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MY ZEN TAB 708B REVIEW

It is raining budget tablets in the Indian market and almost every player, big or small seems to have an offering in this segment. Unfortunately, not every budget tablet has actually delivered what it has promised. All of which made us just a little apprehensive when we tried out the Zen Tab 708B, one of the three devices Zen Focus has released in the Indian market. So how does it fare against some very stiff competition and does it deliver where many others have failed?

LOOKS: HEY, SMARTY!

As far as looks are concerned, the tablet is surprisingly good to look at. It comes with a 7.0-inch large display with the camera placed on the left of the screen. While one of the sides of the device is plain, the other houses a 3.5mm audio jack, USB slot, memory card slot and speakers. When held horizontally, the top has a power on/off key along with the volume rocker and home keys. The best part about design of the tablet is that it looks sleek with the width measuring merely 8.5mm - a rarity in this price segment. In fact, in terms of looks, we would go so far as to say that we hardly get to see such a sleek device in this price category. Even the build is impressive and solid, very unlike what we get to see in this budget segment. Well, on the flip side, the glossy surface of the tablet attracts fingerprints, but whatever it looks, it sure does not look cheap.

HARDWARE: PRETTY GOOD TOO

There are plenty of devices that manage to look good but fail to impress in terms of hardware. But the Zen Tab backs up its decent looks with some very reasonable hardware as well. It is powered by a Boxchip A13 1.2 GHz processor, and for better graphics quality, there is a Mali 400 Graphic processor. Both combine to deliver good Web browsing and decent app performance as long as one does not venture too deep into HD territory. On the memory front, the device comes with 512 MB RAM and internal storage of 4 GB, which can be expanded to 32 GB using an external memory card. On the connectivity front, it comes with Wi-Fi, but has no place for a SIM card. However, you can get 3G speeds via a USB data dongle using the USB port, which incidentally can also be used to connect to a keyboard or a mouse (the sales pack includes a USB connector. Very thoughtful.

SOFTWARE: BUDGET FUN

The tablet runs on Android 4.0, Ice Cream Sandwich, and the manufacturers have opted to leave the interface relatively untampered. The device has five home screens which can be spruced up with widgets and shortcuts as per your convenience. So you can add as well as delete widgets and shortcuts on these screens. However, unlike other budget tablets, this one does not come stacked with preloaded applications and games. In fact, one almost gets the impression of an app scarcity when he first explores the device, as there are very few apps visible. The device offers Flash as well as HTML 5.0 support, making it great for browsing on.

MULTIMEDIA: FEATURE PACKED

The tablet packs in a VGA camera for photography and video chatting. The quality of pictures taken by the camera is nothing to rave about but then what could one expect from a VGA camera? The camera is capable of shooting videos too, the quality of which again is passable rather than exceptional. However, in a pleasant surprise, the device is capable of playing HD video and comes pre-installed with a HD music player. Music quality is good on loudspeaker as well as earphone. Speaking of which, the quality of the headphones supplied with the device is rather good. So, the tablet scores on the viewing and listening stakes, although it does lag on the shooting ones. That said, not many people take pictures with tablets, do they?

USER EXPERIENCE: QUITE ACCEPTABLE

The Zen Tab is an entry level budget tablet that is capable of handling most routine tasks and does so without burning a hole in your pocket. The tablet is not just sleek but also offers good build quality, and comes packed with what we thought was decent hardware for its price point.
Yes, we would have liked to have some more preloaded apps on the device, but then what is the Android Play store for? As far as the battery backup is concerned, the 2,350 mAh battery in the device works well enough to surpass what the company promises to give. As per the company’s claims the device can work for up to 3.5 hours without needing a recharge. However, the device easily lasted for longer than that when we used it - we are not complaining one bit.

MICROMAX CANVAS 2 A110 REVIEW

In spite of all the scorn poured out on them initially, Phablets are the rage in celltown with all manufacturers trying to grab a slice of the market. The big screen smartphone segment is growing in the country with a number of launches from both domestic and multinational manufacturers. And one of the newest to leap into the phablet fray is Micromax’s Canvas 2.

LOOKS: SLEEK AND SIMPLE

The Canvas 2 is sleek when it comes to its build quality and size unlike some of its higher profile counterparts. We would have liked a smaller bezel though – there just seems to be some space wasted on the front of the device. There are three touch keys given on the front, placed beneath the 5.0-inch display, as in many Android devices. There is a micro-USB port on top of the device along with a 3.5 mm jack, a volume rocker on the left side and a power button on the right side. There is a front facing 0.3-megapixel camera and an 8.0- megapixel camera with dual LED flash on the back - and as in most phablets, no camera button. All in all, this is a very good looking device, although the camera does tend to protrude from the back.

HARDWARE: IMPRESSIVE, VERY

The Canvas 2 comes with a 1 GHz dual core processor and 512 MB RAM, which is a huge surprise at this price point. The large 5.0-inch IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen incorporates 16M colors and has a 480 x 854 resolution, which is acceptable for this price point. The device is equipped with dual SIM (GSM+GSM) capability, and also supports 3G, Wi-Fi, GPRS, USB 2.0 and Bluetooth. It comes with a removable 2,000 mAh Li-Ion battery, and 2.5 MB onboard storage, which can be expanded to 32 GB via microSD card.

SOFTWARE: PAR FOR THE COURSE

The device runs on Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS) and has a basic Android ICS user interface (UI), offering all default customizable options. It comes with several pre-installed applications, including Mi-zone and Mi Store that are developed by Micromax itself. Mi Store offers selected applications to the user, who also have the option of heading right ahead to Google Play for trying out even more apps. Also on board are trial versions of games like Cricket Fever and Fruit Devil. Web browsing on the device was very good, courtesy the large and rich display.

MULTIMEDIA: FEATURE PACKED

The Canvas 2 scores heavily in the multimedia department. The sound quality of the device was extremely good both on speaker and earplugs. The music player features a five-band equalizer along with bass boost, 3D effect and reverb, that enhance the overall music experience. The bundled earphones are also of very good quality and offer high-bass for a better music experience. For videos, the device comes with a default video player that supports all high-definition (HD) videos, and delivered a decent experience. On the camera front, the 8.0-megapixel autofocus camera clicks satisfactory images and the dual LED flash and face-detection will be welcomed by mobile photography enthusiasts, although the dual LED did not deliver the kind of performance we expected in low light conditions. The camera offers various shooting modes, including panorama (which stitches nine shots together) and a 3D-like image feature, which adds depth to a photograph. Video quality too is satisfactory and comes with a number of effects and modes.

USER EXPERIENCE: A PLEASANT SURPRISE

Our experience with the Canvas 2 was more than satisfactory. While the big screen made watching videos and browsing the Web a pleasant experience, the dual core processor made most of the games run smoothly. And the 2,000 mAh battery lasted a day of hefty use with a degree of comfort. The quadrant score of the device stands at 2,803, ahead of many high-end devices from HTC and Samsung. Yes, Micromax has pulled a rabbit out of its phablet bag!

INTEX AQUA 5.0 REVIEW

This seems like the season for phablets as handset manufacturers are lining up to release large screen devices one after the other. What’s more, many of them come at a remarkably low price. Intex has now thrown its hat into the the phablet ring with the relatively low-priced aqua. How will it fare in a very competitive market?

LOOKS: NORMAL, VERY NORMAL

The phone is solidly built, it is bulky at around 199 grams. The front is dominated by a 5.0- inch display with a 1.3-megapixel camera, and four keys located at the bottom of the screen. The 5.0-megapixel camera with flash and the speaker grille are placed on the back panel.

HARDWARE: ON EXPECTED LINES

The Intex aqua comes with a 5.0-inch WVGA capacitive display and is powered by a 1 GHz dual core MediaTek processor, which handles multitasking without any hiccups. The device supports dual SIM (GSM+GSM) functionality. Internal storage stands at 4 GB that can be expanded up to 32 GB and comes with 512 MB RAM. On the connectivity front, the phone includes Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, A-GPS, 2G and 3G with HSUPA and HSDPA support. Making sure there is enough power to keep all this ticking is the 2,000 mAh battery.

SOFTWARE: WE HAVE ICS!

The phone runs on Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich). It comes with five home panels that can be customised with widgets and app shortcuts. The homescreen also has shortcuts for calls, contacts, messages and the default browser. In between them is the menu key. The large display makes viewing Web pages and videos a pleasure. There are also some pre installed apps such as Flipkart, Nimbuzz, Skype, G talk, YouTube, and WhatsApp.

MULTIMEDIA: JUST ABOUT FINE

The Intex aqua gets good marks from us in multimedia – the large screen is great for browsing and viewing videos and sound quality on the loudspeakers was good, if a bit disappointing on headphones. The onboard music player comes with a number of effects and one can preset reverb as per the size of the room. Also on board is FM Radio with good reception and sound quality. On the camera front, however, neither the front nor the back camera impresses.

USER EXPERIENCE: GOOD VALUE FOR MONEY

We would have liked a higher resolution display and perhaps a lighter and sleeker device, but even with those reservations the Intex aqua device fared well. It scored 2,019 on the Quadrant test and generally performed decently. We would say it is a decent device for those looking for a large screen smartphone at an affordable price.

SIMMTRONICS XPAD X1010 REVIEW

Simmtronics is the latest to have thrown its hat into the budget tablet ring, with its Simm-X1010 X Pad that boasts of a 10.1-inch screen and costs less than Rs 10,000.

LOOKS: NOT A TEN!

It might be called X Pad, but as far as the looks go, it has almost the same design that many other entry-level tablets have- it looks more like a stretched out version of a 7.0-inch tablet. The tablet has a black front panel and silver metallic finished plastic back panel. The glossy front also sports a front VGA camera. The right side of the tablet has the power key, 3.5mm audio jack, HDMI port, mini pin charging port, a TF cardnslot, and two mini USB ports. The top has the volume rocker accompanied by a back physical key (yes, a strange place for it).

HARDWARE: BIGGER AND BETTER

The Simmtronics Xpad X1010’s biggest strength is its 10.1-inch display with 1024x600 pixels resolution which is quite good, for the price. The device is powered by a 1.2 GHz Cortex processor, and comes w ith 1GB RAM and 8GB storage that can be expanded via TF card. There is a VGA camera for video calls and a lage 5,600 mAh battery serves up more than a day of usage with Wi-Fi switched on.

SOFTWARE: ICS ON BOARD

The X Pad X1010 runs on Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. The interface is user-friendly with the locked screen coming with various options that include camera launcher, unlocking the tablet and access to the most used apps on the device. There are six touch icons on the lower left side of the screen for back, home, recently used apps, volume adjustment keys and the option to open system settings. The browser supports multi-touch and comes with full Flash support. The device also comes with some pre-loaded apps like BIGFLIX, Aldiko, Skype, Twitter and Stick Cricket.

MULTIMEDIA: VIDEO DELIGHT

The multimedia experience on the tablet was decent, although we would have preferred the speakers to be louder (the bundled headphones are not the greatest either). The large screen is great for watching videos and files tablet. The VGA camera is good for video chats only.

USER EXPERIENCE: MIDDLING

Our experience of the X Pad falls in the average category. The tablet is capable of handling most routine tasks without burning a hole in your pocket. The touch experience was decent with not many lags.

How to Integrate Facebook Messenger Directly into Firefox 17?

Facebook can prove to be a huge distraction and also prevent you from getting all that important work done and out of the way. Firefox’s latest update has come up with a perfect way for solving this problem. Firefox’s update 17.0 has brought in a built in integration with Facebook Messenger. Integrating Facebook features into the browser would help surf the net faster and also much more efficiently without the need to get into Facebook in between.

The maximum time spend on Facebook is to read others’ statuses and not on checking notifications. When notifications are embedded in Firefox, you do not have to go through Facebook’s busy interface. On the top right side of Firefox, there is a simple toolbar which regularly updates with notifications, requests and messages from Facebook.

In a few simple steps Facebook integration can be made active on Firefox 17.0:

Step 1: First, you have to go to the URL bar and then type ‘about:confi’.

Step 2: A warning comes up following this indicating voided warranty. Just click on ‘I’ll be careful, I promise’. This is totally safe. Pressing this will lead you to another page with a Search bar.

Step 3:You have to type ‘social’ in the Search bar. You can then view a setting displayed which is titled ‘social.enabled’.

Step 4: On double-clicking this setting, its value will turn from false to true.

Step 5: These steps will automatically set up the Facebook toolbar on the top right side. You can type in the necessary log-in information and you are ready to go.

No other browser can boast of a built-in Facebook integration feature currently. However, Facebook extensions and add-ons can be downloaded for Chrome and Safari.

How To Download Facebook Home On Your Android Smartphone ?

As promised, Facebook Home has finally arrived along with HTC First. Officially, the device is available only in the US market for $99 on two-year contract. The Facebook Home app can be downloaded via Google Play Store.

Here are the selected handsets that work flawlessly with Facebook Home: Samsung Galaxy S4, Samsung Galaxy S3, Samsung Galaxy Note 2, HTC One, HTC One X, and HTC One. These are the official hardware devices that support Facebook Home integration. Is there any way to download Facebook Home without any rooted software?

Yes, there are ways to do that. Even your Android handset can become jazzed with Facebook Home UI. Now call it a crack or blessing from Android community; modified Facebook Home APK for Android has been released. The procedure has been given below.

Step 1: Kindly uninstall Facebook app and Facebook messenger app from the device. This paved way to download - Modified Facebook Home APK RAR

Step 2: Now download Facebook Home APK RAR from mentioned link - XDAdevelopers.

"Uninstall original facebook and facebook home apps. If facebook is pre-installed then you probably need root to remove it

• Extract .rar!

• Install both APKs.

• Enable facebook home under facebook app settings", as per senior member of XDAdevelopers forum

Step 3: Un-RAR file and download APK RAR file to your handset using a file manager. Download a file manager for your choice from Google Play Store.

Step 4: Restart your handset.

Step 5: Now you will see Facebook app on your device (the modified one). Try to login, and kindly enable Facebook Home in the app's setting section.

Step 6: You are ready to experience brand new Facebook Home on your Android powered device.

Attention! The modified version works only when you uninstall Facebook app from your device prior downloading modified version.

Facebook Home

Facebook Home is a new way to interact with your friends with added chat experience, and brand new UI. It's not a piece of software, not a name of device made by Facebook - the giant social networking site. One can say it's a custom Android layer for mass devices.

How to Claim Insurance on Your Mobile Phones in India?

Nowadays, buying a smartphone, tablet or laptop can cost you a fortune, which leaves a person in a dilema of its safety. Hence, its time to be practical in life and face it that stuff happens. One can forget their phone at the restaurant or accidentally drop it on the sidewalk or it can be stolen. And without insurance, bad luck could cost you big time.

To proving services on the same in India, there are mobile insurances available that can insure phones against loss or damages. The mobile insurance policy covers fire, theft, accident, riot, malicious damage, strike, terrorist activities and other fortuitous circumstances and can provide a fix compensation equivalent to cost of replacement by new mobile of same specifications and capacity, including all taxes and duties.

Please note, even though, mobile insurance covers all these circumstances, there are several exclusions. In fact, there are more exclusions than there are criteria. Mobile phone insurance does not cover the following exceptions.

Theft from vehicles which are unattended, especially if the windows and doors of the car are safely locked. This attributes the fault on the owner's carelessness.
The policy cannot be claimed when the phone disappears under mysterious circumstances. This exception creates a lot of ambiguity regarding the coverage of the policy.
Electronic or mechanical breakdown of phone
Experimentation or overloading of the phone by the users.
Theft or damage to phones when the phone is in the possession of a third party.
Intentional act of the user.
Damage or loss of the phone due to war, nuclear perils, water or water-borne vehicle.
Damage due to atmospheric conditions, wear and tear, gradual deterioration, vermin, inherent defect or any damage caused while repairing or cleaning.

The premium to be paid each month will be based on the overall cost of the phone, mostly the terms are to pay Rs 100 as premium for 1 year from reliable insurance companies like the fully government-owned The New India Assurance Co. Ltd., National Insurance Company, Oriental Insurance Company and United India Insurance Company.

At the same time, one should remember these points listed below before claiming an insurance.

Step 1: Retain the purchase invoice of your mobile.
Step 2: Note down the serial number of your phone and keep it carefully.
Step 3: Steps to file a claim.
Step 4: You need to file an FIR within 24 hours in the event of a theft or loss. Ensure that you have filed an FIR not an SDE.
Step 5: Approach the insurance company with the claim intimation and FIR. Attach the copy of your purchase invoice that mentions the make or model of your mobile, with other details such as date of purchase.
Step 6: If possible, attach details of the market value of the model you lost. This would help the insurance company get an idea of the current value of the product and speed up the process.
Step 7: Attach a Hindi or English translation of the FIR, if it's in any other vernacular language. You could approach translators at the local courts for this.

Nokia Lumia 720 vs Samsung Galaxy S2 Plus

Until now, both the entry-level and mid-range markets were completely haunted by Android operating system, but, Nokia has made an attempt to popularize the Windows Phone 8 platform by launching Lumia 620, the cheapest WP8 smartphone launched ever. Though the handset was subjected delay in its release, the Lumia 620 was quite successful and Nokia lined up a couple of more handsets including Lumia 520 and Lumia 720.

But the Finnish manufacturer has a tough competition with the Android smartphone vendors including market leader Samsung. The South Korean tech giant recently came up with the younger kin of Galaxy S2, the hottest smartphone of 2011 - Galaxy S2 Plus. The handset is based on Android 4.1 Jelly Bean and is packed with minor spec bumps as compared to the predecessor.

When it comes to the availability in India, Lumia 720 has made its way into online retailer Flipkart at a price of Rs 18,500, which is reasonable. Also, Galaxy S2 Plus has appeared online at a price of 23,360.

Hence, Gizbot has come up with an elaborate spec comparison of Lumia 720 and Galaxy S2 Plus. Those confused between the two latest Windows Phone 8 and Android Jelly Bean smartphones, as to which one to choose can look at the comparison below.

Form Factor: Lumia 720 carries a dimension of 127.9 x 67.5 x 9 mm and weighs around 128 grams, whereas, Galaxy S2 Plus measures 125.3 x 66.1 x 8.5 mm in dimension and 121 grams in weight.

Lumia 720 houses a slightly larger 4.3 inch multi-touch ClearBlack capacitive touchscreen display with a resolution of 800 x 480 pixels, 217 ppi pixel density and Corning Gorilla Glass 2 protection.

In comparison, Galaxy S2 Plus boasts a larger 4.3 inch Super AMOLED Plus WVGA capacitive touchscreen display with a resolution of 480 x 800 pixels and 217 ppi pixel density.

The ClearBlack display technology in Lumia 720 reduces the reflections and improves sunlight legibility, besides being protected with Gorilla Glass. At the same time, the Super AMOLED Plus display offers improved viewing angles and is brighter and more energy efficient.

Processor: When it comes to hardware, both the handsets boast similar mileage, where Lumia 720 is powered by a 1GHz dual core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor and Galaxy S2 Plus is equipped with a 1.2GHz dual core processor.

Obviously, the Snapdragon S4 chipset uses Krait processor and enables the devices to communicate quickly, efficiently and most importantly reduces the heat, thereby allowing the handsets to have enhanced battery life by reducing processing power wastage.

Operating System: Coming to the most contradictory segment of the comparison, Lumia 720 is based on Windows Phone 8 while Galaxy S2 Plus runs on Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean operating system.

Speaking of software features, Windows Phone 8 has improved features like dynamic Live Tile Information, social network integration in the People hub, Skydrive and Office 365 documents synchronization, Facebook-events integrated calendar, visual voicemail, threaded email conversations support and more.

On the other hand, Android 4.1 Jelly Bean has new features including Project Butter, expandable and contractible notifications, resizable app widgets, live wallpaper preview, high resolution contact photos, improved Android Beam and many more.

Camera: In terms of camera optics, Galaxy S2 Plus has an 8MP rear camera and a 2MP front camera for video calling. In comparison, Lumia 720 comes with a superior 6.7MP camera equipped with Carl Zeiss optics, autofocus and LED flash and has a 1.3MP front camera capable of recording 720p videos.

The PureView camera in Lumia 720 has Smart Shoot feature, which is similar to Burst shot and Cinematograph, which creates animated GIF images.

Storage: Both the handsets come with 8GB internal storage. However, Galaxy S2 Plus has 1GB RAM and a micro SD card slot supporting up to 32GB additional storage, whereas, Lumia 720 has 512MB RAM and a micro SD card slot supporting up to 64GB additional storage. Also, being a Windows Phone 8 handset, Lumia 720 comes with 7GB free SkyDrive storage.

Connectivity: When it comes to data connectivity, Lumia 720 and Galaxy S2 Plus come with decent connectivity features including dual band Wi-Fi, average 3G download speeds, NFC (optional in Galaxy S2 Plus), Bluetooth 3.0 with A2DP and micro USB 2.0. Moreover, Lumia 720 supports Wireless Charging, but it requires a separate back cover for the same.

Battery: Lumia 720 is loaded with a 2,000 mAh battery offering up to 520 hours backup and Galaxy S2 Plus is powered by a better 1,650 mAh Li-ion battery delivering 549 hours backup.

Software Features: Lumia 720 comes loaded with exclusive Nokia applications including Nokia Drive, Nokia CityLens, Nokia Maps and MixRadio. At the same time, Galaxy S2 Plus comes with exclusive software features as in Galaxy S3 including Buddy Photo Share, Group Facetag, Allshare Play, Popup Video, S Voice and Direct Call.

Price: Lumia 720 is priced at Rs 18,500 and Galaxy S2 Plus is priced at Rs 23,360.

Verdict

Both Lumia 720 and Galaxy S2 Plus are mid-range smartphones based on rival operating systems - Windows Phone 8 and Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. Hence, these handsets will have unique software features that are respective to their OS platforms.

For those concerned on a handset with faster processor and improved battery backup, Galaxy S2 Plus could be a better option. On the other hand, for those consumers who like to have a smartphone with improved camera performance, Lumia 720 should be the right choice. Further, the Lumia 720 comes in different attractive color options including Magenta, Yellow, Cyan, White and Black.

Exclusive: Lava Iris 501 To Receive Android 4.1 Jelly Bean Upgrade

Lava Mobiles, the India based manufacturer has been launching a wide range of devices almost every week in its Blockbuster Phoneday scheme. The native handset vendor forayed into the the booming phablet market with the launch of dual SIM Android ICS phablet - Iris 501 after posting the teaser "Your mobile experience is about to change with bigvantage" on its official Facebook page.

Now, it seems like today, being a Friday, the bigvantage is going to go bigger. Well, according to the teaser posted on the Facebook page of Lava, the Iris 501 is teased to get some upgrade. Hence, Gizbot tried contacting an inside source of Lava and has learned that the company is planning to release the official Android 4.1 Jelly Bean upgrade to the phablet.

Of course, the Iris 501 get a plethora of new features with the upgrade to Jelly Bean. Some of the main features include Project Butter for smoother and more responsive navigation through the interface, Offline voice typing , Google Now, the new expandable and contractible Android notifications, high resolution contact photos and more.

Also, it seems like Lava has slashed the price of the phablet despite of upgrading it to Jelly Bean. Launched with a price of Rs 9,999, Iris 501 is now available on online retailer site Flipkart at a significantly lesser price tag of Rs 7,999.

Specwise, Iris 501 features a 5 inch WVGA capacitive touchscreen display with a resolution of 800 x 480 pixels, 1GHz dual core processor, Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich operating system, 5MP rear camera, 0.3MP front camera for video calling, 4GB internal storage, micro SD card slot supporting up to 32GB expandable storage support, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, GPS, micro USB 2.0 and a 2,300 mAh Li-Po battery of undisclosed backup.

Further, Iris 501 also comes with special built in apps like Hike - for free messaging, Saavn Music player app, Fusion Music organizer app and games from Gameloft like Asphalt HD.

HTC One Announced in India and Big Price Cut on HTC One X, One X+

HTC One has been announced in India and the Taiwanese giant has also revealed that how much Indian Rupees one will have to shell out to buy the new shiny Ultrapixel phone. Yes! If you are interested to own an HTC One, the company has given an official price tag of Rs 42,900 to the S4 heavyweight rival.

However, if, all of your excitement for HTC One has droned looking at the heavy price and you feel like the Taiwanese giant has crushed you dreams for a superphone upgrade, well here is some good news for you to soften the blow. With the launch of HTC One, the company has also announced a big price cut on two of its existing handsets in the Indian market - HTC One X and One X+.

Till now One X and One X+ smartphones were selling in India at a price of Rs 32,000 and Rs 38,550. However, according to the latest information, the flagship One series smartphones are available at attractive discount on various e-commerce sites.

The 16GB variant of One X, has received a price drop of around Rs 6,000 and is now available at Rs 25,990 at Saholic, on the other hand, 64GB variant of One X+ sold has received a massive slash of Rs 9,000 and is now available at Rs 29,500.

On the exterior, the One X+ looks quite similar to the One X with a change in the color scheme and Beats insignia. However, it has many internal changes as it is a revamped version of the handset. Being an upgraded version, One X+ has four major improvements including faster processor, increased internal storage capacity, bigger battery and 4G support.

Specwise, One X+ packs a 4.7 inch Super LCD 2 capacitive touchscreen display with a resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels, quad core 1.7GHz Nvidia Tegra 3 AP37 processor, 8MP rear camera, 1.6MP front camera, Android 4.1 Jelly Bean OS, 64GB internal storage, 1GB RAM, 25GB free Dropbox storage for two years, NFC, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and 2,100 mAh Li-Po battery delivering 6 hours of talk time.

On the other hand, HTC One - the Apple of the HTC fans' eye has received the Jelly Bean upgrade and further sports a 4.7 inch Super LCD 2 capacitive touchscreen display with a resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels, quad core 1.5GHz Nvidia Tegra 3 chipset, 8MP rear camera, 1.3MP front camera for video calling, 16GB/32GB internal storage, 1GB RAM, Wi-Fi 802.11, Bluetooth, NFC and a 1,800 mAh Li-ion battery offering up to 8 hours backup.

Hence, let your opinions spill in the comments section below, are you going to outlay your hard earned money to buy HTC One, or will you go for a smart purchase and end up buying HTC One X or One X+?

Intex Player: Mobile Phone With Preloaded Games Launched for Gaming Enthusiasts at Rs 2790

Local manufacturing company Intex has launched it's new gaming phone, Intex Player for Rs. 2,790. When they say gaming they really mean it, because the phone comes pre-loaded with over a thousand games and two dedicated buttons for gaming (located at the top). The Dual-SIM phone does pack a few other things, apart from gaming features, including a video player (25FPS, AVI, 3GP, MP4), audio player (MP3 and WAV), FM Radio with recording, Blacklist and Whitelist feature, which allows users to block unwanted numbers and take the wanted ones.

Lets have a look at the specifications of the Phone.

Intex Player comes with a 2.8-inch 65K TFT touch screen display, 1.3 MP main camera, 4GB memory card (expandable upto 16 GB, Hindi and English language support, Smart dial, auto call record, battery manager, connectivity features including 2G, Bluetooth, USB and 1200 mAh battery The phone is available in black, white and silver color variants. The company has not given info on the processor, RAM and operating system used by the phone.

"The consumption pattern of mobile phones has drastically changed in the last five years in India. Not only are young professionals using mobile phones for work but are also indulging themselves at leisure time by making use of entertainment features. Thus, it became a critical need to create a phone that would offer our customers the choice to engage in fun activities such as games etc." said Sanjay Kumar Kalirona, GM-Mobile Business, Intex Technologies, during the launch of the event.

HTC One review

HTC One is HTC's premium flagship for 2013. From the time the phone was launched internationally, we've been enamoured by its design. It is a make or break device for HTC, which has not been doing well financially, as the Android smartphone world is dominated by Samsung. On paper, the HTC One seems to be the best in terms of hardware specifications and materials used in its construction. Do these translate in to making the phone the best performer in practical use? We try to find out.

Design/ Build
The most distinguishing feature of the HTC One is the phone's design and physical construction. Saying that the phone is a beautiful piece of hardware would be an understatement. You'd be able to appreciate its finer design nuances when you experience the phone in person. As far the design and attention to detail is concerned, we see the HTC One in the top league along with the iPhone 5.

The first thing that one notices after picking up the phone is its premium fit and finish. It has a thin profile and doesn't feel awkward to hold.

The phone does look a bit similar to the BlackBerry Z10 as both phones have a thin bezel, and the major portion of the front is occupied by the display, with the body elements (made of aluminium in the HTC One) at their narrow best above and below it. It also looks like the iPhone 5 because of its chamfered edges and fine lines between the frame.

The HTC One sports an aluminium unibody casing with a polycarbonate frame at the sides and accents at the back. The colour of our review unit was silver, with the sides and lines that run across the back done in white.

The phone has rounded corners and chamfered edges, and feels very thin.

The 4.7-inch display forms the largest part of the front, with the glass curving around the chamfered edges. HTC has used Corning Gorilla Glass 2, making the screen durable, and comparatively more resistant to scratches. There are two capacitive touch buttons, instead of the usual three, below the display panel, with the HTC branding in the middle.

Two aluminium strips surround the panel on the top and bottom. The strips feature speaker grills, which are part of HTC's Boom Sound set-up to offer enhanced stereo sound with Beats audio and a dedicated sound amplifier.

The 2.1-megapixel wide-angle front camera sits on the right, above the display, while the light and proximity sensors are located on the left.

The back of the phone is curved which, in our view, aids ergonomics, and gives a good grip. The brushed aluminium runs all over with two white polycarbonate bands at the top and bottom in line with the aluminium strips in the front.

The 4-megapixel rear camera lens is located towards the top. Unlike the One X and One X+, the lens unit doesn't protrude out and is flush with the body of the phone, which makes it look more elegant. A single LED flash is located just next to the lens. Like the One X and the Butterfly, the phone doesn't have a removable back cover. There's HTC branding engraved in the middle, and the Beats audio branding, towards the bottom of the phone. The top plastic band also features a noise-cancellation microphone.

The bottom panel features a microphone and a Micro-USB port. The right side features the volume rocker, which is a single piece of aluminium. It's flush with the side but the tactile feedback is still good. There's a SIM card tray for the micro-SIM and a pinhole for ejecting it on the left side.

The top sports a 3.5-mm headset jack and a power /screen lock button that has an infrared blaster for transmitting signals to supported devices. We felt that the placement of this button made the experience of unlocking the screen a bit cumbersome due to the size of the phone, similar to what we saw in the One X+. We would have preferred if the button was placed on the side. The phone also features a notification LED at the front (on the top speaker grill).

Display
The 1080p display of the HTC One is among the best displays we've seen so far. The phone sports a 4.7-inch Super LCD 3 display with Corning Gorilla Glass 2 and has a resolution of 1080x1920 pixels, packing-in 468 pixels per inch. The screen's pixel density is the highest among all flagship phones, and text and images appear extremely sharp. Reading text and browsing the web is extremely pleasant.

The display was not very reflective and under sun visibility was great. The viewing angles on the phone are excellent.

The screen is less reflective compared to the HTC Butterfly, and we found the viewing angles to be better than the Sony Xperia Z, the other phones that feature an HD-screen.

Camera
With the HTC One, the Taiwanese smartphone giant deflects from the usual megapixel count race and introduces the concept of the Ultrapixels. Instead of going for a camera that boasts of more megapixels, the One features a 4-megapixel resolution rear shooter with pixels that are of bigger size. While usual smartphone camera offer pixels of size 1.1 microns on an average, the HTC One's camera offers a pixel size of 2 microns(µm).

The camera has a 1/3-inch BSI (back-illuminated) sensor, which as per the company, takes better low-light shots. It's a F2.0 aperture and 28mm lens. The combination of bigger pixel size and a large sensor mean that each pixel absorbs more light. HTC claims that each pixel captures up to 300% more light.

The phone has a dedicated HTC ImageChip 2 chip, company's own Image Signal processor (ISP), which allows users to take faster shots and better shots in all light conditions and movement. The phone also boasts of a smart flash that adjusts the intensity of the camera flash as per distance from the subject. The phone supports 1080p HD video recording, and slow motion video capture. The phone also allows users to click photos while they are shooting a video.

The HTC One also features a 2.1-megapixel front camera that can take wide-angle shots, and facilitates 1080p video calling.
As with other Android devices from the company, HTC integrates its own Camera app, that allows users to select different scene settings (among Normal, Landscape, Portrait, Backlight, Night, Text and Macro) for still captures; switch between HDR, Sweep Panorama and Group portrait modes, and choose the slow motion video mode. It also allows users to put a self timer (ranging from 2 to 10 seconds), select the resolution, video quality, review duration, image adjustments (for exposure, contrast, saturation and sharpness), ISO and White Balance settings. One can also choose to disable Continuous Shooting or restrict it to 20 frames.

In addition to these, there are other options related to face and smile detection, geo-tagging, shutter sound and a grid interface. Interestingly, the camera app also offers lenses for adding effects like Sepia, Negative, Vintage, amongst 16 others, even before one clicks a picture. Just like the HTC Butterfly, the One also has a sightseeing mode, which simply means that if you lock the phone in the camera app, you'd find it open when you press the same key again (no need to unlock the screen).

The phone also includes a new camera mode called HTC Zoe that automatically captures up to 20 photos and 3-second videos. The interesting bit about it is that you can view photos and Zoe clip together in interesting slideshows that offer music tracks, and transition effects, allowing you to capture action and make a particular event come to life.

The quality of both indoor and outdoor shots was pretty good, with the camera delivering well on colour reproduction and sharpness. At times we observed that photos lacked finer details which might be due to the low resolution of the sensor. However, we found that colour reproduction was more accurate compared to the iPhone 5.
We also took a few night-mode shots, where the phone disables flash, and found that shots were good, although a hint of graininess was visible at certain times. We also observed that the HTC One's camera took more natural looking photos in the night mode compared to the Nokia Lumia 920 and the iPhone 5. However, the iPhone 5's photos looked more appealing. On the other hand, night mode pictures taken by the Lumia 920 look a little over-processed.

The HTC One's video recording capabilities are also good, as HTC incorporates a video stabilisation engine for smooth captures. The front camera is great for HD video chats and even for self-clicks.

Software/ User Interface
The HTC One runs Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean and Sense 5, HTC's own UI that includes some custom apps in addition to a skinned interface. While some people prefer stock Android over any kind of skinning, we feel that the Sense is one of the better skinning solutions, and looks great on the full-HD screen. That being said, skinning in Sense 5 is minimal compared to previous versions, and icons have been toned down, and appear flat.
We were disappointed to note that the phone doesn't ship with Android 4.2 and hope HTC rolls out an update soon.

The highlight of the Sense 5 UI and of the HTC One is a home screen feed that the company likes to call Blink Feed. If you have used the social news app Flipboard, Blink Feed will seem very familiar. You can select 'topics and services' for the Blink Feed and it will push updates from them on the home screen. Local news services including NDTV, Hindustan Times, India Today, and Aaj Tak, among others were available at the time of writing this post. One can also select categories of interests. It also lets you select services such as Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, LinkedIn and Plurk, configure your account and receive updates on the Blink Feed.

Updates are in the form of tiles that can be tapped to offer full text or videos. One can also share the update via social networks and email.

The phone offers Blink Feed as the default home screen with time and weather information on top but you can easily select any other home screen as the default one. One can add up to 5 home screens including Blink Feed as well as reduce the number of home screens to even 1. The default clock and weather information displays have been toned down to a flat minimalist white over black design, though the conventional flip clocks and analog clocks are also available as widgets. The weather and clock info is also present in the menu/app launcher tray.
In terms of personalisation, Sense 5 takes a step back and there are no scenes and skins to change the look and feel of the interface. As we discussed earlier, HTC has reduced the amount of skinning options and we welcome this change.

Also gone is the familiar ring-like lock screen that allowed users to unlock the screen and jump straight into the Phone, Mail, Messages or Camera apps. You can now choose between five lock screen styles namely, wallpaper, productivity, photo album, music and a no lock screen option. The lock screen still allows you to unlock and go directly to the Phone, Messages, Internet or Camera apps by dragging the respective icons on the screen.

One can navigate the phone through the capacitive touch buttons for going to the Home screen and for going Back. This the first time that HTC has got rid of the third Menu plus App Switcher button. The Home button on long press takes you to Google Now and on double tap takes you to the app switcher. You can change the double-tap speed of the Home button through settings.

We did miss the presence of the third button, especially since there's no button in the middle on the phone. It takes some time getting used to the new arrangement.

HTC has also changed the app switcher UI with a flat app preview grid for up to 6 apps replacing the previous 3D UI. Apps can be dismissed by pushing preview windows out of the screen.

HTC also offers a 3-finger output gesture that, if enabled, allows users to turn on HTC Media Link HD output to TV.

The phone allows the use of certain gestures to control alerts. For instance, one can choose to reduce ringer volume when the phone is moved or can flip the phone for turning on speakerphone.

There's also a Power Saver mode that can check CPU usage, reduce screen brightness, turn off vibration and disable data use when the screen is turned off. The mode is automatically invoked when the phone is running out of battery.

The notification tray features a settings shortcut and a clear all notifications button, along with expandable notifications (expanded with the two finger pull gesture). Android 4.1 Jelly Bean also brings in Google Now, which after initialising for the first time, can be accessed directly by long pressing the Home button or through the Search widget.

For the uninitiated, Google Now is a voice based information assistant and an extension of Google search. You can ask questions and the tool returns answers or search results. It uses 'cards' which are essentially small boxes that offer different sets of information ranging from weather forecast, directions, traffic information, scores, appointments, and currency conversion, among others. Google Now collects information based on the user's behavior, location, and even email, to offer information automatically.

HTC's Gallery app allows users to browse images and videos on the phone in addition to the ones present on online services like Dropbox, Facebook, Flickr, and Picasa. It also has a shortcut to the Camera app. The Gallery app allows browsing based on Events (Time, Date and Place) and Albums. The messaging app offers some interesting features, including a secure inbox, a password protected folder for storing confidential messages, and the option to block messages from select senders. The messaging interface is also customisable with different colour options for message bubbles and the ability to choose a background image.

HTC also offers its own Keyboard, which also offers word predictions, option to add words to a personal dictionary, and a 'Swipe' like keyboard, which HTC calls a Trace keyboard, that allows users to slide fingers over letters to key-in words. The keyboard was a breeze to use and it didn't feel awkward while typing with a single hand.

The app launcher has also undergone some changes and it now offers vertical scrolling. Apps can be sorted alphabetically, and according to recency. App search is integrated within the launcher. One can arrange apps in a grid of 3x4 or 4x5. The phone came pre-installed with apps such as Dropbox, Polaris Office, TuneIn Radio, and SoundHound, among others, in addition to Zoodles, a kind of kid mode that allows users to enable selective access to some apps for kids.

There's a TV app that utilises the infrared blaster of the phone doubling up as a program guide and universal remote. While the guide functionality is not available in India, we were able to set up the phone as a remote control for our TV set.

The HTC One allows you to restore, transfer and import content from your previous device. The phone supports restoring content through iPhone backups and during our use we discovered that iPhone contacts can be imported even via Bluetooth.

The phone also offers FM Radio functionality.

Performance/ Battery Life
The HTC One is powered by a 1.7GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 quad-core processor with 2GB RAM onboard, and an Adreno 320 chip for processing graphics. Our review unit had 32GB of non-expandable internal storage.

With Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, the overall experience of navigation through the interface was extremely impressive, thanks to Project Butter and all the power under the hood. We did not experience any lag at all while launching apps, playing games, scrolling web pages or switching between apps. Performance wise the HTC One is the hands-down winner, compared to other Android flagships in the market at this point in time.

The HTC One offers Chrome in addition to the default browser. The default browser also allows users to turn on Adobe flash for viewing Flash content. It also offers a reader mode for reading text heavy web pages.

We were able to play full-HD clips, though some formats including .mov, were not supported natively (this was easily fixed by the use of third party apps). The front speakers on the phone deliver excellent quality sound at high volume levels. The phone also supports Beats audio not just with headphones but also with the use of the front speakers. The quality of sound output is unmatched and even ringtones sound melodious and rich. Watching a video clip or listening to a song is a joyful experience.

Call quality was great and the phone is able to latch on to cellular networks even in weak signal areas.

The HTC One comes with a 2300mAh battery, and in our usage, it lasted us a full day. We charged the phone in the morning (at around 9am), and with medium to heavy usage, including 1-1.5 hours of phone calls, two e-mail accounts with push notifications, playing some music, Twitter notifications and WhatsApp chats, the phone lasted a good 11-12 hours. It's worth pointing out that we had turned off Wi-Fi and auto-brightness, and the phone was hooked to a 3G network with the screen brightness at the highest level. Altering these settings might help in running the phone for a longer duration, depending on your usage pattern.

The phone also includes NFC connectivity. It offers LTE 4G connectivity but doesn't cover Indian 4G bands (2300 MHz).

Verdict
We have to say that the HTC One made us fall in love with it. It's the best Android phone we've used combining all available features, a brilliant HD screen and great build quality. The HTC One's UltraPixel camera was a mixed bag and while it takes great low-light pictures, with accurate colour reproduction, at times it misses out on the details due to the lower resolution of the lens.

With the specs race, phone makers don't have an option but to choose the best components for their flagships. This also implies that production costs increase. Over the years the asking price of a smartphone has increased and today, flagships are commanding a price as high as Rs. 40,000 or above. We feel that the asking price of Rs. 42,900, for a phone of this caliber is a decent proposition. The phone outperforms all its rivals including the Sony Xperia Z in terms of synthetic benchmarks.

If you're someone who likes owning the best phone, no matter what, we have no hesitation recommending the HTC One. The phone matches the iPhone 5 not only in price, but also in the build and design department and in terms of the overall experience as well.

If one compares it to non-HD screen flagships, the price is a bit steep, though. You may consider other flagships like the Samsung Galaxy S III, which are now available at attractive discounts compared to their launch price. Large screen enthusiasts may prefer the Galaxy Note II.

The Samsung Galaxy S 4 is also expected to make its India debut soon. It also features an HD screen, a high-end hardware and some new smart features but comes in more or less the same shell as its predecessor, the Galaxy S. However, going by its prices in other markets, it's expected to be priced at the same or even higher levels.

If you're willing to look at non-Android phones, the iPhone 5 is still the best smartphone available in this price range.

Before we part, we'd also like to add that the success of the phone would also depend on the marketing push of HTC. It will have to match its South Korean rival if it wants to secure a place for itself in the bestsellers list. With Apple and Samsung both offering monthly installment schemes for potential buyers, the fight is a tough one.