Zen Mobile has discreetly launched the Ultrafone 502 smartphone which is listed on its official site for Rs. 8,999.
The smartphone however is also spotted selling online for a discounted price of Rs. 7,299/-
Talking of the features, the Zen Ultrafone 502 comes with a 4.5-inch qHD IPS display with 540x960 pixels resolution. The hardware of the device comprises a 1.2 GHz dual-core processor coupled with 512 MB of RAM and 4 GB of internal memory and expandable upto 32 GB via micro SD card slot. In terms of software, it supports Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean which is quite a treat in this price range.
The phone also has a 8-megapixel rear camera with LED flash and a 1.3-megapixel user facing camera. For connectivity it offers standard options like Wi-Fi Bluetooth, and GPS/AGPS. The phone also offers 3G connectivity on one of the dual SIM. Other features in the phone includes sensors like ambient light, G-sensor and proximity sensor.
The phone will be up against an array of smartphones from domestic vendors as well as the newly launched Samsung Galaxy Trend and Galaxy Star Pro budget smartphones. The Samsung phones however do not offer similar features than the offerings from the indigenous vendors. The Micromax A47 Canvas Fun, the Xolo Q800 and the Karbonn Titanium S1 will give good competition to this newbie in the 4.5-inch smartphone segment in the price range of Rs. 7,000 to Rs. 9,000/-
New hardware launches are often plagued with various bugs and errors that are gradually accounted for in the weeks and months following release. Apple's latest smartphones have both received a fair amount of criticism for security breaches and exorbitant prices, but one issue only seems to be present on the iPhone 5s. A report from crittercism which states that programs crash about two percent on the iPhone 5s, as compared to just under one percent on both the iPhone 5c and iPhone 5.
Crittercism CEO Andrew Levy believes that the reason the iPhone 5s is suffering from this problem on a greater scale than the other iPhone 5 models is that although app developers had access to iOS 7 months in advance, they did not have access to the 5s hardware.The iPhone 5c runs on the same hardware as the iPhone 5, so it was prepared to handle virtually anything the iPhone 5 could run.
As Apple trickles out updates over the coming months, the crashes should become much less common.
Spice Mobility has launched India's first multi brand Android experience stores in Nodia and Bangalore. The stores that will retail Android smartphones, tablets and related accessories will emphasize on product experience and educating first time Android users about what they can do with an Android Device. Apart from featuring the latest gadgets, these stores will have trained staff that will help users answer their smartphone related queries and also give demos of the latest apps and games.
Spice has collaborated with Google to launch the stores, which are similar to the ones that have been launched in Australia and recently in Indonesia. While Google has not invested financially in the stores, it is providing analystics data, helping train staff and provide regular updates on the latest apps. Google has also assisted Spice in designing the stores, which will have devices from Global brands like Samsung,Sony,HTC,LG and Lenovo as well as local brands like Micromax,Xolo, Karbonn and Spice. The stores will have Wi-Fi access for people to come and check out the devices.
Spice also has own multi brand retail chain under the HotSpot brand and those will continue to exist. We have a chain of 450 retail stores across the country that will continue to exist. We hope to learn from the two stores and would look at converting some of our HotSpot stores into Android Land in the future, Dilip Modio co-founder and group CEO , Spice Global told BGR India.
Modi also envisions Android Land to become a destination where developers can showcase their apps and even host learning sessions for existing as well as potential Android users, a concept that sounds inspired from Apple Stores.
One of the biggest challange for Spice, however would be to convert footfalls to sales. While such experience stores see good footfalls from people who come and experience the products, a high percentage of those footfalls do not buy from such stores and go hunting for the best deal possible either online from or from their friendly neighborhood retailer who gives them a regular customers discount from his margin.
Modi acknowledges the trend but maintains that Android Land are definetly not a cost centre and they will eventually have to make money. He believes that these are still early days for a concept that has not existed before in India and the company will learn and keep evolving. Apart from retailing hardware, Spice is also looking at tie ups with carriers to provide special data plans for its customers.
The 900 square feet store in Nodia is at the Great India Palace Mall whereas the flagship 2,300 square feet store in Bangalore is in Koramangala.
We are less than a fortnight away from the Nokia World 2013 event. Where the Finnish company plans on unveiling as many as six new devices that include the Lumia 1520 phablet, Lumia 2520 tablet, Lumia 525, Asha 500, Asha 502, and the Asha 503.But that isn't stopping it from working on new devices and according to the Verge, we might soon get to see a new device codenamed Batman.
The Batman could be the Lumia 1320, a low-end Lumia device with a large display. The Lumia 11320 is likelyto be placed just above the Lumia 625 and will include a large display 5 megapixel rear camera, VGA front camera and come pre-loaded with the Pro and smart cam features seen on some of the high-end device.
Details about the device are scarce at best and the only other piece of information we have is that the device is likely to be launched later this year.
Google's Nexus 5 could come with a Lytro-like camera.
The pictures of Nexus 5 has been leaked left right and centre, but perhaps the most highlighted portion of the device is its camera module.Since there have not been many rumors about the camera on the Nexus 5, but now Android world is reporting that the smartphone could have a MEMS camera. According to the reports states that it has uncovered log files and found a model number for an 8 megapixel sony camera sensor, which has also been referenced in DIgital Optics new MEMS camera.
Digital Optics earlier in year showed off its MEMS camera at MWC. The camera module has the ability to snap pictures at a fast pace and is able to focus on a subject twice as fast as current smartphone camera can. This camera is able to combine 7 images with different focus points.This smartphone is highlighted and reportedly, there will be an enhancement in Android 4.4 KitKat's stock gallery app that will allowthe user to change the focus of the picture in post just like one can when using a Lytro light field camera.
Earlier in this year, Nokia's smartphone division chief, Jo Harlow, had also indicated that the company was working on smartphones with computational imaging cameras,which would offer similar results.
A month of two back, the Jolla's first smartphone was Finnish startup, which would run on MeeGo based sailfish OS. Only a few details of the phone were known at the time, but now the company has revealed some new information on this upcoming smartphone.
This Jolla's yet unnamed smartphone sports a 4.5 inch qHD (960x540 pixels) display with gorills glass 2 protection and will be powered by dual-core processor, the exact model is yet to be revealed- clocked at 1.4GHz and paired with 1GB RAM.
Other features including a 8 megapixel rear camera and a 2 megapixel front facing camera and a 2,100mAh battery,which is good enough for 7 hours talktime and 500 hours standby mode. On the connectivity front the device features Wi-Fi Bluetooth 4.0, NFC and 12C for connectivity with extensions like an external keyboard.
This device is also compatible with Android apps, but we will pass our judgment on it when we see the phone in action. The device is up for pre-order for 399 Euros, and Jolla says that it plans to ship the device by the end of the year.
