All About Tablets
Vizio, the American Flat Screen specialists continue to pursue their interest in the Tablet market with another launch on 20th June. This time a 11.6″ Windows 8 supportive Tablet that had been announced at the CES 2013. [Read more…] about Vizio finally launches its 11.6″ Windows 8 Tablet PC
It is time to wake up to virtual reality. Pages don’t just exist in books but on the Web as well. E books, Web blogs and the nets resources are set to blow away traditional knowledge bit by bit and for good. [Read more…] about Out with Books, In with the Tablets
Move over Flipkart, Amazon has started its operations in India and Tablets and accessories are on the menu. Yes, the world’s largest online retailer which started its online marketplace this month has listed Tablets as well and its here to stay. [Read more…] about Wanna buy Tablets online? Amazon.in starts selling Tablets and accessories
Huawei is on a roll and the recent launch of the high end Mediapad Vogue 7 goes to show its intentions of becoming a major player in the tablet market. [Read more…] about Huawei Mediapad Vogue 7 unveiled
The 237 MB software update is now available for the Apple iOS 7. Labeled the Beta 2, the OS update aimed at iPad and iPad Mini is packed with minor tweaks to most Tablet apps and features. Here are the top 5 changes:
1. Siri has Male voice
Yes, Siri now comes with an option to choose male/female voice from the settings. Don’t know if it actually serves some technical purpose except satisfying the long standing demand for changing the voice search engines personality away from its feminine origins.
2. AirDrop file transfer
The Peer to Peer file transfer feature is now available on iOS7 for iPad and iPad Mini as well. Users will be able to transfer even huge files faster with this P2P app.
3. Add media to shared Photo stream
Photo streams can now be populated with Videos and Pics and there’s a notification to let make you aware of that.
4. Avatars in Group iMessage Chats
The group chats in iMessenger will now feature Avatars on the left hand side featuring stored images of the users involved.
5. Newer Locked screen Music controls
That Apple devices are famous for their performance for Music is well known. iOS 7 has brought changes to the Locked screen music controls to make it even simpler to jog through your playlist.
– Apart from this, there are changes to almost all major features including a revamped look to the Bookmarks/shared links feature. The Newsstand holds a newer look. The media player controls too look slicker. The Camera Pano mode has been given a new UI and even the unique facetime app sports a newer UI.
*However, it must be mentioned about the inclusion of the Find my iPhone icon in the settings enables users to directly know about their phone without too much hassle.And yes, the locked screen also sports control features for the Camera.
*Note: The upgrade once installed cannot be reversed to earlier versions.
The Update will be available to existing Apple users of the iPad and iPad Mini, since it changes specially designed for the larger screens of the tablets. Here a few other screenshots of the Beta 2 for iOS 7.
So coming in end June, they sure will add some spice to the much anticipated iPhone 5 launch later this year. In the meanwhile, it will do to assuage the demands of the Apple fans who were looking for some changes to their Tablet interfaces, especially, in the face of stiffer competition from emerging Android Apps and development updates (Key Lime Pie version).
Lets hope the Beta version of the iOS 7 update launched last month for iPhones and now this bring some respite to Apple that has been under fire in recent weeks thanks to the bad publicity generated around its Tax avoidance allegations.
The rupee is going down, but prices are set to go up. Import dependent Indian tablet market is set to witness a hike in tablet prices as a consequence of increasing costs for manufacturers and retailers alike.
The recent fall in the rupee value with respect to the dollar is putting a strain not only on the financial and trading sectors but also on the prices of various goods in the market. Including on our beloved Tablets and Smartphone devices. Yes, you heard that right. Most of the device manufacturers in the country including major brands like Samsung, Micromax and Lava are planning to increase prices anywhere in the range of 5-10% in the next month if the current situation does not improve.
Companies making mobile phone in India will be impacted to lesser extent but they will also have to increase price by 5 to 6 per cent,” said Mr. Pankaj Mohindroo, President of the Indian Cellular Association’s (ICA) in response to a question by Press Trust of India (PTI)
This month, the national currency has seen a steep decline in its value and had even slipped to its all time lowest ever (59.93). Currently it stands at 59.307 to every dollar. The coming weeks may see even a further decline and fearing this, most companies want to secure their falling profit margins with price increases.
“We have no other option but to increase the price. In the next couple of days, we will be increasing the handset prices by around 10 per cent,” said Mr. SN Rai, Director of LAVA Mobile.
International brands like Samsung, Lenovo etc are yet to decide on such a move but are expected to be gearing up for a tough season ahead.
Even Indian brands like Micromax, Karbonn, Wishtel etc that rely heavily on imported goods for assembling their tabs are expecting a 5-6 % rise in tablet prices across all ranges.
However, this price increase could have been avoided if the devices were manufactured wholly in India. It reflects the poor state of the Electronics and Chip design industry in the country. International brands like Samsung and Apple have their products shipped directly from China or outside and need to pay a high import duty. Hence, this rupee fall impacts their profits more. But, the so called Indian manufacturers like Micromax and Salora etc. all have their components including the motherboard shipped from China or abroad where it is cheaper. A push for domestic production of chip sets would not only bring down manufacturing costs for the brands but would help in better control of the entire process and lead to lower prices for the users.
Until then, the situation remains grave and only time will tell, how and how much do companies increase prices. Right now, might be a good time to buy. Just saying. Keep watching this space for further developments.
