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5 large screen budget phablets under Rs. 15,000

[email protected] (Shehzad)
February 28, 2013

phablets_under_Rs._15000Phablets are the latest trend in the smartphone industry - thanks to Samsung which started the once-upon-a-time 'niche' category. After the success of the original Galaxy Note, many Indian manufacturers followed suit offering decent specs with larger screen sizes.

In case you're unaware, phablets are smartphone-tablet hybrids with screen sizes of 5-inches and above. This new category has created a lot of hype and to get you acquainted with it, we've put together a list of 5 devices over 5-inch screens. We decided to leave out the ones that have exactly 5.0-inch displays, in case you're looking to move on to 'bigger things in life'. The best part, all these devices cost less than Rs. 15,000, so they won't hurt your pocket either.

1. Intex AQUA Style -Intex is the latest company to join the above 5-inch pool of phablet offerings. The company has marked its spot in the category with the AQUA Style sporting a massive 5.9-inch capacitive touch display with a resolution of 480X800 pixels. The dual-SIM device comes with Android 4.0 pre-installed and features an 8-megapixel rear camera with flash and a 1.3-megapixel front camera as well.

It is powered by a 1GHz dual-core processor along with 512MB RAM, has 4GB of internal storage expandable up to 32GB via microSD and a 2,500mAh battery. Standard connectivity options include Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, 3G and GPS.

Pre-loaded apps on the AQUA Style include Gmail, Nimbuzz, Facebook, WhatsApp, Google Maps and YouTube. The Intex AQUA Style will be available in black and white colours, through Intex's exclusive retail stores (Intex stores) and popular multi-brand outlets. It was priced at Rs. 11,200 during launch but is now available for Rs. 10,799, making it the cheapest phablet in our list.

2. Spice Stellar Pinnacle Mi-530 -Spice is known for its Stellar series of phones that are offered at budget prices. The company recently added a phablet to the series in the form of the Stellar Pinnacle Mi-530 priced at Rs. 13,999.

Specs wise, the dual-SIM device (3G+3G) boasts a 5.3-inch qHD IPS display and runs on Android 4.0, though the company says it is upgradable to Jelly Bean. Imaging needs are taken care of by an 8-megapixel rear auto focus camera. However, the key highlight of the device is that it is the first ever budget smartphone to don a 5-megapixel auto focus front camera.

Underneath, the device is powered by a 1.2GHz dual-core processor with 1GB RAM. It comes with 16GB of internal storage that can be expanded by an additional 32GB via microSD. The 2,550mAh Li-ion-Polymer battery claims a talk-time of more than 4 hours.

Connectivity options include Wi-Fi, 3G/HSPA, Bluetooth 4.0 and an array of sensors.

Stellar Pinnacle Mi-530 comes with other features like USB OTG, Pop-up play, Flip to Mute, Intelligent Answer, Direct Call, Gesture Screen Lock, Hi Connect, Boot Acceleration and Power Saving Mode.

3. Karbonn A30 -Karbonn is another home grown manufacturer known to launch products in quick succession. It was the first Indian manufacturer to enter the phablet scenario with the A30 Ta-Fone. The device was initially launched for Rs. 12,990 but can now be availed at a best buy price of Rs. 11,100.

The device directly competes with the Intex AQUA Style with almost identical features. It has a 5.9-inch capacitive touch display with 480x800 pixels. It also runs on Android 4.0 and features an 8-megapixel autofocus camera with LED flash and a 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera on-board as well.

On the inside, the device is powered by a 1GHz dual-core processor alongside 512MB RAM. It comes with 4GB of internal storage with external expansion options of up to 32GB.

Connectivity options on the Karbonn A30 - Ta Fone include, Wi-Fi, 3G, Bluetooth and USB.

The device supports dual-SIM functionality (3G+2G) and comes with a 2,500 mAh battery claiming up to 10 hours of talk time. Apps such as Facebook, WhatsApp, PayTM, Saavn and Karbonn Smart come pre-loaded on the Karbonn A30 Ta-Fone.

4. Swipe MTV Volt -Swipe is a California based company that has many tablets under its brand name. Now the company has partnered with MTV India and launched the MTV Volt boasting a 6-inch (854x480 pixels) capacitive 5-point multi-touch display. The device is priced at Rs. 12,999.

Unlike most other devices in this list, MTV Volt runs on Android 4.1 Jelly Bean out of the box. Like other phablets we mentioned here, it has an 8-megapixel rear camera with LED flash and a 1.3-megapixel front facing camera too.

Under the hood, this beast is powered by a 1GHz dual-core MTK 6577 processor with 512MB DDR3 RAM. There's 4GB of internal storage that can be expanded by another 32GB via microSD card. Another feature that makes this device stand apart is an inbuilt TV-player that offers on-the-go access to MTV and also features FM Radio with FM Transmitter.

The MTV Volt supports dual-SIM (GSM+GSM) functionality and comes with a 3,200mAh battery claiming anywhere between 8 to 10 hours of talk time. The device boasts connectivity options like WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, 3G, Bluetooth 4.0, USB 2.0 EDGE and GPS and also comes with an additional navigator flap cover.

5. Byond Phablet PII -Here is a company that has launched not one but two phablets within a short span of 2 months. Byond was the first company to launch a 6-inch phablet literally named Phablet PIII priced at Rs. 14,999 (now available for Rs. 12,999), completely blurring the divide between smartphones and tablets. The company recently launched the Phablet PII as well at a best buy price of Rs. 14,999 that made it to this list.

The Phablet PII seems like an improvement over the PIII with a slightly trimmed down screen size and offering an HD resolution, though camera, processor, RAM and storage specs remain the same. It sports a 5.7-inch multi-touch HD IPS capacitive display with a 1280x720 pixel resolution. It also comes with Android 4.1.1 Jelly Bean. Again this was the first company in the under 15k category to launch a phablet with Jelly Bean straight out of the box.

The device is powered by a 1GHz dual-core processor alongside 1GB RAM. There is 4GB of internal storage that can be expanded by an additional 32GB via microSD. It comes with a 2,500 mAh battery claiming 100 hours of stand-by time.

The dual-SIM (GSM+GSM, single active, 3G-enabled) device features connectivity options like Wi-Fi, 3G, GPS and Bluetooth amongst an array of other sensors. It comes with social media apps like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Skype and games such as Angry Birds Rio and Temple Run are also pre-installed on the device.

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Agencies
March 8,2020

Consumer watchdog Which? has claimed that more than one billion Android phones and tablets are vulnerable to hackers as they no longer supported by security updates.

According to the research report, the most at-risk phones are any that run Android 4 or older and those smartphones running Android 7.0 which can not be updated are also at risk.

Based on data from Google analysed by Which?, two in five android device users around the world are no longer receiving the important updates. Currently, those devices are unlikely to have issues, but the lack of security leaves them open to attack.

"It is very concerning that expensive Android devices have such a short shelf life before they lose security support, leaving millions of users at risk of serious consequences if they fall victim to hackers," Kate Bevan editor Which? said in a statement.

"Google and phone manufacturers need to be upfront about security updates with clear information about how long they will last and what customers should do when they run out. The government must also push ahead with planned legislation to ensure manufacturers are far more transparent about security updates for smart devices and their impact on consumers," Kate added.

Android phone released around 2012 or earlier, including popular models like the Samsung Galaxy S3 and Sony Xperia S, are particularly at risk to hackers.

Which? has made suggestions to Android users on what to consider if they have an older phone that may be at risk.

Any Android device which is more than two years old, check whether it can be updated to a newer version of the operating system. If it is on an earlier version than Android 7.0 Nougat, try to update via Settings> System>Advanced System update.

In case a user is not able tto update the phone, the device could be at risk of being hacked if it is running a version of Android 4 or lower.

A user also need to be careful about downloading apps outside the Google Play store and should also install a mobile anti-virus via an app.

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News Network
July 28,2020

Bengaluru, Jul 28: Congress leader Siddaramaiah on Monday alleged that BJP is trying to destabilise the Congress government in Rajasthan.

"It is the duty of the Governor to act according to the decision of the state cabinet. But he is acting like a central government puppet," he said at a protest organised here by Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC).

He said the Congress is protesting across the country to save democracy and save the constitution.

"We are not fighting through violence. We are protesting peacefully. The Constitution has given the right to protest in a democratic system," he said.

He accused the BJP of "being disrespectful" to the Constitution.

"Governments must walk within the framework of the Constitution. The Constitution gives everyone rights and duties. BJP destabilises elected governments and buys our legislators by horse-trading by spending crores of money. The same thing happened in Karnataka as well," he alleged.

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Agencies
July 18,2020

New Delhi, Jul 18: India's national cybersecurity agency CERT-in, has warned people of credit card skimming spreading across the world through e-commerce platforms.

Attackers are typically targeting e-commerce sites because of their wide presence, popularity and the environment LAMP (Linux, Apache, MySQL, and PHP), the Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) said in a notice on Thursday.

Recently, attackers targeted sites which were hosted on Microsoft's IIS server running with the ASP.NET web application framework, it said.

Some of the sites affected by the attack were found to be running ASP.NET version 4.0.30319, which is no longer officially supported by Microsoft and may contain multiple vulnerabilities, CERT-In said.

The notice also included a list of best practices for website developers including the use of the latest version of ASP.NET web framework, IIS web server and database server.

The advisory is based on research by Malwarebytes which found that this skimming campaign likely began sometime in April this year.

Credit card skimming has become a popular activity for cybercriminals over the past few years, and the increase in online shopping during the pandemic means additional business for them, too, Malwarebytes said in a blog post, adding that attackers do not need to limit themselves to the most popular e-commerce platforms.

Researchers from global cybersecurity and anti-virus brand Kaspersky had warned in December last year that more cybercriminal groups will target online payment processing systems in 2020. 

It said that over the past couple of years, so-called JS-skimming (the method of stealing of payment card data from online stores), has gained immense popularity among attackers. 

Kaspersky researchers in their report said they are currently aware of at least 10 different actors involved in these type of attacks.

Their number will continue to grow during the next year, the report said, adding that the most dangerous attacks will be on companies that provide services such as e-commerce as-a-service, which will lead to the compromise of thousands of companies.

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