WishTel Ira vs. Aakash 2: Budget tablets under 5k compared

The Indian market is already awash with budget tablets, and numerous new manufacturers are joining the race to further heat up the competition.WishTel, BSNL, Zync aBSNL recently forayed into the tablet market with the launch of three tablets including the ultra low-cost Penta T PAD IS 701R (priced at Rs. 3,250). Unfortunately, the availability of the tablets in the retail market has been delayed for a while.

WishTel, however, with its recent launch of two low-cost tablets, will for a while offer the most affordable low-cost tablet from a private manufacturer in India, with its ultra low-cost Ira-series tablets starting at Rs. 4,000.

While we're talking about the ultra low-cost tablets, we cannot fail to mention the Aakash 2 tablet, which is slated to launch in April. The Aakash 2 tablet is an ambitious project of the Indian government and is aimed at 'bridging the digital divide' in the country. The Aakash 2 tablet is going to cost around Rs. 2,276 (Rs. 1,500 approx. subsidised price).

We bring you a quick comparison between the two hottest ultra low-cost tablets – WishTel Ira and Aakash 2.

WishTel Ira

The WishTel Ira sports a seven-inch capacitive touchscreen with 800 x 480 resolution, while the Ira Thing has a resistive touchscreen with the same resolution. The Ira runs Android 2.3 Gingerbread OS and is powered by an 800MHz CPU. It has a 512MB of RAM. The device has a 4GB inbuilt storage expandable up to 32GB via MicroSD card. For connectivity, the device supports Wi-Fi, 3G and USB 2.0. The Ira has a 2,800 mAh battery. The device comes preloaded with a bunch of apps such as a Web Browser, Media Player, Photo viewer, Office, MSN, Skype, Gtalk, Note pad, Clock, Weather and more.

The WishTel Ira is priced at Rs. 5,000, and the Ira Thing is priced at Rs. 4,000. The specifications of both the budget tablets are the same apart from the fact that the Ira Thing has a resistive touchscreen and the Ira has a capacitive touchscreen. Also, the Ira Thing has a 2,200 mAh battery whereas the Ira has a 2,800 mAh battery.

Aakash 2

The Aakash 2 tablet is going to be an improved version of the original Aakash tablet, which was developed by DataWind. The device will have a seven-inch capacitive touchscreen and will be powered by a 700MHz Cortex A8 processor. The Aakash 2 tablet will have an improved 3,200 mAh battery, which is rated to deliver three-hours of back up. The device runs Android 2.3 Gingerbread OS and supports the following document (DOC, DOCX, PPT, PPTX, XLS, XLSX, ODT, ODP, PDF), image (PNG, JPG, BMP and GIF), audio (MP3, AAC, AC3, WAV, WMA) and video (MPEG2, MPEG4, AVI, FLV) file formats. For connectivity, the device supports Wi-Fi and GPRS. The Aakash 2 is priced at Rs. 2,276.

As you can also see, the Aakash 2 tablet continues to be the cheapest tablet in the market so far. Even at a price of Rs. 5,000, the WishTel Ira still costs twice as much as the Aakash tablet. But having said that, there's no confirmed information about the availability of the Aakash device. Though Union minister Kapil Sibal has said that the device will be launched next month, we're not sure that'll happen, especially considering the previous failures to meet deadlines.

Would you prefer waiting for another month to lay hands on the Aakash 2 tablet? Or, will you go ahead with WishTel's Ira tablet that costs you twice as much as the Aakash tablet?nd Intex are the latest entrants to the Indian budget tablet market.

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Five dual-core Android phones you can get for less than Rs. 25,000

Dual-core smartphones were considered a luxury premium product when they were introduced about one year ago. They were highly priced, packed a punch under the hood and finally we started seeing alternatives to a little device called the iPhone.Now, one year later, dual-core Android phones have been available in India for quite some time. The Google Play Store is also filled with apps that take advantage of the powerful hardware under the hood of these devices.

With quad-core phones just around the corner we thought we’d take a look at some of the dual-core phones out there for you that have seen a slight dip in prices – allowing us to bring you a list of the five best dual-core Android smartphones under Rs. 25,000. If you thought a dual-core Android powered smartphone was out of your reach, think again!

Will you pick up one of these as your next smartphone?

Motorola Atrix 2

Processor: Dual-core 1GHz Cortex-A9
RAM: 1GB
Display: 4.3-inch display with a resolution of 540 x 960 pixels
Camera: 8MP AF Camera with an LED flash and a front facing camera
Battery: 1,785 mAh
OS: Android 2.3 Gingerbread
Storage: 8GB Internal Storage expandable up to 32GB via microSD
Price: Rs. 22,990

Verdict: At its price point, the Motorola Atrix 2 is a fantastic product. It has a brilliant display. The MotoBlur UI skin over Android is fun to use with 5 customizable screens. The device also has a micro-HDMI connector so you can playback content on your HDTV. Did we mention the phone is built like a rock?

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HTC Sensation

Processor: Dual-core 1.2GHz Scorpion
RAM: 768MB RAM
Display: 4.3-inch display with a resolution of 540 x 960 pixels
Camera: 8MP AF camera with dual LED flash, 1080p Video recording and a front facing VGA camera
Battery: 1,520 mAh
OS: Android OS 2.3.4 Gingerbread upgradable to ICS
Storage: 1GB Internal storage expandable up to 32GB via microSD card
Price: Rs. 24,000

Verdict: At Rs. 24,000, the Sensation is one of the best smartphones from the HTC lineup. We really like the high-resolution display that is quite a bit better than what the competition has to offer at this price point. If you are looking for an overall value for money product that isn’t the Samsung Galaxy S II, you can definitely take a look at the HTC Sensation.

Read the complete ThinkDigit review of the HTC Sensation.

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Samsung Galaxy R

Processor: Dual-core 1 GHz Cortex-A9
RAM: 1GB RAM
Display: 4.2-inch display with a resolution of 480 x 800 pixels
Camera: 5MP AF camera with an LED flash, 720p HD recording and a 1.3MP front facing camera
Battery: 1,650mAh
OS: Android 2.3.3 Gingerbread
Storage: 8GB internal storage expandable up to 32GB via microSD card
Price: Rs. 21,170

Verdict: The only drawback to the Samsung Galaxy R is that it doesn’t feature a Super AMOLED Display. The 5MP camera is a great performer, the gorilla glass makes sure that your screen is safe and the battery life of the device is long enough to survive a hectic day.

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LG Optimus 2X

Processor: Dual-core 1GHz Cortex-A9
RAM: 512MB RAM
Display: 4.0-inch display with a resolution of 480 x 800 pixels
Camera: 8MP autofocus camera with an LED flash, 1080p HD video recording and a 1.3MP front facing camera
Battery: 1,500mAh
OS: Android 2.2 Froyo, upgradable to 2.3 Gingerbread
Storage: 8 GB internal storage expandable up to 32GB via microSD card
Price: Rs. 19,990

Verdict: The Optimus 2X with the 1GHz dual-core processor offers a definite performance improvement over the smartphones powered by 1GHz single core phones. The extra power under the hood does make it a snappier device. For a price of around Rs. 20k, this is definitely a steal. Along with the extra power, you will get a very capable phone, excellent display, a good camera, HDMI video out capability and 8GB built-in storage.

Read the complete ThinkDigit review of the LG Optimus 2X.

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Micromax Superfone A85

Processor: Dual-core 1GHz Cortex-A9
RAM: 512MB RAM
Display: 3.8-inch display with a resolution of 480 x 800 pixels
Camera: 5MP autofocus camera and a VGA front facing camera
Battery: 1500 mAh
OS: Android 2.2 Froyo
Storage: 8 GB internal storage expandable up to 32GB via microSD card
Price: Rs. 15,200

Verdict: Probably the only smartphone on our list to boast of gesture controls, the Micromax A85 Superfone is also the cheapest Dual-core smartphone available in the market. Its battery life may be shorter than the competition and considering the price point of Rs. 15,200 it does skim off on some features such as the camera and the build. The bright side is that you get a Tegra 2 powered Android smartphone under 20k.

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How to make your iPhone or iPad run faster

My iPhone (3GS), now nearing its second birthday, has seemed sluggish for a few months. It started around the same time that I installed iOS 5, that latest major update to the mobile operating system. When iOS 5.1 came out a few weeks ago, I wondered whether it would only exacerbate the problem when I installed it. Would the OS update take up even more space on my little phone, making it run even slYou don't need to know much at all about how your iPhone or iPad works, or even how much a gigabyte is, to make your Apple mobile device run faster. Follow these few simple steps, and you'll be on your way to a cleaner and quicker iPhone or iPad.

5 Tips for Making Your iPhone or iPad Run Faster

 

1. Check your usage.
Click on the Settings icon. Select General. Select Usage.

At the very top, you'll see two numbers: GB available and GB used.

You don't need to understand these numbers deeply. All you need to know for the purpose of making your phone run faster is the percent of free space you have. There are no hard and fast rules, but you probably want your available space to be at least 10 percent, but perhaps as much as 15 or 20 percent. Obviously, if the available space is larger than the used space, you're in good shape.

Note that when you add the available space and the used space, it won't add up to the total size of your phone (e.g., a 16GB iPhone will appear to have only about 13.6GB total space) because it doesn't include the space being used by the operating system.

Select any app, and a new page will break down the usage into two parts: the app and the data and documents stored in the app. For example, my Instapaper app takes up 30.7MB total:22.9MB for the app (see where it says "app size" on the image) and 7.8MB for documents and data. Sometimes, this information helps you see that it's not the app but what you store in it that's eating up space. In the case of my Instapaper app, I'm in the clear. Neither the app nor the data are taking up much space. To delete documents and data when they are taking up too much space, open the app where they're contained and remove them there, because you can'tdelete them from the iPhone or iPad Settings area.

2. Delete apps.
To create more available or free space, you'll need to delete apps, music, videos, or other data. Here's how to figure out which ones are worth nixing.

Staying right on the same screen from step no. 1, look through the next section, which shows the apps you have installed and how much space they use. This list automatically sorts by space used, from greatest to least. The apps appear at the top are using the most space. Most of your apps are probably measured in MB rather than GB (1GB=1,024MB).

The app highest on your list is probably either Music or Video. You can't actually delete those apps, but you can remove some of the music or video files, explained next in step no. 3. But first, take a look at the other apps in the list and decide which ones you'll delete. Judging them by the amount of space they consume could be more effective than simply thinking about whether you want to keep them.

To delete apps, go to your iPhone or iPad's homescreen and press and hold any app. All the apps will quiver on screen, and a small black X will appear on the top right corner of the icons for any app that can be deleted. Press the X, and you'll see a screen asking for confirmation to delete the app. For some apps, you may see a second confirmation screen, warning you that you'll lose additional information associated with the app, such as data in Game Center. To kiss those apps goodbye, confirm.

3. Delete songs, albums, podcasts, videos.

You can delete music and videos two ways.

From Settings. Staying in the Usage screen (Settings > General > Usage), tap the option for Music or Video in the apps list. The next screen summarizes your music and podcast data usage. Clean out any of these in one shot by pressing the Edit button (top right), hitting the red circle with white stripe next to the appropriate entry, and selecting "delete." This action deletes all the files associated with the entry. It doesn't give you a track-by-track option for deleting.

From within the apps. You can delete track by track, album by album, and so forth, from within the app. Launch the app, navigate to a page that shows the items you want to delete, and simply use one finger to swipe from right to left across the listings you want to delete. When the delete button appears, press it.

4. Delete Photos.
Confusingly, when you navigate to Settings > Photos, you can't see how much space the images on your iPhone or iPad use. The easiest way to see this statistic is to connect your device to your computer and open iTunes. Click on the device name at the left side of the dashboard, and you'll see at the bottom a graph showing how many GB different features use. It's color-coded; photos are orange.

If you want to save images to your computer, you can import to your computer. To delete them from the iPhone or iPad, go to the Photos app and open any album. Click the square-with-arrow icon at the top left, then tap each photo you want to delete; when you've selected them all, press the red delete button. Alternatively, from the Album page, select "Edit" to delete entire albums in one shot.

5. Clear Safari's cache.
Another way to free up space is to clear the Safari Web browser cache.

Go to Settings > Safari.

In the image below, it's right in the center.  

Next, two buttons are applicable: Clear History and Clear Cookies and Data. If you've never cleared your Safari browser before, you'll probably want to use both these buttons. When the history or cookies and data sections are empty, the text of those buttons will turn gray.

There's one more step you can take in the Safari area, and it's under this section: Advanced > Website Data. At the bottom of that page, you can select "Remove All Website Data," which may free up some additional space.

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Zync launches Android 4.0 ICS-based Z-990 tablet for Rs. 8,990

Competition in the budget tablet segment has continued to intensify. The latest entrant in the market is Zync's Z-990, which the company touts as India's first Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich tablet. Priced at Rs. 8,990, the Zync Z-990 runs a powerful 1.2GHz processor with 1GB of RAM.The Zynch Z-990 has a seven-inch display with 800x480 pixels resolution and 0.3MP front facing camera. It has 4GB of internal storage. For connectivity, the device supports Wi-Fi, 3G, and USB 2.0. The Zynch Z-990 comes with a standard 3,600 mAh Li-ion battery. The device is available at online retail store Letsbuy for Rs. 8,500.Zync says the Z-990 is India's first ICS tablet with features such as control over data usage, new gallery app with photo editor, new lock action, new user interface, new camera capabilities and five point touch. The company says it has launched the Z-990 after receiving positive feedback over its previous tablets Z-900, Z-909 and Z-999.Earlier we'd reported that Micromax's P-300 was the first tablet in India to run on the latest Android ICS operating system. The device was spotted on online store HomeShop 18, which had then listed it as “out of stock”. However, the website later pulled that image and name of the device. According to reports, the device is likely to return on the site after it is officially launched.Zync's Z-990 is going to compete with other Indian budget tablets including the recently launched Intex i-Tab. Check out our coverage on Intex's i-Tab here.

Also read,

• Best tablets in India under Rs. 15,000
• Reliance CDMA Tab - India's first CDMA tablet at Rs. 12,999

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Jabra launches UC Voice Series headsets, promising affordable UC deployment

Jabra has launched four models of its UC Voice Series of headsets in India, hoping to provide companies a cost-effective means for deploying unified communications.According to Jabra, there is an expected growth potential in the field, to the tune of roughly Rs. 35-70 billion by 2014. Speaking on the rise of the unified communications industry, Jabra’s MD of South Asia, Ralph Ede, said:“Today there are approximately 7.8 million users of UC. By 2015 that number is expected to skyrocket to 49.5 million. Optimization of these investments by adding the voice dimension to the UC experience and attaching headsets that offer superior sound, comfort and build will have a tremendous impact when wanting to ensure the right ROI.” All four Jabra UV Voice Series headsets were designed specifically for companies looking for a cost-effective means of deploying headsets across an organization and to accommodate for the different working styles and environments without compromising on quality.

In addition to headset solutions for light to heavy users, the Jabra UC Voice Series also features a portable headset developed for today’s virtual offices that is the industry’s first corded UC headset with a behind-the-ear wearing style and discreet form factor for video conferencing.Apart from promising easy maintenance and superior sound clarity, Jabra’s UC Voice series of headsets will feature two-year global warranty. To learn more about the Jabra UC Voice Series or to learn where to buy the headsets, please visit www.Jabra.com. 

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Asus launches its GeForce GTX 680 card at Rs. 46,000

The Asus GTX680-2GD5 has been given an astonishingly high price of Rs. 46,000 excluding taxes, roughly Rs. 14,000 more than ZOTAC’s GTX 680 (read our review) offering, which has been priced at Rs. 32,000.

We, like the rest of the Indian tech industry are a bit flummoxed by the pricing – the card after all is not factory overclocked (same 1006MHz core clock, and 6.008GHz effective memory clock), or feature any special partner customization of note – hopefully, street prices will be much, much lower. Did we mention it comes with Asus GPU Tweak software?

Find complete specifications at the end of the article.

The Nvidia GeForce GTX 680 is a fighting contender for the crown of the fastest single-GPU card, competing and even beating the AMD Radeon HD 7970 in some cases. It is based on Nvidia’s new 28nm process, and features the company’s new 3.54 billion transistor Kepler GPU. For more details about the GTX 680, such as memory bandwidth, TDP rating, etc., refer to our previous coverage.

Graphics Engine - NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680 Bus Standard - PCI Express 3.0 Video Memory - GDDR5 2GB Engine Clock - 1058 MHz CUDA Core - 1536 Memory Clock - 6008 MHz ( 1502 MHz GDDR5 ) Memory Interface - 256-bit Resolution DVI Max Resolution - 2560x1600 Interface DVI Output - Yes x 1 (DVI-I), Yes x 1 (DVI-D) HDMI Output - Yes x 1 Display Port - Yes x 1 (Regular DP) Accessories - 1 x Power cable Software - GPU Tweak Dimensions - 10.08 " x 4.37 " x 1.47 "

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Angry Birds Space Review

Price: NA

Our Rating: Excellent

4.5/5

Features:

Performance:

Value:

Design:

PROS

• New gravity mechanics are fun to play
• 60 new levels to play through
• Revamped Birds look cool
• Space age sound effects

CONS

• Expensive for Mac app store and Windows
• Free Android version has ads
• Danger Zone levels are an in-app purchased

Summary

Overall, Angry Birds Space is a must buy for anyone remotely interested in puzzle games on smartphones. The new zero gravity and planetary mechanics add fresh elements to the gameplay and the redesigned birds simply look cool. Besides, the game is free on Android and $0.99 on iOS really isn't a deal breaker. With more levels expected in the coming months, you will definitely be flinging birds in space for a long time.

Review :

When Angry Birds was slingshot onto smartphones all over the world in 2009, the game became synonymous with addiction. The excitement of flinging an assortment of birds at a bunch of pigs hiding in some strangely designed structure was at first unfathomable yet exciting.

Two versions later (Angry Birds Seasons and Angry Birds Rio), the Angry Birds franchise has tried to maintain some freshness with variations in levels and the addition of some new birds to fling at foes.

Does this new installment in the series have what it takes to keep the Bird slinging addiction alive or are we better off looking elsewhere?

Revamped Gameplay
The gameplay in Angry Birds Space has been significantly revamped from its predecessors. As the name suggests, the Birds are now battling the pigs in space, adding new elements to gameplay, such as gravity, and the absence of it.

Zero gravity adds a nice mix to Angry Birds gameplay, as you will never be sure of the direction your bird will take after its impact with the target. There is also the addition of moons/planets with their own gravitational pull, which adds new physics elements and some brain scratching puzzles. It is fun to watch the birds circle a small planet a couple of times before making contact with the desired target. When the number of gravity enabled planets increases from one to two, the excitement of watching the birds go round in various ways is thrilling.

The addition of zero gravity and the gravity-enabled planets is a great refreshment from the simple slingshot experience of the past iterations of Angry Birds.

The Angry Birds Receive a Makeover
It’s not only the levels that have been redesigned for space. The Angry Birds themselves have been rehashed, and been made “cooler” for outer space. The simple Red Bird now has a pair of space age goggles that would give Geordi La Forge (the dude from Star Trek: The Next Generation with the funky glasses) a run for his money.

Another noteworthy makeover to Angry Birds is the yellow triangle bird that picks up speed like a rocket when the screen is tapped. For starters, the colour has been changed to jazzy purple and now the direction in which the bird zooms can be selected by simply tapping the location on screen.

Similarly the exploding bird of Angry Birds along with the one that splits into three too have received a makeover in terms of their looks. There is also an addition of a new bird in Angry Birds Space. This bird is a square ice-coloured bird that freezes its surroundings on impact.

The addition of the “new bird” along with the “outer space” environment has really refreshed the Angry Birds gameplay.

Number of Levels and PlatformsThe number of devices on which Angry Birds is available is no longer restricted to smartphones and tablets. You can play the game on your Mac, Windows PC, iPhone, iPad, Android smartphone and Android Tablets. And soon, Windows Phone.

The free version on Android (with ad support) comes with two worlds that comprise of 30 levels each. Additional 30 levels of Angry Birds Space, called the Danger Zone can be bought as an in app purchase. Samsung Galaxy Note users can download these additional levels from the Samsung App store.

Space Age MusicIf you are one who doesn’t play the game on mute, then you will undoubtedly appreciate the background score of the new Angry Birds game. The game has a very Star Trek theme music to it that adds as a subtle touch to immerse gamers more in the feeling of being in space.

VerdictOverall, Angry Birds Space is a must buy for anyone remotely interested in puzzle games on smartphones. The new zero gravity and planetary mechanics add fresh elements to the gameplay and the redesigned birds simply look cool. Besides, the game is free on Android and $0.99 on iOS really isn’t a deal breaker. With more levels expected in the coming months, you will definitely be flinging birds in space for a long time.

Pricing and AvailabilityiPhone/iPod touch: $0.99
iPad: $2.99
Android: Free
Mac App Store: $4.99
Windows PC: $5.95

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Google Play store added to navigation bar

Google Play, the Big G's replacement for the Android Market, has been promoted to the top of the Google home page.

Google Play is now sitting in pride of place in Google's navigation bar, lurking between Maps and YouTube – an indication of just how much importance Google's attaching to its new app store. Even key Google services like Reader and Shopping are relegated to the drop-down menu at the end of the navigation bar.

Whether Google Play manages to keep its lofty position, or whether it's unceremoniously dumped like poor, unloved Google Wave, only time will tell. In the meantime, if you're thinking of taking advantage of Google Play's services, check out our Android apps of the week.

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FIX DAMAGED HEADPHONES

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Wishtel launches two 'Ira' Android budget tablets, starting Rs. 4,000

Wishtel launches two 'Ira' Android budget tablets, starting Rs. 4,000

Wishtel India has launched 2 tablets in the Indian market, the Ira Thing and the Ira. The two tablets are priced at Rs. 4000 and Rs. 5,500 respectively, plus tax.

The specifications of both the budget tablets are the same apart from the fact that the Ira Thing has a resistive touchscreen and the Ira has a capacitive touchscreen. The battery of both the devices too is different.

The Ira Thing has a 2,200 mAh battery where as the Ira has a 2,800 mAh battery. Other specifications of the device can be found in the table at the end of the article.

The device comes preloaded with a bunch of apps such as a Web Browser, Media Player, Photo viewer, Office, MSN, Skype, Gtalk, Note pad, Clock, Weather and more.

The devices on display at the press event ran Android 2.2 Froyo but the manufacturers have confirmed that the device will launch with Android 2.3 Gingerbread.

Apart from Android, customers will have the option to use the tablet on the Linux Sugar OS.

Speaking at the event, Milind Shah, CEO, Wishtel, said:

“This launch is the first step in our long term vision of bringing people closer to technology by creating gadgets that truly touch their lives. By enabling support for Indian languages, we are providing the opportunity for hundreds of millions of Indians to join the tablet revolution that is sweeping the globe today. We also hope to reach out to those brilliant minds in India that are inhibited for the lack of proper resources.”

Richard Brown, VP International Marketing, VIA Technologies, Inc., added:

“With the introduction of the IRA and IRA Thing, Wishtel is leading the way in driving tablet innovation in India. The potential for these devices is breathtaking, particularly in areas such as education.”

Click to enlarge

From the specifications of the device and its build it is clear that Wishtel is aiming to take on the Aakash and the Aakash 2 tablet that is being manufactured by Datawind for the India government.

Specifications of Wishtel Ira Thing i-Pad and Ira i-Pad

7-inch touchscreen with a resolution of 800x480 800MHz CPU 512 MB RAM OS: Android 2.2/2.3 4GB inbuilt storage expandable up to 32GB via MicroSD card Wi-Fi The device has a USB 2.0 port to which users can connect a 3G dongle Card reader Headphones jack 1.3MP front facing camera and no rear shooter Dimensions: 20.3 x 13.7 x 1.45cm Weight: 0.37 kg

 

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