Acer Iconia B1 Jelly Bean tablet now available in India for Rs. 7,999

Acer’s Iconia B1 is now available in India. The device was unveiled as the Iconia B1-A71 at CES 2013. The tablet boasts of a 7-inch display with a 1024x600 pixel resolution. Other specifications of the device include, the dual-core MediaTek processor (MTK 8317T) clocked at 1.2GHz, 512MB of RAM, 8GB built-in storage expandable via a microSD card. The tablet will also run the Android 4.1 Jelly Bean OS.

The Iconia B1-A71 also has a 2,710mAh battery along with Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, and GPS. At CES 2013, the price of the device was $150 which roughly translates to Rs.8,200.

We think Acer has hit the sweet spot with the price and specifications of the device. To start with Acer is a global brand, making its devices a little more reliable that the local budget tablets available in the market today. Recently, we have seen some impressive budget devices launch in India.

One of these devices is the iberry Auxus CoreX2 3G. It has a 7-inch HD IPS display with a resolution of 1280x800 pixels giving it a pixel density of 216ppi, which is the same as the Nexus 7 (read our review here). The Auxus CoreX2 3G is powered by a dual-core 1.6GHz Cortex A9 processor, 1GB of RAM and the Mali 400 GPU. The device supports a 3G SIM card not only for data but for voice calls as well. The tablet is priced at Rs. 10,990. You can read our detailed review of the CoreX2 3G tablet here.

One budget tablet that has also caught our attention under the Rs. 7,000 price point is the WickedLeak Wammy Desire. Its specifications are quite impressive with a dual-core 1.5GHz processor, 1GB of RAM, 400 Mali quad-core GPU, 3000mAh battery, 1.3MP front facing camera, 8GB internal storage expandable up to 32GB via a microSD card. You can read our detailed review of the device here.

Acer may have a brand name to bank on, but it will face stiff competition from local brands such as Zync, iberry and Micromax to name a few.

Source: http://www.thinkdigit.com/Tablets/Acer-Iconia-B1-Jelly-Bean-tablet-now_13090.html

Acer to launch Jelly Bean-based 'Iconia B1' tablet in India soon: Reports

The Acer Iconia B1 is expected to release in the country towards the end of January 2013 at a price point of Rs. 7,999. The specifications of the device are still rumoured, but what is certain is that the tablet will be running Android 4.1 Jelly Bean.

The rumoured specifications of the device include a 7-inch display with a 1024x600 resolution, 1.2GHz dual-core processor and PowerVR SGX 531 GPU. The tablet will also have Wi-Fi connectivity but will compromise on a SIM card slot to maintain the low price point. It is possible that we will see the tablet at CES 2013 in January and the device will make its debut in the emerging markets considering the attractive price point.

Another 7-inch tablet, which was recently launched, has caught our attention because of the specifications and the price point. The Auxus CoreX2 3G has a 7-inch HD IPS display with a resolution of 1280x800 pixels. A dual-core 1.6GHz Cortex A9 processor, 1GB of RAM and the Mali 400 GPU power the device.

It supports a 3G SIM card not only for data but for voice calls as well. The rear of the device houses a 2MP camera and the front has a 0.3MP camera for video calls. Straight out of the box, the Auxus CoreX2 3G runs on Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. Auxus CoreX2 3G has 8GB built-in storage expandable up to 64GB via a microSD card. This is the first time we have seen 64GB expandable memory on a budget device. It also supports Bluetooth v4.0 and a 4,100mAh battery. It is priced at Rs. 10,990.


Source: http://www.thinkdigit.com/Tablets/Acer-to-launch-Jelly-Bean-based-Iconia-B1_12930.html

Aakash 2 a 'Made in China' device? DataWind denies allegations

Controversies have continued to chase India’s ambitious ultra low-cost tablet PC, the Aakash 2. According to reports on the web, the ‘revolutionary’ device aimed at bridging the digital divide in the country is actually a cheap ‘Made in China’ device, and has been embellished with some applications from IIT Bombay. Questions are being raised whether the Aakash 2 is a true Indian innovation.

Economic Times in its report claims DataWind, the company assigned to design, develop and manufacture the Aakash tablet, procured about 12,000 devices A-13 model designed by AllWinner Tech of China. The supplier was finalised by IIT-Bombay, which is also implementing the Aakash project. The report says the procurement took place shortly before the Aakash 2 was officially launched.

The Chinese tablets cost about $42 (around Rs. 2,310) per unit, and were purchased from firms such as Kalong Technology Co., Ltd, Dasen International Electronics Co Ltd, Trend Grace and Shenzhen Shetong Zhaoli Co Ltd. The report points out that IIT Bombay issued a certificate dated October 29 for importing 20,000 units in India, and sought a waiver of duty as they were meant for school students under an HRD ministry programme – days before the Aakash 2 was launched.

According to the report, DataWind didn’t design or manufacture the Aakash 2 tablets. DataWind CEO Suneet Singh Tuli has refuted the charges and claimed his company had designed the Aakash 2. "For the first 10,000 units for IIT, and for expediency sake we had the motherboards manufactured in one of our Chinese subcontractor’s facilities And then the units have been ‘kitted’ in China at various manufacturers for expediency, whereas the final assembly and programming has happened in India. We finished this batch of 10,000 units and delivered them to IIT and will be starting another batch of 20,000 units for them in two weeks," Hindustan Times quotes Tuli as saying.

Clarifying reports of the Aaksh 2 not being an Indian device, Tuli told website PKR, “Our business model is similar to that of Apple where we use subcontract manufacturers to build our products. So, these are built in facilities of our contractors. For the first 10k units for IIT, and for expediency sake we had the motherboards and kits manufactured in our Chinese subcontractor’s facilities, and then the units have been ‘kitted’ in China at various manufacturers for expediency, whereas the final assembly and programming has happened in India.”

The government hasn’t made any official statement on the controversies surrounding the Aakash 2. However, the ET in its report quotes a senior government official involved in the project as saying he was unaware whether the products were off the shelf tablets from China. IIT Bombay has also not responded on the issue yet.

One of the prime reasons behind DataWind choosing to manufacture the Aakash 2 tablets in China is believed to be its rift with its Indian partner VMC Systems, which was supposed to assemble the device in Hyderabad. It is learnt that VMC had halted shipments over non-payment of dues. The Aakash project is no stranger to controversies. The project has been stalled various times in the past for a number of reasons. The original Aakash tablet was rejected over poor specifications whereas standoff between DataWind and IIT Rajasthan also delayed the project. At one stage it looked like the Aakash 2 will never see the light of the day. Read Aakash 2 tablet: Outdated even before launch? and Indians sceptical about Aakash 2 launch; want to see it to believe it

Source: http://www.thinkdigit.com/Tablets/Aakash-2-a-Made-in-China-device_11494.html

Eken Electronics launches 'Leopard' tablets in India, starting at Rs. 6,900

With an objective to tap the rapidly growing budget tablet market of India, Hong Kong-based tablet PC maker Eken Electronics has launched its Android-based slates in the country. Eken will be selling its tablets under the brand name of 'Eken Leopard' with price ranging between Rs. 6,900 – Rs. 11,999.

Eken Electronics has teamed up with Kerala-based Aldous Glare Trade & Exports (AGTE), which will be distributing the entire range of the Eken tablets in the country. The company is hoping to sell as many as 10,000 units a month by December this year. Eken will be specially focussing on schools and educational institutions in India.

"India is an exploding market with a huge potential for cost-effective tablets. This factor prominently influenced us to launch quality budget tablets in India and this will enable computing advantage to everyone," says Edison Chang, CEO, EKEN Electronics.

Eken Leopard series tablets come preloaded with Google Play store, which has over 500,000 apps. All the Eken tablets will come with 8GB internal storage and 1.3MP front facing camera. There are 7-inch, 8-inch, 9.7- inch size, 3G and GPS models as well. The Eken tablets are likely to be lighter in weight and have sleek design.

The price-conscious Indian market is flooded with the low-cost sleek tablets, having decent specifications, and challenging the international brands in this segment. Indian manufacturers such as Micromax and Karbonn have already started making efforts to tap this segment. Micromax recently released new Funbook tablets, namely Funbook Talk, Infnity and Pro. Karbonn is also aiming to tap the market with its SmartTabs.

Source: http://www.thinkdigit.com/Tablets/Eken-Electronics-launches-Leopard-tablets-in-India_10979.html