Apple Reduces Price on MacBook Pro With Retina Display

President Obama mentioned Apple's plans to make some Mac computers in America during the State of the Union last night, and today Apple's following up that Mac momentum with an announcement that it's lowering prices on some of its MacBooks.

The MacBook Pro with Retina Display, which was first introduced last June, is being refreshed with new processor options and the smaller, 13-inch version is now $200 cheaper.

You may recall that we bemoaned the $1,699 starting price of the 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina when we reviewed it in November. Now the 128GB version will start at $1,499, and $1,699 will buy you the version with a faster 2.6GHz processor and 256GB of storage. Apple's also dropping the price of the 256GB 13-inch MacBook Air to $1,399 from $1,499.

The larger 15-inch MacBook Pro Retina display doesn't get a price drop -- it still starts at $2,199 -- but is getting some new internal organs. It will be available with a faster 2.4GHz and 2.7GHz quad-core processors and up to 16GB of memory.

So why is Apple lowering prices now on these computers? According to Ben Bajarin, a principal analyst at Creative Strategies, it has to do with the falling prices of components -- RAM, flash storage.

"When prices of components come down, they are willing to lower prices when they can," he said. "We don't expect Apple to make the cheapest products on the market, but they are committed to being affordable in the market."

In its last quarter, Apple reported lower sales of Mac products (4.1 million, down from 5.2 million in the same quarter the year before). Tim Cook attributed it to component supply and the iMac hitting shelves later in the quarter than he would have liked. He also said that Apple was aware that the iPad was cannibalizing part of the Mac business.

"I think cannibalization is a huge opportunity for us," Cook said on an Apple earnings call. "Our base philosophy is to never fear cannibalization. If we do, somebody else will just cannibalize it… We know iPad has cannibalized some Macs, and that doesn't worry us."

Bajarin said he doesn't believe the price drops on the Macs today have anything to do with those Mac earnings, however.

"I don't think they looked at their last Mac quarter and started freaking out," he said. "The PC business is in decline; they know no one is going to turn that around."

Last month Apple announced a $799 version of the iPad with a 128GBflash drive, which gives it as much storage as some laptops. Apple, unlike Microsoft with its Windows 8 operating system, continues to keep its laptop and iPad lines separate, even though some iPad features have made their way over to the Mac. Cook has famously said converging the two would be like trying to combine a refrigerator and a toaster.

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HTC Butterfly..!!!

The Butterfly is yet another stylish high-end Android phone from the Taiwanese device maker HTC. From Sensation to One X, the company's mobile phones are known for their extraordinary touchscreen, superior technology and stunning design.

But the Butterfly seems to have marked the arrival of the era of the smartphone with full high definition screen; it is equipped with a 5-inch super LCD 3 display with full HD resolution (1920 x 1080 pixels). As a comparison, Apple's iPhone 5 has a pixel density of 326ppi while the Samsung Galaxy Note II offers 267ppi.

The design of the phone makes a great first impression. The Butterfly has a 5-inch display size but once you hold it with one hand, you won't really think it's that big. It is constructed largely from plastic, a major deviation from many of HTC's previous aluminium unibody designs. This 140 grams device (model X920d) looks very fine with its slim body.
The real attraction, though, is the 5-inch full HD super LCD 3 screen—it's truly a sight to behold. The super LCD 2 seen in HTC's previous flagship One X was arguably the best panel on the market, but we think its successor is the new champion. Colour reproduction is excellent, the 440ppi resolution is astonishing, viewing angles are superb and brightness is almost unrivaled.

SPECS

Dimensions: 14.3 x 7.05 x 0.9 cm
Display: 12.7 cm super LCD 3 touchscreen with full HD 1080p resolution
SIM card type: Micro SIM
Platform: Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean)
CPU speed: Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro 1.5 GHz, Quad Core
Memory: 2 GB RAM
Total storage: 16 GB
Connectivity: Bluetooth 4.0, Wi-Fi, Micro-USB port
Estimated street price:Rs 49,900

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Swipe MTV Volt Phablet Launched...!!!

Swipe MTV Volt Phablet Launched at Rs 12999

Owing to increasing penetration in the Indian market in a very short span, California based tech firm Swipe Telecom has now come up with a phablet. The recent offering - MTV Volt has been launched in collaboration with music and entertainment channel MTV at Rs 12,999.
MTV Volt has several highlights including a 6 inch display, dual core processor, Android 4.1 Jelly Bean OS and many more. It is to be noted that MTV Volt is the first 6 inch device launched in India with Karbonn A30 following it with a 5.9 inch display.

Specifications

Lets have a look at the specifications of Swipe MTV Volt below.

Dimensions & Weight: MTV Volt carries a dimension of 158.5 x 88.6 x 11.3 mm weighs in at 239 grams, making it extremely comfortable for handling.

Display: MTV Volt comes with a 6 inch 5 point multi-touch capacitive touchscreen display with a resolution of 854 x 480 pixels.

Processor: The handset is equipped with a 1GHz dual core MediaTek MTK 6577 processor for blazing performance.

Operating System: MTV Volt comes with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean operating system.

Camera: The phablet has an 8MP rear camera and a 1.3MP front camera for video calling.

Storage: The handset packs 4GB internal storage, 512MB RAM and a micro SD card slot supporting up to 32GB additional storage.

Connectivity: MTV Volt has Bluetooth 4.0, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, micro USB 2.0 and 3G.

Battery: The phablet is loaded with a 3,200 mAh Li-Po battery of unknown backup.

Price & Availability

Swipe MTV Volt is priced at Rs 12,999 and it will be available on almost all the major online retailer sites across the nation including Flipkart, Snapdeal, Infibeam, eBay, and more shortly.

Swipe MTV Volt: Potential Rivals

As the over-sized devices called phablets have become a fashion statement, everyone in the nation wants to own one. Hence, to fulfill the demands of the consumer and grab sales from the growing category, various local and global smartphone vendors have come up with numerous choices satisfy the needs.
The Indian market has excelled by proving plethora of large screen phablets at really affordable price combined with the likes of dual SIM support, Android Jelly Bean, multi-core processor and more.
By entering this growing trend of offering Jelly Bean phablets at budget price points, Swipe has entered the arena of budget phablet fight. Below is a slideshow showing the potential rivals of the new phablet launched in collaboration with MTV.

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LG Optimus L3 II, L5 II and L7 II specs & features

LG Optimus L3 II, L5 II and L7 II specs & features 

Some of LG’s new line of Android phones for MWC 2013 release has been leaked. The company had earlier offered to roll out a range of handsets for the year at the upcoming mobile trade fair in Spain. As per rumors, a trio of the Korean firm’s Optimus L-series Android phones has emerged out. The devices, to be called the Optimus L3 II, L5 II and L7 II, will come as the second upgrades to the particular handsets.
LG is to put its three new phones on display at MWC. “A Korean source has just unveiled three new smartphones that the company LG intends to present at the Mobile World Congress 2013,” says the blog (machined translated). They “can be called LG Optimus L3 II, LG Optimus II L5 and L7 LG Optimus II and of course there are three small upgrade of the current LG Optimus L3, L5 and L7,” the site added.

Here are the specs of the new LG handsets.

LG Optimus L3 II: This is the base model of the series. This entry-level device will come with a beefy 1GHz processor and an advanced 3.2-inch IPS display panel. Well, it offers the same resolution (240 x 320) of its predecessor. The phone has a 5MP rear camera, which replaces the 3.2MP sensor of its old model. It may run on the latest Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean. With a small price, the L3 2 will be competing with the low-price models of its rivaling tech makers.

LG Optimus L5 II: The L5 II is yet another lower-end phone to come from LG. As per reports, it is going to get a 1GHz Cortex-A9 processor and a PowerVR SGX531 graphical processor. Compared to its predecessor, the device gets a better processor (an upgrade from 800MHz Cortex-A5). The phone is to keep the same 4-inch WVGA display. Under the hood, the software will be the new Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean. The first generation L5 has a 5MP rear camera and no front camera.

LG Optimus L7 II: The L7 II is also to come with added CPU power. From its original version, the device differs with a 1GHz dual core processor (Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM8225 chipset), 768MB of RAM and Adreno 203 graphical processor. Its original version has 1GHz Cortex-A5 (MSM7227A Snapdragon chipset), 512MB of RAM and Adreno 200 GPU. The Optimus L7 II is to feature a 4.3-inch WVGA display, 8MP rear camera and a 2,460mAh battery, reports say. It will also be running on Android 4.1.2 at launch.

LG’s Other Possible Products for MWC
LG is gaining in popularity as a key maker of Android phones. Its last year flagship the Optimus G2 is still creating waves in markets. Apart from the above three phones, LG is to launch some more devices in the event. The company is most likely to surface a set of Windows Phone 8 handsets as well. As per rumor mills, LG is to join the WP 8 bandwagon following Samsung, Nokia, HTC and Huawei. But, there is no clue on the possible Windows Phone 8 handsets from the Korean tech maker.
LG has to compete with a host of tech makers in Android front this year. All major Android product firms have launched some great quality devices for the year. From Sony to ZTE, all famous mobile firms have launched devices that feature quad core processors, 1080p displays, 13MP cameras and more. That is, things won’t be much good for LG devices that should fight innumerous numbers of midrange and low-price handsets as well.

Samsung and Sony have recently launched too many midrange and budget phones under the Android platform. Along with the new line of FHD handsets, tech firms have also surfaced enough bottom-line phones. The new LG phones will join the battle to take control of the market, where lots of customers wait for quality midrange devices.

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Micromax A116 Canvas HD Available From Feb 14..

Micromax A116 Canvas HD Available From Feb 14: What Are The Goods and Bads Of Jelly Bean Phablet?

It can be said that the India based manufacturers has reaped the trending phablet segment and the local vendors have now started gaining benefits from the harvest. Initially, the budget phablets were based on Android ICS, however, in 2013 most of the renowned companies have started coming up with Jelly Bean phablets in the nation.

Micromax is one of the leading India based tech company, which is involved in making smartphones, phablets and tablets at reasonable price ranges and with an eye to take over the market as a dominator. The company has already launched a couple of Android ICS tablets in 2012 with dual SIM and pretty decent specifications at Rs 9,999.

In January 2013, Micromax took a giant leap by penetrating deep into the phablet market with the launch of A116 Canvas HD. Interestingly, the phablet is equipped with a quad core processor, Android 4.1 Jelly Bean and a few other high-end specifications under its hood.

Key Specifications

As far as specs are concerned, A116 Canvas HD houses a 5 inch HD IPS capacitive touchscreen display with a resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels, 1.2GHz quad core MediaTek MT6589 processor, Android 4.1 Jelly Bean operating system, 8MP rear camera, VGA front camera for video calling, 4GB internal storage, 1GB RAM, micro SD card slot supporting up to 32GB additional storage, 3G, WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS/A-GPS and a 2,100 mAh battery.

Preloaded Applications

Micromax A116 Canvas HD is loaded with applications including M!Store, M!Buddy, M!SMS, M!Zone and Hook Up.

Price & Availability

At the time of launch, Micromax has not disclosed the official pricing of its latest Canvas offering - A116 Canvas HD. However, the tech experts estimated that the device will be priced in the sub Rs 15,000 price range.

Now, Micromax has posted on its official website that Canvas HD will be available only at www.micromaxinfo.com from February 14, 2013, thats Valentine's Day.

A116 Canvas HD - The Goods

Micromax has been long awaited for a Jelly Bean based device with impressive specifications. With the launch of A116 Canvas HD, a day before the unveiling of Samsung Galaxy Grand in India, the former has been making rounds in the Indian tech news for the latest quad core HD phablet. Moreover, the phablet has enough features listed below to claim its one of the best offerings in the market currently.

IPS HD Display

IPS (In-Plane Switching technology) is used for LCDs to solve the limitations like relatively slow response, small viewing angles and low quality color reproduction. Further, these displays offer consistent and accurate color from any viewing angle and have the ability to offer clear images.

The advantage of IPS display is combined with HD resolution in A116 Canvas HD. The phablet sports a 5 inch display with 1280 x 720 pixel resolution. Hence, the content appears with excellent quality in all aspects.

Quad Core MediaTek Processor

The quad core MediaTek MT6589 chipset integrates a power efficient ARM Cortex A7 processor and PowerVR Series5XT GPU offering a powerful performance at a very competitive price. Further, the processor offers innovative and advanced dual SIM solution, high-end multimedia capabilities with support to up to 13MP camera and full HD LCD support.

Android 4.1 Jelly Bean OS

This the first time, Android 4.1 Jelly Bean launched in June 2012 is being incorporated on a Micromax device. The platform has new features including Project Butter for smoother and more responsive interface, expandable and contractible notifications, resizable app widgets, live wallpaper preview, high resolution contact photos, improved Android Beam, better camera interface and improved Google Now.

A116 Canvas HD - The Bads

Wi-Fi

Of course, Canvas HD has Wi-Fi connectivity, however, it lacks dual band Wi-Fi, that operates on more than two different network frequencies. With the dual band Wi-Fi, consumers can enjoy the benefits of a stronger internet connection.

Internal Storage

Though the handset comes with a micro SD card slot supporting up to 32GB additional storage, it has only a mere 4GB internal storage on board. Given that the applications will be stored on the internal storage be default, such a less capacity is quite disappointing.

8MP Camera

The 8MP rear camera with a resolution of 3264 x 2448 pixels in Canvas HD comes with LED flash and fares well for normal usage. However, it lacks BSI sensor that is present in a few other budget offerings. The BSI sensor will improve the quality of low light photography to a great extent.

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Opera Launches New "ICE" Browser..iOS..;;

Opera Launching New "Ice" Browser for iOS, Android

 

Opera Ice will take a new approach in web browsing on mobile devices.


 

While Opera really didn't offer anything new to see for the North American market at CES 2013, the company has revealed to Pocket-lint that it's preparing a new web browser for the iOS and Android platforms called Opera Ice. It's in development for both smartphone and tablet form factors, and will focus on presenting rich applications rather than stuff the screen full of buttons and tabs.

"This is a full touch and tablet-focused browser," the project manager told the site. "Most are taking a PC Browser and squishing [it] into a tablet, or they are taking a mobile browser and blowing it up to fill the space."

Opera wants to hide as much of the actual browser as possible, allowing the user to navigate the web using gestures instead of the typical forward and backward buttons. Tabs will reportedly be replaced by icons on a homepage, and new pages will be accessed by either typing in the URL or using the browser's search function. To bookmark, users simply tap a part of the screen and drag the icon to the home screen.

"We need to go into a new phase, we need to lift our games on certain areas to ensure we continue to grow," said Lars Boilesen, CEO of Opera. "We need to focus on getting strong products out on iOS and Android. These are the two leading platforms we will focus on… They are the ones phones are being sold for."

That said, the new browser is slated to arrive on both mobile platforms first. It may also arrive on the Windows Phone platform in the future, but that project won't become a priority until the Windows Phone device sales begin to pick up.

As for Opera Mini, the company doesn't have any plans to dump the popular scaled down browser. "Mini is super important," Boilsen added. "It needs to be a platform where we create users and then migrate those users to over to our smartphone products."

Opera also plans to launch a desktop version in March (presumably Opera Ice), so stay tuned for an official announcement soon.

 

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HCL ME Y3...just launched.;;

After dual-SIM feature phones and smartphones, it looks like there will soon be a flurry of dual-SIM tablets in the Indian market. HCL seems to be foraying in this space with its HCL ME Y3 tablet. HCL ME Y3 features a 7-inch capacitive multi-touchscreen with a resolution of 1024x600 pixels. There is a 1GHz Cortex A9 processor on-board and it will run on Android 4.0.4 (Ice Cream Sandwich) operating system.

 

HCL ME Tablet Y3 with dual-SIM support is now available from online retailers Saholic and Snapdeal. It has a 7-inch (1024 x 600 pixels) capacitive touch screen display, powered by  1 GHz Cortex A9 processor and runs on Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich). It has dual-SIM support with dual standby and lets you make voice calls and use data from both the SIM cards.

    

The HCL ME Y3 comes with 2-megapixel rear camera and a 0.3-megapixel one in the front. There is 1GB of RAM and 4GB of internal storage, which can be expanded up to 32GB via microSD card. Connectivity options include, 3G, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. One can make voice calls from both the SIMs and it also supports FM Radio. It comes with a 3,100mAh battery. So far it is not clear whether the tablet will support 3G data on both the SIM or just one of them.

The tablet is already listed on the deal site snapedeal.com for Rs. 11,999 and the site is promising to ship it within five business days.

HCL is already offering around a dozen tablets in the Indian market, which range from Rs. 6,700 to Rs. 14,999. However, HCL ME Y3 is the first dual-SIM tablet by the company. Apart from HCL, Swipe and iBall are currently offering dual-SIM tablets in India.

Swipe had launched its Swipe Tab All in One in October 2012 for Rs. 11,999. This tablet comes with 7-inch TFT LCD full-HD capacitive touch screen with 5 point multi- touch and has a resolution of 1028X768 pixels. Swipe Tab All in One runs on Android 4.0.3 (Ice Cream Sandwich) and has a 4,000mAh battery. This tablet comes with 1.5GHz dual-core processor with 1GB RAM and 8GB of internal storage.

The iBall Slide 3G 7334 on the other hand is available in the market for Rs. 10,990. It is a 7-inch tablet that sports a resolution of 1024x600 pixels and 4,400mAh battery. Powered by Cortex A9 1GHz processor, iBall Slide 3G 7334 comes with 1GB of RAM and 8GB of internal storage. It runs on Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) and supports 3G on both the SIMs. Just like the HCL ME Y3 tablet, even iBall Slide 3G 7334 supports FM radio.

                             

HCL ME Tablet Y3 Specifications

• 7-inch (1024 x 600 pixels) capacitive touch screen display

• Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) OS

• 1 GHz Cortex A9 processor

• 2MP rear camera, VGA front-facing camera

• 3.5mm audio jack, FM Radio and FM transmitter

• 3G HSDPA 7.2Mbps, WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth v4.0, mini HDMI

• 1GB DDR3 RAM, 4GB internal memory , 32GB expandable memory with microSD

• 3100 mAh battery

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