Xolo Q2000 quad-core phablet

Xolo’s latest quad-core phablet is now official for the Indian market, priced at Rs. 14,999. The Xolo Q2000 was earlier spotted on the company’s official site on Friday, but without pricing and availability details.

The Q2000 is dual-SIM device with support for GSM+GSM, and runs Android 4.2 Jelly Bean. The 5.5-inch IPS display on the Xolo Q2000 features a 720x1280 pixel resolution, boasting of a pixel density of 267ppi. The Xolo Q2000 continues the Q range tradition and equips a quad-core 1.2GHz MediaTek 6589W processor with a 357MHz powerVR SGX544 GPU. It includes 1GB of RAM and 8GB of inbuilt storage which is further expandable up to 32B. The Q2000 also sports a 13-megapixel rear autofocus camera with a ‘BSI 2’ sensor and flash, while there is also a 2-megapixel front-facing camera on board. The Xolo Q2000 packs a 2600mAh battery which the listing claim can deliver up to 17 hours of talktime and up to 520 hours of standby time.

The Xolo Q2000 smartphone expands the company’s Q samrtphone series, which already include six smartphones, namely the Xolo Q700, Xolo Q1000, Xolo Q1000S, Xolo Q800 and the recently launched Xolo Q900, all of which powered by quad-core processor.

Xolo has been aggressively launching smartphones across different price segments in the last few months. Recently, the company launched a new A-series smartphone in India, the Xolo A600, at Rs. 8,199.

The Xolo A600 features a 4.5-inch qHD (540x960) IPS display and a pixel density of 245ppi. The smartphone is powered by a dual-core 1.3GHz MediaTek 6572W processor with a Mali 400 GPU, coupled with 512MB of RAM. It runs Android 4.2 Jelly Bean and supports dual-SIM (GSM+GSM) functionality.

Samsung Galaxy S4 LTE variant receives Android 4.3 update

Samsung Galaxy Note 3 was the first non-Nexus device in the market to run Android 4.3, and it seems company’s flagship smartphone, the Samsung Galaxy S4 will be the next device to run the OS version.

Sammobile reports that Samsung Galaxy S4’s LTE variant (GT-I9595) is receiving the Android 4.3 Jelly Bean update. The site suggests that the first country to receive the update is Germany and mentions that the Android 4.3 Jelly Bean update for Galaxy S4 is being rolled out in phases, which means that other countries and device will receive the update soon.

The S4’s Android 4.3 update is reportedly available both OTA (over the air) and via the company’s Kies software. Notably, the update will bring Galaxy Gear support to the Galaxy S4, making it the second device to sport that functionality, as previously announced by Samsung.

The site detailed changelog for the update, listing OpenGL 3.0 support; Samsung’s Wallet app comes with the update; improved RAM management; improved display colour reproduction which will reportedly make display look sharper than before; improved TouchWiz launcher; Samsung’s new keyboard; new Samsung’s default Browser; new camera firmware and minor tweaks in the UI for contacts, flashlight widget and dialog box apps. However, the report does not reveal the availability of Android 4.3 Jelly Bean update for Galaxy S4 (GT-I9500) variant which is available in India.

Recently, a report indicated that Samsung was planning an Android 4.3 update for its top of the line smartphones soon.

The report also claimed the devices getting the Android 4.4 update were the 2013 flagship, the Galaxy S4 in October while the 2012 flagship device, the Samsung Galaxy S III was expected to get the new Android update by October end or even November. He report further revealed that the Galaxy Note II would also be getting the taste of the new Jelly Bean iteration, but that would only be by the end of November, or early December.

Prior to this, while announcing the Galaxy Gear smartwatch at IFA, the South Korean major revealed that the compatibility for the Gear smartwatch would be extended to the Galaxy S4 ad the Galaxy S III with a software update that would be seeded to consumers in October.

HTC One Android 4.3 update reportedly begins rolling out

While we have not heard any official word from HTC about the Android 4.3 update to the HTC One, it seems the company has started the rollout in its home-turf, according to reports.

@LlabTooFeR, who claims to be a ROM developer, has posted an image of the screenshots of the Android 4.3 update for the HTC One Twitter. The tweet mentions, “HTC One in Taiwan just started getting Android 4.3.”

The latest Android 4.3 Jelly Bean update for the HTC’s flagship smart phone looks to be available over the air (OTA). The screen reveals the software build number to be 3.18.709.2 and is about 512MB. The tweet also mentions that the update brings bug fixes and enhancements for the HTC One which is majority include battery charging animation in power-off state, improvements in gallery and camera department with upgrade to colour contrasts in low-light situations and adding soundtracks to highlights. However, the official change log has not been revealed, yet.

It was also rumored that with Android 4.3 update, the HTC One would also receive the new Sense 5.5 UI, however there’s been no mention of this with the currently reported update.

Last month, a tweet by HTC’s president of global sales, Jason Mackenzie confirmed that the Android 4.3 update would be rolled out to the HTC One in US and Canada by the end of September. HTC’s 2013 flagship smartphone was released in February and natively ran Android 4.1 Jelly Bean with Sense 5 UI out of the box. Despite the company announcing an update for the One to Android 4.2.2 in Asia and European markets, the update has not been rolled out across the globe.

For those unaware, the HTC One comes with a 4.7-inch full-HD display with 468 pixels per inch packed in an aluminium unibody. It is powered by a 1.7 GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 processor alongside 2GB of RAM. HTC One comes with 32GB and 64GB storage options, but without expandable storage. Connectivity options include Wi-FI 802.11 a/ac/b/g/n. Bluetooth 4.0, GPS, NFC, Infrared and Micro-USB.

Micromax Canvas Fun A63 with Android 4.2

Micromax’s new budget Android smart phone, the Canvas Fun A63 is now available online for Rs. 6,799 through Snapdeal. However, the company has not officially launched the device in the country.

The Micromax Canvas Fun A63 was listed on the company’s official website earlier this month; however there was no word about the pricing and availability of the device.

The Canvas Fun A63 comes with a 4inch WVGA (480x800 pixels) display, and is powered by a single-core 1.3GHz MediaTek 6572 processor paired with 512MB of RAM. It is also includes 1GB of inbuilt storage which can be further expanded up to 32GB. The Canvas Fun A63 sports a 2-megapixel rear camera with flash. It runs Android 4.2 Jelly Bean. Connectivity options on the device include Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, EDGE, GPRS, GPS and 3G. It includes a 15oomAh battery that can give up to 4.5 hours of standby time, as per the company. It is a dual-SIM device with support for GSM+GSM.

Micromax has been launching a number of budget and mid-range devices in the last few days. Earlier this month, Micromax, introduced a new mid-range Smartphone, the Canvas Ego A113 which went for pre-orders at Snapdeal for Rs. 12,999.

The Micromax Canvas Ego A113 features a 4.7-inch display. The device is powered by a 1.2GHz quad-core processor along with 1GB of RAM. It comes with a4GB inbuilt storage which can be expanded up to 32GB via microSD card. It also sports an 8-megapixel rear camera with an LED flash while there is no word about the front –facing camera. The Micromax Canvas Ego runs on Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. It is dual-SIM phone with support for GSM+GSM. It also packs in 2000mAh battery. Micromax has not officially launched the Canvas Ego A113, yet.

Micromax also rolled out, the Canvas Fun A74 which was available for pre-orders at ecommerce website Snapdeal and lnfibeam for Rs. 7,749. 

Intex Aqua HD with Android 4.2 up for pre-orders for Rs. 15,900

Intex has introduced its newest Smartphone, the Aqua HD through an online retailer for Rs. 15,900. The Smartphone is now available for pre-orders on ecommerce website, infibeam.

The Intex aqua HD comes with a 4.7-inch HD display (720x1280pixels). It is powered by a 1.2GHz quad-core MediaTek6589 processor along with the 1GB of WRAM. It comes with a 4GB of internal storage which can be expandable up to 32GB via a microSD card. A dual SIM (GSM+GSM) card facility would be available in this one, the Intex Aqua HD runs Android 4.2 Jelly Bean.

It comes with a 13-megapicxel rear camera along with an LED flash and can record 1080p videos. It also sports a 5-megapixel front-facing camera. Connectivity options include Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS/aGPS and 3G. The phone has an 1800mAh battery which can deliver up to 5 hours of talk time and 300 hours of standby time. The Intex Aqua HD features a number of sensors that include n accelerometer, a proximity senor, light sensor and gyroscope.

Recently, Intex rolled out its flagship Smartphone, the Aquai7 at a price point of Rs. 21,990.

The Intex Aquai7 features a 5-inch full-HD display (1080x1920) equipped with OGS (one Glass Solution) display technology and Corning Gorilla Glass. It is powered by a 1.5GHz quad-core MediaTek6589 Turbo processor with 2GB RAM. The device includes 32GB internal storage which is non-expandable. It sports a 13-megapixel rear camera with LED flash and a 5-megapixel front-facing camera.

The Intex Aquai7 runs android 4.2 Jelly Bean. It comes with a 2000mAh battery that can deliver around 6 hours of talk time and 220 hours of standby time. The newly launched phone is a dual-SIM device (GSM+GSM) with support for one Micro-SIM and a Mini-SIM.  Connectivity options on the device include Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS/aGPs, EDGE, GPRS and 3G.

Alcatel announces four new One Touch Pop C-series smartphones

Alcatel seems on a launching spree at the IFA, this year. The company has launched many mobiles to strengthen its smart phone line-up. But theirs is more. The company has announced four new Pop C smart phones, the Alcatel One Touch Pop C1, Pop C3, Pop C5 and Pop C7.

The Alcatel One Touch Pop C1 comes with a 3.5-inch HVGA display (320x480 pixels). The phone is powered by a 1GHz dual-core processor and sports a 2-megapixel rear camera. The One Touch Pop C1 includes a 1300mAh battery. The device in two colors models – Neon Green and Pink.

The Alcatel One Touch Pop C3 features a 4-inch WVGA display with 480x800 pixels and sports a 3.2-megapixel rear camera along with a VGA front-facing camera. The device is powered by a 1.3GHz dual-core processor and also includes Bluetooth. Much like the One Touch Pop C1, this is also comes with 1300mAh battery. The company is also building a flip cover with the One Touch Pop C3.

The Alcatel one Touch Pop C5 comes with a 4.5-inch display a resolution 480x854 pixels. This one is also powered by a 1.3GHz dual-core processor and sports a 5-megapixel rear camera with panoramic picture function. The phone also includes a VGA front-facing camera. There is 4GB of internal storage which can be further expanded up to 2GB via microSD card.

Last among them is the Alcatel One touch Pop C7 that features a 5-inch display (480x854). The device is powered by a quad-core processor clocked at 1.3GHz. It comes with a 5-megapixel rear camera and can record videos at up to 720p resolution. There is a VGA front-facing camera as well. The One Touch C7 is backed by a 2000mAh battery.

All four Pop C-series smart phones unveiled at IFA 2013 run the Android 4.2 Jelly Bean OS and come preloaded with ONE TOUCH live app.

Alcatel has not the pricing of the four devices but has revealed that the One Touch Pop C1 and Pop C3 will hit markets in October while the Pop C5 will be rolled out in November. The One Touch pop C7 phablet is expected to be release in Q4 2013.

Alcatel launched two new smartphones

Alcatel has been listed its new two smart phones, first one is One Touch Idol S and Second one is One Touch Idol on its major websites.

The Fist one mobile that is One Touch Idol S has comes with the features of a 4.7-inch display with 720x1280 pixels resolution and features Dragontrail Glass with the oleophobic coating. The Smartphone is powered by 1.2GHz dual-core processor with 1GB of RAM. The one Touch Idol S sports an 8-megapixel rear camera accompanied by an LED flash and is capable of recording full-HD videos. It also comes with a 1.3-megapixel front camera. He Smartphone runs on Android 4.2 Jelly Bean. The device has 4GB of internal memory which can be expanded up to 32GB via a microSD card. Connectivity options include Bluetooth, WI-Fi, DLNA, GPS/aGPS and 3G. Alcatel One Touch Idol S comes in three colors variants – Slate, Fresh Rose and Cheery Red.

On the other hand their second mobile have these specification, The Alcatel One Touch Idol Mini features a 4.3-inch FWVGA display with 480x854 pixel resolution. It is powered by a 1.3GHz dual-core processor along with 512MB RAM. The Alcatel One Touch Idol Mini comes in two variants – single-SIM and dual-SIM. The internal storage on the single-SIM variant is 4GB which is expandable up to 32GB, while the dual-SIM variant comes with 8GB of non-expandable storage. Connectivity options on the device include WI-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS/aGPS and 3G. The device sports 5-megapixel rear camera accompanied by an LED flash and a VGA front-facing camera. The one Touch Idol Mini will run on Android 4.2 Jelly Bean. It will also come in three color variant – Slate, Silver and Cranberry Pink.

Alcatel has been also launched a tablet, the Alcatel One Touch Evo 8 HD. The tablet comes an 8-inch IPS display with a resolution of 1024x768 pixels and runs Android 4.2. It is powered by dual-core processor clocked at 1.6GHz along with 1GB of RAM.

Micromax Canvas Doodle 2 with 5.7-inch HD display, stylus now available online for Rs. 19,990

After being teased on the company's Facebook page, the Micromax Canvas Doodle 2 has finally hit the stores for Rs. 19,990.

The Micromax Canvas Doodle 2 A240 features a 5.7-inch HD display with a resolution of 720x1280 pixels. The device is powered by a 1.2GHz quad-core processor. It packs in a 12-megapixel rear camera accompanied by dual LED flash and a 5-megapixel front-facing camera. The device includes 12GB of internal storage. The Canvas Doodle 2 runs on Android 4.2 Jelly Bean. There is a 2600mAh battery that can give up to 8 hours of talk time, as per the listing. It is a dual-SIM device (GSM+GSM). Connectivity options include EDGE, GPRS, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and 3G. Pre-loaded apps include M! Doodle, M! Live, M! Security, M! Zone, Hike, Spuul, Foneclay and Facebook.

The listing also confirms that the device comes with a stylus, like the original Micromax Canvas Doodle A111. The phablet also includes features like Smart Pause, Skitch and Blow or Shake to Unlock, which were recently introduced on company's flagship smartphone, the Micromax Canvas 4.

Though, the handset has not been launched officially, it is available through online retailer, Snapdeal. Earlier, the handset was spotted at another online retailer with coming soon tag.

Micromax's latest phablet has been priced steeply and is now the costliest handset in Micromax's smartphone line-up, leaving behind company's flagship smartphone, the Micromax Canvas 4. The Micromax Canvas Doodle 2 will face the likes of the Samsung Galaxy Mega 5.8 and Samsung Galaxy Note.

Micromax Canvas Doodle 2 A240 key specifications

• 5.7-inch HD display with a resolution of 720x1280 pixels
• 1.2GHz quad-core processor
• 12GB of internal storage
• 12-megapixel rear camera with dual LED flash
• 5-megapixel front-facing camera
• Android 4.2 Jelly Bean
• 2,600 mAh battery
• Dual-SIM (GSM+GSM)

Android 4.3 update - Rolling out to HTC One and Samsung Galaxy S4 Google Play editions

Google released the next iteration of Android operating system dubbed as version 4.3 Jelly Bean with the launch of its next generation Nexus tablets last month. The update was first rolled out to Nexus devices, with word that the Google Play editions would be next in line.

AnandTech claims both the HTC One and the Samsung Galaxy S4 from Google Play are currently receiving OTA (over-the-air) update notifications. For the Samsung Galaxy S4 the update is around 150MB and for HTC One it's 180 MB.

The update lands in immediately after both HTC and Samsung released the Android 4.3 kernel sources online, according to the site. The Android 4.3 update for both devices have been developed by the OEMs and have no changes to the user-interface.

When Google announced the Google Play Edition devices, it promised quick updates on the device and a complete stock Android experience. With this update the Google Play Editions of Samsung Galaxy S4 and HTC One joins the list of devices running Android 4.3 that only included Nexus devices until now.

The Android 4.3 update comes with some new features like restricted profiles which enables users to restrict app usage and content consumption on an Android device, dialpad autocomplete that adds the autocomplete feature in the dialpad suggesting contact names or phone numbers when users start keying-in something, keyboard and input which now comes with an upgraded algorithm for tap-typing recognition that makes text input easier while chatting via messages or even while composing emails and new camera UI that offers a new updated Camera app that features a new arch based menu which makes it easier to control and switch camera settings.

Samsung working on 12.2 and 10-inch tablets

Samsung is in the news again with a new report now claiming that the South Korean device maker is allegedly working on tablets with 12.2-inch and 10-inch displays.

Twitter user @evleaks has revealed the specifications of Samsung SM-P900 and P600 which he claims are the model numbers of tablets featuring a 12.2-inch and 10-inch display, respectively. The tweet by @evleaks said, "Samsung SM-P900: 12.2-inch, Exynos 5 octa, 2560x1600, S-pen; P600: 10-inch, Snapdragon 800, also 2560x1600."

The tweet clearly mentions that the alleged 12.2-inch and 10-inch tablets will boast of a resolution of 2560x1600 pixels and would be powered by Exynos Octa 5 and Snapdragon 800 processor, respectively. The SM-P900 will supposedly support S-Pen, as per @evleaks.

Another technology site, RB Men has also published specifications of the alleged 12.2-inch model variant of the Samsung tablet dubbed as SM-P900. The site suggests that the SM-P900 tablet will run Android 4.2.

We had earlier reported about Samsung developing a 12.2-inch tablet of its own. The report claimed that the displays will be made by Sharp and will be based on IGZO (Indum-Gallium Zinc Oxide) technology. They'll sport a resolution of 2560x1600 pixels and will come with an S Pen stylus, which is usually bundled with devices under the Galaxy Note series. Samsung is likely to launch the tablet in the third quarter of 2013. It's worth mentioning that Apple is also said to be testing a large screen iPad measuring slightly less than 13-inches diagonally as per rumours.

Samsung has been launching tablets and phablets in various display sizes, one can fathom so it doesn't really come as a surprise but the tablets appear to be targeted at power users judging by their specifications. The South Korean device maker's list of screen sizes includes devices across 6.3-inch, 7-inch, 8-inch and 10.1-inch screens. The alleged SM-P900 will be the biggest device from the stable of Samsung in terms of screen size. However, there's no official word from the company about the two devices.

Meanwhile, Samsung's next generation Galaxy Note phablet, the Galaxy Note III has also been in the news for quite some time though there's no official word from the company, yet. The latest rumour claims that the alleged Galaxy Note III will feature a 5.7-inch display, 3GB of RAM and the latest Android 4.3 Jelly Bean OS.

Upcoming mobile lists

Apart from One Mini, HTC will release two more smartphones this year, according to MobiFlip which cited a list of upcoming mobile phones, available at O2 (a leading mobile service provider in Europe). According to the list, HTC is to bring the One Mini, One Max and Desire 500.

The HTC One mini is rumored to be available in select regions in the first week of August. Previously leaked information about the HTC One Mini points that the device will carry the same aluminum form factor as the HTC One. The stripped down version of HTC One is said to feature a 4.3-inch display with 720p HD resolution. It will pack dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon mobile processor and will run Android Jelly Bean update with the Sense 5.0 features.

HTC One Max, on the other hand, will feature a 5.9-inch touchscreen display. HTC will pack a quad-core 2.3 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 mobile processor to power this device. Apart from that, the One Max will also have UltraPixel camera along with BoomSound experience. The overall hardware will be supported by a 3300 mAh battery. HTC is expected to make the One Max as thick as 9.4 mm. Hopefully HTC will load Sense 5.0 UI on Android 4.3 Jelly Bean MR2 for this phablet.

There will be another mid-range Desire device to join the Desire 200 and Desire 600 models. The new Desire 500 is expected with mid-range features while the Desire 200 would remain an entry level dual-SIM device. The Desire 500 can be expected to run Android 4.2 Jelly Bean with Sense UI on top of it.

As of now, the approximate timeline of these new handsets is not clear but we can expect both devices to be launched before the end of this year.