Micromax launches Canvas 4 at Rs 17,999

NEW DELHI: Micromax on Monday announced Canvas 4, a smartphone that would replace Canvas HD as the company's flagship Android phone.

In terms of specifications, Canvas 4 is not much different than its predecessor. It is powered by MT6589, the quad-core processor made by MediaTek that also powers Canvas HD. Justits predecessor, Canvas 4 also has a 5-inch screen with 720p resolution.

The device has 16GB internal storage and 1GB RAM; the storage is expandable with microSD card. It is powered by Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean) and has battery capacity of 2,000mAh. The phone has been priced at Rs 17,999.

While hardware specifications are similar, Canvas 4 is different compared earlier Micromax phones in terms of design and software features.

The shell of the device has been made using plastic and an aluminum frame. It also has a few unique features'blow to unlock' the phone. The phone packs smart gestures that allow a user to answer a call by just picking the phone up, put it in silent mode by turning it upside down and dial a number with help of proximity sensor.

It also features several unique video playback features, including one similar to 'smart pause' found in Samsung phones.

The phone has a 13MP primary camera and a 5MP front camera.

Commenting on the launch, Rahul Sharma, co-founder, Micromax said, "With the launch of Canvas 4, we are yet again raising the bar for affordable innovation. Canvas 4 combines great functionality and style, complemented by an entire eco-system of applications that directly address the needs of our evolving consumers."

Talking about the recent growth of company, Deepak Mehrotra, CEO, Micromax said, "We are very excited with the consistent growth of the brand in India. The numbers have been promising with 17.1% smartphone market share in Q1 of 2013 positioning us a clear number two in the category, and we have already moved to 24.3% in April 2013 as per CyberMedia Research."

Micromax revealed that 11,500 units of Canvas 4 have been pre-booked in less than a week.

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Muslim search engine 'Halalgoogling' launched

ISLAMABAD: A Muslim search engine that blocks forbidden content as per Islamic law has been launched. The press release said that 'Halalgoogling' gives resultsleading search engines such as Google and Bing.

It added that the search engine has a built-in advanced special filtering system that blocks Haram content according to the Law of Islam.

According to the Express Tribune, a special and unique filter system in the search engine excludes forbidden contentits search results such as pornography, nudity, gay, lesbian, bisexual, gambling, anti-Islamic content.

The system has been designed to respect Muslim culture, the report stated.

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AP govt to soon launch policy on gaming

HYDERABAD: Andhra Pradesh would soon come out with 'GAME' (Gaming, Animation, Media and Entertainment) policy, state Information Technology minister Ponnala Lakshmaiah said. 

The policy draft is almost ready and an incubator facility is coming up at Madhapur here which can be utilised by small and medium enterprises in the gaming, animation industry, he said. 

Lakshmaiah was speaking at the inauguration of 'Creative Mentors Animation & Gaming College' here. 

The GAME City, coming up on eight lakh sq ft area at Rayadurgam near Cyberabad, will encourage even small-scale start ups, he said.

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TV makers launch Rs 17-25 lakh UHD range in India

NEW DELHI: A television priced at Rs 27 lakh? Yes. ManufacturersSony, Samsung and LG believe India is ready to be developed as a market for high-end ultra high definition (UHD) sets with demand for bigger screen sizes expected to grow.

Recently these companies have introduced their range of UHD televisions which are priced between Rs 17 lakh and Rs 27 lakh with screen sizes of 84-inch and 85-inch, hoping that they would be able to create a niche segment and get more marginsthese high-end products.

"Now, customer demands for even bigger screen sizes, upwards of 55-inch. For these kinds of large screen sizes, HD is actually not good enough to experience the best picture quality," Sony India General Manager, Marketing Tadato Kimura told PTI.

Therefore, it was inevitable to create a better technology to cater to this kind of demand and to complete the large screen experience (with UHD technology), he added.

The manufacturers are clear that they will be catering to a set of customers with the UHD products, which have been also launched worldwide only recently.

"Ultra HD TVs are a niche segment....In our opinion, the customer of ultra HD TVs is a pioneer who understands the technology, and seeks the unique experience the product delivers," LG India Marketing Head-Home Entertainment Rishi Tandon said.

Expressing similar sentiments, Samsung India Senior VP-Consumer Electronics Atul Jain said: "It is a new technology which is being introduced in the Indian and the global markets. So in many ways, we are creating the market in India at this moment."

The UHD TVs have better pixel resolution quality, four times than normal HD TVs, with richer and more saturated colors in much bigger screen size, although they are priced at a premium.

At present the biggest screen size that Sony and LG sell in normal HD TVs is 65 inch 3D TVs in the price range of Rs 3.60 lakh to Rs 3.75 lakh. Samsung offers up to 75 inch HD TV for Rs 7.50 lakh.

Apartcatering to a niche segment, the companies are also looking at better marginsthese UHD TVs as compared to mass segment products.

"The 4K technology TVs will give us value and better margins while smaller screen will drive volumes for the company," Sony India MD Kenichiro Hibi had said.

For LG, it is yet another step in widening its range of products in the market.

"We are looking to strengthen our product offering by introducing the Ultra HD displays in different screen sizes," Tandon added.

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LG Optimus G2 event scheduled for August 7th

While final specifications on the LG Optimus G2 have not yet been solidified, the company hasbut guaranteed that we’ll be having our first official look on the 7th of August. Event invites for the press have been sent out for a New York City engagement that’ll be taking place on that date with a teaser “Great 2 Have You” attached – and the leaked photos of the device itself continue.

What you’re about to see are a series of images and details leaked over the past week (or in some cases, the last several months). The first is a front and back image of the LG Optimus G2 suggesting that the rumors of a buttonless set of edges on this machine are true. Here LeaksChina provides photos so blurry you’ll have trouble believing they were captured by anything better than a 1 megapixel feature phone shooter – but they do the job regardless.

Next you’ll see an image of the device’s left side. This image is provided by TechTastic and suggests that we’ll be seeing a rather thin device to boot.

It’s been suggested that this machine will be a hero device for LG to take on the HTC One and the Samsung Galaxy S 4. To do this, the company is tipped to be bringing on a Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 quad-core processor and a top-notch display with edge-to-edge technology making for a rather unique experience in the palm of the users’ hand.

• 5.5-inch 1080p display

• Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor at clock speed 2.3GHz for each of four cores

• 2GB RAM

• 13-megapixel back-facing camera aside volume and power buttons

• Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean / LG UI

• Edge-to-edge display (aka a very small bezel)

You’ll see a collection of leaked images and details collected by SlashGear back on June 22nd that make the case for the phone outlined above as well.

Also of interest is the invite image itself – this BEAST is a massive 2,999 x 2,584 pixels when extracted. This is FAR larger than any average event invite for the press – normally they’re less than a few hundred pixels large, and blurry at that. Here LG has clearly made an effort to go big – and sharp. Stick around for the full show – SlashGear will be in NYC on the 7th with bells on.

Story Timeline

• LG Optimus G2 appears in-dominating leak
• LG Optimus G2: so thin it can't use buttons
• Mystery LG phone leaks: Nexus 5, Optimus G2, or something else?
• LG Optimus G2 smartphone leaks: Nexus 5 no more

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Vodafone beefs up its 4G tablet data plans

With the recent launch of its new 4G network, Vodafone has overhauled its mobile data plans for tablets.

Offering month-to-month and 24-month SIM-only contracts, you can get 2.5GB of data for $20 per month, 4GB of data per month for $30 or 8GB for $45 per month.

If you don't already have a tablet, you can get one through subsidised repayments on a 24-month contract.

Vodafone offers the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 for $19 extra on the $20 plan or $15 on the $30 and $45 plans. Over 24 months, the total cost will be $936, $1080 or $1440, respectively.

For the 16GB Retina iPad, it will cost an extra $27 on the cheapest plan (total cost $1128) or $23 on the higher two plans (total cost $1272 and $1632).

Just the one prepaid

Vodafone's new plans don't require a 24-month contract unless you are buying a subsidised tablet, and the entry-level offerings prove to have better value than Optus' (1GB for $20) and Telstra's (1GB for $25), which do require 24-month contracts.

Vodafone's prepaid choices, however, have dwindled to just the one option.

For $30, you can get 4GB over 30 days for micro- and nano-SIMs. A standard SIM will get you only 3GB for $29 over 30 days.

Vodafone is also offering up 500MB, 1.25GB and 2GB Data Boosters for $10, $20 and $30, respectively.

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Apple App Store promo sees top titles given away

Apple has quietly discounted a number of high-profile iOS apps, making titlesInfinity Blade II and Tiny Wings free in what appears to be a promotion for the the 5th anniversary of the App Store. There’s currently no official wordApple on the sale, nor indeed a conclusive list of which titles have had their prices cut, but there are some big savings to be made: Traktor DJ, for instance, is usually a $19.99 download for the iPad version.

The current list of titles includes everythingmusic apps,Traktor DJ, through social and photography apps, such as Over, and through to games. It’s the latter category which is likely to be of most interest, with well-known titlesBadland and Superbrothers: Sword and Sworcery EP on offer.

However, it’s likely that there are several more waiting to be discovered, something that’s tricky to do right now given the absence of any master list or even mention by the individual publishers in the app descriptions. So far, the only mention we can find is Epic Games‘ suggestion that Infinity Blade II will be “free for a limited time.”

Of course, there’s method in Apple’s discounting madness. Making in-demand apps free is only going to drive download numbers, as well as make in-app purchases for participating titles more likely.

The actual 5th anniversary of the App Store will take place on Wednesday this week, though we’re expecting Apple to make some official comment on the price changes ahead of that point, potentially later on today. Let us know if you spot any more new freebies in the comments.

Badland
Barefoot World Atlas
Day One
Infinity Blade II
Over
Superbrothers: Sword and Sworcery EP
Tiny Wings
Traktor DJ
Where’s My Water?

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