Top 5 Android smartphones under Rs 20,000

HTC One V (Rs 18,200)


HTC recently introduced this new phone under its One series line up.


Sporting a 3.7 inch Super LCD 2 touchscreen display, the One V supports WVGA (480 x 800 pixel) resolution. Text, images and videos appear crisper than they are on its predecessor - Legend. HTC has used unibody aluminium to construct this handset, and it has a chin on the front. One V is extremely comfortable to use and feels great for small or even medium sized palms.

Besides a single core 1 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, this smartphone has 512 MB RAM that ensures smoother system-wide performance. With the One Series, HTC has introduced the latest version of its proprietary HTC Sense 4.0 user interface, which is faster and slicker compared to the previous version. HTC's Sense 4.0 UI is integrated on top of Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich.


At the back is a 5 megapixel camera with LED flash. The camera app has been improved significantly to click more snaps in less time. The back camera is capable of recording 720p HD videos. There is no front facing camera though.


HTC has deeply incorporated the Beats Audio technology for better audio experience with the music and videos. With other regular set of features like GPS with A-GPS, WiFi, Bluetooth 4.0, stereo FM radio with RDS, and great multimedia support.

Samsung Galaxy Ace Plus (Rs 15,500)

Samsung is known for rolling out smartphones with slightly refreshed/updated hardware. Samsung Galaxy Ace GT-5830 has a worthy successor - Galaxy Ace Plus GT-S7500. This new model comes with a single core 1 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM7227A mobile processor with 512 MB memory. Physically, the Galaxy Ace Plus looks very similar to the Galaxy Ace but has a curvy back.

The Galaxy Ace Plus features a 3.6 inch touchscreen display with 320 x 480 pixel resolution. Running Android 2.3.6 Gingerbread, this Galaxy Ace Plus device features TouchWiz 4.0 user interface. Galaxy Ace Plus comes with 3 GB on-board storage of which 1.8 GB is user accessible. Samsung has improved the overall software performance. There is no dedicated camera button for the 5 megapixel camera with LED flash at the back.


Other features include Bluetooth 3.0, WiFi, DLNA, stereo FM with RDS and GPS with A-GPS support. Samsung has reduced the battery to a 1300 mAh pack which offers better performance on 2G networks. With a slight bump in the processor and memory, this smartphone does promise better performance. Samsung Galaxy Ace Plus smartphone will certainly get Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich update, but there is no specific date of its arrival.

LG Optimus Sol E730 (Rs 19,499)

Running Android 2.3 Gingerbread, the LG Optimus Sol flaunts a 3.8 inch Ultra Amoled touchscreen display that supports 480 x 800 pixel resolution. The new Optimus Sol features curved edges and has capacitive buttons. Weighing a mere 110 grams, this smartphone has only three hardware buttons - power on/off and the volume buttons.


Offering great contrast and a vibrant set of colours, the Optimus Sol features a single core 1 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S1 MSM8255 mobile processor with 512 MB RAM and 2 GB of onboard storage of which only 1 GB is user accessible. Despite the fact that it carries the same core hardware as the HTC One V, there is a vast difference in the software experience offered by the two devices.

With default support for several popular video codecs such as DivX/Xvid, this smartphone offers a decent multimedia experience. Optimus Sol E730 features a 5 megapixel camera without an LED flash, but can record 720p HD videos. Along with other standard features, this smartphone has a 1500 mAh battery pack that promises decent run time.


As of now there is no information on whether this smartphone will get Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich update or not.

Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo V (Rs 14,950)

Sony had introduced Xperia Neo V as a successor or replacement model for the Xperia Neo. Xperia Neo V has a 3.7 inch LCD touchscreen display with 480 x 854 pixel resolution. It touts the Sony Mobile Bravia Engine that promises better visual feedback with videos and images. Along with a single core 1 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S1 MSM8255 mobile processor, this smartphone has 512 MB RAM.

Sony Mobile has just started to roll out the Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich update for this handset, which by default comes with Android 2.3 Gingerbread. Its 5 megapixel camera, which comes with LED flash, can record 720p HD videos.


Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo V with Timescape user interface features a 1500 mAh battery for about 7 hours of continuous talk time. With a great design, this smartphone is certainly the choice for someone looking for a chic device.

Motorola Defy+ (14,999)

Introduced as an updated version of Defy MB525, the new Defy Plus MB526 features a 1 GHz processor and offers more battery power compared to Defy. Motorola Defy Plus has a 3.7 inch touchscreen display with Gorilla Glass technology. Its chassis is IP67 standard certified, which means this handset can survive if submerged in water, and the screen is sturdy enough to withstand minor scratches.

The 3.7 inch touchscreen display of the Defy Plus supports 480 x 854 pixel resolution and makes the text look crisp. Inside the body rests a 1 GHz Texas Instruments OMAP 3620 processor with 512 MB RAM and 1 GB on-board memory. Running Android 2.3 Gingerbread by default, the Defy Plus has a 5 megapixel camera with autofocus and LED flash. Unfortunately, there is no secondary camera even in the updated model.


Supporting up to 7.2 Mbps download speeds on 3G networks, the smartphone also supports WiFi and Bluetooth wireless connectivity. Other sensors include Bluetooth, GPS, an accelerometer, compass, stereo FM with RDS and proximity sensor. Apart from its waterproof and dust-resistant characteristics, this smartphone also promises good multimedia playback. Unfortunately, this smartphone will not get Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich but numbers of Third Party Developers plan to offer custom Android 4.0 ROM updates.

New Asus Transformer Tablet Lowers the Price by Lowering the Bar

The Asus Transformer Prime is one of the best Android tablets around. We gave it a lofty 8-out-of-10 verdict in our official review, and for good reason: It features almost everything you’d want from a modern, Android-powered tablet.

Besides running Google’s most advanced Android OS version, the Transformer Prime packs in a crisp display, solid camera, and speed a-plenty thanks to a quad-core CPU and 1GB of RAM. It even pairs up with a clever keyboard docking system that delivers notebook-like data input, and extra battery life.

But high-end tablets also demand high-end prices: The Transformer Prime starts at an iPad-matching $500. And that’s still a bit more than many want to pay for a device that functions somewhere between a smartphone and a notebook.

So, with a thriftier buyer in mind, Asus is rolling out the new Transformer Pad, which will sell for $380 with 16GB of storage, or $400 with 32GB, when it hits retailers this week.

There are only a few obvious differences between the Transformer Pad and Transformer Prime, but one of them is key, and may be enough to compel serious gadget enthusiasts to spend an extra $120 on the fancier tablet.

First, the Transformer Pad’s materials aren’t as refined. Where the Transformer Prime features a brushed aluminum chassis, the Pad goes down-market with a hard plastic back panel. The plastic looks good and feels durable, but doesn’t do much to save any weight. Indeed, the new tablet is both heavier and thicker than its predessecor, coming in at 0.38-inches thick and 1.39 pounds versus the Prime’s 0.32-inch thickness and 1.29-pound weight.

I prefer the overall tactile feel of the Prime over the Pad, but the cheaper tablet wasn’t uncomfortable to use during my brief testing, by any means.

The Transformer Pad, like the Transformer Prime, has an 8-megapixel rear camera, but forgoes the Prime’s rear LED flash. Both tablets run on Nvidia’s 1.4GHz, quad-core Tegra 3 processor and 1GB of RAM, a combination that smoothly handles games, apps, web browsing and plenty of multitasking.

Another plus: Both tablets run Google’s Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) operating system with minimal interface changes. We wouldn’t even go so far as to call Asus’ changes an OS re-skinning. They’re merely small cosmetic changes to various menus.

But there is a major downside to the Transformer Pad, and it’s an important one: The display can’t compete with the screen in the Transformer Prime.

The Prime is covered in Corning Gorilla Glass, and renders deep blacks and fantastic detail via a 1280×800 resolution (which is pretty much the standard resolution for 10-inch Android tablets). Among current Android tablets, the Prime offers one of the better-looking displays available.

The Transformer Pad, meanwhile, eschews Gorilla Glass for what Asus spokesman Gary Key described as a “standard Soda Lime Glass panel where the chemically strengthened layer depth is improved compared to older generations.” Comparing the two tablets side by side, the Pad’s image quality clearly falls short of the Prime’s. Both tablets bear a 1280×800 resolution, but the Pad doesn’t offer the color saturation or the contrast range of the Prime.

Like the Transformer Prime, the Transformer Pad pairs up with a $150 docking station accessory that features a full keyboard and trackpad to simulate a notebook-like experience.

Facebook for Android gets updated, new features added

The official Facebook application for Android has been upgraded to version 1.9 and this new update brings in a few new features. Firstly, there are a couple of performance related upgrades that have improved the feel of the user interface and have made it less laggy. It’s now smoother and faster. In case your phone hasn’t got the update option yet, you can manually go to the official Facebook application via the Google Play Store and click update.


Here’s a brief list of the improvements in this version of Facebook for Android:
Improved performance and various bug fixes
More messaging features like creating group messages and adding friends to existing group conversations
Shortcuts to share photos and messages right from your home screen.

We did the update last night itself and we got a new Facebook messenger icon that lets you chat with your Facebook. The camera itself loads up into a separate ‘Facebook camera’ app and not the default camera application. It lets you instantly post the photographs that you’ve clicked from your phone. What’s pretty cool about the interface is that it is pretty minimalistic and lets you instantly tag, upload and share your photos with location enabled (or disabled, based on your preference). Scrolling through the news feeds was feeling a lot smoother and quicker. Once the app got updated, it did take a while to load initially but once it did, things were pretty smooth. No force closes or freezes or crashes were visible so far, so it looks like a pretty stable update. The messenger application is pretty nifty as well and lets you chat with your Facebook buddies on the go. You can also differentiate between who is online and who is not. There’s been a major overhaul with the settings menu as well. However, if you’re not using the separate camera and messenger application then it might just add to the clutter in the number of icons on your menu. Anyway, we quite liked it because we do use the messenger app more than the main app in itself.



Either way, it’s good to see that more and more features from their web version have started appearing on Android now.

Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 Review

On the surface, the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 appears to be little more than a low-key refresh of its six-month-old predecessor, the in-betweener Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus. And while that’s true, the Tab 2’s noticeably lower cost—at $250, it dropped in price by 38 percent from the 7.0 Plus--coupled with its numerous features give it a clear advantage over leading value tablet competitors Amazon Kindle Fire and Barnes and Noble Nook Tablet.

With that sizable drop, the 7-inch Galaxy Tab 2 marks the first time a premium Android tablet maker like Samsung has gone full-bore after the value space. The Galaxy Tab 2is competitively priced against the $200 of Kindle Fire and Nook Tablet. Those popular 7-inch tablets each use their own customized versions of Android. These variants on Android can provide a more integrated experience for some tasks, such as reading books and magazines, or acquiring media, but it comes at the cost of the wider compatibility of the Android app universe; both Amazon and Barnes & Noble require you to purchase apps only via their respective storefronts.

The Galaxy Tab 2 runs Android 4.0, unlike those other inexpensive Android tablets (the Nook and Kindle Fire both run variants built on Android 2.3; that means it can handle standard Android phone and tablet apps in the Google Play store. It also offers features that neither the Kindle Fire nor Nook Tablet do, among them an infrared port and a rear-facing camera. Samsung sacrificed built-in storage capacity (just 8GB, same as the other two value tablets and half of the 16GB provided on the Tab 7.0 Plus) to achieve the Tab 2's low price, but that doesn’t detract from the Tab 2’s widespread appeal.
Galaxy Tab 2: Design and Performance

The Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 is an evolutionary step over the extremely similar Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus. Both models weigh 0.76 pounds, and both feature a similar design and build quality, and both have similar dimensions. Both measure 4.8 by 7.6 inches, but the Tab 2 is slightly thicker at 0.41 inches, compared to the 7.0 Plus' 0.39 inches. The balance and weight are such that this tablet isn’t onerous to hold one-handed, though I’d like to see the weight get lighter-still.

Only subtle tweaks distinguish the two. For example, the Tab 2’s plastic bezel curves around to the front of the screen, giving the front-face of the tablet a pleasing look. Tab 2 also has a larger infrared port, located along the top edge of the tablet when holding the tablet in landscape mode; the port now wraps around the back of the tablet, presumably to improve communications between the tablet and your entertainment components. The power button and volume rocker, also along that same edge, have a more rounded, easier-to-press shape. The microSD Card slot door is slightly (by millimeters) wider, too, and ever so slightly easier to open, but you'll still need to do so using a fingernail. You can add up to 32GB of storage via microSD, a big benefit over Kindle Fire, which lacks any expansion slot for local storage.

The back of the Tab 2’s case is a light, “titanium”-shaded plastic, as opposed to the darker brushed gray of the earlier model. And while the rear-camera is the same, at 3 megapixels, the Tab 2 lacks the flash found on the 7.0 Plus.

Scrapping the flash is just one thing that the Tab 2 sacrificed to achieve its low price. Inside, the Tab 2 has a 1GHz dual-core processor, down from the Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus’ 1.2-GHz dual-core processor. The processor change might account for why in the PCWorld Labs tests the Tab 2 took 14 seconds longer to boot up than the Tab 7.0 Plus; and it turned in noticeably slower framerate on the two GL Benchmark tests we run.

Other sacrifices: As noted earlier, the Tab 2 has just 8GB of memory, down from 16GB of memory found on the Tab 7.0 Plus. At 8GB, the Tab 2's built-in storage is on a par with Kindle Fire and Nook Tablet. And the front-facing camera drops from 2-megapixels on the Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus to a mere 640 by 480 resolution on the Tab 2—a significant real-world quality drop that resulted in pixellated conversations when using the camera for video chat.

Samsung's Plane to Line Switching (PLS) display is 1024 by 600 pixels, same as on the Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus before it. At this point, this display is merely average, as several 7-inch tablets with 1200 by 800 resolution are now available. I noticed colors were slightly off on the Tab 2 compared to how they appeared on the older 7.0 Plus model; detail in images viewed in the native Google Gallery app appeared slightly worse, too, although the tablets still scored closely on our display subjective tests. I'm currently investigating this issue. Some of the differences may be attributable to the display itself; or, they may have some root in how Google has changed Android's image handling between Android 3.2 (which shipped on the Tab 7.0 Plus) and Android 4.0.3 (which shipped on the Galaxy Tab 2).

Another interesting difference between the two tablets: The Tab 2 has better audio output. Music sounded fuller, and not in an over-processed way. The Tab 2 does have an equalizer option, which the 7.0 Plus lacked, but none of the effects were on.

As a bonus over its Kindle Fire and Nook Tablet competition, the Tab 2 adds Bluetooth and GPS, too. Together with some of the other features already discussed, the Tab 2 is ahead of the Fire and Nook when it comes to features.
Tab 2: The Software

The Tab 2 series is Samsung’s first to ship with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. In addition to Android 4.0, Samsung includes its own TouchWiz UX overlay with convenient pop-up launcher tweaks for fast access to a sliding bar of widget-like apps provided by Samsung (such as calculator, e-mail, and world clock). TouchWiz also provides an easy screen-capture utility and super-handy customizations to the settings pop-up, along with some Samsung-specific software apps, such as AllShare for DLNA network media sharing, and Samsung’s own app stores for games, media, books, and music.

In addition to the Samsung-branded apps, the Galaxy Tab 2 comes with a handful of useful Android apps pre-installed. Among them: Dropbox (with a year of 50GB Dropbox service included); the Peel Smart Remote app for use with the infrared port; and Polaris Office. The Peel app is a mixed experience, though; while it makes it easy to discover content visually, configuring the settings can be frustrating, and browsability could be improved. Ultimately, Samsung would do far better to write its own, more basic remote control app, as Sony has done on its Tablet S.

If you own a Samsung Wi-Fi camera or a HDTV, you may be able to benefit from some additional capabilities of the Tab 2that tie into Samsung’s product stable. Remote Viewfinder works with Samsung's Wi-Fi cameras. The Remote Viewfinder feature could have some interesting applications for group photos, for example; with this capability, you can use Wi-Fi Direct to form a connection between the tablet and the camera, and together with an app on the tablet, you can then use the tablet to control the viewfinder, shutter, zoom, and flash of the camera. Smart View lets you mirror content from your TV on the tablet, but this only works with Samsung 7000 series LED HDTVs, circa 2011 and beyond.
Bottom Line

Even though the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 has some nifty features like the infrared port and Wi-Fi Direct, it is neither a premium tablet nor a pure-play budget tablet. The big question is whether full Android compatibility and those extras are worth paying $50--or 25 percent--more than what you’d pay for an Amazon Kindle Fire or a Barnes & Noble Nook Tablet. The answer: A resounding yes, with a catch.

The catch, of course, lies with what lies around the corner in tablets—namely, Asus’s upcoming $250 tablet that's expected to have 1200 by 800 resolution and a Tegra 3 processor. That model still doesn’t have an announcement date beyond “second-quarter,” so for the moment, the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 is safely in the lead among inexpensive 7-inch Android tablets. It has flaws, but it delivers the most full-featured set of options among its current competitive set.

Pros
Has infrared port
Relatively inexpensive

Cons
Slow startup time

Bottom Line

This inexpensive, full-featured Android 4.0 tablet is neither the best performer nor the prettiest option; but it does well as a point of entry for tablet shoppers who feel comfortable without the training wheels of the value-priced tablets from Amazon or Barnes & Noble.

Samsung launches Galaxy S III teaser

Samsung is beating its Galaxy drum quite hard as it nears its new handset's launch day.
The company today launched a new teaser video -- the second related to its upcoming Unpacked 2012 event -- enticing people to acquire "truly smart technology" that can become a "natural part of life." The company doesn't show off the highly anticipated Galaxy S III, but takes viewers on a journey through space and finds a way to toss the Galaxy branding into the clip's text overlay.

One of the more notable additions to the video, however, is the end. Samsung says that with the right device, users will be able to "stand out from everyone else." As the latter part of that statement is displayed on-screen, Samsung shows an image of sheep. Although the company didn't mention Apple or its customers by name, detractors have long called the iPhone maker's faithful customers, "iSheep" for their ostensible willingness to follow Apple's lead and buy its products whenever they launch.

It's possible, of course, that the sheep had nothing to do with Apple. But considering that there is no love lost between Apple and Samsung and that both companies are trying to best the other in market share each quarter, it's hard not to see a link between the sheep and Apple.

Samsung plans to announce the Galaxy S III at its Unpacked 2012 event in London on May 3. Although it has been tight-lipped on the device's features so far, the latest rumors suggest it could come with a new design, a quad-core processor, and a 4.6-inch Super AMOLED Plus display.

Lava to launch two more Intel smartphones

India based handset manufacturer, Lava International will bring two more handsets with Intel Atom processor by this year end."Lava will be launching two more handset based on Intel chipset under Xolo series by the end of this year," said Vishal Sehgal, co-founder and director of Lava International to The Mobile Indian.
Sunil Raina, business head - Xolo, Lava International said, "Our first offing in the Xolo series is Xolo 900 and in the coming months we will adding one entry level Android phone that will be around Rs 10,000 and a mid-range smartphone that will be in price range of Rs 15,000."
Lava International on Thursday launched the Xolo 900 smartphone with Android 2.3 operating system, running on Intel's 1.6 Ghz Atom processor.Xolo 900, which will be available in the market from April 23, is priced at Rs 22,000 at Chroma which is a multiband outlet and it will be available in all the other retails stores by second week of May.

Lava's Xolo 900 comes with a 4.03 inch LCD touchscreen display. Notably, the Intel processor was hailed by many analysts who even rated it on par with quad core processors found in Galaxy Nexus and iPhone 4S.

Currently, the phone has Android 2.3 Gingerbread operating system but it soon will get the latest Android 4.0 which is also called as Ice Cream Sandwich. Besides, there is a 400 Mhz graphics core, will aid smooth play of graphic intensive heavy game found in the Android app store.

For shutter bugs also there is good news. Lava has fitted an 8 megapixel camera in the Xolo which it says can even record full HD (1080p) videos.

The smartphone, according to Lava, will give five hours of talk time when used on 3G while if you use the phone on 2G network, the phone will offer 8 hours of talktime.

Besides, the Xolo 900 has all other usual features like WiFi, Bluetooth, and HDMI port which allows users to connect it to a TV and enjoy videos and games.

Samsung I9300 Galaxy S3 specifications

General
2G Network GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900
3G Network HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700 / 1900 / 2100
4G Network LTE 700
Announced Exp. announcement 2012, May
Status Rumored. Exp. release 2012, Q3
Body
Dimensions 131.3 x 63.7 x 8 mm
Weight 126 g
- Touch-sensitive controls
Display
Type Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors
Size 720 x 1280 pixels, 4.6 inches (~319 ppi pixel density)
Multitouch Yes
Protection Corning Gorilla Glass
- TouchWiz UI v4.0
Sound
Alert types Vibration; MP3, WAV ringtones
Loudspeaker Yes
3.5mm jack Yes
Memory
Card slot microSD, up to 32 GB
Internal 16GB storage, 1 GB RAM
Data
GPRS Yes
EDGE Yes
Speed HSDPA, HSUPA
WLAN Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, DLNA, Wi-Fi Direct, Wi-Fi hotspot
Bluetooth Yes, v4.0 with A2DP, EDR
NFC Yes
USB Yes, microUSB v2.0 (MHL), USB On-the-go
Camera
Primary 8 MP, 3264x2448 pixels, autofocus, LED flash
Features
Geo-tagging, touch focus, face and smile detection, image stabilization
Video Yes, 1080p@30fps
Secondary Yes, 1.3 MP, 720p@30fps
Features
OS Android OS, v4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich)
Chipset Exynos
CPU Quad-core 1.4 GHz
Sensors Accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer
Messaging SMS(threaded view), MMS, Email, Push Mail, IM, RSS
Browser HTML, Adobe Flash
Radio Stereo FM radio with RDS
GPS Yes, with A-GPS support and GLONASS
Java Yes, via Java MIDP emulator
Colors Black
- Active noise cancellation with dedicated mic
- TV-out (via MHL A/V link)
- SNS integration
- MP4/DivX/XviD/WMV/H.264/H.263 player
- MP3/WAV/eAAC+/AC3/FLAC player
- Organizer
- Image/video editor
- Document editor (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, PDF)
- Google Search, Maps, Gmail,
YouTube, Calendar, Google Talk, Picasa integration
- Voice memo/dial/commands
- Predictive text input (Swype)
Battery
Standard battery, Li-Ion 2050 mAh