Hasta La Gadget!

Are all smartphones created equal? Not really, but sometimes, there are always cheaper alternatives out there which would be close in terms of hardware and specifications as other more popular branded names, and I guess you can always lump the likes of the Micromax Canvas Turbo there. The Micromax Canvas Turbo happens to be a 5” Full HD IPS CGS (Continuous Grain Silicon) display that was manufactured by Sharp, and will run on a quad-core 1.5GHz Cortex A7 processor.

Accompanying that underneath the hood would be a PowerVR SGX544 graphics processor as well as 2GB RAM, with 16GB of internal memory limited by the lack of a memory card slot – something that ought to be the norm in smartphones these days. Interestingly enough, the Micromax Canvas Turbo will arrive with dual-SIM support, so you can always separate your work and social life on a single handset. Other hardware specifications include a 13-megapixel shooter with LED flash at the back, Full HD video recording capability, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.0 connectivity, GPS support, Android 4.2.1 Jelly Bean in tow, and a retail price of €235 thereabouts. A 2,000mAh battery ought to keep it going for the better part of the day, even for a power user. [Product Page]

Micromax Canvas Turbo Announced original content from Ubergizmo.

India pushed past Japan to become the third largest global smartphone market in Q1, according to a new report by Strategy Analytics. The analyst notes it’s the first time ever that India has moved up into third place. The top two worldwide markets for smartphones remain China and the U.S.

Smartphone makers including Apple, Samsung and local Indian mobile maker Micromax (an Android OEM), are driving higher volumes in the country thanks to improved distribution networks, according to the analyst.

Strategy Analytics said India is growing four times faster than the global average,with 163% year on year growth across India in Q1, compared to worldwide smartphone volumes expanding 39%. It noted that India’s market is rising quicker than China (86% YoY), Japan (24% YoY), the US (19% YoY) — and “almost all other major countries”.

The rise of India as a smartphone powerhouse is not surprising — given its huge population, including a growing, wealthier middle class, and rising interest in owning consumer electronics — coupled with parallel smartphone saturation in developed markets such as Japan and Europe. Saturation in those mature markets means companies like Apple and Samsung have been shifting more attention to emerging markets to try to ensure they maintain their own growth.

Figures put out by analyst IDC yesterday suggest the mature Western European smartphone market shrank more than expected in Q1, with total shipments dropping 4.2% year on year to 43.6 million units. This European slowdown is having the biggest impact on Apple’s marketshare, with IDC noting that iOS continues to lose ground in the region, declining to 20% in Q1, down from 25% in the year ago quarter.

Although it’s losing share in Europe, Apple has been gaining in India. Back in March IDC noted Cupertino had jumped to second place for revenue share in India, taking a 15.6% share in Q4 last year, after getting smaller local retailers distributing its iPhones. Apple has also been offering amortized payment plans to help spread the upfront cost of buying its devices — to widen access to what remain premium priced products vs the Android-powered competition.

Although Samsung and Apple are among the “key brands” driving growth in India, Strategy Analytics said it’s domestic players rather than foreign firms which are growing fastest. It name checks Micromax, Karbonn and Spice (all Android OEMs) as three examples of homegrown mobile makers with a growth rate of between 200% and 500% on an annual basis.

The local market also has what it describes as an “extra long tail of Indian microvendors” — such as Lemon Mobile — that it says is surging at 1000%+ YoY. “They are almost all using Android software, which captured 89% share of the entire market in the quarter,” the analyst added.

Both the Micromax A110 Canvas 2 and the Micromax A116 Canvas HD actually managed to garner their fair bit of attention when they were announced and released, and it seems that the India-based company has plans to roll out the 3D version of its phablet, which will be aptly known as the Micromax A115 Canvas 3D, and images of it have surfaced online, so what you see above is actually one of them.

This particular 3D version of the hugely popular phablet has been touted to arrive with a 5″ WVGA display, where in all probability, it will run on a 1GHz Dual-core MediaTek MT6577 processor. Not only that, there are rumors that the Micromax A115 Canvas 3D will also sport an 8-megapixel camera at the back, a 2-megapixel camera in front, 1GB RAM, 4GB of internal memory, 3D imaging capability with playback, and of course, Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean as the operating system of choice. Too bad there is no word on pricing or availability just yet, but would you consider one of these puppies when they arrive?

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Facebook Home Leak Killed By Facebook Through Server-Side Change, Marvel Attempts To Give Away Over 700 Comics For Free Again,

As time goes by, we are getting closer to a time when more and more vehicle will be connected to the Internet. This new concept vehicle will debut at the 2013 Geneva Auto Show and it’s basically a fleet of “cloud-connected” cars that can be communally shared.

The microMAX EV concept was created by Rinspeed and Harman. This electric vehicle measures just 12 feet in length, and works off an motor with an output of 28 kW and a range of 100 km. The system running the car will allow you to access navigation data from other vehicles in real time. Using other cars connected in the urbanSWARM community, the system will be able to modify its routes dynamically to account for current traffic conditions – as reported by the other cars in the network.

Once you are part of the community, you can access any of these microMAX EVs, which isn’t a bad idea. The community has access to detailed ride data, including data such as the number of passengers and traveling speeds of each vehicle. As an added bonus, passengers in the microMAX have access to an on-board coffee maker and a fridge for refreshments while in transit.

Only time will tell if this is the vehicle of the future, or just another fanciful concept design.

[via designboom]

What better time to announce a smartphone than in the lull between CES and MWC? Micromax is using the occasion to reveal another five-inch handset, the Canvas HD. The display packs a 1,280 x 720 resolution, and inside you’ll find a MediaTek MT6589 1.2 GHz quad-core processor and a 2100mAh battery. The phone’s also got an 8-megapixel rear camera and expandable storage up to 32GB. All of that’s powered by Android 4.1. The Canvas HD is coming to India the first week of February, carrying a Rs. 15,000 ($279) price tag. Assorted additional information can be found in the press release after the break.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile

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