Micromax Funbook Mini tablet with voice-calling listed online for Rs. 8,820

Micromax is pushing into the low-cost tablet market with devices costing less than Rs. 10,000 in India. Following the strategy the domestic handset maker's new budget Android tablet, the Funbook Mini tablet has been listed on ecommerce website, Flipkart for Rs. 8,820. However, the device is right now out of stock at the online retailer and comes with a 'notify me' option.

The Micromax Funbook Mini P410 tablet comes with 7-inch LCD display with 1024x600 pixels resolution. The Android 4.1 Jelly Bean-based tablet supports dual-SIM (GSM+GSM). It is powered by a 1GHz dual-core processor along with 1GB of RAM. It includes 4GB of inbuilt storage which can be expandable up to 32GB via microSD card. The tablet sports a 2-megapixel rear camera while there is a 0.3-megapixel front-facing camera. There is a 2800mAh battery which can deliver up to 4 hours of browsing time, mentions the listing. The Micromax Funbook Mini tablet will be available in White.

Recently, Micromax introduced its first flagship tablet in the Canvas series, calling it the Canvas Tab P650. The Canvas Tab P650 has been launched at Rs. 16,500 for the Indian market, and comes with 8-inch IPS display (resolution unspecified), whilst being powered by a 1.2GHz quad-core processor coupled with 1GB of RAM. It comes with 16GB of inbuilt storage that is further expandable up to 32GB via microSD card.

The Canvas Tab P650 runs Android 4.2.1 Jelly Bean and is upgradable via FOTA (firmware over the air). The tablet sports a 5-megapixel autofocus rear camera while there is also a 2-megapixel front-facing camera onboard. The Canvas Tab P650 comes with SIM support and has voice-calling, however, the company has not detailed if the device supports single SIM or is dual-SIM. 

Micromax Funbook Mini tablet key specifications

• 7-inch LCD display with 1024x600 pixels resolution
• 1GHz dual-core processor
• 1GB of RAM
• 4GB of built-in storage, expandable up to 32GB
• 2-megapixel rear camera
• 0.3-megapixel front-facing camera
• Android 4.1 Jelly Bean
• 2800 mAh battery
• Dual-SIM (GSM+GSM)

Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Region-Lock Versions from Different Sources

Since the launch of Samsung's flagship Phablet, Galaxy Note 3, number of issues regarding the region-lock restriction of the handset has sprung up on the net creating confusion among buyers.

Here are the alternating versions of the users as compared to that of theSamsung's.

As Thought Before:

Previously it was noted that the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 would need to be activated with the SIM from the same region from where the device is bought, after which it can be used on any foreign SIM card.

For instance, if a user buys a Galaxy Note 3 device from the UK region, before using it from AT&T or T-mobile American SIM cards, one needs to start a device with a UK SIM card.

If the activation is not performed in the particular order, the device will get locked and would have to be sent to Samsung or its partners to get unlocked.

Confusion Adds-Up:

According to the XDA-developers forum thread, many of the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 users have been complaining about their handsets being locked. It seems like many European region models after being activated with a European SIM card, would not work even when a foreign SIM card is used in the device.

The handsets bought from Germany, Netherlands, Sweden or UK are said to have stopped working with the local SIM cards of Africa and Asia (Egypt andThailand), according to the forum.

Samsung's Different Take:

One of the emails from the Samsung Customer Support has been posted on Clove (online retailer) blog which mentions a different story altogether.

"For instance, if you purchase a Note 3 in the UK and put a foreign SIM card in it, then it will lock and will need to be sent to a service centre to get unlocked. However, if you put a UK SIM card into the Note 3 first, then it will recognise that it is a UK SIM card in a UK model and wont lock. Then, if you go abroad, you can still use a foreign SIM card in it," stated the post, which is the same assumption made on the first place.

Information on the Package

However, the information sticker, which comes with the handset package, states exactly the opposite to what Samsung says, according to Android Authority. Images can be seen here.

Images show stickers from the American and European packaging, clearly stating that the model will only work with American and European SIM cards. Nothing is however mentioned about the foreign SIM usage.

An image shows a packed Note 3 handset with a sticker stating "European Model: This product is only compatible with a SIM-card issued from a mobile operator within Europe."

Samsung Galaxy S4 to be manufactured in India

New Delhi: Samsung India on Sunday said it will soon start manufacturing its flagship high-end smartphone Galaxy S4 in India.

"We are planning to start manufacturing of S4 soon at our Noida facility," Samsung Mobile and Digital Imaging Country Head Vineet Taneja said.

He, however, refused to share any time frame by when the production will start. The Noida facility is manufacturing about 35-40 million phones annually, including 12 Smartphone such as Galaxy S3.

The company currently imports the recently launched Galaxy S4 from South Korea.

Sensing huge demand for Galaxy S4, the company is also looking to double up the high-end Smartphone (above Rs 20,000) market size in India, which is currently contributing around 10-12 percent of the overall Smartphone market.

The Galaxy S4, which is packed with newer imaging features as well as 'gesture-control' technology, has a five-inch full HD super AMOLED touchscreen, 13 mega pixel rear and 2 mega pixel front camera and supports 3G networks.

Although Samsung is the market leader in smartphone market in India, competition from Apple, BlackBerry and Nokia has put pressure on it to add new software features to maintain its lead.

According to research firm IDC, the overall mobile phone market in India reached about 218 million units in 2012, growing 16 percent year-on-year.

Of this, 16.3 million units were smartphones, but the category saw a growth of about 48 percent. Samsung was the leader in the quadcore and 5-inch plus screen size models, IDC added.

The demand for smartphones is expected to be around 34-36 million units this year.

Globally, Samsung had 30.3 percent share of the smartphone market (with sales of 215.8 million units) in 2012, while Apple had a 19.1 percent share with sales of 135.9 million units, according to IDC.