Tech-Freak Stuff » Mobile phones

10 Best Android Smartphones below Rs. 10,000 (with Prices)

Rohit Sane — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 15:26:57 +0000

Now-a-days choosing a low-cost phone eats up our time significantly as it has become a tedious task. That is why, we have consolidated a list of Top 10 Android Smartphones below the price of Rs. 10000. But, before you question why only Android phones; Let me explain why people love Android….

Android is operating system for mobile devices owned by Google. And, according to Google’s Andy Rubin almost 700,000 Android mobiles are being activated everyday(on a good-business day). And, the number of iPhones being sold is believed to be lesser than this number.

What makes the 700,000 people opt for Android everyday over others?

There are a wide range of phones that support Android OS. And this gives the customer the power to choose which isn’t the case with other operating systems.

The ability to add widgets on the homescreen is a remarkable feature. This allows you to check all your updates and news feed without having to switch between different apps. And, the seamless integration of Google owned services makes Android stand out among Mobile OSs.

Having said that Android has a large variety of phones, we bring to you the best 10 which are priced under Rs. 10,000 to make your life even easier (not in any particular order).

Samsung Galaxy Y (Rs. 6999 onwards)

The Galaxy Y boasts an excellent touchscreen sensitivity along with smart looks. The browser with pinch zooming and multiple tabs are a big plus too. The Galaxy Y is considered to be one of the best and cheap phone which comes with Android Gingerbread. The fast processor and the battery life also help the Galaxy Y to score the brownie points.

However, the 2MP camera is a strong drawback for this smartphone. Also, not having a flash adds up to the woes of the camera quality. The display quality which is just average is also a concern.

LG Optimus Net P690 (Rs. 9449 onwards)

The smooth and lag-free Android interface of the Optimus Net makes other Android phones envious. The web browser and the loud speaker score good points on their fronts. And for the music lovers – the Optimus Net has got a pretty decent audio/video playback.

Now the drawback – the 3MP camera doesn’t give you the best of pictures and has mediocre quality. No secondary camera means no video calling. Also, the call quality in the Optimus Net is just average. And yeah, the battery life isn’t great too.

Samsung Galaxy Pro B7510 (Rs. 8899 onwards)

Smart and sturdy is what Galaxy Pro seems to be at the first glance and it lives up to that on keen observation as well. The slim and lightweight smartphone has got good touchscreen responsiveness and also an excellent Qwerty keyboard. The Galaxy Pro also has got good loudspeaker, good audio quality and a pretty decent 3MP camera.

There’s no front camera for video calling and no flash either. Also, another drawback is that this Pro hasn’t got a LED indicator to notify you regarding the missed calls and messages.

Motorola Fire XT (Rs. 8200 onwards)

The lightweight Motorola Fire XT has got a pretty decent 2.8 inch screen and also a good battery life. Also the 3MP camera does gives you decent pictures.

The performance of the Motorola Fire XT doesn’t live up to it’s name. It’s sluggish and has got a laggy performance. The cramped keyboard is one more thing which could have been better.

Spice Mi350n (Rs. 7595 onwards)

Before you judge by the brand name, let me tell you – this has got a lot of pro’s than con’s. Yes, this spice model has got a simple android interface, good web browser, good loud speaker, good audio quality and a decent camera (3.2MP) too. The screen size of 3.5 inches too is a turn-on.

However, the poor batter life of this model is a concern. Also the touchscreen at times is not responsive.

Micromax Superfone A75 (Rs. 8495 onwards)

This Superfone has got a very good customized Android interface. The call quality is also good which saves you the frustration of call-drops. This Superfone with good web browser also had got great build quality. The 3.75 inch wide screen also makes this phone a Superfone.

The 3MP camera somehow doesn’t give you a great camera experience, it’s just mediocre. Also, the apps tend to lag a little in this Superfone.

Micromax A70 (Rs. 6990 onwards)

A list of good qualities include: Great design and build quality; Very good display quality; Nice responsive touchscreen; good battery life and call quality; good picture quality; good on-screen keyboard. Yeah, this list certainly impresses me.

And the not so long list of bad ones:
This phone has got the WiFi issues owing to its weak antenna and the screen orientation also under-performs.

LG Optimus Pro C660 (Rs. 8698 onwards)

The 2.8 inch touchscreen makes this Pro easier to operate. The Qwerty keyboard with the Chiclets style keys and good key difference is really impressive. The loudspeaker and audio quality are also damn good. The Pro has got decent battery life and touchscreen responsiveness.

However, the frame of this LG is thicker than the usual phones. The low quality camera and the display resolution are a small turn-off.

Dell XCD35 (Rs. 8850 onwards)

Ohh, here’s one smartphone which has got really smart looks. Excellent high resolution screen makes this Dell even more desirable. Great music quality and excellent loudspeaker compels us to give it to Dell when it comes to the audio
feature.

The average camera (3.2MP) slightly is a worry. The overall performance of the phone however is also slightly sluggish.

Huawei Ideos X3 (Rs. 9999 onwards)

Here’s a smartphone from Huawei which comes with Android gingerbread. This slim and lightweight smartphone has a good responsive touchscreen. The 3.2MP camera gives you decent pictures and the X3 also has a front camera for video calling. And the best thing of this phone being it comes with a cloud+ app which enables the users to store 8GB free of cost on the cloud.

The downfall comes due to the camera not having the flash, which makes it difficult to click pictures in low-light conditions. Also, the small screen size doesn’t help you in precise typing.

Having listed the Top 10 Android smartphones in the below Rs 10000 category, you should buy the phone which is more in line with your interests. For example, if having a great camera is your priority, choose the smartphone which scores good in that sector.

And if you are a music lover and listens to music non-stop 24/7 you should go for the phone which gives you a great music experience.

Incase if you are buying a new phone, do remember to give your old phone a new life (either by re-using or recycling) instead of adding a +1 to the eWaste!

This article is written by Srikanth from PriceShred.com – An online marketplace to sell or buy used mobiles and second hand mobiles in India.

Differences between the Nokia Lumia 800 and the Lumia 900: Things that Matter!

Rohit Sane — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 16:03:54 +0000

Nokia has launched its flagship Smartphone Lumia 900; featuring the Windows Phone Mango at the CES 2012. Post the announcement, this Smartphone has created a lot of buzz stating that it is very similar to the Lumia 800 with very few notable differences. But, that’s not really the case!

We would like to clearly differentiate between the Lumia 800 and the 900 on the basis of prominent “features” that MATTER. Read along..

<< Image Credit >>

SIZE
Lumia 800 Dimensions: 116.5mm x 61.2mm x 12.1mm
Lumia 900 Dimensions: 127.8mm x 68.5mm x 11.5mm
This allows a Bigger 4.3″ display to fit easily in the Lumia 900, compared to the 37″ display on the Lumia 800.

WEIGHT
Lumia 800: 142 Grams
Lumia 900: 160 Grams
Even though the Lumia 900 is 18 grams heavier than the 800, it will not create a big difference for carrying it around.

DISPLAY
Lumia 800: A 16 bit, 3.7″ Curved Screen with Pentile Matrix sub-pixel layout.
Lumia 900: A 24 bit, 4.3″ Flat Screen with RGB sub-pixel arrangement.
The RGB sub-pixel arrangement in the Lumia 900 will ensure crisp images and avoid subtle color-fringing(cannot be noticed easily) that the Lumia 800 exhibits on high-contrast edges.

FRONT CAMERA
Lumia 800: No Front Camera
Lumia 900: A 1MP (according to Official Nokia Site, but said to be 1.3MP) with F/2.4
The addition of Secondary camera in the Lumia 900 has silenced a lot of Lumia 800 critics.

WiFi HOTSPOT
Lumia 800: Cannot create WiFi Hotspot.
Lumia 900: Can create WiFi Hotspot for Internet sharing. Upto 5 WiFi enabled devices can connect simultaneously to the Hotspot.
This was one more features missed dearly in the Lumia 800, which Nokia has included in the Lumia 900.

GYROSCOPE
Lumia 800: No Gyroscope
Lumia 900: Gyroscope present
Gyroscope is expected to help the Lumia 900 for better orientation while using interactive Apps.

LTE SUPPORT
Lumia 800: No LTE Support
Lumia 900: 4G LTE Support (LTE Cat3 Downlink 50 Mbps; LTE Cat3 Uplink 25 Mbps)

BATTERY
Lumia 800: 1450 mAh
Lumia 900: 1830 mAh
A better Battery is what every customer wants, and Nokia has delivered is perfectly!

We know that the location of the LED Flash light besides the Rear Camera and the Top part of the Lumia 900 is different that the Lumia 800, but we are sure that it would not affect a normal user that much! We expect, the Biggest difference between the Lumia 800 and the Lumia 900 to be in the prices. But, as the price of the Lumia 900 is not yet announced, we can’t give our comments on that..

Nokia Lumia 800 Pre-Order Bookings starts in India

Rohit Sane — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 05:38:00 +0000

Nokia Lumia 800 is among the most awaited phones in India today. As the official price is undisclosed, customers are quite confused on how much will it cost in the market. Also, there is no update on the official date when it will be available to the customers.

We came across some posts on Twitter which mentioned that Nokia Lumia 800 pre-order dates have been revealed by some Dealers, so we tried to get to the root of this news. So, whom did we ask and what did we find out?

We tried to contact our nearest Nokia Priority Dealers in Mumbai, and they were a little uncomfortable revealing the exact dates. On being asked repeatedly, they revealed that they were accepting pre-order bookings from customers. The Devices which are pre-ordered will be delivered to customers on December 15th 2011.

The Price of the Nokia Lumia 800 pre-ordering is Rs. 29,000. But, you need to pay Rs. 1000 as a non-refundable booking fee on pre-ordering the Lumia 800, while the price of Rs. 29000 will have to be paid on delivery (So total of Rs. 30,000). The official price may change by some extent after the pre-order period is over. By then, you can have a look at our Nokia Lumia 800 Photo Album.

Nokia Lumia 800 (Quick Hands on)

Rohit Sane — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 07:50:42 +0000

Nokia Lumia 800 Smartphone which comes with Windows Phone Operating System was unveiled at the Nokia World Conference, in London. The Lumia range was announced in India last week. We had the opportunity to have a hands-on experience of the flagship Nokia Lumia 800 and we just loved it!

Nokia Lumia 800 is undoubtedly among the best Smartphones when it comes to looks. Having it in your hands is an amazing feeling. The Polycarbonate body seems beautiful and scratched on the chassis are not visible.

The Screen quality is brilliant too; our visibility of the screen is not affected at all even when bright sun rays are coming straight on the screen.

The camera button on the Right side works great. The camera quality is quite good too with the 8MP primary camera. (No secondary Camera) The 720p video recording quality is good too, but din’t appear to be upto the mark when compared to the Samsung Galaxy S 2.

The Windows Phone Operating System with Tiles, seems to be specially crafted for this phone. The 1.4 GHz processor makes working with it a lot of fun! Swiping on the touchscreen is very smooth and the quality is unquestionable. We missed the NFC technology in this device though. Also, the Bluetooth didn’t seem to work when we tried to pair our HTC phone with it.

The Live Mail and the MS Office integration is great being trademark Microsoft products. The integration of Social Networks like Facebook, Twitter, Linked In and FourSquare seems quite nice, but only when you get used to it! The Nokia Maps with improved navigation and 3D modelling (available at few landmarks) makes this phone a great one to own.

We will of course come up with the detailed review soon.. Patience my friends… Patience..

Motorola RAZR droid arrives in India

Rohit Sane — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 16:02:39 +0000

Motorola announced its next Flagship phone in the form of the RAZR droid after its acquisition by Google. There was a lot of discussion being done when Google acquired Motorola as it could mean that Motorola could get an undue advantage over its competitors who makes phones running on Google’s very own Android platform. But, that wasn’t the case!

Motorola had announced the RAZR around the launch of Samsung Galaxy Nexus which carried the Android Ice Cream Sandwich, but came out with Gingerbread on board. This silenced a lot of critics who claimed Motorola would get an advantage being owned by Google.

Now, Motorola has brought this sleek device to India. This stylish and good-looking device comes along with a strong tough body!

Its sculpted glass face, diamond-cut aluminum accents and hyper-vibrant 10.9 cm (4.3-inch) SUPER AMOLED Advanced display clearly shows the amount of time poured into its development. Its KEVLAR fiber back, splash-guard coating, and scratch-resistant Corning Gorilla Glass screen make it special. Its stylish design is the cherry on the cake!

The RAZR droid comes with 1GB RAM, 1.2 GHz dual core processor and Android Gingerbread. Its also equipped with a 720p HD front facing camera while the primary camera is 8 MP 1080p HD capable with image-stabilization technology.

The Motorola RAZR is preloaded with the Motorola MotoCast app which allows watching and streaming content from the PC to your Smartphone.

The best-buy price of Motorola RAZR in India is Rs. 33,990, while the MRP is Rs. 35,990.

Nokia Lumia Smartphones unveiled in India

Rohit Sane — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 13:07:24 +0000

Indian being a very dominant market for Nokia phones, the company without any delay has unveiled the latest Nokia Lumia Family of Smartphones in India, which were revealed during the Nokia World 2011 in London. The Lumia family of Smartphones currently consists of two phones namely the Nokia Lumia 800 and the Nokia Lumia 710. We expect more phones to be added to this family soon!

The Lumia family currently features Smartphones with only the Windows Phone (WP7) operating system.

The extremely gorgeous Nokia Lumia 800, is said to offer one-touch Social network access, easy grouping of contacts, integrated communication threads and features Internet Explorer 9.

The colorful and compact Nokia Lumia 710, comes with changeable back-covers and can be personalized with thousands of apps.

D Shivakumar, Managing Director, Nokia India, said, “Consumer research shows that Nokia Lumia offers the only truly differentiated experience in smartphones and we are enhancing that with signature Nokia capabilities. The Lumia family, on the back of strong Symbian enhancements in Belle, positions us strongly to consolidate our lead in the Indian smartphone market”.

Some of the best features of the Lumia range of Smartphones are: Superior Imaging and Camera options, Nokia Maps and Drive, Nokia Music and the new Mix radio.

The Nokia Lumia 800 and the Nokia Lumia 710 are expected to go on sale in India from Mid-December. The official prices for India will be revealed closer to the launch date. So, now you know what to add in your Christmas shopping list!

Acer Iconia Smart S300 Android Smartphone + Tablet launched

Rohit Sane — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 13:27:32 +0000

Acer has added a new SmartDevice to its Iconia portfolio named the Smart S300. Equipped with a wide touchscreen, Acer is calling this Device as a Smartphone with Tablet features.

The Smart S300 features a 4.8″ capacitive multi-touch screen with an aspect ratio of 21:9 and a native resolution of 1024 x 480. This large display is powered by the LED TV technology and shows good brightness.

The Acer ICONIA Smart S300 is powered by 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor and has 8GB of internal memory with an additional Micro-SD card slot allowing an expansion of upto 32GB.

The 6-axis motion sensor allows amazing panoramic multimedia experience specially video. Acer has also used its unique UI for this Device over the Android layer, which allows 7 customizable home screens. It features Android 2.3 Gingerbread OS!

It is equipped with 8MP auto focus camera with LED flash and also a 2MP secondary camera for video conferencing. A host of Connectivity options are available including Bluetooth, GPS, Wi-Fi, HDMI port, etc. The Dual Display feature allow the user to connect the device using HDMI to the TV and experience a host of multimedia and gaming applications.

The Acer Iconia Smart S300 is priced at Rs. 28,990 + taxes in India, and will be available at all leading Large Format Retail Chain stores.

Did T-Mobile just leak the Nokia SeaRay?

Rohit Sane — Sun, 02 Oct 2011 08:13:31 +0000

We just came across a picture posted by TheNokiaBlog which talks about T-Mobile Germany showing of an image of the Nokia SeaRay, in an unreleased advertisement. This advertisement was leaked by some internal sources before its official launch. As its surprising to find an unreleased Image on an Ad, we can’t be sure that it will be official.

It may well be the case where someone would have Photoshopped an Nokia N9 calling it a SeaRay, just for playing a prank on all Nokia WP7 enthusiasts. (Observe that, the claimed Nokia Searay appears very much like the Nokia N9)

Also, the Advertisement says that Nokia SeaRay will be equipped with 3D. It also features voice navigation along with the Windows Mobile 7.5 (Mango) operating system. Its Brilliant 3.7 inch AMOLED curved display feels exactly like the Nokia N9.

It feels weird, if this Advertisement is to be believed, Will Nokia name the Device as the SeaRay? (which is the name of the prototype) Also, will this device be announced at the Nokia World 2011 on 26th October 2011, or at MWC in February 2012?

Nokia all set to pioneer the use of NFC technology in Mobile phones

Rohit Sane — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 16:16:33 +0000

Mobile phones have occupied an important position in our lives and they are perceived as something more than just a communication means today. Smartphones nearly facilitate everything that we use our Computer for! No no, we are not getting into any debate of ‘Computers vs Smartphones’ here; but I was just wondering what more features could be packed into a Mobile phone to increase its productivity…

Most of you would know that I had been to Goa, a few days back. Of course I know that you check my Facebook Photo Albums, and have been commenting actively on them. I think I must make you aware, that I was attending a Nokia event in the beautiful Goan environment. Now, what was this event about?

The Event was basically for making Technology Bloggers aware about the NFC technology and give them a proper experience of using it on Nokia Smartphones. So, for your information the upcoming Nokia phones namely the 600, 700 and 701 are featuring the NFC technology. So, lets go into some technicalities..

What is NFC?

For all those who haven’t heard about NFC before; it is an acronym for Near Field Communication, which is a very short-range Wireless radio technology which allows simple and secure communication between devices.

When the devices are very close to each other (typically closer than 4cm), a handshake takes place and connection is established using Bluetooth as the communication medium in most cases. NFC works in the 13.56 MHz range and can transmit data upto 424 Kbits/sec.

Just a small tap between two devices (NFC enabled) together and the communication starts! Note that the communication is NOT interrupted if you separate the two devices once the handshake takes place and communication is established. It basically simplifies the communication into just an easy gesture.

What is NFC currently used for?

Mobile Payments is a very famous application of NFC, where Payments can be made by your NFC capable device rather than Cash or Credit cards.

Access Cards used by various Institutions and Luxury Hotels instead of Keys and Identity cards are also NFC applications.

Travel Cards used for purchasing tickets once filled with a fixed sum of money, also work on NFC.

How is Nokia pioneering the use of NFC in SmartPhones?

Firstly, let me tell you that Nexus S was the first NFC capable phone in the Indian market, but this feature of the phone went unnoticed.

Nokia is bringing in Symbian Belle Operating System, the newer version of its Symbian platform to its Smartphones and these Smartphones will all be equipped with the NFC Hardware and Software too. So, all the phones with the Symbian Belle OS will be NFC ready.

Nokia has launched three amazing Belle phones namely the Nokia 600, 700 and 701 in the Indian market. More portfolio of NFC phones are also going to be added soon..

Nokia is in talks with various companies to collaborate and integrate NFC, so that Consumers find wider application of their NFC capable Smartphones. Also, a lot of marketing activities are undertaken revolving around the ‘Just Tap’ function for its NFC ready Smartphones.

What can be done with Nokia’s NFC powered Smartphones?

Transferring files from one phone to another

Just activate the NFC functionality and TAP two Smartphones together. A handshake takes place, connection is established and the transfer begins. You can transfer any file be it audio, video, a document, etc.

Playing Multimedia on an NFC compatible Music system

The Nokia 360 Play which is an NFC compatible Speaker works well to play multimedia files. With just a gentle tap on it, the Music starts playing instantly.

Connecting Wireless Headset

Now, Just Tap and pair your Nokia NFC Smartphone with the NFC headset instantly without getting into any hassles.

Reading the NFC Tags

Promotions using NFC Tags have already started where you just have to tap a poster to receive a link. Then you can visit the link to download any software or to get more information regarding the product. Also, Nokia will be packing one additional NFC Tag with its Smartphones which you can use to Download some Cool Apps.

Unlocking Features in Softwares

A customised version of Angry Birds games is pre-installed on the Symbian Belle devices, where some levels can be unlocked by Tapping it to another NFC Smartphone.

What is the future of NFC?

The Future of NFC is unwritten, but it is surely bright! With the features mentioned above already introduced on Mobile phones, advanced applications will surely be available soon.

You can surely expect your Mobile to act as your Travelling Pass or may be as a Discount coupon when you shop at some supermarket. With NFC coming to average Smartphones, a new revolution in the world of Mobile phones just seems to be on the cards.

Symbian Belle running Nokia Phones 600, 700, 701 launched in India (All NFC ready)

Rohit Sane — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 11:48:00 +0000

Nokia has introduced three unique Smartphones in the mid-range segment, running Symbian Belle; its latest Operating system belonging to the Symbian platform. The USP of these three phones is the NFC technology used in these phones, as these are among the first phones from Nokia to come with NFC in the Indian market. For all those who haven’t heard about NFC before; it is an acronym for Near Field Communication, which is a very short-range radio technology which allows communication between devices when they are very close to each other (typically closer than 4cm). Just tap two phones (NFC enabled) together and the communication starts!

We had a chance to play with the Nokia 701 and it appears to be among the best phones produced by Nokia in the recent past. Equipped with a powerful 1GHz processor and 8GB of internal memorry (additional 32GB expandable using microSD card), the Nokia 701 runs on the Symbian Belle OS. Featuring a 3.5″ ClearBlack display, the 701 offers amazing brightness and contrast; its 8MP EDOF camera is also worth the mention. And to top it all, it is also claimed to be Nokia’s brightest Smartphone ever launched. This smartphone comes with the NFC technology which helps in easy communication and fast transfer of files between two phones. It is priced at Rs. 18,999 in India.

If you are a music lover and are looking to buy an NFC ready Smartphone, look no further! The Nokia 600 is just crafted for you. Coming with the 1 GHz processor, 5MP full focus (EDOF) camera with LED flash and HD video capture, 2GB of internal memory and expandable using a 32GB microSD card; this Smartphone is expected to give 60 hours of music playback time. It also has a built-in FM antenna so that you can listen to music without headphones. Its Nokia’s loudest phone with Sound output at 106 Phons. This phone comes with an MRP tag of Rs. 12,999.

The Nokia 700 is one of the most compact touch monoblock smartphone in the world, with dimensions of 110 x 50.7 x 9.7 mm and weighing only 96gm. Coming with the single-tap NFC sharing and pairing capabilities, a 1Ghz processor, 3.2 inch AMOLED screen ClearBlack display, 2GB of internal memory (expandable option using a maximum of 32GB microSD card for a total of 34GB), HD video capture and 5MP full focus (EDOF) camera with LED flash; its Nokia’s most Eco-Friendly Smartphone manufactured using a lot of eco-friendly materials and giving a long battery life. This Smartphone will cost you Rs. 18,099.

The Nokia 701 which is based on the C7 chassis, is available in the market while the Nokia 600 and 700 will be available starting from the first week of October 2011.

Undertaking a unique marketing strategy, Nokia has partnered with Shah Rukh Khan’s upcoming release Ra.One and Nokia Priority Partners are running a unique contest where customers can Tap their NFC based Nokia phones and have a chance to win Ra.One movie tickets to watch the movie one day ahead of its global release. Also, they have a chance to get access to some exclusive Ra.One content.