Xolo launches Win Q1000

Domestic Smartphone maker Lava has expanded its Xolo portfolio with a new Windows-based Smartphone, Xolo Win Q1000.

The Smartphone priced at Rs 8,499 features a 5-inch HD (720x1280p) IPS display with OGS technology.

Xolo Win Q1000 is powered by a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 200 processor clocked at 1.2GHz. The Smartphone comes with 1GB RAM, 8GB storage and a micro-SD card slot that supports cards of up to 32GB capacity.

Xolo Win Q1000 sports an 8MP rear camera (with LED flash) and a 2MP front-facing camera.

In terms of connectivity, the dual-SIM phones support Bluetooth 4.0, Wi-Fi, 3G and GPS. According to the company, it has a 2100mAh battery and delivers up to 12 hours of talk time and 500 hours of standby time on 3G connectivity.

World's First Hands-free Smartphone for disabled

An Israeli company claims to have developed the first completely hands-free Smartphone that can allow disabled users to control the device with head movement. 

The Smartphone created by Sesame Enable is designed for people with spinal cord injuries, Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), cerebral palsy and other disabilities that hamper the use of hands and arms. 

The Sesame is an Android Smartphone that is equipped with proprietary head-tracking technology, reports Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA). 

The phone comes with an advanced computer vision algorithm and a front-facing camera that tracks user's head movements and allow them to control a cursor on screen. 

The cursor is essentially a virtual finger, letting users do what others can with a regular Smartphone. The $1,000-phone recently won a "Verizon Powerful Answers' Award" with $1 million in prize money. 

Its developer Giora Livne, who himself is disabled, now plans to give away about 30 Sesame Smartphones to people with disabilities nominated by their peers. 

Livne came up with the idea after seeing a TV demonstration for a game controlled with head movements. 

With a background in electrical engineering, he recognized the technology's potential to help him, and others. 

OnePlus One 16GB variant Launched

Chinese manufacturer OnePlus has launched the 16GB Silk White variant of its One smartphone in the Indian market. The phone will be available on Amazon.in at Rs 18,999.
 
OnePlus One 16GB will be available only in white colour, which will distinguish it from the gray-only 64GB variant of the same phone. The white model does not have the sandstone finish that the gray unit, and instead sports a plastic matte finish.

OnePlus One sports top-of-the-line hardware specifications, including a 2.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor, 3GB RAM, a 5.5-inch 1080P display, 13MP camera with F2.0 aperture and Sony image sensor, 5MP front camera, 3100mAh battery, 4G-support and NFC. It runs CyanogenMod 11S, a custom aftermarket version of Android developed by Cyanogen.

The company earlier announced that it has been developing its own version of Android and a build of the OS based on Lollipop (the latest version of Android), will be released for Indian users, next month.
 
The price positions OnePlus One better against Xiaomi Mi 4, whose 16GB variant costs Rs 19,999 in the Indian market. Xiaomi has also announced that it will launch the 64GB version of the Mi 4 soon in the country as well.

The 64GB unit of OnePlus One is priced at Rs 21,999.

Paytm to set up 50,000 outlets

Digital wallet provider Paytm is looking to set up 30,000 to 50,000 retail outlets where its 2.4 crore customers can load cash on their digital wallet. The company is also looking to enrol retailers - mostly kirana stores - as merchants for accepting digital payments. To encourage users to hold funds in its prepaid account, the company said it has linked its wallet to the banking system to enable cash withdrawals from it.

"For India to move from a cash economy to a cashless one, we need to have a number of places where cash can be converted into electronic form," Amit Lakhotia, VP-payments at Paytm. He said while physical outlets would involve higher costs (compared to electronic bank transfers), it would increase adoption and help transform Paytm into a ubiquitous payments platform. "Until now, the user was able to do wallet-to-wallet transfers. Now, he will be able to transfer funds to the bank as well. Although we want customers to use the wallet for online payments, we expect this facility to boost customer confidence," he said.

The other advantage is that once Paytm is linked to their bank accounts, customers will find it easier to fund their accounts. As of now, customers fund their accounts through credit cards, debit cards and net banking. But funding accounts using a card involves a transaction cost paid to the card issuer.

Oppo R5 Gilded Limited Edition with Gold Frame

Chinese handset maker Oppo has launched the gilded version of its R5 Smartphone in India. The R5 is one of the slimmest Smartphones available in the market. This device measures only 4.85mm in thickness.

The 'Gilded Limited Edition' version of the phone comes with a gold frame and will be available at a price Rs 29,990 through pre-booking. The company informs that there are only 10,000 units of the Smartphone available globally.

The phone's standard variant was also launched at the same price in December 2014.

Powered by a 1.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 octa core 64bit processor, Adreno 405 GPU and 2GB RAM, the phone sports a 5.2-inch full-HD AMOLED display. It comes with 16GB internal storage but doesn't feature a micro-SD card slot.

The phone sports a 13MP rear camera with Sony Exmor IMX214 BSI sensor and a 5MP front facing camera with 83degree wide angle lens. It runs Color OS 2.0, based on Android 4.4 and has a 2000mAh battery. The phone feature Oppo's VOOC charging technology to get a 75% charge in 30 minutes.

In terms of connectivity options, the phone features 4G LTE (which includes Indian 4G bands) 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0 and GPS.

Oppo R5 also doesn't feature a 3.5mm audio jack but the company ships a USB-to-3.5 mm audio adaptor with the phone.

Oppo claims that the phone's micro-arc frame is made from higher-strength stainless steel instead of the commonly used aluminium alloy to create a more rugged and durable frame.

The R5 was the world's slimmest Smartphone prior to Vivo's unveiling of the X5Max, a Smartphone which measures just 4.75mm in thickness.

Micromax launches Canvas Pep Q371

Micromax has launched Canvas Pep Q371, a budget Android Smartphone at Rs 5,999. The phone will be available across online and offline stores.

The dual SIM Smartphone features a 4.5-inch FWVGA(480x854p) display.

Powered by 1.3GHz quad-core processor, Micromax Canvas Pep has 1GB RAM, and comes with 4GB of internal storage. Users can also install micro-SD cards of up to 32GB for more storage.

The Smartphone sports an 5MP rear camera with LED flash and a 0.3MP(VGA) front-facing camera.

The phone runs Android 4.4 KitKat and packs a 1700mAh battery which, the company claims, delivers up to 210 hours of standby time.

For connectivity, the Smartphone offers 3G, GPRS/EDGE, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0 and a micro-USB slot.

It also comes with some preloaded apps such as Mad, Quikr, Snapdeal, Clean Master, Truecaller, Mi Games, Mi Live, and Opera Mini.

Samsung Unveils Budget 4G Smartphones

Samsung has unveiled it 4G Smartphones namely Galaxy J1 4G, Galaxy Grand Prime 4G and Galaxy Core Prime 4G.

The all-new Galaxy J1 4G Smartphone has been priced at Rs 9,900, while the pricing of the other two models is not yet known.

Samsung Galaxy J1 4G comes with a 4.3-inch WVGA TFT display, a 5MP rear camera and 2MP front camera and 4GB storage with a micro-SD slot for cards up to 128 GB. Rounding the specs off is a 1.2GHz quad-core processor with 768MB RAM and a 1,850 mAh battery. This Smartphone will hit the shelves in March 2015 and will be available in blue, white and black colours.

The Grand Prime 4G and Core Prime 4G will be in a slightly higher price bracket compared to Galaxy J1 4G. The Grand Prime 4G sports a 5-inch qHD TFT display and is also powered by the 1.2GHz quad-core processor. It packs 8GB internal storage, up to 64 GB micro-SD support, 2,000 mAh battery, 1GB of RAM, 8MP rear camera and a 5MP selfie camera with wide-angle view.

The Galaxy Core 4G has similar specs to the J1. Powered by a 1.2GHz quad-core processor, the Core 4G has a 4.5-inch WVGA TFT display, 8GB storage with micro-SD card support up to 64GB, 1GB RAM, 5MP rear and 2MP front camera and battery of 1,850mAh capacity.

All phones are dual SIM, run Android 4.4 KitKat and support both TDD and FDD 4G bands, capable of download speeds of up to 150Mbps.

Intex launches Aqua Star L

Domestic handset maker Intex has launched a new Smartphone, Aqua Star L, which runs Android 5.0 Lollipop. It is the first Smartphone from an Indian brand to ship with the latest iteration of Google's mobile OS. The phone will be available in black and white colours, exclusively on online marketplace Snapdeal.com at Rs 6,990.

Aqua Power HD sports a 5-inch FWVGA (480x854p) IPS display.

Powered by a 1.3GHz MediaTek MT6582M quad-core processor and 1GB RAM, the phone has 8GB internal storage expandable up to 32GB via micro-SD card.

The Aqua Star L runs Android 5.0 Lollipop and comes with features like auto call record and apps such as Intex Zone, Opera Mini, Intex play, OLX, Saavn, Recharge it Now, Intex Service, Askme, and Lets Buy Intex.

The phone sports an 8MP rear camera with LED flash and a 2MP front-facing camera.

It's powered by a 2000mAh battery. In terms of connectivity, the dual-sim phone supports 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and GPS.