iBall Slide Android Tablet

Past 3 months, and is been just a tablet world. Olive, Reliance,Beetle and now iBall . iball primarily into computer accessories , Launched new first tablet named iBall Slide.This Tablet Available in affordable Price at just Rs. 13,995. 

Form Factor

Spekaing about the form factor, i really have no comparison to big giants but within its scale, i think its a good tablet. The Slide lacks the royal styling which current tablets offer,but i would say whatever the work, its put up nicely together. The first thing you’ll probably notice is the lack of a rear camera, which is a bit of a downer seeing at a 2MP camera lens is staring at you in the face for video VoIP calling support. The 7-inch capacitive display is actually quite bright and the though resolution.

User Interface

IBall Slider runs on a 1Ghz ARM Cortex-A8 processor with Android Gingerbread (2.3) the iBall Slide offers no customized UI.The UI worked out to be much more fluid compared to the others in its segment with enough juice to play full HD (1080p) content almost flawlessly.

Media

This is where it lacks to impress customers. Audio listening quality is not very great and is the major factor not to have this tablet as priority purchase for all music lovers. Strange is, even with the headphones, it works weak.

Connectivity

Other than 3G data connectivity via a USB dongle, the Slide also offers Wi-Fi, Bluetooth with A2DP and USB 2.0 on-the-go. Video chatting is enabled using the skype which can be either connected via 3G or WiFi.With Skype pre-loaded on the card you can video chat with your contacts via 3G or Wi-Fi. Rest of the android features like Gtalk,Search,Voice and YouTube are preloaded just like the other tablets on android. No GPS support is another down factor for this tablet. 

Battery

With video, 4 hours is what iBall guarantees, which i feel is less. Run iBall slide powered by 4000mAh lithium-ion battery for 2 hours of video and somewhat closer to that, run music, and i am sure what you will notice is nothing more than red bar of battery low time.

Nokia unveils Android-ish Like Symbian Belle

Nokia pulled the cover off Symbian Belle, which will debut with the three new models (600, 700 and 701).By the sound of it, this new version brings more improvements to the homescreen. The homescreen now consists of up to six rather than three panes and the widgets that live on those panes will be available in five different sizes.The widgets can be resized too, which gives you even more flexibility.

Another big change is a pull down menu for notifications from any homescreen - we're guessing Nokia has decided to copy Android's notification area much like Apple and Samsung. This menu will also offer toggles to control mobile data, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and Silent mode.

Free-form, differently-sized, live widgets: widgets like the clock, email, music player, favorite contacts and the calendar have been redesigned and now come in five different sizes and rearranged to create a completely personalized set of screens. There are also new ‘Toggle’ widgets for tasks like switching on Bluetooth and changing profiles.

More homescreens: with Symbian Belle the maximum number of homescreens rises from three to six, so now you can have absolutely everything close at hand.

Improved status bar: It looks more androish here with kind of similar features to have notifications of common features like missed calls,incoming messages and the rest.

Modernized navigation: the navigation and options bar at the bottom of the screen sports a modern, new look, similar to that first seen on the Nokia N9.

Informative lock screen: the lock screen now tells you about missed calls, messages in your inbox and more, so you can check your phone at a glance. You can now also add a colored wallpaper to your lock screen.

NFC devices: With Symbian Belle, Near-Field Communications (NFC) is now deeply integrated into the operating system, so you can share pictures, connect with accessories, and check-in – all with just a tap.

Visual multitasking: Switch between the apps with just a quick flick way :-) 

Skype's Facebook Chat Integration For Mac Users

Skype on Mac just received an update - a newly-released beta version of the popular VoIP service is now available. After adding HD video calling, Mac Beta 5.4 integrates Facebook more deeply into Skype.Skype users on Mac will be able to message and call their Facebook contacts. Additionally, it also features the popular 'News Feed' feature on Facebook right within the Skype application on the desktop. Easier access to News Feed while using Skype would be convenient to most of the Skype users avoiding need to screen shuffles.

To begin, all that users would have to do is sign into their Skype account, click on the tab called 'Connect to Facebook' and add their Facebook log in details. Another addition, which will only be visible to the non-paying Skype users would be the inclusion of display ads. 

Review : Sprout Social

Sprout Social was created for small business owners to be able to use their time more efficiently. Started in October 2009, this Social media management application takes care of most difficult social media tasks for any business. Lets hunt down its features:


Installation :

Sprout Social has different membership levels and offers a 30-day free trial.  If you’re currently using HootSuite or Tweetdeck, it’s worth taking a look at Sprout Social. Try Either the business plan or the basic plan for 30 days trial and i am sure you may like it. You can just start using this application by using your Twitter,Facebook or Linked in account.Don't worry, it really doesn't draw much time, Sprout social authorizes the app and provides you with access to its free trial within few seconds.

The Dashboard :

I am sure by now you will feel this has one of the systematically placed dashboard. Amazing color and varied features to catch hold of your time spending over this dashboard.There are a number of cool features with Sprout Social.  I’m not going to take time to cover them all. Ones you've connected with all the social media, you will have the dashboard as shown as above .The quick links are very well aligned for quick access. Along with the dashboard widget, there is also a provision for static sidebar quick icons. I really liked this cool look. The two most important terminologies followed by sprout social are Engagement and Influence.By now you must have guessed what it might be. Engagement is an indicator of how well you are communicating with your audience. The higher your engagement, the more valuable your audience will become to your business. And Influence  is an indicator of your growth and the interest level among your audience. These numbers are commonly low, but increasing them over time will result in greater brand awareness and enthusiasm for your business.

The Inbox :

If you sync FB, LinkedIn and Twitter , and all you have to do is , just click inbox and you have all mega sync at this individual place.Sprout Social stands out because of the way it brings together many different tools to cover just about every possible aspect of social networking. This section also allows you to DM, Follow and also Archive the feeds fetched from social sites.


Social Discovery:

Equipped with Twitter Search,Business search,people Search and Twitter Suggestions, the social discovery is made very simple. Save every record of search and track results as per your time.Thus bringing in more detailed information, it encourages the user to enjoy sucess over few simple smart clicks :-)


Report Generation:


So far i am sure you must have found this web application quite simple to understand and easy to use, but the word "Organized" is more relevent to this section. You can have complete overwhelming results of mentions,clicks,Retweets and replies, and not to forget, all in Graphical mode, including line and pie charts. 

Automatic Scheduler :

Like many other social media tools, Sprout Social also provides the ability to schedule messages to go out in as per planned time, including automatically sending out posts from any rss feeds. You can also manage your own RSS feeds.

The Diaspora* Way

Diaspora (stylized DIASPORA*) implements a distributed social networking service, providing a-decentralized alternative to social network services like Facebook. I have been using diaspora for quite a well now and i am quite impressed with its simplicity and simple UI. I am sure most of the people will feel that UI is similar to Facebook and some features are quite similar to Google+, but it will be shocking to tell you that Google+ was released later to Diaspora.

Lets head straight to the features of Diaspora.When you login to the system, the first sight is at Stream. The feature is quite similar to Facebook wall. A feature that i liked in this is the, Its embedded with URL shortening and RSS feeding.Also, the "Aspect" feature allows to post on diaspora more than ones at time. Toggle public services by clicking the icons and with the highlight of the post, it goes to the concerned person :-). I quit liked the share button type, it looks very cool. "All aspects" is feature to Share the post with Family,Friends,work and Acquaintances.

Every action is quite synched like twitter success messages right on the top of the browser view  It looks nice but Green could've been a change :-) With the feature of "Featured Users" you can search for Featured users you can Socially sync with. 

Inviting friend is just with a click. All your Facebook friends and other email friends can be clubbed to your Diaspora ecosystem. 

Diaspora is still in beginning stage but considering social medium i feel its much similar than Google+. With some quality work and good UI and social features, i am sure it will rock.

Beetel Magiq Tablet

Have a contemplating feeling to buy a tablet? Here comes another Tablet. With the likes of the Reliance 3G Tab making the tablet market cringe when it comes to the price, here’s one that thought they can do better. Beetle Phones and Beetle Codless and now Beetle Tablets. Having good chance, i had expirienced Beetle Telephones way back many years and i had no issue with it until it was aged. But I’m sure you’ll be quite familiar with atleast the name "Beetel".It’s priced at just Rs. 9,999 and i expect tablet prices still coming down. 

Beetel's Magiq 3G Tablet runs on Android 2.2 and has 7 inch TFT touchscreen and powered by a 1 GHz processor. Reliance launched their 3G Tab recently, but this tablet is cheaper and has faster processor. The Magiq tablet also comes with free 3G data for both prepaid and postpaid customers from Airtel.Whats surprising about the tablet is the pricing under Rs.10,000 considering it runs on Android 2.2.

Key features :-

• Android 2.2
• 7" WVGA TFT Touch Screen
• Dual Camera - (2MP + 2MP)
• Track Pad
• 3G Wireless
• Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n
• Bluetooth
• Dual Camera - 2MP/2MP
• 2200 mAh Battery
• External Memory Support - up to 16GB
• 1Ghz Snapdragon Processor
• Android Market
• E-mail
• Facebook
• Stereo Speaker
• Comfort Stand
• HD Playback
• 3.5mm Jack
• Portable Wi-Fi Hotspot

Huawei Ideos X2 - A New Launch

Huawei has so far launched three Ideos Android smartphones under its own brand name in the Indian market. Huawei has launched 3 new handsets Huawei IDEOS X5, IDEOS X2 and IDEOS Chat, in India


The design of the phone is different from the rest of the lot because the back panel has a matte finish which continues to the front of the phone till the bottom of the screen. Both side panels have a gunmetal finish. The top of the phone has a glossy finish. The body seems to be of good quality and looks nice and quite unique.


The device has a 3.2 inch capacitive touchscreen with 320 x 480 pixel resolution. The display is good to look at, producing decent colour and a sharp image. The touch response is good too. The track pap at the bottom aids navigation, making it a sweeter deal.


There are four physical buttons at the bottom of the phone, a volume rocker on the right side and a power button at the top along with a 3.5 mm audio and USB jack.

• 3.8 inch (800 x 480 pixels) WVGA TFT capacitive touch screen
• Android 2.2 (FroYo)
• Pre-loaded SWYPE for text input
• 5 MP auto focus camera with flash and 720p HD video recording and playback
• Exchange email support, document, and calendar management
• 4GB in-built memory, expandable up to 32GB with MicroSD
• Wi-fi 802.11n, Bluetooth 2.1 with A2DP, 3G and GPS with A-GPS
• 1500mAh battery
• 3.2 inch HVGA capacitive touch screen
• Android 2.2 (FroYo)
• Proximity and ambient light sensor
• 3.2 MP camera
• FM Radio
• Wi-fi 802.11n, Bluetooth 2.1 with A2DP, 3G and GPS with A-GPS
• 1150 mAh battery

Price : Rs.8,000/-

HTC Evo 3D - first Android smartphone with 3D capability

HTC Evo 3D is HTC's first Android smartphone with 3D capability Powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 1.2 GHz dual-core processor. The stunning 4.3-inch qHD display gives you crisp websites, vivid images and incredibly fluid videos.A new and improved camera and full HD camcorder with zero shutter lag and stereo sound recording so you can always capture that timeless moment.This phone features dual 5-megapixel cameras at the rear, for recording stereoscopic 3D video at 720p resolution.

Stream photos or videos to your big screen TV via DLNA so you can share comfortably to a bigger audience.Now your photos can have as much depth as the moment itself. HTC EVO 3D captures your photos and videos in 3D, plus you can view them without the glasses. 


HTC Evo 3D which brings not only 3D but also more battery capacity and screen pixels (540x960) to the party, may be welcomed by HTC fans for the small price difference. The HTC Sense UI is a value add as well. The only other 3D phone in India currently, is the LG Optimus 3Dwhich is priced slightly higher than the HTC Evo 3D.A personal Wi-Fi hotspot anytime, anywhere lets you share your Internet connection with multiple devices wirelessly.

Price : Rs. 34,000/-