Xiaomi Redmi 1S will be back on sale in India on Dec 8 without registration

Xiaomi Redmi Note went on sale earlier this week on December 2nd, and it sold out in 6 seconds in the first flash sale. Xiaomi usually stops selling the earlier models temporarily to concentrate more on the new model. Now the company has decided to bring back the Redmi 1S, at least for a day. Xiaomi has announced that the Redmi 1S will be back on sale on December 8th, Monday.

Registrations are not required, so it will not be a flash sale, but the sale will end once the stocks are out. The company has not announced how many smartphones would be available or at what time the sale will begin.

This is not the first time Xiaomi has brought back a smartphone after flash sales. As a part of festive offer approximately 25,000 Mi 3 smartphones were added automatically to Flipkart carts of people those who tried to buy Mi 3 and failed at least five times or more .

The Redmi 1S is still one of the popular budget smartphones in India. Check out our Redmi 1S review here. Registrations for the next Redmi Note has started for sale next Tuesday, December 9th.

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Intex Aqua i5 Octa with 5-inch qHD display, 13MP camera launched for Rs. 7499

Intex Technologies has launched Aqua i5 Octa, the latest smartphone in the Aqua series few days after launching the Aqua Power with an Octa-Core processor. It has a 5-inch (960 x 540 pixels) qHD IPS display, is powered by a 1.4 GHz Octa-Core processor and runs on Android 4.4 (KitKat). It has a 13-megapixel rear camera with LED flash and a 5-megapixel front-facing camera. It comes pre-loaded with pera, OLX, Paytm, Intex care, Newshunt and more apps.

Commenting on the launch, Sanjay Kumar Kalirona, Mobile Business Head, Intex Technologies said,

I think I say this with utmost certainty that in today’s smartphone world, one cannot stress enough on the significance of performance in a handheld device. Therefore, with the Aqua i5 Octa, we hope to make performance look as alluring as possible. What ideally turns the tide in our favor is the market boost that we intend on getting with a launch such as this. By unveiling this handset, we would like to believe that our quest to be seen as a brand that is financially accessible and technologically progressive is on the verge of nearing its completion.

Intex Aqua i5 Octa specifications

• 5-inch (960 x 540 pixels) qHD IPS display
• 1.4 GHz Octa-Core MediaTek MT6592M processor
• 1GB RAM, 8GB internal memory, expandable memory up to 32GB with MicroSD
• Android 4.4 (KitKat)
• Dual SIM
• 13MP rear camera with LED Flash
• 5MP front-facing camera
• 3.5mm audio jack, FM Radio
• 3G HSPA+, WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS, USB OTG
• 2000 mAh battery

The Intex Aqua i5 Octa comes in Black, White and Blue colors and is priced at Rs. 7,499. It is available exclusively on Amazon.

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Micromax Canvas Xpress with 4.5-inch display, Android 4.4 launched for Rs. 6999

Micromax has launched Canvas Xpress, the company’s latest budget smartphone in the Canvas series exclusively on Flipkart. It has a 4.5-inch FWVGA screen, is powered by a 1.3GHz quad core processor and runs on Android 4.4 (KitKat). It has a 5-megapixel autofocus rear camera with LED flash and a 0.3-megapixel VGA front-facing camera. It has Dual SIM support similar to other Micromax smartphones and also has 3G connectivity.

It has HotKnot and Smart Wake features. It comes pre-loaded with Book my show, clean master, hike, MAD, Yata and more apps.

Commenting on the launch,Vineet Taneja, Chief Executive Officer, Micromax said:

At Micromax, we have always believed in opting for smart partnerships building on our innovative products and belief to make technology accessible to all. Our partnership with Flipkart to launch the Canvas Xpress exclusively reinforces our commitment to simplify the process for millions of users who prefer to shop online and get the device with just a few clicks. We look forward to a great consumer response through this platform.

Commenting on this exclusive partnership, Michael Adnani VP – Retail & Head – Brand Alliances, Flipkart said:

Micromax is one of the most popular homegrown phone brands in India and we are happy to partner with them for the exclusive launch of the Micromax Canvas Xpress on our platform. A number of global brands have seen phenomenal success on Flipkart this year and we are confident of continuing this trend.

Micromax Canvas Xpress specifications

• 4.5-inch (854 x 480 pixels) capacitive touchscreen IPS display
• 1.3 GHz quad-core processor
• 1GB RAM, expandable memory up to 32GB with microSD
• Android 4.4 (KitKat)
• Dual SIM with dual standby
• 5MP rear camera with LED Flash
• 0.3MP front-facing camera
• 3.5mm audio jack, FM Radio
• 3G HSPA+, WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS
• 1950 mAh battery

The Micromax Canvas Xpress comes in Electric Blue and Classy Silver colors and is priced at Rs. 6,999. It would be available exclusively on Flipkart starting from December 8th. It comes with free Flipkart eBooks worth Rs. 1000 and 500 MB of free data per month for the first 6 months for Aircel users.

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Xolo Omega 5.0 with 5-inch HD display launched

Xolo has launched Omega 5.0, the company’s latest smartphone with its new HIVE UI . It has a 5-inch (1280 x 720 pixels) HD IPS display, is powered by a 1.4 GHz Octa-Core MediaTek MT6592M processor with Mali 450 GPU and runs on Android 4.4 (KitKat)-based HIVE UI. Xolo has promised Android 5.0 (Lollipop) update for all HIVE UI devices.

It has a 8-megapixel rear camera with LED flash, Sony EXMOR R sensor, 1080p video recording and a 2-megapixel front-facing camera. It has 1GB RAM and 8GB of internal storage with expansion slot. Xolo launched the smartphone on Twitter to engage with fans across India.

Xolo Omega 5.0 specifications

• 5-inch (1280 x 720 pixels) HD IPS display
• 1.4 GHz octa-core MediaTek MT6592M processor with Mali 450 GPU
• 1GB RAM, 8GB internal memory, expandable memory with microSD
• Android 4.4 (KitKat) with HIVE UI
• Dual SIM
• Yamaha amplifier + DTS support
• 8MP rear camera with LED Flash, EXMOR R Sensor, 1080p video recording
• 2MP front-facing camera
• 3.5mm audio jack, FM Radio
• Dimensions: 144 x 72 x 10.5mm
• 3G HSPA+, WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS
• 2100mAh battery

The Xolo Omega 5.0 comes in black color and is priced at Rs. 8,999. It will be available across 10 major cities in India starting from December 10th and will eventually be available in the next 100 cities, by next month. It comes with 500 MB of free data for Vodafone customers and Unlimited music content on Vodafone Music for 2 months.

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Truecaller crosses 100 million users, updates app with new features

Truecaller has announced that it has surpassed 100 million mark globally.  The popular phone directory app revealed that it receives 1.5 billion search requests in a month.

Truecaller has doubled its daily new users in less than three months, said the company in a statement. As of November, India accounted for over 45 million users and 600,000 new users are being added every week from the country. In addition to the increased user base, Truecaller also announced new features for the app. The updated app now focuses on predictive style features, suggesting who to contact based on call history, time of day, and place.

The version 5.0 of the app pulls in information from contacts’ social media profiles to keep their entries up-to-date, and allows users to search their own address books and Truecaller’s 1.5 billion-contact directory. Once a user profile is pulled, you just need to swipe left to text or swipe right to place a call. The update is currently only rolled out for Android devices and will soon land on iOS and Windows Phone.

In October of this year, Truecaller received USD 60 million in funding from VC firms Sequoia Capital, Atomico, and Kleiner Perkins Caufield Byers.

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Google launches Inbox by Gmail

Google has just unveiled a new service. It’s called Inbox, and it uses the data in your Gmail account. But it presents this to you in some pretty interesting new ways.

It’s designed to “focus on what really matters”, the company says. It does this by surfacing important information from emails, and by letting you add reminders to your new inbox.

Inbox comes with Bundles, which are an evolution of the categories that Gmail itself got last year. Similar types of email will be bundled together in one row, and if the system doesn’t work well on its own you can train it by choosing which emails it should group. So basically, gone are the category tabs, and in are the new rows of bundles.

Another new feature of Inbox is Highlights. This brings to your attention the most important information in certain messages you receive, such as flight itineraries, event details, as well as photos or documents sent to you by friends and family members. The service will also show you relevant tidbits that weren’t in the original email, such as real-time flight status and package tracking.

This email app is also a to-do app, since you can add reminders to it. Google even boasts that “your inbox becomes a centralized place” in which to see things you need to do alongside emails. Furthermore, the reminders are enhanced by what Google is calling Assists – which are bits of additional information that may help you get things done. Examples include automatically adding the phone number for a store you’re reminding yourself to call. In this situation, you’ll also know whether the store is currently open. And Assists work for email too. If you book a flight, you’ll get a Check In link, and if you book a table at a restaurant, you’ll be shown a map next to your confirmation email.

Finally, Inbox introduces the concept of snoozing both emails and reminders. After you’ve done so, they’ll disappear, but you can set them to come back at another time, or when you arrive at a specific location – such as your home or your office.

Inbox is invite-only for now, so to use it you’ll have to either wait for someone to invite you or send an email to inbox@google.com begging for an invite. Inbox works on the Web, and there are dedicated apps for Android and iOS too. The Gmail apps will still exist, there doesn’t seem to be a plan for Inbox to replace them (at least not yet).

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Microsoft makes a lockscreen app for Android

Microsoft is on a roll these days… making apps for Android. Made by the same Microsoft Garage division that brought us this comes the new Next Lock Screen.

As you can tell from the name, it’s a lockscreen app. It presents notifications on the lockscreen similar to the way Android Lollipop does. You can see them at a glance or swipe them away. But more than showing notifications, the lockscreen also shows relevant information from your apps directly on the lockscreen so you don’t have to go hunting inside the app.

For example, it will show you your day’s schedule, pulled from the calendar app. If you have, say, a conference call reminder set, you can initiate the call from the lockscreen with a single tap instead of going into contacts and calling manually.

The app also shows your favorite apps at the bottom, which can be Work, Home, etc. and you can launch your favorite apps directly from the lockscreen.

You can download the app for free from the link below but currently it doesn’t seem to be available in all regions.

Play Store

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Spice Stellar 518 with 5-inch display now available for Rs. 7799

           Spice Stellar 518, the company’s latest budget smartphone in the Stellar series with a whopping 4000mAh battery is now available from online retailer Saholic. It has a 5-inch FWVGA screen, powered by a 1.3GHz quad-core processor and runs on Android 4.4 (KitKat). It has a 8-megapixel rear camera with LED flash and a 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera. As usual it has dual SIM support and comes with 3G connectivity too. 

Earlier this year Gionee launched Gionee M2 smartphone with a 4200mAh battery and almost similar specifications.  This is the only Android smartphone with a 4000mAh battery under Rs. 10,000 in recent times, at least in India.

Spice Stellar 518 specifications

• 5-inch (854 x 480 pixels) capacitive touch screen display
• 1.3 GHz quad-core Processor
• 1GB RAM, 8GB internal memory, expandable memory up to 32GB with microSD
• Android 4.4 (KitKat) OS
• Dual SIM (3G + 3G) with dual standby
• 8MP rear camera with LED Flash
• 1.3MP front-facing camera
• 3.5mm audio jack, FM Radio
• 3G HSPA+,WiFi 802.11 b/g/n,Bluetooth, GPS
• 4000 mAh battery

The Spice Stellar 518 comes in Black color and is priced at Rs. 7,799.

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Samsung Galaxy Mega 2 goes on sale in India for Rs. 20900

Samsung Galaxy Mega 2 (SM- G750H) is now available for sale in India from the official Samsung India eStore, as expected. It has a 6-inch HD (1280 x 720 pixels) display, powered by a 1.2GHz quad-core processor and runs on Android 4.4 (KitKat). It has a 8-megapixel auto-focus rear camera with LED Flash.

It has a 5-megapixel front-facing camera, which is a surprise since the LTE variant has a 2.1-megapixel camera. It comes with Dual SIM support and even has Duos branding on the top. It has One-handed Operation since it has a large screen, comes with Multi-Screen option.

Samsung Galaxy Mega 2 specifications

• 6-inch ( 1280 x 720 pixels) HD display
• 1.2 GHz quad-core processor
• Android 4.4 (KitKat)
• Dual SIM
• 8MP auto-focus rear camera with LED Flash
• 5MP front-facing camera
• 8.6mm thick and weighs 196 grams
• 1.5 GB RAM, 8GB Internal Memory, expandable memory up to 64GB with micro SD
• 3G HSPA＋21Mbps, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS＋GLONASS
• 2800 mAh battery

The Samsung Galaxy Mega 2 comes in Brown Black and White colors and is priced at Rs. 20,900.

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Gionee Elife E6 review

The Gionee Elife E6, a MediaTek quad core powered handset packed with 2GB RAM and 32GB ROM is available for under Rs. 21,000. When it comes to build quality this handset can be compared with big brands like Samsung and the Apple iPhone.

This is a beauty, a masterpiece when you look at it from the design perspective. However on the software front the handset gets a bit slow at time but not that annoying! Gionee seems to have heavily customized the Amigo user interface probably thinking that the 2GB RAM might sustain the load. It’s software related and can be corrected, Gionee might already be working on an update to fix this issue.

Box Contents

Handset, screen guard, Flip case leather, Headphone, travel charger, data cable, Warranty Card / User manual, Service Centers list, SIM removing tool and Air suction Stand.

Design and Display

The device is pretty slim with a 8mm thickness and the battery comes built in it cannot be removed. The handset is light weight.

People have mistaken it for a iPhone. It not only seems inspired by the design of iPhone but gives a really rich feel of a top rated branded device in your hand. The handset screen is 5 inches and yet comfortable to hold. There are stereo speakers placed on the bottom edge.

This is a single SIM handset. The SIM trey (you need a micro SIM card) is placed on the left, power button on top with 3.5mm audio jack, volume rockers on right. A Micro USB port is placed along with the dual speakers. Front side there is the sensors, front camera and navigational buttons on the bottom.

The screen is 5 inches supporting FHD resolution i.e. 1920×1080 pixels. Its IPS LCD and not that visible under direct sunlight. The display quality however is very good and can be compared with Galaxy S3 or Note 2.

Memory and Storage

This handset comes with 32GB internal storage of which 24GB is available for user as phone storage and 7.3GB allocated for system. 2.9GB for apps and there is no external SD cards support. Handset runs on Android 4.2.1 with 2GB RAM.

Performance

Gionee Elife E6 is powered by 1.5GHz MediaTek quad core processor coupled with PowerVR SGX 544MP GPU. The overall performance is good, however you experience a mild lag occasionally, probably the customized OS needs some tweaking. Users need not worry about updates, there is OTA option.

Camera

The rear camera is of 13MP resolution and front camera of 5MP. Rear camera is with BSI II sensor and with LED flash support. The camera can record videos in full HD resolution. The still image output is not that good indoors and in low light conditions. You can check the sample images.

Others

The sound output seems pretty low and the sound quality is not up to the mark, in spite of it housing the DTS surround sound technology. This may not be a good option for music lovers. There are many other features like NQ mobile security, power saving mode, air bwose picture and gesture control to name a few.

Battery

The non-removable 2000 mAh battery should last for a full day with moderate usage. It takes under 3 hours to fully charge the handset from 5 percent to 100.

Verdict

The Gionee Elife E6 is beautifully crafted and will grab attention. The handset is powerful, though the Software needs a little bit of attention, probably some future updates could fix the issue. This handset was initially priced at Rs. 23,000 but now the prices have fallen down to under Rs. 21,000. A price between 18K to 19K would have been perfect.

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Lava E-Tab Ivory with 7-inch display launched for Rs. 10199

Lava has launched the E-Tab Ivory, a new tablet with voice calling support in the E-Tab range. The E-Tab E-Tab Z7C+ (Connect+) with voice calling support went on sale recently, but this has a dual SIM support similar to the Micromax Funbook Mini P410 that went on sale earlier this month. It has a 7-inch (1024 x 600 pixels) capacitive touch screen display, powered by a 1.2 GHz dual-core MediaTek MT8377 processor and runs on Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean). It has dual SIM cars slots with 3G support, voice calling and SMS. These is a 2-megapixel rear camera and a 0.3-megapixel (VGA) front-facing camera.

It comes pre-loaded with Total Recall HD and NFS HD games . Lava has once again partnered with Hungama for VAS initiatives such as Hungama’s Music Application. It also comes pre-loaded with range of apps including OLX, PayTm, Twitter, Facebook and WhatsApp.

Lava E-Tab Ivory specifications

• 7-inch (1024 x 600 pixels) capacitive touch screen display
• Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean) OS
• Dual SIM (3G + 3G)
• 1.2 GHz dual-core MediaTek MT8377 processor with 500 MHz Power VRSGX531 Ultra GPU
• 2MP rear camera
• 0.3 MP (VGA) front-facing camera
• Dimensions - 194.0mm x 120.5mm x 10.8mm
• 3.5mm audio jack
• 1GB RAM, 4GB internal memory, expandable memory up to 32 GB
• 3G, WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth, GPS
• 3000 mAh battery with up to 5 hours of running time

The Lava E-Tab Ivory has a metallic fished with white bezel and is priced at Rs. 10199 (MRP). It would be available from online channels and retail stores across India.

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LG G Pro Lite with 5.5-inch display and Stylus Pen official, coming soon to India

LG has officially announced the G Pro Lite, the company’s latest mid-range smartphone. It surfaced recently and packs a 5.5-inch (960 ×540 pixels) IPS display, powered by a 1 GHz dual-core MediaTek MT6577processor and runs on Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean). It has a Stylus Pen for handwriting that can be stored conveniently in a slot. It has a 8-megapixel rear camera with BSI sensor and LED flash and a 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera. It pack a 3140 mAh battery similar to the G Pro.Other features include dual stereo speakers and Dual SIM support with a dedicated SIM Switch key in the LG G Pro Lite Dual variant. It has KnockON that wakes up the display in two taps, Pause and Resume Recording for recording of short snippets of video, QSlide, QuickMemo to jot memos or notes and QTranslator.

LG G Pro Lite specifications

• 5.5-inch (960 ×540 pixels) IPS display
• 1 GHz dual-core MediaTek MT6577processor
• Android 4.1.2 (Jelly Bean) OS
• Dual SIM with dual standby with dedicated SIM Switch Key (G Pro Lite Dual)
• Dimensions – 150.2 x 76.9 x 9.48 mm
• 8MP rear camera with BSI sensor and LED Flash
• 1.3MP front-facing camera
• 3.5mm audio jack, FM Radio
• 1GB RAM, 8GB of internal memory, expandable memory up to 32GB with microSD
• 3G (HSDPA: 7.2Mbps / HSUPA: 5.76Mbps), WiFi, Bluetooth 3.0 with A2DP, GPS / aGPS
• 3140 mAh battery

The LG G Pro Lite comes in Black and White would launch in Latin America first followed by other markets including Asia, Russia, China, India and the Middle East. No word on pricing yet.

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Samsung Galaxy S4 mini and Galaxy S3 get price cut, now available for Rs. 22080 and Rs. 24900

Samsung has cut the price of the Galaxy S4 mini and the Galaxy S3 in India. The Galaxy S3 got a price cut in India back in February. It was launched in India in May 2012 at a MRP of Rs. 43,180. It is now available for Rs. 24,900 after the recent price cut. 

No sign of price cut for the 32GB version of the Galaxy S3 yet. This is the first price cut for the Galaxy S4 mini since its launch earlier this July for Rs. 27990. The Galaxy S4 mini is now available for Rs. 22,080 after the price cut. This was first spotted by NDTVGadgets.

It is surprising that the Galaxy S3 is still in production even months after the release of the Galaxy S4. The Samsung Galaxy Mega 5.8, Galaxy Core and Galaxy S Duos got a price cut in India back in August. BlackBerry Z10 got a huge limited period price cut in India recently. More smartphones are expected to get a price cut for this festive season.

Online retailer Flipkart is now selling these devices at new rates. These are available at a slightly higher price from the official Samsung India eStore. This might be a temporary price cut for the festive season.

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XOLO launches XOLO Play Tab 7.0 for under Rs. 13000

XOLO Play Tab 7.0 is powered by Tegra 3 processor and runs Jelly Bean OS on a 7 inch screen. XOLO Tegra Note made headlines in September that will come powered by Tegra 4 processor. The Play Tab 7.0 is already listed on some online stores for a price tag of Rs. 12,999.

XOLO started the tablet series by launching the XOLO Tab that supports 3G, powered by quad core processor (Qualcomm Snapdragon 8225Q) and priced at Rs. 13,499. The XOLO Play Tab 7.0 is different from the XOLO Tab as well as from, yet to be launched the XOLO Tegra Note. The Play Tab 7.0 is more powerful than the XOLO Tab, but doesn’t support 3G.

XOLO Play Tab 7.0 comes powered by NVIDIA T30L cortex A9 (Cortex A9 Tegra 3) quad core chipset clocked at 1.2GHz with 12-core NVIDIA ULP GeForce GPU. This tablet is 10.6mm thick and weight is around 338 grams.Capacitive IPS display is 7 inches with supported resolution of 1280×800 pixels with 16M colors.

Play TAB 7.0 runs on Android 4.1 Jelly Bean OS with 1GB RAM and 8GB internal storage + micro SD card support of up to 32GB.Other key features are front 2 megapixel camera (there is no rear camera), Wi-Fi (b/g/n) with hotspot, full HD playback (1080p) supported, USB 2.0, 3.5mm audio jack and Bluetooth 4.0. 

A 4000 mAh Li-ion battery gives music playback time of up to 8 hours using the internal speakers and the tab can be fully re-charged within 4 hours.

The XOLO Play Tab 7.0 for Rs. 12,999 – takes you to the next level of entertainment.

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HTC One Mini vs Galaxy S4 Mini - Which one is best ?

With more and more smartphones entering the market, it’s time to start comparing them against one another. And this time around, we have two Minis for you which are battling it out against each other. HTC and Samsung have their flagships going up against each other and the same has extended to their Mini versions as well. Today we have for you the HTC One Mini going up against the Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini. Let us have a comparative look at HTC One Mini and Galaxy S4 Mini.

Built: The dimensions of HTC One Mini are 5.20 x 2.49 x 0.36 inches and weighs 122 grams. Whereas the dimensions of Galaxy S4 Mini are 4.91 x 2.41 x 0.35 inches and weighs about 107 grams. The HTC One Mini has a way better build quality than the S4 Mini and the HTC’s offering wins in this department.

Display: Both the device sport a capacitive multi touch display of 4.3 inch. The resolution and pixel density of HTC One Mini are 720 x 1280 pixels and 341 ppi and that of Galaxy S4 Mini are 540 x 960 pixels and 256 ppi. And the HTC offering wins once again.

Processor: Both the smartphone carry Adreno 305 GPU and Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 system chip. HTC One Mini has been equipped with 1400 MHz Krait dual core processor while Galaxy S4 Mini comes with 1700 MHz Krait dual core processor. The smartphones perform almost similarly in real world and this one is a tie.

Operating System: Both the devices function on Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean. HTC One Mini comes with HTC Sense 5 UI whereas Galaxy S4 Mini comes with TouchWiz Nature UX 2.0 UI. And this one is a tie as well.

Camera: The HTC One Mini has a 4MP Ultrapixel camera with a 1.9MP shooter up front whereas the S4 Mini has a 8MP camera with a 1.9MP camera on the front. The HTC offering’s camera is a better one any day over the S4 Mini’s camera.

Memory: The HTC One Mini comes with a RAM of 1024 MB, 16 GB internal memory and 11 GB user memory. On the other hand, Galaxy S4 Mini carries 1536 MB RAM, 8 GB internal memory, 5 GB user memory and up to 64 GB expandable memory. One has a better RAM and the other one has a better internal memory.

Camera: HTC One Mini comes with 4MP rear camera and 1.6MP front facing camera while the Galaxy S4 Mini carries an 8MP rear camera and 1.9MP front facing camera. Their features include LED flash, auto focus, BSI and 1080p video recording. Galaxy S4 Mini also offers geo tagging, face detection, HDR mode, Panorama and other exciting features.

Connectivity Features: The connectivity options included in the HTC One Mini are micro USB, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, EDGE, GPRS and LTE and the S4 Mini has the same options as well. So they are equal in this department as well.

Other Features: Both the devices carry proximity and light sensor, gyroscope, accelerometer and compass. They come with a 3.5 mm audio jack.

Battery: Both the devices work in Li-ion battery. The capacitive of the battery of HTC One Mini is 1800 mAh and that of Galaxy S4 Mini is 1900 mAh.

Price: The HTC One Mini has been priced around Rs 35,000 whereas the S4 Mini costs around Rs 25,000 and this price difference gives the S4 Mini a lead that the HTC One Mini might not really catch up to.

Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini appears a better value for money smartphone whereas the One Mini comes across as a better performer. According to me, the S4 Mini is a better one out of the two because at the price of a One Mini, you might as well go in for a S4 or HTC One.

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Android-Land Stores Powered by Spice Launched in India

Spice Mobility, Mobile Phone Retailer with a chain of 650+ stores across India, today launched the first two “Android-Land” stores in India, one in Koramangala, Bangalore and 2nd at The Great India Place Mall, Noida.

The two Android branded retail experience stores are first of its kind multi-location stores will offer Android experiences created for its customers and will showcase a comprehensive range of Android devices, services and accessories.

Android-Land powered by Spice will showcase the latest innovations and the widest range of Android smartphones and tablets across top manufacturer brands. Spice, Samsung, Sony, HTC, Lenovo, Xolo, Micromax, Karbonn and LG, are just some of the Android device manufacturers represented at Android-Land in Bangalore and Noida.

Spice Android Experience Specialists present at the AndroidLand Store have undergone comprehensive training to ensure they can help showcase the best of what the Android platform has to offer.

Key Features / Facilities at Android-Land Stores :

• Fun and open design – An open plan design that inspires customers to discover the fun world of Android. Customers are encouraged to interact with the displays and devices and to take photographs with the Android robots.
• Android choice showcase – A wide variety of live Android smartphones and tablets that customers can play with along with a selection of accessories.
• Google Play Zone – An exclusive area showcasing the most popular apps and games from Google Play. Customers can choose to search and download multiple applications from Google Play on the spot.
• Expert advice – Android-Land store staff (Spice Android Experience Specialist) have been specially trained on the Android platform and will be able to help customers select the device that’s right for them and then set-up, customize and provide apps recommendations.
• Free Wi-Fi – Free Wi-Fi in store for visitors to browse the Internet from the live units

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Sony Xperia C Dual vs HTC Desire 500: Which one is a better Buy ?

As many new smartphones are emerging every now and then, its time to compare some and determine the best options. This time the war is for a better Rs 20,000 device with Dual SIM capabilities. The devices we’ve chosen for the same are Sony Xperia C Dual and HTC Desire 500.

Let us have a comparative look at HTC Desire 500 and Sony Xperia C Dual:

Built: The dimensions of HTC Desire 500 are 5.19 x 2.63 x 0.39 inches and weighs 123 grams. Where as the dimensions of Sony Xperia C Dual are 5.57 x 2.92 x 0.35 inches and weighs 153 grams. The Sony offering fares better in terms of build quality and looks more premium than the HTC offering.

Display: HTC Desire 500 sports a capacitive multi touch display of 4.3 inches, 480 x 800 pixels resolution and 217 ppi pixel density. While Sony Xperia C Dual sports a capacitive multi touch display of 5 inches, 540 x 960 pixels resolution and 220 ppi pixel density. The Xperia C has a better screen and this point goes in the favour of the Xperia C as well.

Processor: HTC Desire 500 comes with Qualcomm Snapdragon 200 system chip while Xperia C Dual carries MediaTek system chip. Both the smartphones have been equipped with 1200 MHz quad core processor. But the point is that the Mediatek offering is based on Cortex A7 architecture whereas the Qualcomm offering is based on Cortex A5 architecture. The former performs better and the Sony Xperia C gets one more brownie point.

Operating System: Both the devices function on Android 4.2 Jelly Bean OS. So application compatibility will be similar to each other so they are even in this department.

Camera: Both the devices have been loaded with 8 MP rear cameras with LED flash. HTC Desire 500 enables you to record 720p HD videos and carries 1.6 MP secondary camera where as the Xperia C Dual enables you to record 1080p HD videos. Xperia C Dual offers a range of other exiting camera features such as the burst mode. And the Xperia C Dual has one more point going in its favour.

Memory: Both the smartphones carry 1024 MB RAM and 4 GB internal memory. HTC Desire 500 feature expandable memory of up to 64 GB and Xperia C Dual feature up to 32 GB expandable memory. The HTC offering has a better expandable memory option so it wins in this regard.

Connectivity Features: The connectivity features included in both the smartphones are Bluetooth 4.0, Wi-Fi, micro USB and a 3.5 mm audio jack. Xperia C Dual also supports NFC and with this, it just extends its lead.

Other Features: They both feature proximity and light sensors, compass, accelerometer, voice dialing, voice recording, speakerphone, etc. Both the devices are dual SIM smartphone that offer dual standby option. So they are pretty even.

Both of them cost around Rs 20,500. After having a good look at the features, my vote goes in favor of Sony Xperia C Dual as it offers bigger display, better resolution and a finer camera with wider range of features.

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Spice Pinnacle Stylus Mi-550 with 5.5-inch HD display now available for Rs. 15499

Spice Pinnacle Stylus Mi-550, the company’s latest smartphone in the Pinnacle is now available from online retailer Saholic. t has a 5.5-inch (1280 x 720 pixels) HD display, powered by a 1.2 GHz quad-core processor and runs on Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean). It has a 8-megapixel auto focus rear camera with dual LED Flash, 1080p full HD video recording and a 2-megapixel front-facing camera. It comes with dual SIM support with dual standby and packs a 2500 mAh battery.

Most of the features are similar to the Karbonn Titanium S9 that was launched back in July. It also comes with a stylus pen.

Spice Pinnacle Stylus Mi-550 Specifications

• 5.5-inch (1280 x 720 pixels) HD capacitive touch screen display
• 1.2 GHz quad-core processor
• Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean)
• Dual SIM (3G + 3G)
• 8MP rear camera with dual LED Flash
• 2MP front-facing camera
• 3.5mm audio jack, FM Radio
• G-Sensor, Proximity, Ambient Light Sensor and Gyro sensor
• 1GB RAM, 8GB internal memory, expandable memory up to 32GB with MicroSD
• 3G HSPA+, WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS
• 2500 mAh battery

The Spice Pinnacle Stylus comes in Black color and is priced at Rs. 15499. 

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