Rohit Khurana

Rohit Khurana is a professional Technology Blogger from India. He is founder and Editor of Intellect Digest India which is one of the fastest growing online technology publications in India.

Smartphone

Lava Iris 504q Launched In India At Rs. 13499– Video Review And Details

by Rohit Khurana • June 15, 2013

Lava International, an India based mobile maker ha launched its flagship phone the Lava Iris 504q in India with a 5 inch HD Display, Quad Core CPU and Gesture control features at a price of Rs. 13499. The USP of this phone is the Gesture Features which is something very interesting. It works in 4 different apps and reacts to your hand gestures when you move your hands in front of the phone. We have seen the similar functionality in the much high end phones like the Samsung Galaxy S4.

You can browse through pictures, click pictures, change tracks etc. using the hand gestures. It is also fairly slim at 8.4 mm thickness and has OTA or over the air software updates. It also has a HD Display with the resolution of 1280×720. It has 1.2 GHz quad core CPU and runs android jelly bean 4.2. Talking of camera, it has an 8 MP camera with BSI sensor for clear pictures. It can shoot and playback Full HD videos at 1080p video resolution.

Micromax Canvas Music A88 Video Review And Details

by Rohit Khurana • June 11, 2013

Micromax India has announced yet another Micromax Canvas series phone today called the Micromax Canvas Music A88 which is a music centric phone. To sweeten the deal, Micromax has bundled JBL Tempo headsets and unlimited music download with the Canvas Music from their MLive store.

The Canvas Music was also showcased at the MTV Video Music awards in Mumbai in April 2013. It has a 4.5 inch display with 480×800 pixels display resolution. It is powered by a 1GHz dual core processor, has 512 MB of RAM, runs Android Jelly bean 4.1 out of the box. It has a battery of 1800 mAh for long battery life of up to 5 hours of talks time.

Sony Xperia ZU Togari Alleged Photo and Specs Surface Online

by Rohit Khurana • June 10, 2013

Last week, Sony was in the tech headlines as the company started sending out invites for a media event scheduled to happen on June 25 in Germany. Soon after that announcement, an alleged photo of the Togari phablet aka Xperia ZU, which is rumord to get launched at the event, surfaced on the web. Also, the full specifications of the device have been revealed online now.

From the gossips that we have been hearing around from the past few months, the device is codenamed as Togari or Xperia ZU. But now the Xperia Blog is claiming that the handset be known as Xperia Z Ultra. Further, the Xperia Z Ultra will mark a change in the display type and we hope it addresses some of the perceived shortcomings of the Xperia Z display, criticized by some for its poor viewing angles and contrast levels.

The features of the handset which are in line with the rumors are a 6.4-inch full HD 1920×1080 pixel Triluminos display with X-Reality for Mobile. The report also claims that Sony has used Neonode’s MultiSensing touch technology in Xperia Z Ultra which supports input to the device via almost any possible thing.

Additionally, the Xperia Z Ultra will sun on a Snapdragon 800 quad-core processor which is clocked at an amazing speed of 2.2GHz. It packs Adreno 330 GPU, a decent 8-megapixel rear camera, 2.2-megapixel front shooter and Android 4.2. Also, the device will sport a super slim body with a sleek 6.5mm thickness and the handset weighs 212 grams. Xperia Z Ultra is also pegged to come with water and dust-resistant body case with IP57/IP58 certifications which allows users to take pictures and video under water up to depth of one meter for close to 30 minutes.

Whichever name amongst the Togari or the Xperia ZU or the Xperia L4 does Sony choose for this discreet device, we are expecting the company to unveil it along with the Honami smartphone in its forthcoming event in Germany. Let’s wait and watch what Sony has in store.

Smartphone

Lumia 920 with Windows Phone 8.1 screenshots leak showing new features

by Rohit Khurana • June 10, 2013

With all the excitement building up towards the June 26 launch of the preview build of the Windows 8.1 aka Blue update, a developer has got a little too careless with his Lumia 920. The phone allegedly running a developer build of Windows Phone 8.1 OS, or Windows Phone Blue has been spotted revealing most of the new features.

Reddit user, Chinaman28 purchased a Lumia 920 only to find that he had received a smartphone running a somewhat different version of Windows Phone 8. He posted screenshots of the new features and was soon tracked by Microsoft, who requested him to return the phone. However, the company has refunded the money the Reddit user had spent on the Lumia 920, along with giving him a brand new unit of the phone as well.

According to TheVerge the screenshots posted, the Lumia 920 ran Windows Phone 8.1 with a notification centre, something that many users have been wanting for a while. Along with that, the new OS also apparently allows you to close apps right from the multi-tasking window.

There is also an option to sort apps by frequency of use and this should come as a great respite to those who are always scrolling up and down to find their right apps. Microsoft will also be introducing Data Sense, a utility that monitors data usage, both mobile and Wi-Fi and should come in really handy for those who have smaller data caps than others.

Microsoft has clarified that the build shown on this developer phone is a much earlier one, and that the OS has undergone various iterations since then. The notification centre, before being pulled out of the update, was made a part of something called Peoples Hub. The update is expected to hit the download queue later this year, but there is no confirmed word on a release timeline yet.

Smartphone

[Winner Announced] Samsung Galaxy S4 Giveaway By Intellect Digest– “Why you deserve the best smartphone?”

by Rohit Khurana • June 7, 2013

Samsung Galaxy S4 launched in India in April 2013 is one of the most talked about and phones and has sold over 10 million units in a couple of months from the launch. The S4 offers a lot of features, innovative gesture controls and superb graphics performance packaged in a slim and sleek form factor. You can check out our Samsung Galaxy S4 review and video coverage here. We have tested this phone for some weeks and have been impressed with the features and camera options that we found on this phone.

Today we announce Samsung Galaxy S4 Giveaway giveaway on Intellect Digest. In this giveaway, we will be giving away a brand new Samsung Galaxy S4 as a prize to one of the selected winners. You can participate in the giveaway and stand a chance to win a Galaxy S4. Check out the contest rules and terms in the section below.

Intex Cloud Z5: Yet Another Dual SIM Android Phablet Launched Online at Rs 6,899

by Rohit Khurana • June 6, 2013

Intex Cloud Z5, the company’s latest mid-range Android smartphone with a large 5-inch display is now available from online retailer Snapdeal. It has a 5-inch 480×800 pixel capacitive touch screen display and is powered by a 1 GHz dual-core processor. Running on Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, the Cloud Z5 comes with a 5-megapixel rear camera with LED flash and a 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera. Further, with dual SIM and dual standby support, the phablet is priced at Rs 6,899.

Intex Cloud Z5 specifications

5-inch capacitive touchscreen display with 800×480 pixels
Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich OS
1GHz dual-core processor
5-megapixel with autofocus and LED flash
1.3-megapixel front-facing camera
2G, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth
512MB RAM, 107MB user memory, expandable memory up to 32GB with micro SD
2,100 mAh battery

Competition

Priced at Rs 6,899, the Intex Cloud Z5 will definitely be a stiff competitor to the other budget phablets such as Micromax A72 Canvas Viva and the newly launched Karbonn A25 with almost similar features and price point.

Canvas Viva A72 houses a 5 inch WVGA capacitive touchscreen display with a resolution of 800 x 480 pixels, 1GHz single core processor, Android 2.3.6 Gingerbread OS, dual SIM support, 256MB RAM, 110MB internal storage, micro SD card slot supporting up to 32GB additional storage, 3MP rear camera, VGA front camera, 2G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 3 and a 2,000 mAh Li-Ion battery offering 280 hours standby and 7 hours talk time.

On the other hand, Karbonn A25 comes with a 5 inch capacitive touchscreen display with a resolution of 480 x 800 pixels, 1GHz dual-core processor, Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, dual SIM support, 5MP rear camera with autofocus and LED flash, VGA front camera for video calling, 2G, Bluetooth 3.0, Wi-Fi, micro USB, 512MB RAM, 512MB internal memory, 32GB expandable memory with microSD and a 2,000 mAh battery.

Smartphone

BlackBerry Q10 Launched in India at Rs 44,999: Can the Expensive QWERTY Phone Attract Buyers?

by Rohit Khurana • June 6, 2013

Canadian smartphone maker – BlackBerry launched the much awaited QWERTY smartphone Q10 in India today. BlackBerry Q10 is priced at Rs 44,990, almost Rs 2,000 more than its touch screen sibling Z10 which is currently selling for Rs 42,490. The price of the new phone seems too exorbitant in a price-sensitive market like India, but the recently launched EMI scheme by the company is sure to come in handy for thrift buyers.

Online shopping mart Saholic has already begun selling the QWERTY phone for Rs 44,999 with a free gift voucher worth Rs 1000. The smartphone is expected to be zvailable in retail stores from Friday, June 7, 2013 in major cities across India. Alongside India, BlackBerry Q10 will also set foot in the US market today.

BlackBerry Q10 sports a 3.1-inch super AMOLED touchscreen. It also comes with a physical QWERTY keyboard, which has been associated with BlackBerry devices since the company started offering smartphones. There is an 8-megapixel rear camera on-board and a 2-megapixel front-facing camera. Connectivity options include Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, 4G and NFC. BlackBerry Q10 also packs in 2GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage and a 2,100mAh battery.

According to a report by Wall Street Journal, the Q10 with a price of Rs 44,999 is the company’s second costliest smartphone after Porsche P9981 priced at Rs 1,39,000. The report notes that the buyers may find its difficult to purchase the Q10 as per analysts. The arrival of Q10 comes on the heels of Nexus 4 and Panasonic P51 launch and, also Lenovo has announced six new smartphones on Wednesday. Hence, there is a lot for BlackBerry to fight with in India.

It is noted that in order to compete with heavyweights like Samsung, BlackBerry needs to have a wide variety of inexpensive handsets to attract buyers rather than launching only expensive devices.