Two Samsung Galaxy S III versions to hit Asian market

Samsung will release two different hardware specifications bearing Galaxy S III devices in Asian market.

Galaxy S III is the Samsung's flagship smartphone and most anticipated device in the markets. In order to keep up with the demand and as part of their strategy, Samsung might be releasing two different versions of the same Galaxy S III smartphone.

The Bluetooth SIG listing shows four different Galaxy S III models out of which the GT-I9300 is the generic one and GT-I9300X along with twoGT-I9300T being the high end ones.

The Galaxy S III with generic model number GT-I9300 is expected to be available in first week of June in India. As of now, the best buy price of this smartphone is expected to be around Rs 35,000 but that is not the final price.

GT-I9300 will come with previously stated specifications - Quad-core Exynos 4412 and Mali-400MP4 graphics. This version will be made available in Europe and Asian markets. The GT-I9300T might be the operator locked or co-branded version for Australia and several other countries including the US.

Finally, the GT-I9300X will be made available in the Asian Markets. Now the Galaxy S III for South East Asian markets will carry a totally different model name. So that makes it obvious that Samsung will introduce generic GT-I9300 and GT-I9300X models for Asian markets. As of now, the specifications of the GT-I9300X model are unknown.

Looking in the past, Samsung has always released several different versions of same Galaxy smartphone models - GT-I9000, GT-I9100, and GT-I9250. Last we spotted that the Galaxy S II smartphone was made available in India in two different versions GT-I9100 and GT-I9100G. The latter had different chipset housed. The difference in the performance of two different versions was also fairly noticeable.

Releasing two different versions of the same smartphone model also hinders the software update release timeframe. Here's our piece of suggestion for the Indian smartphone buyers - please do check the model-number of the Galaxy S III on its official packaging before buying it. You can save yourself from weeks of wait time.

Galaxy S III gets 9 million pre-orders from 100 global carriers

Korea Economic Daily is reporting that the Samsung Galaxy S III has received over 9 million pre-orders from 100 carriers around the world. This information comes courtesy of a Samsung official who remains anonymous.

Whichever way you look at it, that's an impressive figure. We knew the Galaxy S III was going to sell big but these numbers are much higher than what we would have bet on. It's predecessor, the Galaxy S II, took 10 months to ship 20 million units and the Galaxy S III took two weeks to reach almost half of that. Also, these are pre-order figures, not shipments, and are almost as good as actual sales figures.

Looks like Samsung has another winner on their hands. Obviously, this does not bode well for rivals such as HTC and LG. And even though this figure is nowhere close to the iPhone 4S pre-orders, Apple should be feeling the heat as well, especially considering the 9 million figure excludes Apple's key market, the US of A.

Specs for HTC Ville C leak, a cheaper One S with Sense 4.5

The rumor mill can no longer gossip about the HTC Desire C after it went official yesterday, but the HTC Ville C has come to fill its place. Ville, if you recall, was the codename for the HTC One S and according to the rumors, the Ville C is a cheaper version of just that phone.

According to the leaked specs, the Ville C will have an "ultra slim" body (though it's not clear if it will be as thin as the One S and if it has a unibody design or not), an 8MP camera with 1080p recording, 16GB of built-in storage and even the same 1650mAh battery.

It will run Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, of course, but the HTC Sense version is listed as 4.5. Currently, the One series uses Sense 4.0, so what can this new version bring?

The situation with the screen is a bit unclear - it's a 4.3" unit with qHD resolution, though the spec sheet calls it both "LCD" and "AMOLED". If the Ville C is going to be a cheaper One S, it might make sense to go for the LCD, but we'll have to wait to find out.

The processor has certainly been downgraded though - it's a Qualcomm Snapdragon S3 MSM8260 with the dual-core CPU clocked at 1.5GHz ala the one that powers the HTC Sensation XE. What you see in the specs sheet is most probably a typo.

There's no mention of Beats Audio, though since the entry-level Desire C has it, we would be really surprised if the Ville C doesn’t come with the sound-enhancing technology.

That's all the available info on the HTC Ville C for the moment, though we hope it will follow the example of the Desire C and leak a few more times to satisfy our curiosity.

Airtel slashes 3G tariffs by up to 70 percent

Bharti Airtel has slashed its 3G tariff plans, in some cases by up to 70%. The move stands to spark off a price war in the 3G segment, in an industry that is still recovering from the 2G price wars, and gradually increasing 2G voice rates from their all-time lows, with new TRAI proposals forcing matters.

Reports indicate that Vodafone and Idea will also be cutting their 3G rates in the near future, with different rates for each circle, depending on usage and presence. The Indian market of course, is very price sensitive, and reduced prices could really help bolster sales in lagging areas, and help it penetrate at a mass market level.

According to recently released figures, Airtel has roughly 9 million 3G customers, but apparently, only a quarter of that number can be counted as active data subscribers. Airtel has disclosed some of the new rates – its cheapest plan is now Rs. 10 for 30 minutes of high speed browsing. Other plans include Rs. 45 for 150MB, Rs. 100 for 300MB, Rs. 300 for 1GB, and Rs. 1,500 for 10GB. All previous plans will have a higher amount of downloadable data, for the same rates.

In volume-based browsing rates, prepaid and postpaid customers will now pay 3 paise per 10 KB, which counts as a 70% reduction from earlier prices (Rs. 10 for 10KB) . Airtel’s recently introduced Smartbytes mobile plans should also help users get the best value from their plans.

Airtel recently also introduced 4G series, first in Kolkata, then last week, in Bengaluru. Let us know what you think about the 4G tariffs and the new 3G tariffs, in the comments section below.

LG releases new interface for Optimus phones

The new user interface has several new features and improvements for the LG Optimus devices with Android 4.0 operating system.

LG has announced a custom user interface (UI) for its Android 4.0 based Optimus smartphones. The new LG Optimus UI 3.0 will bring in a new set of features and improvements. LG plans to implement the new Optimus UI 3.0 in the upcoming Optimus LTE II and Optimus 4X HD smartphone as well.

LG's new Optimus UI 3.0 promises to bring new improved set of features along with a novel Quick Memo function. With this new feature, users during emergencies can directly write/scribble text on the phone's home screen. Not only that, it also lets the user to share the same over social networks, text messages and even emails.

With the new Optimus UI 3.0, the first visible change comes to the lock screen which will now let users to swipe in any direction to unlock the device. LG has gone a step ahead with the usual Pattern Lock. The new Pattern Lock system in the Optimus UI 3.0 allows user to set a custom app that automatically opens once the phone screen is unlocked.

Also included is a user voice driven feature called Voice Shutter that takes images only based on user's voice commands. For imaging, LG has introduced something like pre-burst mode that lets user to choose the best shot from the multiple images clicked just before the shutter is depressed.

LG has tried to follow a simpler organisation approach by clubbing the main apps in a way that user finds it easy to access. Not only that, users will now get more personalisation option as they can set the images as icons or shortcut images. These images can be chosen from gallery and Icon Customiser app needs to be used for setting an image over the original icon logo.

LG Optimus UI 3.0 finally tries to level up with Samsung's TouchWiz UI and HTC's Sense UI. However, we wait to see the Optimus series smartphones with Optimus UI 3.0 hitting markets to make a call whether this UI nails it or not.

70,000 consumers avail recharge of Rs 100 by paying Rs 50

The deal was a runaway hit with users and as many as 70,000 consumers availed the offer in a single day to get double value of their money.

Around a week back TimesDeal.com, the group buying portal of The Times of India Group, in association with Paytm, a subsidiary of One97 Communications, had brought out a unique deal for prepaid mobile consumers in India where users had to pay just Rs 50 and got Rs 100 worth mobile recharge voucher from Paytm.

The deal was a runaway hit with users and as many as 70,000 consumers availed the offer in a single day to get double value of their money. .

Regarding the deal, Mr Rishi Khiani, chief executive officer of Times Internet said, "Offering maximum value for money to customers is core to the deals business. Therefore, the primary focus of TimesDeal has always been to offer users such relevant high value-for-money deals. The repeated overwhelming response bears testimony to this."

Harinder Thakhar, the chief executive officer of Paytm, said, "The reach of Times Deal combined with Paytm's perfect mass-appeal product, enabled us to strike this biggest online mobile recharge deal ever! What next? Well, how about 2 Lakh."

Vu 3D camera launched in India, at Rs. 19,990

Vu Technologies has launched the Vu 3D camera in India, priced at Rs. 19,990. A 16MP camera, it can record full 1080p HD video in both 2D and 3D, at 30 frames per second. It is available at Vu stores across the country.

With the Vu 3D camera, users will be able to capture 3D still photographs as well. It features dual lens-dual sensor (DLDS) technology (two 16MP sensors), allowing it to capture stereoscopic images. Interestingly, Vu has also given the Vu 3D camera a 3.2-inch autostereoscopic LCD display (320x480), not requiring glasses.

Users can connect the Vu 3D camera directly to an HDTV, via its HDMI port. It features 128MB of built-in storage, which can be expanded via SD card slot (up to 32GB). Optical zoom in 3D mode is up to 8X, while in 2D mode, it is up to 10X.

The Vu 3D camera features a F3.2 lens with a 5.1mm focal length, and records video in H.264 (avi) format. It can record 720p HD video at 60fps in 3D and 2D, take still images in 2M, 5M, 16M (firmware Interpolation) sizes, and 2D still images in 2M, 5M, 8M, 16M (firmware Interpolation) sizes.

Commenting on the launch of the Vu 3D camera, Vu Technologies’ CEO, Devita Saraf said:

“At Vu Technologies, we have always been ahead of the curve in terms of innovation, be it with products like the Super TV or the TelePresence. The 3D camera is another such innovation, and we are pleased to be introducing it at a time when the market truly understands technology. We believe that our product will see immense demand in a country like India for several reasons. First, there has been a huge sale of 3D TVs in India with very little access or availability to true 3D content. Second, conversion of 2D to 3D in conventional 3D TV doesn’t really give the real effect of 3D. Through this introduction, we aim to bridge the market gap and offer a solution no product in the current market scenario offers.”

Nokia 808 PureView camerphone won't sell for Rs. 29,999 in India

Nokia has said that its 808 PureView camerphone will not be priced at Rs. 29,999, after various media reports pointed out the price of the device mentioned in the “source code” of Nokia 808 PureView page. Nokia adds that the price mentioned in “source code” is a dummy pricing meant for its designers and the actual price of the device will be announced at the official launch.

According to reports, forthcoming Nokia 808 PureView camera phone will be priced more than Rs. 29,999. The device, which went for pre-order in Italy last month, was priced at Rs. EUR 599, which is roughly Rs. 40,000. The PureView is likely to be launched in India later this month.

The 808 PureView cameraphone was first unveiled at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) earlier this year. The Nokia 808 PureView features an extra-large 41MP sensor, along with high-performance Carl Zeiss optics and new pixel oversampling technology. Along with a maximum image resolution of 38MP, the Nokia 808 PureView’s camera sensor condenses 7 adjacent pixels into one, downsizing it to an extra-sharp and light-sensitive 5MP or 8MP image. Max image quality at 4:3 aspect is 38 MP, while at 16:9 aspect is 34 MP.

Other specifications are - single-core 1.3GHz processor, 512MB of RAM, 16GB built-in storage, USB-on-the-Go, Bluetooth 3.0, HSDPA 14.4Mbps, HSUPA 5.76Mbps, Wi-Fi N with DLNA, GPS and A-GPS, stereo FM radio, and even NFC connectivity. To know more about the new Nokia 808 PureView , read our previous coverage.

LinkedIn launches Windows Phone app

LinkedIn, the business-focussed social networking site, has released its first Windows Phone app, following the launch of its iPad app last month.

The new LinkedIn app is heavily inspired by the Windows Phone Metro-style user interface and Live Tile capabilities, allows users access real-time updates from contacts and groups. It also lets users access real time industry news and explore job listings. The app is available for free in theWindows Phone Marketplace and runs on devices having Windows Phone 7.5 and above.

"We know professionals rely on their mobile devices every day to conduct business and to stay prepared for their work day," a mobile product manager at LinkedIn, Tomer Cohen, wrote in a blog post. "We've been working hard to make this new LinkedIn app best-in-class in the Windows Phone marketplace."

According to LinkedIn, some features of its near-1MB Windows Phone app surpass those of the iOS and Android LinkedIn apps. LinkedIn says its Windows Phone app specifically direct users to the 'companies' and 'jobs' features. "You'll find that in some cases (hint: companies and jobs), the Windows Phone app offers even more functionality than its iOS and Android siblings," Cohen further says.

LinkedIn last month announced its iPad app, which was optimised for the new iPad's Retina display. The iPad app featured a new calendar with which users could check out the LinkedIn profile information for people with whom they are meeting. LinkedIn is said to have more than 150 million members worldwide. 

Dell Presents 22nm Xeon-Powered PowerEdge Microservers

Dell introduces its 22-nanometer Intel Xeon processor E3-1200 v2 product family, including 17 Watt and 45 Watt TDPs, PowerEdge C5220 microservers.

Dell announced that customers such as Morphlabs and Vibrant Media are using its microserver technologies based on Intel Xeon processors to power business-critical Web 2.0, cloud, and content delivery networks (CDN), as well as high-performance computing (HPC) applications. Driven by the emergence of a growing hardware and application ecosystem, x86-based microservers are growing from a niche solution to one with widespread awareness and value.

To show how its PowerEdge C5220 microserver are used in the real-world, Dell provided some real-life examples of applications that utilize the microservers.  

• Morphlabs leverages the PowerEdge C5220 for its mCloud Rack Enterprise Edition to provide optimized levels of fault tolerance in extremely elastic configurations. This is a critical component for Morphlabs to deliver its private cloud, allowing service provider partners to offer dynamic infrastructure services characterized by atomic, highly elastic computes for predictable and fast quality of service.
• An online media group deployed PowerEdge C5220 servers to help reduce cost and drive growth. Today, each server supports up to 50 percent more users than the group’s previous servers and the company has consolidated its server footprint by a ratio of up to 4:1, while supporting a classic Web 2.0 software infrastructure consisting of Linux, Apache, MySQL and PHP software.
• A leading company in data processing and imaging services for the oil and gas industry uses the PowerEdge C5220 to run its software for advanced seismic data processing and imaging.

   

To provide its end-users with the tools to meet their demands, Dell is updating its PowerEdge C5220microservers with the latest Intel Xeon processor family based on Intel’s latest 22nm-manufacturing technology. To help customers deploy cost-effective and scalable solutions for their IO intensive workloads in areas such as web 2.0, hosting and content delivery network (CDN), the new PowerEdge C5220 microservers feature:

• New Intel Xeon processor E3-1200 v2 product family including 17 Watt and 45 Watt TDPs designed to deliver up to 1.95 times more performance within the same rack, compared to the previous generation of microservers based on Intel Xeon processors.
• Up to 50 percent increased density versus the previous generation of microservers.
• Fast data access with DDR3-1600 memory speeds to help improve performance for data bandwidth sensitive applications.
• Key server features like ECC memory, 64-bit processing, Intel VT-x, and full software compatibility.
• Shared power and cooling resources that can use a fraction of the energy of traditional server offerings.

“We’ve been innovating with Dell on breakthrough microserver solutions based on Intel Xeon processors since establishing the category at Intel Developer Forum in 2009. Today we are excited to see new customers using Dell systems and taking advantage of the most power efficient Xeon processors ever delivered across a broader variety of workloads,” said Jason Waxman, General Manager of Cloud Computing, Intel. “The latest Dell microservers with 22nm Intel Xeon processors will enable customers to further reduce costs while processing workloads which benefit from high density configurations.”

The PowerEdge C5220 featuring the latest Intel Xeon E3-1200 v2 processor series will be available May 22, 2012. Pricing starts at $12,207. 

Apple iCloud due for first major update at WWDC

A recent report by WSJ indicates the fruity giant is likely to showcase an iCloud update at its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), which starts on June 11.

With numerous cloud storage and synchronization competitors, including the new Google Drive, making their appearance in the meanwhile, Apple’s due to make its first major update to its iCloudoffering since its launch last year, whether to play catch up or differentiate itself further.

The updated iCloud is expected to get new photo and synchronization features. Future iCloud users should be able to share photos and albums with other iCloud users, who will also be able to comment on them.

Native video synchronisation across Apple devices is also expected. Notes and Reminders features should get iCloud.com access, no longer limiting them to Apple devices.

Apple is likely to announce its new lineup of MacBooks as well, with the latest Intel Ivy Bridge processors. WWDC is hoped to also reveal an Apple TV and the new iOS 6 according to the report.

New Apple iMacs and iPods may just make an appearance as well, the speculation continues, mostly filling up the company’s portfolio (don’t get your hopes up on an iPhone 5 though).

HP All-in-One Desktop Powered by Ethernet

HP's new T410 All-in-One desktop boasts impressive energy efficiency packed into a single space-saving unit designed for mobile businesses.

The HP t410 All-in-One (AiO) features an 18.5-inch display and includes Smart Zero Client technology for automatic configuration and management. The new AiO unit draws power using HP's One Wire Technology and a single Power-over-Ethernet (PoE) cable, making it capable of operating on less than 13W of power.

Not only does one-wire PoE technology require fewer cables and reduces installation time for IT, it provides a much more reliable source of power, which is important for areas where networks tend to be in a better condition than AC power. However, for companies who lack Ethernet connectivity, an AC power plug is available.

The HP T410 is a multipurpose thin client capable of presenting a complex graphical experience based ARM processor technology and System-on-Chip (SoC) design. An integrated Digital Signage Processor (DSP) is working behind the scenes to make all of this possible, allowing for an improved multimedia experience while reducing CPU strain.

The t410 supports Citrix, VMware and Microsoft virtualization environments.

"You're letting the DSP do the hard work, talking to the server and delivering the rich media experience, thereby reducing the requirements on the CPU," said HP product marketing manager Walter Jurek, speaking to Techworld at HP's Global Influencer Summit 2012 in Shanghai.

The HP T410 All-in-One Smart Zero Client is expected to be available this summer, priced at $429.

AMD 'Trinity' A-Series APUs launched, with 2X performance-per-watt

AMD today announced the launch of its 2nd-Generation AMD A-Series Accelerated Processing Units (APUs) for mainstream and ultrathin notebooks, as well as All-in-One and traditional desktops, home theater PCs and embedded designs.

The 2nd-Generation A-Series APU, codenamed “Trinity”, is supposed to be a “grounds-up improved design” over the previous generation (Llano), which according to AMD, enables “best-in-class PC mobility, entertainment, and gaming experience.” A total of five SoC AMD Fusion APUs were released, with three mainstream laptop 35W processors, as well as two 25W and 17W ultrathin laptop processors.

The new AMD Fusion A-Series APUs promise double the performance per watt of the previous generation, and an increase in CPU performance up to 29 percent. All this is possible with the new AMD Piledriver and its 3rd Generation Turbo Core technology, dynamically clocking the GPU and CPU, and capable of boosted CPU frequencies up to 3.2GHz. AMD’s Start Now technology should ensure a resume time as little as two seconds, boot time as little as 10 seconds.

APU Model	AMD RadeonBrand	TDP	CPU Cores	CPU Clock (Max/Base)	AMD Radeon cores	GPU Clock (Max/Base)	L2 Cache	Max DDR3
AMD A-Series Mainstream Notebook APUs
A10-4600M	HD 7660G	35W	4	3.2GHz/ 2.3GHz	384	686MHz/ 497MHz	4MB	DDR3-1600 DDR3L-1600        DDR3U-1333
A8-4500M	HD 7640G	35W	4	2.8GHz/ 1.9GHz	256	655MHz/ 497MHz	4MB	DDR3-1600 DDR3L-1600        DDR3U-1333
A6-4400M	HD 7520G	35W	2	3.2GHz/ 2.7GHz	192	686MHz/ 497MHz	1MB	DDR3-1600 DDR3L-1600        DDR3U-1333
AMD A-Series Ultrathin Notebook APUs
A10-4655M	HD 7620G	25W	4	2.8GHz/ 2.0GHz	384	497MHz/ 360MHz	4MB	DDR3-1333     DDR3L-1333    DDR3U-1066
A6-4455M	HD 7500G	17W	2	2.6GHz/ 2.1GHz	256	424MHz/ 327MHz	2MB	DDR3-1333     DDR3L-1333    DDR3U-1066

Graphical performance has also been improved, with AMD promising an increase of 56%, using the new AMD Radeon HD 7000 Series graphics. According to AMD, combined, the CPU and GPU cores deliver more than 700 gigaflops of computing performance, which is several times more than the fastest x86 CPUs. AMD Eyefinity technology is also onboard, without the need for a discrete GPU. With AMD Radeon dual graphics however, AMD says that a performance boost up to 75% is possible.

Also onboard is the new AMD HD Media Accelerator, with new and improved AMD Perfect Picture HD, and AMD Steady Video, and the new AMD Quick Stream technology, and True HD video chat with up to four people at once.

With the announcement of the 2nd-Generation A-Series APUs, AMD is emphasizing on the vibrant developer ecosystem for the AMD Fusion platform, enabling over 100 applications and games to be accelerated by AMD APUs. The new A-Series will provide superior Web-based video experience, with new plug-ins for Chrome, Firefox and IE9 enabling AMD Steady Video technology. Recently optimized applications include Photoshop CS6, WinZip 16.5, and VLC Media Player. AMD says the A-Series APUs are also well-positioned to take advantage of the upcoming transition to the Windows 8 operating system.

The first AMD 2nd-Generation A-Series APUs will begin shipping with Acer, Asus, HP, Lenovo, Samsung, Sony and Toshiba devices, starting today.