Asus Fonepad launched in India for Rs. 15999

Asus has launched the Fonepad, the company’s first 7-inch tablet with voice calling support.The Fonepad has a  7-inch (1280 x 800 pixels) IPS display, runs on Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean) and is powered by a 1.2 GHz Intel Atom Z2420 processor. It packs a 3-megapixel auto focus rear camera which supports 720p HD video recording and a 1.2-megapixel front-facing camera. It has metallic finish with a streamlined design. It has 3G support via a micro SIM card slot and has voice calling support.  It is 10.4mm thick and weighs 340 grams.

It has dual microphones for Noise cancellation and echo suppression. The SonicMaster audio technology with MaxxAudio 3 processing by Waves provides clear, well-rounded sound quality. It comes with exclusive Floating App for easy management of running apps and simpler multi-tasking, SuperNote lite for handwritten notes and drawing, and 5GB of free lifetime ASUS WebStorage.

It has 1GB RAM, 8 GB of internal memory and expandable memory up to 32GB with microSD. The connectivity features include, 3G HSPA+ 21 Mbps, WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, Blueooth 3.0 and GPS. It has a 4270 mAh battery that promises up to 9.8 hours of continuous video playback.

The Asus Fonepad is priced at Rs. 15,999. It would go on sale across India from Croma stores and select ASUS authorized retail outlets starting 30th April 2013. Asus would also sell option VersaSleeve 7 wraparound cover with a folding design that both protects Fonepad, and props up the screen in two different positions for typing and watching video.

Swype for Android out of beta, now available for download from Google Play

wype keyboard for Android finally leaves the beta tag, and is now available from Google Play Store for download for smartphones and tablets. With the release of the stable version of Swype 1.5, the Swype Beta v1.4.9 will expire on September 14, 2013. Swype keyboard for Android has living keyboard feature that builds a personal language to lean new words and it also predicts next words and Multimodal input with four input modalities on one keyboard such as letter to letter, predictive text input powered by XT9, Swype input and voice input.

Samsung Galaxy S4 launch event scheduled in India on 26th April

The phone packs in a a range of software and hardware innovations including a temperature and humidity sensor. The phone sports a 5 inch Super AMOLED display with full HD resolution. Samsung has also upped their game with adding a lot more features like Smart Scroll, Air View, Air Gesture in TouchWiz. Design wise, the phone is not much of a departure from the Samsung Galaxy S3 which might miff a few prospective buyers.

Globally, the phone is shipping with either a homegrown Exynos or a Snapdragon 600 processor depending on the market. We expect India to get the Exynos variant due to the lack of LTE networks in the country. As for the pricing, we’re hearing that the device might launch around the Rs. 40,000 mark to just about undercut the HTC One which has received rave reviews. Are you waiting for the Samsung Galaxy S4 to launch in India or do the Xperia Z and HTC One interest you more ? Let us know in the comments below!

LG Optimus L5 II dual now available in India for Rs. 11499

The LG Optimus L3 II Dual (E435) and the Optimus L7 II Dual (P715) officially launched in India earlier this month. The Optimus L5 II dual (E455) is now available from online retailer Infibeam in India. It has a 4-inch (800 × 480 pixels) capacitive touch screen IPS display, powered by a 1 GHz processor and runs on Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean). It has a 5 MP camera with LED Flash. It has dual SIM support with dual standby, and a dedicated SIM switch key.

LG unveiled the Optimus L Series II devices at the MWC 2013 back in February, and the Optimus L5 II dual went on sale last month starting from Brazil. It has a Quick Button that lets you personalize a hotkey to launch any app and QuickMemo to jot notes quickly..

LG Optimus L5 II Dual specifications

• 4-inch (800 × 480 pixels) capacitive touch screen IPS display
• 1 GHz processor
• Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean)
• Dual SIM (GSM + GSM) with a dedicated SIM switch key
• 5 MP camera with LED Flash
• 512MB RAM, 4GB of internal memory, expandable memory up to 32 GB with microSD
• 3G, Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n, Bluetooth, aGPS
• 1700 mAh battery

The LG Optimus L5 II dual is priced at Rs. 11,499 and is available from Infibeam. It is also listed onFlipkart for a similar price, but it is currently out of stock.