Samsung Galaxy Ace Plus gets priced at Rs.16,275

The successor to the original Ace, the Ace Plus was announced amidst much fanfare last month. Now, we’ve got a price tag on this upcoming Android smartphone. Online store seller, Flipkart has priced the Galaxy Ace Plus at a cool Rs.16,275. As a reminder, the Galaxy Ace Plus is powered by a 1 GHz processor, runs on Android 2.3 Gingerbread, has 3GB user memory and 512 MB of RAM.

The Galaxy Ace Plus

Here are the rest of the specifications of the Galaxy Ace Plus:

• 3.65-inch HVGA TFT Touchscreen with a 320 x 480 pixel resolution
• 3G, EDGE/GPRS, Wi-Fi b/g/n
• GPS with A-GPS support
• Bluetooth 3.0 with A2DP, USB 2.0
• 5 Megapixel camera with LED flash, WVGA video recording @ 30fps
• Stereo FM radio with RDS
• Memory expandable up to 32 GB via microSD card
• 3.5 mm handsfree socket

So, that makes us wonder about a few things. A bigger screen, than the Sony Ericsson Live with Walkman, but no 720p recording. A smaller price tag, than the Sony Ericsson Neo V, which has a much better pixel resolution as well along with 720p recording. Competitively priced? We don’t really think so. Considering, we have quad-core phones coming soon now and prices of existing phones are dropping, as well; the Galaxy Ace Plus doesn’t have a lot to offer besides a bump in processor speed and a slightly larger screen. The screen resolution definitely leaves a lot to be desired.

This also brings to light the similarly absurdly priced Galaxy Ace Duos. On a comparative note, obviously the Galaxy Ace Plus seems like a better option, but the Duos is a CDMA only phone. The Galaxy Ace was a popular phone, it was well priced and at that moment, there weren't many options in the same budget. But, the Galaxy Ace Plus has a lot of competition now – not only in Android phones, but also in WP phones, like the Nokia Lumia 710, which is similarly spec’d. What do you guys think about the Galaxy Ace Plus at this price point? Does it make for a worthy buy? Let us know in the comments section below.

Sony announces 1GHz dual-core smartphone, the Xperia Sola

Sony Mobile Communications has announced its new Android-powered smartphone, the Xperia Sola as the latest addition to its portfolio of Xperia smartphones. The NFC-enabled Xperia Sola comes equipped with Xperia SmartTags, allowing consumers to change their smartphone’s settings and applications by simply hitting tags. Xperia Sola will be available to consumers globally in black, white and red in the second quarter of 2012. 

Along with the Sola making its smartphone debut exclusively, is Sony’s floating touch UI that lets consumers navigate the web by hovering their finger above the screen, so it acts like a moving curser, without actually having to touch the screen.  Once the desired link is found, it can be highlighted and a simple tap will load the page.  According to the company, floating touch will evolve with better user functionality and applications through software updates and engagement with developers.

Interesting!

Calum MacDougall, Head of Xperia Marketing for Sony Mobile Communications, commented “Xperia sola comes with the power of Sony and a sense of magic with floating touch, giving consumers a fun new way to browse the web and latest technology to show off. With Xperia SmartTags out of the box and access to the latest content through Sony Entertainment Network, Xperia sola is perfect for consumers looking for ease of use and the best in entertainment in a smart and innovative smartphone.”

The Xperia sola is NFC-enabled and comes with two NFC Xperia SmartTags in the box as standard to simplify consumers’ everyday smartphone experiences. By touching an NFC Android smartphone on a SmartTag, a pre-configured profile in the smartphone will launch. The two SmartTags included with Xperia Sola can be personalized with up to 10 commands. The out of the box tag is ready for the living room to turn on Wi-Fi and launch Google news and weather apps, and the other one for the bedroom, which turns on the alarm and switches to silent mode. The Xperia Sola supports NFC pairing, allowing consumers to connect with other NFC-enabled smartphones, applications and services by tapping their smartphones together. 

Now for the specs part, here’s what the Sola comes with: 

• 3.7-inch Reality display with a 854 x 480 pixel resolution
• 1GHz dual core processor
• Android 2.3 Gingerbread (upgrade to ICS in Summer 2012)
• 8GB internal storage
• 3G, EDGE/GPRS, Wi-Fi
• GPS with A-GPS support, NFC
• Bluetooth with A2DP, USB 2.0
• 5 megapixel camera with LED flash, 720p video recording
• Stereo FM radio with RDS
• Memory expandable up to 32 GB via microSD card
• 3.5 mm handsfree socket
• 1320 mAh Lithium - ion battery

Pricing and availability for the Indian sub-region hasn’t been disclosed as of now, but what do you think should the Sola be priced at? Let us know in the comments section below.

Lenovo IdeaTab S2109 teased by FCC, launching with 9.7-inch display this month

Lenovo's been hard at work with various Android phones and tablets so far this year, and here's yet another one that's just popped up in FCC's database. Dubbed the IdeaTab S2109 (or S2109A-F, to be specific), we're told by a reliable source that 'tis an Ice Cream Sandwich tablet assembled by Foxconn, and it'll come with a 9.7-inch, 4:3 IPS display (supplied by Chi Mei), a TI OMAP chip and four powerful SRS-ready speakers as featured on the beefy K2010. The above diagram suggests said slate has a microSD slot accessible from the outside, and if you take a closer look at the product label, you'll see that the device requires a whooping 2.5A input at 5V, which means it'll come with a 12.5W adapter -- a lot higher than many tablets' maximum consumption at 10W (including the new iPad) or below. Here's hoping that this is an indication for a faster charge time.

As for availability, we heard that this S2109 will launch at some point this month, though our shy friend didn't specify which market it'll debut in -- the FCC document lists Germany, Canada, US, India, Russia, Turkmenistan, Mexico, Chile, Japan and China. If Android on a 4:3 screen sounds like your cup of tea then stay tuned for more news.

Apple simplifies its ITC suit against Samsung: drops one patent and several claims from two more

While there's been plenty of legal wrangling between Apple and Samsung in Federal courtrooms lately, it's been awhile since we've had news from the parties' parallel proceedings occurring in the ITC. No longer. Last week, Apple received a favorable outcome when the ITC issued its claim construction order, siding with Apple's interpretations of two patents -- for those who aren't familiar, claim construction is the process by which the judge determines the meaning of specific terms in the claims, and it often has great influence on findings of infringement (or non-infringement). The judge found in favor of Samsung regarding one patent in his claim construction order, however, and now Apple has dropped that patent from the proceedings, along with claims from two of its other patents as well. This latest legal maneuvering by Cupertino is pretty standard fare, as paring down the legal issues is something all courts encourage to make the adjudication process more efficient, and Apple is simply distilling its case down to its strongest arguments. Now that the claim construction's complete, next on the docket is the ITC's evidentiary hearing (read: trial) starting May 31st, and afterwards we'll finally get the ITC's decision. Stay tuned.

Firefox 11 available for download now, ahead of official release

The highly popular Firefox browser has reached its next milestone, version 11. Now, the browser isn’t going to be officially out till Mozilla says it is, but going by the history, Mozilla dumps the final release on the FTP a day or two before the official release date. The latest version 11 binaries are now available for download, but if you prefer to use the auto-update on the browser, you’ll have to wait a little longer before that happens. The official release date for Firefox 11 is set as the 13th of March, 2012. The last major stable release was Firefox 10 back in late January. Eversince the rapid release cycle was adopted, Mozilla has been releasing Firefox updates in quick succession, but it also means that only few changes are made, but these are distinct ones.

Now with more synchronization features for Chrome

Firefox 11 brings a few major changes. One of the new features is the ability to import settings from Google’s Chrome browser. Those Firefox fans who moved to Chrome and want to move back to Firefox, should have things easier now. Another great feature, if you’re used to Firefox on different PCs is the ability to synchronize add-ons. This saves users the trouble of having to install the same add-on different PCs. There are optimizations made to the user interface and support for a protocol SPDY, which is said to offer faster page loading times. There are, of course a ton of bug fixes as well as some tools for developers, including an interesting one called the Page Inspector 3D, which allows users using WebGL hardware to view a web page closely in 3D. 

The Mozilla FTP server finally has the release builds of Firefox 11 for Windows, Linux and Mac OS X. Neowin has the download links for all the variants. When Firefox 11 is released, Firefox 12, which is expected to be released on the 24th of April, a little more than a month from now will switch to the beta channel and Firefox 13 to the Aurora channel.

Nokia to shut down mobile money business

Nokia’s mobile money was launched in 2010 through a partnership with YES Bank and it later signed up with Union Bank to offer other payment services. In December, last year, Nokia also announced the pan-India launch of its independent Nokia Money service that was brought to the Indian market about two years back. According to a report by The Hindu, the Finnish firm is now all set to exit this mobile money business, which is said to be a global strategy to move out of non-core areas. In India, mobile money has been slowly being accepted, although not a wide scale. Recent development in this space has been the launch of Airtel Money, which has flashed some TV commercials to further push the availability and presence of mobile wallet services.

Nokia to shut mobile payments

The service was also put forth independently under the Nokia Money brand with 2 lakh subscribers while overall it has 1.2 million subscribers considering all three platforms. Based on Obopay's mobile payment platform, it is also launched in other countries.

Obviously, subscribers relying on Nokia Money services will have to opt for other money transfer means. Apparently, Nokia will still continue the service for about 2-3 months, allowing its subscribers to use the money they’ve deposited. By shutting this service, Nokia will also refund subscribers’ registration fees and surrender the licence it has acquired for this service. Apparently, subscribers of Yes Bank and Union may not be affected as the banks will take over the platform. Nokia has about 100 employees working directly for the mobile money business.  Reportedly, Nokia chose not to comment on the matter but one of its partners confirmed the development.

We’ve seen other players in the mobile money space such as Airtel, HDFC, MasterCard and Visa. Nokia which has almost bounced back with its mobile phone segment, if we may say so, probably decides on concentrating on core segments further.

Sony Pepper press shot leaked

Sony’s upcoming smartphone, the MT27i Pepper has been leaked in what looks like an official press image. We had seen the device earlier in leaked images, but now the blurry shots have been replaced by something more visually appealing. As reported by GSMArena, the image has been leaked on a Japanese site by the name, ameblo. What’s also interesting to note is that the Sony Ericsson logo has been replaced by just ‘Sony’, which means that this device is definitely from the future and is going to be unveiled pretty soon. As can be seen in the image below, a few Xperia NFC tags have been placed next to the phone, giving a clear indication that the smartphone will come with an embedded NFC chip. 

Looking good!

Here’s what the rest of the rumoured spec sheet for the Sony MT27i Pepper looks like:

• 3.7-inch display with a resolution of 480 x 854 pixels 
• 1GHz dual-core processor with a NovaThor U8500 chipset
• 5MP rear camera
• 720p HD video recording capabilities
• NFC support

From the looks of it, the Pepper looks quite an interesting device. In case you have forgotten, Sony also has the Xperia P and U devices that we’ve already gotten an approximate pricing for. The Pepper looks quite similar in terms of design to these devices, so we’re definitely looking at the right device. The black front and white back looks pretty impressive, but what we have doubts about is the amount of bezel you can see at the bottom. Firstly, the Xperia tag takes up some estate space and then the capacitive buttons take quite a bit of space on the phone itself. So, while it may look pretty long and sleek and all, you’re compromising slightly on the screen size. 

While it’s difficult to decode what’s written, along with the device in Japanese, we can be pretty sure that the Sony Pepper is one device that might be unwrapped in the coming weeks. Till then, what do you guys think about the device - at what price would the Sony Pepper be a decent buy? Let us know in the comments section below.

HTC One X, S and V launching in India, early next month

HTC had announced their upcoming smartphone range at the Mobile World Congress and now we’ve got some details about their availability here, in India. As reported by the Mobile Indian, these ICS phones are going to be available in the Indian market in the first week of April. Manu Seth, Country Head of Marketing for HTC India mentioned that, “HTC will be launching Android Ice Cream Sandwich based smartphones One X, One V and One S in Singapore on March 30 and in first week of April they would be available in Indian market” whilst also adding that "HTC is also in talks with Airtel to offer the One series of smartphones with bundled data offer, details for which are being worked out." That’s definitely good news for those of looking out to buy a smartphone in the coming weeks. 

In case you’ve forgotten, we’ll list out the specs of each of these three handsets again:

HTC One X

Here is a look at the highlighted features of the HTC One X:

• Android 4.0 with HTC Sense 4
• 1.5 GHz quad-core processor
• 4.7-inch display with a resolution of 1280 x 720
• 8MP camera with AF, LED flash, BSI sensor and 1080p HD video recording
• F2.0 aperture and 28mm lens
• 1.3MP front camera with a resolution of 720p for video chat
• 32GB Internal memory
• 1GB RAM
• Beats Audio
• NFC, Wi-Fi, DLNA, micro-USB 2.0, HDMI
• 1800 mAh battery

HTC One S

Here are the main features of the HTC One S:

• Android 4.0 with HTC Sense 4
• 4.3-inch with a resolution of 540 x 960
• 1.5 GHz dual-core processor
• 8MP camera with AF, LED flash, BSI sensor and 1080p HD video recording
• F2.0 aperture and 28mm lens
• 16GB Internal memory
• 1GB RAM
• Beats Audio
• NFC, Wi-Fi, DLNA, micro-USB 2.0, HDMI
• 1650 mAh battery

HTC One V

Here’s a look at what the One V has to offer:

• Android 4.0 with HTC Sense 4
• 3.7-inch display with a resolution of 480 x 800
• 5MP camera with AF, LED flash, BSI sensor and 720p HD video recording
• F2.0 aperture and 28mm lens
• 4 GB Internal memory
• 512MB RAM
• Beats Audio
• Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, micro-USB
• 1500mAh battery

So, they’re coming pretty soon to the Indian shores. That's definitely good news and we're hoping other manufacturers follow suit. What price would you like to buy these phones at? Let us know in the comments section below.

Reliance CDMA Tab launched in India

Reliance Communications became the first CDMA operator in India to enter the tablet space by unveiling its ‘Reliance CDMA Tab’, a fully loaded Android tablet, today. With this launch, Reliance also emerges as the first telecom operator in India to offer tablets on both the GSM and CDMA networks. The tablet is priced at Rs.12,999 and will be avialable across all Reliance World Stores and other retail outlets.

Let's not forget the CDMA crowd

The Reliance CDMA Tab comes with a 7-inch capacitive touch screen with Android 2.3 OS. Loaded with 512 MB RAM and a microSD external storage, it is sure to appeal a large segment of value conscious consumers, just as the Reliance 3G Tab did last year. The lightweight (397g) Reliance CDMA Tab comes with a 2.0 MP rear camera and a front camera, among other key features, catering to both business users as well as the youth segment. The Reliance CDMA Tab is supported by Reliance’s CDMA network across 22 circles in over 1,000 towns in the country. As you can see below, you can also get attractive monthly and annual data plans. To further enhance its value proposition, Reliance Communications is offering a 1 year free subscription on McAfee Mobile Security, 2 months free subscription on BigFlix+, and Rs.250 worth of calling on Reliance Global Call, all together valued at Rs.2,100.

Special rates

Reliance CDMA Tab is pre-loaded with 15 most popular applications to provide information services (browsing, navigation maps and search), communication services (e-mail, blog, SMS, and MMS), entertainment services (music, video, and games) and social networking services (Facebook) and access to thousands of applications provided through the Android Market. You can also expect a 24X7 customer care at your disposal for any technical issues, should you have any.

Google, Asus to launch a 7-inch Android tablet in May

Confirming initial speculations, a Digitimes report now confirms that Google, together with Asus will soon bring in a 7-inch tablet to the market, by May. that Google and Asustek are currently working at introducing, what they refer to as a '7-inch iPad rival'. it's essentially a smaller, cheaper Android tablet, which reportedly would cost the user roughly between $199 - $249. The tablet, which will compete with Amazon's Kindle Fire at launch, will reportedly be built, like the Kindle Fire to play music and video from Google's Play store, and reportedly, at launch, the tablet will be the first in the market to do so. Another report also quoted Google executive chairman Eric Schmidt speaking in an interview with Italian newspaper Corriere della Serra, as saying, "In the next six months, we plan to market a tablet of the highest quality."

Big plans for May! 

Rumoredly, HTC and not Asus were Google's first choice for partners. However, Google seem to have finally zeroed in on Asus for their ambitious venture. insisted on directing the development of the model, which it would launch with Google. Further, HTC had its reservations developing a low-price model, since it feared that it would mar the brand's image in the market. Acer, one of the other options did not have in-house R&D capability. Finally, Google zeroed in on Asus for the latter's good product quality.

The report further states that, "Asustek's motivation for cooperating with Google is to win Google's confidence to facilitate development of its Android-based devices, learn Google's technology to develop software and content, as well as enter the tablet US market, the sources indicated."

Cloud to overtake PCs by 2014, predicts Gartner

The PC market hasn’t been at its best for the past year or so, for there has been a noticeable slowdown, due to the increasing popularity of tablets and smartphones. The Thailand floods, last year, affected hard drive factories and that too has taken a toll on the PC market. There are those who believe that tablets will completely replace PCs, and Gartner feels that the PCs are going to be threatened by 2014, not by tablets specifically, but by the cloud. PCs are considered to be at the centre of people’s digital lives, soon the Internet and the cloud will take that place. Cloud apps and storage services will allow users to use them from any device of their choice - a PC, notebook, a smartphone or a tablet. 

Cloud to be in the spotlight by 2014

Gartner feels that the biggest change has taken place in the past two years and that the enterprises will have to figure out how future apps and services are provided to their employees. There are a number of reasons for this change. Improved mobility and dependence on mobile phones and tablets means that users have the choice of accessing the cloud from anywhere and at any given time. The cloud also offers a lot of flexibility, as compared to traditional applications. Users can choose what kind of apps they use and what kind of content they want to consume. There’s also a noticeable move from traditional desktop applications to web-based apps that are available on all popular platforms. This is a growing trend and it’s likely to speed up even more over the next few years. All these trends over the years point out to the fact that the cloud will be the most important component of our lives. PCs will be just another access medium, like smartphones and tablets are today. 

Of course, there are some niche areas, such as mainstream gaming that will continue to be split between gaming consoles and PCs. This area, too is under attack by tablets and smartphones, as they get more powerful and offer enough performance to handle high-quality games.

Samsung violated court order, states Apple

The latest update in the Apple vs Samsung lawsuit comes in the form of an accusation, which Apple made against Samsung, alleging that Samsung has violated a court  order, reports Bloomberg. Both Apple and Samsung are currently battling a host of patent infringment lawsuits, and the last we heard in this respect was just a few days ago, when Samsung reportedly filed a fresh lawsuit against Apple, testifying that the long-standing battle was still on. Now, however, Apple alleges that Samsung failed to produce the source code for its products, such as its its 4G smartphone and Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet computer, post a court order. The report further added, "Samsung “only partially complied with” a court order requiring the company to produce source code for products such as its its 4G smartphone and Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet computer, which Apple claims violate its patents, according to a filing yesterday in federal court in San Jose, California."

Patent woes..

Reportedly, the court had issued a deadline of December 30th for Samsung, before which it was supposed to produce the source code of all versions of the products Apple accuses Samsung of. However, Apple alleges that Samsung provided the source code of only one version of each of the products, and not all, thereby violating court's order. The report quoted Apple, during the filing, as saying, "At this point in the case, it is too late for Apple to make meaningful use of any late produced source code." Further, the report stated that in another two weeks, they are expecting the expert reports to come in, which means that the experts will have insufficient time at hand to analyze the new code. Apple also alleged that by not providing the required source code for each of their products, Samsung was essentially denying them evidence required in court.

Samsung and Apple, once friends are now battling bitterly over a host of unresolved patents. Last month, there were reports about Apple working towards getting Samsung's Galaxy Nexus smartphones banned in the U.S.

Samsung unfazed by new iPad; only happy to point it out to the media

Apple's new iPad announcement a few days back left many unimpressed and you can place Samsung on the top of that list. The Korean company sent out an e-mail to all media houses with a little comparison chart of their upcoming Galaxy Note 10.1 and the new iPad. Obviously, only those features that would trump the iPad were highlighted in the list. Samsung focussed on the new features of the Note 10.1 (mostly software updates) and the possibilities of the S-Pen.

Taking digs at the big apple

Starting with the most glaringly obvious differences, the Note 10.1 clearly wins when it comes to portability, as it's lighter and thinner. As it turns out, the new tablet will also feature an IR port, just like the Sony Tablet S did, allowing you control your home entertainment setup with. This is a handy feature and we do wish more devices had it. Another new addition to TouchWiz in the Note 10.1 will be the ability to view two apps side-by-side and work on them, simultaneously. This will appeal greatly to PC users and hence, is a very nice addition; one that we can't wait to try out.

Samsung also point out the ability to do some precision writing and drawing on the Note 10.1, something the new iPad can't do. To an extent, they are right, since the Note 10.1 will have the same inductive touch screen layer, as the Note did, which allows for more accurate and precise touch input. So yes, as far as productivity goes where the pen is concerned, the Note 10.1 does have its advantages. But, if you look at the bigger picture, then the new iPad seems like a better bet for media consumption and creation. The new high resolution screen is no doubt better than any 10-inch Android tablet and the upgraded camera should help one capture much better photographs. Plus, Apple as added a whole bunch of changes to the new iLife suite, including iPhoto, iMovie and Garage Band. 
Samsung's trying their level best to one up Apple, in every little chance they get. However, this new stunt could be looked at as a sign of weakness on Samsung's part and the fact that they may be a little unsure about the fate of their unreleased tablet. If your product is good, it will speak for itself and there's no real need to go out of your way and try to convince people, especially the media. We haven't heard any response from Apple regarding this, but we doubt Samsung has ruffled any feathers here.