CAMERAS, Canon to sharpen focus on mid, high-end cameras

Electronics giant Canon on Tuesday said it is now focusing more on middle and high-end cameras amid smartphones with high resolution imaging capabilities eating into sales of compact cameras.Compact or point and shoot cameras sales were flat in 2012 compared to 2011, mainly as a lot of smartphones are now available with similar camera features. On the other hand, we saw a 30-32 percent growth in DSLRs in 2012 (over 2011) compared to our estimate of 25 percent growth," Canon India President and CEO Kazutada Kobayashi told reporters at New Delhi. Digital single-lens reflex (DSLR) camera are digital devices with a single-lens reflex and a digital camera back. Canon is now focused on cameras in the middle to high-end category and Rs. 10,000...

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Posted in: CAMERAS

GADGETS - TABLETS, - launches 7-inch VT71 tablet with Android 4.0 for Rs. 4,799

Videocon has launched another budget Android tablet in the Indian market - Videocon VT71. It has 7-inch capacitive display with 800x480 screen resolution, and runs on Android 4.0 (Ice-Cream Sandwich). Videocon VT71 comes with a 1.2GHz processor accompanied by 512 MB of RAM and 3,200 mAh battery. Other features include 4GB internal storage, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, HDMI port, VGA front camera and microSD card slot that supports cards up to 32 GB. Videocon VT71 also supports 3G via dongle. It comes pre-loaded with popular apps such as Saavn, NexGtv, Facebook and Nimbuzz. It carries a price tag of Rs. 4,799 and will be available in Grey Silver colour. Khalid Zamir, Head Product Planning and Development, Videocon Mobile Phone said, "The Videocon...

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Posted in: GADGETS - TABLETS--

MOBILE -Nokia Lumia 920

Nokia unveiled the Lumia 920 and Lumia 820 way back in September last year and it took quite a while for the phones to find their way on to Indian shores. Continuing the theme, here's our slightly belated review of the Nokia Lumia 920.Hardware/ DesignThe first thing you notice about the Nokia Lumia 920, no doubt, is the bulk. The device may not be as large as the Galaxy Note II, but somehow Nokia has managed to make it heavier than Samsung's phablet. Once you get past the weight, however, there's plenty to like.The Nokia Lumia 920 is solidly built out of a polycarbonate unibody shell that goes all around the device and offers a welcome change if you've been living in the Samsung world of plastic for too long. The left side of the phone...

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Posted in: MOBILE - NOKIA

MOBILE -BlackBerry Z10 review

Are you ashamed to have a BlackBerry? It's not exactly a status symbol any more, at least not in the U.S., after it got left in the dust by the iPhone. Now, there's a new BlackBerry that wants to get back into the cool club the Z10.It's the first phone to run the new BlackBerry 10 operating system, and it is, at first blush, a very good stab at regaining at least some of the cachet of the BlackBerry. The problem is that no one has ever succeeded in turning around a failing smartphone maker. Remember the Palm, anyone? It's simply a brutal industry. So even if the Z10 does everything it set out to do, it might not be enough to save Research In Motion Ltd., the home of the BlackBerry. The company is changing its name to BlackBerry, but...

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Posted in: MOBILE - BLACK BERRY

GADGETS - TABLETS, Microsoft's tablet blip versus Android's boom

Android-based tablets like Amazon's Kindle Fire are becoming very popular just as Microsoft enters the tablet market. (Credit: Amazon) The surge in Android tablet shipments is not good news for Microsoft, which is just now trying to gain a toehold in the market. As Android tablet shipments surge, probably the best thing that can be said about Microsoft is that it's not going away. Android tablet shipments totaled about 30 million in the fourth quarter, IDC reported today. And that number (total market) jumps to 50 million if you throw in Apple's iPad. "There is no question that Microsoft is in this tablet race to compete for the long haul," an IDC analyst said today in a statement, trying to put Microsoft's tablet...

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Posted in: GADGETS - TABLETS

TECH, NASA launches communication satellite

APAn United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket lifts off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on Wednesday evening in Cape Canaveral. TOPICS science and technology NASA on Thursday launched a new communication satellite to stay in touch with its space station astronauts and relay more Hubble telescope images. An unmanned Atlas V rocket blasted into the starry night sky carrying the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite. This is the 11th TDRS satellite to be launched by NASA. The space agency uses the orbiting network to communicate with astronauts living on the International Space Station. The first TDRS spacecraft flew in 1983; it recently was retired along with No. 4. The second was lost aboard space shuttle Challenger in 1986;...

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Posted in: TECH

APPS, -30 best iPhone and iPad apps

Anne Frank in April 1941: the app offers a new take on her diary. Photograph: AP Welcome to this week's roundup of new and notable iOS apps, covering apps and games for iPhone and iPad. It follows the publication earlier in the day of the weekly best Android apps roundup. As ever, the pricing relates to the initial download, so often when you see (Free) there may be in-app purchases or subscriptions involved once you start using the app. Read on for this week's picks: Anne Frank (£6.99) Penguin and Beyond the Story's new Anne Frank iPad app Published by Penguin Books and developer Beyond the Story, this is a new iPad take on Anne Frank's famous diary, including the original text, audio extracts read...

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Posted in: APPS

MOBILE, -RCOM and Lenovo to launch CDMA+GSM smartphones in India

Reliance Communications (RCOM), India has tied up with Lenovo to introduce smartphones that will work support CDMA as well as GSM. The company plans to introduce a slew of device by September 2013. These Reliance Lenovo co-branded smartphones will be available only to RCOM subscribers. This range of smartphones will be spread across various screen sizes and come with dual-core 1GHz processor. The initial set of smartphones will run on Android Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS). RCOM is claiming that these devices will Reliance 'Dual Core' network advantage that switch calls between the two networks automatically based on the strength and quality of RF signals. However, for now the switching can happen only if the subscriber is using the RCOM's...

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Posted in: MOBILE