Samsung Gloria to be the Next-Gen Galaxy Tab?Rumors come in all languages, at least Blogeee will agree with us! This source tells us about a new concept of Samsung-made tablets, having a 10-inch display. There is no word on any other features regarding their processor, memory or storage capacity but it talks about the Operating System being the Windows 7 and having a QWERTY keyboard.
Does it mean that the Galaxy Tab will stop hitting the stores? Yeah, that's not going to happen. The Gloria will be sharing her glory with the Galaxy Tab. Apart from the Windows 7 OS, it seems that Samsung will have their own User Interface running over the OS, making it a little more touch-friendly. Here’s a picture of the Gloria, and it’s just a concept. There is no confirmation of these reports yet, either bySamsung or by any other company.
Is this how you will look, Gloria?
If the Gloria does move out from the 'rumor' definition and come to the real world, it'll be an interesting round-up in the tablet category. Watch out for more rumors and confirmed statements! A personal thank you to Google Translate for deciphering the French link, and making it a little easier for our readers!
Does it mean that the Galaxy Tab will stop hitting the stores? Yeah, that's not going to happen. The Gloria will be sharing her glory with the Galaxy Tab. Apart from the Windows 7 OS, it seems that Samsung will have their own User Interface running over the OS, making it a little more touch-friendly. Here’s a picture of the Gloria, and it’s just a concept. There is no confirmation of these reports yet, either bySamsung or by any other company.
If the Gloria does move out from the 'rumor' definition and come to the real world, it'll be an interesting round-up in the tablet category. Watch out for more rumors and confirmed statements! A personal thank you to Google Translate for deciphering the French link, and making it a little easier for our readers!
Notion Ink Adam finally up for pre-order
The Notion Ink tablet dubbed Adam has previously been in the headlines for touting to offer 15 hours of battery life on a single recharge. The tablet PC is now finally put up for pre-order, though it has attracted a lot of attention of the tech realm because of multiple bewildering terms and conditions.
Multimedia buffs can enjoy an enchanting entertainment experience with its stereo loudspeakers, a 3-axis accelerometer, an ambient light sensor, a 3.5mm headphone jack and two USB 2.0 slots. Its tech specs subsume a 10.1” multi-touch display, Nvidia’s Dual Core Tegra 250 processor, a 3.2MP AF camera, 1GB DDR2 RAM and more than 8GB flash memory with microSD card support. For better connectivity, the device comes with Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR, 801.11b/g/n WLAN and 3G HSPA networks.
Interestingly, the Adam hosts a HDMI port, a DC connector and miniUSB terminals in addition to a SIM card slot. Furthermore, its Eden software supports multi-touch keyboard and a clean user interface. The tablet PC ships from China and the company also vows to render global pricing. The Wi-Fi model with the backlit LCD is priced at $375.33 (approx Rs. 16,910), while the Wi-Fi + 3G model costs $425.33 (approx Rs. 19,165). Consumers can select to purchase both the editions with Pixel Qi LCDs for $499.45 (approx Rs. 22,500) and $549.99 (approx Rs. 24,780), respectively.
Apparently, the pre-order system has stopped working multiple times and the shipping terms are said to be a bit strange. Notion Ink is ostensibly not responsible if the shipments are delayed or lost due to natural or man-made circumstances. Although, the tablet is expected to ship within six to eight weeks.
Also, there’s a condition which states that the reshipping charges and a penalty of $10 (approx Rs. 450) will be levied on returns resulting from a wrong address or refusal to pay Customs duty, clearance charges and similar payments. The return policy enabled the company to withhold 5 percent as repacking charges and 3 percent as restocking fees if the Adam is returned.
Still, the launch date is drawing near and the specs and pre-orders are in the news, so much so that the servers apparently crashed with an overload. That’s not true though - in a recent blog post, Rohan Shravan, CEO of Notion Ink, had this to say - "Pre-order system crashed several times, though it was not at Notion Ink’s head quarters, but rather the server side in USA. Being an Indian company they predicted more traffic from India and did some optimization which turned out to be complete disaster. On top of it, there was an algorithm to smoothen the process of product distribution globally."
Well there you go. But after going though the various features and specs listed, I suddenly realized that I was quite excited about the Adam and in that excitement I came up with these 10 reasons why I think the Adam will kick some serious Tablet a**!
Reason One
It’s a smart looking device and with the cylindrical curve design, the viewing angle should be comfortable when placed on a flat surface.
Reason Two
Speaking of comfortable viewing, the Adam boasts of a 10-inch WSVGA Transflective LCD screen. What this means is it should be easy to view in all kinds of lighting conditions without worrying about reflections inhibiting your view. It also has an ambient light sensor to adjust the screen brightness depending on the environment. Aside from Multitouch and being scratch resistant, the cherry on top is that the display is also supposed to be fingerprint resistant.
Reason Three
The tablet runs on arguably the fastest processor made in current times - the Nvidia Tegra 2 with its eight independent processors, coupled with two Cortex-A9 cores and also fits in a GeForce Graphics Processing Unit. Compare this to PowerVR SGX series 5 processors that power both the Apple iPad and the Samsung Galaxy Tab and it’ll be like a Shelby Mustang GT against a Hummer. While both have powerful engines, one’s clearly a whole lot faster.
Reason Four
This will be the first tablet to feature a built-in HDMI out port. With 1080p video support for popular codecs in .AVI formats, you only need to hook it up to your HDTV and you’re good to go.
Reason Five
The Adam has a 3.2 Megapixel swivel camera that can rotate 185 degrees. This is a good option to cut costs because you don’t have two separate cameras like the Galaxy Tab and the upcoming Apple iPad 2 (if the rumors are true).
The device supports Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR and 3G (depending on the model you opt for of course) which is quite mundane given the fact that the iPad and Galaxy Tab also have these features. USB connectivity is however a whole other story - the Adam has two standard USB 2.0 ports and a mini-USB port as well. This helps with charging, hooking up to a computer and charging other USB based devices. You’ll also be able to plug in external drive and read the data off of the tablet... USB-on-the-go, just like Nokia’s new Symbian ^3 devices, the Nokia N8 or the C7.
Reason Seven
The Adam runs its own User Interface called Eden on either Android v 2.3 aka Gingerbread, or Honeycomb. Notion Ink’s blog posts say that the OS is closer to Honeycomb than Gingerbread. It somehow doesn’t look logical for Adam to have Honeycomb for now as the platform itself is not official, but it won’t be surprising to see it in action, at least in the future. The UI is also customized to a large extent to optimize its user friendliness.
Reason Eight
This Tablet has an on-board memory of 8GB (just this one capacity will be available for now) and is expandable up to 128 GB via microSD cards and possibly external thumb drives.
Reason Nine
Notion Ink claims that the Adam should be able to offer a battery life of about 16 hours of normal usage as compared to 10 hours from the iPad. Of course, this remains to be seen.
Reason Ten
One of the most important factors to consider, especially when it comes to these expensive devices, is the price tag. An Apple iPad 64 GB will set you back around Rs. 42,000 in the grey market and the Galaxy Tab is priced at Rs. 38,000 (MRP). Notion Ink’s Adam is up for pre-order for Rs. 25,100 and that is for the most expensive version - the Pixel Qi with Wi-Fi + 3G.
If you’re waiting for that God-sent device that will offer you all that you could possibly want and not burn a hole in your pocket, there’s every reason to believe the Notion Ink’s Adam is it. It's also possible that the Adam, like most other Android based tablet's we've seen so far, will also be capable of making voice calls and sending text messages. But getting back to reality, it looks great on paper but we’ll know more after putting it through its paces in a real world test. Notion Ink’s bloghas another update that mentions an in-depth video being released on 18th December. They’ve also seemed to have put a hold on purchases for now.
As impressed as I am with the device specs, I do believe Notion Ink has a lot to live up to. If it’s taken them this long to develop, this had better be one helluva device.
Videocon V7500 Evolve aka Zeus Android Mobile
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First off, I have to admit that I was not sure what the actual name of this phone was – whether I should call it the Zeus, Evolve or V7500. Zeus is printed on the handset but the website also calls it the V7500 Evolve. It seems that Videocon is going all out for this handset, but does it live up to the Android users expectations or will it fare just as well as Spice’s Mi-300 and be content with mediocrity? Read on to find out in our exclusive review.
Form Factor
When I said earlier that Videocon is going all out for this handset, I wasn’t being metaphoric. The Zeus (I’m going to stick to that, it’s easier to remember) comes in a packaging that looks like a whole forest was taken down for the one box. Completely unnecessary. It seems Videocon just clean forgot, Green is IN! The large jazzy packaging does however come with quite a few goodies for the handset, aside from the standard USB, charging cable and handsfree kit, an 8GB microSD card, car charger, extra battery and carry case have also been thrown in.
The Zeus is a neat handset and is quite like Spice's Android offering except for a few details. For one thing, this one comes off as far more elegant. The specs are almost identical though as the Zeus also has a 3.2-inch capacitive touchscreen with a 320 x 480 pixel resolution (HVGA) with multi-touch capabilities, a 3.5mm handsfree socket on top, concealed micro USB port on one side, volume/zoom keys and the camera button on the other side and a hot swap microSD card slotunder the rear panel. Suffice to say, the OEM for the shell etc. has got to be the same. I do however, prefer the large call Take and End keys on the Zeus and the overall design and bronzed coloration gives it a sophisticated look.
The touch sensitive key arrangement under the display, just like the Mi-300’s, does not light up. I suggest memorizing their placement as you’ll need to know where the Home, Return or Options keys are in the dark, if you ever require them.
Features and Performance
Interface
What really annoys me is the total lack of originality that manufacturershave sometimes. Videocon has adopted the very same gaudy and slightly kiddish looking UI as the Mi-300. It’s a stark contrast to the device’s elegant look. Android’s standard look would have been a better option in this case. The icons are slightly oversized and a little too colorful for my taste. The layout is however not really an issue considering it’s running on Android 1.6. It’ll get an upgrade to Éclair (2.1) in November is what I was told and the buck stops there, no more updates after.
UI handling is smooth. It’s responsive and easy to navigate. Of course 2.1 will add quite a bit more as Facebook and Twitter integration with your contacts is not available with this version. You can however Sync your phone book to your Google account.
Media
Audio quality was a step up from Spice’s offering. The volume was loud enough to comfortably listen to even in a crowded train with quality being quite decent. You can create playlists on the go. The lack of an FM radio is quite a stinger, not that there’s great stuff on the air these days but for the price it should have come with the feature. The Zeus handles iPhone MP4 videos and 3GP files with no issues. Use Rockplayer if you want to play other video formats although the display resolution isn’t high enough to make them look great. Nevertheless playback was smooth with little to no framing.
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Just about a month ago, we took a look at the Sony Xperia X10 Mini.Although the phone boasted of some really nifty features, that too for a smartphone of its size, it did fall short of a few expectations. The Xperia X10 mini pro, which was only released very recently, shows a few improvements over its predecessor. Here’s a closer look.
Form Factor
Let 'QWERTY' Join The Party. The X10 Mini and Mini Pro share almost identical specifications except that the Pro is just a little broader and wider and of course, can’t forget the slide out full QWERTY keypad. Incidentally this addition makes a world of a difference, especially for subjects like me, who aren't blessed with thin fingers. The whole mechanism works perfectly from smooth sliding to the extremely comfortable keys themselves and sends a major plus in the direction of the mini pro. The display is the same - 2.55-inch capacitive touchscreenwith a 240 x 320 resolution.
Now although both the phones feature similar design, the layout on both differs slightly as the Mini Pro's got the micro-USB port on the left and the headphone jack on the top. Due to the way we these phones are held, we found that having the headphones plugged in at the bottom (like in the Mini) to be a bit intrusive for our palm. That’s one more plus for the Mini Pro. The Pro also supports external memory via the hot swap microSD card slot under the rear panel. The rear panel is as difficult to un-hitch as the previous version, not that you’ll have too much un-hitching to do.
Needless to say, the Mini Pro may look identical to the Mini. It has the same comfortable palm-of-your-hand size and Sony Ericsson’s Human Curvature design form, but the slide out keypad is definitely a welcome addition.
Features and Performance
Interface
The Mini Pro also comes equipped with a Qualcomm 600MHz processor, runs on Android 1.6 and uses Sony Ericsson’s Four corner UI with Timescape for social working etc. Now although the Xperia X10 Mini/Mini Pro are some of the tiniest devices to feature the Android OS and while there are certain restrictions, both devices pack quite a punch. They performed great in most environments. Even the harsh rains of Mumbai could not exercise their moist ways with the Mini Pro; surprisingly the phone is quite robust. The UI is fluid and very responsive with onscreen keypad options to use as well. We’d recommend using the QWERTY keypad though; it’s just so much more convenient and faster.
Media
There’s nothing else really different about the rest of the handset as compared to the Mini. It’s essentially the same. The audio quality was still better than average on both calls as well as for music. The display, although small is still comfortable enough to watch YouTube clips or short TV serials in 3GP or MPEG4 formats. TrackID for music recognition is also present and accounted for. Unfortunately the FM radio still didn’tmanage to perform too well but we can say it was adequate. There are many applications that can be used well with this phone, which somewhat takes your mind away from the one's that you cannot use such as Robo Defense, WeatherBug, PdaNet, Tumblroid, etc. A few games come preloaded like Roller coaster, Peggle and CA Gold Rush.
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LG’s Cookie has enjoyed a fair ranking among the youth-oriented, affordable touchscreen handsets. One of the follow ups is this, the GD510 or Cookie Pep as it’s popularly called. With it’s low price tag, funky features and brand name it could be a serious threat for the ultra budget Dual SIM Java mobile touchscreens. To find out if it’s worth investing in this entry-level touchscreen instead if the Dual SIM options, here’s a closer look.
Form Factor
What I really like about the Pep is that it’s a small and very light weight handset that still manages to make you feel like you’re holding something of value in your hand. It fits very neatly into the palm of your hand and is slim enough not leave a bulge in your jeans irrespective of how tight they are. The Pep is equipped with a resistive touchscreen that doesn’t come with a stylus for access. Though it’s not specifically mentioned anywhere, the 3.0-inch display took some hard knocks and came out unscathed making it quite resistant to scratches.
The simplicity of the design makes it quite attractive and very unisex. A singular button below the screen makes it easy to return to the main menu or hang up on calls etc. The dedicated camera key also doubles up as a shortcut button to access running apps as well as, you guessed it, shortcuts to apps. A universal micro USB port is located on the same side as the volume/zoom keys. The power key doubles up as a screen lock and is located at the top. A hot swap slot for the bundled 2GB card is located under the rear panel.
Features and Performance
Interface
The Pep is using a version of LG’s S-Class UI with an option to switch over to the Cookie
interface which is categorizes application options vertically instead of horizontally. Multiple desktops (three) are available. Each desktop is associated with specific settings – one offers desktop widgets, another is for quick access to favorite contacts and the third is for LG’s Live Square. This not a social networking platform but a colorful way to keep track of your contacts who you’re most frequently in touch with via text or phone. You can select pre-designed avatars for these contacts to make it a more colorful interaction.
On the whole, the UI is quite smooth from the accelerometer changing the orientation of menus to accessing features and running them. The keypad was the one feature that I had an issue with. This seemed like the only instance where speed was an issue as there was a visible lag between hitting the screen and the information showing up on the screen. The QWERTY (in landscape) is a little too small to be used comfortably if you don’t have slim fingers. Multitasking is not much of an issue but you will find the handset’s speed affected if you have too many things running in the background.
Media
The Pep excels in the multimedia segment. To start off with the music player is loud and very clear. The depth in the bass level is very impressive. EQ presets help enhance the overall audio experience but even on normal settings the music player is very capable of having you enjoy your music even in the loudest part of the city. In normal conditions ‘peaking’ the volume is never going to be necessary. The FM radio also worked out really well picking up all the stations in a few seconds and providing very decent reception thought most of my usage in various locations. The player reads MPEG4 and 3GP videoswithout any issues but it doesn’t have a ‘stretch to fit’ option for full screen viewing if your videos are in a 4:3 format. Convert your video appropriately and you’re good to go.
A few games of the non motion variety as well as motion the ones that use the accelerometer are present. LG’s Muvee Studio app to create slideshows for your pictures is also available. A voice recorder is also on board for leaving voice memos.
Just to reiterate, the ViewPad 7 has its own graphics chipset, a high-quality interface and built-in dual stereo speakers which gives it an edge when it comes to entertainment and comes with Aldiko's eBook reader built-in. Both devices have dual webcams with 3 megapixel AF cameras standard for the primary Only the ViewPad 7 can receive commands through voice recognition because it runs Froyo. Both devices also come with GPS/AGPS support for Google Maps.
The 10-inch model is powered with an Intel 1.66GHz processor and comes with an integrated memory of 1GB and a 16GB SSD HDD. You can choose to run it on either Android 1.6 or Windows 7 OS for VPN. It's always great when you're given a choice. It even features a low battery consumption setting.
Both devices have an uncanny resemblance to the OlivePad so naturally we're thinking the OEM is the same and Viewsonic has just taken things up a notch. But the Rs. 32,000 (ViewPad 7) and Rs. 38,000 (ViewPad10) questions is how well will it compete with competitors like the iPad and the Samsung Galaxy Tab? Well, we’re just going to have to wait and find out. Both devices will be available in leading retail chains in India by January 2011.
So what do you do if your previous effort wasn’t quite up to the mark? If you’re Zebronics, you simply launch a new device instead of going back to the drawing board. The Zebronics Cinema 4.3 Zebmate is that new device, and sports a 4.3” TFT touchscreen at a resolution of 480x272. I would’ve been going ga-ga at specs like that three years ago, but now… not so much. Sound familiar? Yeah.
The PMP supports an array of audio (MP3, WAV, WMA, Ape, Flac, Aac, OGG, Ra, Midi, Amr, Rm, M4a) and video (M2V, AVI, MP4, MOV, QT, ASX, ASF, WMV, VIV, VIVO, RM, RMVB, Y4M, OGM, Mpeg, DAT, MOD, S3M, IT, MID, MIDI, VPF, NSV, NSA, MPC, MKV, APE, APL, MAC, FLV, 3GP, VOB, MPG) formats in 720p, and claims to have battery life to handle approximately 13 hours of audio, and 4 hours of video.
The device also features FM Radio, an image viewer, an e-book reader and games. Couple this with 8GB of internal storage, expandable through a Micro-SD card slot, and you’ve got a device that sounds pretty feature-packed. We’ve been burned before though, so we’ll wait until we thoroughly test the device before drawing any conclusions about it.
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