TECHFINE.com: February 2014

Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 Lite 7.0

The Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 Lite 7.0 has a mouthful of a name but its specs sheet is modest at best. It’s a toned-down version of the Galaxy Tab 3 7.0, bringing a lower-end processor and camera while featuring larger dimensions.

The device also does away with the front-facing shooter and calling capabilities, but retains the 1024 x 600 screen, TouchWiz on top of Android 4.2, and is in the same price range at launch. Hovering around $200 or €145 for the Wi-Fi only version it’s a low-priced couch surfer, but one with heavy competition.

The Tab 3 Lite 7.0 is advertised as a Black and White device but ours came in a Cyan, which does look much fresher in comparison. It does look a bit like its more formidable siblings in the upper-end of Samsung’s tablet lineup but lacks the soft-touch leather-like back and goes for a more conventional textured plastic.

The front is covered in glass and has only one physical home button to upset the flatness.

Weight-wise this one stands at the very acceptable 310 grams and won’t leave your hand numb after extended use, which is a must for any compact slate these days.

Software-wise, the Galaxy Tab 3 Lite sheds the premium multitasking feature Multi Window and fancy things like Samsung’s Group Play – those are reserved for the top dogs, and will likely have issues here, due to the underwhelming chipset powering the Tab 3 Lite. There was some noticeable lag at times with even mundane tasks like switching from landscape UI to portrait and back. But then again, that could be expected given the price range.

Samsung Galaxy S5 Release Date: Expect At Least 5 Upgrades Over Galaxy S4

Samsung Electronics has not confirmed the release date of its next-generation smartphone - Galaxy S5 - but has clearly hinted in its press invite titled, "UNPACKED5" that it would be launched at the upcoming Mobile World Congress (MWC) on 24 February.

The South Korean electronics giant recently announced that "Samsung Unpacked 2014 Episode 1" will be held at Centre Conventions International Barcelona (CCIB) on 24 February. ZDNet Korea went a step further by reporting that Galaxy Tab 4 and Galaxy Gear 2 will also be launched alongside the Galaxy S5 at the upcoming MWC.

Reports also suggested that Samsung's flagship smartphone will have several upgrades over its predecessor, Galaxy S4.

Here are five upgrades expected in Galaxy S5 based on the specifications provided byKDB Daewoo Securities in its note to the investors.

1) Galaxy S5 is expected to have 5.2 or 5.25-inch AMOLED display with WQHD 2560x1440 (560ppi) as compared to Galaxy S4's 5-inch Full HD Super AMOLED (1920 x 1080) display, 441 ppi.

2) Galaxy S4 is powered by 1.9 GHz Quad-Core Processor / 1.6 GHz Octa-Core Processor, while Galaxy S5 is expected to have 2.5Ghz Snapdragon805 (main) or 2.0Ghz Octa-core Exynos6 (64-bit).

3) Samsung's flagship smartphone is expected to run on Android 4.4 KitKat, while its predecessor, Galaxy S4 runs on Android 4.2.2 (Jelly bean).

4) Galaxy S4 has 13 Mega pixel Auto Focus rear camera and 2 Mega pixel front camera, while its successor is expected to feature a superior 16MP (rear) and 3.2MP (front) cameras.

5) Galaxy S5 is expected to have 3,200mAh battery, while its predecessor has 2,600mAh battery.

Samsung's flagship smartphone is expected to have lot more upgrades over its predecessor considering the fact that it will face stiff competition in the market, especially from Apple's iPhone 6, which is expected to be launched either in June or September.

Samsung Galaxy Grand Neo tipped for India launch @ Rs 19,010

Samsung Galaxy

Samsung Galaxy Grand Neo is a dual-SIM dual standby device which features a 5.1-inch TFT screen with WVGA (480x800 pixel) resolutions. An unspecified quad-core processor clocked at 1.2GHz powers the device alongside 1GB of RAM. The camera options for the Galaxy Grand Neo include 5-megapixel rear and a VGA front-facing camera. It also features LED-flash support and auto-focus feature for the rear shooter along with the 720p video recording capability.

Samsung Galaxy Grand Neo comes with 16GB in-built storage, which can be expanded up to 64GB via microSD card. The handset also has a support for 3G networks along with Wi-Fi b/g/n (2.4GHz ), Wi-Fi Direct, Bluetooth 4.0 LE, GPS/AGPS connectivity option.

Galaxy Grand Neo is powered by a 2100mAh battery, which can run up to 8 hours on 3G Internet usage and up to 10 hours with Wi-Fi Internet usage, according to Samsung. The smartphone measures 143.7x77.1x9.6mm and weighs in at 163 grams.

Galaxy Grand Neo additionally features a multi-window functionality, which has been previously seen in Samsung Galaxy Grand 2 and Galaxy Note 3. The handset also comes with a modified one-handed operation keypad designed to make it easier to operate the phone with one hand.

Microsoft plunges into mobile war

When Microsoft announced in September that it was buying Nokia's struggling handset business and would meld its Windows operating system with the devices, it offered two major reasons for the $7.2 billion deal:

- Apple and Google were combining their software and hardware.

- The deal would ensure the survival of Microsoft's Windows operating system in a mobile universe.

That was then. Last month, Google threw in the towel on its foray into handsets, selling its Motorola Mobility division to Lenovo of China for $2.91 billion.

And this week, The Wall Street Journal reported that Nokia would offer a version of Android, Google's operating system, on a line of smartphones aimed at emerging markets.

With $83 billion in cash on its balance sheet, Microsoft's investment in Nokia is relatively modest.

Xolo Q1100

Indian handset seller Xolo has expanded its smartphone line-up with the launch of the Xolo Q1100.

The dual-sim(GSM+GSM) smartphone is now listed on the company's official website at a price point of Rs 14,999. It's not clear when the phone will be available in the market.

The Xolo Q1100 sports a 5-inch IPS display with a resolution of 720 x 1280 pixels and pixel density of 294ppi. The phone is powered by a 1.4GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor and 1GB of RAM, with Adreno 305 graphics. It's worth pointing out that the recently launched Motorola Moto G is also powered by the Snapdragon 400 chip. The phone runs Android 4.3 Jelly Bean.

The Xolo Q1100 features an 8MP rear camera with LED flash and BSI 2 sensor, and a 2MP front-facing camera. The phone has 8GB of internal storage that can be expanded up to 32GB through a microSD card.

It comes with a 2,000mAh battery, which the company claims is capable of delivering up to 12.5 hours of talktime and 450 hours of standby time on 3G.

The phone supports 3G, WiFi, Bluetooth 3.0 and GPS connectivity options.

Apple iPhone 6 release date, rumours and everything.

Apple is consistently the subject of rumour, when it comes to the next iPhone, no sooner has the latest model been released than speculation surrounding the next appears.
The iPhone 6 name appeared before the iPhone 5S even launched with some reports believing the 5S would be called the 6, but this of course turned out not to be the case and speculation surrounding the naming convention always arises, even though Apple has been consistant for the past few generations. We'd fully expect the next model to be the iPhone 6, but how it would be positioned alongside any iPhone 5C replacement, we can't be sure.
Here we are rounding up the rumours and speculation surrounding the iPhone 6 to see what the next-generation iPhone could bring with it. As usual, we will be updating this feature regularly when more information becomes available so keep checking back for the latest.

Apple iPhone 6 release date

There are always several rumours surrounding the release date for the next-generation of iPhone, and it isn't usually until closer to the date that you get more accurate timings.
However, starting the speculation off in November was a report from Bloomberg suggesting we would see two handsets introduced by Apple, both of which would be available in the second half of the 2014. That's a safe bet, because it follows the patten of previous launch events.
More recently, Chinese analyst Sun Changxu predicted there would be two handsets arriving from Apple this year, although claimed one would arrive in June at WWDC, and the other in September. A June release was also predicted by Jeffries analyst Peter Misek. Again, rumours of an "earlier" release of a new iPhone have been common in past years. It's never actually happened, so we continue to be sceptical.
It might be safer, however, to predict a WWDC reveal of the iOS 8 software, which the iPhone 6 is likely to launch with.