Umeox unveils 'X5' world's slimmest smartphone

Umeox  'X5' 

The last handset to hold the record, Huawei's Ascend P6, did so for just seven days before it was knocked off its perch. 

Proving that a week is a very long time in technology, it has taken just seven days for a company to launch a phone to rival the Huawei Ascend P6, which, whenlaunched on June 18, was done so alongside the claim of being the world's thinnest smartphone.

And, at a mere 6mm thick, it really was a record breaker. The Samsung Galaxy SIV is a whopping 7.9mm and the iPhone 5 a far from svelte 7.6mm in comparison.However, fellow Chinese phonemaker Umeox has just gone one better with the X5, which at 5.6mm thick is now the world's thinnest smartphone, stealing the title from Huawei and relegating the its handset into second place.

In terms of internal specifications, the Umeox X5 offers a 5.3-inch touchscreen, a dual-core processor, an 8-megapixel rear camera, a 3-megapixel front-facing camera, and will come with the latest version of Android pre-installed.So although it beats the Huawei on physical dimensions, the Ascend P6 still has more under the hood, namely a quad-core processor, and a 5-megapixel front-facing camera to complement its 8-megapixel rear-facing unit.

The first reviews of the Ascend P6 have been overwhelmingly positive in terms of form, build quality and attention to detail, however, despite these aesthetic touches, underneath is a well-put-together mid-range handset. And with very similar specifications, expect the X5 to offer similar performance, albeit in a very slightly slimmer package.

However, while internal specifications and standout applications are gaining importance in mature smartphone markets as a way of differentiating handsets, particularly those that run the Android operating system where competition is rife and where most handsets appear almost identical from the outside, in China, a market that, while still in its infancy, has just overtaken the US to become the world's biggest market for handsets, the thickness of a device is of equal importance to the number of processor cores or the amount of built-in RAM.

And while Umeox is yet to confirm specifics -- such as screen resolution or battery life -- it has confirmed that the X5 will be coming to Europe as well as China and is expected to go on sale in France this summer before launching across the rest of the continent.And as the Chinese market and Chinese handset makers both continue to grow in importance, expect more and more devices to arrive on the market in the coming months claiming to be the thinnest or lightest.

Kindle Paperwhite ebook reader, Kindle Fire HD tablets

Before any manufacturer managed to produce an affordable e-reader for the average consumer, Amazon stepped up to bat with the release of the Kindle First Generation in 2007.

On its release date, the electronic-ink e-reader sold out in just under three hours. Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos accomplished what Sony andNuvomedia couldn’t – produce a functional e-reader, accompanied by an electronic bookstore, that offered approximately 90,000 titles. Since 2007, Amazon has expanded their digital book offerings, sped through four generations of Kindle e-ink machines, landing with the Kindle Paperwhite, and has even managed to stick their foot in the tablet revolution by introducing the Kindle Fire and, most recently, the Kindle Fire HD.

kindle fire hd

The most recent addition to the Kindle family, the Kindle HD, came on November 20 when Bezos introduced the revamped gadget at a press conference in Santa Monica, Calif. The all-new Kindle Fire HD is offered in both 7- and 8.9-inch versions, both boasting applications for email, Facebook, and even Skype, though the tablet runs a stunted version of Google’s Android system. This means that the only apps allowed to run are those supported by Amazon’s services. Each size is equipped with front-facing cameras. The sticker price for the smaller HD version is $299, while its larger-screened counterpart starts at $399; each starting price provides an accompanying 16 GB storage capacity. For an additional 200 bucks, the buyer can purchase a 4G version of the tablet, adding the ability to download movies and books when no access to Wi-Fi is available, and boost storage size to either 32 or 64GB.

Amazon has partnered with AT&T, providing access to their 4G LTE network. This network has been noted as one of the fastest cellular networks available, meaning that you should have no worries when you are out in Timbuktu trying to download that new blockbuster movie. However, this access comes with a starting price tag of $50 a month for 200 MB of data. Clearly, this may not be enough for your movie-hungry teenager or the gaming geek that wants to play that new action game in an area void of Wi-Fi access; though obviously, AT&T will gladly grant you more access for a few more dollar bills per month. Film fanatics and music lovers alike will be thrilled to learn that this tablet ships with the latest Dolby stereo speakers, rising above the weak speakers offered on the iPad or Google’s Nexus 7.

But wait, what happened to the classic Kindle that knocked everyone’s socks off at first mention? "Isn’t the Kindle manufactured solely to appease the bookworm?" you ask. No fear! It lives! Amazon has yet to forget about those who only lust for books. Along with the Fire HD, Amazon introduced the Kindle Paperwhite – a new take on its Kindle Touch. Introduced to get a leg up on its competitor – the Barnes & Noble SimpleTouch with GlowLight – the 6’’ Paperwhite has an improved E Ink resolution, even lighting across the screen, and an eight-week battery life. This impressive package triumphs over any other advanced e-reader with similar capabilities. The Nook GlowLight is said to have uneven lighting across its screen display, causing hot spots and distracting from the user’s reading experience. Amazon has perfected this technology, still following the anti-glare model screen to reduce eye fatigue and make sure that reading in direct sunlight is pleasurable; something that the Fire HD cannot promise.

Taking a break from reading has never been so simple; some basic word games are offered with the Paperwhite, such as solitaire and new crossword puzzles. Other helpful features offered on the Kindle Paperwhite include a built-in dictionary, annotation options, and parental control options. Worried about the experience your child will get from a black-and-white display screen? The most popular children’s books and comics are still available on the Kindle Paperwhite and are just as fun to read. At $119 for the Wi-Fi version, and starting at $179 for the 3G version, there is little to worry about if the device is dropped or damaged. If this is still too expensive for your taste, the non-touchscreen version of the Kindle is still offered at $69.  

Though this Kindle may not be as interactive as the Fire HD, this gadget is perfect for those only interested in reading that recently released bestseller, or the latest issue of Reader’s Digest. At just 7.5 ounces, the weight and size of the Paperwhite make it easy to hold in one hand for long periods of time – whether on a crowded subway or in a cafe drinking your morning latte. I have long been an advocate of the traditional E Ink Kindle, because it is what Amazon does best. It was the product that they first set out to manufacture, and the first to revamp the e-reader market. Head to pros like Samsung, Apple, or Google, if you are looking for a fully-featured tablets.

Micromax Canvas 4 pre-bookings open

The rage created by the Canvas HD aka Canvas 3 is yet to die, and Micromax is ready with its next flagship. The company will soon be bringing the Canvas 4 to the market.

The company has just teased the upcoming phone in a facebook post saying “Can life be endless”. Pre-booking of this phone will begin on 28th of June 2013. 

This phone is expected to sport a thin profile with at least 5-inch display HD screen. Unlike the A116 Canvas HD, the Canvas 4 will be heavier on the upper side, and slightly tapering thinner end towards the lower side from the back side. It appears this phone will have a metallic rim covering the phone, giving it a sophisicatd look. We can expect a 13 megapixel camera and quad-core processor with this phone. This will be a budget phone in line with Micromax's aim of making good phones available at affordable price points. We don't expect this to cross the Rs. 15000 margin and go to a higher price point.

Canvas 4

The company earlier denied making any Canvas Pro HD, and might simply call it Canvas 4.

Micromax has done it again. It has just announced a phone, just before the premium products are expected to hit the market. On June 20 Samsung is going to organize a launch event. This event is rumoured to witness the launch of  some Galaxy S4 variants, ruggedized version  of Galaxy S4 Active, Galaxy S4 Mini and Galaxy Zoom. Today Lava has also launched its gesture recognising phone Lava IRIS 504Q.

Micromax has done it again. It has just announced a phone, just before the premium products are expected to hit the market. On June 20 Samsung is going to organize a launch event. This event is rumoured to witness the launch of some Galaxy S4 variants, ruggedized version  of Galaxy S4 Active, Galaxy S4 Mini and Galaxy Zoom.

Last time it announced its Canvas HD, which immediately became popular in the Indian market, in January end. This was the time when BlackBerry, HTC, Samsung announced their products. In January Samsung had launch its large screen low-cost phone Galaxy Grand Duos, and later in February Samsung announced Galaxy Young, Galaxy Fame.

The Micromax A116 Canvas HD was able to battle it out with the Samsung and other competitors, but hit supply issues. We hope Micromax has a huge Canvas 4 stock ready for shipping, because this will sell like crazy.

iPhone 5S: More Leaked Photos

iPhone 5S:  Leaked Photos

iPhone 5S:  Leaked Photos

Samsung Unveils LTE-Advanced Version of Galaxy S4

Samsung on Wednesday unveiled an LTE-Advanced version of its Galaxy S 4 flagship smartphone, which will connect to networks that provide double the speed of today's 4G LTE networks, the company said.

LTE-Advanced is basically an upgrade from 4G LTE. U.S. carriers have discussed plans for LTE-Advanced, but are currently still rolling out their 4G LTE networks. When they make the switch to LTE-Advanced, however, a phone like the Galaxy S4 LTE-A would be able to take advantage of those boosted networks speeds.

Samsung Unveils LTE-Advanced Version of Galaxy S4

Given the limited availability of LTE-A, the new smartphone will first be available in Korea, starting this summer, in blue arctic or red aurora.

"Samsung maintains a unique position for delivering LTE innovations as a provider of the parts, devices, and equipment required to deliver next-generation 4G LTE services," Samsung co-CEO JK Shin said in a statement. "The introduction of the Galaxy S4 LTE-A demonstrates Samsung's desire and ability to provide consumers with technological innovations that take advantage of increased network speeds to deliver richer and fuller experiences."

Acer launches world's first 8-inch Windows 8 tablet at Rs27,999

Acer has announced the launch of Windows 8 based Iconia W3 tablet in India. Acer Iconia W3 is now available for a best buy price of Rs. 27,999 and comes with a free Bluetooth keyboard. Besides, Acer has also launched Aspire P3, a tablet-laptop hybrid. The Windows 8 tablet has a 1.5 GHz Intel Atom processor, 2 GB RAM, HDMI port and a huge 6800 mAh battery. The new Acer Iconia W3 810 has a 20.6-cms (8.1-inch) LED backlit multi-touch screen. The touch-screen has 1280x800 pixel resolution and 5 point touch mechanism. 

Acer launches world's first 8-inch Windows 8 tablet

This 11.35 mm thin tablet runs a dual-core Intel Atom Z2760 mobile processor that has a clock speed of 1.5 GHz. It has 2 GB DDR2 RAM that is expected to run the 32-bit Windows 8 operating system smoothly. Besides, the Acer Iconia W3 has 64 GB of internal storage.

Besides, the tablet has Wi-Fi, HDMI port, and a 6800 mAh battery. The tablet also comes with a Bluetooth keyboard for free as well. It weighs 490 grams

Acer Aspire P3 has a 25.4-cms (10-inch) HD touch-screen and comes with Intel Core i5 processor and Windows 8 operating system. 

Microsoft to unveil latest Windows adjustments

Microsoft is giving people a peek into Windows 8.1, a free update that promises to address some of the gripes people have with the latest version of the company's flagship operating system.

Although the preview version of Windows 8.1 is meant for Microsoft's partners and other technology developers, anyone will be able to download it for free starting Wednesday, exactly eight months since desktops, laptops and tablets with Windows 8 went on sale. The version of the Windows 8.1 update meant for the general public will come out later in the year, though a specific date hasn't been announced.

                                                 Microsoft to unveil latest Windows adjustments

Many of the new features have been shown off already. A three-day Build conference, which starts Wednesday in San Francisco, will give Microsoft developers a chance to learn more about the new system and try it out. It also will give the company a chance to explain some of the reasoning behind the update and sell developers on Microsoft's ambitions to regain relevance lost to Apple's iPad and various devices running Google's Android software.

There's also speculation that Microsoft could show off a new, smaller version of its Surface tablet computers. One of the new features in Windows 8.1 is the ability to work well on smaller-screen devices.

Windows 8, which was released Oct. 26, was meant to be Microsoft's answer to changing customer behaviors and the rise of tablet computers. The operating system emphasizes touch controls over the mouse and the keyboard, which had been the main way people have interacted with their personal

Intel launches 4th generation Intel Core processors in India

Intel, the world leader in computing innovation, on Wednesday (26-06-2013) introduced the 4th generation Intel Core processor family in India.

Based on Intel's leading 22nm microarchitecture, the 4th generation Intel Core processors promises to deliver up to 50 per cent increase in battery life in active workloads over the previous generation. This is the largest generation-over-generation gain in the company’s history, equating to 9 hours of battery life in active workloads for some Ultrabooks based on the new processors, said the company.

The 4th generation processors will also serve as the foundation for 2-in-1 computing. A 2-in-1 device works as a PC as well as a tablet.

Intel 4th generation Intel Core processors

“Today we deliver on the vision set forth 2 years ago to reinvent personal computing with the introduction of our 4th generation Intel Core processors,” said Leighton Phillips, Director, Product Management & Pricing, Intel Asia-Pacific. “Today’s announcement accelerates a new category of 2-in-1 computing devices delivering the best of a notebook and a tablet in amazing new form factors.”

The 4th gen Intel Core processors promises to deliver improvement in battery life over the previous generation in active workloads such as watching movies or surfing the Internet, and two to three times improvement in standby battery life. For some systems coming to market this year, over nine hours of active use battery life or 10 to 13 days of standby with fresh data on a single charge is expected.

The new processors also bring the great performance currently available in mainstream computing with the additional

Mercury mTAB Lite with 7-inch display,voice calling launched for Rs.6,000

Kobian Pte Ltd, owners of the Mercury brand, have a launched a new tablet in the Indian market called Mercury mTAB Lite.

Mercury mTAB Lite sports a 7-inch capacitive five point touchscreen. The device is powered by a 1GHz Vimicro Cortex processor alongside 512MB RAM and 4GB of internal storage, that is expandable by 32GB via a memory card. Connectivity options include Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Micro-USB and 2G data with voice calling, which is probably why the company positioning the device as a 'phablet' rather than a tablet.

Mercury mTAB Lite comes with VGA front and rear cameras and the built-in browser supports Adobe Flash 11.1. It runs on Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and is powered by a 2,700mAh battery. The tablet is 12mm thick and weighs 320 grams.

Commenting on the launch, Sushmita Das, Country Manager, India at Kobian Pte Ltd, said, "We are glad to announce the launch of mTAB Lite - ultra slim phablet. Wide screen, dual cameras, SIM for calling, powerful processor, OS that offers apps, games etc. are the major features required in a tablet. We at Kobian are focusing to introduce better models in the phablet segment that will meet today's consumer demand pattern for computing devices and better prices."

Mercury mTAB Lite is now available for Rs. 6,000. 

Kobian's Mercury mTAB Lite with 7 inch display, voice calling

Mercury mTAB Lite technical specifications

• 7-inch display
• 1GHz processor
• 512MB RAM
• 4GB internal storage (expandable by up to 32GB)
• VGA front and rear camera
• Android 4.0
• 2,700mAh battery

Samsung Galaxy S4 zoom

Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom is an Android smartphone which comes with 16 Mega pixel Camera with 10x optical zoom . It is powered by 1.5 GHz Dual-Core Processor and 1.5 GB of RAM. It comes with 4.3 inch qHD display, 8 GB on-board storage and 2330 mAh battery.Expected Price:Rs.35000.

Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom

AMD Unleashes First-Ever 5 GHz Processor 

AMD  unveiled its most powerful member of the legendary AMD FX family of CPUs, the world’s first commercially available 5 GHz CPU processor, the AMD FX-9590. These 8-core CPUs deliver new levels of gaming and multimedia performance for desktop enthusiasts. AMD FX-9000 Series CPUs will be available initially in PCs through system integrators. 

“At E3 this week, AMD demonstrated why it is at the core of gaming,” said Bernd Lienhard, corporate vice president and general manager, Client Products Division at AMD. “The new FX 5 GHz processor is an emphatic performance statement to the most demanding gamers seeking ultra-high resolution experiences including AMD Eyefinity technology. This is another proud innovation for AMD in delivering the world’s first commercially available 5 GHz processor.”

“AMD continues to push the envelope when it comes to desktop capabilities and power performance,” said Wallace Santos, CEO and founder of MAINGEAR. “In unveiling the world’s first 5 GHz 8-core CPU, AMD continues to lead the way in innovation while providing our customers with a best-in-class experience. We are thrilled to be part of this exciting launch.”

The new 5 GHz FX-9590 and 4.7 GHz FX-9370 feature the “Piledriver” architecture, are unlocked for easy overclocking and pave the way for enthusiasts to enjoy higher CPU speeds and related performance gains. Additionally, these processors feature AMD Turbo Core 3.0 technology to dynamically optimize performance across CPU cores and enable maximum computing for the most intensive workloads. 

Apple’s iPhone 5S revealed in leaked photos

Photos of Apple’s next-generation iPhone 5Swere published late Thursday evening and they show the inside of an assembled device as well as the assembled rear shell of the phone for the first time. MacRumors ran the images, and the site has published authentic photos of unreleased Apple products in the past. While much of what we see in the images has already leaked in the past, there are a few new details that can be ascertained, and one of them is pretty important.

 Apple’s iPhone 5S revealed in leaked photos

Apple is expected to launch the iPhone 5S later this year alongside a lower-cost iPhone with a plastic shell that will be available in an array of color options. Rumors have suggested that Apple is likely to release the new iPhones around the September timeframe.