Soon you would find Android technology on Mahindra & Mahindra XUV 500 and Scorpio
Google’s Android Auto technology would soon make its way in Mahindra & Mahindra SUVs. As per a top company executive, M&M plans to offer Google Inc’s Android Auto technology in its XUV 500 and Scorpio.
While the company hasn’t specified any timeline by when this technology would be available on its SUVs, they have divulged what it would let its owners do. For instance, the technology will help
owners link their smart phones and tablets with the in-vehicle infotainment system.
Over that the driver can also access applications like maps through voice command or by using controls on the steering wheel.
The company, part of the $17 billion Mahindra Group, also said it has become a member of the Open Automotive Alliance (OAA), a global group of automakers and technology companies working to bringing the Android platform to cars.
Micromax launches Canvas Tab P690 3G calling tablet for Rs 8,999
The domestic smartphone manufacturer Micromax has expanded its product portfolio with the launch of Canvas Tab P690. The voice calling tablet features an 8-inch HD display with 1280×800 pixels resolution. The tablet runs on Android 4.4 KitKat operating system which is further upgradable to and is powered by a 1.3 GHz quad-core Intel Atom processor.
The Canvas Tab P690 offers 1GB of RAM and 8GB on internal storage which can be further expanded to 32GB using a microSD card. The device sports a 5.0-megapixel rear camera and a 2.0-megapixel front facing camera to facilitate video calling. The connectivity options of the tablet include 3G, WiFi, Bluetooth and GPS.
Talking about the device, Vineet Taneja, CEO, Micromax Informatics, said, “Today, we are launching our new Canvas Tab P690-a perfect family tab. Our research has made it clear that there is a large segment of consumers who would value a technology device that can be shared between the family members, and so we’ve created a powerful yet affordable Tablet powered by Intel, aimed at helping family members enjoy the big screen of the Tablet for the things they love, including Movies, Games, Music, Reading and so on. More such products with sharply defined positioning will follow in the next few weeks and months.”
The company has priced the Canvas Tab P690 for Rs 8,999 and it will be available in brushed metallic grey color along with a free flip cover worth Rs 1,500. The company is also offering various freebies with its such as 1GB of free data for 2 months for Vodafone customers, 6 free Kindle E-books, 6 months of free premium Truecaller subscription, 3 months of free Saavn premium subscription, free 1 month Hello TV subscription and many others.
BSNL users rejoice: No roaming charges would be applicable June 15 onwards!
Guess what the state-run operator is planning to do to fetch more customers? It is planning to offer roaming services to its customers for free. Yes, we ain’t kidding!
While presenting the one-year report card of the Narendra Modi government in the telecom sector, Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad announced that BSNL will offer free national roaming from June 15. This offer would be applicable to all BSNL users and would be effective for at least one year. BSNL will reassess the scheme after a year to decide if they should continue or discontinue the scheme.
This is the second attempt from the state-run operator’s end to get more users onboard. Earlier, it had reduced its roaming tariff by 40% for incoming calls.
Intex launches Aqua 3G Pro and Aqua 3G Strong budget Android smartphones
The Indian smartphone manufacturer Intex has expanded its Aqua series of smartphones with the launch of two new budget smartphones the Aqua 3G Pro and the Aqua 3G Strong. The smartphones are similar in terms of specifications except for the storage. The Intex Aqua 3G Pro offers 512MB RAM and 4GB of internal storage which can be further expanded up to 32GB. On the other hand, the Intex Aqua 3G Strong comes with 256Mb of RAM and 512MB internal storage which can also be expanded using microSD card.
Talking about the other specifications, both the smartphones flaunts a 4.5-inch display (800x480pixels) protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 3 on top. The dual SIM devices runs in Android 4.4 KitKat operating system and are powered by a 1GHz Spreadtrum SC7715 processor. The smartphones sports a 2.0-megapixel rear camera with LED flash and a 0.3-megapixel front facing camera. On the connectivity front the smartphones offers, 3G,WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS and houses a 1,400 mAh battery.
Speaking about the two new smartphones, Sanjay Kumar Kalirona, Mobile Business Head, Intex Technologies said, “The dual announcement cements our purpose of creating the economically attractive and technically luring smartphones. These two new offerings are almost identical in nature and come with the Corning Gorilla glass and the stunning brush metal finish. These two new offerings are designed for the mass market and are a great package of features, design and the right pricing.”
The company has priced the Intex Aqua 3G Pro for Rs 3,666 and the Intex Aqua 3G Strong for Rs 3,333. Both the smartphones will be available in Black, Silver and Champagne colour options.
Intex Aqua 3G Pro specifications
- 4-inch (800 x 480 pixels) display with Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection
- 1GHz Spreadtrum SC7715 processor with Mali 400 GPU
- 512MB RAM, 4GB internal memory, expandable memory up to 32GB with microSD
- Android 4.4 (KitKat) OS
- Dual SIM
- 2MP rear camera with LED Flash
- 0.3MP (VGA) front-facing camera
- 3.5mm audio jack, FM Radio
- Dimensions: 125.2×63.3×10 mm
- 3G,WiFi 802.11 b/g/n,Bluetooth, GPS
- 1400mAh battery
- 4-inch (800 x 480 pixels) display with Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection
- 1GHz Spreadtrum SC7715 processor with Mali 400 GPU
- 256MB RAM, 512MB internal memory, expandable memory up to 32GB with microSD
- Android 4.4 (KitKat) OS
- Dual SIM
- 2MP rear camera with LED Flash
- 0.3MP (VGA) front-facing camera
- 3.5mm audio jack, FM Radio
- Dimensions: 122.2×63.3×10.1 mm
- 3G,WiFi 802.11 b/g/n,Bluetooth, GPS
- 1400mAh battery
PHICOMM Passion 660 smartphone with 13MP camera, 5-inch display launched for Rs 10,999 via Amazon
It seems that the Chinese smartphone manufacturers are seeing huge potential in the Indian smartphone market. Last month companies like Nubia and Meizu entered the Indian smartphone market. Now, another Chinese firm Phicomm has entred the Indian market with the launch of their flagship device the Passion 660.
The company will be selling the smartphone exclusively through Amazon.in at a price of Rs 10,999. The smartphone will be up for grab starting 9th June and will be available in Black and White colour options.
Speaking at the launch, Zheng Min – CEO of PHICOMM, said, “PHICOMM Passion 660 is an innovative smartphone which reflects the distinctive needs of the Indian consumers. Indian smartphone market is constantly evolving and consumers here are looking for unique smartphones with advanced features and high standards to gain the maximum experience. Our strong in-house research and development team have helped in customizing the smart phone especially for the Indian consumers.”
Talking about the specification, Passion 660 flaunts a 5-inch full HD display with 1080×1920 pixels resolution. The display of the device is protected by a coating of Corning Gorilla glass 3. The smartphone comes with dual SIM functionality and runs on Android KitKat 4.4 operating system topped with company’s Expect UI.
Powering the device is a 1.5 GHz Octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 processor coupled with 2GB of RAM. The inbuilt storage of the device stands at 16GB which can be expanded up to 64GB via microSD card. The smartphone offers hybrid SIM support which enables the user to use the second SIM slot for expanding the storage.
The Passion 660 comes equipped with a 13.0-megapixel rear camera and a 5.0-megapixel front facing camera for clicking selfies. On the connectivity front, the smartphone offers 4G, LTE, 3G, WiFi, Bluetooth and GPS. The company also states that the device is capable of supporting global 4G roaming. The smartphone also comes with an inbuilt pedometer that tracks how much you walk in a day and the calories burnt. It also has gesture recognition and built-in barometer.
Samsung launches two new curved SUHD LED TV’s in India
TV’s these days are becoming bigger and better. Samsung just launched two new curved SUHD (basically ultra high definition TV’s, we are still unclear what the S stands for) TV’s in the Indian market with 65-inch and 55-inch screen size.
Besides being able to run UHD content these LED TV’s have smart features. Both the TV’s run Tizen Operating System on which viewers can watch YouTube videos and browse applications.
Mr. Alok Pathak, Head-Retail Sales, Samsung India Electronics, said, “Samsung has set a new industry standard for the best picture quality available today. As the first ‘S’ branded TV, Samsung’s SUHD TV is designed to offer an outstanding viewing experience with sensational picture quality, seamless interaction and ultra-stylish design. We will continue our innovative heritage and push the boundaries of the home entertainment experience to new possibilities.”
Some key features of the Samsung curved SUHD LED TV’s:
- The new user interface for Samsung’s Smart Hub is more responsive and playful, allowing user’s easier access to the content they want. It is simplified to just one screen, displaying your most recent content and tailored content recommendations for even more entertainment options.
- Consumers can share video content from their Samsung smart phone to their Smart TV with the press of a button and users can watch TV through their mobile devices without any apps or complicated pre-settings.
- Samsung Smart TV owners can wake-up a bit easier with Briefing on TV. Samsung Smart TVs now act as an alarm, and sync up with Samsung mobile devices, to turn on and display important items such as the time, weather and your schedule for the day.
Meizu launches m2 note smartphone with octa-core SoC, 4G support
The Chinese smartphone manufacturer Meizu has announced the successor of last year launched m1 note smartphone. The new m2 note smartphone bring a major change in both the designed and specifications department.
The Meizu m2 note features a 5.5-inch display with 1920×1080 pixels resolution protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 3. The dual SIM smartphone offers 4G support and runs on Android 5.0 Lollipop with Flyme OS on top. Powering the device is a 1.3GHz 64-bit Octa-Core MediaTek MT6753 processor with eight Cortex-A53 64-bit CPUs paired with 2GB of RAM.
The company has introduced two variants of the m2 note in terms of the storage capacity. There is a 16GB and a 32GB variant which can expanded up to 128GB using microSD card. The smartphone comes equipped with a 13.0-megapixel camera with LED flash at the rear end and a 5.0-megapixel front facing camera to facilitate video calling.
On the connectivity front, the Meizu m2 note offers 4G, 3G, WiFi, Bluetooth and GPS. The device houses a 3,100 mAh battery and is available in Grey, Blue, Pink and White colour options. The company has priced the 16GB version for $ 129 (Approx. Rs 8,220) and the 32GB version $ 161 (Approx. Rs 10,284). However, the company has not yet revealed any details about the global roll out of the device.
BlackBerry rolls out update for its BBM app for Android
BlackBerry has rolled out a Material Design update for BMM for Android platform. The update will introduce a more colourful and attractive UI and some new features in order to improve the chatting experience of the users.
BlackBerry has also added the feature of Private Chats, which will enable the users to chat privately. Moreover, the private chat will automatically get deleted after sometime. The app has also received a new replace button, which will let you to edit the sent message.
After the update, the users will be able to share the status updates directly from the news feed. BlackBerry said that the BBM for Android is still in the beta version and can be downloaded for the Google Play store.
Last month, BlackBerry updated the BBM app for Windows Phone and added BBM Channels which enables the users to connect in real-time and discover the content with each other.
Panasonic launches Eluga S mini selfie smartphone for Rs 8,990
Panasonic has launched a mini version of its popular Selfie smartphone the Eluga S. Named as the Eluga S mini the smartphone features a 4.7-inch HD display with 720×1280 pixels resolution. The dual SIM device runs on Android 4.4.2 KitKat operating system topped with company’s FIT HOME UI.
The smartphone is powered by a 1.4GHz octa-core processor paired with 1GB of RAM. The internal storage of the device accounts to 8GB which can be expanded up to 32GB using a microSD card. The Eluga S mini flaunts an 8.0-megapixel snapper with LED flash at the end and a 5.0-megapixel front facing camera for clicking selfies. The front camera also offers the eye-definition BLINK PLAY, which allows the users to click flawless selfies or groupies.
The connectivity options of the device include 3G, WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS and its houses a 1,980 mAh battery.
Talking about the Panasonic Eluga S mini, Manish Sharma, Managing Director, Panasonic India said, “With the launch of the new smartphone, we are here to offer a new dimension to the Eluga S category; wherein the model has been targeted at the younger generation – the always-on-the-go college youth. Keeping in mind the affordability aspect, this device is perfect for consumers looking for innovation, design, superior build quality and advanced features.”
The company has priced the Panasonic Eluga S mini for Rs 8,990. The company launched the the Eluga S last year in November at a price of Rs 11,190.
Micromax launches Canvas Doodle 4 with 6-inch qHD display at Rs 9,499 in India
We knew it was coming but we weren’t expecting it here to be in the Indian market so early. We are talking about Micromax’s Canvas Doodle 4, the fourth variant to the Canvas Doodle line-up. The company has launched the smartphone soon after it sent out a teaser message to media.
So, what new does the Micromax previous Canvas Doodle 4 bring to the table? Not much, which would help it overcome the competition that already exists in the under 10k price range.
Canvas Doodle 4 is a dual-SIM phone running on Android 5.0 Lollipop OS. With its 6-inch qHD display, it falls into the phablet category and has enough power under its hood. You’d get a 1.3GHz quad-core MediaTek (MTK6582M) processor, 1GB RAM, 8GB internal storage and an 8MP rear camera and a 2MP front camera. For connectivity, it has Bluetooth, GPS and Wi-Fi.
But would these specs alone help the Canvas Doodle 4 take on the likes of Xiaomi, Asus and Lenovo phones available in the same price range? Please stay tuned for an in-depth review of the device very soon!