pay roaming charges if you travel outside your home circle. Operators earn about 10% of their revenues from roaming charges.
At present, MNP is limited to a circle. For example, a subscriber in Delhi can change his operator while retaining his number. However, in case he relocates to another state, he has to change his number. If full MNP is implemented, a subscriber can retain his number even if he shifts to another circle and migrates to any operator.
The regulator wants full MNP to be implemented within No. of subscribers who opted for mobile number portability (MNP) by June 2013
At present, you can port your number only within your home circle
This means a subscriber in Delhi can retain his number if he migrates to another operator within the city
However, he has to change his number if he shifts to another circle
Under full MNP, a user will be able to retain his number even if he shifts to another circle
You will still have to pay roaming charges when you travel outside the home circle. six months. "Telecom service providers (TSP) may be given six months time to implement full MNP in the country," TRAI said in its recommendations submitted to the Department of Telecommunications (DoT).
The Telecom Commission will take the final decision. Once it approves, it will be implemented thoughout the country.
"Full MNP will also force operators to improve quality of services," said BK Syngal, former CMD of Videsh Sanchar Nigam Ltd (VSNL).
The regulator also said that once full MNP is in place, subscribers should be educated to dial numbers in the '+91' format.
LG G2 comes with a 5.2-inch IPS LCD display with 1920x1080 pixel resolution. It has 2GB RAM and 32GB Internal Memory.
Along with its high-end specifications, LG comes with another feature, the LG QuickWindow. An answer to Samsung's S View, LG's QuickWindow flip cover case is more useful. Without opening the flip-cover, you can view time, messages, music player and answer calls.
This massive display is powered by the quad-core 2.26 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 and 2 GB LPDDR3 RAM that runs the Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean. Here's an interesting bit - the display gets a dedicated Graphic RAM for better visual performance.
The LG G2 has a 13 megapixel camera at the back with optical image stabilization to click better photos in low light conditions. There is an LED flash and auto focus to aid better images.
By default, the camera can record full 1080p HD videos. In the front there is a 2.1 megapixel camera which too can support HD video calling.
LG has packed a 3000 mAh battery which is bigger but slimmer. LG has not announced the price and will offer the G2 in Black and White colour options.
According to the Samsung Executive samsung is coming up with the very First Curved Display Smartphones in this October.Years of development has made things possible for samsung
Samsung's recent patent application for a smartphone with a curved vertical axis more or less confirm the company's planс to introduce a curved display smartphone. We'll be on the lookout for more info about it and keep you updated
Nokia is holding an event dubbed Innovation Reinvented in Abu Dhabi on October 22 and according to sources close to the company's plans, the Finns are preparing to unveil a total of six devices
Around 2 new Lumnia's are expected to be on the launch and one is most probably the Nokia Lumnia 1520 6inch Phablet which was recently leaked. The other Lumnia is said to be Tablet which also belongs to the Lumnia Family.
There are going to be a set of accessories that'll also debut in Abu Dhabi. One of them, according to the TheVerge source is going to be "pretty special." No further details have been given
Other than the rotating camera, nothing on the Oppo N1 really surprised us. The display is a 5.9-inch 1920 x 1080 unit, there is 2GB RAM, options of either 16GB or 32GB memory, and giving the phone processing grunt is a 1.7ghz quad-core Snapdragon 600 chip!
The S600 wasn’t the chip many of you had hoped, and isn’t as meaty as the 8-core Samsung Exynos in the Meizu MX3 or Snapdragon 800 in the Mi3, but it is still plenty powerful.
Other features include a 3610mAh battery, USB OTG, on Oppo O click remote for the camera, GPS, WIFI Direct, WIFI display, Bluetooth 4.0, 5Ghz WIFI, and O touch rear panel.
The Oppo N1 is designed to work on GSM: 850/900/1800/1900mhz, WCDMA: 850/900/1700/1900/2100mhz.
As for the dimensions the Oppo N1 measures in at 170.7 x 82.6 x 9 mm and weighs 213g, in comparsion the Xiaomi Mi3 measures 144 x 72 x 8,1 mm and the Meizu MX3 is the thinnest at 139 x 71,9 x 9,1 mm.
CyanogenMod
he N1 will be available in 2 versions. The regular Oppo N1 will ship with the Oppo Color ROM, which you can choose to flash to CyanogenMod if you wish, and there will also be a OPPO N1 CyanogenMod Edition which will ship with CyanogenMod preinstalled.
Oppo N1 camera
The real surprise of the N1 is the fact that it has just one single 13 mega-pixel Sony rear camera which can be rotated front to back. The rotating camera can be positioned anywhere you see fit (within its range), features a Dual LED flash and F2.0 aperture.
There are are number of scene modes built-in also including norma, panorama, high-speed, rewind, beauty, and slow shutter.
Oppo N1 Price
The N1 Price will be $570 and will included a O-click remove, earphones, charger and the phone. The phone will go on sale early December.
World’s First Rotating Smartphone Camera
The OPPO N1 realizes new possibilities in smartphone photography as the world’s first smartphone with a rotating camera. Its revolutionary camera rotates 206-degrees, and will securely lock at any angle.
To help you capture breathtaking and vividly realistic images, OPPO N1 comes with Pure Image, a hardware and software photography solution. Pure Image on OPPO N1 features six physical lenses, an upgraded type 1/3.06 imaging module and f/2.0 wide aperture. Furthermore, OPPO partnered with leading optics companies to tailor make an image-processing solution for improved white balance, exposure and focus.
OPPO N1 has a special light-diffusing LED flash design consisting of a normal flash for back facing shots, and a softer, diffused light for front facing shots, with brightness tunable from the OPPO N1 camera software. Your front facing shots will not only be just as good as back facing shots, they will also be perfectly lit. Easily accessible, the OPPO N1 camera will boot from a sleeping screen in just 0.6 seconds via a simple 120° rotation. The OPPO N1 camera also supports long exposure photography of up to 8 seconds.
Beautiful Technology
The OPPO N1 is wound by two finely cut chamfers running along the sides of the device which guard the immersive 5.9-inch display. More than a year of work and over 20 different designs ultimately led to the simple brilliance of the OPPO N1 and the small but intricate camera, tested to last through 100,000 rotations. Its full metal aluminum alloy frame is produced over a 20-day period, during which it undergoes a 14 step polishing process involving more than a dozen suppliers. Strengthening the core of the phone, the frame adds an air of solidity and style to the OPPO N1. The OPPO N1 phone body is made with a smooth, ceramic-like material designed to keep your device free of fingerprints and smooth to the touch.
O-Touch Panel
O-Touch is an entirely new way of using your smartphone. A 12 cm2 rear touch panel makes one handed use for the large N1 screen comfortable and easy. With O-Touch you can scroll, tap, or snap photos – all without your fingers blocking the display.
O-Click Control
O-Click lets you remotely operate the N1 camera even when you’re away from the device. Simply position the N1 and step back. If you misplace your device, find it by setting off an alarm on the phone. O-Click fits on your keychain and supports a range of up to 50 meters, staying connected to your OPPO N1 via Bluetooth (BLE).
Innovation in Choice
OPPO is committed to serve the smartphone market with an open attitude. OPPO N1 ships with Color (based on Android 4.2), a unique Android operating system with over 400 unique features and improvements over stock Android. CyanogenMod is the world’s most popular aftermarket Android operating system. International versions of the N1 come with Color, and also the ability to flash CyanogenMod directly from stock recovery. A limited OPPO N1 CyanogenMod Edition will ship with CyanogenMod preinstalled, the first CyanogenMod hardware product in the world.
Available in 16GB or 32GB internal storage, the OPPO N1 is set to launch in early December.
Samsung launched the Galaxy Note 3 last week, a brand new phablet with a 5.7 inch screen that has a replaceable back panel and smooth user interface function between multiple Samsung devices. Accompanied by the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 and the Galaxy Gear smartwatch, the South Korean electronics company has a considerable arsenal for this year's annual smartphone wars.
Not to be left out, Apple has staked their claim with two new iPhones. The flagship phone for this year's batch is called the iPhone 5S. This gloriously golden gadget was joined by the iPhone 5C. From what we saw yesterday, both phones will be outfitted with a refined version of iOS 7 that will completely alter the operating system for maximum use.
So which should you buy? Besides iOS 7, the iPhone 5S will have a slew of new features could give it an edge over the galaxy note 3. A fingerprint scanner may be housed within the home button adding an extra layer of security to the smartphone while a 12 mega-pixel camera and A7 processor complete the whole package. The colors will vary between black, white, gold and pink too.
The Note 3 contains an enhanced stylus called the S-Pen and a unique tool called Air Command. The emphasis of all the new Samsung products was accessibility which Air Command really delivers on. Using the stylus, owners can access the central commands of the S-Pen. These range from scrapbooks which organize and track down content to action memos which lets users handwrite a note and automatically execute a function. The Galaxy Note 3 will run with Android 4.3 but some of its features have gotten criticized for being too clunky and slow.
The iPhone 5S looks like it will be the victor this fall. The combination of iOS 7, golden cases, quick processing, hi-res cameras and enhanced security will be attractive to a huge audience. The iPhone 5C will probably come in a close second but the Galaxy Note 3 should still perform well thanks to the invention of its new smartwatch. The Note 3 has less variety than the iPhone 5S and I think that could be its big downfall when it goes head to head with Apple's smartphones.
Miami upstart Blu Products has slowly managed to pop up on the radar
of smartphone buyers looking for a smarter buy. The company in recent
times has focused heavily on introducing Android devices that compete
with the wares of bigger brands by undercutting them on price. The
phones don't match up on specs, but the aim is that a good phone can
still be found at a significantly lower price. With the Blu Life View, Blu attempts to translate its strategy in a new
arena and ride the wave of oversized Android phones that dwarf the
displays seen on other devices. It's a category with increased
competition and increased difficulty to master. Can the Blu Life View
and its 5.7-inch display provide a big screen and still deliver big
performance and big savings? Hardware and Design Anyone whoever wondered what would happen if HTC and Samsung were to
collaborate on a phone could probably guess that the resulting offspring
might resemble the Blu Life View. The curve along the back makes it
look like a bloated HTC One, and it has a metal plate, though not with
the same anodized aluminum treatment. The front and sides contrast that
with a white hard plastic. Capacitive buttons for Menu, Home, and Back
are on the lower portion of the device's face, and a single rear speaker
of average volume handle things on the other side. A micro USB charging
port is at the bottom and a removable portion of the metal back reveals
dual-SIM slots.
The Blu Life View is a hefty device thanks to its 5.7-inch display. The
large bezels on the side stretch the footprint to161 x 82.5 x 9.3mm
(6.34 x 3.25 x0.36in), which is larger than the Galaxy Note. The Life
View is still comfortable to hold because of its slanted sides and
texture make it easier to put a firm grip on the device. The metal back
is also comfortable and cool. The phone can be at times unwieldy because
of its weight (220g, 7.76oz) and size. Trying to swipe down the
notification drawer with one hand is challenging, but the extra weight
ironically makes it easier to do than it is on a Galaxy Mega 6.3. Anyone
considering the Life View is obviously someone who wants, needs, and
loves extra large devices. The trade-offs are sacrificing portability
and smooth one-handed usage but gaining a much larger surface area to
type on a keyboard, read text, and view videos.
Screen Quality The 5.7-inch display makes it obvious why Blu chose to name this device
the Life View. The phone has one of the biggest screen sizes seen this
side of a tablet, and only the recently-announced Galaxy Note 3 and
Galaxy Mega 6.3 could be considered comparable. The Life View has a
larger bezel than those devices, and it uses LCD rather than AMOLED.
Though colors are not as deeply saturated, the display is very bright.
As previously mentioned, Blu's Life series are designed based on the
premise that a quality product can still be delivered by making
adjustments that can still be good enough despite costing and offering
less. The screen takes that approach by having a 720p rather than 1080p
resolution. The difference is noticeable on a screen this big. The
display is sometimes grainy when you purposely focus and keep the screen
close, but the large size means that you can rest the phone far away
and still get a clear look at the device. The screen is good enough
thanks to its size and relative quality. Performance One might think that a quad-core processor automatically means that the
Blue Life View is a beast, but that's not the case. The Life View has a
Mediatek 1.2 GHz quad-core processor. It uses the older ARM A7, a
PowerVR SGX 544MP GPU, and only 1GB of RAM. In every day use of
browsing, reading, tweeting, and calling, performance is fine. In the
first few days of my time with the Life View, I was blissfully happy
doing my usual activities. The phone lacks the instant response seen in
more expensive devices, but it did not hang or belabor through light
activities.
Trying to do anything that is resource intensive, such as some of the
more powerful Android games, is painfully harder. I was disappointed by
the underperforming GPU that crawled through sessions of Riptide GP2.
There's a visual lag that makes the jet skis look like they are riding
over static rather than undulating water. There's sadly no fluidity to
movement, which is critical for a racing game. Gaming did better when I
switched to action shooters like Dead Trigger, though the graphics were
just average. Riptide also takes much longer to load than even dual-core
devices, reiterating the point that RAM and the quality of cores, not
the quantity, is what matters most when gauging performance of a mobile
device. The Life View is a midrange performer for regular activities,
and it's not geared towards high-end gaming.
Blu Life View Key Specs - 1.2 GHz quad-core processor (ARM Cortex-A7)
- PowerVR SGX544 GPU
- 1GB of RAM
- 5.7-inch display, 720p resolution (258 ppi)
- 16GB of internal storage (12.83 accessible)
- Dimensions: 161 x 82.5 x 9.3mm (6.34 x 3.25 x0.36in)
- Weight: 220g (7.76oz)
- 2,600 mAh battery
- Bluetooth 4.0, HSPA+
- Android 4.2 Jelly Bean Software and Apps When I reviewed the Blu Life Play, I praised Blu for releasing a phone
that made very few changes to Android. The Blu Life View makes even
fewer modifications and leaves a nearly stock Android 4.2 Jelly Bean
software package for users to explore. The launcher, Calendar, Clock,
Contacts, and Gallery apps are standard issue Android. Only the core
Google Mobile apps are preloaded but the full suite of apps - and more
than 1 million other choices - are available in Google Play. Best of
all, the phone is free of carrier crapware.
There are only a few subtle changes to the software, including themes
that change the accent colors from blue to mint, mocha, or raspberry.
Scenes offer further customization for having different widget and app
displays for personal use or work. Someone can have one home screen
display for work or traveling and then switch to another standard later.
A proximity sensor adds more options through Smart Gestures. The Life
View can automatically answer an incoming call or unlock a phone by
waving a hand over the top of the device, silence a ringer by flipping
the phone on its face, or call someone whose contact details are on
screen. We've seen similar features on Samsung's Galaxy devices, so it's
nice to see Blu recognize the value of providing quick shortcuts to
common activities.
The Life View also adds a few apps meant to plug holes in the stock
Android software. File Manager offers a free tool to browse through
internal storage and find, copy, move, or delete files. An FM radio
plays live radio broadcasts and a Holo-inspired Task app provides a
dead-simple way to locally managed a to-do list. The Music app from the
Life Play is surprising replaced with an app that looks and performs
exactly like the old stock Android music app. I wasn't a fan of the
previous Music app, so it's not much of a loss. The app works well for
locally-stored music, but since the phone has less than 13GB of storage,
I'd wager that people will be wise to give Google Play Music, Spotify,
Rdio, or Rhapsody a try as replacement music players.
Communication and Data The beauty of Blu products is that they are sold unlocked, so they
typically work with AT&T, T-Mobile, and other GSM networks. The ugly
side of that is the phone doesn't support LTE. The dual-SIM phone
supports 4G HSPA+ on the 850/1900/2100 bands. The phone uses Mini SIM
cards so you may have to visit a carrier and pick up a new card because
most phones released in the past year have Micro or nano SIM slots. I
don't have a mini SIM and was unable to test call quality or network
performance as a result.
Camera A 12-megapixel camera with autofocus, face detection, and LED flash
handle the picture-taking duties of the Life View. A surprisingly-high
5-megapixel camera takes care of things on the front for video chat and
self-portraits. The rear camera is still just average and passable. The
LED flash unfortunately injects a very blue tone when used, and I
noticed that the camera works best when manually adjusting settings
because the default overexposes images. Brightness and other settings
can be adjusted in the revamped software. The Life View also supports
taking panoramic photos, toggling HDR, using a self-timer, adjusting
exposure/white balance, and much more.
Battery Life A 2,600 mAh integrated battery keeps the Blu Life View running with
solid longevity. With 100 percent brightness, I managed to watch nearly
an entire season of The League on Netflix and play a few rounds of Dead
Trigger before the battery warning appeared on screen. The phone offered
7 hours of active use streaming video over Wi-Fi. Again, it's hard for
me to truly gauge battery life because I could not test with a SIM
installed, but battery life should be solid with an HSPA+ mini SIM in a
strong coverage area. Conclusion Blu's playbook is fairly obvious at this point. It's also smartly
executed. The Life View is not as fast as an Optimus G Pro, nor is it as
flexible and visually stunning as a Galaxy Note 3. It's not as good as
the top of the line devices and it unapologetically lays no claim to
being on that level. What the phone does is simply acknowledge that it's
in the same arena and may be good enough for consideration.
The Life View offers a large screen for people who like above
average-sized displays and below-average prices. Like all Blu devices,
the appeal lies in the low price, which is only $299 unlocked, and what
someone gets for the money. The Life View costs less than half what
other companies charge for the full retail price of their devices.
Though the phone falls short of some preferred attributes, it surpasses
the "good enough" benchmarks and meets the demands of the average user. I
would not recommend this device for anyone who plans to play the
top-of-the-line games because the phone is not powerful enough for that
segment of consumers. Anyone else looking for a big device with a little
price might be pleased to know that the Life View is inexpensive and
still quite interesting.
Microsoft has announced its refresh of the Surface devices today,
with the new Surface 2, the Surface Pro 2 and a whole lot of updated
accessories. The Surface 2 is the updated version of Surface RT, running
on the much criticized Windows RT platform. Last year, it was meant as
one of the first entries into the ARM territory for Microsoft, and this
year, without much change in the strategy, Microsoft has done a Spec
bump to the older version. The new Surface 2 runs on a Tegra 4 Quad Core
processor, a full HD Clear Type 1080p screen, a two-step kickstand for
better usage on the lap and even a second colour option in Silver. They
also claim that it is thinner and lighter than the original Surface.
The Surface 2 is a much needed upgrade in terms of specifications as
the original Surface with its Tegra 3 processor was a bit laggy and
probably overburdened by Windows RT. This time though, Tegra 4 is faster
and Windows RT 8.1 too has been optimized for better performance,
better metro app snapping and more. It now sports a USB 3.0 port instead
of a USB 2.0 on the older Surface and an extra Video out port too,
which was not present on the Surface RT. The Touch and Type covers have
also been improved but we’ll leave that for another post. Another
improvement from the original is the 3.5 megapixel front and rear facing
cameras, which are said to be considerably better than the old ones. Along with all the hardware upgrades, Microsoft plans to include free
200GB of SkyDrive storage for the first two years for any Surface 2
buyer, and adding to that, 1 year of Unlimited international calling to
Landlines in 60 countries and free Skype Wifi. Overall the package seems
worth it, but the price is again a bit on the higher side. It is now at
$449 for the base 32GB(16GB available storage) version with the Touch
and Type Covers costing extra. Highlights -
10.6 inch full HD 1080p Clear Type display
Thinner and Lighter build
3.5 MP Front and Rear facing cameras
Tegra 4 Quad Core Processor
10 Hour battery life
USB 3.0, BT 4.0, Video out and micro SD card slot(up to 64 GB)
$449 for the base version
Windows RT 8.1 with Office Home Student 2013, Outlook 2013 RT
Samsung
has recently announced three versions of Galaxy Tab 3 with 7-inch,
8-inch and 10.1-inch screen sizes. However, the company is said to be
working on yet another tablet. Popular Twitter Account EVLeaks shared
the information that Samsung is working on SM-P900 and SM-600 tablets with 2560x1600 pixel resolution for both tablets. However, neither tablet will be released at the upcoming IFA 2013 convention which is set to be held from 26th August.
One
of the tablets, purportedly called as Samsung SM-P900, features a
12.2-inch display with 2560x1600 pixel resolution. This tablet is said
to pack the eight core Samsung Exynos
5 Octa chip and will also feature S-Pen feature. The new SM-P900 tablet
appears to be the successor of the Galaxy Note 10.1 tablet. This
SM-P900 tablet will be offered in three different models numbered as
SM-P901 and SM-P905.
The other tablet, identified as SM-600, is
said to have a 10.1-inch display and the quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon
800 mobile processor. It is quite likely that this tablet is the Nexus
10 successor but we shall continue hunting for more details.
Both tablets may not be announced next month but we are expecting them to be launched by October this year or earlier.
