Mobility Review November 2012

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Wammy Ethos, comes with its full phone functionality. This certainly gives it an edge over the competition. The retail package is quite a

standard affair: Charger, earphones, and mini-USB and USB OTG cables. But the Wammy Ethos is undoubtedly one of the better-looking budget tablets around.

The tablet also feels sturdy. Overall, Wickedleak has done a great job here in terms of the unique design and build quality. The 7" capacitive touchscreen has pixel dimensions of 800x480. The display is reasonably bright, and offers a decent contrast ratio. That said, it's still no match for the NXG Xtab A 10 Plus' pixel-packed IPS panel.

The tablet is powered by a 1.2 GHz CPU coupled with 512 MB of RAM. Other specs include:

• 7" capacitive multi-touch screen with 800x480 pixels, 16:9 ratio.

• Quad-band GSM (850 / 900 / 1800 /1900 MHz), supports 3G.

• Wi-Fi with hotspot capability, Bluetooth.

The retail box of this product packs in a tablet, USB cable, charger, and earphones. The manufacturer has also provided a complimentary leather cover. The

device measures 7.9" (l) x 4.6" (w) x 0.5" (d), and at 485 grammes, it's heavier than the competition. It looks and feels similar to the Reliance 3G Tab, save for the glossy plastic at the back. Although I'm not expecting great build quality at this price point, the device creaks when pressed around the corners, which isn't a good sign at all.

The 7" touchscreen has pixel dimensions of 800x480. The screen's brightness is poor, and colours look dull. It's also the most reflective display I've ever seen on a tablet, so much so that it was near impossible to take head-on photos without capturing my reflection on the screen. Needless to say, it works like a mirror under sunlight. What's worse is that viewing angles are very limited, and a scratch-resistant coating is absent.

The tablet is powered by an 800 MHz CPU and Adreno 200 GPU. The official website claims 2 GB of RAM, but my guess is that it's a typo and they meant 256 MB. Other specs include Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, a 2 MP rear and front VGA camera, 3.5 mm jack, microSD card slot, and a 4200 mAh battery.

The tablet runs Android 2.2 (Froyo) instead of Gingerbread, which is disappointing. Additionally, the OTA (Over The Air) update was nowhere to be found. Spice hasn't bothered to customise the stock Android installation, but has thrown in a bunch of pre-installed apps to compensate for it.

Pros:

• Sleek; Full phone functional-ity; • 3G support • HDMI-Out

Pros:

• Well-priced; Works as a mo-bile phone too

Cons:

• meager sound quality;

•Limited viewing angles

Cons:

• Poor display; Uninspiring multimedia performance

WickedLeak Wammy Ethos (4 GB) – Designed to Succeed

Spice Tab Mi-720 – Feature Rich Tab

• Mini-HDMI port, Mini-USB 2.0 with OTG support, 3.5 mm jack.

• 4 GB internal storage (2 GB user available), 32 GB microSD card slot.

• 1.3 mp front camera.

UI And Performance The Wammy Ethos runs Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) out of

the box. The interface is exactly similar to what we've seen on the Wammy 7 tablet. Thankfully, the manufacturer hasn't tried get "creative" here: you get a refreshingly clean interface. The tablet does a commendable job of handling ICS. There is a nominal lag, but then that's fairly common among budget tablets.

The tablet's USP, like I said, is the full phone functionality. I was pleased to note that it works as claimed. To avoid the embarrassment of holding a 7" tablet near your ear, you'd do well to get yourself a Bluetooth headset. Like every other Android tablet, the Ethos has a front facing camera for video chat. 3G connectivity allows you to browse the web while travelling.

While a few apps, such as ES File Explorer, Documents To Go, and Nimbuzz are really useful, others like ibibo and naukri are just icons with embedded website links.

Mobility Review

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Mobility Review

Comparing other 7-inch tablets in a similar price range, the LAVA E Tab

seems to be made of a superior build quality and sports a good look. The shell is rugged and firm and has a completely matt-finished exterior, promising a longer lasting aesthetics.

The front panel features an inlaid 7-inch display panel, a front facing VGA camera and a speaker grille on the left side. The front panel has no capacitive or physical buttons for Home, Back or Search as they are featured in the Operating System itself using the display panel.

The rear panel has absolutely nothing except for a sober company logo and a product model number, and

The Galaxy Note 800 looks nothing like the iPad. While each has its own fundamental USPs and design forms, we’re not here to compare just yet. The Note 800 is a sleek, polished,

professional looking device that, in spite of its large size, is quite lightweight at 600g and easy to manage.

It is surely one of the thinnest devices yet, at just 8.9mm in depth. The 10.1-inch capacitive touchscreen features a 1280 x 800 pixel resolution that doesn’t even begin to compare to the New iPad’s Retina Display. It still is, nevertheless, quite a vibrant display with 16 million colours squeezing out their best.

The stereo speakers placed on either side of the display focus the audio directly at you, making for a better experience if you’re watching a video without headphones. At the bottom of the device is Samsung’s proprietary USB/Charging port, which we have to admit, still looks similar to Apple’s 30-pin connector.

A microphone is also located here at the bottom in case you need to make those absolutely urgent calls and can’t quite reach your headset. Speaking of calls, the Note 800 has a microSIM card slot along with a microSD card slot on the top to supplement the onboard storage of either 8GB, 16GB or 32GD with up to 32GB more. The

Pros:

•Looks

•Built

•Price

Pros:

• Sound Quality

• Excellent connectivity

• Battery backup

Cons:

•Low brightness display

Cons:

• Old Design

LAVA E Tab Z7H---The Cool Tablet

Samsung Galaxy Note 800 (GT-N8000) – Greatness Unplugged

this makes the tablet look very neat. A volume rocker, Home and Power buttons are placed on the top. The right side features the power jack and audio jack, the microSD card slot and a micro USB PC interface that doubles as a USB host when used along with the bundled micro USB host cable. The tablet is 11.9 mm thick and weighs 350 grams, but still feels lighter and less bulky than most other tablets.

The E Tab from LAVA does not sport any powerful hardware, but still functions very smoothly. It is built using a 1.2GHz Cortex-A8 processor, but surprisingly, every system information utility we used on it reported the tablet

being clocked at 1008MHz instead of 1200MHz. It is supported by 512MB of RAM

and a MALI-400 GPU. The Operating System is Android ICS 4.0.3 and the internal storage is 4GB, of which around 2GB is reserved for the ROM and internal app installation and the rest is free for the user to store his or her data. This storage can be expanded via a microSD card to a maximum of 32GB.

The 7-inch display, even though it features a resolution of 480 x 800 pixels, gives out more vibrant and crisper picture quality as compared to earlier tablets in the same

price bracket.

flaps for the card slots have a really good feel to them, which shows just how much attention to detail the company has taken. The Power/screen lock, volume rocker 3.5 mm handsfree socket are also placed here.

What sets the Galaxy Note 800 apart from its peers is the little IR sensor at the top. This coupled with a preloaded app called Smart Remote will let you connect to most HDTVs for remote access, making your tablet a fully functional remote control. A 5 megapixel camera with an LED flash is placed at the rear with a secondary 1.9 megapixel front facing camera placed just above the display.

Samsung has gone with its TouchWiz Nature UI for the Note 800, so if you’ve

used the Galaxy S III, then you’ll be very familiar with the interface. With Android 4.0.4 under the hood, the interface is quick and painless. There’s very little visible lag when switching between home screens or apps; everything is extremely responsive.

The Asha 305 is a Series 40 handset that features the same easy-to-use interface. What separates the latter from its older brother though, is the presence of dual-SIM functionality.

Apart from that, Nokia has opted for a resistive screen to keep the 305's cost down.

The standard package includes the handset, charger, and a pair of earphones. The phone measures 4.3" (l) x 2.1" (w) x 0. 5" (12.8 mm) (d) and tips the scales at a mere 98 grammes. The handset is available in dark grey and red.

On the front, the gadget sports a glossy faux chrome finish that looks quite cheap. Its curved back, which is reminiscent of the X2-02's design, provides a comfortable grip.

Nokia hasn't provided any information regarding the CPU that powers this phone. Its detailed specs are as follows:

•Dual-SIM, Dual-standby, Dual-band GSM (900, 1800 GHz); Hot-swappable SIM 2 slot.

•10 MB of internal storage, 32 GB microSD card slot.

•2 mp fixed-focus camera, No flash, Aperture: 2.8, Focal Length: 3.6 mm.

•Camera Features: Landscape orientation, Exposure compensation, Auto and manual white balance, Still image editor, Full screen viewfinder, Self timer, Center weighted auto exposure.

•Micro-USB 2.0 port, 2 mm charging

Nokia Asha 305 – The Budget Phone

Sony Xperia go – The Sleek Choice Pros:

• Water- and dust-proof; Sturdy build; Sleek design; Impressive sound quality; Smooth UI

The retail box of Xperia comes with the phone, charger with detachable USB cable, and earphones. The handset measures 4.4" (l) x 2.4" (w) x 0.4" (9.8 mm) (d), and tips the scales at 110 grams.

The Xperia go is an IP67 (Ingress Protection 67) compliant phone. The number 6 refers to total protection against dust particles, and

"7" refers to the gadget's ability to withstand water immersion (max. 1 metre). I've verified Sony's claim, and the Xperia go is indeed a waterproof phone. It's worth mentioning that the touchscreen is responsive even when it's wet.

The phone is rugged, and manages to look trendy too. In fact, it looks like any other modern smartphone, which is big

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Cons:

• Old Design

LAVA E Tab Z7H---The Cool Tablet

Samsung Galaxy Note 800 (GT-N8000) – Greatness Unplugged

this makes the tablet look very neat. A volume rocker, Home and Power buttons are placed on the top. The right side features the power jack and audio jack, the microSD card slot and a micro USB PC interface that doubles as a USB host when used along with the bundled micro USB host cable. The tablet is 11.9 mm thick and weighs 350 grams, but still feels lighter and less bulky than most other tablets.

The E Tab from LAVA does not sport any powerful hardware, but still functions very smoothly. It is built using a 1.2GHz Cortex-A8 processor, but surprisingly, every system information utility we used on it reported the tablet

being clocked at 1008MHz instead of 1200MHz. It is supported by 512MB of RAM

and a MALI-400 GPU. The Operating System is Android ICS 4.0.3 and the internal storage is 4GB, of which around 2GB is reserved for the ROM and internal app installation and the rest is free for the user to store his or her data. This storage can be expanded via a microSD card to a maximum of 32GB.

The 7-inch display, even though it features a resolution of 480 x 800 pixels, gives out more vibrant and crisper picture quality as compared to earlier tablets in the same

price bracket.

flaps for the card slots have a really good feel to them, which shows just how much attention to detail the company has taken. The Power/screen lock, volume rocker 3.5 mm handsfree socket are also placed here.

What sets the Galaxy Note 800 apart from its peers is the little IR sensor at the top. This coupled with a preloaded app called Smart Remote will let you connect to most HDTVs for remote access, making your tablet a fully functional remote control. A 5 megapixel camera with an LED flash is placed at the rear with a secondary 1.9 megapixel front facing camera placed just above the display.

Samsung has gone with its TouchWiz Nature UI for the Note 800, so if you’ve

used the Galaxy S III, then you’ll be very familiar with the interface. With Android 4.0.4 under the hood, the interface is quick and painless. There’s very little visible lag when switching between home screens or apps; everything is extremely responsive.

Mobility Review

The Asha 305 is a Series 40 handset that features the same easy-to-use interface. What separates the latter from its older brother though, is the presence of dual-SIM functionality.

Apart from that, Nokia has opted for a resistive screen to keep the 305's cost down.

The standard package includes the handset, charger, and a pair of earphones. The phone measures 4.3" (l) x 2.1" (w) x 0. 5" (12.8 mm) (d) and tips the scales at a mere 98 grammes. The handset is available in dark grey and red.

On the front, the gadget sports a glossy faux chrome finish that looks quite cheap. Its curved back, which is reminiscent of the X2-02's design, provides a comfortable grip.

Nokia hasn't provided any information regarding the CPU that powers this phone. Its detailed specs are as follows:

•Dual-SIM, Dual-standby, Dual-band GSM (900, 1800 GHz); Hot-swappable SIM 2 slot.

•10 MB of internal storage, 32 GB microSD card slot.

•2 mp fixed-focus camera, No flash, Aperture: 2.8, Focal Length: 3.6 mm.

•Camera Features: Landscape orientation, Exposure compensation, Auto and manual white balance, Still image editor, Full screen viewfinder, Self timer, Center weighted auto exposure.

•Micro-USB 2.0 port, 2 mm charging

Nokia Asha 305 – The Budget Phone

Sony Xperia go – The Sleek Choice plus for a phone labelled "tough".

The Xperia go's back panel is extremely sturdy, and all the ports are sealed by plastic flaps. The handset's 3.5" screen with Mobile BRAVIA, with pixel dimensions of 320x480, is protected by scratch-resistant mineral glass.

The Xperia go is powered by a 1 GHz dual-core CPU, and has 512 MB of RAM. It sports a 5 mp camera with LED flash. Here's are the detailed specs:

•1 GHz NovaThor U8500 dual-core Cortex-A9 CPU, ARM Mali-400 GPU, 512 MB RAM.

•Quad-band GSM (850, 900, 1800, 1900 Mhz); Dual-band 3G (900, 2100 MHz).

•5 megapixel auto-focus camera with LED flash, 16x digital zoom, Face detection and Smile detection, Fast Capture; No front-facing camera.

•FM radio with RDS, Micro-USB 2.0, 3.5 mm jack.•Supported Video: 3GPP, MP4, MKV, AVI.•Supported Audio: MP3, 3GPP, MP4, SMF, WAV, OGG.•Available Colours: Black, White, Yellow.The Xperia go features Sony's custom UI on top of Android

2.3 (Gingerbread). The interface is the same as what we've been seeing on the latest Xperia series handsets. Thanks to a dual-core CPU, the phone runs smooth, except when you have too many apps open in the background. Sony has gone quite some way to make this phone a pleasure to use; the upcoming ICS update will probably make things even better.

Pros:

• Water- and dust-proof; Sturdy build; Sleek design; Impressive sound quality; Smooth UI

Pros:

• Great sound quality; Hot-swappable SIM slot; Sturdy build

Cons:

• Weak earpiece; no front-facing camera

Cons:

• Resistive touchscreen; Fixed display brightness; Mediocre video player

The retail box of Xperia comes with the phone, charger with detachable USB cable, and earphones. The handset measures 4.4" (l) x 2.4" (w) x 0.4" (9.8 mm) (d), and tips the scales at 110 grams.

The Xperia go is an IP67 (Ingress Protection 67) compliant phone. The number 6 refers to total protection against dust particles, and

"7" refers to the gadget's ability to withstand water immersion (max. 1 metre). I've verified Sony's claim, and the Xperia go is indeed a waterproof phone. It's worth mentioning that the touchscreen is responsive even when it's wet.

The phone is rugged, and manages to look trendy too. In fact, it looks like any other modern smartphone, which is big

connector, 3.5 mm audio jack.•Bluetooth 2.1, FM radio with RDS and recording, Orientation

sensor.•Email client, IM apps, Social networking support, Nokia

Maps (uses tower info and internet for location).•1110 mAh battery with 14 hours of talk time, 24

days of standby.•Available Colours: Dark grey, Red.

The phone features the Series 40 platform, as previously seen on the Asha 311. As you

may already know, the UI is inspired by Nokia's MeeGo OS, which makes use of

swipe gestures for navigation. Like every other Series 40 handset, this one too lacks true multitasking. All is not lost though, since you can minimise the music player and use other apps. The weak CPU makes matters worse by its

extremely sluggish performance. Overall, the user experience is very frustrating.

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The Xperia SL carries forth the same solid build of the Xperia S and despite it being plastic, manages to feel sturdy and very well made. It

does appear a bit blocky due to the lack of rounded edges and a slim profile.

On the connectivity front, you will find a plastic flap-covered microUSB port and HDMI port on either side, while the 3.5mm headphone jack is placed on the top. Buttons on the phone include the volume rocker, camera shutter and a power/sleep button.

The 4.3-inch HD screen sails past the iPhone’s Retina Display with a pixel count of 342ppi. Coupled with the Sony Mobile BRAVIA Engine, this makes anything and everything on the screen appear super sharp and crisp. Colour reproduction is very good and so is the sunlight legibility. The display also supports 10 finger multi-touch gestures.

The phone should be getting a Jelly Bean update as well somewhere down the line, at least we hope so. Sony has stuck with the same features and functions in Timescape from its previous phones and just tweaked some of the apps; after all, why fix something that’s not broken? The interface is incredibly smooth and fluid, and the lingering lag that was present in the old phone seems to have been ironed out.

The phone is powered by the same dual-core Qualcomm MSM8260 processor, but now it runs at 1.7GHz instead of 1.5GHz. The slight bump in speed helps get rid

Sony Xperia SL – Quality meets Substance

Spice Stellar Horizon Mi-500— King of Mobilityand micro USB charging/PC connectivity port are all

placed on the top. With a 1GHz Dual Core processor under its hood and running ICS in

native mode, the Mi-500 appears quite speedy on the surface. It handled well enough through multitasking and multimedia

consumption. The benchmark scores (Linpak,

Quadrant, AnTuTu), however, proved that at the end of the day, Dual Core or

not, the capability of a handset to utilise the processor effectively was not very well

met and didn’t quite stand up to devices with lower powered chipsets.

Spice has incorporated a few UI tweaks to ICS on their Mi-500 handset. Settings like Audio

Profile options allow you to customise alerts like one would have done with Symbian devices of old.

You also have the option of creating your own preset. Under the Display settings, the Mi-500 allows you to

select a few colour modes (that didn’t seem to make any difference at all), choose between a default scene and a

work scene and also provisioned the device with a few colour themes. Font sizes could also be adjusted.

Mobility Review

This is Spice’s latest move to deliver mobility at the hands of end users, this Stellar Horizon or Mi-500 comes with its 5-inch display and Dual SIM capabilities. Here’s a quick look to see

how it turned out.It’s big! Let’s just get that out of the way. However, in

comparison to its competition, the Micromax A100 and Wickleak Whammy Note or even the great and powerful Galaxy Note I and II, the Mi-500 manages to keep it together and stay just a little slimmer in width. It even manages to pull off a rather swanky, refined-looking image with a squared off iPhone meets Galaxy Note style.

Weighty as it is (205g), the Horizon does have a feel-good-factor about it when gripped and you’ll most certainly feel it when it's in your pocket. The additional rear panel with attached flip cover adds a touch of “leathery” class to the handset making a little more appealing.

The 5-inch display sports a 480 x 800 pixel resolution but somehow the colours just aren’t as vibrant as others in this class. The issue, it seems, is with the contrast ratio. It appears to be a little higher than most and boosting the brightness will only make it worse.

The lack of a scratch free glass is also an issue and the flap doesn't help at all. Make sure you get a screen guard for this one. Volume Keys are placed on the right and the handsfree socket, Power/sleep button

MRP: Rs 20,000

MRP: Rs 5,000

of some of the lag in the UI as well as gives a little boost to demanding apps like 3D games and photo/video editing.

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