HTC Desire 600c dual-SIM with CDMA support

After leaked of the mid range HTC Desire 600 dual-SIM (GSM+GSM) Smartphone for the market, the Taiwanese majors is all set to launch a new variant of the phone, the HTC Desire 600c dual(GSM+CDMA). The handset has already been listed on the HTC’s official website.

The HTC Desire 600c measures 134.9x9.55mm and weighs 127grams. It features a 4.5-inch qHD display. The device is powered by a 1.2HHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor coupled with 1GB of RAM. It comes with 8GB of internal storage which is expandable up to 64GB via microSD card. The HTC Desire 600c dual-SIM sports an 8 Megapixel rear camera with auto focus accompanied by an LED flash and is capable of 720p video recording. There is 1.6 megapixel front facing camera with BSI sensor.

HTC Desire 600c also features dual frontal stereo speakers with built-in amplifiers. Connectivity options include 3.5mm audio jack, Micro-USB, Bluetooth, WI-Fi, DLNA, GPS/AGPS and NFC. It also includes an 1860mAh battery.

The HTC Desire 600cdual-SIM is not a re-hash of its predecessor. Though the device sports almost the same specifications, it is not identical in design. The HTC Desire 600c dual-SIM is a CDMA variant and supports GSM+CDMA networks. The phone runs Android Jelly Bean with HTC Sense on top with Blink Feed and other features. However, it’s not clear at this stage whether the phone is running Android 4.1 or Android 4.2.

The HTC Desire 600 dual-SIM launched earlier this year for Rs. 26,990.

HTC Desire 600c technical specifications

• 4.5-inch display
• 1.2GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor
• 1GB RAM
• 8GB internal storage, expandable up to 64GB via microSD card
• 8-megapixel rear camera
• 1.6-megapixel front shooter
• Android Jelly Bean

Samsung Galaxy Note III render confirms September 4 announcement

Even through the official unveiling of the Samsung Galaxy Note III is scheduled to take place in a few days; a new purported image of the next Note device has hit the web. The image offers a potential insight into the official launch date and on how the handset might look.

The new renders comes courtesy Spigen, a case and accessory manufacturer from various smart phones including Apple’s iPhone and Samsung Galaxy range of the Smartphone’s. The image once again confirms the Galaxy Note III’s launch date, which has already been revealed by Samsung official. The image is accompanied by some caption including, “Samsung Galaxy Note III will be announced on September 4” and “The next big thing is coming soon”.

Although the new render on the site looks far from the finished unit, but gives an insight into the design workings of the Samsung Galaxy Note III’s front panel.

Earlier, a new set of purported leaked images of the alleged Galaxy Note III screen, surfaced online suggesting that the Galaxy Note Device would feature a 5.68-inch display. The image posted on the site showcased the design of the front panel and revealed that the alleged Galaxy Note III will be more rectangular in form-factor compared to its processor, The Galaxy Note II, which featured rounded corners.

It was also reported that the Galaxy Note III will reportedly go on sale on September 27 in the Taiwanese market, while the device will be up for pre-orders from September 16.

The Samsung Galaxy Note II is rumored to features a full-HD Super AMOLED display with a resolution of 1080x1920 pixels.  It is likely powered by a quad-core Snapdragon 800/Exynos octa-core processor with 3GB of RAM. The Galaxy Note III to boast of a 13-megapixels rear camera, a 3,200mAh battery, and run Android 4.3 Jelly Bean.

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)

Xolo Q1000S with 5-inch HD display launched for Rs. 18,999

The Xolo Q1000S features a 5-inch HD IPS display with OGS display technology and boasts a resolution of 720x1280 pixels with 294ppi pixel density. It runs on Android 4.2 Jelly Bean. The device is powered by 1.5GHz quad-core MediaTek 6589T processor paired with 1GB RAM. It also comes with 16GB of internal storage which is non-expandable and measures 6.98mm in thickness.

The Xolo Q1000S sports a 13-megapixel rear camera with BSI 2 sensor with LED flash and a 5-megapixel front-facing camera. The rear camera is capable of recording full-HD videos and also comes with image stabilisation technology. Other features of camera are scene detection and tuning, high dynamic range (HDR), low-light enhancement, face recognition, burst mode feature to capture up to 99 shots, Panorama and geo-tagging. The handset packs in a 2500 mAh battery that can give up to 327 hours of standby time and about 23 hours of talk time, as per the company. Connectivity options include GPRS, EDGE, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and 3G.

Earlier this month, the company had launched the Xolo A500S. The Xolo A500S features a 4-inch WVGA display that has a resolution of 480x800 pixels and pixel density of 233 Pixels Per Inch (PPI). The device is powered by a 1.2GHz dual-core processor with 512MB of RAM and a Mali-400 MP GPU. It includes a 5-megapixel rear camera accompanied by an LED flash and a VGA front facing camera. The rear camera can record videos up to 720p resolution. The Xolo A500S runs Android 4.2 Jelly Bean. It also includes 4GB of internal storage that can be expanded up to 32GB through microSD card. It is a dual SIM device with support for GSM+GSM with dual standby. Connectivity options include Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPRS, EDGE, 3G, and Micro-USB. Other features include an accelerometer, ambient light sensor, proximity sensor and AGPS. The Xolo A500S is backed by a 1400mAh battery.

Xolo Q1000S key specifications

• 5-inch HD IPS display with 720x1280 pixels resolution and 294ppi pixel density
• 1.5GHz quad-core MediaTek 6589T processor
• 1GB RAM
• 16GB internal storage
• 13-megapixel rear camera
• 5-megapixel front facing camera
• Android 4.2 Jelly Bean
• 2500mAh battery

Sony Xperia Honami aka Xperia Z1's second teaser hints it would be water resistant

With the official launch of the Sony Xperia Honami aka i1/ Xperia Z1 rumoured to be on September 4 coming closer, the company is doing its bit to generate interest by teasing its upcoming smartphone in bits.

The new tweet posted by Sony says, "About to make a splash..." and is accompanied by the #bestofsony hashtag. The second teaser image partially reveals the design of the upcoming smartphone and also confirms that the device would be water-resistant. Other features revealed by the teaser image include a 3.5mm audio jack that can be spotted on the top panel with a chrome finish on the sides, and volume controls placed on the right side of the handset. While the power button sits above the volume controls and is also located at the right side of the device.

Aside from the teaser, Sony has not provided any new information related to the upcoming smartphone. Interestingly, the company has still not revealed the camera of the rumoured Xperia Honami which is also expected to be the highlight of the device. The long rumoured flagship smartphone is expected to pack a 20-megapixel Exmor RS rear camera that will sport a Sony G-lens and BIONZ image processor. The teaser was first spotted by Xperia Blog.

Earlier, Sony teased the power button of its upcoming smartphone on Twitter.

The tweet posted by Sony said, "It's the smartphone everyone's been talking about... not long now." The tweet was accompanied by the #bestofsony hashtag that the company has again repeated in the new teaser.

Recently, a rumour claimed that the Xperia Honami might release as the Sony Xperia Z1.

Rumoured specifications of the Xperia Honami or Z1 include a 5.0-inch full-HD display. It's likely to be powered by a 2.2GHz quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor with 2GB of RAM. It may include 16GB internal storage and a 3000mAh battery. The device is said to run Android 4.2 Jelly Bean.

HTC could be an acquisition target for Lenovo, Huawei and ZTE

It looks like ailing smartphone giant HTC is being eyed by a number of Chinese device makers including Huawei, Lenovo, and ZTE.

Bloomberg cites analyst Sanford C. Bernstein & Co as saying that the three Chinese vendors are looking at taking over HTC with an intent to leverage the $4.2 billion Taiwanese giant's technological know-how and brand prowess in the mobile devices segment.

"They continue to produce the best phones of the industry," said Pierre Ferragu, an analyst at Bernstein in London. "They have good brand recognition. From that perspective, they could be an acquisition target for a company with more scale but less product development expertise and weak brand positioning."

While HTC's critically acclaimed flagship device, the HTC One showcased company's skill at making premium hardware, it faced stiff competition from the likes of Apple, Samsung and other Android OEMs. The launch of the device got delayed due to component shortages affecting the company's net profit.

The company's second-quarter net profit came in at just T$1.25 billion, far below forecasts.

Recently, HTC said it expected revenue to fall as much as 30 percent in the third-quarter of the year compared to the previous three months, citing fierce competition in the mid -to high-end smartphone markets. The company also indicated a weak outlook for profit margins.

Rocked by internal feuding and executive exits, HTC is positioned at the high-end of a smartphone market that is close to saturation. Thus, the company has seen its market share slump to below 5 percent from around 25 percent five years ago and its stock price is at an 8-year low.

While Lenovo is a new entrant in the mobile devices segment, it's riding on the success of its PC business to establish itself in the market, and a big acquisition would certainly help it in consolidating its position. The company recently reported good numbers back on a strong showing in the mobile space. Huawei and ZTE have the scale and produce millions of white labelled devices but their brands are not as well recognised as that of HTC's. 

However, Bloomberg suggests that Chairwoman Cher Wang and her family, who hold a stake in HTC, may stand in the way of a takeover as long as the company has adequate cash.

Purported press image of iPhone 5C appears online

While the purported iPhone 5C, Apple's low-cost iPhone, has made several online appearances, including in some really high resolution pictures and videos that surfaced on the Internet, a website now claims to have published the official press shots of the phone.

Romania based publication, Mobilissimo.ro, claims that a Romanian retailer sent a couple of press shots of the iPhone 5C to the website.

The press photo features the White coloured variant of the iPhone 5C running iOS 7.The front panel is also in White unlike some previous leaks, while the back of the phone features the same plastic polycarbonate body panel that appeared in recent leaks, in glossy White, complete with a round camera lens and LED flash, Apple logo and iPhone branding.

The left-hand side of the phone features the same pill shaped volume rocker and mute keys that had appeared online, in a recent leak. These are also White in colour.

In addition to the press pictures, the site has also posted images of what the Romania-based dealer claims as iPhone 5C dummies placed in shop shelves till the actual phone arrives. The dummy features a White plastic power button. At the bottom of the dummy phone, there's a small hole for the second microphone, next to the 3.5mm headset jack port, two screw holes with the Lightning connector port at the centre, and four holes for the speaker towards bottom right. This is in line with the pictures that appeared recently on Sonny Dickson's website.

It's interesting to note that the low-cost iPhone has leaked several times but the pictures were of pre-production units and did not feature cut outs for the power and volume rocker keys.

Other alleged pictures of the iPhone 5C have revealed a plastic polycarbonate body back panel in White, Blue, Red, Yellow and Green colours. However, we've not heard much about the specifications of the phone till now.

Apple is expected to unveil the iPhone 5C along with the iPhone 5S, the next generation iPhone, on September 10 at an event in San Francisco. It's worth pointing out that Apple has not sent any invitations or announced an event officially, yet, though it typically sends out official invitations only a week before the actual event.