Micromax Funbook Can Work Only With Tata Photon Plus!

 
Micromax has entered the tablet market in India with its Funbook tab. The company is also offering a Tata Photon Plus bundled with additional 1GB data download for the first two months. The device will work only with Tata Photon Plus EVDO data card. It means that the users are not allowed to use any other USB modem other than the preloaded Tata Photon Plus.

Gadget freaks opine that this is likely to restrict the reach of the tablet device, which is priced at Rs 6,499. Speaking about the device, Deepak Mehrotra, CEO, Micromax Informatics Limited, said, “We are looking forward to cater to the educational and entertainment needs of the Indian youth at an affordable price.” But given the fact that it is restricted to one telecom service provider, it is sure to force the buyers to look for other options. When asked about the reasons for tying up with one service provider, Mehrotra said, “It a part of our collaboration initiatives. For the time being, the device can only work with Tata Photon Plus.” 
However, he refrained from commenting about the services and reach of Tata Phone Plus. He said, "It's not what we would like to comment on. We will try to increase the reach of our device through our distribution network." Mehrotra also did not comment on the time frame when the tablet will support other service providers.

It is worth mentioning here that Micromax Informatics Limited unveiled its edutainment tablet- Micromax Funbook in New Delhi yesterday. The company claims that the 1-cm thick Funbook is the slimmest and lightest tablet in India.

Powered with the latest Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich Operating Software (OS), the Funbook runs on a 1.2 GHz Cortex A8 processor and has a 17.8-cm (7-inch) capacitive touch screen. Micromax has targeted the youth, right from primary school students to civil service aspirants with their ‘pass hoga aur time pass bhi hoga' tag. The tablet features a 0.3 mega pixel VGA front camera and is available in silver and black colours.

Along with Vriti e-learning app, the Funbook has ready-to-use study materials for all school boards in India like ICSE, ISC, and preparatory materials for Medical, MBA, Engineering and other exams. The tablet is powered by BIGflix, which allows users the freedom to choose from over 1000 movies in 9 languages. The languages are Hindi, English, Bengali, Kannada, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Marathi and Punjabi, that cover across almost all genres. It also allows users to view over 48 channels like MTV, Colors, UTV Bindaas, UTV Movies, NDTV, etc. The device is available on the company's website.

Budget 7 inch Android Toshiba LT170 tablet Announced

Toshiba LT170 weight is only 388 Grams, New Toshiba LT170 Tablet is one of the Light Weight 7 inches pills on the market so far.
The New product delivers with a Freescale i.MX53 at a speed of 1 GHZ and comes with the Android, assisted by 512 MB of RAM storage space.
The inner storage space space of the Toshiba LT170 is 8 GB and can be improved with the help of microSD storage space cards.
The touchscreen display screen provides a 1024 x 600 quality and it is aided by three touch control buttons. The product also comes with a sensor for ambient light and a 0.3 MP web digital camera and on the back we have a 2 MP picture digital camera.
The Li-Ion power supply invisible in the case of this product provides a 7 hours independence while enjoying videos.
The New LT170 product benefits from The Google Play access and it comes at a suggested price of 299 EURO.

Asmaitha launches Sruta : World’s First Android Tablet With USB 3.0

Bangalore based company, Asmaitha, has launched an Android tablet Sruta which sports USB 3.0 port. As per ITProportal, Asmaitha Sruta is the first tablet in the world have a USB 3.0 port. I wouldn’t doubt it because, the Android tablet world is running behind Quad core processors right now and USB 3.0 might have sounded like a footnote to them.


Specifications
Sruta comes with a Sony Ericsson Nova A9500 dual core 1 GHz processor, 1 GB RAM, 7 inch touch screen, Android OS, 6000 mAh battery, 8 MP camera at the back, 2MP camera in the front, and of course USB 3.0 port.
The tablet is priced at $200 and would be available later this year.

USB 3.0 – Is that a big deal?
USB 3.0 is faster than USB 2.0. If we have to put the speeds into context, then USB 3.0 is 10 times faster than USB 2.0. USB 3.0 is capable of transmitting files at 5 GB/second. Sounds exciting right?
Now, is that a big deal on a tablet?
USB 3.0 on a tablet sounds really cool. But that alone can’t be the selling point for Sruta. At best, USB 3.0 could be a feature which will get the wow. What about the rest? They are ordinary specifications. The  $200 price tag is sweet touch though.
And as we have emphasized more than once, tablet isn’t a tablet until there’s a ecosystem around it. Sruta will be powered by Ice Cream Sandwich, which is making some news about being enchanting.
With iPad3 and its retina display just around the corner, tablet world will not get excited by much else. USB 3.0 on a tablet is a deft touch though. How long before everyone else follows suit and make USB 3.0 their marquee spec?

Intex Launches iTab : 8 Inch Android Tablet In India For Rs.11990

Intex launched their first Android tablet in the Indian market, the name of the tab is Intex iTab and is competitavely priced at Rs 11990/-.

The Intex iTab come with 1Ghz ARM Cortex A8 processor and 8GB of internal memory, and for the additional memory the Intex iTab also support MicroSD card up to 32GB. This beautiful Intex iTab has an 8-inch Capacitive touchscreen display with two-point touch input method.The new Intex iTab runs on Android Gingerbread instead of Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. Furthermore, there is no news on Android ICS update.
Intex iTab has also many other features like Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, GPS and 3G via intex dongle, the new Intex iTab sports a front-facing camera for video calling via third party integrated applications. Intex iTab will available with popular games like Angry Birds and Talking Tom and pre-loaded apps including Adobe Reader, Word/Excel/Powerpoint viewer. Intex planning to launch the device in 7-inch and 10-inch models soon.

Aakash 2 $40 Android Tablet To Be Launched In April

A new version of Ubislate 7+ will be launched in India in April . Aakash 2will be equipped with a 7 inch capacitive touchscreen display and powered by a 700 MHz ARM Cortex-A8 processor. with a 3200mAh battery that will be capable of providing up to 3 hours of battery life . Aakash 2 tablet will arrive in India during April and will cost around $40.

Nokia New Touch-Screen Tablet?

Nokia, working with design and manufacturing partners on a new touch-screen tablet that could emerge as early as this fall? However, Nokia hasn’t announced any news in this regard.

TheStreet.com quotes Kumar as saying. “This is a new window, and Nokia had better be at the starting gate if and when the product category takes off.”

Nokia isn’t new to portable Internet devices, having in the last five years come out with the Nokia 770 Internet Tablet and subsequent N800, N810, and N900, not to mention the Nokia Booklet 3G Netbook.

It’s unclear whether the alleged Nokia tablet that’s getting ink Tuesday would be a follow-on to that line of devices or a more full-featured direct competitor to the iPad and HP Slate, as well as devices sure to come from the likes of Dell, Lenovo, and any of the other companies eyeing tablet territory.

Micromax Booklet P300 – Latest Android Tablet in India

Micromax mobiles announces their latest android tablet in India and that is Micromax Booklet P300. It is an awesome mobile phone tablet and The good thing about this tablet is that it comes with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich pre-installed on it as opposed to various other tablets which supplies at present with Android 3.2 (Honeycomb latter provides update). Yes, it’s the biggest advantage. It also has a A10 processor which adds efficiency to its performance.

This Android Phone Booklet P300 has a big 7.0 inches touchscreen. It has 4GB internal memory.Many other features like HDMI support, micro USB, FM radio, 3G, Bluetooth, Adobe flash player etc. are also present in it. Below mentioned are the features of this micromax tablet:

• Gaming Apps
• Network: GSM/WCDMA
• Display: 7-inch capacitive touchscreen
• OS: Android ICS OS (v4)
• Camera: 0.3MP
• Wireless LAN: Wi-Fi
• Memory: 512MB
• Storage internal 4GB and expandable upto 32GB
• Audio Player formats: MP3, WMA, OGV, 3GP, Wav, FLAC, AAC
• Video Player formats: MEPG 4,AVI,WMV_MOV, MKV
• HD Video encoder: 1080 P
• Ports: HDMI output , USB , 3.5mm audio jack
• Adobe Flash Player Support
• Battery Backup: 4 hours web browsing
• A10 Processor
• Google Android Ice Cream Sandwich OS
• Pre-loaded Social Networking
• Keyboard Dock
• Multitouch Trackpad
• GPS Navigation

Price: This Android tablet is available in Indian market @ price of 7,999.

A Google Nexus tablet? Bad news for Android partners

The worst thing Google could do to its budding Android tablet business is get into it.

Tablets, even tweener ones like the Galaxy Note, could face pressure if Google gets into the business itself.
(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)

But that appears to be what the internet search titan is up to. The latest report from Digitimes has Google partnering with Asus to create a low-cost tablet to compete with Amazon's Kindle Fire.
If Google wanted to assuage its Android partners that it isn't interested in competing against them, the company is going about it completely wrong. Android tablets haven't exactly been blockbusters like Apple's iPad, but device makers have begun to make some slight progress in the area. Google getting into the business with its own so-called Nexus tablet may spark some interest in the area, but it'll come at the cost of sales to its Android partners.
Sure, Google can get away with the occasional Nexus smartphone, which carries the best and latest from Android. But the smartphone market is fairly mature, with more and more consumers adopting them everyday. There's certainly a big enough market to support a product from Google.
But the Android tablet is still in its infancy, and Google would be rocking the boat in a big way if it launched its own tablet.
Google is already walking a tightrope with its partners over its acquisition of Motorola Mobility. While the acquisition is largely meant to shore up Google's patent position to better defend Google itself and its partners from legal attacks, it also means the Android maker will eventually compete directly against its partners with a handset unit of its own.
Google isn't going so far yet with the tablet, instead purportedly partnering with Asus. To better compete with the Kindle Fire, the only other real success in the tablet business, Google would price the device at US$199, according to Digitimes.
That'll add a lot of pressure to its partners to get the price of their products down while maintaining some level of quality. While the Kindle Fire is relatively inexpensive, it also uses lower-end parts. Amazon can afford to keep the price low because the device is designed to spur sales of the company's products and services.
Other Android partners aren't so fortunate. Products like Samsung Electronics' Galaxy Note and Galaxy Tab lines are priced much higher, while Motorola's Xyboard line also feature premium prices.
If a Nexus tablet becomes the standard at US$199, what hope do the other vendors have in selling competing products at twice that price?
Of course, another low-cost tablet may be good for consumers. A high-profile Nexus tablet may drive prices down for everyone, and bring more badly needed attention to the Android side of the tablet playing field.
But that will hurt the ability of many vendors to continue making tablets at a profit, dimming the longer-term picture for tablets. For the sake of its partners, Google should stay out of the game.

Sony Tablet P And Tablet S Android 4.0 ICS Update Coming Next Month In Japan

Sony has announced that its two Android tablet, the Sony Tablet P and Sony Tablet S will be getting an update to the latest version of Android next month.
The news comes from Sony Japan, who have said that android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich will be released to the Tablet P and Tablet S in April.

Unfortunately it isn’t clear as yet whether this update will be for Japan only, or whether it will be available in the US and Europe at the same time.
As soon as we get some more information on when the Android ICS update for both tablets will land in the US and Europe we will let you guys know.
Source Ubergizmo

Thank You geeky-gadgets.com

Sony’s Next Android Tablet To Come With Tegra 3 Quad Core Processor?

Sony’s existing Android tablets use an NVIDIA Tegra 2 processor, but it would appear that Sony may have a new tablet in the works which will use NVIDIA’s new quad core processor.
Some benchmarks have been discovered showing an unannounced device from Sony which features a quad core NVIDIA Tegra 3 processor.

The device has the model number V150 and it seems to be running a quad core 1.4GHz NVIDIA Tegra 3 processor, and the device is also running Android 4.0.3.

There are no details as yet on what this device might be, but it could possibly be Sony’s next Android tablet as it features a 1280 x 752 pixel resolution.
Source Liliputing

Call of Duty Elite iPad And Android Tablet App Under Development

Activision Product Director Noah Heller has revealed that a new tablet optimised application is currently being developed for Call of Duty Elite members. That will be available on both iOS and Android tablet devices.

The new tablet application was started shortly after Activsion realised just how popular their mobile application had become. In an interview with T3, Heller explained:
“We’re working on the tablet app right now, I can’t tell you much about it but what I can tell you is that it will be a truly native, customised application for the tablet, it’s not just a simple port.”
Heller also hinted at new features that may or may not be available on launch, which could provide players with a Heat Map which could be viewed during game play. Commenting “It has been brought up before, I can’t say anything about it but it has been brought up before”.
Unfortunately no information on pricing or worldwide availability has been released as yet, but as soon as information comes to light we will keep you updated as always.
Source: T3

Fourth Dimension Unveils New 1 Inch 2048 x 1536 Display

One buzz around Apple’s new iPad 3 tablet is its new 2048 x 1536 display. But Fourth Dimension has this week revealed a new 1 inch size display they have been developing which is crammed with a HD 2048 x 1536 resolution as well.
Up until recently Fourth Dimension had only developed 720p and 1080p resolution displays at this size. However Ars Technica is now reporting that Fourth Dimension has revealed a new 1 inch 2048 x 1536 display.

Providing the same amount of pixels as Apple’s 9.7 inch tablet, but in just 1 inch square of space. The new display has been created by Fourth Dimension to help them revolutionise near-to-eye microdisplay hardware.
“The company is currently talking with a number of “high-end peripheral companies” about putting all the parts together into a consumer PC gaming peripheral, which could be on store shelves “in about a year” after a deal gets signed. Forth Dimension estimates the initial cost for such a product would likely be $1,500 to $2,000, necessarily limiting the market to extremely hardcore gamers at first.”
Source: Forth Dimension Displays : Ars Technica

FAA Eyes Freeing up Gadget Restrictions on Flights

Other than irritating flight attendants and pilots, I’ve never understood what reasons airlines and the FAA have for banning the use of gadgets like tablets or other devices during taxiing and take off. The aircrew always tells you put away your gadgets until the plane is at flight altitude, which is annoying when the chances of anything on the market today interfere with avionics is slim.


The FAA is now saying that it’s ready to have another look at allowing gadgets such as the iPad to be used during all aspects of flight. The FAA approved the iPad months ago for pilots to use in the cockpit in all aspects of flight.
Freeing up pilots to use gadgets in the cockpit should mean passengers can do the same thing, but the FAA has to prove that. Do you think gadgets should be allowed to be used by passengers during all aspects of life? The FAA isn’t going to reconsider lifting a ban on cell phone use during flights though.
via NYT

LifeBook Concept Combines Camera, Smartphone, Tablet and Notebook

We have featured a number of different concepts here on Geeky Gadgets for combining devices together, and Asus have taken the idea mainstream with the Asus Padfone. Which combines a smartphone and tablet together into one unit to share processing power and features.
Designer Prashant Chandra has taken the concept one stage further and incorporates , a camera, smartphone, tablet and notebook in to one device. Enabling them to all to share features and processing power and be charged and synced at the same time.

The notebook doesn’t have a keyboard of its own but uses the docked tablet as a touch screen input device. Also when the camera is docked it doubles as a web camera and automatically transfers your photographs to the main notebook and syncing.
When the tablet is docked with the notebook it can also be switched from keyboard mode into a dual screen notebook allowing users to use the tablet as a sketch pad. The smartphone docks in to the front of the notebook providing extra processing power and battery life when required.
Unfortunately the system is still just a concept at the moment, but with companies like Asus already combining smartphones and tablets together, we probably don’t have long to wait for mainstream solutions to start to appear in stores.

Source: Yanko : Prashant Chandra

Archos Launches G9 Turbo Android Tablets

Archos has launched two new versions of their G9 Android tablets, called the G9 Turbo, these two new tablets come with faster processors than the previous models.
There are two tablets in the G9 Turbo range, the Archos 80 G9 Turbo and the Arhcos 101 G9 Turbo, and both models feature a dual core 1.5GHz TI OMAP 4 processor.

The Archos 80 G9 Turbo comes with an 8 inch multi-touch display with a resolution of 1024 x 768 pixels, and it features a front facing 720p capable video camera and a choice of between 8GB and 250GB of storage.
The Archos 101 G9 Turbo comes with a 10 inch multi-touch display with a resolution of 1280 x 800 pixels, plus a front facing 720p capable camera and a choice of between 8GB and 250GB of built in storage.
The Archos 80 G9 Turbo is available for $269 whilst the Archos 101 G9 Turbo is available for $329 and both models come with the latest version of Google’s mobile OS, Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich.

Thank You : geeky-gadgets.com

Windows 8 Tablet Hardware Requirements Announced

Microsoft seems to be applying strict hardware norms it placed in original Windows Phone 7 gadgets to its forthcoming Windows 8 Operating System. Here is the list of Windows 8 tablet hardware requirements.
Hardware buttons: Power, Rotation lock, Windows key, Volume up, Volume down.Screen Touch points: 5.

• Display: Minimum of 1366 x 768 pixel resolution at depth of 32 bits.
•  Storage: Must have at least 10GB free space offered for the user.
• NFC: Must have “touch marks” for indicating where to tap.
•  GPU: Direct3D 10 GPU with WDDM 1.2 driver.
•  Camera: Capable of shooting 720p videos or better.
•  Sensors: Light Sensor, Magnetometer, Accelerometer, Gyroscope.
•  Others: WLAN, Bluetooth 4.0, USB 2.0, Speakers.

These requirements show Microsoft’s commitment in avoiding fragmentation amongst its peripherals to have universal experience amongst all users. Of course, it may also mean that Windows 8 PCs will be expensive than Android tablets due to required “extra stuff”.

Thank You : techsoft.org

Google Nexus tablet a ‘done deal,’ claims report

The Google Nexus Tablet is all set to go, an Android enthusiast claims; it is even cheaper as compared to Kindle Fire. Mr. Eric Schmidt, Chairman at Google stated that the company planned to market a tablet of the highest quality. According to the reports, the Mountain View based firm had reached out to Asus for designing a Google branded slate based on Eee Pad MeMo tablet. Earlier reports indicated that the Google Nexus Tablet will be available for the price range between $199 and $249. It is likely to be revealed at CTIA Wireless trade show of 2012 in New Orleans that takes place from 8th May to 10th May.

thank you : techsoft.org

Scots increasingly turning to hi-tech gadgets to watch two months of telly a year, report shows

Apple ipad and Samsung Galaxy Tab Image 2

SCOTS spend more than two months a year watching telly, says a TV Licensing report.

People view, on average, 28 hours of TV a week, including two hours of “catch-up”, according to TeleScope 2012,

The figure is topped up to 32 hours a week as viewers take to laptops, tablets and smartphones to watch their programmes, the report said.

It also revealed a trend of “chatterboxing” has gripped the nation as 24 per cent of people simultaneously talk to people online about the programmes they are watching, usually through Twitter or Facebook, or through text messaging.

TeleScope 2012 claimed social media sites are influencing viewing choices and reinforcing people’s desire to watch TV.

An ICM poll suggested that 38 per cent of adults under 35 watch a programme live because they enjoy being part of the related social media chatter.

Thirty-six per cent said it increased their enjoyment of a show.

Fergus Reid, of TV Licensing Scotland, said: “People are taking advantage of new technologies to ensure they can enjoy TV in more ways than ever before, whether watching on bigger sets at home, via mobile technologies on the go, or on catch-up.

“And the chatterboxing phenomenon is bringing a new dimension to TV.”

Twitter UK said: “The public nature of the platform means that people can easily follow and join conversations about what they’re watching in real time, adding to the social experience of viewing.”

Professor Robin MacPherson, of Napier University’s Institute for Creative Industries, said: “The trend of chatterboxing is the result of social and commercial media coming together.

“While many thought they would be in competition, we are beginning to see how they could complement each other.”

Review: Sony Reader Wi-Fi

 

It took me a week to discover that I could turn pages in the Sony PRS-T1 eBook reader by swiping my finger right to move a page forward, or left to move a page back. My natural instinct was just to press the side of the page, as you can on an iPad, to turn the page. When I tried that in the PRS-T1, nothing happened. As a result, I didn’t even think to attempt any other touch-based page turning until I accidentally swiped and found, like magic, that it turned pages.

As you may have gathered from the above anecdote and tribute to my denseness, the Sony PRS-T1 is a six-inch, tablet-style eBook reader with a touchscreen interface. It doesn’t only work by touch: you can also navigate most basic functions using five buttons at the base of the device.

The design itself is shiny plastic on the front, with a rubberised rear that’s nice and grippy, though we managed to give it a few scuffs and dings from just a few days use.

On the curved bottom of the reader is a power/wake button, headphone jack, and USB port. The PRS-T1 can store music (or audiobooks) as well as books and notes. I’m not that wedded to the idea of listening to music on an eBook reader, but I tried the sample tracks and they were crisp and clear – giving the impression that audiobook performance would also be capable.

The reader is Wi-Fi enabled, and connected to our network smoothly. This allows for connection to the ReaderStore direct from the device. Or it would, except that the reader store doesn’t open until this Autumn. Similarly, clicking on Google Books within the reader produces a message that ReaderStore is coming soon. It’s all a little disappointing, and means that the only way to add books at the moment is through direct transfer from a PC. That means that you can, for example, transfer any Kobo books you might have across, or buy books from the Kobo store or other such services. I attempted to transfer Kindle books through the Sony reader software, but needed additional software, Calibre, to perform the conversion to the ePub format needed.

The PRS-T1 uses eInk Pearl technology, which makes for crisp text – and the background is a pale grey, making it friendly to the eyes. Unlike the Kobo, which we reviewed in November, the PRS-T1 flashes the screen to black and then back to text for each page refresh. It’s fast enough, but after the Kobo’s default 4-page refresh, and ability to customise how frequently it refreshes, I found it a little disconcerting to have the black flash for each page turn. This may also affect battery life, since Sony measure it in terms of page turns, but I didn’t manage to drain the battery in my week-long test.

You can set the font to one of eight sizes, which work out to cover a range from 7-point font through to around 28-point font, using a choice of seven fonts, which makes it suitable for readers of all skill levels and visual acuity.

As with most eBook readers, it will save the page that you’re reading should you close the book or turn off the reader. You can also add a bookmark to any page for later reference. Finally, selecting any single word means you can look it up in the dictionary, or opt to search Wikipedia or Google for that word. As someone who frequently googles facts in books I’m reading, I loved this. You can also add a note or highlight a word.

There are more settings, options and features, although they feel a little skimpy compared to the Kobo Touch. Altogether however, this is a solid and capable reader. 

Thank You :  pcworld.co.nz