Reliance Jio Infocomm, a subsidiary of Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) and Ascend Telecom Infrastructure Pvt. Ltd. Under this deal, Reliance Jio would utilize Ascend Telecom’s 4500 towers across India for its 4G roll out. The company is backed by New Silk Route Growth Capital, IL&FS and the TVS Group.
This is the 7th tower sharing deal Reliance Jio has signed. The company recently partnered with Tower Vision. It already has tie-ups with ATC India, Viom Networks, Bharti Infratel, Reliance Communications and Bharti Airtel. Last year Reliance Jio received unified License for all its 22 service areas across India. Reliance Jio plans to roll out 4G LTE including voice services later this year.
Regarding the new tie-up, Sanjay Mashruwala, Managing Director, Reliance Jio said,
Our partnership with Ascend Telecom is a continuation of our efforts to forge strategic partnership with key tower infrastructure companies with a view to build a formidable nationwide network. Ultimately it’s our network coverage footprint that will give our customers the geographical freedom they need to avail our high speed services.
Sushil Kumar Chaturvedi, Director & CEO, Ascend Telecom Infrastructure Pvt. Ltd, said,
Our 12 years’ experience in the market, coupled with strong relationships with mobile network operators and equipment suppliers, allows us to bring improvements right across the value chain. We are excited ...
Reliance Jio Infocomm, a subsidiary of Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) and Ascend Telecom Infrastructure Pvt. Ltd. Under this deal, Reliance Jio would utilize Ascend Telecom’s 4500 towers across India for its 4G roll out. The company is backed by New Silk Route Growth Capital, IL&FS and the TVS Group.
This is the 7th tower sharing deal Reliance Jio has signed. The company recently partnered with Tower Vision. It already has tie-ups with ATC India, Viom Networks, Bharti Infratel, Reliance Communications and Bharti Airtel. Last year Reliance Jio received unified License for all its 22 service areas across India. Reliance Jio plans to roll out 4G LTE including voice services later this year.
Regarding the new tie-up, Sanjay Mashruwala, Managing Director, Reliance Jio said,
Our partnership with Ascend Telecom is a continuation of our efforts to forge strategic partnership with key tower infrastructure companies with a view to build a formidable nationwide network. Ultimately it’s our network coverage footprint that will give our customers the geographical freedom they need to avail our high speed services.
Sushil Kumar Chaturvedi, Director & CEO, Ascend Telecom Infrastructure Pvt. Ltd, said,
Our 12 years’ experience in the market, coupled with strong relationships with mobile network operators and equipment suppliers, allows us to bring improvements right across the value chain. We are excited ...
Gionee Pioneer P2S that went on sale in India on the official Gionee online Store has been officially launched in India. It has a 4-inch WVGA display, powered by a 1.3 GHz dual-core processor with Mali 400 GPU and runs on Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean). It has a 5-megapixel rear camera with LED flash and a 0.3-megapixel (VGA) front-facing camera. It also has a new V-gesture shot that lets you capture selfies easily.
It has dual SIM support and also has 3G connectivity. This doesn't look like a major upgrade compared to last year's Pioneer P2.
Gionee Pioneer P2S specifications
4.0-inch (480 x 800 pixels) capacitive touch screen display
1.3 GHz dual-core processor with Mali 400 GPU
Dual SIM (GSM + GSM) with Dual Standby
Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean) OS
5 MP rear camera with LED flash
0.3MP (VGA) front-facing camera
3.5mm audio jack, FM Radio
9.3mm thick and weighs 124 grams
3G, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, GPS
512 MB RAM, 4GB of internal memory, 32GB expandable memory with microSD
1600 mAh battery
The Gionee Pioneer P2S comes in Black, Blue, White, Yellow and Red colors and is priced at Rs. 6499.
The Alliance for Wireless Power (A4WP) has introduced multi device wireless charging solution for mobile devices at the Computex. The company's Rezence magnetic resonance charging technology is offering wireless charging up to 50 watts for mobile devices like laptop, smartphones and tablets.
The Rezence brand is backed by hundreds of consumer device makers and chip companies like Lenovo, Hon Hai (Foxconn), Fujitso, Logitech, Panasonic and others. A4WP claims that its Rezence technology delivers wireless power solutions in the 1-50W range whereas other wireless charging solutions deliver power in the 10-15 watt range. Moreover, Rezence also supports wireless charging of multiple devices with differing power requirements on the same charging surface which is a unique to magnetic resonance technologies.
As highlighted by A4WP member companies at Computex, wireless power is about more than charging a phone on a pad. Flexibility, in both power and placement, are key to expanding wireless charging beyond a niche. A4WP member companies are driving the expansion of the Rezence specification to enable new usage models. Extending Rezence to include laptops, tablets and peripherals is a necessary step towards a wire-free and universal charging experience for everyone", said Kamil Grajski, President, Alliance for Wireless Power in an official release.
Intel, Broadcom, ...
PQI, one of the popular media storage peripheral brand has unveiled Gmobi iStick, a OTG storage device developed for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch with lightning connectors at the Computex 2014 in Taipei. This device would be developed by California-based Sanho that has raised around US$859,000 on KickStarter campaign. PQI will distribute the device in Taiwan.
This allows two-way transmission so that it can be used on any devices with a USB connector such as Macs and notebooks. It has a push-pull design that eliminates the problem of losing the cap. We had already seen several USB OTG drives from several companies in recent years for Android devices with a micro USB connectors, but this device would be more useful for iPhone and iPad that doesn't have an expansion slot.
This requires a companion app for iOS devices that can be downloaded from the Apple iTunes Store. This is automatically launched when the drive is connected so that you can view the files and play media directly from the drive. It can also backup contacts, photos and videos. The Gmobi iStick comes in 8GB to 128GB capacities and would retail for $129 for the base variant that goes up to $399 for ...
Owing to migration of a large user base from feature phones to smartphones, India has recorded 186% growth in smartphone shipment in Q1 of 2014, according to IDC. The smartphone penetration in India still hovers at 10% and it is expected to grow due to a variety of factors including greater availability of low-cost devices and additional sales emphasis by top-flight vendors on less populous parts of the country.
The share of feature phones in the overall market further slipped further to 71% in Q1 2014 which is a considerable decrease from 90% share in 1Q 2013. According to IDC Asia-Pacific Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker (excluding Japan), vendors shipped a total of 17.59 million smartphones in 1Q 2014 compared to 6.14 million units in the same period of 2013. The research firm further stated that the sub-$200 (Rs. 11,800) smartphone category helped the overall market to grow significantly during the first quarter and contributed about 78% to the overall smartphone market in India.
This rapid pace of growth in smartphones is expected to continue in India. While we notice that much of the growth is coming from low-cost devices using the Android operating system, Windows is making adequate gains too based on ...
Acer unveiled the Liquid Z200, an entry-level smartphone last week ahead of Computex 2014. We got to check out the device that was on display on the show floor. The 4-inch WVGA display has limited viewing angles but the build quality is pretty good. The phone is powered by a dual-core MediaTek processor clocked at 1 GHz and runs on Android 4.4 (KitKat) out of the box, which is pretty good for an entry-level phone. Check out the hands-on below.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z70BtPpaRHg
Acer Liquid Z200 specifications
4-inch (800 × 480 pixels) touch screen display
1 GHz dual-core MediaTek MT6572M processor
Android 4.4 (KitKat)
Dual SIM
2MP fixed focus camera
10.3 mm thick and weighs 130 grams
3.5mm audio jack, DTS Studio Sound
512MB RAM, 4GB internal memory, expandable memory with microSD
3G HSPA, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth and GPS
1300 mAh battery
It has a 2-megapixel fixed-focus camera on the back without flash, but lacks a front-facing camera. It also has a dedicated AcerRAPID key on the back, just below the camera that lets you launch the camera or any other application quickly. It also has DTS audio. It has 3G connectivity, Dual SIM support, 512MB RAM and a 1300 mAh battery.
It comes in titanium black, white, hot pink, sky blue and bright yellow ...
Ford has demoed their experimental vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communications technology for the first time in the Asia Pacific region at the Computex 2014 in Taipei. This WiFi-based technology enables cars to transmit data to other similarly equipped cars, including vehicle speed, location and predicted path to warn drivers of potential collision risks and other dangerous situations they may not be able to see yet. We got to check out the feature in a Ford Ford Kuga car at the Computex. Check it out below.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6I2UAPdj3Js
As you can see from the infographic, the V2V technology by Ford enables cars to detect fast-moving vehicles before they enter into the blind spot and can also alert drivers about vehicles approaching at a high-speed in advance. This would enable drivers receive alerts of vehicles that are obscured when it is hidden by an oversized vehicle or during sharp turns.
Ford is looking to enhance the V2V technology with vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) communication that may enable vehicles to interact with infrastructure to offer notifications such as traffic jams, accidents etc.
At the Computex last year, Ford launched AppLink functionality in Asia Pacific region. At this Computex, Ford has also demoed in-car connectivity technologies, including SYNC and Ford AppLink.
We are here at Taipei , Taiwan for Computex 2014 and today is the day 3 of the Ford Superfan Contest . Ford is bringing AppLink to 3 new countries in Asia.
Contest Day 3 Question
At Computex 2014 , Ford has announced that it’s bringing Ford AppLink to three new countries in Asia, which ones?
Do tweet your answers with the hashtag #fordcomputex for a chance to win some goodies every day from June 3rd to June 6th here at FoneArena
Click here to tweet your answer and enter into the contest.
Catch a live demo of AppLink below
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qbPE5vyi6EU&feature=share
And the winner for Day 2 is Aarti Krishnakumar
Audience has joined hands with leading SoC provider MediaTek to deliver the Audience eS700 series smart audio codec products as a pre-configured option on the new MediaTek MT6592 Octa-core AP with MT6290 LTE baseband reference platform for smartphones.
The collaboration will reduce both costs and time-to-market for OEMs looking to deliver new features based on the latest technology. Audience claims that the reference platform will feature MediaTek's fully scalable eight-core performance per watt paired with the Audience codec's fully featured audio subsystem with industry leading signal to noise ratio performance and the Advanced Voice capabilities featured in all eS700 series products.
Working with MediaTek is a strategic initiative to broaden the smartphone reach of our smart audio codecs into new designs with existing and future customers,
said Edgar Auslander, vice president of product management and marketing at Audience.
The smart audio codec in the eS700 series products also includes all the ADCs and DACs necessary to satisfy all industry requirements for speaker, headphone and earpiece drivers as well as two line outputs. Last week, MediaTek announced MT8127, the company’s latest quad-core SoC for tablets.
Amazon has announced an event on June 18th, where its is expected to unveil its much awaited 3D smartphone. The company is touting that it will launch an 'amazing' new device at this event.
A video has also been released by Amazon which shows people reacting to a device they are holding but does not reveal the actual device. One person remarked that “it moved with” them and another claimed that they have “never seen anything like” it before.Several reports and leaks that surfaced online had stated that Amazon is working on a 3D smartphone that will feature 6 camera and a 4.7 inch screen.
It is also touted that the smartphone will have tilting gesture controls that will allows the phone to move when tilted in different directions. Internally, the phone is reported to have a Qualcomm Snapdragon processor along with 2GB of RAM, and a heavily modified version of Google’s Android OS, like the Kindle Fire tablets.
Check out the video released by Amazon
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=erUZQ9GK0sE
Via
Square Enix released Hitman GO, a turn-based puzzle game for iPhone and iPad back in April. The game is now available for Android. This lets you strategically navigate fixed spaces on a grid to avoid enemies, infiltrate well-guarded locations and take out your target. This includes disguises distractions, sniper rifles and even iconic Silverballers used in the Hitman games.
The game is compatible with most Android devices and also has in-app purchases. Check out the Android launch trailer.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jz5FwcA2njc
Highlights of Hitman GO for Android
Challenging puzzles that put your assassination skills to the test
Beautiful scale model-style visuals
Environments with secret passageways and off-limit areas
Agent 47’s tools of the trade: Distractions, disguises, hiding spots, sniper rifles and even the iconic Silverballers
Different enemy types with unique and deadly behaviours
Different ways of completing each level, silently or forcefully
Download Hitman GO ($4.99 | Rs. 300) - Android
Oppo Mobile India has just sent us a press invite for the launch of the Oppo Find 7 on June 11th as it promised back in April. It is the company's flagship smartphone that was announced back in March. The Find 7 has a 5.5-inch (2560×1440 pixels) Quad HD 538ppi LTPS display with Corning gorilla glass protection, powered by a 2.5 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 (MSM8974AC) processor with Adreno 330 GPU and runs on Android 4.3 (Jelly Bean) with Color OS on top.
It has a 13-megapixel camera Sony IMX214 stacked sensor with 6-element lens, f/2.0 aperture and uses software enhancements to capture images at 50-megapixel (8,160 x 6,120 pixels) resolution. The camera is also capable of shooting RAW images and has 4K video recording. It has a 5-megapixel front-facing camera with f/2.0 aperture. It packs 3000 mAh battery with VOOC fast charging technology, capable of charging the battery to 75% in 30 minutes.
We reviewed the Oppo Find 7a recently that has a 1080p display. The company plans to release both the Oppo Find 7 and Find 7a at the launch event. We should know the pricing and the availability of these smartphones in the Indian market on the launch day. We went hands-on with the Oppo ...
Google is updating Hangouts with small but key features. Users can now assign custom ringtones for individual contacts which is a much needed feature that was absent on Hangouts for a long time.
Moving on Google has also added a block list that shows all your blocked contacts in a list format at one place which makes its easy to unblock. Prior to this Hangouts only supported blocking of individual SMS contact but did not display it. The latest update also gets Hidden Contacts feature where you can hide contacts from the main conversation list.
Google has also fixed the much overdue battery draining problem in this update which was a big concern. Few other minor changes along with a number of bug fixes has been added to Hangouts. The latest version will be available for download at the Google Play Store soon. In the meantime users can use the APK from the source link and sideload manually.
Hangouts for Android was last updated in April with homescreen widget and merged conversations.
Source
At the Computex 2014 event in Taipei, Asus announced a triple SIM Android smartphone in the form of the Acer Liquid E700. The Acer Liquid E700 is a mid-range Android smartphone and is one among the sea of midrange smartphones powered by MediaTek's MT6582 SoC.
The specifications of the Acer Liquid E700 are as follows
5-inch (1280 × 720 pixels) IPS touch screen display
1.2 quad-core MediaTek MT6582 processor with Mali 400 GPU
Android 4.4 (KitKat)
Triple SIM
8MP auto focus camera with LED Flash
2MP front-facing camera with flash
9.9 mm thick and weighs 155 grams
2GB RAM, 16GB internal memory, expandable memory with microSD
3G HSPA+, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0 and GPS
3500mAh battery
You can check out the quick hands on video right below.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5aSNdC5HbH0
The main highlight of the phone is on its back behind the back cover. The Acer Liquid E700 houses three microSIM card slots allowing users to use it as a triple SIM device which is kind of crazy and cool.
The other features of the phone are quite normal with a 5inch HD display, a quad core MediaTek SoC, an 8MP camera on the back. It runs the latest version of Android - KitKat 4.4.2 and comes with a 3500mAh battery to support three SIM cards.
On the front, we have ...
Xolo has started releasing kernel source for its smartphones starting from the Xolo Q1100 powered by a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor. The company's development team has posted the kernel source code for the smartphone on sourceforge. This was first reported by AndroidOS.in.
Even Motorola started releasing kernel source for their budget smartphone Moto G, looks like Xolo's move would push other Indian companies to release kernel source for their smartphones.
Even though the source code is not useful for normal users, it would be helpful for Android developers and tinkerers who would like to create custom software builds. Last month Xolo released KitKat update for the Q1000 Opus powered by a Broadcom processor. It also plans to launch Android 4.4 (KitKat) update for Q700S, Q1010i, Q1010, Q3000 and more smartphones by this month.
You can download the kernel source code for the Xolo Q1100 over at SourceForge.
Temple Run has touched a new milestone by clocking over 1 billion downloads across all platforms since its inception in 2011. The popular mobile gaming sensation is a product of Imangi Studios and includes the original series and sequel Temple Run 2. This is only the second game after Rovio's Angry Birds to cross 1 billion downloads.
It must be noted that these downloads does not include Temple Run Brave edition that was launched with a Disney partnership. The developer studio has also shared some statistics about the user base of the games. In three years, Temple Run users have collectively spent 216,018 years playing more than 32 billion games—in total, running a whopping 50 trillion meters while dodging obstacles and collecting coins.
The studio revealed that Temple Run has been played by 60% of women. Giving country wise share, Imangi stated that the game is most popular in China, which accounts for 36 percent of all downloads which is followed by the US at 21 percent and India at 4 percent.
Lenovo A7-50, the company's latest tablet is now on sale in India through the official online store. It was announced back in April along with a range of tablets. It has a 7-inch (1280 x 800) HD IPS display, powered by a 1.3 GHz quad-core MediaTek MT8382 processor and runs on Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean) that is upgradable to Android 4.4 (KitKat). It has a 5-megapixel fixed-focus rear camera and a 2-megapixel front-facing camera.
it also has a 3G support, voice calling capabilities and comes with powerful stereo speakers and Dolby Digital Plus support for an enhanced audio output.
Lenovo A7-50 specifications
7-inch (1280 x 800) HD multi-touch IPS display
1.3 GHz quad-core MediaTek MT8382 processor
Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean) OS, upgradable to Android 4.4 (KitKat)
5MP rear camera
2MP front-facing camera
9.9mm thick and weighs 320 grams
3.5mm audio jack, dual front-facing speakers, Dolby Digital Plus
1GB RAM, 16GB internal memory, expandable memory up to 32GB with microSD
3G HSPA+, WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS
3450 mAh battery
The Lenovo A7-50 tablet comes in Midnight Blue color and is priced at Rs. 15499. According to retailer Mahesh Telecom, the tablet is available in the market for as low as Rs. 14,999. It is not clear when the new A Series Lenovo tablets would be available in India.
Videocon Telecom has announced that it has partnered with Huawei to implement 4G LTE-ready Packet Core technology. Under this partnership, Videocon Telecom would use Huawei's Evolved Packet Core (EPC) technology for the Core Network that would allow them to cater to its nationwide 4G data services rollout. Huawei is one of the world's leading LTE-EPC solution providers.
Videocon Telecom plans to cover Ahmedabad in Gujarat, Indore in MP-CG and Panipat in Haryana telecom circles in the initial phase. This would also be extended to other cities and towns in Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh-Chhattisgarh, Haryana, UP-East, UP-West and Bihar in the coming phases. According to earlier reports, the company plans to launch 4G LTE services using FDD-LTE technology by December 2014.
Regarding the new partnership, Arvind Bali, Director & CEO of Videocon Telecom, said,
We are happy to inform that Videocon Telecom is rolling out state-of-the-art LTE-ready Packet Core network from Huawei in 6 telecom circles in India, with a clear objective of providing world-class mobile data services to our customers. This network will provide a larger data coverage and reduce the overall CAPEX and OPEX leading to an improved profitability and lower costs to end users. Once the network is fully commissioned, our customers can expect improved data quality and a ...
It's that time of the month when Google releases its monthly Android distribution numbers. KitKat's share is consistently increasing for the past two months and now, Google's latest version of Android is present on 13.6% . This is up from 8.5% in May and 5.3% in April.
The rise in KitKat activation can be attributed to flagship smartphone launches like Samsung Galaxy S5, HTC One M8 and Sony Xeperia Z2. Previous models from these and other smartphone makers are also getting the KitKat update, which means KitKat adoption will only surge next month.
Moving on, Android Jelly Bean (4.1, 4.2 and 4.3) has seen a slight drop to 58.4% in June from 60.8% in May. Ice Cream Sandwich comes in at 12.3% from 13.4% last month while Gingerbread saw the decline to 14.9%, down from 16.2%. Froyo is still present on 0.8 percent of Android devices and Honeycomb finally reached the <0.1% mark and has been removed from the chart.
Acer unveiled the Liquid X1 last week, ahead of this week's Computex 2014 in Taipei. We got to check out the smartphone. It is powered by a octa-core MediaTek MT6592 processor and also has 4G LTE connectivity. It feature a large 5.7-inch HD display and runs on Android 4.4 (KitKat) with custom UI on top, similar to most other smartphones that were launched at the event. Check out the hands on below.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUzbcZ6c4wU
Acer Liquid X1 specifications
5.7-inch (1280 × 720 pixels) capacitive touch screen IPS display
1.7 GHz octa-core MediaTek MT6592 processor
Android 4.4 (KitKat)
13MP autofocus camera with LED Flash, 1080p Full HD video recording
2MP front-facing camera
Acer Zoom Fit, AcerRAPID and AcerFLOAT
2GB RAM, 16GB internal memory, expandable memory up to 32GB
4G LTE / 3G HSPA+, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth and aGPS
2700 mAh battery
It has a 13-megapixel rear camera with LED flash and also has a AcerRAPID key below the camera that lets you launch several applications or the camera easily. The Acer Zoom Fit feature reduces the user interface to just 4-inches for one handed usage. The back has matte finish that gives you a comfortable grip. It would be available in black and red colors starting from Q3 2014. Check out more images below.
[gallery link="file" ids="104908,104907,104906,104905,104904,104903"]
Srivatsan ...
