Phablet sales expected to reach 150 million in the next five years, Windows gear to get in the mix

Phablet sales expected to reach 150 million in the next five years, Windows gear to get in the mix

Transparency Market Research just published its "Phablets and Superphones Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth and Forecast, 2012 - 2018" report, and it is a doozy for CEO Tim Cook, who yesterday said there are too many tradeoffs with big-screen phones for Apple to pursue this market immediately.

The research firm concludes that the total market for "superphones and phablets" will reach the astounding 825 million units by 2018, making it a $116 billion industry. "Phablet" they define as any handset with screen size 5-7", and 1 GHz or faster processor, so we guess "superphone" is anything fast enough with a screen 4.99" and below.

Phablets are expected to grow as a percentage of total, from 12% now, to 30% in 2018, but we are most interested in this nugget of info the research firm is sharing: "The market for Windows based phablets is expected to grow at a significant rate, with an expected CAGR of 58.8% from 2012 to 2018, which can be primarily attributed to the introduction of new Windows based phablets by manufacturers such as Nokia, HTC, Sony, and ZTE among others."

Wait, what now? Granted, we've already heard that Nokia is prepping a big-screen Lumia of sorts, and HTC has its Windows Phone line, too, but Sony? In any case, five years is a long time to make any final predictions in the breakneck world of mobile

Tags: ANDROID → Fablet → MOBILE PHONES → SMART GADGETS → TABLET

Phablet sales expected to reach 150 million in the next five years, Windows gear to get in the mix

By Sahil Rai → Thursday, 25 April 2013

Asus launches the 7-inch FonePad in India for Rs 15,999

Asus launches the 7-inch FonePad in India for Rs 15,999

Asus has launched its new tablet – the FonePad – and has priced it at Rs 15,999. The tablet will be hitting store shelves in the next couple of days. The special thing about the tablet is that Asus has teamed up with Intel to bring the world’s first Android-based tablet with x86 architecture.

The tablet has a 7-inch IPS display with a resolution of 1280 x 800 pixels. Under the hood, it’s powered by a  1.2GHz Intel Atom Z2420 processor, with a PowerVR GC540 GPU handling the graphics side of things. It has 1GB of RAM, so multi-tasking won’t be that big of an issue.

The FonePad doesn’t have any rear camera, but it is equipped with a 1.2 megapixel front facing camera that can record videos at 720p. The tablet is equipped with 16GB of internal memory and sports a microSD card slot with memory being expandable up to 32GB. It runs on Android 4.1 Jelly Bean out of the box.

The connectivity is where the name FonePad comes into play. Unlike other tablets with micro SIM slots that are used only to access 3G, the FonePad lets you use it as a full-fledged phone, much like Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 2.

The FonePad was originally shown off back in February at this year's CES. The Asus Fonepad has a metallic design, weighs 340g and is 10.4mm thick.

The Asus Fonepad comes with a number of exclusive Asus productivity apps: Floating App for easy management of running apps and multi-tasking; SuperNote Lite for handwritten notes and drawing; and WebStorage Office Online for Microsoft Office-compatible document editing on the move. Fonepad users also get 5GB of free lifetime Asus WebStorage for syncing and sharing data with other devices.

Two new optional accessories are also available for the Fonepad. VersaSleeve 7 is a wraparound cover with a folding design that both protects the Fonepad and props up the screen in two different positions for typing and watching video. Turn Case is a lightweight, hard-shell case for Fonepad that features a soft interior to keep the screen clean, besides being a built-in stand that places the screen at a perfect angle for watching video.

"It is ideal to have a larger screen with entertainment, social media and other online activities now playing an increasingly important part in our mobile lifestyles," said Jonney Shih, Chairman, Asus, during CES 2013. "The incorporation of 3G mobile data with full telephony support makes the Fonepad a perfect combination of tablet and phone in one single device."

Tags: ANDROID → Fablet → NEWS → REVIEWS → SMART GADGETS → TABLET

Asus launches the 7-inch FonePad in India for Rs 15,999

By Sahil Rai →

Karbonn's Android Jelly Bean tablet with 3G voice calling available for Rs. 9,490

Karbonn is all set to launch a brand new tablet in the Indian market. It is called Karbonn Smart Tab TA Fone A 37 Kommunicate 3G and is available on snapdeal.com for Rs. 9,490. The website claims that it will dispatch the tablet in three business days.
In the era when companies are trying to have simple names that are easy to remember, Karbonn has chosen a name, which is quite a mouthful. Specs wise, Karbonn Smart Tab TA Fone A 37 Kommunicate 3G packs in 7-inch capacitive touch screen with WVGA resolution. It is powered by a 1GHz dual-core processor along with 512MB of RAM. The tablet has 4GB of internal storage, which can be expanded by up to 32GB through microSD card.

Karbonn Smart Tab TA Fone A 37 Kommunicate 3G runs on Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean). It comes with 2-megapixel rear camera and a VGA front camera. It comes with a 3,000mAh battery on-board. It is a dual-SIM (WCDMA+GSM) tablet, which supports 3G and voice calling. Other connectivity options include, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and GPS.

Popular apps such as Google Play, YouTube, Flipboard come pre-installed on this tablet.

Karbonn had recently launched Smart Tab 8 Velox. Priced at Rs. 7,025, the tablet sports an 8-inch display with a 1024x768 pixel resolution and runs on Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean). The tablet comes with a 3-megapixel rear camera and a VGA front-facing camera and supports HD video playback up to 1080p.

Underneath, the Smart Tab 8 Velox is powered by a 1.5 GHz dual-core ARM Cortex A9 processor along with 1GB of RAM. It offers 1.5GB of internal storage, which is expandable by up to 32GB via microSD card. It comes with a 4,500mAh battery. Connectivity options on the tablet include 3G support via USB dongle, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth and HDMI.


A tablet for every budget
Karbonn Smart Tab Ta-Fone A37 Kommunicate 3G key specifications

7-inch Capacitive Touch Screen display with 800X480 pixels resolution
1GHz dual-core processor
512MB of RAM
4GB of internal memory, expandable up to 32 GB via microSD card
2-megapixel rear camera
0.3-megapixel front came4a
Dual SIM (WCDMA+GSM)
3000mAh battery
Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean)

Source

Tags: ANDROID → NEWS → SMART GADGETS → TABLET

Karbonn's Android Jelly Bean tablet with 3G voice calling available for Rs. 9,490

By Sahil Rai → Thursday, 11 April 2013

Nexus 10 Covers finally hit the Play Store

Nexus 10 Covers finally hit the Play Store

Way back when we first saw Google's Matias Duarte show off the Nexus 10, just before it was released, there were promises of covers for the tablet. Of course, the Nexus 10 was released almost exactly five months ago, and we are just now seeing the first covers hitting the Play Store. The covers are the first official accessories for the Nexus 10. 

If you've been wondering why there is that removable piece of plastic on the back of your Nexus 10 that surrounds the camera, this is exactly why. Just remove that piece of plastic, and the covers hook into the back of the tablet and should be a nice way to protect your screen without adding much bulk. Right now, there are two covers available: one that's dark grey, and one that is scarlet (though it looks more like a dark orange on our screen). 

The covers are available for $29.99 and are listed to be delivered in 3-5 days. If you want one, just head over to the Google Play Store.

Tags: ANDROID → NEWS → SMART GADGETS → TABLET

Nexus 10 Covers finally hit the Play Store

By Sahil Rai →

Facebook Announces “Home” App

Facebook Announces “Home”, A Homescreen Replacement Android App

Eager to try Facebook Home? You won't be able to do that today, but on April 12, you'll be able to download the software on three currently available smartphones that are supported by the new Facebook Home Android experience.

The most seamless way to get your hands on Facebook Home is to pick up HTC's new phone specifically created for it, the HTC First. It'll be available on April 12 for $99.99 with a two-year contract, exclusively from AT&T. It will have a 4.3-inch glass display, Android 4.1 Jellybean underneath, and will be available in four colors: black, white, light blue and red.

Tags: ANDROID → APPLE → BADA → BLACKBERRY → DIGITAL CAMERAS → GALLERIES → JAVA → LAPTOPS → MOBILE PHONES → MOBILE PLATFORM → MP3 PLAYERS → NEWS → PORTABLE STORAGE → REVIEWS → SMART GADGETS → SYMBIAN → TABLET

Facebook Announces “Home” App

By Sahil Rai → Friday, 5 April 2013