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What does 2013 have in store? [DNA : Daily News & Analysis (India)]
[December 19, 2012]

What does 2013 have in store? [DNA : Daily News & Analysis (India)]


(DNA : Daily News & Analysis (India) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) "Big is in! We really pushed the boundary this year, with phones like the Note II almost breaching tablet territory. Brace for even larger screens next year. Rumours are already flying around about Sony planning to launch a 6-inch phone while Samsung's Note III is said to have a 6.3-inch screen. Full-HD screens will also be the standard feature when it comes to flagship devices next year. The HTC Butterfly will sport a 5-inch 1080p display while the LG Optimus G2 is said to have a 5.5-inch screen. ""4K is where TVs are heading As TVs continue to expand in size, 1080p just doesn't cut it any more. The next step in home entertainment is Ultra HD or UHD. This standard gives you four times the resolution of current HD, so instead of 1920 x 1080p, we are talking about 3840 x 2160p. Currently, we just have the LG 84LM9600 and the Sony XBR-84X900 available in retail, but expect original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to go all-out next year with more offerings and hopefully, at more affordable prices. ""Rise of the budget tablets While tablets for big brands continue to trickle in, the real money makers are budget tablets, which continue to push the price to performance ratio. Brands like Micromax, Karbonn, iBall keep refreshing their tablets on a regular basis in order to meet the growing demand. We'll witness the rise of cheap, dual-core 3G tablets next year, all falling under the price range of Rs 15K. These tablets will also be packing in Google's latest Jelly Bean OS, something that most tier 1 companies haven't offered yet. ""Touch-based PCs on the rise With Microsoft bettering Windows 8 everywhere, it's only a matter of time till touch-based notebooks and all-in-one PCs become commonplace. Prices of Ultrabooks are on a downward spiral and soon, we'll also have many touch-based notebooks, well, selling for very competitive prices. As the Windows 8 app store continues to grow, it wouldn't be too long till we ditch the traditional desktop interface for Modern user interface (UI). The only thing holding it back right now is the lack of legacy app support, but once that hole is plugged, the days for a keyboard and mouse are numbered. ""4G for the masses This year, we witnessed a sudden rise in 3G adoption due to major cuts in prices. 3G is no longer just for the elite as all operators offer very attractive packages aside from good speeds. Could 2013 be the year for 4G Bharti Airtel is really pushing for 4G as they've already launched the service in three major cities across India, with more to follow. Initial rates will be sky high, of course, but just like 3G, it should normalise towards the end of 2013. ""Hot launches of December Apple iPad mini  Rs21,600 The iPad mini finally made it to India in an official capacity and at a very attractive price. The performance is similar to the iPad 2 since it bears the same system on chip (SoC), but it also has added benefits like the iSight camera, HD FaceTime camera and a slimmer and much lighter chassis. This almost makes the iPad 2 and iPod Touch redundant. ""Fujitsu Stylistic Q702 hybrid  Rs69,000 Taking a cue from Asus, the 11.6-inch tablet features an dockable keyboard attachment which gives it additional USB 3.0 ports, video connectors, LAN and lots more. It's powered by a 3rd Gen Intel CPU, along with 256GB of internal storage. ""Samsung Galaxy Camera  Rs29,900 After smartphones, it's time for smart cameras. The Galaxy Camera is the first Android powered point-and-shoot from Samsung which features a 16MP sensor, along with a 21x optical zoom. The camera essentially is a smartphone, just without the calling function. You also get a 4.8-inch screen, Jelly Bean, Wi-Fi and 3G connectivity as well. ""Nokia Asha 205  Rs3,499 Nokia still rules when it comes to budget feature phones and the Asha 205 is a new addition to its line-up. Some of the highlights of the phone include 40 free EA games, Easy Swap technology and a stand-by time of up to 25 days with two SIMs. There's also a dedicated Facebook button for quickly updating your status. ""Samsung Galaxy Music Duos  Rs9,199 The Music Duos takes on the Sony Xperia tipo dual which also retails in the same price range. Samsung's offering packs in a 3-inch screen, Android ICS, expandable memory, dual-SIM and a 3MP touch-focus camera. ""WickedLeak  Wammy Sensation  Rs16,000 WickedLeak has recently expanded their product portfolio with the addition of a smartphone called the Wammy Sensation. For the asking price, you get a 4.7-inch IPS display with a 720p resolution, Wi-Fi, GPS, 3MP front-facing camera and a 12MP rear facing camera and 4GB of internal memory that's expandable.



" Credit:Team DNA (c) 2012 @ 2012 DILIGENT MEDIA CORPORATION LTD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

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