This week started with Google’s big event in New Delhi. Company’s CEO Sundar Pichai along with its various top officials addressed India about their plans for the country in 2016 and more.
Google announced back in September that it will launch a new project to provide high-speed public Wi-Fi in 400 train stations across India, with 100 stations operational by the end of 2016. At the Google for India press event, company said that it is is working with Indian Railways and Railtel to launch RailWire Wi-Fi to provide free Wi-Fi in train stations in January 2016.
Mumbai Central railway station will be the first to get Wi-Fi services in January 2016.
Google announced that it will release a new feature called Tap to Translate that allows the instant translation of any text on the Android phone. This new feature will allow you to point phone’s camera on anywhere for a quick real-time translation from one language to another. As yet, the feature works for English to Hindi. Google demoed the real-time translation and Tap to Translate features at the event.
Google’s ‘Tap to Translate’ for Android to offer instant translation within apps, coming in Q1 2016.
Also, with Tap to Translate, you will be able to highlight English text in WhatsApp or any other app, and it will translate to Hindi immediately. If you want to reply in Hindi, when you type in English in Translate app it translates to Hindi as you type, so that you can copy and paste it in WhatsApp or other apps easily.
YouTube to get improved buffering when videos are paused in India in coming weeks.
At the Google for India event, Company also announced that Asus India will launch its Chromebit – compact stick running Chrome OS – in India in January 2016. The Chromebit plugs directly into the HDMI port on a TV or monitor to turn it into a desktop PC offering 1080p output. It is compact and has a fan-less design. It was announced back in April and went on sale in the U.S. last month for $85.
Asus Chromebit launching in India in January 2016 for Rs. 7999.
Other Google Highlights
Google Launchpad Accelerator for mobile startups in India and two other countries.
Google has created a new virtual keyboard that makes it easy to type in 11 Indian languages.
Google has partnered with Lava and Intex for pre-installing Android Keyboard.
YU Televentures this week launched its much-anticipated flagship smartphone YUTOPIA (YU5050). It has a 5.2-inch (1440 x 2560 pixels) quad-HD IPS display with 91% NTSC color gamut from Sharp, is powered by an octa-core 64-bit Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 processor and runs on Cyanogen OS 12.1 based on Android 5.1.1 (Lollipop). It features a 21-megapixel auto focus rear camera with dual-tone LED Flash, Sony Exmor RS IMX230 sensor, Optical Image Stabilization (OIS), phase-detection auto-focus (PDAF) and a 8-megapixel front-facing camera. It has a full metal body and a fingerprint sensor on the back.
Check YU YUTOPIA Photo Gallery
It has 4GB RAM, 32GB of internal storage with expansion slot and packs a 3000mAh battery and Quick Charge 2.0 that can charge from 0 to 60% in just 30 minutes. It has LTE support, including support for 4G LTE bands.
The YU YUTOPIA comes in Grey color and is priced at Rs. 24,999. It comes with House of Marley Little Bird In-Ear Headphones in the box that has 9.2mm driver. It is available for order from Amazon.in exclusively will be shipped from December 26th. The company said that the stocks are limited. Check Unboxing.
httpv://youtu.be/KIt85lKUH68
InFocus aunched the M680, company’s latest smartphone in India for Rs. 10,999. It has a 5.5-inch 1080p display, is powered by an Octa-Core MediaTek MT6753 64-bit processor with Mali-T720 GPU and runs on Android 5.1 (Lollipop), which upgradable to Android 6.0 (Marshmallow) in future. It has a 13-megapixel auto focus front and rear cameras, has a 7.2 mm slim metal body and weighs 158 grams.
The InFocus M680 comes in Gold and Silver color and is priced at Rs. 10,999. It is now available for order exclusively on Snapdeal and goes on sale starting 21st December, 2015. Read our full review of the InFocus M680.
Xiaomi has launched Redmi Note Prime, the company’s latest smartphone in the Redmi Note series in India, when everyone expected the Redmi Note 2 Prime. It packs a 5.5-inch (1280 x 720 pixels) IPS display, is powered by a 1.2 GHz Quad-Core Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 64-bit processor with Mali 450 GPU and runs on MIUI v7. Xiaomi said that it is the second Mi phone to be manufactured in Sri City, Andhra Pradesh, in partnership with Foxconn Technology Group.
The Xiaomi Redmi Note Prime comes in White color and is priced at Rs. 8,499. It is available exclusively on Amazon.in and Mi.com.
OnePlus on its two-year anniversary celebration announced a new color variant for the recently launched OnePlus X.
The OnePlus X will now come in Champagne Edition that adorns both white and gold colors. The front and back of the phone are white, while the two sides, top and bottom of the phone have a gold finish. Anyone with an invite can purchase the Champagne Gold edition directly from the company’s online store starting December 22. This color variant of the OnePlus X was only available in the US until now.
Microsoft launched the Lumia 550 smartphone in India this week. It was announced back in October at the Lumia 950 event, and packs a 4.7-inch HD display, is powered by a 1.1GHz quad-core Snapdragon 210 processor, runs on Windows 10, has a 5-megapixel auto focus camera with LED flash and a 2-megapixel front-facing camera. It also has 4G LTE connectivity, comes with Dual SIM support and is 9.9mm thick.
The Microsoft Lumia 550 comes in white and black colors and is priced at Rs. 9399. It will be available across India starting from 23rd December.Check full coverage here.
At a separate press event in New Delhi this week, Asus India announced the launch of its F22 Stealth Fighter inspired flagship gaming laptop dubbed the Asus ROG GL552JX – priced at Rs. 80,990.
The ROG GL552JX is a high performance gaming machine with quad-core Intel Core i7 processor, NVidia GeForce GTX 950M 4GB graphics, and 15.6-inch full-HD (178degree viewing angle) Antiglare IPS display. It features a specially designed gaming grade red backlit keyboard and has an upgradable dedicate Memory door on the bottom for instant and easy upgrades. For storage, it comes with 1TB 7200rpm 2.5-inch hard drive storage.
This week, Asus ZenPad C 7.0 variants went on sale on Flipkart and Snapdeal – starting at Rs.7,999. Asus had launched the ZenPad 8.0 and ZenPad 7.0 at the Zenfestival in India back in August. The ZenPad 7.0 went on sale in the country for Rs. 11,999 back in October, and the ZenPad 8.0 went on sale last month for Rs. 14,999.
The Asus ZenPad C 7.0 (Z170CG) features a 7-inch display with 71% screen-to-body ratio, AGC Glass with 20nm Anti-Finger Coating, 10 finger multi-touch, upto 170 degree viewing angle, powered by a quad-core 64-bit Intel Atom x3-C3230 / MediaTek MT8382 processor and run on Android 5.0 (Lollipop) with Zen UI. These have dual SIM support and 3G connectivity.
Intex launched two new smartphones in its Aqua series – the Aqua GenX and the Aqua Star 4G. The Intex Aqua GenX is company’s latest top-end smartphone in Aqua series, priced at Rs. 13,299. The Intex Aqua Star 4G is priced at Rs. 6,499.
Intex Aqua GenX packs a 5.5-inch 1080p display, is powered by an Octa-Core 64-bit MediaTek MT6753 SoC and runs on Android 5.1 (Lollipop). It has a 13-megapixel rear camera with Samsung Sensor, phase-detection auto-focus (PDAF), LED Flash and a 5-megapixel front-facing camera. Read full details here.
Intex Aqua Star 4G packs a 5-inch HD display, is powered by a 1.0GHz quad-core MediaTek MT6735P processor, runs on Android 5.1 Lollipop, has a 8-megapixel rear camera with LED flash and a 2-megapixel front-facing camera. As the name indicates, it has 4G LTE connectivity and also has dual SIM support. Check full specifications here.
Videocon launched the Infinium Z55 Krypton st Rs.7,999. It comes in Black with Gold and White with Silver colors.
Videocon Infinium Z55 Krypton is a 4G smartphone in the Infinium series. It has a 5-inch HD display, is powered by a 1.3 GHz quad-core MediaTek MT6735 processor, runs on Android 5.1 Lollipop, has a 13-megapixel rear camera with LED flash and a 5-megapixel front-facing camera. It has dual SIM support with 4G LTE connectivity.
Kult, a new Indian brand, this week launched Kult 10 (Ten) smartphone in the country at Rs. 7,999. It packs a 5-inch HD display, is powered by a 1.3 GHz quad-core processor with Mali T720MP2 GPU and runs on Android 5.1 (Lollipop), which is upgradable to Android 6.0 (Marshmallow) in future. It has a 13-megapixel rear camera with phase-detection auto-focus (PDAF) that lets you focus quickly, LED Flash and a 5-megapixel front-facing camera.
The Kult 10 comes in Black and White colors, is priced at Rs. 7,999 and is available exclusively from Snapdeal. Kult said that it has partnered with Telecare, which has a reach of over 500 service centers across India, for providing after sales services. Check our unboxing and benchmarks here.
httpv://youtu.be/jVv3nbpdgrI
Nexian after its Nexian Air Chromebook, now this week launched a budget Android smartphone dubbed the Nexian NV-45.
The Nexian NV-45 packs a 4.5-inch FWVGA display with Dragontrail Glass protection, is powered by a 1.2GHz quad-core Spreadtrum SC7731 processor coupled with 1GB of RAM, runs on Android 4.4.2 (KitKat), has a 5-megapixel auto focus rear camera with LED flash and a 3.2-megapixel front-facing camera. It has dual SIM support and 3G connectivity. It is available from Flipkart at Rs. 3,799.
ZTE introduced AXON MAX, the company’s latest smartphone in the AXON series in China. It packs a 6-inch 1080p AMOLED display with 2.5D curved glass, is powered by an Octa-Core Qualcomm Snapdragon 617 64-bit processor and runs on Android 5.1 (Lollipop) with MiFavor 3.5 UI. It has a 16-megapixel rear camera with LED flash and phase-detection auto-focus (PDAF) for quick focus in just 0.1 seconds and a 13-megapixel front-facing camera. It also has a fingerprint sensor on the back and comes with USB Type-C reversible port.
The ZTE AXON MAX comes in Golden color, is priced at 2,799 Yuan (US$ 431 / Rs. 28630 approx.). It is available for order in China and will go on sale later this month. No word on the global roll out yet. Check full coverage here.
Belkin India launched a 4-Port car charger – the Road Rockstar – that can simultaneously charge four USB devices. It comes with a 6-foot cable, 2 front USB ports for charging devices at a shared 2.4A, while the back ports supply 2.4A per port for charging two devices, including tablets.
The Belkin Road Rockstar 4-Port car charger comes in Black color and is priced at Rs. 2,999. It is already available from several offline and online retailers, including Amazon.in.
TP-LINK launched TL-PB2600, its new 2600mAh compact power bank that has a lipstick design and weighs just 68 grams so that you can carry it easily in your pocket. It has protection against damage caused by short-circuit, over-voltage, over-current, over-charge, over-discharge and over-heating. The company says that it has up to 90% energy efficiency rate.
The TP-LINK TL-PB2600 Power Bank comes in White color and is priced at Rs. 799 (MRP). It will be available across India starting from 20th December, 2015 and is backed by a 1-year warranty.
Advent, popular for its mobile accessories and peripherals launched the EchoPhonz AD-HP Boom, its latest wired headphones. It has a ergonomic design that would offer natural fit around the head and can be adjusted as per ones’ comfort. It promises crisp sound quality with enhanced bass effect, has soft ear muffs, ensures comfortable usage for longer hours and is also foldable for carrying it easily.
The Advent Echo Phonz AD-HP Boom headphones is priced at Rs. 599 (MSP) and is backed by 12 months warranty. It will be available at all leading retail outlets and all leading e-commerce portals including Flipkart, Snapdeal, Amazon.in and more.
Lastly, Samsung launched the new PRO Plus 128GB microSD cards this week, that is built with Samsung’s advanced MLC NAND flash solution. The 128GB microSD features the MLC NAND flash memory and UHS-I Speed Class 3 (U3) and Speed Class 10 support. It offers speeds up to 95MB/s and 90MB/s for read and write respectively. Samsung claims that the new memory card is equipped to handle storing and transferring professional-grade photos and 4K UHD video recording and playback.
It is waterproof (IEC 60529, IPX7), temperature proof, X-ray proof and magnetic proof protection and comes with a 10 year limited warranty.The new PRO Plus 128GB microSD memory card costs $199.99 and is available in more than 50 countries including China, Europe, Korea, U.S., and other regions.