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Comparing Android Touch Phones Under Rs. 20K Similar looking phones with minute differences makes it tough for consumers to make a buying decision Intro Phones with Google's Android are being baked and sent to the market one after the other. This open-source mobile operating system has been more than a blessing to many phone makers, who had the expertise in making the hardware, but didn't really have a polished OS with enhanced functionality to run them on. The best part about Android is that it's free for any manufacturer to take and slap on their devices. Also, there isn't a stringent hardware checklist to follow, unlike Microsoft's Windows Phone 7. This enables companies to roll out cost-effective smartphones that are within the reach of many. Not to say that they have to compromise on certain features to get that price down, and the degradation in the performance of these when compared to the flagship Android phones is noticeable. But considering the lackluster interface, laggy performance and fragmented availability of apps on phones that were sold before Android was born, things definitely have gotten better. Today, I am honestly not skeptical about touchscreen phones as I was, maybe, two years before. The interfaces are intuitive, the touch response is accurate, which makes me not miss hardware buttons anymore. Thus, we're taking a look at touchscreen only phones that have cropped up aplenty between the Rs. 10,000 and Rs. 20,000 price range. By comparing the specs, you'll see that they are quite similar. There are only a few minute differences that differ from model to model. Let's take a quick peek at what those differences are. Now, I don't want to go on rambling about the same things over and over again, so I'll just list out features that are common to all in this segment: a) All are 3.5G ready (i.e. HSDPA compatible). This is good since we're witnessing private operators roll out 3G services one by one. Other forms of connectivity i.e. Wi-fi, Bluetooth and data cable are present as well. Lastly, all have a GPS chip that is necessary for extremely nifty apps like Google Maps. All have capacitive screens that are optimized to be used with fingers. c) All have accelerometers for automatic rotation of the content on the screen according to the way you hold it. d) All have FM Radio; a feature that may be of prime importance to some. Now that we've gotten this out of the way, let's take a closer look at what each phone has to offer. LG Optimus P500 Let's face it, LG's first Android handset - the Optimus GT540 - other than for its somewhat good looks, was unimpressive. It failed to impress mainly because of its resistive screen and Android 1.6 OS. In today's highly competitive market, that's like two fatal punches resulting in a KO. They are trying it again, but this time LG definitely has made amends. Their upcoming Optimus P500 fixes it by using a capacitive screen with a standard HVGA (320 x 480 pixel) resolution, which in our opinion is the bare minimum for better readability. Another bonus is that it comes with Android 2.2 (Froyo) by default, thus making it the first handset to have the most recent Android version (till tonight, that is). So, what are the major highlights of Android 2.2? Share your internet to other devices by making your phone act like a wireless router, a faster performance, ability to install apps on an SD card, and compatibility with some of the recent Google apps (like Voice Actions). LG has given DivX and XviD playback out of the box, which its 600 MHz processor should easily accomplish. Fret not, you always have third party apps that do the same thing if the Android phone of your liking doesn't support it. But in our experience a 600 MHz processor is a minimum to accomplish this task. It is a phenomenon across most of the phones that follow; the camera takes a backseat. While the P500's measly 3.2 megapixel camera at least supports autofocus. There's no LED flash for taking acceptable night shots though. Lastly, the 1500 mAh battery sounds promising and if not anything else should run for at least a day (Android phones in general aren't great with battery life). The Optimus P500 is going to sell at a fair Rs. 13,000. Out of all the phones, this one does seem to be the most promising in the under Rs. 15,000 bracket. Sony Ericsson XPERIA X8 This one's got a slightly smaller display than the previous LG (measuring 3.0 inches) but of the same resolution. A good thing to note is its apparent scratch-proof nature, which should ideally eliminate the need for that scratch guard, which I personally am not a big fan of. In our usage, we felt that the QWERTY keyboard was cramped due to that 0.2 inches size reduction. Another irritating aspect is it running Android 1.6 from the medieval times. And while the XPERIA X10 and X10 mini/mini pro are getting the 2.1 update as we speak, the XPERIA X8 doesn't get it now. We wonder how long one would have to wait till the X8 finally gets it. Also, the 3.2 megapixel sensor on it has a fixed focus. With all these shortcomings, I seriously don't think I'll pay Rs. 14,000 for it. Samsung Galaxy 3 i5801 We had gotten our brief hands-on time on this one, and while its got a speedier 667 MHz processor, DivX and XviD playback and unique features like Wi-fi 802.11n and Bluetooth 3.0 compatibility, we had things to crib about. Firstly, the display while measuring the same 3.2 inches like many others, is longer and thus has a narrower width. This makes the on-screen QWERTY in portrait mode feel cramped. Secondly, the 240 x 400 pixel resolution is lower than most other phones that have HVGA (480 x 320 pixels), thus making content on it not as crisp as you'd expect. Also, there's a chance that this odd resolution may not support every App on the Android Market. Lastly, the finish of this phone feels a bit cheap and plasticky. The 3.2 megapixel camera at least has autofocus and Samsung has announced that it will upgrade the OS to version 2.2 in the future. It sells for Rs. 12,000. For about 500 to 1000 rupees more, you can get a phone with a proper HVGA screen. Sorry Samsung, the Galaxy 3 doesn't pass this test. HTC Wildfire HTC's Wildfire seemed like a decent choice a few months ago since there weren't many Android phones in this price bracket. The slim and pocketable shape, HTC's Sense UI enhancement - which had one of the best on-screen keyboards we've ever used - and the good social media integration were things going for it. But today, its low QVGA (320 x 240 pixels) resolution on a comparatively big 3.2-inch display just looks bad. The 528 MHz processor is just a little too underpowered when shuffling between third party apps; it lagged a lot in some cases. The camera sensor is rated higher at 5 megapixels, but the low pixel density screen makes your well shot snaps look average on it. All this, with an asking price of Rs. 15,000 doesn't feel worth it. Move on Wildfire, your time has passed. Garmin-Asus A10 We tested this one very recently and it did turn out to be a fairly usable mid-range Android handset overall. A good 3.2 inch HVGA screen, Android 2.1 with some thoughtful UI enhancements and a sturdy build. One of the major USPs of this phone is the Garmin navigation suite built-in, which gives you turn-by-turn navigation facility in the whole of India. Also, there are some nifty pre-installed apps like Flight Status. The 5 megapixel sensor takes acceptable day snaps, but due to the lack of an LED flash, night shots are a compromise in terms of viewability. But it sells for Rs. 19,000, which is pretty expensive in our opinion, since they don't even throw in a car kit along with the package. You need to ask yourself whether paying such a premium is worth the navigation services, especially when you have Google Maps that provides basic form of navigation (not voice assisted) for free. Dell XCD35 a.k.a the ZTE Blade This phone was announced on November 10 and it has definitely caught our attention. The biggest advantage is its larger-in-comparison 3.5 inch display with a much higher WVGA (or 800 x 480 pixel) resolution. If that wasn't enough, this capacitive layered screen is AMOLED in nature, which should call for deeper contrast and rich colors. Rest of the specs are on-par with the rest of the models in this list: 600 MHz processor, Android 2.1 and a 3.2 megapixel autofocus sensor. Dell has announced this phone at Rs. 16,990, which isn't too bad. If you're going to be doing a lot of reading and surfing the web, the bigger and crisper screen is definitely beneficial. Motorola Quench XT3 or the XT502 The Quench XT3 looks no different than most of the phones featured in this article. What is good about its 3.2-inch HVGA screen is the "Gorilla glass" covering - like the one on the Nokia N8, which in our experience has been able to protect the display from scratches, despite us violently rubbing the edge of keys on it. It supports DivX playback out of the box too, and its 3.2 megapixel camera, although not being autofocus, at least has an LED flash. Being a Motorola, we can expect it to have good build quality and good call clarity. At the time we reported about its release, Motorola's official India site specified it running the older Android 1.6. But if you check now, they've updated it saying that it runs Android 2.1. If that is indeed the case, then for Rs. 12,500 the XT3 seems like a better buy than the XPERIA X8. Videocon Zeus V7500 and Spice Mi-300 It's not just the foreign brands that are capitalizing on the Android bandwagon, we've got a couple of Indian companies investing into it as well. Starting with the Spice MI-300 that we tested; this phone sells for an unbelievable price of Rs. 10,000, especially when you look at what it has to offer. A 3.2 inch HVGA resolution screen, a good 5 megapixel camera with an LED flash and it runs Android 2.1. There were a few niggles we faced with it - mainly the call clarity wasn't good (but apparently others who own this phone say they don't face this issue). This was the only real issue that made us not shower it with praise. If that wasn't "spicy" enough for you, have a look at the Videocon Zeus V7500. Not only is it spec-to-spec the same as the Spice Mi-300, the bundle comes with two batteries and an 8GB microSD card as well. At 11,000, this phone seems like quite a steal! Conclusion So, there you go; nine Android phones under the Rs. 20,000 mark that have a lot to offer. Of the lot, the phones we really like to take a closer look at are the LG Optimus One P500, the Dell XCD35, the Motorola XT3 and the Videocon Zeus. Courtesy : Techtree

LED backlighting in TVs has been a real boon for end users, while manufactures have been able to create stunningly slim televisions. It also keeps the environmentalists happy since there is no mercury used in LED backlit TVs there by giving you a greener product. We tested quite a few LED based LCD TVs in the past and the difference in power consumption is certainly visible while still maintaining a good brightness level. The problem with the term "LED backlit LCD" is that it's a bit too long, which does not look good in advertisements and posters. Manufacturers have conveniently eliminated LCD and simply highlight "LED", duping customers into thinking they are LED TVs, which they clearly aren't. Today we'll have a look at the different types of LED LCD TVs currently available that offer improved picture quality over the other or even traditional LCD TVs. All LED Backlit TVs are not created equal The first thing that you should know is that not all LED LCD TVs are created equal. Just because the TV may have a sticker that says "LED" on it does not mean you'll get the same performance as the flagship model. Stop and think for a moment, if companies used the same technologies in their high-end and low-end products, no one would look at the higher end models, right? There are predominantly two types of LED backlighting technologies; Edge-lit LEDs and Full array LEDs. The first batch of LED TVs that came out in 2009 were based on this technology and was first showcased by Samsung. Today you'll find everyone using this technology in their "cheaper" LED LCD TVs. Edge-lit typically means the LEDs are placed around the edge, which allow companies to make slimmer TVs. There are no major advantages in this type of LED LCD over conventional LCDs when it comes to picture quality. In fact there are many uniformity issues with edge-lit LEDs, like certain areas of the TV tend to be brighter than others, which we noticed when we reviewed the Sony ZX1. This is cheaper to produce than Full array LED LCDs, since they use a fewer number of LEDs. The other technology that can be found on most of high-end TVs of today is Full array LEDs. As the name suggests, there is a full array of LEDs (see pic) sitting behind the LCD panel. This obviously gives you a more even backlighting with little or no uniformity issues. Mid-range to high end models typically have this sort of backlighting, like the Samsung UNC6500 series. In terms of picture quality, there is no real perceptible difference when compared to an LCD. The only advantage here is lower power consumption and again a slimmer profile. The latest crop of LED LCD TVs feature Local Dimming LED technology, which changes the game altogether. What is Local Dimming LEDs? LG was the first to push out this technology in India and today almost all major brands have Local Dimming (LD) in their flagship models. LD on Full array LED TVs give you the better picture quality compared to the LD on Edge-lit TVs, which was introduced this year in the Samsung UNC8000 series and LG LE5500 series. The LEDs used here are similar to the Full array models except that the array is broken into different zones and the LEDs in each zone can be dimmed or brightened depending on the scene at hand. This gives you very good black levels that rival plasmas, since the LEDs in the dark areas can be completely turned off. There is a little catch here though. The side effect of this is a slight blooming effect noticed up close when a brighter image appears suddenly over a dark background. This happens because when displaying a dark background, the LEDs in that area are mostly off and when a bright object suddenly comes into that area, the LED's light up to full brightness and then dim down to the current selected picture mode. This happens very quickly and isn't very noticeable when watching a movie, but if you connect a PC to it with a static background, it's visible. Despite this, these TV's are capable of delivering the best picture quality among LCD TVs. Commercial true LED TVs don't exist yet How would one define a LED TV? It's when a single LED is responsible for illuminating a single pixel on the screen, which is when you could do away with the LCD panel altogether. Today's high-end LED LCD TVs pack in around 1500 LEDs and a typical full HD panel will have around 2 million pixels. So in order for a TV to be classified as a true LED TV, we would have to have 2 million LEDs powering individual pixels, which is simply not possible today, and probably won't be commercially viable for some time. So you see, no matter how companies try to spin and twist words and create fancy slogans, if a TV uses an LCD panel, it's still an LCD TV and not a LED TV. Sony and LG clearly mention this on their site as LED LCD TV, but Samsung seem to have conveniently dropped the "LCD" from all of their LED TVs, which would easily fool the misinformed. Aren't LED backlit TV's supposed to be cheap? Technically LEDs should be cheaper to produce compared to CCFL based LCDs, but our guess is that manufacturers seem to be cashing in on the hype and buzz generated by none other than them. Everybody wants a slimmer TV for easier installation, more bragging rights, etc. and we seemed to have conditioned ourselves into thinking the extra price is justified. Another reason for LED LCDs being expensive could very well be the manufacturing process not being that mature as yet compared to LCDs. It's probably cheaper to manufacture an LCD, since this technology has been around for a while now and manufacturing units are more wide spread as compared to LED LCDs, which just started hitting selves a year back. What the Future holds In the next three to five years we should be able to see a considerable drop in prices as we adopt newer technology for cheaper and better LED LCD TVs. QD Vision is a company that claims to have developed a breakthrough technology called Quantum dots based on nano technology that is capable of delivering up to 40% more power efficiency and a color gamut over 100% of the NTSC spectrum. This is achievable due to the use of nano sized semiconductor crystals capable of emitting pure red, green and blue light. You should see this technology hitting LED LCD models of 2011, which isn't far away. If you were on the fence on getting an LED LCD TV then we'd say get the one with Local Dimming LEDs if you can afford it, or else simply stick with a cheaper LCD TV, as the color reproduction will be better than the "cheaper" Edge-lit models. Better still, if you have a well functioning CRT at home, stick with that and take the plunge maybe next year when prices go down south. SOURCE: Techtree

True OLED or True LED is just a theoretical debate right now. In December 2007, Sony started selling an 11" OLED TV priced at $ 2500 and now has stopped production and sale altogether. LG has EL9500 which is a 15" OLED TV which is in sale in Korea for $ 2600. Samsung and Panasonic has prototypes of 40" and 37" OLED but not available for sale. Just look at the exorbitant prices and sizes less than a typical PC Monitor for available OLED Tv. This are just technology demonstration and has no real world value for an end user as of today. And in India, none of them is available. OLED will take atleast next 5 years to mature into an affordable, mass market technology. Untill then, there is no question of a real life practical comparison between OLED and True LED. And we still don't have True LED also at each Pixel Level. Right now there is at the most 1500 LED Pixel in a typical Full HD Panel with around 2 million pixels. Differences between LCD with CFL backlit and LED Backlit is what is important right now and it is there for everyone to see and understand.

For Mannual Setup Follow Below Instruction if u dont want more software on ur taskbar or download the connectify software from below This article will help you convert your Windows XP , Vista and Windows7 based laptop in a Wirelss HotSpot Once you setup your laptop as HotSpot then you do not need a router, switch, hub, etc… to form a network, in fact other laptops or PC's can connect or access the internet through this newly created HotSpot What do I need to set a HotSpot? 1. Active Cable Internet 2. Laptop 3. Wifi on Laptop 4. Wired net connection 5. Or USB Data Card Once you have all the above things mentioned, you are all set to follow the steps: How to setup HotSpot on Windows7 1. Got to Control Panel 2. Click on "Network and Sharing Centre" 3. Under Tasks choose "Setup New Connection" 4. Wireless "Ad-hoc network" 5. Now type in a "Network Name" 6. Choose "WEP" from drop down menu, input the password if you don't want to share the connection with the entire world 7. Click "Internet connection sharing" 8. Done! How to setup HotSpot on Windows Vista: 1. Got to Control Panel 2. Click on "Network and Sharing Centre" 3. Under Tasks choose "Setup New Connection" 4. Wireless "Ad-hoc network" 5. Now type in a "Network Name" 6. Choose "WEP" password if you don't want to share the connection with the entire world 7. Click "Internet connection sharing" 8. Done! Now a WiFi enabled machine will be able to connect to the network you have just setup with the WEP password Lets setup a HotSpot on a Windows XP machine: 1. Go into Control panel 2. Open "Network Connections" 3. Right click on "Wireless Connection" and click on "Properties" 4. Click on the "Wireless Networks" tab and select the check-box which says "Use Windows to configure my wireless network settings" 5. Under "Prefered networks" click "Add" 6. Type a name in "Network name" text box 7. Select "Shared" from the options under "Network Authentication" 8. Under Data encryption select "WEP" and type in your password in "Network Key" field and now click "OK" 9. Now the new HotSpot should show in the list of preferred networks. 10. Click on the "Advance" button and select "Computer-to-computer (ad hoc) networks only" and press close 11. Hit "OK", we are done with the wireless connection properties One more step, we have to change something in the wired connection setting so that it knows that it has to share connection with the computers accessing our HotSpot. 1. Go to local Area Connections(if wired) or Data Card Connection, right click it and select properties 2. Go to the "Advanced" tab or Sharing in Win7 & Vista and under Internet Connection Sharing check the box which says "Allow other network users to connect through this computer's internet connection" and make sure the box under that is NOT selected so that no one can disable the network remotely. 3. Hit "OK" 4. In Case of Win7 & Vista use Wireless Connection from Dropdown Menu I hope this helps setting up a wireless connection without a WiFi router. Have FuN! Update ...... U can use the Software Connectify too Credits to Tushar for pointing out here's the Link Download Update 12/09/2011 Here are some of the options available to configure a windows 7 laptop as a wifi hotspot or router. http://www.mhotspot.com/ http://virtualrouter.codeplex.com/ http://www.connectify.me/ http://www.mypublicwifi.com/publicwifi/en/index.html Hope this will be helpful to some on this list.

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