India’s Idea Cellular Selects Broadcom Android 4.0 Smartphone Platform

 Broadcom has announced that Indian telecom operator, Idea Cellular, has chosen the BCM21654G for use in its new Idea Ivory Android-based smartphone. By selecting one of Broadcom’s 3G platforms optimized for Android, Idea Cellular is providing customers with an entry-level smartphone offering enhanced functionality, powerful graphics, and advanced features including dual-SIM connectivity. 

“As the Indian market evolves from 2G to 3G technology, Idea Cellular is committed to proliferating 3G services by providing affordable, yet feature-rich smartphones that meet consumer demand for a satisfying mobile broadband experience,” said Sashi Shankar, Chief Marketing Officer, Idea Cellular. “Our partnership with Broadcom will not only provide our users with a better, faster Android device, but also transform the way people communicate.”

“With our complete, integrated smartphone platform, Broadcom provides device manufacturers in emerging markets with the technologies necessary to deliver an affordable Android device and capitalize on the smartphone revolution,” said Rafael Sotomayor, Broadcom Vice President, Mobile Platform Solutions. “We’re thrilled to work with Idea Cellular to enable low-cost smartphones with advanced features that take advantage of the mobile internet and offer a superior Android experience.”

As carriers expand their 3G networks, smartphone growth in India will be bolstered by low-end smartphones offering dual-SIM capability and local apps. According to research firm IDC, India and Brazil will join the United States, China, and United Kingdom as the top five country markets for smartphone shipments by 2016.1

Idea Cellular’s Ivory is the fifth Android smartphone the company has launched and the first device running on the Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich operating system (OS). Powered by a Broadcom® BCM21654G chipset, it features a 1 GHz ARM Cortex A9 processor and an integrated and globally proven 7.2/5.8 Mbps HSPA modem with low-power VGA video support. The chipset also includes a 2G/3G cellular radio (RF), a power management unit (PMU), and an advanced connectivity suite including Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, FM, and GPS for a complete system solution.

Broadcom’s family of 3G and 4G LTE smartphone solutions deliver the features required for all tiers of smartphones, from affordable entry-level devices to high-performance superphones.  Idea Cellular’s Idea Ivory smartphone is available for sale in India now.

Micromax A35 Bolt Ninja Is Now Available

Micromax is flourishing in leaps and bounds this year. The company has recently released a budget friendly Smartphone in the Indian market, Micromax A35 Bolt Ninja. It is an Android based Smartphone with a 4 inch touch screen display.

Micromax A35 Bolt Ninja is the first one in the Bolt series introduced by the company. The phone runs on a 1 GHz Cortex A5 processor and based on Android Gingerbread Android 2.3 OS having the memory of 160 MB that can be extensible to 16 GB. This device features several fantastic new apps like Flash Transfer app through which the user has to simply swipe n share images, videos, songs, files and other content.

The phone has a strong battery support of 1500 mAh that gives 4.5 hours of Talk Time and 175 hours of standby time. The phone also supports file sharing via Bluetooth V 2.1 and the user can also surf the internet via Wi-Fi and EDGE. Micromax A35 bolt flaunts a dual camera of 2 MP and 0.3 MP.

Here are the other significant features of the phone:-

4.0-inch (480 x 800 Pixels) capacitive touch screen display

1 GHz Cortex A5 processor

Dual SIM (GSM + GSM) with Dual Standby

Android 2.3.5 (Gingerbread) OS

2MP rear camera, 0.3 MP front-facing camera

3.5mm audio jack

FM Radio

2G (EDGE),Bluetooth 2.1, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g, micro USB

1500 mAh battery with up to 4.5 hours talk time

India's Cheapest Quadcore Smartphone By Karbonn @ Rs 10,990

Karbonn Mobiles has announced the Karbonn Smart Titanium 1. India’s first quad-core CPU smartphone powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon processor.

The S1 Titanium is said to come with a display of 11.4-cm (4.5-inch) qHD version and runs Android 4.1 aka Jelly Bean OS. Under the hood, the smartphone has a 1.2 GHz quad-core processor and 1 GB RAM, which should prove sufficient for running Jelly Bean OS. S1 has a rear 5 MP camera and VGA front-facing shooter for video calls.

“We are extremely proud to be the first brand to bring smartphones enabled by the powerful and power efficient Qualcomm Snapdragon quad-core CPU processor into the country. This move reiterates our commitment to enable cutting-edge technological innovations to our consumers and is an endeavour towards providing the best in mobile technology to them. We are sure that our consumers will feel proud to own the smartphone which with its latest innovations, seeks to up their social quotient by a notch amongst their peers. Available across the country, the Karbonn Smart Titanium 1 opens up a new dimension in the Indian mobile market and enables a pioneering stride towards ‘Massifying Technology’ for the consumers,” said Shashin Devsare, executive director, Karbonn Mobiles.

The smartphone supports dual-SIM, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, USB 2.0 features. The device has an internal storage capacity of 4 GB, which is further expandable via microSD. Karbonn has loaded S1 Titanium with a 1,600 mAh battery. Unlike our previous anticipation, Karbonn has gone ahead and priced the S1 at an affordable price point of Rs 10,990, which pits S1 Titanium against Micromax's Canvas 2 smartphone. This could make things interesting and might prompt a different pricing strategy from Micromax.

Aircel Announces Free Roaming Service Across The Country

Aircel has launched a product that offers users one rate for voice, SMS and data in home circles and on roaming.

'One Nation, One Rate' offers one rate for voice, SMS and data in home circles and on roaming on Aircel network, the company said in a statement."Incoming calls while on roaming on Aircel network will be free," it added.

Aircel users in Delhi can avail the service for Rs 39, while Mumbai subscribers have to pay Rs 32, the statement said. The price points for the service for other circles range from Rs 21 to Rs 59, it added.

This product will enable Aircel customers to enjoy one rate for voice, SMS and data services in their respective home circles and even while they are on roaming," Aircel Chief Marketing Officer Anupam Vasudev said.

The product will offer voice - (Local/National) calling at 1paisa/second in home circle as well as on roaming on Aircel network, while incoming calls on roaming will be free.

SMS will be charged at Re 1 for home circle as well as on roaming while data users will be able to carry the home circle rate on roaming, the statement added.

iPad, iPhone Application Launches By Adam Gilchrist

Samsung Launches Android GALAXY Xcover 2

Samsung has unveiled the Samsung Xcover 2, the ideal smartphone for active explorers who are enjoying outdoor lifestyles and seeking a durable mobile device with essential smartphone capabilities.

The GALAXY Xcover 2 is optimized to endure against the most rugged outdoor conditions, whether you're at work or play. Protected against the elements, it is dust and sand proof. It's even water resistant to a depth of one meter for up to 30 minutes (IP67 Certified). You can now take photos under water with the direct camera key, hold on tight to your device with the strap holder and not worry about dropping your phone as the battery cover lock gives added protection.

it has Pre-downloaded Google map data, an enhanced GPS ＋ GLONASS which shortens the satellite signal detection by up to 20％ to tracks your location more accurately, LED Flash next to the camera which can be used like a torch and a huge battery capacity of 570 hours(1,700mAh), making the GALAXY Xcover 2 is the best possible smartphone partner for outdoor exploration.

In addition, the Cardio Trainer Pro workout application will also help you achieve your fitness goals by creating a tailored training program, checking your progress and recording your track and speed.

For everyday, users can expect the powerful performance characteristic of a Samsung smartphone with the robust GALAXY Xcover 2 shell. Its vivid 4.0" (100.8mm) WVGA display provides a clear and wide viewing experience,a 5-megapixel camera and VGA front camera that will let you record precious moments in high resolution, Bluetooth® v 4.0 gives a better connection that consumes less power and detects devices 50 meters away.An impressive 1GHz dual core processor powers the core of the GALAXY Xcover 2, which ensures a fast operating speed for seamless multitasking, faster webpage loading and softer UI transitions.

Samsung GALAXY Xcover 2 runs Android™ 4.1 (Jelly Bean) enabling faster and smoother screen transitions and providing an enhanced user interface featuring a new, easier-to-use notification panel. As a premium Samsung Android™ phone, the device is packed with a series of innovative features and services to boost performance and the overall user experience. The intuitive Motion UI understands your movements to shake and update or turn over to mute; data can be synced, backed up and restored with S-Cloud; S Voice lets users control the phone using their voice, allowing you to see the weekly weather forecast, the contact number you're trying to find or even take a picture as you speak; Best Shot recommends the best shot from a series of photos; Smart Stay recognizes whether the user is looking at the screen to dim the screen accordingly. Users can also enjoy all the benefits of Samsung Hubs, including the latest versions of Readers Hub, Video Hub, Game Hub and Music Hub.

Samsung And Apple Are Both Under Pressure @ 2013

Samsung retained its lead position overall by shipping 106 million handsets of which 60 million were smartphones in Q4 and capturing 31 per cent of total smartphone shipments. In 2012 Samsung grew its handset shipments by 21.6 per cent and its smartphone shipments by 123.8 per cent.

Despite missing most analyst estimates in Q4, Apple grew its smartphone shipment share to 24.5 per cent, up from 16.4 per cent in Q3. Apple shipped 47.8 million iPhones in Q4 bringing its 2012 annual total to 135.8 million. Apple’s 2012 annual shipment growth declined from 96 per cent in 2011 to 46% in 2012.

“It is clear that the iPhone’s hyper-growth has ended, and ABI Research believes that Apple’s market share will peak in 2013 at 22 per cent,” said Michael Morgan, mobile devices senior analyst. “Unless Apple is willing to trade iPhone margins for low cost iPhone shipments, Apple’s handset market share will become dependent on customer loyalty.”

Looking at the rest of the pack, Nokia shipped 86.3 million handsets and 6.6 million smartphones in Q4 while RIM’s shipments of smartphones declined to 6.9 million. ZTE had an excellent Q4 with 20.7 million handset shipments and 11.2 million smartphone shipments.

Samsung retained its lead position overall by shipping 106 million handsets of which 60 million were smartphones in Q4 and capturing 31 per cent of total smartphone shipments.

Apple may not have seen good times in 2012 but 2013 promises to be great for the Cupertino-based giant. According to the latest market forecasts by market intelligence firm, ABI Research nearly 196 million smartphones and 451 million handsets were shipped during Q4 2012. This brings 2012 annual totals to 653 million smartphone and 1.6 billion handset shipments, representing a 36 per cent and 2 per cent growth rate. Smartphones accounted for 43 per cent of all handset shipments in Q4, which pushed smartphones to 41 per cent of all shipments in 2012.