Nokia to launch X7 next month in India

The phone features the latest version of Symbian, called Anna, a 4 inch Amoled display, and a stylish new look.

Nokia is preparing to launch its new smartphone X7 in the Indian market. The device will feature the latest version of Symbian operating system, called Anna.

"We are planning to launch X7 in this quarter in India," a Nokia spokesperson told 'The Mobile Indian' without divulging the exact date of launch.

Nokia has positioned the X7 as an entertainment smartphone, and has given it a four inch Amoled screen that displays 16 million colours and 640 x 360 pixel resolution, as well as high quality sound output.

X7 features a brand new look and feel along with an improved interface for fluid gesture movement, which Nokia claims is very responsive.

Symbian Anna has a new browser as well, which is expected to be three times faster than the existing browser.

X7 will feature a preinstalled 8GB memory card that can be upgraded to 32GB, and it has 320MB of internal memory functioning as its RAM/ROM.

The display is made of Corning's Gorilla Glass, which protects it from minor scratches and breakage from accidental falls. To add more strength to the phone, Nokia has designed it in a stainless steel shell, which will enhance its longevity too.

The device measures 119.7 x 62.8 x 11.9 mm but is comparatively thin around the edges and weighs 146 grams.

It offers next generation Pentaband 2G/3G network connectivity and 802.11 b/g/n WiFi support along with Bluetooth 3.0 and USB connectivity. The installed 1200mAh battery is expected to give up to 450 hours of standby and 4.5 hours of talk time on 3G networks, and will support the phone for longer on 2G.

The Nokia X7 will cost around 380 Euros, which translates to approximately Rs 25,000.

Android 3.1 update coming in June to Acer and Asus

The update to Acer and Asus devices will bring additional support for a variety of USB based peripherals and accessories.

Asus, which will introduce its Eee Pad Transformer tablet in India next month, has announced that it will offer an Android 3.1 update over the air starting this June. It will announce the country-wise schedule in June itself.

EeePad transformer, as the name suggests, is a 10.1 inch tablet that can also become a netbook once attached to its keypad dock. Transformer currently ships with Android 3.0, and is one of the first devices to get the updated version.

Another tablet to get this update in June will be the Acer Iconia A500 tablet, which was launched in India just a couple of weeks ago. However, Acer officials have refused to comment on the expected release of the update for Indian users.

Motorola Xoom, which is yet to be launched in India, is also getting this update. This is important for many in India as the tablet is already available through several e-commerce websites such as Homeshop18.com.

Android 3.1, which is also known as Honeycomb, has user interface improvements that make it faster and more efficient to use. Along with it, UI transitions throughout the system and across standard apps are also improved.

The update will provide additional support for a variety of USB based peripherals and accessories such as keyboards, mice, game controllers and digital cameras.

The browser has undergone a complete overhaul, bringing support for popular web standards such as CSS, 3D animation, and CSS fixed positioning to all sites.

It also adds support for playback of embedded HTML5 video content. Users will now be able to save web pages, including all styling and images, locally for offline viewing.

Karbonn launches two touchscreen phones

Named as K1414 and K1000, the mobiles are priced at Rs 3,990 and Rs 3,600 respectively and are packed with lot of features.

Karbonn Mobiles, a local handset player, has launched two new touch screen handsets. Named as the K1414 and the K1000, the new mobiles come with support for a wide range of social network websites such as Facebook, Twitter, and e-buddy.

Available across India, the new range combines sleek black design with dual SIM capacity. With their A2DP Bluetooth technology, which allows high-fidelity audio to be streamed from one Bluetooth device to another, one can easily share high quality audio like music from mobile phone to a wireless headset or car audio.

Both phones have 2,000 phonebook memory and video player.

In addition, the Karbonn K1414 and K1000 have an extendable memory upto 16 GB and 8 GB respectively.

The bar styled Karbonn K1414 has a 3D user interface and a 3.2 inch WQVGA touch screen display with 240 x 400 pixel resolution.

While K1414 has 3 megapixel camera, K1000 features a 2 megapixel one.

Available at all mobile retail outlets, the K1414 is priced at Rs 3,990 while K1000 will cost you Rs 3,600.

T-Series launches devotional phone

The phone is called Bhakti Sagar and features several devotional applications, videos and songs. It will be sold only through Homeshop18.com.

T-Series, one of India's leading music companies, has launched a new phone aimed at religious Hindus. The phone, called Bhakti Sagar, is loaded with religious features such as Aartis, Bhajans and Shabads in multiple languages, as well as Tirath Yatra apps, and yoga tips.

The phone features an SOS button for emergency situations. When the SOS button is pressed the phone dials a stored emergency number. It tries to connect to the number thrice,, and if the number does not respond, it contacts the number last dialed from it.

This is a dual SIM phone with a 2.2 inch screen, 1.3 megapixel camera and an LED torch. The device has Bluetooth and GPRS connectivity options, FM Radio with recording, and it supports up to 8 GB of expandable memory.

T-Series, which gained popularity thanks to the devotional CDs it initially sold, is trying to recreate that success in the mobile space with this phone.

The phone also comes with an added feature of "12 Jyotirling", which provides video, pictures and songs of Lord Shiva shrines. Also, the "Yoga" feature helps you practice Yoga postures.

Besides, it comes with Bhakti Sangeet (religious songs), Aartis, wallpapers and devotional themes.

The Bhakti application has more than 165 Aartis, Bhajans and Shabads in nine languages. There is also a scheduler that plays selected songs at a given time or date.

The application has the option of playing songs based on the day of the week, for example, Shiv Bhajans on Monday, Hanuman Bhajans on Tuesday and so on.

Commenting on the launch, AN Sehgal, the director of T-Series, said, "We are happy to introduce the innovative Bhakti Sagar mobile phone through Homeshop18 in India. This phone is pre-loaded with large devotional content and comes at a special introductory price for HomeShop18 customers."

A devotional game called 'Makhan Chor' has also been included. It is about helping child Krishna get to his makhan (butter).

The phone is available exclusively for about Rs 3,000 from homeshop18.com, a merchant website of the Network18 group.

Samsung rolls out Gingerbread upgrade

Galaxy Tab and Galaxy smartphone users can now upgrade to Android 2.3 as Samsung announces Android Gingerbread upgrade for various devices.

Samsung Electronics has officially announced that its Galaxy Tab and other Galaxy smartphones will soon start getting Android Gingerbread upgrades. The devices chosen for the upgrade are not few and include Samsung Galaxy S, Galaxy Tab, and Galaxy Ace, Gio, Fit and mini smartphones.

The upgrade, from Android Froyo (Frozen Yoghurt) 2.2 to Android Gingerbread 2.3, will offer users faster performance with a low CPU consumption rate, while supporting powerful 3D Graphics for enhanced mobile gaming.

The user interface has also been improved, enabling faster access and control. Along with that, the new update is expected to bring better battery power utilisation and all round enhancements over the current Android 2.2 Froyo.

Samsung will roll out the updates in different stages starting with the Galaxy S in the UK and Nordic countries from mid May, which is an indication that the updates might start rolling out from tomorrow onward.

It will be followed by the updates for both smartphones and tablets in European markets, North America, Southeast Asia, the Middle East Asia, Africa and the rest of the world in that order.

Indian users, hence, may get the update around the end of June or early in July this year.

Fly launches two touchscreen phones

While the Fly E-140 has notable feature like web camera, the E146 has a 3-inch WQVGA display among other notable features. Both the phones support various social networks.

Fly Mobile, the handset brand of UK based Meridian Group, has launched two touch screen mobile handsets, E-140 and E146. Both the devices are full-touch and has support for a wide range of social networks.

"We recognise the importance of social networks in the modern mobile industry," said Prem Kumar, chief executive officer of FLY India.

"The design and functionality of the our touch phones meet the needs of a highly digitally connected and style conscious youth audience. This offering is specially targeted to Indian youth which likes to carry a phone to complement and enhance their lifestyle," he added.

The E140 comes with vintage black coloured form-factor with red elements in design. Phone dimensions are very compact and weighs only 97g.

Fly E140 is equipped with a built-in digital zoom camera with video recording and Web-camera among other features. Content can be stored in phone memory or MicroSDHC card up to 8GB.

"Embedded audio player and FM-receiver can play music during nine hours continuously. Phone battery holds charge within nine hours in online mode and up to 300 hours in standby mode," the company claimed in a press release.

For virtual communication, Fly E140 uses WAP and GPRS modem, the phone supports Java and embedded E-mail client. Fly E140 has embedded organiser with reminder and tasks features, currency converter, calendar, alarm clock, calculator, along with a 500-cell memory phone book with additional memory of two SIM cards.

The E146 is a sturdy handheld gadget where best social networking services are combined with enhanced multimedia capabilities in a compact form. FLY E146 is pre-installed with Opera Mini browser.

A 3-inch WQVGA display occupies most of the phone's front panel. A silver bezel around the phone is a distinctive design feature which gives a futuristic touch to the model. The novelty enables mobile Internet, JAVA, GPRS and WAP. Pre-installed features include E-mail client and Opera Mini, a popular browser.

Fly E146 is a reliable assistant in daily tasks fitted with an organizer, reminder, memo manager, currency converter, calendar, alarm clock and calculator. Phone memory offers 500 cells with additional memory of two SIM cards.

Android update will be better: Nvidia CEO

Honeycomb tablets have struggled against iPad since their launch. The chief executive officer of Motorola Mobility, Sanjay Jha, had said that users are not buying Android tablets as there are not enough applications for it in the market.

The lacklustre sales of Android tablet PCs are due to retail and marketing problems, according to chief executive officer of Nvidia, Jen-Hsun Huang. Nvidia supplies processors for Android Honeycomb tablet.

Huang said in an interview that the next round of Android tablets "are expected to be better because the concerns are being addressed". The new tablets will be more advanced, thinner and lighter, added Huang.

Honeycomb tablets have struggled against iPad since their launch. The chief executive officer of Motorola Mobility, Sanjay Jha, had said that users are not buying Android tablets as there are not enough applications for it in the market.

Apple, on the other hand, is doing everything right. It has dedicated retail stores and partners. It also has billboards plastered everywhere so that users are constantly bombarded with messages about the things they could do if they had an iPad handy.

Poor sales of the first crop of Android tablets across the world have raised serious questions about the device. Prices of Android tablets have also dropped significantly since its launch.

Retailers are now afraid that this may set a dangerous precedent that may lead users to wait some time before they buy in the hope that prices will drop further still.

The specific problem was perhaps the price at which the entry level tablets are being sold. Apple sells the Wifi iPad at about $500 (Rs 22,400); whereas even low end Android tablets are 3G enabled, which makes them more expensive.