Nexus 7 review

In the 1982 sci-fi movie "Blade Runner," there are hints that the hero, played by Harrison Ford, is an artificial human - an "android" or "replicant." His job is to go out and kill other, rogue androids.If he's an android, he's of the latest model, Nexus 7. That's also the name Google Inc. has picked for the first tablet to bear the Google brand. Clearly, its mission is to go out and kill rogue tablets running Google's Android software.
Specifically, the Nexus 7 seems to have been designed to give anyone who bought a Kindle Fire from Amazon.com Inc. or a Nook Tablet from Barnes & Noble Inc. a lethal case of buyer's remorse.
The Nexus 7 costs $199, the same that Amazon and Barnes & Noble charge for their tablets. But it's better than theirs in significant ways, as it became clear to me after a couple of days of use. Google announced the tablet last week and is taking pre-orders for delivery in mid-July.
Why is Google targeting the Kindle Fire and the Nook Tablet? Because they've been relatively successful competitors to Apple Inc.'s iPad tablet, yet Google is getting no benefit from their success.
Google makes its Android operating software available for any device manufacturer to use. Amazon and Barnes & Noble took Android and modified it heavily. Namely, they took out the applications that point to Google's services and the advertising it sells. Instead, the apps point to the companies' own stores.
In other words, these tablets are rogue Androids.
Other tablets, such as Samsung's Galaxy, use the "proper," Googlish version of Android, but they've been more expensive than the Kindle Fire and Nook Tablet. Apparently, Google thought it was time to make a really good, proper Android tablet for $199.
It's succeeded. As far as I can tell from my few days of use so far, the Nexus 7 is a really good value. It's made by AsusTek Computer, a Taiwanese company that was originally planning to sell a similar tablet for $249.
The Nexus 7 is a plain black slab with a screen that's 7 inches on the diagonal - the same size as the Nook and the Fire. The most noticeable feature it has over the competition is a low-resolution camera, facing the user. That means the Nexus 7 can be used for videoconferencing, but it's nearly impossible to use for snapshots. It also has a microphone, which the Fire lacks, making Amazon's device useless even for audio conferencing.
The screen has a higher resolution than the Fire, and colors look more vivid. The whole tablet is slightly thinner and appreciably lighter than the Fire.
Other nifty but invisible hardware upgrades on the Nexus 7 include Bluetooth and GPS chips for use with headsets and navigation software. The tablet even has a chip for near-field communications, which means it can "talk" to some phones and store payment terminals when tapped against them. I used the Nexus 7 to pay for toilet paper in a drugstore.
But the most important difference between the Nexus 7 and its prey is the software. Not only is it running stock Android, but it's also the first device to run the latest version of Android. Google, with its trademark combination of cute and cutthroat, calls it "Jelly Bean."
Stock Android gives Nexus 7 access to a much wider array of applications than its competitors, running into the hundreds of thousands. The diversity also applies to content: You can use a wider range of e-book stores and movie services on the Nexus 7. You can read Kindle books on the Nexus 7, for example, but you can't read Google books on the Kindle.
Google does its best, though, to steer users to its "Play" store for apps, movies, music and books. Buyers even get a $25 credit toward store purchases, partly defraying the cost of the tablet itself.
With a powerful processing chip and plentiful RAM memory, the type available for running programs, the Nexus 7 is fast and slick. You can switch directly from application to application, something that isn't possible with the Fire or Nook. They both force you to exit an application and go to the main menu before jumping into another one.
The chief issue buyers will likely bump into with the Nexus 7 is a lack of storage space. The $199 model has just 8 gigabytes of storage, and a quarter of that is overhead. It has just 5.9 gigabytes actually available. With downloads of a few applications, some songs and one movie, more than half was gone.
There's a step-up model with 16 gigabytes of storage for $249, which I would highly recommend. There's no option to expand storage with a memory card, a feature available with the Nook Tablet and many other Android tablets (but not the Kindle Fire, either).
Early buyers may also find that some applications will not work on it. Because Jelly Bean is the bleeding edge of Android, app developers haven't had time to rewrite their products for it. I encountered this problem with a couple of applications, including a popular video player called MX Player.
Lastly, the size of the screen is going to frustrate some buyers - the ones who really wanted an iPad. The Nexus 7's screen is a nice step from a smartphone screen, but the iPad is a really big step up. Magazines and full-page documents, for example, work great on the iPad screen, but are difficult to view on a 7-inch screen. The iPad also has the best selection and quality of third-party software.
In "Blade Runner," one of the super-strong androids breaks two of the hero's fingers, one by one. The Nexus 7 deserves a better reception.
It's a great entry in the cheap-and-small tablet category, even if it's not perfect. But then again, who is?

Nokia Lumia 800 The Dark Knight Rises limited edition debuts in India

Nokia India has released The Dark Knight Rises limited edition of Lumia 800 in the country today. The limited edition comes with a laser etched Batman logo on the back of the phone along with a number of exclusive The Dark Knight Rises content.According to Nokia, this limited edition will go on sale in Mid-July from its website and will be priced at Rs. 24,999. Company is only putting 200 units of the Batman edition on sale.
In terms of the content, Nokia Lumia 800 Batman edition will come with exclusive trailers, wallpapers, movie information, ringtones, and a game, in which consumers can defend Gotham City.
The limited edition comes with the same specifications as the retail edition, which include 3.7-inch AMOLED display, 8MP camera with LED flash, and 16GB of internal memory.
In addition to the Batman edition of Lumia 800, company also announced the launch of Lumia 610 in the country today. It has been priced at Rs. 12,999.
Nokia Lumia 800 The Dark Knight Rises limited edition key specs

• 3.7-inch AMOLED display with 800x480p resolution
• 1.4GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM8255 processor
• 512MB RAM
• 8MP rear camera
• Windows Phone 7.5
• 1450 mAh battery

VISIT :www.phones4cash.co.uk

Micromax's Dual-SIM Superfone Ninja2 A56 Launched For Rs 6000

Looking at the deluge of multi-SIM phones flooding the market often makes me wonder how poseurs managed their multiple handsets before these devices came along. Regardless, the newest entrant in this segment comes from Micromax, which has announced a dual-SIM smartphone named the Superfone Ninja2 A56. An elder sibling of the Ninja A50 and Aisha A52 "Superfones", this one also comes preloaded with A.I.S.H.A, the company's voice assistant app (made infamous by its raunchy TV commercial).

The phone sports a 3.5" WVGA multi-touch screen and runs on Android 2.3 (Gingerbread). It is powered by an 800 MHz Qualcomm processor and features 256 MB of RAM. It comes with 512 MB of internal storage that can be expanded up to 32 GB via its onboard microSD slot. Other specs include a 1400 mAh battery and a 3 mp fixed-focus main camera. Micromax has set a price tag of Rs 6000 on the product, and recently updated its official website with the Buy Now link. The product ships with two complimentary back panels in Bright Yellow and Raging Red, apart from the default black.

 

SOURCE TECHTREE

Karbonn Smart Tab 4 With Android 4.1 And 9.7" Screen Will Launch In September For Rs 11,000

Here's some good news for those waiting to get their hands on Android 4.1 devices. It was previously reported that the Nexus 7 will launch in India by October, but now fresh reports suggest that Karbonn Mobiles will beat Google to the punch by bringing out its Smart Tab 4 with Jelly Bean as early as September. The brand is known for releasing affordable mobile devices, and this tablet could become the crowning glory in its lineup.
The slate will feature a 9.7" Corning Gorilla Glass display and will be powered by a 1.5 GHz processor. On the connectivity front, it will support Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and 3G via an external dongle; though another version with a 3G SIM slot is expected soon. Karbonn will also add its own instant messenger and push-mail service to the device.

 

SOURCE TECHTREE

New Android Spam Malware Sneaks In Via Yahoo! Mai

The Android platform has seen its share of malware attacks. Many unsuspecting users have fallen prey to inflated mobile bills, courtesy of outgoing SMSs and calls. However, SophosLabs has uncovered a new spam botnet that aims to monetize mobile malware, reportedly by exploiting Yahoo! Mail's Android app.
Naked Security adds, "The messages appear to originate from compromised Google Android smartphones or tablets. All of the samples at SophosLabs have been sent through Yahoo!'s free mail service and contain correct headers and DKIM signatures".
Apparently some images in this spam message that ends with the footer, "Sent from Yahoo! Mail on Android" also have animated images, which inflate your data usage charges.
Initially, it was not clear whether this malware originated via infected Android devices, or from Yahoo! Mail's servers. However, in a new update, SophosLabs has clarified that the images have not been forged, as it was believed earlier. However, the origin of the malware is yet to be ascertained.
The post explains, "We either have a new PC botnet that is exploiting Yahoo!'s Android APIs or we have mobile phones with some sort of malware that uses the Yahoo! APIs for sending spam messages". It further states, "One strike against the theory is that the accounts used to send the spam appear to be randomly generated, not like the messages are being sent using victim Yahoo! accounts. The other strike is the total absence of malware using the Yahoo! Android API for either platform. Until we find a sample targeting Windows, Mac or mobile phones, it will remain a mystery. I'm sure the mystery will be solved, but we don't know the answer right now".
Microsoft's Terry Zink hints on his blog that the bot indeed originated via infected Android devices. He adds, "The reason these messages appear to come from Android devices is because they did come from Android devices".
Google, has issued a statement that says, "The evidence we’ve examined does not support the Android botnet claim. Our analysis so far suggests that spammers are using infected computers and a fake mobile signature to try to bypass anti-spam mechanisms in the email platform they’re using. We’re continuing to investigate the details".
Whatever be the case, till experts figure out how this bot operates and where exactly it originated from, users are advised to install apps from trusted sources only.

Android 4.1 "Jelly Bean"

Android 4.1 "Jelly Bean" is a solid refinement of what is now the world's most popular OS on new smartphones. While calling it 5.0 would have been a stretch, it's more significant than you'd expect for a point upgrade. For now, you can only get Android 4.1 on a few devices, including the Samsung Galaxy Nexus ($199.99, 4 stars) and Samsung Nexus S (3.5 stars) phones, and the Google Nexus 7 ($199, 4.5 stars) and Motorola Xoom (3.5 stars) tablets. The upgrades will roll out sometime in the middle of July as over-the-air updates. There's nothing revolutionary about Android 4.1—the new Google Now feature comes close, but it doesn't work well enough just yet. Still, there are so many minor updates and overall performance improvements that Jelly Bean adds up to our new Editors' Choice for mobile smartphone OSes.

User Interface Improvements
For this review, I tested Android 4.1 on an unlocked Samsung Galaxy Nexus. Right from the beginning, the setup process was smooth, and faster than it is with earlier Android phones. Most of the default options were already checked, for example, and I had no problem adding my existing Google account. Once you're in, the OS walks you along with a series of translucent tip screens that appear over the home screen and main menu. This hand-holding is definitely helpful if you're new to the OS, though experienced users will already know many of the tips.

There's more going on here than just minor UI refinements, though. At Google I/O, Google engineering director David Burke talked about Project Butter, which was the company's effort to improve Android performance enough that it feels "buttery" smooth in use. This effort affected many aspects of the OS, such as improved vsync timing for faster frame rates on the display itself, triple graphics buffering for preventing dropped frames in video games, and improved overall touch-screen response.

On the Galaxy Nexus, there's definitely a noticeable improvement. You can now easily resize and move around icons and widgets on each home screen panel or delete apps by swiping the icon up, which causes it to disappear. The system font ("Roboto") already looked sharp and smooth before, and still does. But menu animations, finger swipes, and scrolling now feel at least as solid as they do on iOS, and possibly even a bit better in spots. The Galaxy Nexus is no longer one of the fastest Android phones on the market, but you wouldn't know that from how nicely the unit responds with Jelly Bean loaded.

Intelligent Widgets - This got a lot of applause during the keynote. So in Ice Cream Sandwich, you had to constantly switch in and out app icons and widgets to fit your screens. Now you can just drag widgets to a screen with apps, and they’ll automatically resize to fit into a crowded screen.

Keyboard, Web Browser, and Messaging
The new predictive keyboard is another solid upgrade. I spent quite some time typing on it, and it seemed to do a much better job than before at guessing the word I meant, even whenever I typed several letters incorrectly. The prediction function works just as it does on Apple iOS 5.1.1 (Free, 4.5 stars), in that it can figure out your left finger was slightly to the left each time, for example, and then figure out what word you meant based on that and the grammar of the sentence you're typing.

The new predictive text engine also one-ups that of iOS on the iPhone, in that it still shows the bar beneath the text window with possible alternatives—rather than just one the way the iPhone does—and then pops it in with a little animated fade as you continue typing. These are small details, but they're beautiful in action. This is exactly the kind of polish Android needed.

The Web browser offers smooth handling of multiple tabs, which you can swipe among on a separate screen. One issue; while auto-rotate was turned off by default, when I turned it on, I noticed some pages had trouble formatting columns of text when flipping between landscape and portrait mode. In other words, the screen would be formatted correctly in one orientation, but then end up with a thin column and tons of white space in the other.

Smarter Keyboard - The stock keyboard is now backed by a better predictive engine that suggests words before you type them. Voice input also works offline now which is quite an amazing feat, though I found it very tedious to use.

Adobe has officially dropped support for Flash, starting with Jelly Bean. This doesn't bother me as much as it bothers some other people. Even when it works on mobile devices, it doesn't really work all that well. The end of Flash for Android is hardly a surprise, at any rate, as Adobe said months ago it was discontinuing all mobile Flash development.

In the messaging app, tap the new message icon, and it pops up names and photos from your contact list as you type letters, including alternate phone numbers indented slightly as compared with the main one. I tested this function with a book of about 1,500 contacts and it was super-fast.

HD 2012 4.3-inch dual-SIM Android smartphone

Chinavasion is selling other dual SIM Android smartphone, the HD 2012. The new handset is available in unlocked version for price of $170.31. New HD 2012 dual SIM phone boasts an ARM11 processor clocked at 680MHz, MTK6573 chipset, 444MB of RAM, and 512MB of onboard memory.

It runs Android 2.3 Gingerbread OS and a 4.3-inch capacitive multi-touch display with 800 x 480 resolutions. HD 2012 dual SIM Android smartphone packs a 5MP camera on the back, a front-facing 0.3MP camera, a microSD card slot, and an 1800mAh battery. In term of connectivity, there is 3G, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth.