Nokia X Android smartphone launched at Rs 8,599

Nokia has launched Nokia X, the first phone from the company to run an OS based on Android, at a price of Rs 8,599.

 

 

NEW DELHI: Nokia has launched Nokia X, the first phone from the company to run on Google's Android operating system. The phone, priced at Rs 8,599, will be available through online and offline retailers across India starting Monday.

Nokia X was unveiled by Nokia on February 24, during the MWC at Barcelona in Spain, along with Nokia X+ and XL.

 

Nokia X sports a 4-inch WVGA LCD display (480 X 800p, 233ppi). The dual-sim phone is powered by a 1GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor and 512MB RAM. It comes with 4GB internal storage expandable up to 32GB via microSD card.

Nokia X features a 3MP fixed-focus camera and doesn't sport an LED flash. In terms of connectivity options, the phone offers Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and A-GPS. It comes with a 1,500mAh removable battery and the company claims a talk time of 10.5 hours on 3G and standby time of 28 days.

The phone runs a highly customised version of Android (based on Android 4.1.2) that has been stripped of Google services and apps including the Play Store. Nokia X comes with Nokia's own app store, HERE Drive and Maps for location service, and Nokia MixRadio music service.

​Nokia has also bundled Microsoft's cloud storage service, One Drive with the phone and is offering 10GB of One Drive storage for free, along with one month of free unlimited Skype calls to landlines and mobiles.

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Supposed iPhone 6 parts surface on Twitter, hint at a larger screen on the way (update: likely fake)

Lately it seems like Apple can't build anything without a few prototype cases leaking into public view, and now we're seeing pictures of what could be the next iPhone. Posted by a Twitter user earlier today and addressed to several Apple-focused websites, the "iPhone 6" shells look very close to current models, but are thinner and have space for a larger edge to edge-style display, which has been rumored before. Sonny Dickson, who has previously obtained iPhone and iPad parts prior to the launch of new devices, has also apparently received the same pictures and tells MacRumors they came from a source in China. Based on the ports, MacRumors says the parts here are 2.6-inches wide, compared to the iPhone 5s which is 2.31 inches. Are these pics the real thing, and if they are, do they represent what we'll likely see from Apple later this year? Without any details to back them up we can't be sure, but you can check out a few more pictures for yourself after the break.

Update: Forum posters at MacRumors have taken a closer look at the images and found several reasons to believe they're rendered fakes, including textures that repeat and the usage of an out-of-date font.

 

 

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Goophone took just two days to rip off the Galaxy S5

Goophone took just two days to rip off the Galaxy S5

Goophone's a bit like a covers band that just happens to make knock-off smartphones. Not content with just plundering better artists' catalogs, the company has apparently managed to copy the Galaxy S5 in under two days. The Goophone S5, yep, has a 5-inch, 1,920 x 1,080 display, paired with a 2GHz octa-core MediaTek chip and 2GB RAM. Keep looking, and you'll find 802.11 b/g/n WiFi, dual-SIM slots, 32GB storage and a 2,800mAh battery, in addition to 13-and-5-megapixel rear and front cameras. 

It's available in white, black, gold or blue and is priced at $300, making it the ideal companion for your Lucci bag, Tammy Hilfinger shirt and Seanheiser headphones.

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Facebook Wins WhatsApp Gold

Facebook Wins WhatsApp Gold
By Rebel Raju Admin



 No one is criticizing Facebook for being rash in doling out $19 billion for WhatsApp -- in fact, the acquisition looks like a major coup. With its simplicity and universal appeal, WhatsApp could be the perfect vehicle not only to ensure that Facebook has a strong messaging platform, but also to spur the network's growth in developing markets. As for monetization -- no worries, it will come.

Facebook on Wednesday announced the acquisition of WhatsApp in a US$19 billion deal geared toward increasing its global connectivity.

The company paid $4 billion in cash, $12 billion worth of Facebook shares and an additional $3 billion in restricted stock to acquire WhatsApp. Facebook was drawn to the company's ability not only to connect mobile users worldwide, but also to sustain rapid growth in a competitive arena.

More than 450 million people use WhatsApp each month, with 70 percent of them active on a given day. WhatsApp is adding more than 1 million new registered users per day.

WhatsApp will maintain its brand and independence going forward, and nothing will change for WhatsApp users as a result of the acquisition, the companies said. As part of the deal, WhatsApp cofounder and CEO Jan Koum will join Facebook's board of directors.

Top Dollar 

 

The $19 billion that Facebook shelled out is worth it, considering that WhatsApp is more than a messaging service, said Brent Csutoras, social media strategist at Kairay Media.
"At first, I was shocked by the $19 billion valuation, even if it is only $3 billion in cash," he told the E-Commerce Times. "However, when you start looking at other valuations for tech companies over the last two years, such as Twitter at nearly $10 billion, you find two important things that have really been essential in a higher-than-normal valuation: user and user data acquisition, and mobile usage."
The investment will pay off, said Csutoras, especially since WhatsApp fits so well into Facebook's core business model.
"The purchase of WhatsApp helps Facebook further accomplish their goal, which is to give people the power to be more connected," he said. "With the growth of mobile, connectivity throughout the world and technology, it is an amazing valuation -- but also an amazing buy for Facebook."

What's Next for WhatsApp

Figuring out how WhatsApp will add to Facebook's bottom line will come slowly, said Arvind Bhatia, an analyst at Sterne Agee.

"WhatsApp is clearly in the very early stages of monetization as management's entire focus currently is user growth and user experience," he told The E-Commerce Times.

WhatsApp's continued growth will be key to its eventual monetization, said Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg a call following announcement of the acquisition.

Global expansion -- not ad sales -- will be the winning strategy, he said.

The money will come once users worldwide turn to WhatsApp for their international connectivity needs, said Trip Chowdhry, senior analyst for Global Equities Research.

"There is the potential here for so much growth in the developing world, because WhatsApp is one of the only applications that runs equally well on feature phones and smartphones, and is fast and simple to use," he told the E-Commerce Times. "This is a very smart and essential acquisition for Facebook."

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