First Intel-powered smartphone

Get ready for the first smartphone running on an Intel chip. That phone will likely be from Lava.

Intel CEO Paul Otellini couldn't have made it any clearer: The first smartphone to use an Intel processor is due "later this week."

"Expect to see another important milestone for our business later this week. The launch of the first Intel architecture-based smartphone," Otellini said during his opening remarks in today's first-quarter earnings conference call.

That phone will likely be from Lava, according to a India-based smartphone maker's plans.

Specifications include an Intel Z2460 Atom chip, a 4.03-inch screen (1024x600), 8MP camera, HSPA+, and 16GB flash memory (see chart).

Smartphones running on Intel processors from Lenovo, Orange, Motorola, and ZTE are also due soon. While the launch of Lenovo's K800 is imminent -- and probably the next Intel-based phone to become available -- all of the others are slated for later this summer or in the second half of the year.

Intel, the world's largest chipmaker, is trying to refocus its chip design and manufacturing efforts on smaller devices like smartphones and tablets, markets where it has been virtually absent.

specification

Samsung Galaxy S Advance and Galaxy Pocket launched in India

Samsung has launched GALAXY S Advance (GT-I9070) and GALAXY Pocket (GT-S5300) in India. The Galaxy S Advance is a mid-range device that was announced this January. It comes with 4.0-inch WVGA (480×800) Super AMOLED display and is powered by 1 GHz Dual-Core Processor.  It with 5MP Auto Focus Camera with LED Flash and 1.3MP secondary camera. The Galaxy pocket was announced last month and has a 2.8-inch touch screen display and id powered by 832MHz processor. It has 2MP fixed focus camera.

Both the phones run on Android 2.3(Gingerbread) with Samsung TouchWiz UI. Other features include, 3.5mm audio Jack, Stereo FM Radio with RDS, 3G,  Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, Bluetooth v 3.0 and aGPS.

The Samsung Galaxy S Advance has 768MB RAM, 8GB User memory that is expandable up to 32GB with MicroSD and has 1,500mAh battery. The Galaxy Pocket has 3GB user memory, expandable memory up to 32GB with MicroSD and comes with 1200 mAh battery.

The Samsung Galaxy S Advance is priced at  Rs. 26,900. The Samsung Galaxy Pocket comes at a price of Rs. 8,150.

sony smartwatch with your smartphone

What's the most useful smartwatch of them all? If you guessed Sony's, you've got reason to smile: we just got word that it's finally available here in the US of A. As expected, the SmartWatch costs $150, while those colorful (read: not black) wrist bands are priced at $20 a pop. To recap, the watch pairs with Android phones over Bluetooth, using a free app available in Google Play (if you happen to own a Sony handset, you should find that application pre-installed). Like any smartwatch worth its salt, this one lets you read emails, texts and social updates on the device. Meanwhile, the list of mini apps is approaching 60, as of this writing, and already includes biggies like Facebook and Google Maps.

After getting hands-on not once but twice, we can say the rubber strap is comfortable and the 1.3-inch OLED display responsive, though the apps are a mixed bag in terms of usefulness. Tap-to-like on Facebook? Genius. A remote for your phone's camera? Unabashed gimmickry, if you ask us. Using the watch to call someone in your contacts list? You'll need a Bluetooth headset for that feature to be truly handy. Other favorites of ours include the ability to find your lost phone (even if it's set to quiet mode), as well as stream photos and other media from your phone. You can even respond to incoming text messages with a preset reply (e.g., "I'm busy. What's up?"), though good luck using that canned response a second time when your friend gets back to you 10 seconds later. In any case, is all that worth the $150? That's a conversation you best have with your wallet -- in read-only format, naturally.

Huawei launches Honor & Ideos X5 smartphones in India

Huawei has announced the launch of Honor and the improved version of Ideos X5 smartphones in the Indian market.

Running on Google Android Gingerbread, Huawei Honor features a 1,900 mAh battery, promising upto 9 hours of talk time, 6 hours of gaming and 10 hours of video.

Featuring a 4-inch scratch resistant Gorilla glass and FWVGA display with 245 pixels per inch (PPI), Huawei Honor has a textured scratch-proof back.

With a 1.4 GHz processor and a gyroscope, Huawei Honor packs an 8 megapixel AF rear camera with HDR, allowing users to capture pictures in ultra-bright and low lights. There's also a front camera for video chatting and 720P video recording and playback features.

The phone is also DLNA-certified, which means it can play content wirelessly on other DLNA-certified devices such as digital cameras, game consoles and TVs.

The phone will also let users blacklist and whitelist calls or protect their SMS from unauthorized use. Honor comes with a lock screen that has a built-in quick launch to the camera, SMS and phone apps.

The phone also bundles an app called 'Data Traffic Manager' which lets users to set their monthly data package budget and offers an overview of data consumption over 2G/3G, WiFi networks and the apps consuming traffic. The phone is priced at Rs 19,990 (approximately).

The Chinese phone maker has also launched an upgraded and improved version of Ideos X5 with Cloud features, a 1Ghz faster processor, FM Radio and 14.4 Mpbs faster download speeds.

Priced at Rs 13,800, the new Ideos X5 offers 16GB Cloud space to store images, music and books. With Phone Finder, users can remotely locate phone or lock, backup or delete data to prevent phone from unauthorized use. Huawei Ideos X5 comes with a 5 megapixel camera with LED flash and ability to capture 720P high definition HD videos.

Featuring a 3.8-inch WVGA capacitive touch display with multi touch support, Huawei Ideos X5 comes with 1500mAh battery which according to company promises a good standby and talk time.

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Cheapest, smartest and wonderful tablet

The UbiSlate7+(x-aakash) is an Android 2.3 touch screen tablet that has a HD video co-processor for a high-quality multimedia experience and core graphics accelerator for faster application support.  This tablet is the only Android device in the market to offer DataWind’s UbiSurfer browser, based on 18 international patents. 
The device includes WiFi & GPRS connectivity allowing anytime & anywhere internet access and phone functionality. Optional 3G modems are also supported via USB. In addition to a micro-SD card slot, a full-sized USB port is integrated into the unit allowing pen-drives, external keyboards, web-cams, dongles and other inexpensive peripherals to be attached.

Price	Device: Rs.2,999 (Optional Internet: Rs.98/mo.)
Microprocessor	Cortex A8 – 700 Mhz
Battery	3200 mAh
OS	Android 2.3
Network	WiFi & GPRS (SIM & Phone functionality)

Features Anytime & Anywhere Internet access with Cellular connectivity for only Rs. 98/- per month (in India only) Connect via GPRS or WiFi GPRS: Embedded modem eliminates the need for external dongles and allows Internet access everywhere WiFi: Allows fast Youtube videos at hotspots Fast web access even on GPRS networks, across the country using DataWind's patented acceleration technology Web, Email, Facebook and much much more! High Quallity Video Streaming & HD Quality Video Playback Games, Full Office suite, Educational software, Over 150,000 apps! Expandable memory to 32GB Use any ordinary pen-drive Even plug-in a 3G dongle And it's a Phone to make/receive voice calls

Specifications Android OS 2.3 Cortex A8, 700 Mhz Processor with HD Video Co Processor 256 MB RAM Storage: (Internal) 2GB Flash / (External) 2GB to 32GB Supported Peripherals: 2 Standard USB Ports (Ver. 2.0) Audio Out: 3.5mm jack Display and Resolution: 7" Display with 800x480 pixels Supported Document Formats: All Version Office Document formats and many more High Quality Video Streaming & HD Quality Video Playback Input Devices: Resistive Touch Screen Connectivity with GPRS & WiFi IEEE 802.11 a/b/g Battery: Upto 180 minutes of battery, AC adaptor 200.240 volts

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LG unveils 4G phone

 LG Electronics Inc, the world's No.3 handset maker, launched a new smartphone that runs on South Korea's fast, fourth-generation network, in the company's latest attempt to rescue its loss-making handset business.

The Optimus LTE will square off against Samsung Electronics Co's 4G version of its flagship Galaxy S model and Apple's new iPhone, which runs on standard 3G network, during the key year-end holiday season.

The high-end model comes after LG suffered five consecutive quarterly losses from handset sales and is set to report a wider loss for the September quarter later this month due to a lack of attractive high-end models.

LG has been slower than its bigger rivals to refocus on smartphones, and its smaller scale has held it back from profiting from rising demand for cheaper phones.

The firm now hopes its early move to the 4G segment can help revive its fortunes. "Optimus LTE is our ambitious product that mobilizes our LTE and display technologies," Na Young-bae, senior vice president and head of LG's domestic marketing, told reporters.

The model, with a 4.5-inch high-definition screen, has an 8-megapixel rear camera and 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera. It is powered by Qualcomm Inc's 1.5 GHz dual core processing chip and Google's gingerbread version of the Android operating system.

Its hardware offering is similar to Samsung's Galaxy S II LTE. LG said it has yet to decide when the product will go on sale in overseas markets.

It has some 1,400 LTE patents, which some analysts estimate are worth $8 billion. LG is expected to report that loss margins from handset sales worsened in the third quarter to around 3 per cent from 1.7 per cent loss margin in the second quarter, due to reduced volume shipments after it trimmed feature phone lineups to focus on smartphones.

In July, the company cut this year's smartphone sales target by 20 percent to 24 million units and gave no outlook for when the business may become profitable.

Many analysts have forecast the business to turn profitable next year, but confidence levels have waned after the consecutive string of quarterly losses.