TechGazing

Samsung seems to be betting very heavily on all-touchscreen phones that do not cost the earth. After the success of the Star and Corby, the company has now come out with what it calls its “most affordable 3G full touch handset”, the Star Nano 3G. The device sports a 2.6 inch touchscreen, a 1.3 megapixel camera and Samsung’s TouchWiz 2.0 interface that allows users to access different websites and services from a host of widgets on the homescreen. Of course, as its name itself indicates, the phone is 3G-ready, and its price tag of Rs 7,320 is supposed to be on the lower side for such a device.

Honestly, we think the screen is a bit on the smaller side for a device that is based on a touch interface (the BlackBerry Bold has as big a screen AND a QWERTY keypad to boot) and we do think that a 1.3 megapixel camera is a bit passe in these days when one can get a 3.2 megapixel shooter for most devices in the Star Nano 3G’s price range. Nevertheless, we think it is the performance of the device on a 3G network that Samsung is really betting on and after seeing how well the Corby has handled it on Tata Indicom, we would not bet against this one. Of course, we are still waiting for 3G to come to India, but Samsung seems to be ready for it already. Consumers are unlikely to complain.

As the number of Android phones in the country increases, a rather disturbing trend is becoming evident - a number of smartphone manufacturers are selling their devices with older versions of Android and what’s worse, are not providing any option to the user to update them to newer versions. In simple terms, just imagine that someone not only sells you a computer that is running an older version of Windows (say Windows 98) but also prevents you from updating it to a newer version. Sounds ridiculous? Well, that is exactly what seems to be happening. Of all the Android devices in the country, only two - the HTC Legend and the Motorola Milestone - are running the latest version(2.1) of Android. Of the rest, only one - the Samsung Spica - has been updated to the latest version. The others - HTC Hero, HTC Tattoo, HTC Magic, Sony Ericsson Xperia X10, LG GW620, Samsung Glaxay, Acer Liquid - are all running older versions of Android (either 1.5 or 1.6). Continue reading »

We do not ever think we have seen a company release as many touchscreen phones in a short span as Samsung has of late. We had barely come to terms with the deluge of Corbies (not all of them touchscreen, but still…), the amazing Spica, and the launch of the Star Superb, when along comes news that the company has released yet another touchscreen phone, this one called Monte. It comes with a 3inch capacitive (just like the iPhone, folks) touchscreen, a 3.2 MP camera, A-GPS, Wi-Fi, 3G, expandable memory upto 16GB and a few other features. Like the Corby and the Star series, this one too is not a smartphone, although it comes with Samsung’s TouchWiz interface which lets you place a number of widgets across screens.

One thing that surprised us, however, was the price tag of the handset - at Rs 12, 390, it  is more than Rs 2,000 over the 5.0-megapixel Star Superb which also had a 3.0 inch touchscreen and Wi-Fi. The Monte does feel and look a lot better, but will it be enough for it to overcome its own brethren. Or is Samsung taking a leaf out of the P&G book and coming out with products that compete with each other? Time will tell…

It is veritably raining low-cost, high value handsets these days. After the recent launches of the Inq Chat, the LG Cookie Pep and numerous offerings from Spice, Micromax and Lava, we now have the Samsung Star Superb, which is a HUGE (and we mean huge) upgrade on the original bestselling Samsung Star. It has a similar interface as the Star and a 3 inch touchscreen too, but then comes the heavy stuff - Wi-Fi connectivity and a 5.0-megapixel camera!  And just like the Star, it comes at a shockingly low price - Rs 10,500.

Competition for the recently released HTC Smart, we reckon. And perfect for anybody who wants a good cameraphone without spending too much!

We will need to beg your pardon for that excessively long headline (although you must have noticed that we have something like a penchant for them), but we have just got news from a very reliable source that the Samsung Galaxy i7500, which was launched in India almost at the same time as the HTC Hero, and which had commanded a price in the vicinity of Rs 25,000 plus a few months ago, is now being sold for Rs. 13,000! Now that is a staggering proposition if one considers the specs of the i7500 - the 3.5 inch AMOLED touchscreen, 1500 mAH battery, 11.9 mm profile, and of course, every connectivity option in town, along with a VERY decent 5.0 megapixel shooter. Of course, there is a chance that what our source witnessed was just a one-off, but even this, this is a heck of a deal for any person looking for an Android phone, as it plonks the Galaxy well below the likes of the HTC Tattoo, the HTC Hero and even the just-released LG GW620. In fact, it puts it right next to Samsung’s own Galaxy Spica which is much more modestly specced but costs around Rs 12,500.

Good times for Android users in India, indeed.

A phone that runs Google’s Android operating system, has Wi-Fi, GPS, 3G connectivity, a 3.2 MP camera, a 3.2 inch touchscreen, decent battery life, …and costs around Rs 13,000! No, we are not in the territory of dreams but are talking of the recently-released Samsung Galaxy Spica handset, which in terms of features and price is easily the best budget smartphone out there in the Indian market, edging out the Nokia E63 and the E71, not to mention the BlackBerry 8520. We are certainly recommending it to everyone looking for a decent smartphone experience without wanting to blow a major hole in their bank balances.

The only problem with the phone seems to be: finding it! We have scoured many parts of Delhi and quite shockingly, most dealers do not have it–in fact, even a couple of Samsung Plaza showrooms did not have the device. Conspiracy theorists say that this is because Samsung fears that the device will undermine its bestselling Corby Pro and Corby Plus devices, but in that case, why release the phone at all?

Whatever the reason for its relative absence from stores, this is a handset we cannot recommend too highly. Finally, Android has a mainstream device and we are cheering.

It is Valentine’s Day tomorrow and people are looking around for stuff to give their loved ones. Speaking for ourselves, we do not think one needs a special day to give the ones we love a present, but ah, that’s a debate for another day and perhaps another blog. Right now, if we were asked for our shortlist of the best things we could give to tech-friendly loved one tomorrow without straining our wallets beyond the Rs. 10,000 barrier, we would recommend these… Continue reading »

The recent wave of phones with QWERTY keypads from the likes of Micromax, Samsung and LG, have made us wonder if one really needs a smartphone. If that sounds ridiculous, just consider the facts. The Micromax Facebook phone comes with a good QWERTY keypad and a decent screen, ability to access mail and social networks, browse the Internet, chat away merrily, and a reasonable, if not exceptional camera, topped off with storage of up to 8 GB. And all for less than Rs. 5,000! Similarly, the relatively more expensive high-end Corby throws in a touchscreen and a QWERTY, with Wi-Fi and GPS and a decent camera for around Rs 11,000. Continue reading »

There’s a new type of camera in town. And if what we hear about it is true, it will soon be taking the place of not just the conventional point and shoot cameras but also the much-hyped DSLRs that specialists use. The reason? Well, it is lighter, fast as hell, comes with lenses that can be changed if you wish and of course, takes terrific pictures. We are talking of what they call the Electronic Viewfinder Interchangeable Lens, or EVIL, camera. The only catch with these little beauties is that they are very expensive, but that is likely to change once the volumes start rolling in. For now, take a look at the likes of the Olympus Pen, the Lumix GF1 and the Samsung NX10 - they could be the future of photography.

Not convinced? Well, read why Wired thinks that EVIL cameras will dump DSLRs in the coming days here.

It can be a heck of a challenge - buying a phone for someone who not only does not know how to use it, but also insists that she is just fine without it. To complicate matters, she also happens to be your mum. I recently went through the entire will-this-phone-do-for-mum process and came up with a list of factors to keep in mind when you buy a phone for your mater: Continue reading »