Thursday 31 May 2012

Samsung Galaxy S III Hits the Indian Market Today

It seems that we are just few minutes away from witnessing the Samsung Galaxy S III hit the shelves of the Indian retail shops. The largest smartphone maker of the world has planned to throw a live webcast of the phone launch on its official web page. The link below will take you straight to the place

The SouthKorean company Samsung has not, till now, revealed the price tag for the super smartphone but it one believes the grapevine the handset will come to the light with a humongous price tag of INR 42500. The price tag will straight away make it an iPhone competitor. The cost of pre-booking the handset via Samsung online store is INR2000. This gem of a handset is available in two colors: Pebble Blue and White Marble.    
The Samsung Galaxy S III was released in Europe on this Monday with a music service called the Music Hub, which is deemed by many as the fitting rival to Apple’s iTune.  Like the iPhone SIII will also come in three avatars 16GB , 32GB, and 64GB.

Features of the SIII are no stigma anymore but let us highlight some of the most mind-blowing specs of the handset:
The 4.8 inch Super AMOLED display with 1280x720p resolution has to be the pivotal of all the features that the SIII has got.
2nd and equally important is the super fast Quad core processor backed by a 1GB RAM. This lethal combination will make the phone work with lightening fast speed.
Then it will have the features Music HUB, 50GB cloud storage, super fast file transfer app called S Beam.  An 8MP camera, light weight of 133g, super slim body are other things that spice up the already spicy curry.  
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Budget Android Phones: Galaxy Y vs Galaxy Pocket

I would love to know what do you think of this new 'miraculous' handset from Samsung.     

Sunday 27 May 2012

Budget Android Phones: Galaxy Y vs Galaxy Pocket


At the present moment the Indian market is flooded by a deluge of budget smartphones, almost all of them are Android driven handsets. Because of the number of such handsets it is very difficult for a common user to choose a smartphone which is in accordance with his need and does not harm his pocket too much. In order to alleviate the problem I am going to write this post where I shall be comparing two Samsung handsets running Android OS: Samsung Galaxy Y and Samsung Galaxy Pocket.
As I always do with budget smartphones, I will first tell you about the amount of money that the handsets will be costing you; if you plan your purchase, both the handsets will come under 7000 INR. Let’s talk about the features now.

CPU and RAM
In the processor and RAM segment both the handsets are somewhat similar. Both of them sport a 832GHz processor. Pocket has a 384 MB of RAM whereas the Y sports 290 MB of the same. Pocket seems to be having an upper hand, though a very small one.
Display
In the display segment the Pocket has a 2.8 inch screen with 320x240 p resolution in reply the Galaxy Y has a 3 inch screen with the same pixel resolution. Pocket has support for 56K colors and the Galaxy has 256K. With bigger screen size and more number of colors the Galaxy Y takes the trophy home.

Storage
In the storage segment the Samsung Galaxy Pocket has a conspicuous advantage over the Galaxy Y as it has a 3GB internal storage and the storage capacity can be furthered till 35 GB via a 32 GB  microSD card; the Galaxy Y in this case seems to be tottering far behind the Pocket with a trifling 180 MB internal storage capacity. Y too sports the same memory expansion capacity.
Camera
Neither of the handsets can boast of having a tremendous camera spec in them; both of them sport a 2MP primary camera, neither of them has a camera on the front side of the body.  This round ends in a tie.
Battery
In the battery segment the Pocket has a 1200mAh li-Ion battery, which is capable of giving you a talk time of 17 hours and a stand by time of 33 days over the 2G network. The Galaxy y has in reply has the same battery spec,  the battery performs slightly better in this handset.
Features
Both the devices are Android Gingerbread driven handsets. Both of the handsets support MMS, Push Mail, SNS integration,  both have EDGE and GPRS. Both have Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi hotspot functionality. Other features are also more or less the same.
The Verdict
It is very hard to judge the handsets on the basis of the features as there are very few things that differentiate them. So we will have to be judgmental on the basis of hardware specs. And in that case with bigger screen size and better looks the verdict goes in favor of the Samsung Galaxy Y. Plus it will cost a few bucks less.    
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Samsung Galaxy S III Vs. HTC One X: Head to Head Hardware Comparison

 

Tuesday 22 May 2012

Sony Xperia P – 26th May is the launch date in India


Running on Google’s Android operating system, Sony Xperia P is ready to dominate the Android Market segment of smartphone.  Sporting a 4-inch scratch resistant display with high resolution of 960x540 pixels, the phone is going to quench the passionate users. To worth its price, the new Xperia P is powered by 1GHz dual core processor and 1GB RAM. 
 
The phone has an 8MP camera with autofocus, LED flash, and a VGA camera in front to impress potential buyers. This entertainer phone offers superior music experience with 3D surround, xLoud and Clear Bass. 16GB built-in memory in the phone allows users to keep all required date in phone itself. 

Specifications:
Android Gingerbread OS
1GHz processor, dual core
16GB storage, 1GB RAM
Adobe Flash Player support
PlayStation certified
8MP cam, LED flash, VGA front cam, HD video recording

Anticipated to be launched on 26th May in India, the slim built feature-rich device wrapped in aluminum casing bears a price tag of Rs 25,500.  

Intex iTAb : New Budget Tablet in Review


It seems that the war for a substantial hold over the budget tablet market in India is going to get fiercer by every passing day. Companies like Micromax, Spice, iBall, and others are fighting hard to gain the top spot. And now one more player has jumped into the fray- Intex Technologies. The company has announced an 8 inch Android tablet for the domestic market. Let me sketch a review for you to be able to know what exactly the tablet called iTab is.

But, as I always do with the budget gadgets, will first tell you about the price tag. This iTab from Intex is going to sport a price tag of 11,900 INR. And with the tablet you get a 3G data card, LAN adapter, a leather carrying case, and a pair of Reebok sunglasses; all part of the bundle.
Now, moving towards the spec sheet, the tablet comes packed with Android 2.3 gingerbread. And in the CPU and RAM section it has got a 1GHz Cortex A8 processor which is well complimented by a 512 MB DDR3 RAM. The iTab has a bright display screen of 8 inch, which has a resolution of 800x600p. The device has got an 8 GB flash memory on board which can be furthered till 40 GB via a 32GB microSD card. This tablet has a 5000 mAh battery which is capable of giving the users a work time of 5-6 hours with the Wi-Fi on. In the connectivity segment it has got Wi-Fi, 3G, USB and HDMI connectivity.
For the music lovers it has support for many formats such as MP3, WAV, WMA, AAC. And in the video genre it has AVI, MP4, MOV, 3GP. The Intex iTab comes pre-loaded with 360 degree G-Sensor feature, apps such as the Adobe Reader, Android Market and games like Angry Birds, Solitaire, Talking Tom etc. 

Many of you would agree with me that in spite of all the aforementioned features and specs the iTab seems to be a little exorbitant for its caliber. When other budget tablets are well below the 10K mark, Intex Technologies would have to pay some heed towards the pricing, otherwise the iTab is a worthwhile tablet. 
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Samsung Omnia W Vs. Acer Allegro: A Comparison

Monday 21 May 2012

Samsung Galaxy S III Vs. HTC One X: Head to Head Hardware Comparison

With the market release date of the SamsungGalaxy S III approaching quickly, the world of smartphones looks more abundant with the number of offerings that it has at the present moment at its disposal.
Today, in this article I am going to compare two of the newest and the best entrants in the smartphone world: Samsung GalaxyS III and HTC One X. Both the phones are in the same league as far as the pricing is concerned; let us find out what is main difference and where does it lie.

Display and Size
The Samsung Galaxy S III boasts of a 4.8 inch HD Super AMOLED capacitive touch screen, which has a pixel resolution of 1280x720 p that makes the ppi 306. HTC One X sports a 4.7 inch Super IPS LCD 2 screen, which has the same resolution as the S III has.  In the very first first round HTC One X seems to be languishing behind a little.
CPU and RAM
The Samsung handset comes packed with 1.4GHz cortex A9 processor, which is well complimented by a 1GB RAM and Mali-400MP GPU. The other handset in question the HTC One X spices the comparison with its 1.5GHz quad core processor, 1GB RAM and ULP GeForce GPU. S III equals the score in this section.
Storage
Both the devices sport 32GB onboard memory. But unlike the S III, HTC does not come with a card slot. The expansion capacity of the SIII is 64GB. HTC wins the round hands down.
Battery
In the battery segment both the devices somewhat disappoint me. The Galaxy SIII has a Li-Ion 2100mah battery, in reply the HTC One X sports even weaker battery of 1800 mAh. In order to keep such giant handsets alive for longer period of time both the companies could have done better in this section.  
Connectivity
In the connectivity segment both the handset offer plentiful options. The Samsung Galaxy S III is 4G LTE compatible. Then it has Blurtooth 4.0 with A2DP and EDR, Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n, DLNA, Wi-Fi hotspot, Wi-Fi Direct, NFC, and MicroUSB 2.0 connectivity. HTC One X is a 3G compatible handset, which has all the above mentioned connectivity specs. But the dearth of 4G compatibility pushes it a step behind the SIII.

Camera
Both the handsets have got an 8MP camera on the rear side of the body and in the front the SIII has a 1.9 MP camera and the HTC One X has 1.3 MP one. Once again the SIII emerges victor.
There are other features to compare but I will stick to the hardware section only.
The Verdict
After going through all the hardware specs of both the handsets one has to come to a conclusion that says that the SIII is better handset between the two of them. It is not just the better handset but has got all the potential to go on to become the best smartphone of the world, that too in the foreseeable future. Samsung Galaxy S III is the thing.  

HTC Desire V running on Android ICS


Running on latest Android OS, Ice Cream Sandwich with a 1 GHz processor, HTC Desire V is ready for seamless performance. The phone feature 4 inch display to meet the aspirations of customers, who are looking for a large display phone at affordable price.   

Key specifications of HTC Desire V
Android Ice cream Sandwitch (4.0)
1.0 GHz single-core processor
4.0 inches Super LCD capacitive touchscreen display
Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth v4.0
1650 mAh battery
4GB storage, 512MB RAM
5MP camera with LED flash

There has been no wordings on the price of phone but I expect it to be launched somewhere in between 15 to 20K. And if my prediction is correct, the phone is going to be an ace when it comes to speed (1GHz processor) and power (1650 mAh battery).  1650 mAh battery in the device allows users to stay connected for long without recharging.

Sunday 20 May 2012

Samsung Galaxy S III – Features and Images

I got a chance to experience the much hyped smartphone - Samsung Galaxy S III, at the training session arranged by Samsung at The Claridges Hotel at Delhi. After the success of the two great smartphones, Samsung Galaxy S II and Samsung Galaxy Note, I was curious to know, what the South Korean smartphone giant is going to bring in Samsung Galaxy S III. Thought of sharing the great features the device promises.






The advertisement of Samsung Galaxy S III tells it all..It understands you, shares what’s in your heart, keeps track of your loved ones, recognizes who you are, and follows your every move… Yes, it is more than a “Smartphone”, I may call it an “Extra Smart phone”. As the tagline says “Designed for humans and Inspired by nature”, Samsung has taken care to slip in the nature element in its every feature... The pebble like exterior and nature-inspired UI and ringtones are designed to give a soothing and relaxing experience to the users.



4.8 inch HD Super AMOLED display with a resolution of 1280 x 720 is designed to give you fantastic color reproduction, vividness, and smoothness while you experience movies, photos, or texts on your SIII. The Corning Gorilla Glass 2, which is 20 times slimmer than the earlier Gorilla glass offers better protection to the handset from scratches.  Samsung claims that there is a 16% improvement in the power consumption, when compared with S II.

The 8MP camera has many new features to offer. Launching the camera is so easy.. You just need to touch the display and tilt the phone.. The camera is launched! The Burst Shot feature enables you to continuously capture fast moving objects up to 20 photos and with the Best photo feature, the device recommends the best photo among the 8 photos taken.



In the image gallery, you can tag your friends’ faces and register their names in SNS page.  Straight from image in gallery, you can connect to your friends through call, SMS, email or SNS, that means you can save a few clicks! Isn’t it great?

The camera is capable of HD video recording. What is more interesting is its ability to capture a photo, while recording Full-HD quality video. With the help of video stabilization feature, you can get great clips.



There are a few cool intelligent apps that come preloaded in the device. With the help of Smart Stay app, the device automatically recognizes, whether you are looking at the screen or not. When Smart Stay is activated, the front camera of the device keeps looking at your eyes and keeps the screen bright only when you use the device.

S Voice is an intelligent voice app. You can initiate S Voice and ask the device anything like “what’s the time now?” or “Launch calendar” or, “Call Jim” in English. It will act like a PA!

Direct Call is a gesture recognition app. If you feel to call your friend, when you check the message from him, all that you need to do is lift the phone to your ear. The phone makes the call automatically!

S Beam feature makes use of NFC to share docs, images, apps and web pages. With All Share Play app, you can share images, videos and other media with other Samsung devices like Smart TV.

S III offers seamless multi-tasking and super fast performance with its 1.4 GHz quad-core processor. What Samsung promises is 20% faster boot time, 17% faster app launches, and 28% faster browsing speed than Galaxy S II.

In the connectivity side, the device has Double speed W-Fi. You can experience double speed data connection with the same Wi-Fi network, with the help of Wi-Fi channel bonding technology. It has best in class Bluetooth (v 4.0), improved GPS capability with Glonass, and  faster NFC, though Wi-Fi direct!
Listed above are just a few among the great specs sheet. Keep checking www.saholic.com for more details .


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Samsung Galaxy S III Vs Apple iPhone 4S

Friday 18 May 2012

HTC Desire C: First Impression and Review


After making its presence strongly felt at the high level, the Taiwanese handset maker HTC now seems to be getting ready to fight it out at the entry level of the smartphone arena. And it is to make its debut in the said genre with a smart handset named HTC Desire C. In this article we will try to find out whether the said handset has got the potential to give the big players like Nokia and Samsung a through run for their money or not.
First, let’s talk about the pros of the Desire C. The most pivotal thing about this handset is that it comes packed with ICS 4.0 operating system, so no wait for the upgrade. Other equally important and interesting thing is the HTC Sense UI v4.0 that according to the company minimizes navigation for simplicity, and indeed it does. Then, a 5MP camera on the rear side of the handset is a big achievement for an entry level smart handset.
To give support to a relatively weak processor of 600 MHZ the HTC Desire C has a strong 512 MB of RAM memory. If we search further for other plus points (the Desire C has many) the handset has Bluetooth 4.0 with A2DP and Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n and the device can work as mobile hotspot. The music lovers should take heart in the fact that the handset brings to them what we call the Beats Audio, no need to say that it makes the music rich and sound authentic.  And for those who are into watching videos the Desire C has a big 3.5 inch screen on offer.
Now, if there are pros the cons are bound to be there. The most disappointing aspect of the handset is the weak 600 MHz processor, even a handset like the Samsung Galaxy Y, which costs around 5 to 6 thousand less than the Desire C has 832 MHz processor. The other lump in the throat for the Desire C is the fragile Li-Ion 1230 mAh battery. The handset does not sport a vivid screen resolution that makes the big display relatively redundant; the 480x320p resolution leaves the ppi at a meager 165 level. The storage capacity of the handset is also not very pretty as it is only 4GB, but the expansion capacity of the Desire C is 32GB and that is a sort of relief.  

The HTC Desire C, with a price tag of less than 13,000 INR, is bound to shake the market with its good features and stunning looks. The device has all my sincere recommendation.
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Nokia Pure View 808: The 41 MP Camera Phone in Review

                      

Thursday 17 May 2012

Nokia Pure View 808: The 41 MP Camera Phone in Review


In the month of February, at MCW 2012, the Finnish handset maker Nokia announced a handset, which boasted of a pulchritudinous 41MP camera, the never heard before feature in the mobile world; the name was Nokia Pure View 808. An aura of mystery circled it immediately and a huge amount of hue and cry was built to catch the eyes of the tech lover. In this article, we will try to demystify the mystery and find out is the phone, in reality, as powerful as it looks from the outset. Let’s get started.

Before going to the camera feature of the handset we will first discuss the other tech specs of the Nokia 808. It has got a 1.3GHz single core processor, which is seconded by a 512 MB RAM. At least in this section there is nothing seems to be coming straight from the heaven. Let’s go towards the storage capacity of the handset, the Nokia 808 has a 16 GB internal storage capacity, which can be furthered till 48 GB via a 32GB  microSd card. There is no doubt the capacity is huge but it, by no means, is humongous or iPhonish.
Display of the handset happens to be a 4 inch AMOLED capacitive touch screen, which has a pixel resolution of 360x640.For those who have seen (or even heard) about the handsets like the Samsung Nexus or the coming iPhone 5 or even the existing 4S, this will go as a run of the mill display spec.

Although the official site of Nokia does not reflect the battery spec of the phone but according to some very concrete sources the battery will be a 1400mAh Li-Ion one. What one can say, a simpleton handset like the Galaxy Y sports 1200 mAh battery.
The handset comes with Symbian Belle OS. Other features of the handset are: Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, DLNA, UPnP, Bluetooth 3.0 with A2DP, USB 2.0, GPS, JAVA, HTML5 browser, HDMI port, Accelerometer, proximity sensor, compass. Good.
Now, let’s talk about the feature, 41MP camera. First and the foremost thing is that we should not expect the handset to produce pics that a 41 MP resolution should be producing. There is valid reason for that. The handset uses a 41 MP sensor, which captures image data from seven adjacent pixels and condenses it into one, resulting in stills at around 5 MP resolution with amazing detail and low noise levels. The optics are Carl Zeiss and there's Xenon flash and a LED one acting as a video light.
Technically speaking the handset will be clicking 3MP, 5MP, 8MP, and 38MP pics at 4:3 aspect ratio and 2MP, 5MP, 8MP, and 34 MP at 16:9. But will the handset be able to deliver something more than HTC Titan II or the upcoming iPhone, only time will tell. The video will be recorded at 1020p@30fps.
Looking at the track record of the Big Nokia handsets of the recent past, I have serious doubts about the market faring of this handset called Nokia Pure View 808. 
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Sony Xperia P: Tech Specs and First Impression