Reviewing the Microsoft-Nokia flagship product: Lumia 630

Nokia Lumia 630

Post the acquisition of Nokia, Microsoft has launched its first device, the Lumia 630, noticeably without the Nokia name. The phone is the first of its generation and requires several modifications. However, it is the start of something new which is appreciable.

The Lumia 630’s Dual SIM version has been released in India with the Windows Phone 8.1. Although it is cheaper than the Lumia 620, it is actually in a lower segment and not a patch on the phone. With new software and hardware to boast of, the Lumia 630 could become the next big thing.

Feel and Look

The shape of the phone is more block and flat than usual. The phone has sides along the rectangular body that taper back which makes it easy to grip the phone. The back part of the phone does not bulge too much.

This mobile phone has a matte textured colourful casing. It is nothing similar to the highly glossy finishes that were seen on the other Lumia models and this sort of a finishing picks up dirt and specks as soon as you expose the phone.

The front part of the phone does not have anything except Nokia’s logo on top as navigation is taken care of by soft keys. The volume and power buttons are on the right edge although there is no shortcut key for the camera. The left side is left completely blank while the bottom and top have the microUSB port and headset jack each. The rear has been left fully blank too with the rounded speaker hole and camera lens poking out apart from the hardly visible Nokia logo right centre.

The phone does not come with a USB cable or headphone. The charger is connected to a microUSB plug with a fixed wire.

Specifications and Features

A steady Qualcomm 400 Snapdragon powerful has been used in the Lumia. The processor clocks 1.2GHx on a quad core SOC with Adreno integrated 305 graphics. Only 512MB of RAM has been provided which is quite a downscaling from the 1GB placed in the Lumia 525.

The built in storage space given is 8GB which offsets the requirement to include external storage cards. Earlier models of Nokia could support up to 128GB external memory cards. The screen measures 4.5 inches diagonally although it has an abysmal resolution of 480X854 pixels. The pixel density on the devise is very low and it does not appear premium quality at all. It does not live up to the already low standard of Nokia’s device which offers bad viewing angles and limited colour accuracy. Even though the interface is not very grainy, the textual matter on websites and applications might remind you of high quality 10 years ago.

Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity of the device is up to date along with GPS. Only an accelerometer has been included among the sensors. Screen brightness needs to be adjusted manually for the lack of an ambient sensor. The list of amenities offered by the Lumia 630 is lopsided and other phones in this price range out do it.

Software

The biggest attraction of the Lumia 630 is its Windows Phone 8.1 operating system. The update is much significant and there have been minor and major improvements. Outside India, Microsoft may boast of the Cortana, which is a voice based intelligence assistant. However, the feature does not exist for the Indian version of the phone. There are roundabouts which will get the feature working on the phone, although it is not much needed.

A notification shade has been added which users were waiting for very long. Microsoft has called it the Action Centre. Like in iOS and Android, swiping down from the top of the display unit will reveal an overlay that shows notifications that have not been taken care of yet. When the Action Centre is pulled down, expanded information about the icons on the notification bar like battery percentage are revealed. There are also some useful shortcuts like brightness, camera, Bluetooth and these are customizable, although not more than 4 can be added at one go.

New Nokia Lumia 630

The device is the first Windows Phone that supports 2 SIMs and there are some new touches for it. For example, there are 2 distinct messaging and phone apps which is a little odd and confusing. The icons for the 2 SIMs are quite similar in colour while the first set becomes transparent in case the new option of background photo is selected. Fragmented inbox and call history lists need to be dealt with. However, contact lists are shared and making calls and sending texts from the other SIM’s app is allowed. It is quite useful for keeping personal and work communications separate. However, not everyone would appreciate this technique.

Camera

Nokia has always included numerous camera apps and this time it is no different. The Lumia 630 has Creative Studio, Cinemagraph and Glam Me for numerous effects that range from face enhancement to animation. The camera app by Nokia includes options such as manual focus, shutter speed, quick access to white balance settings and ISO.

The photographs clicked in daylight are quite impressive. Clarity and details are comparable to that of a camera on a phone which is twice as expensive as the Lumia 630. However, photographs clicked indoors are not that good and photographs become noisy very sharply even when they are clicked in office floors that are well lit. Photographs clicked at night did not have too many details and had too much of noise. The video appeared compressed and blocky and had an artificial feel to it.

The Lumia 630’s interface is quite smooth although browsing the internet is quite a task and playback of non HD video clips produced glitches too. The Lumia 630 will probably not last you more than one year or two, particularly if you include a lot of apps and the future operating system updates need heavier specifications.

The battery life is quite impressive as it lasted more than 11 hours in a continuous video loop test. The phone can be confidently used intensively through the day and you would not need to grope for a power outlet for charging your phone.

HTC launches its First Budget Android Device: The Dual SIM Desire 310

HTC's Desire 310 is the first budget Android phone coming from these makers and it looks like the HTC has finally decided to cater to the low end segment of consumers as well with a few more devices of budget friendly prices to be coming out soon. In fact the HTC Desire 210 is expected to be priced even lower when it shall hit the markets. For now we have to see if the 310 makes a good entry level phone or for some it may be belong to the mid-range tier.

HTC Desire 310

HTC lovers will get the opportunity to own an HTC phone at a pocket-friendly price but a detailed review makes it clear that the Desire 310 may not exactly be the best choice even for the price at which it is available.

Ergonomics

The designing of the Desire 310 is much like what its costs: cheap and low cost. There is nothing much to note about and it weighs around 140g which is pretty overweight with a cookie-cutter rounded slab appearance. It measures about 0.44" in width which makes it quite chubby for its size. The polycarbonated matte finish back is a plus point as it prevents fingerprints to quite an extent.

The volume and power button are placed at the right side which is more or less ergonomical but tactile feedback is quite poor in performance. The volume button is too soft and must be handled with care because it looks prone to damage very easily.

The overall size makes it easy for single handed use. It is available in hues of white and dark blue. The removable rear cover reveals a 2000mAh battery with slots for two SIM cards and a regular slot for the microSD card. The micro-USB port and the 3.5mm headset jack are located at the top edge of the phone.

It has a front facing VGA camera and front-firing speaker, plus points for the phone. There are no physical buttons and one has to use the onscreen buttons for navigation which poses to be a bit of hindrance when using the onscreen keyboard considering the small display size.

Display

The HTC Desire 310 has a display glass size of 4.5 inches with a resolution of 480 x 854 pixels which is not much and you can't expect any higher. The IPS panel offers a pixel density of 218 ppiwhich is very average and not that impressive at all but considering its class, one can't complain much.

Colour temperature of the screen is very cold resulting in images of bluish white and greyish colours and the colour reproduction is completely off. Even the primary and secondary colours show major discrepancies which can be particularly distinguished in colours of green, magenta and cyan.

Display is absolutely poor for outdoor use even in overcast weathers. Its brightness peaks at 288 nits and even though we understand it’s a budget friendly phone, one expects certain minimal standards.

Tech Specs

The HTC Desire 310 features a Mediatekquad-core processor MT6582 that clocked at 1.3GHz and a very meagre RAM of 512MB. It also features Mali graphics of 200MP2. The European edition of the Desire 310 features a 1GB worth of RAM. Internal storage provided is of 4GB but users have access to only 1GB which is pretty useless. One is compelled for storage expansion via microSD which is limited to 32GB. The micro SIM cards work in active stand-by mode. The battery is of 2000mAh that claims to offer up to 852 hours of standby time and 11 hours of talk time.

Use of the older Android version for the Desire 310 takes up further screen space apart from the navigation buttons occupying sufficient space as already mentioned earlier. Similar to its other version phones, the app launcher has app icons arranged vertically and offers Sense integration. There is no customisation feature available for users.

Camera

The front facing camera of the HTC Desire shoots on VGA mode while the 5MP rear camera performs below standards with no flash or autofocus feature. The rear camera however is capable of capturing 1080p videos.

Overall camera performance is very bad, producing a lot of noise even in photos captured in daylight. Since the camera is of such poor quality, even footage captured in videos turn out to be very bad and pointless. The front camera is also a let-down with a maximum resolution of 640 x 480.

The camera app offers panorama and HD modes but one can't really expect much out of them either considering the poor camera performance.

Overall performance

With Google's launch of Android's Ice Cream Sandwich version 4.0, gadgets could be optimised to its full potential. However, this also depends to some extent on the capabilities of the phone and how it is able to perform in use. The 512 RAM which is obviously insufficient for the phone causes the phone to stutter and lag even in the smallest of daily application use. Casual gaming will perform just about average on the HTC Desire 310.

The battery lasts for an average of 6hours 23 minutes when used for continuous video loop; moreover the 720p video quality is average while the 1080p video has a problem thereby skipping frames while recording and playing.

The only good and standard feature that one can find in the HTC Desire 310 is the clarity of sound and its speakers and how well it performs even in areas of low signal.

Verdict

Priced at Rs. 11,358, it is not really advisable to go for such an averagely performing phone because considering the market availability of Android phones these days, there is no dearth of better quality phones assuring quality performance and features even at slightly lower or similar prices.

The HTC Desire 310 is pretty much comparable to the Moto G but considering the mid-budget market, HTC has to offer better features if it has to survive the tough market competition. Pricing is not that friendly either if one tallies it with what he gets in return.

Reviewing The Nokia X

Nokia was one of the foremost manufacturers of mobile devices and enjoyed a lot of popularity through the first decade of the millennium. The phones were hardy and user friendly which made them much preferred. However, with the launch of the iPhone and the Android open source mobile software, the popularity of Nokia phones dipped. 

The Finnish manufacturer refused to switch over to the new and improved technology that was incorporated into the new phones manufactured by Sony, LG, Samsung and other companies. When it did decide to upgrade its hardware and software, the company chose Windows as its preferred OS. This was another decision that led to a restriction in the sales of Nokia phones. Windows phones lacked the flexibility that was there in Android or iOS which led to slow sales for Nokia. App developers were not much interested in the OS and hence buyers stayed away as they could not download their favourite apps on the phone.

Nokia X

The Windows OS is quite unsuitable for low end phones and to cater to the budget segment, Nokia revamped some of its cell phones with the Symbian software and launched them in the market. Meanwhile, Android became the new buzz word and in the race to the bottom, phones that had Android in them were made available for as low as Rs 5000!

The Nokia X may be touted as an Android device, but it lacks several of Google’s foundation software. For example, Google has a Play Store app, Google Now search bar and Google Maps for navigation. Android licensees need to follow Google’s guidelines and include these apps, which is why Samsung and other phones have these applications.

Since Microsoft has its own range of similar applications, the Android ones have not been installed on them. Instead, Office, Bing Search and Nokia Here maps have been installed on the phone and there are no Google trademark apps anywhere.

The company claims that 75 percent of Android apps will work on the phone. However, the effectiveness of working is doubtful. Applications that use in-app payments, Google push notification and API maps may not work well. Moreover, the Android system used is 4.1.2 which is quite outdated.

The company intends to launch three devices on the Nokia X platform. However, after the take over from Microsoft, it is to be seen whether the company continues with these devices or promoted Windows phones instead.

Hardware of the Phone

The appearance of the device is similar to the Asha 5xx series and is roughly the size of iPhone 4. The sides are completely flat while the back bulges slightly. The phone is available in green, red, yellow, white, and blue and black.

The coloured case fits around the sides and back of the phone and forms a cover around the bezel and black screen. Putting on and taking off the case can be a bit difficult as it fits too snugly.

A single capacitive button has been placed for the home and back button. The screen size is 4 inches. A thin 1500 mAh battery has been placed under the back cover along with a microSD card slot and 2 micro SIM slots. The phone is made of sturdy materials and feels quite expensive.

Specs of the Phone

The Nokia X is not a credible threat to the Lumia 525 in terms of features. The processor used is 1GHz Qualcomm S4 Snapdragon with a A5 Cortex based MSM8225, which was not much high end even two years ago.

The GPU is the Adreno 203 while only 512MB RAM has been fitted in the phone. The phone’s prime objective is price and hence it does not look to uphold multimedia or gaming aspirations.

Built in storage space is only 4GB which can be expanded to 32 GB, using a microSD card. The screen resolution is only 800X480 resolutions. The phone supports 3G data and Bluetooth 3.0 and Wi-Fi b/g/n for wireless connectivity.

FM Radio and GPS have been included too. No secondary camera has been included in the phone that could be used to click selfies or video chat. The primary camera is 3MP which is the lowest specification that a smartphone offers these days.

User Interface of the Phone

The software has been optimized to suit the hardware of the phone. Simple swipes can be used for navigation and animations have been kept simple. A cluster of big icons without spacing shall greet users on the Home screen, which is similar to what is there in Windows 8 phones.

The groups can be tapped for rearranging the icons and each of the icons can be enlarged. The home screen appears as a long list of icons and widgets instead of pages that can be scrolled.

Basic applications have been included in the phones such as alarm clock, calendar, email client, calculator etc. They are quite handy, but not very user friendly. Bing is the default search engine used in the phone although it can be easily changed to Google using a tap on an icon. The email icon supports many accounts and can be set up for popular email services through one step.

Performance of the Phone

The phone is quite slow and several apps do not work accurately. For example, Zomato could not detect the location of the phone based on the GPS signal although it showed restaurants near the location defined.

The phone cannot multitask and hence it could take even days to download and install apps on it.

Basic games perform well on the mobile. However, the browser is quite slow and hence opening 3-4 tabs at a time is inadvisable. The phone can play back videos with resolution up to 720p. However, for H.264 videos, the playback becomes unwatchable as frames are dropped to a good extent.

Despite the camera being only 3MP, the resolution is quite good and photographs are mostly noise free and compression controlled. Focusing of the phone is quite good although its white balance and exposure need to be worked on. Photographs were well detailed in low light shots too.

Videos are recorded at an extremely low resolution of 352X288 and hence the feature should be used in dire emergencies only.

Call quality is quite good and the battery back-up is average. It lasted only 6 hours in a video loop test.

Conclusion

The phone is quite good for its price band of Rs 8,499. However, whether the line would be continued or improved upon is doubtful, especially after Microsoft takes over operations.

The Nokia X series has been launched to tempt users to upgrade to a Windows phone. However, that could act as a double edged sword with users migrating towards Android devices instead of a Windows one.

Micromax Makes The A177 Juice Available To Indian Customers At A Great Price!

Micromax Canvas Juice A177

There is no denying the sustainability and impact of local smartphone brands in the Indian market. The Indian market was earlier dominated by the likes of HTC, Nokia and Black Berry among others. However, the tide has turned in recent times and this is mainly due to the proliferation of local competitors like Micromax, Karbonn, Lava, Xolo and many others. Why have these local smartphone companies done well? Before delving deep into the dynamics behind the success of these phone companies in India, let us have a look at the present market position and market share held by major smartphone companies. As per latest estimates, Samsung is still the market leader in India with a market share exceeding 40%.

HTC and Nokia earlier held respectable shares of the Indian market but their market shares have now slid down to dangerous territory. Surprisingly, Micromax is now in second position going by market share. The company holds close to 25% in India and is followed closely by Karbonn in third place. This is of course, according to estimates but it does give one an idea of the dominance exerted by these phone brands in the Indian market. Coming back to our earlier question, these smartphone brands have done well in India owing to a combination of factors.

Some of these factors include the low prices of these smartphones as compared to global biggies. Samsung, HTC and other smartphone companies are tagged at extremely high prices which may otherwise be unaffordable for a large section of customers. This is one of the biggest reasons for the popularity and success of these smartphones in the Indian market. Alongside, these smartphones provide unmatched value to the Indian customer. They provide a decent mix of features, customer benefits and other advantages at extremely reasonable and affordable prices which has caught on with Indian customers. More and more Indian customers are now sacrificing brand value for reasonable styling, features and of course, fabulous pricing.

As a result, Micromax has emerged as the market leader after Samsung in India. It has also signed up leading Hollywood actor Hugh Jackman as its brand ambassador which is a huge step for any smartphone company doing business in India. This has set it apart from the competition and has given a huge fillip to its overall ambitions and also widened its customer base in India with elan. The company is now going in for a desperate branding makeover in order to shed their China-made cheap smartphone tag. It is now looking at consolidating the company’s position in India as a mainstream, feature packed manufacturer.

However, there are some products which still keep Micromax’s low cost provider status intact and make it one of the largest selling phone manufacturers in India. One of these cutting edge products is the A177 Micromax Canvas Juice which possesses a 3000 mAh battery. This smartphone is now available for purchase at a very reasonable price of only INR 8490 which is immensely affordable to say the least!

Micromax has put up the Canvas A177 Juice up for sale on its official website without much details of prices or other availability aspects. However, the Canvas A177 Juice has been showcased on a popular e-commerce website at a price of INR 8490 as mentioned above. The new smartphone is likely a new variant of the previous Canvas Juice A77 which was announced by the company in the month of November in 2013.

The main difference between these two smartphone models pertains to the tech specs. The new A177 Juice from the Canvas range includes cutting edge features and specifications such as the all new 6572 MediaTek MTK dual core 1.2 GHz processor to replace the earlier 1.3 GHz MTK MediaTek 6572 processor present in the Canvas. The new A177 Canvas Juice also possesses RAM of 1 GB which should be decent enough for Indian customers. The A177 Canvas Juice also contains a 3000 mAh battery which should provide huge battery life of a maximum of 10 hours as far as talk time is concerned. Alongside, standby time stands at around 282 hours which is also good enough in the Indian market.

This smartphone works on the 4.2 Jelly Bean version of Android in out of the box mode which is quite similar to the Canvas A77 Juice. The new A177 Canvas Juice is a phablet with dual SIM capabilities and supports GSM SIM’s. Dual standby features are also present on this smartphone. The display of 5 inches is a FWVGA unit with resolution of 480 by 854 pixels. The Micromax Canvas A177 Juice also contains a primary camera of 5 megapixels with auto focusing features. Other features include a front VGA camera and an LED flash. Alongside, in built storage stands at 4 GB and users can only make use of about 672 MB. This can however be scaled up to a powerful 32 GB through microSD capabilities.

The Micromax Canvas A177 Juice has features for connectivity such as GPRS, EDGE, 3G and Bluetooth. Alongside, there are many applications that are pre-installed on this smartphone like Spuul, Dancing Bubbles, Game Hub, Bubble X Slice, Hike and Kingsoft Office. Opera Mini is also preloaded on this top notch smartphone. Alongside, the smartphone has been listed on the popular e-commerce portal eBay India. However, it remains to be seen whether the smartphone will still be launched at the official price announced by the company.

Alongside, Micromax is betting big on this budget smartphone to win the affections of customers and also launched its high powered Knight smartphone at a price of INR 19, 999 recently in tandem with the A177. The Micromax A177 Canvas Juice should be a winning bet in the Indian market and should win the affections of customers looking for a solid budget smartphone with decent features and specifications. The Canvas Juice A177 should be a shot in the arm for Micromax in India.

Be Ready For The Moto X Revolution Sweeping India Soon!

Motorola, one of the world’s top known and most acclaimed mobile phone manufacturers, seems to be quite restless with regard to regaining market share in India. The company products once sold like hot cakes in Indian markets with popular models like the MotoRazr and others. However, there has been a steady decline in markets and customer demand for Motorola’s products both in India and Asia at large. This is mainly because of the company’s failure to keep up with the present market trends and put a finger on the pulse of modern customers. Somehow, other mobile phone biggies like Samsung, HTC, Blackberry and Nokia carved their distinct identity in the market along with other low cost local smartphone makers like Karbonn and Micromax. These are the market leaders for the past couple of years.

However, Motorola could never really get into mainstream Indian markets and win the hearts of customers. However, in some latest news that could pleasantly surprise tech enthusiasts and other experts, Motorola is in a tearing hurry to launch the MotoX, its flagship global product in India pretty soon! The news of the impending launch was made official on the Twitter handle of the company, where a question relating to the Asia based release of the product was answered with a definitive plan for a commercial launch within the next few weeks. The MotoX will be simultaneously launched formally in both Australia and India as well.

Motorola has recently earned loads of acclaim in the Indian market which points to a revival of sorts with its budget phone, the MotoG smartphone which has done surprisingly well in the market and earned substantial customer goodwill. The company is not resting on its laurels however as it will jump into launching the MotoX pretty soon. There has been no official announcement regarding the exact date of the launch of the MotoX though along with no official information on the exact prices of this flagship model for Indian customers. Alongside, Motorola officially proclaimed that the MotoG model had surpassed all previous models towards becoming its supremely successful phone model of all time. This was also confirmed via tweet from the company’s official handle.

The MotoX was commercially launched by the company in August 2013 and was made available only for US customers only. Alongside, the smartphone operated on Android Jelly Bean 4.3 and got an update via the 4.4.2 Kit Kat OS that Motorola incorporated in November 2013. This smartphone possesses a quality display of 4.7 inches with pixel resolution standing at 1280 by 720. Alongside, the smartphone runs via a dual core 1.7 GHz MSM8960Pro Qualcomm Snapdragon processor in addition to having 2 GB of RAM. Internal storage stands at 16 GB which is handy enough, considering the fact that it cannot be expanded any further. There is also a primary camera of 10 megapixels placed at the rear which comes with a special LED flash. There is also a front camera of 2 megapixels which is handy for video calling and other related activities. 

The MotoG was unveiled in India earlier in February by the company and the 16 GB and 8 GB variants are priced quite competitively at INR 13, 999 and INR 12, 499 respectively. The MotoG can only be purchased via the popular online store, Flipkart. This has got tech experts thinking as to the nature of Motorola’s retailing strategy for the flagship MotoX and the expected prices. The latter aspect is expected to be quite competitive going by the effective pricing rates for the MotoG. It will be interesting to see whether the company sells the MotoX exclusively on Flipkart this time round or branches out into more conventional retailing methods.

More about the MotoX

The MotoX smartphone was the result of a productive collaboration between Google and Motorola and the first phone to be created as a result of the same. The US and UK were the first regions to get the MotoX officially last year. Google had taken over Motorola quite some time back and this had got many experts speculating over the launch of a mint fresh Google Nexus phone using Motorola’s cutting edge technology. However, this was not to be and the MotoX emerged as the new flagship from Google’s stables. The company is focusing on some prominent USP’s with this flagship phone model, namely greater battery life, easy functionality and one handed usage and top notch phone services that are both relevant and contextual in the present scenario.

In a way, Motorola’s new launch will be competing with the likes of the iPhone 5C and other related models. It will not be a direct competitor to top of the line smartphones like the Samsung Galaxy S4 and the recently unveiled S5 or even the HTC Desire or One range. It will instead be competing with the mini version of the HTC One and the Samsung Galaxy S4. Some of the winning features on the MotoX include voice command features via Google Now, one touch camera access and a handy system for notifications. Pioneering battery life of 24 hours is also being claimed by the company which can be a huge winner in the Indian market. The 2200 mAh battery and carefully crafted internal components are being touted as a unique combination with regard to lower power consumption and better output.

Will the MotoX stand out in a market dominated by the likes of Samsung, Apple and even low cost premium service providers like Micromax and Karbonn? This can only be ascertained with the passage of time. However, the MotoX does have quite a lot of things going for it including the somewhat unique look and feel in terms of design and build quality. This is one solid phone with solid battery life, premium features and much improved usability and functionality. All of these are factors which augur well for the MotoX in terms of winning the hearts of Indian customers.

The Newest HTC Stunner On The Block

Global mobile phone manufacturer HTC had been going through some rough times recently. HTC reported its first ever quarterly loss in the third quarter of 2013 with similar fluctuations predicted for the last quarter of the year. Come 2014, the company had been aiming at newer customer initiatives to take the brand forward in the best possible manner. According to company representatives, HTC is facing a plethora of challenges owing to its marketing and communication lapses and not its financial woes. Facing up to these challenges was outlined as the major goal for the company in 2014’s first few months according to Cher Wang, the company chairwoman. 

HTC Desire 816

Wang outlined specific initiatives needed to be taken such as direct interaction and communication with customers along with innovative marketing and new ideas for greater success and a company revival. HTC’s USP always was its top of the line technology, design and product competency. The company admitted to not having a finger on the pulse of the modern customer and vowed to find ways to amend the situation. The company has also been facing a radical financial upheaval over the past couple of years owing to falling sales and waning customer demand. Alongside, top company sources confess to the wide gap between the launch of innovative new products and their marketing and promotions which was hurting the company’s prospects all through this period. In what is slated to be a major revival operation from this mobile phone manufacturing giant, HTC recently launched the highly awaited Desire 816 which will be one of its flagship products this year.

The HTC Desire 816 was launched at Barcelona’s glittering Mobile World Congress 2014 recently. In a highly awaited development, the company confirmed that this successor and potential replacement to the HTC One would be launched formally on the 25th of March. The first smartphone from the HTC stable this year will be aimed primarily at the mid-level customer segment in terms of the most sales. This exciting new device was unveiled by HTC CEO Peter Chou and shocked many mobile phone enthusiasts who were expecting the MS instead. HTC has indeed surprised many tech experts and market followers with its mid range smartphone instead of the high end, premium smartphone many were expecting. With an eye on overall revival this year, the company is shifting its marketing focus to more mainstream levels which assure high sales volumes.

The phone looks and feels similar to the Apple iPhone 5C in many ways with its glossy body in plastic and its impressive specs. The smartphone will be available only in China from the 25th of March onwards and will be sold across other major markets from April. The design of this smartphone has been inspired by the HTC One to a large extent. The company is also looking at a price point that is considerably lower than the HTC One which can well be a winning strategy on its part. According to Peter Chou, CEO at HTC, the smartphone flags off one of the company’s many upcoming initiatives geared towards reaching out to more and more customers with fabulous design and usage experiences. He was clear about the immense opportunity present in the mid range market, prompting the release of this particular device. The HTC Desire 816 release date for the United Kingdom has not been announced yet. As for price updates, this may just be HTC’s flagship affordable smartphone for mainstream customers.

HTC Desire 816 Features and Other Specifications

The HTC Desire 816 will come with a truckload of powerful features and specifications. The smartphone will possess a 720 by 1280 pixel, 5.5 inch High Definition display unit. The smartphone will also run via a Snapdragon 400 SoC quad core 1.6 GHz processor. There will also be 1.5 GB of RAM along with 8 GB of internal phone storage. Storage can be scaled up to a staggering 128 GB via micro-SD support. This may well be the highest ever memory capacity sported by any smartphone. There will also be an HTC Sense UI for the phone along with Android’s 4.4 Kit Kat OS.

There will be a 13 megapixel primary camera at the rear along with a front facing camera of 5 megapixels. This smartphone will not possess HTC’s pioneering Ultra pixel camera technology however which was present in the HTC One series. There will also be a 2600 mAh powerful battery and HSPA+ and LTE connectivity options. The phone weighs about 165 grams and thickness stands at 7.99 mm. This will also be the first smartphone from HTC to possess capabilities for incorporation of nano-SIM cards in place of micro-Sim cards that are always compatible.

The smartphone will have red, white, yellow, black and purple color variants along with possessing Boom Sound functionality which is a unique HTC feature. Handling and usage experience should be good enough and the phone takes after the iPhone 5C when it comes to design, the rear and the bright colors. The front camera is quite capable as well when it comes to recording videos in high definition along with the high powered primary one at the rear. The phone should be a dual sim one with 3G connectivity operational for both.

The Final Verdict

This is indeed an exciting development for tech junkies and mobile phone enthusiasts out there. The HTC Desire 816 should be an exciting buy in the present circumstances especially due to the forecasted affordable and competitive price of the same. The company is looking at overrunning the competition in the mid range smartphone segment and this should ideally witness some aggressive pricing on its part. Overall, this smartphone offers a decent mix of features and other add-ons with the large display and camera features deserving special mention.

Expect this smartphone to outrun the HTC One in terms of consumer impact and overall sales. With such an attractive new launch, HTC sure looks to be on the right road to revival, resurgence and market consolidation!

Things to Look for When Buying Your Used Mobile Phone

Buying used mobile phones is a common activity nowadays. In fact, more and more people are relying on online classifieds websites for the same. Quikr.com and OLX.in are few of the leading classifieds service providers online along with a host of other websites. As the CEO of Quikr, Mr. Pranay Chulet says, online classifieds has a sizeable user base in India. He feels that online classifieds websites are redefining traditional print classified spaces. People are now getting new and simple methods of buying, selling and finding their desired things. This is one space that is set to expand more and more with the passage of time. It is but natural that buying a used mobile phone is far easier on such networks. You can get quality mobile phones at half their original prices here. Since direct contact with the seller is facilitated, questions of reliability are addressed as well. All you need to do is check out the free ads posted on the portal or website.

Samsung Galaxy Note

Things to Look for When Buying Used Mobile Phones

There are certain things that you should always look for when buying used mobile phones. These are:

• The body of the mobile phone: This is where you can actually get the bargain of your dreams. If the body is slightly damaged with scratches or little dents, it may bring down prices considerably. Many people do not like little damages but if it’s nothing serious, you may as well get a great deal on a premium phone.
• Check out the touch screen properly. This is one area where there should be no compromise with quality. If there are too many marks and scratches, you should always insist on further discounts.
• The battery is essential for long term usage. The seller might inform you about degrading charge time. Be sure to pick up cheap replacements immediately.
• Look out for potential software problems and fix them immediately. Ask the seller with regard to any possible software jinxes that the phone might have.
• While buying used phones online, check out the reliability of the seller. View all descriptions and photographs very carefully. Always opt for the most trustworthy seller even if that means paying a little extra.
• If you feel anxious about the lack of a warranty, look for mobile phones that have limited warranty periods left. This might cost you more but will definitely salvage your mental peace.
• Be clear about your own choices and the features you want. Doing some research on phone models will not hurt either.

Find out a free classified websites list for your own convenience. Take your time in going through the ads on offer. Browse carefully and look for reliable sellers. If you are confused, call on the customer service phone number provided on the site. This will help you resolve all your queries and doubts. Ask all the questions you want before agreeing to buy your used mobile phone. Too much information is never a problem in these cases.

The Scintillating Samsung Galaxy Smartphone Series

Samsung has captured the smartphone market like never before. This has catapulted Samsung into second place after Apple on the list of smartphone makers. The second largest smartphone maker is relying on tried and tested strategies to win over customers. Diverse customer segments are being wooed with innovative product offerings. Samsung is easily the trailblazer of this era in the smartphone segment. The brand is now associated with luxury and sophistication in addition to feature rich functionality. It is in this context that the Samsung Galaxy series of phones assume importance. Samsung offers a rich array of products including the Galaxy S4, S4 Mini, Grand, Note, Note II and Star. All of these smartphones cater to different market segments.

Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini

Average feature list on Samsung Galaxy Smartphones

Modern day Samsung cell phones come with various features up their sleeve. The Galaxy Grand for instance, runs on an Android 4.1.2 Jelly bean operating system and possesses a 1.2 GHz dual core processor. With 1 GB RAM and 8 GB of internal memory, this is one power horse for sure. Internal memory can be scaled up to 64 GB through microSD as well. An 8 megapixel camera delivers quality shots. The Samsung Galaxy S4 on the other hand, runs on the Android Jelly Bean v4.2.2 version and has a 1.6 GHz quad core processor. The mindboggling 13 megapixel camera is complemented by 2 GB of RAM and up to 64 GB of memory. The Galaxy SIII is one for the smartphone connoisseur with its capacitive Super AMOLED touch screen. It has a 1.4 GHz quad core CPU in addition to 1 GB of RAM. Internal memory of 64 GB is backed up by an 8 megapixel camera.

Most of these high end smartphones also contain specialized features like high definition video recording and playback, organizers, calendars, YouTube, SNS integration, image editors, front cameras, access to various app stores, dedicated television outputs and Samsung’s special Touch Wiz UI system. There are other special features for shutterbugs like simultaneous HD recording on cameras, face detection and geo tagging. All major smartphones are compatible with 2G and 3G networks and some even with 4G! Samsung smartphones represent total value for money. They juxtapose fine engineering with superior craftsmanship and rich features.

Buying your low priced Samsung smartphone

Samsung Galaxy S3

Many of us tend to get deterred by the high prices for Samsung smartphones. Why worry when there are cheaper options available? If you want quality used Samsung Galaxy smartphones at half the cost, visit free classifieds websites. You are sure to find used smartphone sellers for your particular city. There are innumerable results and listings to browse through. You are assured of finding high end Galaxy smartphones at unbeatable prices. They have an innovative used mobile phone category. You are assured of finding thousands of relevant results here. If you have any doubts you can call the customer service phone number without any hassles. You can now buy scintillating Samsung Galaxy smartphones without straining your pocket!

Purchase Top Phones On The Internet

Can you even imagine waking up without your mobile phone? Mobile phones are the be-all and end-all of our daily lives these days. Mobile phones are always in high demand. Almost all sections of society use mobile phones nowadays. Mobile phones are indispensable for a large section of customers. This has sparked demand for phones in varied shapes, sizes and types. Features are now richer and more available than before. Gone are the days when premium phones seemed out of reach. Nowadays, premium feature phones are readily available at great prices. What about premium smartphones? This list would essentially include smartphones made by the following companies:

• Samsung Galaxy Series
• Apple Iphone Series
• HTC smartphones
• Blackberry smartphones
• Sony Experia smartphone range
• Nokia Lumia range

Top Selling Phones

These smartphones have changed the way we look at mobile phones these days. Smartphones have now evolved into life changing tools. Buying a smartphone has multiple advantages for modern users. However, not everyone can afford a premium smartphone. Sure, there are loads of other options in the market. However, not everyone can make do with intermediate versions of their favorite phones. This places most mobile phone connoisseurs in a dilemma of sorts. How can they actually purchase premium smartphones without worrying about their budget?

The solution to this problem is actually quite simple. You have to use online classifieds websites to find your dream smartphones at almost half the price. You can buy mobiles without worrying about your budget at all. Just browse through the list of featured advertisements on this online classifieds website. You will find loads of advertisements selling premium smartphones and other feature phones. You will find phones from top brands like Samsung, Sony, HTC and Blackberry. Nokia phones are also available on online classifieds websites. You can actually get your dream iPhone at an astonishingly low price here.

At all times, there are loads of sellers for premium smartphones. You can actually get the best used smartphones online with online classifieds. Find the best phones in any city you choose. Find phones in your chosen area, neighborhood or location without any hassles. You have to contact the seller directly in this regard. This can be done by replying to the advertisements posted in mobile classifieds. There are loads of options for you to choose from.

You can reply to advertisements or can contact sellers directly through emails or the telephone. Call him or her up directly and get your terms and conditions cleared out. You can negotiate the price further and get mouthwatering discounts. This translates into additional savings from your side. This is an easy and hassle free process of sorts. All you need to do is log on to the online classifieds portal and start looking for your desired smartphones right now. You need to be a little careful while choosing your phone model though. You should always check for any wear and tear among other things.

Android Tablets Within Rs. 15000

Ever since the budget friendly tablets have made its entry into the Indian market, tablets have been in high demand. With the introduction of tablets from certain Indian brands, prices have been quite competitive and a benefit to the consumers. Apart from the many operating systems that tablets are available in, Indian market is primarily dominated by the Android and there are quite a few commendable tablets out there within the price bracket of 15000 rupees. If you’re not brand conscious and do your homework well you could end up with a good reliable tablet at a pocket friendly price.

Asus MeMO Pad ME172V: Available within the price range of Rs. 9999, the Asus Memo Pad runs on the 4.1 version of Android that is jelly bean. Powered by a VIA WM8950 1Ghz processor, a 1 megapixel front camera, video recording capacity of 720p at 30fps the Asus Memo Pad is a good deal at Rs 9999. It runs on a 4270mAh battery, lacks a SIM slot, features a 1GB RAM, 8GB internal storage and expandable storage capacity up to 32GB via micro SD card. 5GB cloud storage is available to users via the ASUS web storage. The lack of a sim slot is definitely a disadvantage. Nevertheless, it makes for a good durable android 7 inch screen tablet within this price range.

Tablets

Acer Iconia B1-A71: Another 7 inch tablet at a lesser price range of Rs. 7999, the Acer Iconia is a grab-worthy buy. Powered by a 1.2 Ghz dual core Mediatek processor, the Acer Iconia features a 8GB internal storage capacity, 512 MB RAM, expandable memory of 32GB via micro SD card, WiFi connectivity of 812.11 b/g/n, Micro-USB card, 4.0 Bluetooth and so on. It also features a 0.3 megapixel front camera thus enabling video calling although the quality tends to be a little poor. The 512 MB RAM can be a disappointment for many but an Android Jelly Bean tablet at a Rs 8000 bracket price range, one can’t complain about much.

Lava EtabXtron: featuring a 1GB RAM, 1.5 GHz Cortex A9 dual core processor, 8 GB internal storage and 32 GB expandable storage, a 2 megapixel front camera the Lava EtabXtron is a good buy at a price range of Rs 6499. The tablet runs on a 3500 mAh battery and has 3G connectivity and WiFi connectivity options for its users. It also features a micro USB port and overall is offers a good quality performance and display. Its battery life however tends to be weak and is a con for this tablet model.

Buy Tablets online: With the popularity of online shopping websites and the deals and discounts offered in recent years, purchasing gadgets online can be a great idea. Certain websites enables you to find good deals on Mumbai discounted sales items as well. Doing a good research by comparing prices, looking out for discounted sales items classifieds, going through the free classifieds or posting some of your own can be a good way to shop for gadgets online at budget friendly prices.

Bestselling Dual SIM Smartphones Under Rs. 15000

Benefits of a dual SIM phone: Multiple SIM cards are a common trend these days. The advantage of owning multiple SIM cards is that it avails you the benefit of special tariff vouchers of different telecom service providers and helps manage talk time charges in a better way. You could also maintain two different numbers categorising your contacts and who you give out your number to, separating your official calls from your private calls. You could also manage any connectivity issues by switching your network provider based on the availability of network wherever you may be travelling. While there are many such advantages of maintaining a dual SIM phone, there are a few downsides as well. There are various service providers out there in the competitive market and having too many SIM cards would require you to keep a tab of your accounts, balance issues, tariff vouchers, validity etc. which can be an added hassle. Stick to not more than 2 service providers and only if you really feel the need to and have a valid reason to do so.

Samsung Galaxy Y Duos: Coming from the series of the entry level Android smartphones, Samsung brings to all smartphone lovers the budget dual SIM smartphone at an attractive price of Rs.8700. Its 3.14 inch can be a drawback for many users fond of the huge screens a popular trend these days. Considering the price and features however, it offers a good deal. It runs on the 2.3 Gingerbread version of Android, has an 832 MHz Processor and features other regular elements of smartphones.

LG Optimus Net Dual: LG offers the typical black curvy handset and comes at an affordable price range of Rs.9500. Its LCD display has a 320x480 pixels resolution. It lacks a front facing camera and has a 3 MP camera on the rear. The Optimus operates on Android OS version Gingerbread and has a Qualcomm processor.

Sony Xperia M Dual: The Sony Xperia comes with a 4 inch capacitive touch screen and features a 1 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Dual Core Processor, a 5 megapixel rear camera and 0.3 megapixel secondary camera.

Xperia M Dual

Xolo A500S: This smartphone comes equipped with a 512 MB RAM, 4 inch TFT Display, 1.2 GHz dual-core processor and operates in the Android 4.2 Jelly Bean version. It has a 4 GB worth of internal memory, 5 MP front camera and a VGA front camera that permits video calling. Its battery of 1400 mAh offers a 10 hours worth of talk time.

Online buying: If you’re a fan of striking good deals from the online shopping sites, there are many online transactions and classifieds based website. These websites serves as a medium for people to post free online classifieds describing their needs or advertising their products and virtually connecting with prospective buyers and sellers. These websites have ranging over a variety of kinds including services, jobs, second hand automobiles, second hand smartphones and other gadgets, educational institutes and much more. Even for city based classifieds such as cellphone Mumbai or smartphones Bangalore, they have an exhaustive list of classifieds to provide for you.

Top Mobile phones of 2013

Google Nexus 4: Coming from the makers of Android, the Google Nexus features quad core 1.5 GHz processor and runs on the 4.2 version of Android. It has a display size of 1280 x 768 with a pixel density that is comparable to the Retina screen on iPhone 5. Its camera is an impressive 8 megapixels; has a RAM of 2GB, internal storage of 8GB and 15 hours talk-time worth of battery life.

Motorola Razr i: The Motorola Razr works on an Intel 2GHz ARM processor that has a performance speed equivalent to that of the iPhone. It runs on the Android 4.1 version, has a screen resolution of 950 x 540 and features 8 megapixel camera, 8GB internal storage and a 1GB RAM.

Nokia Lumia 925: If you’re a fan of the Nokia brand and its range of durable quality make cell phones, Nokia Lumia series is a must buy. It is also said to be one of the best phones operating on the Windows 8 operating system. With a plastic rear and an overall metal frame, its appearance is impressive and easy to hold. The Lumia 925 comes with a display range of 1280 x 768 resolution and features a dual core 1.5Ghz processor, 1 GB RAM, preinstalled maps and offline navigation facilities, a dual core processor, a 32GB internal storage, 8.7 megapixel camera and a battery life of 18 hours on talk-time.

Samsung Galaxy S4: Updated from the Galaxy S3, the S4 is one of the favourites of most people amongst the list of Android smartphones in terms of style, performance, size and pricing. The phone has a huge 5 inch screen but is surprisingly light weighing not more than 130g. The Samsung Galaxy S4 operates on the Android 4.2.2 version and features a 1.9 GHz processing speed, 2GB RAM, 16GB internal memory storage, 13 megapixel camera and a battery life of 17 hours on talk time.

Smart Phones

HTC One: With the launch of the HTC One, the Samsung’s Galaxy S4 is said to face stiff competition from its HTC rival. The phone is available in vibrant shades, has a 4.7 inch HD display, a quad core 1.7GHz processor with impressive performance speed and runs on the Android Jelly Bean version with a 2GB RAM. It also features a 32GB internal storage and a 4.1 megapixel camera. In terms of battery life, screen size and camera quality the Samsung Galaxy S4 scores above the HTC One. Moreover the HTC also has a few drawbacks due to some operating tweaks.

Buy mobiles online: There are many popular classifieds based website that enables people to post free ads within their city and meet prospective buyers and sellers through their platform. If you’re a resident of Mumbai, you can look for Mumbai mobile classifieds and find second hand mobile phones at the best of deals.