What's Hot in Mobile Phone Industry?

[nitin_k]

Exchange your old phone and save R 13000 on iPhone 5C, 4S under Apple buyback scheme

After success of its Buyback offer on the iPhone 5 this year, Apple have decided to start buy back to promote sales of the iPhone 5C now. The company has come up with Buy Back offer under which you can exchange your old iPhone 4 and other phones (from other manufacturers) to get a new iPhone 5C or 4S. On the exchange of a three-year-old iPhone 4 one can get Rs. 13000 as discount on a new 16 GB or 32 GB iPhone 5C or an 8 GB model of the iPhone 4S.

iPhone 5, 4S and 4 becomes more affordable in India

The Cupertino company says this buyback offer entails a minimum discount of Rs. 13000. Newer smartphones will reportedly fetch higher value, depending on their condition.

The official price of the iPhone 5C 16 GB model is Rs. 41900, 32GB model is Rs. 53500 and the iPhone 4S costs about Rs. 31500. Under the scheme you can exchange your phon and buy an iPhone 5C 16 GB at Rs. 28900, 32 GB at Rs. 40500 and the iPhone 4S at Rs. 18500.

The list of smartphones you can exchange are-

iPhone 4
BlackBerry Z10 and Q10
Nokia Lumia 925
HTC One, One Mini, Desire 500 and Desire 600
Samsung Galaxy S4, S3, Note 3, Note 2, S4 Mini, Mega 6.3 and Mega 5.8
Sony Xperia Z1, Z, Z Ultra, ZR and C

List of stores where you can avail this offer-

Reliance Digital
Jumbo Electronics
E-Zone
Croma
Airtel
Planet M
Digital Xpress
Spice Hotspot
Vijay Sales
The Mobile Store
Apple Premium Reseller programme

On select credit cards one can also avail an additional 5 percent cashback.

Exchange your old phone and save R 13000 on iPhone 5C, 4S under Apple buyback scheme - daily.bhaskar.com

 

[Raja]

Jury orders Samsung to pay Apple $290 million for patent infringement | The Verge

seems Samsung keeps on paying Apple

 

[nitin_k]

Samsung launches Galaxy Grand 2

NEW DELHI: Samsung has made Galaxy Grand 2, the follow up to its successful Galaxy Grand Duos smartphone, official. The new handset has a bigger high-definition screen, faster processor and more RAM compared to its predecessor. The smartphone is powered by Android 4.3 (Jelly Bean) and will have dual-sim functionality.

The all-new Galaxy Grand 2 has a 5.25-inch HD screen and 1.2GHz quad-core processor. It comes with 8GB internal storage, up to 64GB microSD card support and 1.5GB RAM. On the back, it has an 8MP camera with LED flash and sports a 1.9MP camera in front.

Connectivity suite of Galaxy Grand 2 includes 2G, 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0 and microUSB 2.0. It is powered by a 2,600mAh battery and the company claims that it can provide talk time of 17 hours. The phone will be available in white, black and pink colours in the market.

Some of the proprietary apps that come preinstalled in Galaxy Grand 2 are Story Album, S Translator, S Travel, Sound & Shot, Samsung Hub, Samsung Link and Group Play.

Samsung has not revealed when the Galaxy Grand 2 will be launched or the price bracket as of now.

This phone will compete against the likes of Sony Xperia C, LG G Pro Lite and Micromax Canvas Turbo, along with its sibling Galaxy Grand Duos.

Samsung launches Galaxy Grand 2 - The Times of India

 

[nitin_k]

Samsung Galaxy S5: Aluminium body, 16 megapixel camera and a curved screen?

The video alleges that the Galaxy S5 will not only have a curved display, but also one that flexes and bends by about 30 degrees.

A video on YouTube has predicted what the features and specs of the next flagship Samsung device, the Galaxy S5 would look like.

According to the video, the next premium device will have a curved screen, aluminium body and a 16 megapixel camera with 4K (which is four times the quality of Full HD).

The video alleges that the Galaxy S5 will not only have a curved display, but also one that flexes and bends by about 30 degrees.

The video also states that the phone runs on the latest version of Android, Kit Kat 4.4, and features a 64-bit octo-core processor. The phone has 2K HD screen with Super Amoled 2560 x 1440 for better display. The phone also has 3GB RAM.

The phone is also rumoured to have a mammoth 4000 mAH battery for better performance.

The video, made by O2 Guru TV, also suggests that the Galaxy S5 is only a few months away from its release.

These predictions sure look very drool-worthy. If Samsung is listening, its thumbs-up all the way!


Samsung Galaxy S5 Exclusive 3D Concept - O2 Guru TV - YouTube

Samsung Galaxy S5: Aluminium body, 16 megapixel camera and a curved screen? - Sci/Tech - DNA

 

[nitin_k]

So if you use a samsung, you are a dick!




Samsung's '***** mightier...' ad: Intentional, typographical or tampered with?

 

[Raja]

When it comes to Samsung and is products, hardly anyone could argue that the South Korean giant's software is one of the most feature-filled out there. TouchWiz, Samsung's take on Android, touts massively diverse features such as Air Gestures, Air View, S Talk, S Health and a mind-numbing amount of others. Despite the arguable usefulness of some, however, there's certainly some truth to the idea that quite a few are actually nothing more than gimmicks that serve mostly to help the sales pitch of Sammy's marketing minds.

But not this time around, as a new patent filing outlines a new multi-party video conferencing feature, much alike to Hangouts. What's unknown is whether the feature will become a part of an existing app, such as Sammy's ChatOn, or it'll be integrated right into the core of TouchWiz. In the case of ChatOn, you already can video chat, but only with one person, which is an unfortunate limitation that really makes no sense nowadays.

In any case, we'll be keeping tabs on Samsung and its patent filings, as we're more than sure that the Seoul-based company will have a ton of new features in time for the introduction of the next Galaxy flagship.

Samsung Galaxy S5 may come with a multi-party video conferencing feature

 

[TSIVipul]

So if you use a samsung, you are a dick!


View attachment 117344

Samsung's '***** mightier...' ad: Intentional, typographical or tampered with?

'***** mightier than a finger'!!!!
I am left speechless..

Any ways guys, what is your opinion on HTC desire 500? A friend of mine bought this phone and within a month he is facing issues like the screen goes blank and starts blinking, hanging etc. Is it a common issue with this phone or the guy is the only one who is facing the same?

 

[nitin_k]

'***** mightier than a finger'!!!!
I am left speechless..

Any ways guys, what is your opinion on HTC desire 500? A friend of mine bought this phone and within a month he is facing issues like the screen goes blank and starts blinking, hanging etc. Is it a common issue with this phone or the guy is the only one who is facing the same?

should be an one off case. any electronic gadget is prone to defects. Since it is under warranty, they will repair it FOC.

 

[Raja]

Nokia wins patent scuffle with HTC, HTC One Mini banned in UK | WMPoweruser

Bloomberg reports that Nokia has won its patent infringement case against HTC in UK, resulting in the HTC One Mini being banned from the 6th December.

The HTC One is affected by the same patent, but as banning that device would cause “considerable” damage to HTC, that injunction bas been delayed by the court to allow HTC time to appeal the ruling.

Nokia is not satisfied with just the ban, but “… is also claiming financial compensation for the infringement of this patent,” the company said in a prepared statement.

Nokia settled a similar infringement case with Apple in April 2011 and was then paid regular royalties for its use.

While Microsoft is set to purchase Nokia’s handset division, the intellectual property part will remain with Nokia, and with its Here Maps and telecom infrastructure arm will be key to the continuing profitability of the company.

 

[nitin_k]

At Rs 17,499, the Asus Fonepad 7 makes for a great smartphone and a good tablet



The concept of the phablet has very strong roots in the Indian obsession for 'value for money'. People wanted a device that was as large as a tablet, but could also make calls. No need to buy or carry two devices for the same. But as the phablet became a rage in India and many other geographies, some of these people realised that they were actually using these devices more as tablets and less as phones. That meant it was no longer necessary to keep the size of a voice calling device at something you could hold in one hand. As is customary, Samsung latched on to the idea before most others and made a killing with tablets that could make calls. Extremely awkward when you hold a device as large as a paperback to your ear, but very comforting when you realise that you have bought it for lesser than what you would get a mid-range smartphone for.
There is not much novelty in a tablet that can place calls. But there are newer players in the market. We recently laid our hands on the Asus Fonepad 7, among the first Android tablets to be powered by an Intel processor in India. This is important as Intel is slowly, but surely opening up to the opportunity that is the world's most popular mobile operating system.

Design

The Fonepad 7 looks like any seven-inch tablet. It just about fits in your hand, provided you are a 35-year-old with decently large hands. It has a good grip, though for a device like this I would have preferred a textured back panel. With this smooth rear I can visualize me with a sweaty, or wet hand, dropping seven inches of tablet onto the hard floor.

You can't remove the rear flap and the micro-SIM goes into a slot on the left. The volume and power buttons are on the right. So is the micro-card slot. There are perforated strips for the speaker and microphone on both ends. Strangely, the bottom end has a magnetic field strong enough to latch on to a pin on the same table. I have never seen that happen with any mobile device. The rear camera is a bit of a pimple on the back, while the front one is neatly hidden. The 800 x 1280 pixels IPS panel is pretty good. Actually, Asus should have reduced the bezel to showcase the screen quality.



Performance

Performance is definitely the highlight of this tablet. To start with the UI is slightly different from stock Android Jelly Bean and that makes this device much more easier to use as a phone. The dual-core 1.6 GHz Intel Atom Z2560 processor makes multi-tasking easy and I did not encounter any lag. However, there were times when I felt this could have had better graphics. But then this is not a tablet meant for gamers.

The Atuntu benchmark score of 17049 put this between the Google Nexus 4 and the Samsung Galaxy S3. The Quadrant Standard score of 5605 put this device just above the HTC One X. Both scores show that this is a device that will not let you down as a phone. My experience was also the same.

Yes, it is still awkward to make calls with such a device. But it is definitely possible to do so, though I would prefer doing it with a Bluetooth accessory. The camera however is not a strong point and if you are a shutterbug better look for other options.

What is a strong point is the battery which will easily last a full day of use as a phone. That is a big plus. This is achieved by Asus Power Saver which gives you three modes on how you want to manage power. There are some other good Asus apps too, like the App Locker and App Backup. We did have trouble with apps like SuperNote as the touchscreen is not all that great if you want to scribble on it. The curves and cuts just don't go where you intent it to.

Should you buy it

If budget is a concern and you need a good device that will serve you both as a tablet and phone, the Fonepad 7 is a very good option. Don't think of this as a high-end smartphone and expect it to do stuff such devices would. This is more of a workhorse device that won't let you down with the basics. At a price point of Rs 17,499, this is much cheaper that most mid-range smartphones. So it is a big advantage that it is actually much more than a smartphone.

What is inside: The seven-inch Asus Fonepad 7 is powered by an Intel Atom Z2560 chip clocked at 1.6GHz with 1GB RAM. It has a 1280×800p IPS display and 16GB internal storage with a microSD card slot. The rear camera is 5-MP while the front camera is 1.2-MP. It runs Android v4.2 and has a 3,950mAh battery.

Price: 17,499

Rating: ****

Review: At Rs 17,499, the Asus Fonepad 7 makes for a great smartphone and a good tablet - Indian Express

 

[nitin_k]

LG unveils curved smartphone, TV in India

NEW DELHI: South Korean electronics maker LG has launched its curved screen smartphone G Flex and OLED TV in India. The curved display resolves the problem of visual distortion and detail loss, says the manufacturer.

Though the G Flex made its debut in October, its sales had been restricted to South Korea only. It is the second smartphone in the world to have a curved screen, next only to Samsung Galaxy Round. This handset has a 6-inch flexible OLED screen that is curved along the horizontal axis. The phone's 3,500mAh battery is also curved.

Though the company didn't reveal G Flex's exact pricing, Amit Gujral, market head, LG India, revealed that the device will be priced between Rs60,000-65,000 . It will hit the stores in February 2014.

Though the screen is flexible by itself, the glass casing does not allow it to be bent at will. However, the phone still bends if sufficient pressure is applied on it as the glass film is thin enough to be bent slightly.

The G Flex's curved screen provides the same viewing experience from 1 feet away that a 55-inch HDTV does from 10 feet, LG claims.

Apart from the curved display, this phone has another unique feature - a self-healing back. LG has used a self-healing technology on the phone's back, which allows it to heal small scruffs and scratches on the rear panel within 5 minutes. This self-healing is due to a molecular substructure coating on top of the phone's back panel and depends a lot on the room temperature; hotter the room, faster the healing. However, deep cuts that pierce through the coating will not be healed.

Key specs of LG G Flex include a 720 display, 2.2GHz quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor, 2GB RAM and 32GB internal storage. Just like LG G2, the new G Flex has the power key and volume buttons on the back, positioned below a 13MP camera with LED flash.

The LG 55EA9800 curved TV has a 55-inch OLED screen and thickness of just 4.3mm. Instead of the RGB (red, green and blue) pixels that standard televisions have, this TV features four pixels - red, green, blue and white. It also comes with LG's Clear Speakers, which matches the audio quality of movie theatres. The manufacturer also offers Magic Remote, which has features like Gesture, Pointing, Wheel, Voice and Universal Control.

LG's curved TV is now available in stores at Rs 9,99,000.

It is rumoured that the successor of LG G Flex, expected to hit the market next year, will have a screen that will bend at 90-degree angle with ease. Samsung has also revealed that it will launch its first phone with a bendable screen next year.

LG unveils curved smartphone, TV in India - The Times of India

 

[nitin_k]

Moto G India launch confirmed for early-January

Motorola has reiterated that it will indeed be launching Moto G in India in early-January. The company hasn’t declared a fixed release date until now but given that January is almost here, we shouldn’t have to wait for long.

The company confirmed Moto G India launch plans in a reply to one of our readers on Twitter.

Originally announced back in November, Moto G is Motorola’s first post-Google budget Android smartphone, which is getting rave reviews all over. The phone has been praised for its value for money as it comes with some pretty decent specifications for the price at which it is selling in various markets right now.

Unlocked Moto G retails starting $179 in US, so we expect India price to be around INR 13,000 for the 8GB version and INR 15-16,000 for the 16GB version. These are the expected prices for single SIM version but if Motorola only releases dual-SIM variant in the country, expect the price to be slightly higher.

Motorola has already imported around 240 models of Moto G for pre-launch testing, so we should be hearing India release details soon.

To remind you, Moto G features a 4.5-inch 720p HD display, quad-core Snapdragon 400 processor, 1GB of RAM and Android 4.3 (it is likely that India will get the Android 4.4 pre-installed). Check out full specs below.

4.5-inch 1280x720p display
1.2GHz quad-core Snapdragon 400 processor
1GB of RAM, 8/ 16GB of internal storage
50GB of free Google Drive storage
5MP rear camera, 1.3MP front camera
2070 mAh battery
Android 4.3
Wi-Fi b/g/n, GPS, Glonass, Bluetooth 4.0


Moto G India launch confirmed for early-January

 

[Raja]

Sony considers launching a WP device in 2014
Sony considers launching a WP device in 2014 - GSMArena.com news

 

[nitin_k]

‪‎Nokia‬ ‎Lumia1320‬ and ‪‎Lumia525‬ Launched in ‪‎India‬ for Rs 23,999 and Rs 10,399.

Nokia Lumia 1320 and Lumia 525 launched in India | Sulekha Mobiles News

 

[nitin_k]

Oppo N1, 13MP rotating camera phone launched in India for Rs 39,999

Oppo N1, 13MP rotating camera phone launched in India for Rs 39,999 | Sulekha Mobiles News