Tech PIVI

Micromax's 5-inch smartphone, the Canvas 2 A110 that ran on Android 4.0 ICS since its launch in October, will receive the 4.1 Jelly Bean update next week. Micromax Canvas2 A110 A lot of budget smartphone manufacturers have promised us an OS update on their Android devices and rarely have they delivered. Today, we have the news that the Micromax Canvas 2 A110 will receive the Android 4.1 Jelly Bean update as early as next week. The device was launched in October 2012 and ran on Android 4.0 ICS straight out of the box. There is one downside to this update. It will not be available to users OTA or via the PC. Users will have to go to a Micromax service center to update their device. What remains to be seen is whether it is worth the effort for a user to go to the Micromax store just to update the phone’s OS. “This will not be an OTA update. Users will have to go to Micromax-authorised service centres to get the update. Currently, we are conducting tests on the Jelly Bea...

Google has released its latest Android distribution figures, which show the v4.1 Jelly Bean OS is rapidly growing, while the v2.3 Gingerbread OS remains the top Android platform. According to the data, Jelly Bean is now running on 1.2 percent of Android devices, while its predecessor v4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich is active on about 21 percent of devices. The latest data show the older versions of Android are slowly declining. Gingerbread, the top Android platform, is running on 57.2 percent devices. However, it is down from 60.6 percent last month. Froyo is on 14 percent, while Eclair is running on 3.7 percent. Android v3.0 Honeycomb, Google's tablet-specific platform, is still at about 2 percent. Check out the distribution in the chart below: Data collected during a 14-day period ending on September 4, 2012  Google's last month figures had shown Jelly Bean on mere 0.8 percent devices, while ICS had almost 16 percent of share. The latest figures show Jell...

Samsung has launched its first Android-based camera at IFA 2012. Called the Galaxy Camera, the device comes with Google Android 4.1 Jelly Bean and is powered by a 1.4GHz quad-core processor. Pricing and launch details however, have not been shared yet. The Galaxy Camera has a 16MP BSI CMOS 1/2.3" sensor, and a wide angle (23mm) lens with 21X optical zoom. It sports a 4.77-inch 308ppi HD Super Clear LCD. On the face, the Galaxy Camera feels like a camera because of its build and physical shutter button but flip it over and the device feels like an Android smartphone. This isn't the first Android camera we've heard of. Nikon recently launched the 16MP Coolpix S800c, which runs on Android, and is meant to be the ideal device for those who often share on social networks. Samsung was also rumoured earlier this year to be working on an Android-based camera, though no-one expected such specificatons. It is being called a Galaxy S III-based cam...

On the lighter side of this Friday, looks like an awesome developer has gotten the Jelly Bean launcher ported to non-Jelly Bean devices. I was wondering when a JB launcher was going to hit the Play Store. Takes an artist some time to create some art. Come to find though, is that another team has also released the JB awesomeness in the store. That artist,  Tim Hutt . Now he is not the first to tackle this launcher port, Team Syndicate did as well. I wish I would have been paying more attention to the Play Store for these launchers, but I think the fact that I got JB already ported on my phone I felt no need to. I apologize for that my friends. Ran into the video that is shown below, which does a quick run through of this launcher. For good measure though, I will post both links to Tim Hutt’s launcher, and Team Syndicate’s. The choice I leave to you guys, because I have not tried either of these launchers. Check out the video and choose which launcher is best. Let u...

Karbonn has announced a new version of its recently released budget tablet, the Karbonn Smart Tab 1, in the Indian market. If you thought this was another addition to the run of the mill budget tablets, we say think again. The tablet boasts of Google’s latest OS, Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. Currently, the tablet is available for pre-order on Karbonn’s website. The Karbonn Smart Tab 1 boasts of a 7-inch capacitive touchscreen display and has a 1.2GHz processor under the hood. It also sports a 2MP front facing camera but compromises on the rear camera. the storage on the device is expandable up to 32GB via a microSD card, a feature that is absent from the flagship tablet, the Google Nexus 7. The Karbonn Smart Tab1 also shows off an HDMI-out port. The battery on the device is 3,700 mAh. In terms of connectivity, the device supports Wi-Fi along with 3G connectivity via a USB dongle. The tablet is available for Rs. 6,990. If you are one who recently purchased a Karbonn Smar...

Samsung may introduce Google’s latest OS not only in its current flagship device, the Samsung Galaxy S III   but in the Galaxy S II  as well. According to   sammobile.com , the Samsung Galaxy S III will get the   Jelly Bean   update soon and that Samsung is testing the 4.1 OS on the S II as well. The 4.1 update for the S III is expected to roll out in August/September 2012. The blog also goes on to say that the first tests with Jelly Bean on the S II have shown successful results. Even though the initial tests have been successful, there is no confirmed date when the OS will hit the  Samsung   Galaxy S II . There is also still no word on when other  Samsung  devices such as the Galaxy Note, the Galaxy Tab 2 or the Galaxy Tab 7.7 will receive the update. If you are in the market to pick up the Samsung Galaxy S III, you can read our complete review of the device  here . Even though HTC was one of the first companies to...

Can’t wait for Google or Asus to launch the Nexus 7 tablet in India? Well you need wait no more. With the power of online shopping, consumers in India can pick up Google’s flagship tablet today. The price you will pay has a slight premium of course. The device has launched in the US for $200 (Rs. 11,000 approx.). Users sitting in India can buy the 8GB Google Nexus7  tablet from the  Indiatimes online shopping website , for Rs. 16,952. The website also offers users an EMI facility divided in either 3 months or 6 month intervals. The 3-month installment will cost users Rs. 5,651 per month and the 6-month payment plan will cost users Rs. 2,825 per month. The Nexus 7 is currently in stock and will be delivered in 15 working days, shipping free. The device will come with one-year manufacturer warranty. The second website offering the device for sale is  ebay.in . On eBay, the 8GB Nexus 7 tablet is priced slightly highe...

Good news for HTC One X  and S users! HTC has confirmed plans to roll out out the latest Android Jelly Bean4.1  update to its flagship smartphones   including One X , S and XL. The company, however, has not revealed tentative availability for the update yet. “We know HTC fans are excited to get their hands on  Google ’s latest version of Android. At this point in time, we can confirm that we have plans to upgrade our HTC One X, HTC One XL and HTC One S  to Jelly Bean. Please stay tuned for more updates regarding device upgrades, timing and other details about HTC and Jelly Bean,” said the company in a  statement . Earlier, Australian carrier Telstra was spotted promising Jelly Bean in the works for the HTC One S and One XL. At the time, the One X was not mentioned there. It's notable the HTC One X and One S, already launched in India, come with Android 4.0 ICS straight out of the box along with HTC Sense 4.0 UI. The c...