Apple to roll-out refreshed Macbook Pro and Macbook Air in June Read more: Apple to roll-out refreshed Macbook Pro and Air in June

So, it’s time to kick-off the list of rumors for 2013 and what better way to do that other than starting off with an Apple-rumor! According to various online reports, Apple will be rolling out refreshed versions of it’s Macbook Pro and Macbook Air in June.

The reports claim that both these laptops from Apple are ready to get major performance upgrades as they would feature new Intel processors and other internal upgrades, but the design of both these devices would be more-or-less similar to the existing versions.

Though, not much details have been given in the report, but it suggests that Apple would surely slash the prices of the current models of Macbook Air, just before the launch of the upgraded version in June.

As far as the performance upgrades go, a majority of the upgrades are expected to be brought by Intel’s rumored fourth-generation of Core processors, codenamed Haswell, which is expected to majorly improve the power efficiency and also include a new Graphics Processing Unit (GPU), which will give a major bump in performance as compared to the previous three versions of the processor. 

In 2012, the MacBook Pro had undergone a significant design upgrade, as Apple launched both the 13-inch and the 15-inch models of the Macbook Pro, with a Retina display while making both these devices comparatively thinner than their previous versions. The Macbook Air too was given significant design upgrades in 2010, as it was made to look more Angular, similar to the design of the iPad Mini. 

Top 5 dual SIM feature phones under Rs 5,000 for Dec 2012

Need a good feature phone that has the features as well as budget range? Well, read on.

Dual SIM phones offer a more practical approach to users by offering better usability than single SIM devices. Users with more than one connection can simply opt for such devices and be relieved from the burden of carrying two devices. Today, dual SIM phones are not only available in the low-end category, but have grown in the Android smartphone category as well. Here we focus on the mid-range feature phone segment under the price range of Rs 5,000. Read on for a list of top 5 dual SIM phones below Rs 5,000 to help you make a great buying decision.

Micromax X104 (Rs 1,099)

The Micromax X104 is a very affordable feature phone from Micromax's marathon battery range featuring an 1800 mAh battery pack to power this device for days on standby and nearly 8-10 hours of talktime. This dual SIM (GSM+GSM) feature phone comes complete with a multimedia player, FM radio, torch, and even the option to record songs that are played on the FM radio.

The Micromax X104 features a 1.7 inch color display, along with an alpha numeric multitap keypad. It supports a micro SD card to help users store their favorite songs, movies, videos and more while on the move.

X104 is equipped with a 3 megapixel camera, which is great for occasional snapping, but no video recording is available on the device. Transferring data from Micromax X104 is also very easy thanks to integrated Bluetooth connectivity.

The Micromax X104 comes with an 1800 mAh battery, which ensures good battery backup as well, lasting for weeks between charges.

Samsung Star 3 Duos (Rs 4,690)

With the launch of the third generation Star device, Samsung also decided that it will do something for dual SIM lovers in the form of Samsung Star 3 Duos. The Star 3 Duos features dual SIM standby and allows SIM selection so you just need to push a button to select which SIM you want to use.

The device has a sleek metallic finish with a 3 inch full touchscreen display supporting capacitive touch. Its compact size and glossy back cover makes it look stylish. The phone is based on the TouchWiz lite 2.0 user interface, making it very easy to use.

Apart from the 3 megapixel camera, it can also record Qicf video at 15 fps. It has Bluetooth 2.1 with A2DP, allowing connections to stereo Bluetooth headsets as well. Star 3 Duos also includes USB 2.0 connectivity for data transfer between devices and PCs, and it has upgraded social networking applications like ChatOn, Facebook, Twitter, Yahoo Messenger and Gtalk, which can be accessed over GPRS.

For multimedia the device comes with a full-fledged audio video player with an inbuilt FM player that can be connected to any audio accessory using the 3.5 mm connector on the device.

Nokia Asha 305 (Rs 4,580)

When it comes to the Nokia Asha range of feature phones, they are well known because of their SIMplicity, superior technology and dual SIM capabilities. The Nokia Asha 305 features dual SIM GSM+GSM connectivity for ease of use and freedom from carrying multiple devices.

The Nokia Asha 305 gets the refreshed touch oriented S40 operating system. The icons and the look and feel of the user interface, which is inspired by Symbian Anna look good as well.

The Asha 305 gets a 3 inch display that offers decent performance for various functions, and along with that the 2 megapixel camera is also there for shutter bugs. The phone takes some good visuals and 15 fps QICF resolution video as well. On the multimedia front, Nokia C2-03 impresses with offerings like a multi format audio player capable of playing all known compressed formats including AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, MP3, WMA and AMR-NB. Along with that, the FM radio is a wonderful inclusion that performs flawlessly, delivering stereo radio all around the city.

The Asha 305 also comes with Nokia Maps application for easy navigation around the city.

Motorola EX 226 Licorice (Rs 4,499)

The Motorola EX 226, which is also called the Motorola Licorice, is a stylish and sleek bar shaped touch and type phone with a full Qwerty keypad. This phone comes with a 2.4 inch VGA">QVGAresolution TFT screen with resolution of 240 x 320 pixels. The Motorola EX 226 is a dual SIM (GSM+GSM) phone that allows you to keep in touch with different numbers simultaneously and also supports 3G network connectivity on the primary number

The phone comes loaded with a 3.5 megapixel camera that supports video recording at 15 fps. Motorola EX226 is powered by a 910 mAh Lithium-Ion battery. This phone, when fully charged, provides talk time of 5 hours and considerable standby time as well.

The Motorola EX 226 has a built-in music player that supports varied audio formats such as MP3, MIDI and WAV. It also houses an integrated FM radio that lets you listen to your favorite music on the go. The memory of Motorola EX 226 is expandable up to 32 GB using a micro SD card.

You can connect to the internet using 3G, GPRS and EDGE on this phone. The device has a micro USB port and Bluetooth with which you can connect to other devices to share files.

Karbonn Multiplex (Price Rs 2,590)

The Karbonn Multiplex is a dual Sim standby (GSM+GSM) touchscreen phone. It also comes with a 3D user interface with menu widgets, which gives you a three dimensional view of the applications.

Karbonn Multiplex features a 3.5 inch, 320 x 480 pixel resolution touchscreen display, which helps you view images in a bigger and wider screen. The phone sports a 3 megapixel camera with the ability to record videos in 3GP, MP4 and AVI formats.

For entertainment the Karbonn Multiplex features FM radio and an MP3 player. The MP3 player supports music formats like MP3, MIDI, AMR, AAC and WAV, while the FM radio lets you listen to tunes and record your favorite FM shows as well.

The phone comes with a 16 GB expandable memory for storage. There is also an anti-theft feature in the phone that allows users to track the handset when they lose it.

Huawei W1, Ascend D2 and Ascend Mate official photos leak

The first day of 2013 surely brought us a plethora of leaked images of upcoming phones. After we saw Sony's Xperia Z and ZL, now it's Huawei's turn.

We encountered the Ascend Mate phablet numerous times before - on leaked info, photos, even a Huawei Chairman showed the thing at a Huawei retail store in China.

Today, just a few days before the official announcement at CES, a new press shot made its way on the internet.

But the leaked images doesn’t stop with the Ascend Mate. The quietly announced Ascend D2 also got a higher resolution photo, where we can spot Huawei's Emotion UI in greater detail than before. Just like Mate, D2 will also get its official debut at CES.

Huawei Ascend D2

Finally, Huawei's Windows Phone 8 gadget, the W1, got to show its four different colors. The W1 will be the third smartphone that Huawei will unveil at CES.

Samsung sales cross 10 million Galaxy devices in India

Since the release of the Galaxy S in 2010, Samsung has sold more than 10 million Galaxy branded gadgets in India

Samsung seems to be a roll these days. Not only has it captured a majority of the mobile market the world over, it has grabbed a leading position in the Indian gadget arena as well. The South Korean tech giant has sold over 10 million of its popular Galaxy devices in the subcontinent in a period of approximately two years. Starting with the launch of the Galaxy S smartphone back in 2010, it has reached the astounding figure of 10 million sales at the end of this year.

A report by the Press Trust of India details the growth of Samsung in the country in these past two years. The tech company started increasing its market share with the release of the Galaxy S handset in June 2010.  Devices in the Galaxy S, Galaxy Y and Galaxy Note series then helped the firm grow by leaps and bounds. According to the tech major, 50 per cent of its sales have been from devices in the Galaxy Y and Galaxy Note series, along with the Galaxy S3.

Asim Warsi, VP Mobile, Samsung  spoke to PTI about his company’s success, ‘Innovative devices like the Samsung Galaxy S, Galaxy S2 and S3, Galaxy Note, Galaxy Note 2 and Galaxy Y have caught the imagination of customers and helped us democratise the smartphone experience in the Indian market… Through our series of consistent smartphone launches, Samsung has fuelled the growth of the smartphone market in India and has been a category leader since last year.’

Samsung is a key player in the Indian mobile arena and is hoping to capture a 50 per cent market share next year. It will be interesting to see what now treats it brings to the tablet in 2013. Stay tuned!

Videocon launches 10 inch Android tablet for Rs 11,200

The tablet comes with Android 4.1 operating system, a 1.5 GHz processor and 1 GB RAM.

Videocon has silently launched its first Android tablet in the market, named as V10. The tablet comes with a 10.1-inch IPS display with a 1280x800 resolution, a 1.5 GHz Cortex A9 dual core processor and 1 GB of RAM based on Rockchip SoC (System on chip).

The Videocon V10 runs on Android 4.1 Jelly Bean operating system straight out of the box. Both of its rear and front cameras are of 2 megapixel capacity. It comes with 8 GB built-in storage which is expandable up to 32 GB via a micro SD card as well.

The V10 also sports a huge 6800 mAh battery. Besides, there is an HDMI port in the tablet as well which allows it to be connected to a HDMI enabled TV.

The tablet, which weighs 650 grams, is available for Rs 11,200 on Homeshop18 and Snapdeal.com. The tablet has not been launched officially yet, however you will get 1 year manufacturer warranty on the product even if you buy it now.

The WiFi only tablet supports 3G through dongles. The tablet competes with Cosmic Smart Tab 10 which offers similar configuration and is cheaper by Rs 1,000. Another its competitor is the Zync Z1000 which again offers almost identical specifications and pricing. You can also look at Micromax Funbook Pro but that one will offer Android 4.0 and the Jelly Bean like the above mentioned tablets.

Karbonn launches Smart Tab 8 Velox in India for Rs. 7,025

Karbonn has launched the Smart Tab 8 Velox in India for Rs. 7025 and the device runs Android 4.1 Jelly Bean straight out of the box. It also boasts of a dual-core processor.

Karbonn has added yet another tablet to its budget portfolio called the Karbonn Smart Tab 8 Velox. The tablet boasts of an 8-inch display with a resolution of 1024×768. Under the hood, a 1.5GHz dual-core processor and 1GB RAM power the device. It has a 3MP rear snapper and a VGA front facing camera for video calls.

The built-in storage is a little less at 1.5GB but it is expandable up to 32GB via a microSD card. Under the hood, it has a 4,500mAh battery and supports features such as 3G support via USB dongle, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and HDMI.

The Karbonn Smart Tab Velox 8 is available for purchase on online portals like Saholic and Flipkart.

Karbonn Smart Tab 8 Velox

Up till now we have seen a lot of budget tablets boast of a 7-inch display but with an underwhelming resolution of 480x800. Now however, we have started seeing budget tablets maintain the same price point but boasting better power under the hood and of course, a better display.

Another budget tablet to run Jelly Bean straight out of the box is the iBerry Auxus CoreX2 3G. Priced at Rs. 10,990, the Auxus CoreX2 3G has a 7-inch HD IPS display with a resolution of 1280x800 pixels. It is powered by a dual-core 1.6GHz Cortex A9 processor, 1GB of RAM and the Mali 400 GPU.

The device supports a 3G SIM card not only for data but for voice calls as well. The rear of the device houses a 2MP camera and the front has a 0.3MP camera for video calls. Straight out of the box, the Auxus CoreX2 3G runs on Android 4.1 Jelly Bean.

Sony Xperia Odin image leaks, confirms Xperia ZL name

The Sony Xperia Odin is the second high-end phone expected from the Japanese company and it has remained more elusive than its Xperia Z sibling. An official image from the SonyMobile.com leaked giving us the first proper look of the upcoming handset. The image refers to the phone as Xperia ZL, so this will be probably its retail name and not Xperia X as some earlier rumors suggested.

Some specs surfaced online, too. According to Vietnamese siteSeCafe.vn the Xperia ZL, will be thicker and heavier than the Xperia Z.

By the sound of it, it will have a unibody design with a small cover on the back allowing access to the SIM card and microSD card slots. Speaking of the back, the Sony Xperia ZL will have a patterned plastic back similar to that of the Xperia E Dual rather than the glossy, glass-like plastic of the Xperia Z.

The front-facing camera on the Xperia Odin is placed in the lower-right corner (you can see it in the image). That’s an odd placement, but we’ve seen it before on the Nokia N9.

The Xperia ZL is slated to get an IP57 certification, just like the Z. By the way, the earlier images of the Odin/ZL are either of a different phone or of an early prototype that didn't have the final design.

Official image of the upcoming Sony Xperia Z (Yuga) leaks

2012  is gone and Sony is gearing up to announce its flagship Android phones for the new year. Two official images managed to slip through the cracks before the January 7 press conference, those of the Sony Xperia Z and the Xperia Odin.

Both images are hosted on SonyMobile.com and in the case of the Xperia Z, the image filename confirms the name (the phone used to be known by its ‘Yuga’ codename).

The Sony Xperia Z will enter the arena with other phones with 5” 1080p screens this year but it also puts Sony into the quad-core race with its Qualcomm APQ8064 Snapdragon S4 Pro chipset. The Z will come out with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean at launch.

The Xperia Z packs a 12MP camera, which reportedly performs better than the 13MP shooter on the Xperia T. There's a dedicated shutter key.

LG prepping new-age 5 and 7-inch screens for CES 2013 showing

LG will unveil crystal clear high resolution smartphone and tablet displays at the Las Vegas show in January

Published on Dec 27, 2012LG has always been a pioneer of high definition screens on mobile devices. And if its most recent plans are to be believed, the South Korean tech giant is all set to consolidate its advantageous position even further next year. LG will apparently showcase its latest smartphone and tablet screens at CES in Las Vegas between January 8 and January 11, 2013.

According to GSMarena, LG has developed a number of displays that will be unveiled to the public next month. The smallest of the lot is a 4.7-inch screen. Besides a high resolution, this display boasts of a remarkably thin bezel, to the tune of 1mm. When used on smartphones, LG’s new screen will make 4.7-inch devices much more compact than they currently are.  

Next in line is the tech giant’s 5.5-inch invention. Perfect for use with phablets, this Full HD screen comes with a pixel density of a whooping 403ppi. This too, will be a marked improvement from this year’s offerings.

LG’s next generation 7-inch display has a lot to show for itself too. Equipped with a resolution of 1920 x 1200 pixels and a pixel density of 324ppi, it promises a clearer screen than the latest iPad and Nexus 7 slates. This particular display is comparable to the one found on the newest iPhone.

From everything that LG has lined up for unveiling at CES, it looks like the tech major has big plans for 2013. Mobile enthusiasts and critiques alike can look forward to a number of new devices in the future, each loaded with features better than the next.

We will be following LG’s developments at the Las Vegas show closely – stay connected to Tecknova

Samsung Galaxy S III successor to include S Pen

Samsung is expected to add S Pen stylus to be used with a purported 5-inch display bearing Galaxy S III successor smartphone.

Samsung is rumoured to release the Galaxy S III successor smartphone with S Pen. Android Authority reported that Samsung plans to introduce Galaxy S III successor smartphone with full HD display and S Pen. While there are mixed reports about the brand name of the next flagship device, the details continue to pour out. We take every detail with a grain of salt.

The Samsung Galaxy S III successor is expected to arrive with a full HD display and pack a powerful next generation quad-core mobile processor. The interesting bit of detail recently reported is that the phone will also come with an S Pen which has been usually bundled with the Note and Note II devices.

Whether Samsung will touch the 5-inch screen size barrier with its next flagship device is yet to be seen. In last three years, Samsung has introduced the flagship smartphones with something or the other new about the screen.

With greater hardware muscle packed, it would be interesting to see the battery technology implemented in the Galaxy S III successor. For instance, the Galaxy Note II comes with a rapid charging technology if the bundled cable is used. So we believe that the Galaxy S III successor device will feature larger battery and also with rapid charging technology.

No official details have been shared or confirmed. We take this report about the S Pen with a grain of salt. Samsung is obviously working to bring the next version of TouchWiz UI along with the better hardware.

Nokia Lumia 920 finally coming to India, expected in stores January 14

Looks like things are finally moving ahead with respect to the Nokia Lumia 920's India launch. A teaser from Nokia India confirms while our sources give us something juicier.

       

It looks like the Nokia Lumia 920 might finally be on its way to India and may be in the hands of consumers as soon as January 14. The Nokia India fan page posted an image for the fans, of a yellow Lumia 920 standing tall against a black backdrop (seen below).

The Lumia 920 has been available in the US and Europe for quite some time now, with the Indian audiences growing more and more impatient waiting for the Nokia flagship to land in India. Well, given what’s on Nokia’s page, we’d say soon, but we can do you one better.

A few days ago, we got word from our source that pre-orders for the Lumia 920 are already being accepted. The booking amount apparently varies from outlet to outlet, but word is that demo units will be available in stores by January 3, for anyone who wishes to get a feel for the device. Not enough? Well, if you pre-order the device, stores promise to deliver the device to you by the 14th of January.

The Nokia Lumia 920 is the company’s flagship device, a result of the partnership between the Finnish mobile manufacturing giant and Microsoft. Running Microsoft’s latest Windows Phone 8 operating system, the Lumia 920 also boasts of the first ever optical image stabilization system that compliments the PureView technology developed by Nokia. The device will come in 32GB and 64GB variants with no room of expansion.

 

Happy New Year 2013 and thank you for all the support

The New Year is just around the corner and, as we say goodbye to year 2012, we cannot help but have a look back at all the work we've done.

Thanks to you, our readers, it's been a successful year for us .

Overall, this year we churned out many news articles, more than1000 blog posts 

Our blog has been on the rise, coming up in leaps and bounds in the past 12 months. Our coverage there included regular tech news in all sorts of fields but, most importantly, we've been spicing it up with exclusive features and articles, which you seem to like a lot.

The new year will hopefully be off to a good start too with two of the major industry events just around the corner. In 2013 we will have our second live coverage from the Consumer Electronics Show in the US (starting January 8) and a couple of months later, we'll traditionally report live from the Mobile World Congress (starting February 25).

Once again, thank you so much for your incredible support in 2012, we have some great plans for 2013 and we hope you will stick around to see what we will be up to.

Happy New Year to you and your loved ones, we wish you peace, prosperity and happiness. Cheers!