Xolo Q1000S with 5-inch HD display, 1.5 GHz quad-core processor, 13MP camera launched for Rs. 18999
Xolo has launched the Q1000S, the company’s latest flagship smartphone in the Q Core series. Wereported about the device back in July and Xolo started teasing about the device on their Facebook page earlier this week. It has a 5-inch (1280 x 720 pixels) HD IPS display at 295 PPI based on one-glass solution (OGS) technology and runs on Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean) similar to the Q1000 that was launched back in May. It is powered by a 1.5 GHz quad-core MediaTek 6589T processor with PowerVR SGX544 GPU .
It comes with a 13-megapixel auto focus camera at the back with LED Flash and a BSI (Back Side Illumination) 2 sensor for low-light imaging and a 5-megapixel front-facing camera with a BSI 2 sensor. It comes with dual SIM support with dual standby similar to other Xolo smartphones.It has 16GB of internal memory, packs a 2500 mAh battery and is just 6.98mm thick.
Xolo Q1000S Specifications
5-inch (1280 x 720 pixels) HD IPS display at 295 PPI
1.5 GHz quad-core MediaTek 6589T processor with PowerVR SGX544 GPU
Micromax Canvas Doodle 2 A240 with 5.7-inch HD display, Android 4.2 listed online
Micromax has been teasing the upcoming Canvas Doodle 2 A240 on their Facebook page for the past few days, now the smartphone has been listed on Flipkart. The Micromax Canvas Doodle 2 A240 would have a 5.7-inch (1280 x 720 pixels) HD IPS display, powered by a 1.2 GHz quad-core processor and run on Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean). It would come with a 12-megapixel camera with dual LED flash and a 5-megapixel front-facing camera. It would have with Dual SIM support with dual standby similar to other Micromax smartphones. It also comes with a stylus and pack a 2600 mAh battery.
No details about the RAM yet, but it is likely to come with 1GB of RAM similar to the Canvas 4. It would come with Blow to unlock feature, unique M! Doodle app. Micromax launched the Canvas Doodle A111with a 5.3-inch FWVGA display and a quad-core Snapdragon 200 processor back in May.
Micromax Canvas 4 A210 specifications
5.7-inch (1280 x 720 pixels) HD capacitive touch screen IPS display
1.2 GHz quad-core processor
Dual SIM (GSM + GSM)
Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean)
12MP rear camera with Dual LED Flash
5MP front-facing camera
3.5mm audio jack
12GB internal memory, expandable memory upto 32GB with MicroSD
3G, WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth, GPS/A-GPS
2600 mAh battery
No word on pricing yet since the listing says coming soon without any price tag, but it is likely to be priced similar to the Canvas 4.
While everyone waited on an iPad mini 2 with retina, Google and Asus went ahead and did one better. Presenting the new Nexus 7, an affordable 7-inch tablet with beefy specs and more pixels per inch than you can shake a 1080p jpeg at.
Whether you call it the Nexus 7 2 or just the Nexus 7, it hurdles right over the iPad mini in both parts and price. For just a little more money, it offers a lot more functionality than a Kindle Fire HD. It so surpasses the original Nexus 7 that Google has swept last year's tablet under the rug; it seems to be retired from the Play Store altogether.
Internally, the new Nexus 7 packs a 1.5Ghz quad core processor, 2GB of RAM and comes with either 16GB or 32GB of storage. Those models go for $229/£200 and $269/£240, and there's also an LTE version selling for $300, but its fate in European markets seems unclear, and we've yet to get word on Australian pricing.
While microSD slots now feel like a relic of a bygone era, since neither Nexus nor Apple devices offer them, we have to bemoan storage space a bit here. The Android 4.3: Jelly Bean OS found on the Nexus 7 takes up a whopping 6GB. Our 32GB tablet came out of the box with 26GB available. Those planning to go for the 16GB model need to brace for having only 10GB to play with.
Still, no matter how you slice it, the Nexus 7 is a lot of great tablet hardware for the money, all packed in unassuming, plastic package. That pockmarked white rubber backing from the first Nexus 7 has been ditched, replaced with an all plastic black backing. It doesn't feel as slick or look as premium as the metal backing of an iPad, but it'll surely hold up against scratches better than Apple's tablet.
Price separates the new Nexus 7 and the iPad mini, as do their different aspect ratios. Apple's 7-inch tablet is 4:3, while the Nexus 7 is the more film friendly 16:9. So while the mini is wider, that extra screen space usually fills with black bars when watching movies or reading comics; not so with the new Nexus.
Not as wide as an iPad mini, the Nexus 7 is easier to hold in one hand. That, combined with its pixel dense 323 ppi display make it great for reading. Text is newspaper crisp, and so far we've seen it do an excellent job of regulating screen brightness, though we're looking forward to testing it in direct sunlight.
The Nexus 7's skinny design and cinematic aspect ratio does leave it with a ton of bezel. On a small 7-inch display, that feels like wasted space, but at 16:9, the device would need to widen in order to accommodate a taller screen, so it's a bit of an impasse.
Although it leaked weeks ago, this new Nexus 7 is the debut device for Android 4.3, the latest iteration of Jelly Bean. It's mostly minor tweaks, not the sort of major overhaul that comes with a new dessert name, like Key Lime Pie.
Among Android 4.3's few notable new features you have separate user accounts. At the tablet's lock screen, you're able to choose from different profiles all with their own login pins. These accounts can be setup with restricted access, letting an admin user pick and choose which apps other accounts have access to. It's a nice feature is you plan to share the tablet with a child.
In basic performance, the Nexus 7 is extremely snappy. Moving across home screens is like butter, and switching between apps is nearly instantaneous. The only hiccup we've seen is stuttering while scrolling in Chrome, something Android has never been able to iterate away.
Early verdict
The new Nexus 7 is poised to change the tablet game. It has a display and a price tag that puts the iPad mini to shame, and makes us wonder what's in store for the redesigned Nexus 10.
This isn't an open and shut case though. Conventional wisdom says that Apple still has the better tablet ecosystem, a claim we plan thoroughly investigate in our full review. We're looking forward to seeing what in the Play Store has been optimized for 7-inch 1080p consumption.
And if we had to register a few complaints about the Nexus 7's build, we have bring up all that bezel. We also think its pretty atrocious for Google to advertise a 16GB tablet that really only has 10GB available.
Affordable price tags have bought the Nexus 7 some leeway, but it's no longer the dirt cheap option. Between Apple's premium iPads and Amazon's rock bottom Kindle Fire HD, is their room in the middle for a new Nexus 7?
HTC Desire 500 Announced: An Entry Level Phone With Sense 5 UI
HTC Desire 500 Announced: An Entry Level Phone With Sense 5 UI
Even though HTC has just recently announced the younger brother to its flagship phone for 2013, the HTC One Mini, they have just announced a lower end device that should bring cool styling, Sense 5 UI, and the latest and tastiest version of Jelly Bean which is 4.2.2 to the entry level smartphone market.
Packing a 4.3 inch 480×800, the resolution is quite disappointing by today’s standards even for a low end device. Something closer to that magical 720p HD would have been much nicer to see on this phone. Powered by a Snapdragon 200 processor, this device should be able to suffice most of your everyday tasks but by no means is a powerhouse. This chipset is then paired to 1GB if RAM which is becoming the standard for most devices of today. Although the device only comes with 4GB of internal memory, a microSD card slot should help you alleviate that issue. There’s also an 8MP shooter on the back which is paired to an LED flash as well as HTC’s ImageChip processor which should give some pretty good photo and video results.
HTC Desire 500 Announced: An Entry Level Phone With Sense 5 UI
Also coming along with the hardware is what seems to be Android 4.2.2 with Sense 5 UI running over top of it. It has most of the favorable trademarks of the HTC One including BlinkFeed and Video Highlights, but the hardware dependent ones such as the TV Remote are absent due to obvious limitations of the Desire 500.
HTC Desire 500 Announced: An Entry Level Phone With Sense 5 UI
In terms of design, the device is quite similar to the One series of last year taking most of its design cues in the front from the One S and the rear is very reminiscent of the One SV. This also means that it ditches the aluminum enclosures of this year’s One series in favor of a more low end polycarbonate shell. All in all however, we are still fans of the design and its definitely one of the better looking devices in the low end market.
The Desire 500 will first sell in Taiwan for a heft $400 unsubsidized and then will slowly make its way into other markets. Hopefully by that time the price will be lower as well.
