Huawei MediaPad 7 Vogue tablet details spotted

Huawei is working on a new 7 inch MediaPad 7 Vogue tab with quad core mobile processor that will run Android 4.1.


Huawei is getting ready with a new breed of MediaPad tablets this year. TechnoAmigos spotted a new generation Huawei MediaPad 7 Vogue tablet with quad core mobile processor. MediaPad 7 Vogue tablet is a successor to last year's MediaPad 7 tablet. Huawei will offer the MediaPad 7 Vogue tablet in two different models with a very basic difference between them.

Huawei is preparing to join the affordable tablet scene with the new MediaPad 7 Vogue tablet that packs some interesting features. The tablet features a 7 inch display with 1024 x 600 pixel resolution. Huawei will offer two models - one with a quad core 1.2 GHz ARM Cortex-A9 processor, and the other with a quad core 1.5 GHz ARM Cortex-A9 processor. Both tablets will pack 1 GB RAM and the internal storage capacity, along with details about memory card slot, is currently unknown.
MediaPad 7 Vogue
The MediaPad 7 Vogue will run Android 4.1 Jelly Bean update and might feature Huawei's own Emotion user interface on it. MediaPad will be offered in regular WiFi-only, WiFi+3G and also WiFi+4G models. No details on pricing were shared, and we hope that this tablet is available soon, with an appropriate price tag.

Mobile review: UMI X1

Mobile review: UMI X1 Specifications
Network GSM, EDGE, 3G
Operating System Android 4.1
Dimensions 129 x 68 x 8.5 mm, 160 grams
Display 4.5 inch 1280×720 pixels HD resolution
Input Method Touch screen
Processor 1 GHz Dual core
Memory 4 GB internal, 1GB RAM, Expandable up to 32 GB
Connectivity Bluetooth, GPRS, WiFi, 3G
Multimedia Supports all major audio file types
Camera 8 megapixel with dual flash, 2 megapixel front
GPS Yes
Additional features
Battery 1750 mAH
Warranty 1 year
Price Rs 9,990

Chinese handset maker, UMI has recently entered the Indian market with this 4.5 inch HD display totting phone which is priced attractively at Rs 9,999 and come with attractive features.

UMI X1

Despite being priced like the handsets offered by Indian brands, the UMI X1 comes with high definition display which is much better than qHD display being offered by Indian brands. There are other plus points also.

Here is our review of the phone.

Design

UMI X1 has a presentable appearance. Dimensions of the device are 129 x 68 x 8.5 mm and weighs 160 grams with the battery, which can be categorised as both slim and lightweight.

The entire front panel is covered by a single glass which houses a 4.5-inch display, a slot earpiece, front camera, proximity sensor and light, three backlit touch buttons "back", "home" and "menu".

UMI X1

On the back, the UMI X1 has an 8-megapixel camera with autofocus and dual LED flash. The camera sits on a slightly raised surface. There is a slot external speaker at the bottom.

UMI X1

The back cover is made of plastic but is coloured to look like carbon fibre. On the right side, the phone has volume rocker with nice metal feel and hard which is a good thing as you get to feel it each time you put your finger on the same.

UMI X1

On the left side, you will see the USB slot while on the top lies the power button, again with a very sure feel to it. The 3.5mm jack is also on top side. The mic is placed in the bottom of the phone.

The dual SIM slot and micro SD slot is accessible after removing the back cover. The phone is very easy on hand and can easily be operated with one hand.

Display

UMI X1 comes with a 4.5 inch IPS panel with 1280×720 pixels HD resolution which is much higher than other phones in this category. The display is very attractive to look at; images and videos come out looking bright and vivid. The 326ppi pixel density for a phone under Rs 10,000 is also commendable.

UMI X1

Being an IPS display, the UMI X1 comes with wide viewing angle that allows watching images from acute angles as well. The display's touch sensitivity is also good and there is no lag or missed touches.

Operating System and User Interface

The phone is based on Android Jelly Bean 4.1.2 and has a custom 3D user interface. The interface is more of an interesting thing to look at rather than a utility. However, the transitions between the screens are very smooth.

UMI X1

One of the issues that we face was use of Chinese apps including the keyboard, which even though supports English gets many buttons in Chinese like the ###SINGLE

SINGLE### and 'Abc' buttons. However, since the model we received was a test device, it was not probably customised for India. However, in the retail version of the phone this issue should be sorted. Anyway, one can always download apps of his liking from the Google Play store.

Other than that the Android Jelly Bean is as smooth as ever and is easy to use, there are no big changes in the operating system.

Performance

The phone has a 1 GHz dual core processor based on MediaTek MTK6577 chipset and has 1 GB of RAM. And while the phone doesn't beat any records in benchmarks with score of just 5573 which beats very old phones like Samsung Galaxy S, it does offer very acceptable performance and is a good match for its competitors.

UMI X1

The apps open fast; it played games like Temple Run 2 effortlessly. What comes in handy for this phones performance is its healthy 1 GB RAM and 4 GB of ROM which ensures that processor gets fast access to information it needs.

Camera

UMI X1 has an 8 megapixel Autofocus camera at the back which is assisted by dual LED flash. However the 8 megapixel camera is not really as great as it sounds. Macro shots are not even possible as it is not able to focus, however normal shoots come out well, though no match to the bigger players.

UMI X1

UMI X1 does an okay job for a phone in this price range. There is a 2 megapixel camera in the front of the phone as well which is great for video chat.

Connectivity and sensors

The phone comes with 3G, WiFi, GPS, Bluetooth, 3.5 mm audio jack and micro USB port for connectivity. All these features work with a hitch. UMI X1 also has Light, Proximity and G-sensors. Again there are no issues with the sensors and are sensitive enough to do their job well.

Battery

UMI X1 has a 1750 mAh battery, which is unfortunately not sufficient for a HD phone it seems. The battery runs out fast and barely manages to survive for a day in normal use conditions.

UMI X1

However, slightly careful user who takes care to switch off WiFi and GPS after each use might manage to extract more from this battery.

Competition

The phone competes with the likes of Byond B63, Intex Aqua Wonder, iBall Andi 4.5q, Salora PowerMaxx Z1 and Spice Stellar Virtuoso Mi 495. And while the phone gets better resolution than all these phones, it is also priced at the same level as these. Salora Powermaxx Z1 which is slight costlier boasts a much bigger 3200 mAH battery.

Conclusion

UMI X1 comes with the best display in its category. Infact, handsets price much higher than it do not have this kind of display. However in terms of everything else, the phone doesn't offer anything extra on what is already available. A very average camera and battery life reduces its wow factor as well. But overall, the phone beats its nearest rivals with decent performance and great display.

UMI X1

Another disadvantage of the UMI X1 is lack of brand awareness and sales and service network, which if sorted will make this phone a very good option who don't want bigger phones but wants a good display and decent performance.

We are deducting 1/2 point for camera (as others also have similar camera only in this segment) and 1 point for battery and giving it 8 and half points.

Mobile review: Intex Aqua Wonder

Mobile review: Intex Aqua Wonder Specifications
Network
Operating System Android v4.1.1 (Jelly Bean)
Dimensions 67.9 x 133.2 x 8.9 mm, Weight: 125 gram
Display 4.5 inches, 960 x 540 pixel
Input Method Full touch
Processor 1 GHz, dual core
Memory 512 MB RAM, 1.93 GB, up to 32 GB expandable
Connectivity Dual SIM, 3G, WiFi, micro USB, Bluetooth 4.0, WiFi hotspot
Multimedia
Camera 8 megapixel rear, 1.3 megapixel front
GPS Yes
Additional features
Battery 1800 mAh
Warranty 1 Year
Price Rs 9,500

Indian handset manufacturer Intex has launched a series of smartphones under its Aqua series. The Intex Aqua Wonder is the third costliest smartphone in this series after the Intex Aqua Style and Intex Aqua 5.0. Priced at Rs 9,500 the handset comes with Android Jelly Bean operating system, a 1 GHz dual core processor, 512 MB RAM, dual cameras, and similar decent features.

Intex Aqua Wonder

We used the smartphone for around a month and here is an in-depth analysis of how Intex Aqua Wonder performs in real life.

Body

Measuring 125 grams, the Intex Aqua Wonder is perhaps the lightest smartphone with a 4.5 inch display in this price segment. It is also quite slim, with just 8.9 mm thickness. It is neither very wide (67.9 mm) nor tall (133.2 mm). This makes it quite easy to handle.

Intex Aqua Wonder

The phone is available in both white and black colours. We got the white model of Aqua Wonder, which looks quite good, and we think that the black model would be an even better looking device. The handset has a shiny but non-slippery back panel. There is a shiny metal strip around the sides of the handset as well that further enhances the look of the phone. Intex has placed the volume rocker on the left hand side while the power button is on the right. The USB cum power port and the 3.5 mm jack are on the top. Since the phone is not that long or wide, it is quite easy to hold and operate with one hand. The micro SD card slot as well as the SIM card slots are inside and are accessible on removing the back panel.

Display

I personally like 4.5 inch displays. They are just the right size- not too big like 5 or 6 inch handsets and not puny like 3.5 inch ones. Moreover, the Intex Aqua Wonder's display offers qHD (960 x 540 pixel) resolution. This is decent resolution in this price bracket and true to the figures, the pictures are nice on the screen as well. The display is decent, responding to most touches. Intex has also provided good wallpapers for the phone, which is not common to most smartphones.

Intex Aqua Wonder

Further, it is an IPS panel, hence provides a good viewing angle. The screen of Aqua Wonder is also decently bright, and that makes it easy to operate the phone outdoors.

Camera

Intex Aqua Wonder comes with an 8 megapixel auto focus camera in the back and a 1.3 megapixel front camera. The rear camera is decent but does not show the true colour of objects. You can tweak the settings (reducing the exposure limit, increasing sharpness etc) to get a decent image depending on the condition, but the camera is hopeless in taking pictures from close quarters.

Intex Aqua Wonder

The front camera can be used for video chatting as well as for clicking self-portrait images and is decent all in all.

Battery

Aqua Wonder has an 1800 mAh battery which, according to the company, provides only three hours of talktime and 228 hours of standby time over 2G networks. We have no doubts about the stated talktime but the claim about standby time is a bit doubtful. Anyway, three hours of talktime is woefully inadequate, which means that you have to carry the charger wherever you go.

Intex Aqua Wonder

The phone does not hold onto charge either. For instance, if you have 40-30 per cent charge left, say, on Monday 9 pm, then most likely it will be out of charge by the time you wake up the next morning (say at 7 am).

Connectivity

The Intex Aqua Wonder comes with dual SIM configuration; it is a 3G phone too. Besides, there is WiFi with a WiFi hotspot feature. Intex has also provided Bluetooth 4.0 for wireless file transfers. It has GPS too.

User interface

The phone can have a maximum of nine home screens. While unlocking, you have the option of going to the home screen, message inbox or calling application. Like other Android smartphones, it has a notification bar for quick setting changes. But to place an application on the home page, you have to go to the menu page first and then long press the app icon to place it on the home screen, which is a standard affair with most Android handsets.

Intex Aqua Wonder

The menu page is a bit different. For easy discovery, there are the Apps and Widgets categories. Also, towards the top right side there is a Google search key, a Google Play store key, and a quick setting key. Apps are placed nicely with decent spaces in between, which makes them easy to spot.

Storage

The phone comes with decent 1.93 GB of user memory. Besides, Intex is providing a 4 GB micro SD card with the phone for free. You can, however, add a 32 GB micro SD card to the phone as well.

Performance

The Intex Aqua Wonder comes with a dual core ARM v7 processor clocked at 1 GHz. However, it has 512 MB RAM only, but that seems okay as most of its competitors come with that much memory.

Intex Aqua Wonder

The Aqua Wonder, however, manages its memory well. We played mildly graphic intensive games like Temple Run, Racing Moto, Die Hard etc with ease, but you need to use a task manager to free up memory from time to time, to help the phone work smoothly.

Conclusion

For those who loathe 5 inch and bigger phones, Intex Aqua Wonder is a good option as it has a 4.5 inch screen, and that too with good resolution. It has a nice body and looks decent. Its performance, as well as camera, is appreciable. Also, the phone comes with a decent amount of internal memory; and anyway a 4 GB micro SD card is available free with it. Intex is also providing a pouch with the Aqua Wonder. The supplied headset is of good quality.

Intex Aqua Wonder

The only flipside of the phone is its poor battery life. The phone has a lot of good competitors (though they come in either the 5 inch or 4 inch categories).

Mobile review: Sony Xperia Z

Mobile review: Sony Xperia Z Specifications
Network
Operating System The Android 4.1 Jelly Bean
Dimensions 7.9mm thickness, Weight -146 grams
Display 5 inch display with 1080p (1080 x 1920) resolution
Input Method Touch screen
Processor 1.5 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro quad core processor
Memory 2 GB RAM and 15 GB ROM
Connectivity LTE (which doesn't work in India), 3G, WiFi, Bluetooth, and NFC
Multimedia Supports all major audio file types
Camera 13 megapixel camera on its back
GPS Yes with A-GPS
Additional features
Battery
Warranty 1 year
Price Rs. 38990

Sony today unveiled its latest smartphone the Xperia Z in India. The Android 4.1 Jelly Bean based smartphone has all the latest hardware including a 5 inch full HD display with Gorilla Glass 2 coating and Bravia Engine 2 display technology, 1.5 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro quad core processor, 2 GB RAM and 15 GB ROM. It has also a top notch 13 megapixel camera on its back.

Sony Xperia Z

Not only the phone has the best in terms of hardware, but Sony has also priced it reasonably at Rs 38,990. In contrast, HTC Butterfly is priced at Rs 45,990 despite having the same features as Sony Xperia Z. Such premium handsets need to be close to perfect. But is Sony Xperia Z perfect? Let's find out.

Design

The phone is very rectangular in shape but it is not boxy at all, with subtle rounded edges and glass cover, even at the back. All in all, it looks classy. The phone is easy to hold and doesn't feel bulky and is very light weight at 146 grams and is slim too with just 7.9mm thickness.

Given that it is water and dust proof, all the ports are covered which gives it a better seamless finish. The Sony Xperia Z is IP55 and IP57 certified which means that you can keep the phone 1 meter deep inside the water for 30 minutes and it won't get damaged.

Sony Xperia Z

The power/lock button placed on the right side middle is a perfectly round button and looks like steel camera button which it is not; the volume rocker sits just below this button. The phone also has its speaker on the right side.

Three buttons - the home, return and applications - which are normally placed below the display, are actually on the display itself. This instead eats a lot of space of the display. Moreover, the touch buttons does not vanish while playing games but does go away in case of pictures and videos. In certain apps these buttons are always placed at the bottom whichever orientation you hold the phone which is a good thing from access point of view, but all in all it is more of a design flaw for us than a good thing.

Sony Xperia Z

The front portion is all glass covered. Xperia Z has a Gorilla Glass 2 display however it is not that scratch resistant as it is expected to and it did get some minor scratches during our review. The front portion gets just the Sony logo on top, while the earpiece and the mic are placed on top and bottom respectively and are finished to look identically, which initially made us think that the two are stereo speakers. Here we would like to add that there is second microphone at the back, near the camera, which is used for noise cancellation and does a good job of improving call quality.

The 13 megapixel camera is at the top of the back panel, slightly towards the right side. It has a single LED Flash too. The camera itself is very small and so is the LED flash and there is no design element around them, giving the back a very uniform sort of look which looks good.

The back side also gets Xperia logo and some over information.

All in all the Sony Xperia Z has a very classy design; it is lightweight and easy to hold. On top of that it has superb build quality besides being water and dustproof.

Display

Sony Xperia Z has a 5 inch display with 1080p (1080 x 1920) resolution, which translates to 443 ppi pixel density. It comes with Bravia Engine 2 display technology with Gorilla Glass 2 cover- the combination skyrocketed our expectations. It is a great display, great resolution, very good colour depth, but it does have glitches. For instance, blacks are not as black as they should be and is rather dark grey, however other than that contrast ration is top notch.

Sony Xperia Z

Readability in Xperia Z under sunlight is not upto the mark; some of the handsets priced around Rs 30,000 are much better in this regard. The display's touch response though is good. All in all the glitches that we pointed are more of a nitpicking, as overall it is one of the best display’s around.

Performance

Sony Xperia Z has a 1.5 GHz quad core processor with latest Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 chipset, 2 GB RAM and 16 GB of ROM (Inbuilt memory). This combination of hardware can't fail, and it doesn't. It got one of the best Antutu Benchmark score - 20500, which was second to none till now. Of course, if reports are true than the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S4 has better performance than this.

Sony Xperia Z

The Sony Xperia Z performed fluidly as well; there is no waiting for apps to open, there is no lag whatsoever. The only problem is that there are other phones with equally good performance, like the LG Optimus G, which are priced at much cheaper level.

Sony Xperia Z

However, Sony has indeed managed to create a very well performing phone and there will be no issues that users of this phone will face in terms of performance. They can play all the games that are there for Android users, and even those games that Sony PSP users have access to, as this is a PSP certified device.

Battery

The battery life is one of the most important aspects of a mobile phone. On that count, this Sony handset doesn't impress much. It does deliver a full day of usage with WiFi on all the time, but the battery drains out at a much faster rate once you start playing games on it.

Sony Xperia Z

Sony Xperia Z has a lot of battery management options like Stamina mode which saves wasted battery drain by recognising when your display is off and turning off functions you don't need, while keeping the notifications you want, which does manage to push up the battery life quite a bit. Location based WiFI feature allows the phone to connect to saved connections and doesn't search for other networks all the time thus saving battery a lot. There is a low battery mode that automatically switches off avoidable application and functions as well. However these modes do compromise on the overall usability of the phone and will be used only when you are running with a very depleted battery.

Overall for such a powerful device, the battery life is ok, but not great.

Camera

The 13 megapixel camera of Sony Xperia Z is very good. Thanks to the Exmor RS sensor, its low light performance is very good. Image captured using Xperia Z are lively and vivid, there is not much shutter lag and camera app also is easy to use. The sharpness, contrast ratio and saturation levels are very good and there is very little negative that we can talk about.

Sony Xperia Z

And one of that is that the camera app lacks customisation and you can't for instance do manual settings for even things like resolution. But then there are tens of apps that can do that after you have clicked photo or video so you need not worry. Presets available with the camera app do a good job. The camera is also capable of shooting 1080p videos at 30 frames per second.

Sony Xperia Z

The camera is what Sony calls mode less, which means you can shoot pictures while recording videos, you also get now very regular features like Panorama, burst mode etc. The camera also takes great Macro shots.

User Interface and Applications

Sony has always offered its own user interface on its phones and this one is no different. But this time around there more subtle changes than a radical one. You have a lock screen from where you can directly control your music, and access camera or simply unlock. However, it is not the usual circle that gives you options when you touch it. The options are displayed all the time which is in a way better.

Sony Xperia Z

Sony with this phone has also introduced its Sony Music service - called Jive - which provides a catalogue of 15 lakh songs both from Bollywood and regional languages and also international tracks, and all this can be streamed and downloaded free for six months on any of these phones.

Sony also announced Sony Liv, mobile TV application with Sony channels like SAB, Sony, and MAX again it comes with free subscription of six months. This is a nice move and will add a lot of value to Sony phones.

Sony has put in certain applications like the Walkman app for music, Trackid which searches for details about a song you are listening to even if it's on radio, there is sharing app which you can use to share the content on a TV wirelessly but it works with Sony TVs only. And this is a PSP certified device so gaming is something that you will love to do on this phone.

All in all, you have a well-designed user interface which is easy to understand and makes it easier to use.

Connectivity and Multimedia

The Sony Xperia Z has LTE (which doesn't work in India), 3G, WiFi, Bluetooth, and NFC (which enables sharing by merely touching another NFC device).

Sony Xperia Z

Thanks to its great display, watching videos is a joyful experience on the Xperia Z. Its music rendering capability if also top notch and though the speakers are not particularly loud, they are clear and renders stereo effect despite the fact that it does not have two speakers. The supplied ear phone is also very good.

Particular mention needs to be made for voice call clarity which is great thanks to the noise cancelation feature Sony has put in. You can speak with this phone even in a noisy environment without shouting yourself out.

Verdict

The phone looks classy and is sturdy and fast. It has a great camera as well as display. It currently is the best in terms of performance with Antutu benchmark scores much higher than the rivals. It is also priced at just Rs 38,990 which is almost Rs 6,000 less than HTC Butterfly which also has the same features, on top of that it comes with free music download for six months, 8 GB 3G download offer from Vodafone adding much more value to the product. If you have the money this phone is worth buying for sure.

Sony Xperia Z

However if you are looking for a cheaper option with similar performance and features you can look at LG Optimus G, which is a good alternative as it offers much better value for money being priced at Rs 30, 990 with almost the same specification but just a slightly smaller 4.7 inch display.

Mobile review: Samsung Galaxy Grand







Mobile review: Samsung Galaxy Grand Specifications
Network
Operating System Android 4.1 Jelly Bean
Dimensions 143.5 x 76.8 x 9.6 mm, Weight: 161 gram
Display 5 inch, 480 x 800 pixel (WVGA) resolution
Input Method Full touch
Processor 1.2 GHz dual core
Memory 1 GB, 8 GB internal, 64 GB external
Connectivity WiFi, WiFi Direct, dual SIM, Bluetooth, micro USB, 3.5 mm jack
Multimedia Supports all major audio file types
Camera 8 megapixel rear, 2 megapixel front
GPS AGPS support, Glonass support, Broadcom
Additional features Blocking mode, Video Pop up, S Voice, Stay Awake
Battery 2,100 mAh
Warranty 1 year
Price Rs 21,500


When Samsung launched its Galaxy Grand, many people like us were skeptical, not about its performance but about its price tag as quad core processor smartphones are available for as low as Rs 14,000. I had also highlighted the fact while comparing the Micromax Canvas HD with the Samsung Galaxy Grand, about which you can read here.

Samsung Galaxy Grand

Samsung Galaxy Grand

At Rs 21,500, the Samsung Galaxy Grand does look a bit expensive considering its specifications, like a 5 inch screen, Android Jelly Bean operating system, dual core 1.2 GHz processor, 1 GB RAM etc. But such specifications are also present in devices of around Rs 15,000 and less. Before you jump to any conclusions read this review, which might be an eye opener.

Build

Samsung's handsets come with similar designs, which makes them look alike. But when it comes to build quality, Samsung never leaves any room for complaint. The Galaxy Grand is a burning example of this. The Samsung Galaxy Grand has a shiny body, which adds to its look and is not too slippery either. There is a solid metal strip, which surrounds the phone on all sides and can easily withstand a few falls. The back panel is a bit plasticky, and that made me nervous sometimes while opening it to insert my SIM cards. It is so thin that it feels like it might break.

Samsung Galaxy Grand

Samsung Galaxy Grand

There is no gap between the back panel and the inner hardware, which makes the device solid. At 161 grams, it feels a bit heavy. According to Samsung, the Galaxy Grand is just 9.6 mm thin, but it does not feel like that. All in all, it is a decent device vis-à-vis build quality and looks. The placement of the volume rocker (on the top left side), the power button (on the right hand top), a 3.5 mm jack and micro USB port (both on the top) are well planned.

Display

The Samsung Galaxy Grand has a 5 inch screen similar to the Micromax Canvas HD. However, it has only 480 x 800 (WVGA) pixel resolution against 1280 x 720 pixel resolution of the Micromax handset. The figures are definitely against the Galaxy Grand. However, in actual life, the results are completely in favour of the device. I had reviewed the Canvas HD as well, which you can read here.

Samsung Galaxy Grand

Samsung Galaxy Grand

However, pictures and videos were just so amazing on the Galaxy Grand that we forgot that it has only WVGA resolution. In some instances, we found the Galaxy Grand's display even better than the Canvas HD's screen. The touchscreen of Galaxy Grand operated flawlessly.

User Interface

This is where the Samsung Galaxy Grand beats all its competitors hands down. I would not hesitate to name it the junior Galaxy SIII as it has many features of the latter. As you turn on the power, you can see the notification bar on the top, which you can pull down to make adjustments without even unlocking the handset. There are three shortcut menus on the screen as well, to which you can go directly as you unlock the phone. You can change the shortcut menus from the settings page but you can keep a maximum of three shortcut menus. You can also keep news and weather bars on the lock screen, so you don't have to lock the phone to check them. There are several screen lock options as well. Unlike many other devices, its face unlock feature also works great and recognizes even in low light.

Samsung Galaxy Grand

The settings menu can be accessed from the notification bar of from the capacitive buttons, which are situated just below the screen. Anyway, there is a settings app, which you can place on the home page itself. There are several innovative features in the Galaxy Grand like Blocking mode, which you can activate to block all incoming notifications and calls while making a few exceptions. You can also set the time during which this blocking mode will be activated. There is a Multi Window feature as well, which brings a notification bar like thing on the left hand side, that you can use to access various apps like Gmail, message, Gallery and Facebook while doing any other task, including gaming. It also has the famous Video Pop up, S Voice and Stay Awake features. All in all, the Galaxy Grand is a well equipped handset and can be said to be the most user friendly phone in this price category.

Camera

The Galaxy Grand comes with an 8 megapixel rear camera and 2 megapixel front camera. There is an LED flash beside the rear camera. The 8 megapixel camera can record 1920 x 1080 pixel video at 30 frames per second.

Samsung Galaxy Grand

We have no qualms whatsoever regarding the camera of the Samsung Galaxy Grand. The rear camera is exceptional at close quarters as it has a good ability to focus. You just need to touch the area you need to focus on and the camera will do the rest. Colours are reproduced as they are. The darker areas seem to be even more dark, but that could be changed a bit if you increase the exposure.

Battery

Samsung Galaxy Grand has a normal 2100 mAh battery, which, officially, provides 610 minutes (10 hours) of talktime over 2G/3G networks; while the standby time is 440 hours. It gets charged fully from scratch within one hour, but can hold on to that charge for a very long time. Unlike any other smartphone, we had kept the WiFi hotspot on for around 4 hours and played games for another 45 minutes.

Samsung Galaxy Grand

Still the phone lasted for another 12 hours. This is incredible for a smartphone. With normal usage, involving 2-3 hours of music, an hour of WiFi/mobile data usage and another hour of gaming, the Galaxy Grand can hold on to the charge comfortably for a day or more.

Performance

The Galaxy Grand has a 1.2 GHz dual core processor, which is supported by Android 4.1 Jelly Bean and 1 GB RAM. The combination is decent but not ultimate. The phone managed to play games easily, and without much hiccup, but if you open 2-3 apps at a time, then the phone shows some sluggishness, which should not happen considering that it has a 1 GB RAM. We did not face the same situation in Canvas HD, but if you keep a tab on running applications, and close them when they are not in use, then you won't feel a pinch at all.

Storage

There is 8 GB internal storage in the Galaxy Grand, which also has a slot for up to a 64 GB micro SD card. Out of 8 GB around 4 GB is available for storage. Hence, we give full marks to the Samsung Galaxy Grand vis-à-vis storage facility.

Connectivity

In terms of connectivity, too, Samsung Galaxy Grand has many options. Not only does it come with dual SIM facility, it has micro USB 2.0, WiFi with hotspot capability, WiFi Direct, and Bluetooth. It has A-GPS and Glonass support too. Besides, the phone has an accelerometer, and geo-magnetic, gyro and proximity sensors.

Conclusion

The Samsung Galaxy Grand is a well-equipped handset and is perhaps among the few at this price range that look complete with all requisite features. It impressed us immensely with its innovative user interface and battery life, while its display and camera quality were appreciable. There is enough storage in the Galaxy Grand; its performance is good, but not extraordinary.

Samsung Galaxy Grand

At around Rs 20,000 there are many good handsets available in the market. For instance, the LG Optimus Vu, which comes with a 1.5 GHz quad core processor, is now available for Rs 21,999. You can read the review of Optimus Vu here. You can also consider the Sony Xperia P and LG Optimus L9, which are available for a couple of thousands less than Galaxy Grand, but have almost the same features. There is of course the Micromax Canvas HD, which is good, but is currently not available in the market. One thing I want to underline is that you won't regret buying the Samsung Galaxy Grand even if you buy it now for Rs 21,500.

Mobile review: LG Optimus G


Mobile review: LG Optimus G Specifications
Network 3G with video calling
Operating System Android Jelly Bean
Dimensions 131.9 x 68.9 x 8.5 mm , Weight -145 gram
Display 4.7 inch
Input Method Touch (capacitive)
Processor 1.5 GHz, Qualcomm S4
Memory 2 GB RAM, 32 GB internal
Connectivity WiFi, Bluetooth, WiFi hotspot
Multimedia Multi format audio video player
Camera 13 megapixel rear, 1.3 megapixel front
GPS Yes
Additional features
Battery 2100 mAh
Warranty 1 year
Price Rs 35,000

With devices getting bigger and better and increasingly with full HD display resolution, the Optimus G comes as a brilliant effort from LG. The device is an example of LG's expertise, which has been employed in a beautiful manner.

LG Optimus G

The LG Optimus G is a powerful device, which looks good on the specification sheet as well. But how well it does in real life is what we are going to find out, so read on.

Look and feel

For some the device might feel a bit fragile the moment it comes out of the box because it comes all wrapped in scratch resistant protective covers, but it is well built and sturdy enough. The black glossy finish with chrome trimmings on the sides tries to give the device a unique look, but sadly, from a distance it is really hard to differentiate it from among the many black Android smartphones from LG. That said, the Optimus G looks great and feels great too.

The device is extremely lightweight with 145 gram total weight that includes a 2100 mAh battery pack as well. The small battery is nothing to be worried about as LG has implemented SIO+ technology, which lets manufacturers create a higher capacity Li-Ion battery while maintaining the same size.

LG Optimus G

The lack of hardware buttons on the front gives this device a sleek and clean look that makes it nice to hold. There are dual chrome accents on the sides that add a touch of glamour to the device while the carbon fiber textured glossy back cover adds to its appeal.

The sideways placement of the power/standby key really makes it easy to use. The left hand side houses the volume rocker, which is a big turn off for right handed users and cause a lot of discomfort too. We really like the volume rocker placement on the right side as most people are right handed.

The overall build quality of the device is good. It's sturdy and can handle accidental falls quite well. The Gorilla Glass really makes a lot of difference and protects the display from scratches as well as damage from drops. Overall, we are quite happy with the way the device has been designed and with its build quality as well.

Display

Powered by a True HD, 720p display based on In Plane Switching + technology the display on the LG Optimus G works great and offers great contrast as well as color vibrancy. Similar to the LG Optimus 4X HD the maximum brightness supported by the display makes it perfect for use even in bright sunlight. The native resolution supported by the device is 1280 x 720 pixel over 4.7 inches, making it great for viewing HD movies as well as playing HD games.

LG Optimus G

The color reproduction and black levels are good and the picture quality offered by the display is sharp and vibrant. The only downside is that too much brightness has an adverse effect on battery life as well.

Processor, hardware and display engine

The Optimus G utilizes a Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro chipset that includes a 1.5 GHz quad core processor along with an Adreno 320 GPU, giving the phone fluid touch operations and faster execution of commands and application requests.

The phone features 2 GB of RAM memory and 32 GB of internal storage, which works great for all applications. The downside is that since the device misses on an SD card slot its memory cannot be further improved with the help of external micro SDHC data cards.

LG Optimus G

With this hardware combination the Optimus G gets by really well, without any application crashing or freezing. It just glides through all the applications and does tasks of daily need as well as image and video editing with full ease. Even in terms of multitasking there is ample headroom for applications, with 2 GB RAM and a quad core processor, so don't worry about what all the device can do; there's plenty of muscle for everything there.

On the gaming front too the phone is capable of doing justice to most games, even HD ones. But HD gaming seems to put the processor under a lot of strain and the device heats up quite fast. That is one thing we did not like about the Optimus G-it heats up quite fast.

Operating system

Based on Android's newer Jelly Bean operating system the LG Optimus G works great with most of the applications available at the Google Play application store. In terms of compatibility, most applications work easily and flawlessly on the smartphone with its quad core plus companion core.

LG Optimus G

The Optimus User Interface 3.0 makes a lot of difference to the standard device with unique customizations that LG has added to it. The lock screen has quick access icons, which can be customized, and along with that there are six home screens and the option to add a few more as required.

The application menu has its own advantages with an icon change option and one touch uninstall by simply selecting the tool icon placed on the upper right side of the device.

Performance and usage

During the course of the review the device underwent a lot of application testing and stressing, but it never hung or froze. The 4.7 inch display is a major plus point of this device. Even its touch sensitivity is very accurate and all the gestures are very accurately registered and translated.

LG Optimus G

The Optimus G offers excellent performance that makes using this device fun and easy too. As mentioned earlier, opening many applications at the same time is not a problem and even a hardcore user won't feel any lag.

The call performance of this device is also good. Calls are received and made without any issue. The earpiece and loudspeaker volume are abundant and the microphone also makes sure the receiver gets to hear every word loud and clear. The loudspeaker is a bit of a disappointment as it misses the mid and low frequencies, making the sound shallow.

Camera and multimedia

The 13 megapixel camera is a major point of consideration for the LG Optimus G. It is good and offers great variance in colors and full HD 1080p video recording as well at 30 frames/sec.

The image quality of the camera is good in both the outdoor and indoor modes provided the lighting is sufficient. The LED flash comes into play wherever needed, but is only effective for close objects, and it tends to give its subjects a yellowish hue too. Colors are captured nicely with details.

LG Optimus G

The problem is that the camera misses out on back light illumination that could have made a huge difference to it. The voice commands really come in handy while taking group pictures, as you don't really need to touch the device and can focus on pictures alone. If not, users can also make use of the volume keys to capture pictures, if they like hardware keys.

On the multimedia front this device features support for all generic Android formats, plus like on any other Android device there's a plethora of applications available at the Android Marketplace, which is now called the Google Play Store, to extend multimedia capabilities. The Loudspeaker, as we mentioned earlier, is a bit of a disappointment. The sound, though, is average but gets distorted at high levels with too much treble kicking in.

The bundled headphones are a boon to the ears with in ear design, which is very comfortable, plus they deliver good sound as well.

Battery

Backup of the battery is one big plus for the Optimus G. The device easily lasts for 1.5 days between charges and even longer for light users. The device manages power usage quite brilliantly and offers superior performance on demand. The reason behind this is the SIO+ battery technology for Lithium ion batteries, allowing manufacturers to add more power and backup without increasing the physical size of the batteries.

Conclusion

Everything boils down to this one final moment: is the device really worth its price? The Optimus G is a powerful device and we would not call it an over priced one. It costs between Rs 33,000 to Rs 36,000 in the Indian market. It offers superb performance, a brilliant display and great battery backup as well.

LG Optimus G

The misses would be that it does not have a full HD display and the loudspeaker is a bit of a disappointment.

Overall, the LG Optimus G is powerful, good looking and an object of desire. So if you need performance and looks, and are willing to part with Rs 30,000+ you can surely get this device and never regret it.

Mobile review: HTC Butterfly

Mobile review: HTC Butterfly Specifications
Network
Operating System Android 4.1 Jelly Bean
Dimensions
Display 5 inch Super LCD display with full HD 1920 ×1080 pixel resolution
Input Method Touch screen
Processor 1.5 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro chipset
Memory 2 GB RAM, 16 GB of built-in storage, expandable memory by 32 GB
Connectivity WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n and Bluetooth 4.0
Multimedia Supports all major audio file types
Camera 8 megapixel rear and 2.1 megapixel front camera
GPS Yes
Additional features
Battery 2020 mAh battery
Warranty 1 year
Price Around Rs 45,000
Click here to view full specification.

nside the box

The Butterfly comes in a rectangular box with catchy graphics and Beats Audio branding, inside the box you will find a charger, data cable, microSIM tray ejector pin, earphone and warranty card.

HTC Butterfly

One thing that we didn't like was that despite having Beats branding, the Butterfly does not come with a Beats branded earphone, but that's something which should not impact your buying decision.

HTC Butterfly

HTC Butterfly is available in two colour variants -white and black. The piece we got was black with red grills on the earpiece and sides of the device.

Design and build quality

HTC Butterfly has a unibody design with tapered edges. This makes it easier to hold. Butterfly has good build quality and feels like a premium device, which it is. The phone weighs 140 grams.

On the front panel of HTC Butterfly, apart from the 5 inch display, you will see three touch sensitive keys - return key, home key and recent apps, at the bottom.

HTC Butterfly

Above the display on the left is the front facing camera. Next to it is the earpiece in red grill, which is below a metal strip. At the right end of the earpiece you will find the notification light along with proximity sensor and ambient light sensor.

HTC Butterfly

On the left of the top panel there is a secondary microphone for noise cancellation, adjacent to a 3.5 mm audio jack. In the center is a lock/unlock key, which also doubles as the power key and on the right side there is a microSIM slot, which also houses the microSD card slot that is covered with a protective plastic cover to protect the ports from dust. In the bottom panel you will find a microUSB port (covered with a plastic cover,) and the primary microphone.

HTC Butterfly

A red colored volume up/down key is placed on the right side panel and the left panel is empty. Both the side panels have a red coloured mesh.

On the back panel of HTC Butterfly, there is an 8 megapixel camera along with LED flash to its right, and a second notification light on the left. Also, one striking feature that you will notice as compared to other devices in HTC's portfolio, HTC Butterfly's camera lens is merged with the body and is surrounded by a plastic ring that is slightly raised. This protects the camera lenses from scratches and smudges.

In the back panel you will also see the HTC logo with Beats Audio branding, and a loudspeaker grill.

Display

The USP of HTC Butterfly is its 5 inch Super LCD display with full HD 1920 ×1080 pixel resolution. The display quality is extremely smooth and vibrant. One will also feel comfortable reading text on it.

HTC Butterfly

The display is covered by Gorilla Glass 2 from top to bottom and is prone to slight scratches, which are noticeable if you look closely at the screen.

Connectivity and storage

On the SIM front HTC Butterfly supports micro SIM and it has brilliant call quality and reception. We used the calling function for approximately 2-3 hours daily for a period of two weeks and faced no issues with audio quality in the earpiece or loudspeaker.

HTC has added some good call related features. For instance, you can change to loudspeaker mode during a call just by turning it upside down. Once you pick up a call the ringer volume decreases and when your phone is placed inside your pocket it will ring louder. To activate all these options one has to enable them in the settings menu.

HTC Butterfly

In the calling application you find standard tabs like call history, contact list and groups. As far as contacts are concerned one can choose them to be displayed from the phone's memory, SIM, Facebook, Whatsapp and email clients etc.

HTC Butterfly

On the connectivity front Butterfly supports WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n and Bluetooth 4.0. It misses out on mini or micro HDMI ports, but you can purchase an HDMI adapter separately in case you want to connect your phone to a TV.

On the storage front it has 16 GB of built-in storage of which 11 GB is available to the user along with micro SD card support, which can to used expand memory by 32 GB.

Operating system and UI

The Butterfly runs on Android 4.1 Jelly Bean operating system and has HTC's Sense UI 4+ overlaid on it. On the processor front it has a 1.5 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro chipset and 2 GB RAM.

In the HTC Butterfly you can choose to have up to seven different home screens and customise the lock screen with different widgets and icons as per your liking.

HTC Butterfly

If you want to go to the settings menu or see notifications like messages, mails, missed calls and so on you just have to pull down the notification bar on top of the screen.

Sense UI has always been the value added by HTC and even in HTC Butterfly it adds a new dimension to the smartphone in the form of smooth transition and animation.

Entertainment quarter

The music quality is excellent in HTC Butterfly, thanks to Beats Audio. It supports audio formats such as MP3, eAAC+, WMA and WAVs. The phone comes pre-loaded with Soundhound for music recognition and 7digital and TuneIn Radio apps for addressing you music needs.

HTC Butterfly

In the loudspeaker mode the sound is quite good, but because of the placement of the speaker in the back panel one has to keep the display side down on a flat surface to enjoy music without distortion. It is a design problem, which has been addressed in HTC One.

Camera

HTC Butterfly has an 8 megapixel rear and 2.1 megapixel front camera. The rear camera also supports 1080p video recording with video stabilization. Butterfly lacks a dedicated physical camera button, but the on screen capture button is not that bad.

HTC Butterfly

To take a snap one can first tap the picture to focus and then click to get a good picture. In the active burst mode you need to keep pressing the camera button.

Image quality in broad daylight and under decent lighting conditions is quite good, but in low light quality is average.

Battery life

Butterfly has a 2020 mAh battery. With half an hour of calling, WiFi, 3G access and gaming for around 10-15 minutes, listening to music and watching videos for around half an hour, the phone will survive for around 11 hours. This is decent longevity, not great.

Conclusion

The HTC Butterfly is a power packed phone with a slim waistline. Its 5 inch display gives crystal clear images and the audio quality through earphones is amazing.

HTC Butterfly

On the downside its SIM tray could have been better because even after using the microSIM tray ejector pin you need to do some work to get hold of the SIM. Also, low light photography is found wanting.

Nonetheless, if you are willing to spend more than Rs 45,000 HTC is worth buying especially for its display and stylish design.
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    Mobile
    Samsung Rex 90 review

Samsung Rex 90 review


Samsung Rex 90 review Specifications
Network
Operating SystemJava
Dimensions61.9 x 113 x 11.84 mm
Display 3.5 inch, 320 x 480 pixel resolution
Input Method Touch screen
Processor
Memory 32 GB expandable
Connectivity Dual SIM, WiFi, Bluetooth, GPRS, Edge, micro USB
Multimedia FM radio, audio/video player
Camera 3.2 megapixel rear, no front camera
GPS No
Additional features
Battery 1000 mAh Li-ion
Warranty 1 year
PriceRs 6,000



In this age of Android smartphones, it is hard to imagine someone buying a feature phone, and that too for around Rs 5,500. But in India there are many who still want a feature phone and do not want to upgrade to smartphones. Obviously, that was the main reason for the success of Nokia's Asha series of handsets. In fact, Nokia is still launching many feature phones in the Asha series.

Samsung has also jumped to the feature phone battle by launching its Rex series of handsets, which it refers to as Smart Feature phones, a name that Nokia also uses for its Asha series. The Rex 90 was the costliest handset in the Rex series of Samsung. Here is everything about the Samsung Rex 90, which we reviewed in detail over a period of about fifteen days.
Body

Rex 90 looks a lot like the Android based Galaxy Y, with a metallic strip around its sides; but it has a rather rectangular home button. The back panel is shiny, not slippery. The rear panel is made of pure plastic but due to the shiny surface it does not look cheap. It is not a big phone, thus it can be handled easily even by a kid. In fact, it looks more like a toy phone.

There is a rectangular home button just below the display, which is flanked by the Call and Return buttons on its left and right, respectively. Strangely, both the call and return buttons are identical to look at; it is only possible to discover their function once you operate the phone for a while. The call button only works once you are in the contact app.

There is a volume rocker in the left while the power key is on the right side and the 3.5 mm jack is on top. The micro USB cum charger port is at the bottom. All in all, it is an okay device vis-à-vis design and a bit less attractive if you compare it with the Asha 311.
Display

The phone has a 3.5 inch display with 320 x 480 pixel resolution, which amounts to 165 ppi pixel density, and is not that attractive on a smartphone. But in case of Rex 90, it does not seem bad as you hardly get to play games on this handset. Anyway, it's doubtful that anyone would love to watch videos on this handset.

The touchscreen is not that smooth either, which is further affected by a lackluster processor.
User interface

Samsung has implemented a lot of features of smartphones in the Rex 90 to make it user friendly. For instance, the Rex 90 has a notification bar, which allows users to control WiFi, Bluetooth, and sound and flight modes. You can even control the music app from the notification bar. Besides, there is a provision to remove or place applications on the home page but in the menu page you can only arrange apps. To do that you have to locate a small settings icon on the top left side which, when clicked, allows you to move apps from one place to another.

At the bottom of the display, just above the physical home button, are four apps: keypad, contacts, messages and home. All these are fixed and cannot be replaced. You can either choose to show lock screen apps -contacts, messages, music and internet - or turn them off. All in all, the Samsung Rex 90 can be termed a user friendly device, but nothing like an Android smartphone where you can customise things much more freely.

Apps

But it is not only customization; apps are also considered a very crucial aspect of a phone. The Samsung Rex 90 is a Java based handset. It comes with a decent number of applications like ChatOn, Facebook, Twitter, IM, Gmail, and Yahoo Mail for messaging and social networking. There are decent applications like Dictionary, which do not need an internet connection. There is a Mobile Prayer application too, which comes stored with Christians prayers, Hindu prathanas, Islamic salat and even Sikh gurbani.

You can set a specific time for each day of the week and the application will start the prayer at that time like an alarm clock. There are WiFi and Bluetooth applications as well that allow one to connect to the network easily, without opening the settings app. Rex 90 also has access to Gameloft and Samsung apps. However, despite trying numerous times, I could not download even a single app from Gameloft; instead the Rex 90 hanged badly each time I tried, forcing me to take out the battery of the phone to bring it back to life. There are not many apps in the Samsung app store either, leave alone any decent apps.
Entertainment

This is perhaps the best aspect of the Samsung Rex 90. Not only does it have decent sound output, which, however, is not very loud. The supplied earphone is also of high quality. You can watch videos on the 3.5 inch screen, which is okay, but it is not something to boast about.

Surprisingly, the Rex 90 does not have YouTube app preinstalled.
Connectivity

The Samsung Rex 90 comes with GPRS/Edge connectivity. This means that you cannot have a 3G connection on this phone. Anyway, it has WiFi (b/g/n, though the WiFi connection was not as fast on the Rex 90 as it should be.)

There is Bluetooth on the Rex 90 too. The phone has a micro USB port as well, which you can use to transfer your files from the PC to the phone or vice versa. It has dual SIM connectivity as well.
Processor

Samsung has revealed the exact nature of the processor or RAM in the Rex 90. The phone is not as fast as we expected it to be. It takes quite a lot of time to open apps and it did hang on a few occasions.
Camera

Samsung Rex 90 comes with a 3.2 megapixel rear camera, and there is no front camera. The rear camera can be used for both video shooting as well as to capture still pictures. The camera app is inspired by the Android camera app.

It has shortcuts on the screen itself that allow one to adjust many camera functions like exposure, timer and image pixel size in one touch. The 3.2 megapixel camera of the Rex 90 captures surprisingly decent images.
Battery

The 1000 mAh battery in the Samsung Rex 90 is said to provide 15 hours of talktime, which is decent too. With a single recharge, it can easily run for more than a day of normal use, but that is due to the fact that it is a non 3G phone and there are hardly any applications that will drain its battery quickly.
Conclusion

The launch of the Rex series of feature phones was a bold decision of Samsung to counter the Nokia Asha series handsets and especially when its Galaxy Y was such a hit among users a couple of years earlier. However, Samsung Rex 90 does not have a unique selling proposition unlike the Nokia Asha 311, which comes with the promise of faster performance and delivers results too. The Samsung Rex 90, on the other hand, performs slowly and does not look that good either.

Of course it has good battery life, music output and a decent camera, but in these segments too the Rex 90 is not spectacular. At around Rs 6,000, the Samsung Rex 90 does not feel like a good bargain. Even if its price comes down to Rs 5,000, it already has a very strong opponent in the form of Nokia Asha 311, which also comes for around the same price. You can read my comparision of Rex 90 and Asha 311 here.
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    Review: Dock Minimal-Universal docking

   
   
































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