Saturday, August 31, 2013

Facebook Home updated, brings lock-screen music controls

Facebook has released an update for its Facebook Home launcher in Google Play. The update might not be a huge one but still brings one important change – lock-screen music controls.

The small number of users, who are still sticking to Facebook Home, will now be able to play/ pause or go to the next/ previous song directly from their lock-screen.


The change-log does not mention any other features as a part of latest Facebook Home update. In related news, with the latest update, Facebook for Android now includes some animated stickers in messages like Pusheen, Beast and Anooki wave, dance and wiggle. The Facebook for Android change is only applicable to Android 4.0.2 or above users. In addition to all this, the update also brings some bug-fixes.

You can now update Facebook for Android on your device to get the new features for both Home as well as core Facebook app.

XOLO Play getting OTA software update

XOLO has announced that it is rolling out a software update for XOLO Play smartphone. The update is now available over-the-air and can be triggered by going to Settings << About Phone << System Updates.

The update is also available as a manual download from the company site and then can be applied using the embedded later in the post.

XOLO has not provided any change-log for this update and just notes that this update will improve the performance of this Tegra 3 smartphone. XOLO Play T1000 currently runs on Android 4.1.1 and it is unclear whether the new update bumps the Android version in the smartphone or not. If you have already updated your smartphone, do let us know the details in comments section

Originally launched last month, XOLO Play comes with 4.7-inch IPS display with 720p resolution, 8MP rear camera and 2MP front camera. The phone also features with 1GB of RAM, 4GB of internal storage, microSD card slot and 2000 mAh battery.

Android 4.3 update release date: Galaxy S3 & S4, Moto X Phone, HTC One

The Android 4.3 software update is Almaty mythical in status, as it’s already been officially released but has yet to show up on most Android devices. While users of Google’s own Nexus devices already have 4.3, the rest of the Android platform still awaits its release date a month after it’s already surfaced. There’s precious little official information as to when the “Jelly Bean” Android 4.3 update will arrive on devices like the Samsung Galaxy S4 and S3, HTC One, and Moto X Phone. But here are our best estimates.


Thursday, August 29, 2013

Twitter for Android with new conversation view

Twitter has released an update for its official Android app earlier today. The new update brings a new conversation view and better support for entry-level Android devices.

According to a blog post by the company, the company wants to make to easier to follow conversations and be a part of them. From now on, users will be able to see conversational tweets linked by a vertical line.

Tuesday, August 27, 2013

XOLO launched Q1000S phone with quad-core CPU & Android 4.2

After multiple teasers on its social media channels, XOLO has finally announced the launch of its new XOLO Q1000S smartphone in the Indian market today. This QCore-series smartphone packs some impressive specifications in just 6.98mm thick chassis.

According to a press release issued by the company, XOLO Q1000S has been priced at INR 18,999 and will be available in the coming days.

Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Videocon launches A42 with Android 4.2 & 4.5-inch display for INR 7,490

Videocon Mobiles has announced the launch of a new Android smartphone in the Indian market today. Dubbed as Videocon A42, the smartphone runs on Android 4.2.2 and packs a 4.5-inch FWVGA display.

According to Videocon, A42 also comes with a 1.2GHz dual-core processor and 512MB of RAM. The phone supports dual-SIM cards and the usual connectivity options. It will be sold for INR 7,490 in the country.

LG offers 7K discount on Optimus G Pro for your old smartphone

After Samsung and Sony, now LG has decided to try a buyback scheme to boost its smartphone sales in the country. The company has launched “The Best Exchange” offer for LG Optimus G Pro and is giving INR 7,000 discount on the best buy price of the smartphone if you trade-in your old smartphone.

The company has also bundling one year extra warranty (zero interest EMIs as well) with every purchase made via this buyback offer to sweeten the deal.

Saturday, August 17, 2013

Google Translate for Android now supports handwritten input in Hindi

Google has released an update for its official Translate app on Android. The updated version brings several new goodies including Handwrite support for Hindi and Thai. So, users will now be able to input handwritten Hindi or Thai in addition to 46 more languages and translate it into other languages.

In addition to the new languages support in Handwrite, Google has also added camera input translation for Afrikaans, Greek, Hebrew and Serbian languages, which takes the total of supported language for this input type to 34.

“Simply tap the camera button, point at the text you want translated and take the picture, and brush over the text you want with your finger—in an instant you’ll see your translation,” Google notes in a Google+ post.

That is all for the new version and if you identify any other new features, do let us know in comments.

Tuesday, August 13, 2013

iBall launches Slide i9018 Android tablet with 9-inch display for INR 9,990

iBall has added another name to its growing Slide Android tablet lineup today in the form of Slide i9018. The new tablet has been priced at INR 9,990 and will be available in the coming days.

iBall Slide i9018 features a 9-inch 1024x600p resolution display, 1GHz dual-core processor and 1GB of RAM. The tablet also comes with Android 4.2, 2MP rear camera, front camera and 5,000 mAh battery.

Friday, August 9, 2013

Celkon launched Campus A63 for INR 4,499

Celkon has announced the launch of a new smartphone in the Indian market today. The new smartphone is part of the company’s Campus series and is known as Campus A63.

According to a press release issued by the company, Celkon Campus A63 has been priced at INR 4,499 and will be available in the market beginning today.

Celkon Campus A63 features 4-inch display, 1.2GHz dual-core CPU, Android 4.2 Jelly Bean, and 3.2MP rear camera. The phone also packs front camera, Wi-Fi, microSD card slot, dual-SIM support and 1500 mAh battery.

The company is included a free back cover in the box with every phone.

Celkon is also expected to launch more device in its Campus series in the coming weeks. Some of these upcoming smartphones are A60, A20 and A10, these pricing and availability details of the phones are unclear at this moment.

Android Device Manager website is up, track your Android device

Days after the Android Device Manager started appearing on some Android phones, Google has made its webpage live too. If you have already received the new Google Play Services version on your Android device, you can now head over to this link to remotely track your Android tablet or smartphone or even wipe it remotely if needed, however you will first need to activate the wipe function in Android Device Manager settings on your device.


Android Device Manager can also be used to track a misplaced smartphone by making it ring loudly.  As the service is being rolled-out in batches, it might take days to reach your phone or tablet.

Thursday, August 8, 2013

Karbonn Smart A11+ Android phone for INR 5,799

Karbonn has silently released a new Android smartphone in the Indian market. Available at e-retailers like Saholic.com and Infibeam.com, the smartphone is dubbed as Karbonn Smart A11+.

A11+ is being sold around INR 5,799 and comes with features like 4.7-inch FWVGA display, 512MB of RAM and 3.2MP rear camera. The phone also packs Android 4.0, dual-SIM support, 2G, 1GHz dual-core processor, and 1450 mAh battery.

This is one of the few smartphones that come with such a large display in under INR 6,000 price-bracket. The specifications also look interesting and while we would have liked 3G and Jelly Bean on-board, not every user desires latest specifications.

Karbonn A11+ will join the recently released A1*, A5*, A27+ and A50 Android smartphones in Karbonn’s portfolio in the country.

Specifications

  • 4.7-inch FWVGA capacitive display
  • 1GHz dual-core processor
  • Android 4.0
  • 3.2MP rear camera, front camera
  • 1,450 mAh battery
  • Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, 3.5mm audio jack, EDGE support
  • Dual-SIM support
  • 512MB of RAM, 512MB of internal storage (161MB usable)

Xolo A500S Android 4.2 Jelly Bean smartphone launched at Rs. 6,999

XOLO has announced the launch of a new smartphone in the Indian market today. Dubbed as XOLO
A500S, the new smartphone has been priced at INR 6,999 and will be available in the coming days.

Running on Android 4.2, XOLO A500S features a 4-inch WVGA display, 1.2GHz dual-core processor and 512MB of RAM. The phone also comes with 4GB of internal storage, microSD card slot and 5MP rear camera.

According to a press release issued by the company, XOLO A500S will be sold in four colour options – Black, Blue, Red & White.

Tuesday, August 6, 2013

Micromax A34 with Android 2.3 now available for Rs. 4,399

Micromax seems to be targeting the budget mobile segment yet again with its latest smartphone, the Micromax A34, priced at Rs. 4399. The handset is now available on online retailer, Flipkart.
The Micromax A34 features a 3.95-inch HVGA display with a resolution of 320x480 pixels. The handset weighs 85 grams. It is powered by a 1GHz processor with 256B RAM.

The handset is a dual SIM device with GSM+GSM support. It sports a 2-megapixel rear camera with flash. The camera includes features like multi-shot, night mode, zoom (8x) and brightness control (7x).

The device is backed by a 1350mAh battery that the company claims, delivers up to 4 hours of talktime and 120 hours of standby time. The Micromax A34 runs Android 2.3 Gingerbread which is disappointing considering that Android 4.3 Jelly Bean has been released recently. It includes an internal memory of 165MB that can be expanded up to 32GB via microSD card. Connectivity options include Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPRS, EDGE and Micro-USB. Other features include FM Radio, G Sensor and Light Sensor.

The Micromax A34 does not support 3G networks. With the launch of A34, the company hopes to strengthen its budget smartphone range. The indigenous handset maker has been aggressively launching smartphones across different price segments.

Recently, Micromax launched the Bling 3 A86 at a price point of Rs. 9,599 through online retailers. It features a 4-inch capacitive touch display and comes with dimensions of 65.5x128.5x11.4mm. It is a dual-SIM (GSM+GSM) device that runs Android 4.1 Jelly Bean and is powered by 1GHz dual-core processor. The Bling 3 A86 sports a 5-megapixel rear camera and a 0.3-megapixel front camera. There is no mention of the internal storage but it comes with expandable storage of up to 32GB. Connectivity options include Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, 3G, GPRS, EDGE and GPS. It comes with Micromax's own apps and content stores such as M! Zone and M! Live. It also supports FM Radio.

Monday, August 5, 2013

New Lava IRIS smartphones now available in India

Lava has started selling three new smartphones in the country recently. Part of the company’s IRIS series, these smartphones are IRIS 356, 402, and 349+. All three smartphones are now available at online retailer Flipkart.

Talking about the specific smartphones, Lava IRIS 356 features 3.5-inch HVGA display, 1.2GHz dual-core processor, Android 4.2 and dual-SIM support. Other specifications of the phone include 1.3MP rear camera, 256MB RAM and 512MB of internal storage. IRIS 356 has been priced at INR 4,199.

Saturday, August 3, 2013

Google Adsense Android app now available in Google Play

Google has finally released the official Android app for Adsense in Play Store on Thursday. As you can expect, the Adsense Android app can be downloaded for free and works on Android devices with version 4.0 or above.

“The Google AdSense app provides an easy way to access key data from your AdSense account. Access reporting features anywhere, directly from your mobile phone. The first version of the app gives you access to: the key earnings information, top custom and URL channels, ad units and sites reports, payment alerts,” Google notes in Google Play description.

App features:

  • Estimated earnings details
  • Channel-wise earnings
  • Site-wise earnings
  • Account notifications
  • Site-wise earnings

HTC One dual-SIM version headed to India.

Looks like India is going to become the third country to get the dual-SIM version of HTC One smartphone in the coming days. The smartphone was today spotted on HTC India website and is being currently shown as “coming soon.”

Originally released in Chinese market, HTC One dual-SIM version is also sold in Russia. There is no word on the exact India launch date or pricing at this moment but if Chinese or Russian pricing is any indication, we can expect HTC One dual-SIM version to get priced around INR 43,500 in the country.

BlackBerry Messenger for Android shows up online in leaked images

BlackBerry had announced it’s intentions to introduce its wildly popular messenger service to the Android and iOS platforms earlier this year. We’ve been hearing rumors of a late summer release and if our sources are to be trusted, the application will see a release in the coming weeks on both the platforms. Ahead of the release, screenshots from the Android build of the application have been leaked online.

Not only is BlackBerry testing the application internally, it is also looking at inviting selected BBM users to test out the application. The leaked screenshots of the Android build indicate that the app is functionally complete and is undergoing testing to detect and fix bugs. The advent of cross platform BBM would obliterate one of the most popular reasons for users to stick to a BlackBerry device. It’ll be interesting to see how the troubled smartphone manufacturer spins this in its favor.

Are you excited to enjoy BBM on your Android or iOS device ? Sound off in the comments below and be sure to tell us why you prefer it over the dozens of other alternatives.

iBall Andi 5h Quadro launched for Rs. 11999


Looks like its iBall making news these days a lot. Yet another smart phone, iBall Andi 5h Quadro has been launched in India by the brand. The device costs Rs. 11999 in India.

Available in 9.9mm slim built, Andi 5h Quadro is powered with 1.2GHz quad-core processor, which is believed to be a MediaTek Cortex A7 chipset. It has been included with 1GB RAM and comes with 4GB on-board storage along with support for memory expansion up to 32GB.

The latest smart phone from iBall comes with 5.0 inches Touch Screen, offering a resolution of 960×540 pixels. Its display uses IPS technology and offers a good viewing angle.

Further, the handset has been included with a 12 Mega Pixel Rear Camera along with 2MP front facing snapper. A 3G enabled handset, it supports dual-SIM calling. iBall has included Android 4.2 Jelly Bean OS in its new phone. The phone utilizes 2200mAh battery to power up.