iPad Air and iPad Mini 2 start selling in India

So, finally the long wait is over. The new line up of iPad's are out in the Indian market. They are slimmer, smaller, lighter and better in every possible way when compared with the older generation of their siblings.

iPad Air : Starts from Rs. 35,900/- for the 16Gb Wifi model and Rs.44,900/- for the 16Gb 4G+Wifi model.

iPad Mini 2: Starts from Rs.28,500/- for 16Gb Wifi model and Rs.37,900/- for the 16Gb 4G+Wifi model

Is it worth the purchase?
It depends. If you already own a iPad 2 or above and you are not a gamer on the go, you are fine with your current ipad. I got a iPad 2 and it still rocks, even with iOS7.

If you don't own an ipad yet, you can now think of owning one. And its no more just the mini to consider for the size, the iPad Air too is quite small when compared to the older generation iPad's. So, choose the right one that fits your usage. For 'home only' users, I would recommend a iPad Air. Mini 2 is for the mobile users.

And for the Apple enthusiasts, nothing like getting the latest iPad aye!?

Jolla - Smart phone with a personality

Jolla Phone with Sailfish OS and customizable phone covers

Ever since the announcement of the Jolla phone, I have been eagerly anticipating the release this new phone in the market. My interest in Jolla brew with two key ingredients -

• It was started by Nokia's ex employee's.
• It was open source 

The nokia culture and design has always been the key to its success. I could understand the disappointment when Nokia abandoned the Meego  project and went on to embrace the Windows platform. Open source has always been the heart of Nokia's software philosophy. So, for someone who always loved their handsets, the liking for opensource went beyond just trust. It was also in experience.

When Jolla was announced, they got Sailfish Operating System as the default opensource OS for their handset. For those who have experienced The Nokia N9, the user experience would seem very familiar.

Now that the Finish company has just launched this handset for the EU market, I can only hope and anticipate its launch in Asia, and specifically India. Check out this advert for the handset which sets the tone for Jolla's user base.


 

Google Nexus 5 - A sneak peek

Google Nexus 5 - Back Panel Screen Grab

Here is a preview video of the upcoming Google Nexus 5 that has been uploaded on YouTube. You already must have seen the images of this device. Here is the video that shows you hands-on how this device looks and feels to interact with.

I for one, am a bit disappointed with the approach of taken by Google to have their devices completely enclosed, just like what apple and Nokia/MS had stated doing. Not sure if this is a trend, but definitely, I am not for it as it takes away control from me as a user. Will this work for you? You be a better judge of that, I suppose. 

TechnoBuffalo Give Away Contest (International)

 
 
Hey folks, if you are interested in a Lenovo IdeaPad then there is a contest being held by Technobuffalo.com you can take part in. The IdeaPad model is A2109A. Here is a review by Laptopmag.com on the IdeaPad model.

The contest started on 5th of March and will be on for a week. All you have to do is post a single comment (limited to one per day) on their contest page.

Visit this page for the contest.

Watch the contest offer video below. The winner can be from any region in the world. Its a global contest and so everyone is free to participate.

Looks like a iPhone 5, will buy.

Read a tweet by Stephen Fry and it mention about adding something to ones gadget collection. There was a link to this suggestion too. What it lead to was truly baffling, real, funny and plausible. In fact, it was.

Have a look at this.

Tweet by Stephen Fry

And this is the gadget of desire.

Bit like a iPhone 5

Apple trolling Samsung

I was going through the pics I had snapped on my mobile recently and came across a picture with a rather funny scenario. I took a snap of the Samsung SIII that we had procured for device testing in our office. I took the snap with my Nokia E71 phone.

When I saw the pic, I was in splits. There was a iPad in the backdrop. So the scenario is that A Nokia phone is clicking a Samsung product and an Apple device is trolling the shot. LOL!

Here it is, the magical moment. Added a little bit of humor to it.

Wonder what Samsung S3 must be thinking.

Got a troll comment? Share it with me. A little bit of humor does no harm as we anyways are mute spectators to this fiasco.

Why I love my iBall Slide Android 2.3 tablet

When everyone is talking about the fastest and the most badass tablets on earth, here I am raving about a Rs12000 tablet. We are currently at a point when quadcore tablets would become a norm of some sort. But my needs are very basic and I need something that would suffice what I really, really need.

So what  do I need?

• I want a device that disconnects me from power chords. And any other cords, for that matter.
• Keeps me mobile even when I am accessing digital information.
• Gives me internet on the go.
• Pocketable and easy to carry. And not a pain to handle.

What do I want to to do with it?

• Surf in internet, access mails and chat.
• Access some social apps.
• Read some books and play some music.
• Watch videos and movies.

All dream ports that you want in your tablet.

Without going through the BS of how I bought this device, here is why I bought one.

Pros

• Surprisingly, a very responsive screen
• Good display quality
• Access to USB port and SD card slot.
• 7 inch screen (very convenient)
• Decent audio speakers onboard.
• And most importantly, Price point

Some cons that I will have to live with.

Cons

• No sim card slot, but there is provision for a 3G dongle through USB port.
• Android 2.3. Already ICS (4.0) is coming in all new devices.
• 720p playback. Which is half HD.
• A bit chunky and not that stylish.
• Confusing button structure.
• Need to purchase a mini to regular HDMI cable.

USP

• Low cost means I don’t have to be extra protective about the device. Yet it is sturdy enough for a little rough handling.
• Preloaded apps to manage unnecessary background apps. I hate android for allowing apps to activate on their own. There is a limited provision to set apps not to do so.
• USB port can take 32Gb and the SDcard slot can take another 32GB. Inbuilt space is 8GB. So a total of 72Gb can be played with at any given point. That's awesome!
• A hard boot always comes handy. Though I never really have had to use it yet.
• iBall has done a very limited customization. But they sure come handy and I thank them for that. Especially the ESTask Manager and ES File Explorer app.

So there you are. A short and to-the-point reason for my choice. The only thing you need to be prepared to do is swallow your pride when someone next to you is on a Samsung Galaxy Tab or a iPad 2 and you are with this gear.

It’s ok, you made a smart move and are not a show-off  :) 

Cheers!