5 large screen budget phablets under Rs. 15,000

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
July 19,2020

New Delhi, Jul 19: Indian equities will be driven by a host of factors like corporate earnings, coronavirus cases trend and geo-political developments this week, according to analysts.

Market participants will also keenly watch the progress of monsoon, with experts saying that the farm sector revival will play a key role in lifting the coronavirus-hit economy.

"With no major event, the ongoing earnings season and global cues will continue to dictate the market trend. Besides, the progress of monsoon will also be closely watched," Ajit Mishra, VP - Research, Religare Broking, said.

Globally, the rising coronavirus infections and geo-political tensions have created uncertainty on the economic recovery front.

With India's COVID-19 cases fast approaching the 11 lakh mark, the third-highest behind the US and Brazil, and the death toll nearing 27,000, participants are expected to tread cautiously going forward.

At global level, confirmed COVID-19 cases have crossed 1.4 crore and deaths totalled about 6 lakh.

Markets globally will closely follow developments on the trade and political level between the US and China, according to analysts.

"We would continue witnessing stock-specific action as the earnings season unfold. Though the near-term momentum looks positive, we would advise traders to be cautious, given flaring US-China trade relations, persistent rise in virus cases and implementation of fresh lockdowns in parts of the country," said Siddhartha Khemka, Head - Retail Research, Motilal Oswal Financial Services Ltd.

HDFC Bank will remain in focus on Monday after having announced its June quarter earnings on Saturday.

The lender reported 19.6 per cent rise in its standalone net profit at Rs 6,658.62 crore for April-June 2020; while its income rose to Rs 34,453.28 crore during the quarter.

Other major companies to announce their quarterly results this week are Axis Bank, Bajaj Finance, Hindustan Unilever Limited, Bajaj Auto and ITC.

"Going ahead market participants will closely track the development related to covid vaccine, the rising infection of coronavirus, development on economic activities, corporate earnings and US-China relationship," said Sumeet Bagadia, Executive Director, Choice Broking.

On weekly basis, the Sensex gathered 425.81 points or 1.16 per cent, and the Nifty gained 133.65 points or 1.24 per cent.

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Agencies
July 4,2020

Twitter has joined efforts to do away with racially loaded terms such as master, slave and blacklist from its coding language in the wake of the death of African-American George Floyd and ensuing Black Lives Matter protests.

The project started even before the current movement for racial justice escalated following the death of 46-year-old George Floyd in police custody in May.

The use of terms such as "master" and "slave" in programming language originated decades ago. While "master" is used to refer to the primary version of a code, "slave" refers to the replicas. Similarly, the term "Blacklist" is used to refer to items which are meant to be automatically denied.

The efforts to change these terms in favour of more inclusive language at Twitter were initiated by Regynald Augustin and Kevin Oliver and the microblogging platform is now backing their efforts.

"Inclusive language plays a critical role in fostering an environment where everyone belongs. At Twitter, the language we have been using in our code does not reflect our values as a company or represent the people we serve. We want to change that. #WordsMatter," Twitter's engineering team said in a post on Thursday.

As per the recommendations from the team, the term "whitelist" could be replaced by "allowlist" and "blacklist" by "denylist".

Similarly, "master/slave" could be replaced by "leader/follower", "primary/replica" or "primary/standby".

Twitter, however, is not the first to start a project to bring inclusivity in programming language.

According to a report in CNET, the team behind the Drupal online publishing software started using "primary/replica" in place of "master/slave" as early as in 2014.

The use of the terms "master/slave" was also dropped by developers of the Python programming language in 2018.

Now similar efforts are underway at Microsoft's Github and LinkedIn divisions as well, said the report.

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Agencies
January 22,2020

New Delhi, Jan 22: "Don't get into a trap. Your security is in your hands," the Border Security Force (BSF) has said issuing its social media rules for its officers and men. It has directed them not to use 42 mobile applications and show caution while using Facebook, Twitter and WhatsApp.

"Be cautious while using social media," said the BSF in a circular issued recently.

"Before using WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter and other social media platforms, one needs to keep in mind that you are border guarding force and Central Civil Services (Conduct) Rules rule duly are applicable," it said.

It further pointed out that by commenting/writing about or forwarding unverified reports and rumours one violates laws of land.

"Several times unverified reports would be presented in way that they are absolutely true and start believing it. Seeing such post always use your commonsense and never get into the trap (sic.)," it state adding that the anti-national elements uses social media to propagate their agenda to cause unrest in India.

A picture clicked by Border Security Force personnel and posted on a social media platform remains there for always. Therefore, one should use officially approved pictures about any incident or untoward incidents related to Border Security Force, stated the circular. It pointed that unauthorised persons should not engage into taking pictures of the incidents.

It also highlighted how through social media, a few BSF personnel have fallen into trap of espionage racket carried out by enemy countries.

"Our security and respect is in our hands. Always think twice whether you are doing correct by accepting friendship requests from unknown persons, especially women and girls," it cautioned the troopers and officers.

It also highlighted that while going on leave and joining back the force, always follow the rules and regulations laid out for safety and security. "This is for your own safety," it stressed in the end.

The BSF has also issued a list of 42 mobile applications that needs to be completely avoided by serving BSF officers and jawans.

They are MI store, Weibo, Wechat, Shareit, Truecaller, UC News, UC Browser, Beautyplus, NewsDog, Viva Video - QU video Inc, Parallel Space, Apus Browser, Perfect Corp, Virus Cleaner - HI Security Lab, CM browser, MI Community, DU recorder, Vault Hide - No mobile Security, Youcam Makeup, Cachecleaner DU Apps Studio, DU battery saver, DU privacy, 360 security, DU Browser,Clean master - Cheeta Mobile, Baidu Translate, Wonder Camera - Bindu Inc, ES Ifle Explorer, Photo Wonder, QQ international , QQ music, QQ Mail, AA player, QQ News Feed, Wesync, QQ security Center, Selfie City, Mail Master, Mi Video Call -Xaomi and QQ launcher.

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