A Dummie's review of XOLO Q800

Xolo Q800 is arguably one of the best budget android phones available in the Indian mobile industry in the category of under 10k mobile phones. It boasts of an Intel atom processor on a mediatek chipset. The Intel brand name infuses lot of trust among the consumers who are flocking to buy this phone.

Key specs:

Display:                              4.5 inches (measured diagonally)
Processor:                          Intel atom 1.2 GHz quad core
RAM:                                 1 GB
OS:                                     Android 4.1.2
Internal Storage:              4gb
External Storage:              MicroSD card upto 32 gb
Rear Camera:                   8mp
Front Camera:                  1mp
Flash:                                 Yes, 1 LED Flash
No. of SIMs:                      2 (GSM)
Bluetooth:                          2.0
USB:                                  Yes, but USB On The Go not available. i.e. you cannot connect a hard
                                           drive/ memory stick directly to your mobile.
HDMI:                              No
Battery:                             2100MAh
Price:                                 INR 10,250

Pros:

Cost: Its very cheap and value for money.
RAM: 1 GB RAM is good for most of the applications/games available under the Google Play Store.
Battery: Long lasting. Will last for 1.5 days under moderate use.
Camera: Rear 8mp shooter is a very decent one.

Cons:

Display seems washed out
OS version is not the latest one and isn't as stable as 4.2.2
Internal storage is just 4 gb, which won't be enough if you want to play heavy duty games as their
size take up GBs of space.
No USB OTG
Outdated Bluetooth version
HDMI port is sourly missed. So, no TV out for this one.

Even with all these pros and cons, it sure is a great package deal for someone who doesn't want to invest a lot on his/ her mobile phone and is a moderate user. For the relatively advance users/ geeks, there already are many ROMs making the rounds with various additional features and tweaks, making it even more lucrative.

Conclusion:

My final advise will be a "Yes" for Q800, only if you are a first time buyer.
I would rather prefer its recently launched cousin Q700 as it packs an even better deal.

Keep watching this space for a similar review of Xolo Q700.

p.s. for the advanced users, you can play with the engineering menu of this phone by entering: *#446633# This will give you access to the systems menu and you will be able to tweak the hardware settings, like increasing the audio levels, test various hardware components etc. But, please do it at your own risk as its not meant fr the novice.

iBall Andi 5C - A 5 inch value for money daemon

Last week I saw one of my colleagues holding onto a hulk of a phone. Until recently he could be seen using a tame Nokia touch and type slider so I was quite surprised by this change. As far as I knew, he wasn’t much of a geek when it came to mobile technology, so I was quite intrigued about knowing his choice and reason behind the same. So, without wasting much time I started discussing with him about his new phone, which he said was a “find” for him and an absolute “value for money” instrument. To tell you guys about the kind of usage he would be making out of that slab, he hadn’t even got the EDGE/3G connection activated yet!!!!

So, to cut a long story short, let me do what I do best, here goes my review of the “find” of my friend, the iBall Andi 5C:

Key Details:

Brand:                                        iBall

Model:                                       Andi 5C
Sim Option:                                Dual Sim
OS:                                             Android
OS Version:                                4.0.3 ICS
Processor:                                   1GHz Cortex A9 Processor
RAM:                                         512 MB
Release Date:                              27th Aug 2012
Display:                                       5" screen with IPS WVGA display
                                                   Capacitive Touch
Internal Memory:                         4 GB
External Memory:                        microSD card upto 32 gb
Data:                                           3G HSUPA 5.76Mbps HSDPA 7.2Mbps (2100MHz)
                                                   EDGE / GPRS Quad Band 850/
                                                   900/1800/1900 MHz
                                                   WiFi, internet Hotspot & Tethering
                                                   S-GPS
 Bluetooth:                                   Bluetooth 2.1 with A2DP
Primary Camera (back):               5MP Autofocus with LED Flash
Secondary Camera(front):             0.3mp
Battery:                                        2300mAh
Audio Out jack:                           3.5 mm Stereo jack
Sensors:                                      G-Sensor, Proximity Sensor & Light Sensor

 So, here are a few pics of the phone:

The first one shows the three controls for Menu, Settings & Back with the centre button being a physical button, while the other two are touch sensitive controls.

This picture shows the volume rocker on the left side of the phone:

 This next picture shows the company logo at the bottom centre of the back panel. the speaker slot is also visible to the right of the logo:

The next picture shows the 5 mp primary camera and LED flash on the top centre of the back panel along side the model name. The camera is a bit protruding out, but is shielded well by its chrome borders:

On the right hand side we have the lock/unlock button:

On the top we have the micro usb port for data connection and charging, along side the 3.5mm audio jack:

The specs as visible on the phone:

The next pic will give you an idea of its size, when placed alongside an IPhone 4S:

Performance:

About the performance, the touch was pretty responsive and the phone was not as smooth as I would have liked it, but could be lived with.

Access to Google Play was pretty fast over the WiFi.

Video playback (an mp4 file) was also pretty good with good stereo playback, but the colors looked a bit washed out.

Cost:

This is the biggest differentiating factor, as we don't have any decent 5 incher under the INR 15k tag, but guess what, this beauty comes at a fiercely competitive price tag of INR.12,999/-

Final Verdict:

At this cost, it doesn't get any better than this. My final rating would be a very good 8/10.

I recommend a buy option for this, with the only thing to keep in mind being the brand, that raises questions over the build quality. So, if you are daring enough, go try it out!

Apple vs RIM

Each and every individual has his/ her own specific needs and this is what makes them like/ dislike something. The same is true with mobile phones also. Look around you and you will find people vouching for one Mobile OS or the other, ranging from the good old symbians to the androids to the BBs and to the iOSes of the world. Each one will vouch for his/ her favorite choice, and how one outperforms the other. The fact of the matter is that its actually the needs of an individual that drives them into defining what is good or bad. For some maybe even the java phones are good enough while for others, even the Androids of the world have limited tweaking options.

Here I would like to cite an example of one of my office colleagues, who is currently using an IPhone 3Gs, gifted to her by her loving husband. Now everyone wi,l agree with me if I say that its one of the decent phones available in the market, but she isn't happy with it at all. Earlier she was using a nokia s40 phone and she is ready to go back to her old Nokia any given time, but for the sentumental values attached with the IPhone. She doesn't like the fact that the IPhone doesn't allow her to add pictures, songs, videos etc on her phone directly from her PC, without having to use the iTunes. Another woe of hers is that her data source is varied so she cannot connect to the iTunes at various PCs as the latest sync would overwrite the old ones. She is also missing out on being able to connect her phone in the "mass storage media" mode with her PC and dump anything and everything inside.

Another important aspect is peer pressure. Most of my team members have a BB and we have a very active BB Group going on, which we use for information sharing (read Gossip), so this female feels she is loosing out on this by not having a BB handset.

These weird(?) reasons have driven her towards giving up her IPhone and buying a BB handset.

The point I am trying to make over here is that launching a product with the latest technological advancements is not the only parameter for its sales. The mobile companies need to give heed to other factors like existing customer base, peer pressure etc. While deciding upon the needs of their targeted customer segments.

Blackberry Curve 9360 vs Blackberry Bold 3

Ok, so here's my first suggestion to an old colleague of mine who has been raring to get into the world of Blackberry.

 

He asked me to advise him between the two new kids on the block from the Blackberry stable - the Curve 9360 and the Bold 3.

 

Here goes my analysis of these two sets and my recommendation at the end:

 

Form Factor:

 

Curve 9360 -

Pros: Sleek, Slim, shiny, great finishing with chrome lining.

Cons: Slippery, gets smudges easily

 

Bold 3 -

Pros: Good grip, good plastic quality, looks great

Cons: Bulky, heavy.

 

Processor:

 

Curve 9360 - 800 Mhz processor, 512 MB RAM, 512 MB ROM

Bold 3 -  624 Mhz processor, 256 MB RAM, 256 MB ROM

 

OS:

 

Curve 9360 - BB OS 7

Bold 3 -  BB OS 6

 

Multimedia:

 

Both have 5 mp camera with LED flash, but the Bold's camera takes better pictures.

Bold 3  plays more video formats including xvid.

Bold 3 plays more audio formats as well and has better speakers.

 FM radio is missing in both the sets.

 

Battery:

Like the multimedia aspects, Bold scores over the Curve here too with a 1500 mAh battery against the Curve's 1000 mAh. What this means is that you need to charge your Curve more than once during the day.

So, finally to sum it all up in one sentence, in Curve 9360 we have got a snappy little piece with good looks and great power, coming out of box with the latest OS, but not so great on multimedia and battery life. While the Bold 3 comes out as a sturdy piece with good battery life to compliment its superior mutimedia capabilities, but limited in terms of processing power and an old software version.

 

Final Verdict:

 

Thus, if you are feeling adventureous and are looking for a multimedia phone with great battery life and are ready to compromise on the processor power, while still being able to enjoy the goodness of a Blackberry handset, Bold 3 is the phone to go for.

 

But if you fit into the traditional mould of "Blackberry Boys" and need a phone to cater to your professional needs with limited multimedia capabilities and don't mind using portable chargers while shuttling from one power meeting to another, while exchanging mails over high speed internet and multi-tasking at the same time, Curve 9360 is a must have weapon in your arsenal.

 

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Start of a new journey

In the recent years, there has been a very steep rise in the Smartphone and Tablets offerings from all the major mobility solution companies. This has led to a lot of confusion among the consumers as they end up buying handsets that are not aligned with their requirements. A common man today is very cautious of putting in a big chunk to buy a Smartphone that is destined to become obsolete in no time due to the faster-than-ever – evolving technology. Many a sites have come up on the net today that are providing half – cooked information to the people, that is feeding into the reigning confusion among the consumers.

Many of my friends keep on asking me about what phone or tab to buy, that would suffice their needs. Hence, I thought of starting this blog for the benefit of those who are alien to the jargons of the mobile world. Through this blog, I will try to answer all of your questions at the earliest and to the best of my knowledge. Also, I will try to post reviews of the existing and new mobile phones and tablets that are available or will soon be available in the market.

Also, please feel free to ask any questions that you might have regarding the mobiles, tabs, their OS, configurations, shapes forms or whatever you feel like.