Indian handset manufacturer Intex has launched its first true octa-core powered handset on Thursday. The Intex Aqua Octa is powered by the MediaTek MT6592*, which is the worlds first true octa-core chip that allows all 8 cores to be active at the same time. Besides having the 1.7GHz MT6592 under the hood, we should tell you that the phone is equipped with a 6 inch screen, putting it squarely in the phablet category. The screen offers a resolution of 720 x 1280.

On board the Aqua Octa, you will find 2GB of RAM, and 16GB of native storage which can be expanded by using the 32GB capacity microSD slot. The back and front-facing snappers weigh in at 13MP and 5MP respectively, and a 2300mAh battery keeps the lights on. Android 4.2.2 is pre-installed. The device offers 3G connectivity. We really see no chance of this model hitting the U.S. as the lack of support for LTE should keep it out of the states.

While the phone is offered by the manufacturer in both black and white, Indian retailer Snapdeal only has the black model. It is offering the phone for 19,999 INR ($321 USD) and is throwing in an Intex Power Bank 3000mAh and a Craggy headphone if the phone is ordered before January 8th. The freebies have a value of 3900 INR ($63 USD). The Power Bank is a small portable charger that should more than double the battery life of your Aqua Octa.PhoneArena

Read More..

Its being weeks that we got the information that Tecno is about to release the next version of their "S" low end smartphone - Tecno S7, the one to succeed the S5. 

Well, the wait is over and Tecno Mobile have finally released Tecno S7 android smartphone to the market. 

The specifications and features of the newly released phone did not deviate from the rumored spec we heard  which may be a sort of disappointment for some. However it may be, we will still list the specifications below for your consumption and to clear all doubts. 

Network and SIM 

Tecno S7 comes with a dual mini SIM with dual standby which is not a new thing though as Nigerians are already accustomed to dual SIM phones. 

This time around, the SIM would be placed one above the other with SIM 1 below and SIM 2 above just as depicted in the image below.

As far as network connection is concerned, the S7 has the usual 2G, 3G and 3.75G network connection and can also exchange data at a high speed of 27mbps. 

Tecno S7 has its Network band as GSM900/DSC1800/WCDMA2100MHZ and dimensions of the smartphone is 146.5*75.6*10.6 mm.

Display and Resolution

The Tecno S7 comes with a 5.0 inch TFT FWVGA display with resolution of 480 * 854 which gives you a pixel density of 195.93PPI. This may not go well for some folks but hey! its a low end smartphone.

Processor and RAM
Tecno S7 comes with a dual core 1.3GHz MediaTek MT6572 processor which runs the software on the device. The area that is really going to piss people off is the area of RAM. 

It is believed that Tecno shouldnt be doing any 512MB RAM smartphone as of 2014. Alas, Tecno S7 comes with 512MB of RAM. 

This is not the only Chinese company with a RAM of 512mb. Others like Gionee P3 and some Micromax devices comes with 512MB. However, to be above these upcoming devices trying to take market share from Tecno in Nigeria, it would have been better if all their low end device now come shipped with 1GB RAM and their high end device comes with 2GB RAM minimum. That is what competition is all about.

Operating System and Memory
Tecno S7 comes with Android Jelly Bean 4.2.2 which is near the stock Android version. As it stands, we still dont know when Tecno will step up their game and start bringing devices with at least 4.3 Android Jelly Bean.

As far as memory goes, the internal memory of the S7 is 4GB while a memory expansion slot already carrying 8GB SD Card is provided in the device. The memory card can be expanded to 32GB if you please.

Camera
Tecno S7 comes with 5.0MP AF back camera with flash while the front camera comes with 1.3MP camera. 

Connectivity and Battery
The usual suspects when it comes to connectivity are GPS, WiFi, Bluetooth, 3.5mm Earphone and that is what you would find on the Tecno S7.

Battery powering the S7 is a Li-ion battery with power 2000mAh with 3.7V emanating from the device at any point in time.

According to Tecno, talk time on the device stands at 6.5hrs with 200hrs of standby time. Daily and real life usage will test the dependability of the battery.

Sensors, Messaging and SNS
With sensors, we were not really expecting anything grand aside what we  were already used to. The Tecno S7 comes with Gyro, Light and Proximity sensors.

For messaging and SNS, Gmail, Palmchat and Facebook are pre-installed on the device. Also, Twitter, Operamini, Whatsapp and other apps come bundled with the smartphone. BBM isnt preinstalled so you would have to download that by yourself.

Other apps in stored on the phone but not installed include Camera360, Power Saving, Quick Office, Holy Bile, Quran, Angry Birds, Moboplayer, Fruit Ninja Free, Google+, Light Wallpaper, English-Dictionary, Espn Score Centre, Yahoo Messenger, Twitter, UC Browser, CamCard, Peacefmonline, Adobe Flashplayer, VIBER, Shazam, Linkedin, 2go, Spinlet, Skynews /Yahoo News,Instagram

The price for this Tecno S7 is N23,000 from Divine Anyi Communications, Zenco Plaza computer village, Ikeja, Lagos.
Other stores dont have it yet and the one we saw that now have it is selling for N24,000. Consequently, if you are thinking of getting this device, you should go to the store with the cheaper price. You can call this number 08060791362 to get yours.

Is the Tecno S7 a good phone looking at the specifications? You should be the judge of that. Drop your thoughts in the comment section.

Like our Facebook page and follow us Twitter for more smartphone information and downloads.

Read More..

Exhibit A -Some Gold phones from Samsungs Past  

Some pundits have been wading into Samsung for "copying Apple" by releasing a gold version of its Galaxy S IV right after Apple released and then quickly sold out of its gold iPhone 5S.
"If recent reports are correct, the demand for the gold version is higher than Apple expected. Of course Samsung wanted in on the action," wrote TechCrunch.

Cult of Android cheekily asks: "does this company [Samsung] have any shame?"
The main theme appears to be that Samsung blatantly copied Apples glorious winning strategy by releasing a gold Galaxy S IV right after Apple.
But if we are going to get into a juvenile peeing contest about gold plated phones, it may surprise commentators to discover it was Apple that copied Samsung.

Exhibit B - Apples Gold color iPhone 5S

Exhibit C - Samsungs Gold Galaxy S4 

Samsung released a gold smartphone in August, weeks before the gold iPhone 5S came out. It was called the Galaxy Golden and it was a pig-ugly hybrid flip phone-smartphone.

It had two 3.7-inch AMOLED displays with WVGA resolution, a 1.7GHz dual-core processor, an 8-megapixel rear camera, a 1.9-megapixel front-facing camera, LTE support, a 1,820 mAh battery and the Android 4.2 Jelly Bean operating system.
But what was more important was that it shipped in a "champagne gold" colour. It seems that Samsung has been thinking about Gold
phones for a while now, long before Apple showed off its first sample.
Then again, like the rectangle with rounded corners, gold isnt really something that belongs to either of the quarrelling companies. Dont expect that to stop them and their fans from fighting about it, though.
Techeye

Read More..