Zync launches another ICS-based budget tablet, Z-990 Plus

Zync has added another ICS-based budget tablet to its portfolio – Z-990 Plus – an improved version of the Zync Z-990 that launched earlier this year. The new Zync Z-990 Plus is powered by a 1.5GHz processor and equipped by a MALI 400 GPU.

The company is promoting its new tablet as an entertainment device as it comes bundled with 1-month free subscription for BigFlix via a dedicated app. Users are given a wide collection of over 1,000 movies from all sorts of categories, such as action, comedy, romance, drama, etc.

Zync has also entered into partnership with online gaming firm, Ibibo which is offering a wide range of online games spanning 40 categories on the tablet. With a dedicated Ibibo app, users can play wide range of Android-based social and multiplayer games for free. The app features popular games such as Teen Patti, Rummy, Can You Draw, Speed Wordz and Word War.

Speaking of specifications, Zync Z-990 Plus runs on Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich operating system. It has a seven-inch display with 800x480 pixel resolution. Other specifications of the device include 0.3 MP frontal camera, 1GB of RAM, 4GB of built-in storage and expandable memory up to 32GB via a microSD card slot. For connectivity, the Zync Z-990 Plus supports i-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, 3G via USB dongle, microUSB, HDMI and a 3.5mm jack.

The Zync Z-990 Plus has been officially priced at Rs. 6,490 and it will be available at various retail outlets across 22 states in India. The device is also available online via shopping sites such as Snapdeal, HomeShop18, seventymm, Indiatimes, FutureBazaar and Naaptol.

Zync's Z-990 Plus is another addition to the already flooded budget tablet market in India. The device will be facing competition from the likes of Micromax Funbook and WishTel Era. For more, you can check out our Top 10 Budget Tablet list.

What do you think of the new Zync Z-990 Plus tablet? Let us know in the comments section below:

Samsung Galaxy Ace Duos (GSM-GSM) officially launched at Rs. 15,090

Samsung has officially launched its GSM-GSM version of the Galaxy Ace Duos smartphone in India at Rs. 15,090, a device it first revealed last month.

The GSM-GSM Galaxy Ace Duos runs on Android 2.3 Gingerbread operating system with Samsung's TouchWiz UI on top. It has 3.5-inch HVGA TFT-LCD display with a 320 x 480 pixel resolution. Other specifications of the device include 5MP rear camera, 832MHz processor, 3GB built-in storage, microSD card support for up to 32GB and 1,300 mAh battery, which is rated to deliver 6.5 hours of talktime on 3G, and 16 hours of talktime on 2G.

In terms of connectivity, the device supports 3G, EDGE/ GPRS, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth with A2DP and USB 2.0 (Micro). The device also has ‘Dual-SIM always on’ feature, allowing users to field calls from either SIM, simultaneously.

The Galaxy Ace Duos comes with a wide range of applications, including the popular ChatOn and My Movies. While ChatOn lets users chat with friends and contacts, My Movies app lets users access the Indian movies. There's a My Music app as well that lets users browse, download and listen English and Bollywood numbers.

The smartphone will now join the already existing GSM-CDMA version of Galaxy Ace Duos. The GSM+CDMA version of the device was launched at Rs. 16,900, but is currently selling for roughly Rs. 14,000.

EA, Wooga pulling games from Google+ due to lack of active users

Last month a report revealed that Google's social network wasn't doing well in terms of user engagement in spite of having a 100 million plus global users base. The report further said that an average Google+ user posts once every 12 days, and even after a user has posted five times, there's still a 15 percent chance the user will never post again.

The impact of dipping popularity of the social networking website are now becoming apparent – a number of popular game titles have been pulled out of the Google+ due to lesser active users on the site. Bejeweled Blitz by EA’s PopCap division was removed.

“PopCap has decided to suspend Bejeweled Blitz on Google+ to redeploy our resources to other adaptations of Bejeweled,” a PopCap spokesperson told TechCrunch. “Certainly, Google is a valuable gaming partner for PopCap and EA, and we’ll continue to develop for Google platforms.”

Besides Bejeweled, social game developer Wooga has also announced removing its games, Diamond Dash and Bubble Island, from Google+ on July 1. Wooga has already pulled out its Monster World title in May.

Wooga revealed that the company had decided to remove its games from Google+ simply because Facebook had larger base of active users and it was unlikely that users playing games on Facebook will switch to another platform for gaming.

Time in its report sheds light on problems faced by Google's social networking. The report points out that in spite of Zynga's coming on board with Google for bringing games on the network, users didn't turn up. It also suggests that Google should not just focus on “mimmicking” Facebook, but concentrate on the fact that its social network, Android and Chrome “appeal to tech-savvy users” and should come with something big. Read the full Time reporthere.

Mashable voices a similar opinion in its report, which says Google will be forced to come up with something bigger than just a usual redesign to engage its users. As of now the social network has more than 40 games in its catalogue. The pPulling out of two developers isn't going to have massive impact but then there are no signs of Google turning the tide against its rivals.

Enjoy 20 minutes of Dead Space 3 gameplay footage

Dead Space was a game that not only redefined the horror action genre but also was successful in stealing Resident Evil’s thunder.

At E3 2012, EA announced the third iteration of the franchise. The game is conveniently titled Dead Space 3.

In this game, players will don the role of the lead protagonist from the previous games - Isaac Clarke. The gameplay demo below has been narrated by Steve Papoutsis, Executive Producer at Visceral Games, the studio behind the horror game franchise. The demo begins during Act II of the game. Dead Space 3 for the first time brings with it co-op gameplay. Gamers will get an in-depth look at how Isaac and his partner Carver will work their way through the frozen planet of Tau Volantis.

The Dead Space 3 video also gives us a glimpse at new environments, co-op gameplay mechanics, new weapons, new enemies and an epic boss fight. There are also moments when the necromorphs jump out of nowhere at you. Classic gameplay elements such as stasis too makes an appearance here. The weapons too seem to be upgraded from the past games in the series. Some guns appear to have secondary fire, whose ammo is visibly separately in Isaac’s HUD. There are also some context sensitive cinematic moments that have Isaac jumping through some death defying scenarios.

A twist to the franchise is that apart from the necromorphs, players will also take on human enemies as well. The game will launch for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and the PC. No specific launch date was mentioned but we can expect the game to hit store shelves in 2013.

Microsoft Announces Two New Microsoft Surface Tablets

The mystery has been solved! Or should we say revealed?

Microsoft last week announced plans for a secret event in Los Angeles this evening. The company offered no indication as to what it could possibly be planning to show us, but rumors suggested Redmond was preparing to debut an own-brand tablet. Needless to say, Microsoft's didn't disappoint, with not one but two versions of a new tablet called the Microsoft Surface. The first is an ARM powered device based on Windows RT, while the second is a full Windows tablet based on Intel technology.

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The ARM-powered Microsoft Surface is 9.3mm thick and has a 10.6-inch display as well as a kickstand that flips out of the back of the device's magnesium casing. This kickstand is especially useful when used in conjunction with the Surface's cover. Boasting a similar clip-on design as Apple's SmartCover, the Surface's cover actually doubles as a full multi-touch keyboard complete with trackpad. This case measures in at 3mm thick.

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Microsoft also showed off the Surface for Windows 8 Pro, which is a full PC based on an Intel Core i5 CPU. The tablet is slightly thicker than the ARM-powered Surface, measuring in at 14mm thick and weighing 2lbs, but it comes with that same awesome multitouch keyboard/trackpad cover. In addition, it also comes with both pen and touch input, and the TypeCover, which is the same as the multi-touch cover but with real physical buttons.

No pricing just yet, but Microsoft said today that the ARM version would be available in 32GB and 64GB capacities and priced "like comparable tablets based on ARM." So take from that what you will. As far as the Surface for Windows 8 Pro is concerned, you're looking at 64GB and 128GB models, with pricing matching that of an Ultrabook PC. Availability is set for around the same time as the Windows 8 launch. 

So, who wants one?

[UPDATE] It looks like surface.com is live. Right now it's showing off a lovely Surface tablet in Lumia blue. Altogether now: "Oooooh!"

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[Update 2] Surface.com, now with more sexy video action (thanks, kcorp2003)! Something about the music makes me want one of these even more. That's the marketing team's job done, I guess. Check it out below.

Microsoft Surface Promo

Top 5 Android apps to access your documents on the go

Gone are the days when traveling meant you could sit back and enjoy the scenery and be left alone with your thoughts. Nowadays it’s all about working on the move. Checking email, editing documents, correcting your excel sheets and making last minute changes to your PPT - it’s all accomplished on the move.

With advancements in technology, people started editing their documents on the go on laptops. With the dawn of the smartphone and tablet era people have started taking care of professional work directly from the little device in their pockets.

Editing and reading documents on the go may be a little tedious, but fortunately, there are apps to make this process as comfortable as possible.

So, here’s a look at 5 Android apps that help you access Word, Excel, PowerPoint and PDF documents on the move.

1. Documents to Go

Documents to Go is one of the most popular document viewing app. There is a free as well as paid version available for users. Some Android devices come with the paid/free version preloaded making documents access easy on the devices.

The free version of the app supports file formats including .doc, .docx, .xls, .xlsx, .ppt, .pptx. The catch is that in the free version of the app, users can only view the documents but not edit them. If you would like to edit the documents, then you will need to purchase the full version of the app.

The paid version of the app also brings with it the following features:

• Edit, view & create Microsoft Word, Excel, & PowerPoint files & PDF file viewer
• Supports password protected Word & Excel 97-2008 files
• Google Docs support. Download, view & edit files from Google Docs directly in Docs To Go
• Desktop application for bi-directional synchronization with your device’s USB cable
• Seamlessly move files from device to computer (Available on Windows Only) using the FREE desktop app

Android users can download the app here.

The app costs Rs. 833 on the Google Play store.

2. Google Docs

Google Docs is now a part of Google Drive. With Google Docs, you can upload/ create your documents and excel sheets and share them with friends and colleagues. You can also monitor who can edit them and who can view but not edit the documents.

With Google Docs now a part of Google Drive, you can store all your files in one place (cloud storage), so you can access them from anywhere and share them with others. Users can use the Google Drive Android app to access photos, documents, videos and other files stored on Google Drive as well. Files can locally be saved offline on your device so that users can access them even if you are offline.

Some features of Google Docs are:

• Create and edit documents
• Edits to Google documents appear to other synced devices in seconds
• Make quick changes to spreadsheets
• View PDFs, presentations and more
• Upload and convert files to the Google Docs format

Android users can download Google Docs (now Google Drive) for free here.

3. Quick Office Pro

With Quick Office Pro, users can create, edit and share Microsoft Office files from the comfort of their smartphone.

Quick Office Pro, lets users open and edit Microsoft Office documents, spreadsheets, and presentations, as well as, PDF files. These documents can be accessed both online and offline. The file manager in the app works seamlessly with users email attachments, locally saved files, and cloud storage accounts. This makes it easy for users to access their information from a variety of sources.

Quick Office Pro is compatible with a large number of file formats such as .doc, .docs, .xls, .xlsx, .ppt, .pptx and PDF.

Android users can download Quick Office Pro for Rs. 833 from the Google Play Store here.

4. DropBox

Dropbox, is a cloud storage service that lets users take all their photos, docs, and videos anywhere.

Users can install Dropbox on their PC/Mac. All the files saved in the Dropbox folder can then be accessed from smartphones/tablets.

Some features of Dropbox are:

• Data saved on the PC syncs with the all your devices instantly.
• Users can easily edit docs in Dropbox.

Android users can download Dropbox for free from the Google Play store here.

5. Kingston Office

Some great office utility apps such as Documents to Go and Quick Office Pro are paid apps and offer a bang for your buck if your professional life revolves around MS Office. Kingston office however is a free app that offers users similar functionality but for free.

Kingston Office allows users to view & edit office files on the go. Users can view .doc, .docx, .xls, .xlsx, .ppt, .pptx and PDF files and create .doc, .docx, .xls, .xlsx files.


Some of the features of the app are:

• Built-in file manager that can automatically organize your office document.
• You can open the attachment, and can directly send them after modification
• Supports cloud storage services.

Android users can download Kingston Office for free from the Google Play store here.

Xbox 720: 6x Performance Increase, Kinect 2, 3D, 1080p

A leaked document has provided us with a heap of information about the upcoming Xbox 720.

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With E3 done, we thought we'd have to wait until June 2013 before we learned all about the next generation of Xbox, the Xbox 720. That may be the case, but a recently leaked document has given us an awful lot to chew on in the mean time.

The 56-page document was hosted on Scribd until this past weekend, when it was spotted by the Verge. It details Microsoft's vision for the Xbox 720 and dates back to August 2010.

Microsoft's kept pretty quiet about its Xbox 720 plans since rumors started circulating about a 2013 launch, but thanks to this document we now know that the company has big things planned for the new Xbox. The Verge reports that before the document it was pulled, it promised a 6x performance increase with the Xbox 720, as well as true 1080p output, full support for native 3D output and glasses, an always-on state for the console, support for Blu-ray, concurrent apps, additional sensor and peripheral support, and the ability to record TV content in the background.

Xbox 720 will also bring us Kinect 2, which Microsoft's document says will have higher accuracy, stereo imaging, improved voice recognition, support for four-player tracking, an improved RGB camera, dedicated hardware processing, four player gaming, and a pair of augmented reality Kinect Glasses, which are apparently similar to Google's Project Glass.

Alongside a promised 6x performance increase, there's also mention of true 1080p output with full 3D support and an "always on" state for the console. A slide on core hardware indicates that the next Xbox will be designed to be scalable in the number of CPU cores and their frequencies. Microsoft appears to have been debating whether to use six or eight ARM or x86 cores clocked at 2GHz each with 4GB of DDR4 memory alongside three PPC cores clocked at 3.2GHz each for backwards compatibility with existing Xbox360 titles.

Of course, Microsoft hasn't confirmed any of this news, but then we didn't expect them to, really. However, if you're looking for proof that it's a genuine Microsoft document, you mind find it interesting that Scribd says the document was pulled at the request of Covington & Burling LLP. What is Covington & Burling LLP? Just a law firm based out of Washington. According to the firm's website, the company helped Microsoft out with its Skype acquisition last year.