Nokia launches the Asha 303 Touch & Type handset in India

The Asha 303 is equipped with a 1GHz processor and will come pre-loaded with apps and games, like Angry Birds Lite, Mobile TV with Zenga TV, WhatsApp, along with DRM-free Nokia Music Unlimited service. Nokia centric options, like Nokia Messaging and the Nokia Store, the one stop shop for application related handset enhancements are also on board, of course. The smartphone will also feature Nokia’s upgraded browser for a slightly better web experience than previous editions.

Touch & Type with a 1GHz processor under the hood

Speaking at the launch, Viral Oza, Director Marketing, Nokia India said, “Nokia has been bringing smart innovation on mobile devices to newer price points, feeding the vast appetite for digital consumption for consumers who are young, urban, hyper-social and want the smartest phones at affordable prices. The Nokia Asha 303, loaded with Nokia Browser, Webapps, preinstalled Zenga TV, Whatsapp and Angry Birds Lite, stands very strong as an affordable smartphone.”

Here’s a closer look at the Asha 303’s spec sheet -

• 2.6-inch touchscreen display (capacitive) with a  240 x 320 pixel resolution and 256k colors
• 3G, EDGE/GPRS, Wi-Fi internet connectivity options
• Bluetooth with A2DP, USB 2.0 with USB-on-the-go support as well
• 3.2MP fixed focus camera with face recognition
• FM radio
• MicroSD card support up to 32GB
• 3.5mm handsfree socket

The DRM-free Nokia Music Unlimited service allows consumers to download music from a catalogue of over 40 lakh songs and share it with anyone they want, without any restrictions. Consumers can also enjoy live mobile TV with Zenga TV, one of the leading providers of aggregated TV, entertainment and news content optimized for viewing on mobile screens.

Available in Red and Graphite colors , the Nokia Asha 303 is priced at Rs.8,899.

iBall launches entry-level Fab9 phone for Rs.2,799

Here’s yet another entry-level phone that has made an entry into the Indian market. This time around it’s from iBall and has been designed for the youth and entertainment loving people, dubbed Fab9. The phone promises a host of features and comes pre-loaded with hordes of content to keep users entertained. The Fab9 keeps users engaged and glued to the screen and also features a durable and reliable attire, says the company. The iBall Fab9 promises to be durable and efficient with a powerful speaker and quality earphones. It also equips a 1200mAh battery. iBall also incorporates the device with security features, like the mobile tracker.

Entertainment on-the-go..at an affordable price...

The company calls it more of a device to keep users entertained at an affordable, entry-level price point. It has a trendy design with a 2.4-inch display and a dedicated music key, along with functions, like background music and FM playback. The device comes with interactive abilities and the phone maker calls it truly smart. Some more features include night-vision and special effects for its 1.3 MP camera, Bluetooth, WAP and GPRS for effectively connecting to social networking sites, like Facebook and Orkut. The Fab9 also keeps users engaged with functions, like reading e-books and using live video wallpapers. The phone comes with up to 300 hours standby time, 5 hours of talk time and seven hours of music playback.

The phone comes with dual SIM mode with phonebook (1000 capacity), a microSD card slot and dual language support – for English and Hindi language. iBall has also packed in some Bollywood content in the Fab9 to attract users. It is pre-loaded with songs from the film, Agneepath, loads of other hit Bollywood songs and videos. Apart from music, the device also stores an entire movie - Dabangg. The 4GB MicroSD card has been packed for free. The Fab9 phone has been priced at Rs.2,799.

Sony Xperia S available in grey for Rs. 32,000

The much awaited Xperia S that was announced at the Consumer Electronics Show has finally made its way to the Indian market, albeit unofficially. According to our sources in the market, this Android smartphone has been priced at approximately Rs.32,000 and has already started selling in a bunch of stores. It is a grand more than the expected pricing we had put on it, so that was definitely close.

Xperia S available in two colour options

In case you’ve forgotten, here’s a lowdown on the Specs of the Xperia S again:

• Android Gingerbread (Upgradeable to ICS)
• 4.3-inch HD display with a resolution of 1280 x 720
• 1.5GHz dual-core processor with a MSM8260 chipset, 1GB RAM
• 12 megapixel camera with Sony Exmor R sensor and 1080p video recording capabilities
• 1.3 megapixel front camera with 720p@30 fps
• 32GB internal memory
• HDMI port
• Weighs 144g

With a  price tag of Rs.32,000, the Sony Xperia S directly competes with a few existing handsets. The first one being the mammoth Samsung Galaxy Note that has a full 1-inch more in the display size at 5.3 inches. The next is the Sensation XE, which comes with a similar 1.5 GHz dual core processor, but sports an 8 megapixel camera that we weren’t particularly impressed with. There’s also the oh-so-popular and ever reliable Samsung Galaxy S II that is currently selling for close to Rs.31,000. The other phones in the similar price bracket include the HTC EVO 3D and the Motorola RAZR XT910 – the one with the Kevlar vest. What the Xperia S clearly wins over the competition in, is the megapixel count in its camera, but as we all know megapixels don’t really tell the whole story. Besides that at 32k, we do think it’s slightly expensive, and we would have loved this device over all the other ones, if it were priced close to 27k-28k. However, the official pricing and availability hasn’t been disclosed as of now, so we could see a few fluctuations in the price of the Xperia S in the coming weeks. Till then, at 32K would you buy this piece of art

iPad 2 more likely to be accidentally damaged than original

Nothing could be more sad than a cracked iPad screen. Especially if it's your own fault that the screen's cracked. According to a report by SquareTrade, a warranty company, upon analysis of 50,000 iPads covered by the company, customers report damage to the iPad 2, 3.5 more times than the original iPad. Furthermore, 10.1 percent of iPad 2 owners covered by SquareTrade reported damage within the first 12 months of iPad ownership. The company itself predicts 20 percent of the iPad 2s that they cover to be damaged accidentally within 2 years of ownership, versus the 5.5 percent of the original iPad.

Has this happened to you?

The company studied damages in two categories: consumer-related accidents and normal malfunctions. The reported malfunction rates of the two iPads are low, with 0.9 percent for the original iPad in its first year and 2.2 percent in its second year. The ipad 2 has 0.3 percent malfunction rate in its first year and is projected to have a 0.7 percent malfunction rate in its second year. SquareTrade also says that among all the mobile devices that consumers reported non-accidental malfunctions, the iPad has few reports. Of non-accidental malfunctions, power issues and battery issues were most popular. Screen and software malfunctions accounted for other issues.

On to accidental damages, 9.8 percent of iPad 2 owners reported accidental damage within their first year of ownership, compared to 2.8 percent of original iPad owners in their first year. That's 3.5 times the number of iPad 2 owners to original iPad owners. The most common accident, at 54 percent is dropping, while handling. Another 15 percent fell off the table and 11 percent were in car-related accidents. 8 percent were child-related accidents (SquareTrade has not gotten too specific with this), 6 percent damaged their iPads, while the devices were in a bag or backpack and 4 percent banged it against something. The more unusual accidents, include iPads being vomited on, being thrown out of a moving car by the owner's 3-year old child and having an owner's pet cat urinate on the device.

SquareTrade attributes the higher percentage of accidents to the comparison of shape between the two iPads. The iPad 2 is more curved and slightly more exposed above the bezel. The smart cover, too, has been a cause of accident for consumers where they use the cover to grab a falling iPad, which of course, doesn't work. The smart cover is in no way intended to be a fail-safe protector.