Market Watch: 32-inch to 60-inch televisions

As most people are keen on replacing their older CRTs with flat panels, “TV” remain one of the hottest and most active product categories. Moreover, price drops have given it a further boost. A decent full HD LED television is easily available for around Rs 34,000 while a 720p LED TV is available for as low as Rs 18,000. Flat panels are getting cheaper as there is no dearth of LCD or LED TVs in the market today. We spoke to the local vendors and shopkeepers to get a better idea of how the TV market has evolved, and also to find out which models have been selling well and what type of products customers are looking for. 

While flat panel TVs are available in varied sizes ranging from 22-inch to over 60-inch, market vendors reveal that the 32-inch TV is most preferred by consumers. In fact, size-wise, 32-inch TVs bring in highest sales. The CRT TV industry is fading away and people (in urban areas) prefer LED TVs over the earliest flat panel LCD TVs. Giants like Samsung, LG, Panasonic and Sony have been focusing more on LED TVs. LED TVs are slimmer and offer better picture quality while also keeping the power comsumption low (55 to 80 watts, which is around 50 percent less power compared to LCD TVs). 

32-inch TVs are most preferred in the market

Earlier, the only thing that kept LED TVs from the reach of consumers was their hefty price tags. But there has been considerable price drops in LED TV segment over the time. We also have home-brewed LED TVs from companies like Micromax, starting at Rs 16,000. According to most of the vendors, the sales of LED TVs have gone up drastically. In fact, the difference between the price of a 32-inch full HD TV and a 32-inch LED TV is now around Rs 3,000. 

Talking about the TV brands, presently, Samsung is said to be the most-preferred brand in the market. While Samsung TV sales are the highest, LG and Sony take the second and third position respectively. Samsung’s after-sales service is also appreciated by consumers as the company ensures to call up consumers and find if they are happy with the product. 

Presently, the best selling models in the local market are the Samsung 32EH4000M LED and the Samsung LE32E420 LCD televisions. Both are 32-inch TVs with support for USB and HDMI, but don’t come with any Internet or Smart TV functionality. The LE32E420 is priced at Rs 22,500 while the 32EH4000M costs Rs 26,500. Another 32-incher selling really well is the LG 32LS3400 priced at Rs 26,500. Probably, consumers are looking for a 32-inch TV priced under Rs 30,000. Sony’s 40-inch 40EX430 is also one of the best-selling TVs featuring a full HD display, priced at Rs 53,000. People are also opting for TVs from Panasonic and Toshiba. While AOC TVs are readily available, we didn't see a lot of BenQ or Philips in the local market.  Some TVs such as the Panasonic TH-L42E5D are available for a cheaper price online than at the offline market. 

Moreover, you can no more accuse televisions of being an idiot box, as they are capable of much more than mere displaying broadcasts. The list below is dominated by LED TVs and a handful of models also come with Smart TV capabilities. Though Smart TV is still in a nascent stage in India, the trend may soon catch up.

The table below shows TVs between 32-inch and 60-inch – the hot selling ones are highlighted in red.

List of TVs

Lenovo S890 Review

Lenovo’s focus might be still on notebooks, but the company does have some interesting mobile solutions that have gone unnoticed by many. We first brought to you the S880 at the beginning of the year, which turned out to be a good handset but a tad overpriced for the performance it offered. Today, we have its successor – the S890 – that plugs most of the gaps left by its predecessor and is priced in competition with Samsung’s Galaxy Grand. 

Design and build 
The S890 follows the same candy bar design as the S880 but has a slimmer bezel; Lenovo has also gotten rid of the double chin at the bottom. The handset has a pleasing design and the glossy plastic shell does a good job of masking fingerprints. The phone has a chrome trim running along the sides, which does not look that tacky since it has a matte finish. The phone is slightly heavier than the Grand, at 176 gms, but is slimmer. The volume rocker is easy to reach but the power button is not. Luckily, you won’t be using that very often since the flip-cover that comes bundled with the phone automatically toggles the screen on and off when open or closed.

A handsome looker

On the back, we have an 8MP camera with an LED flash while a single speaker grille sits at the bottom. The S890 is a dual-SIM phone with only one of the slots supporting 3G. You even get a hot-swappable microSD card slot. 

Features 
Let’s start with the display. The S890 features a 5-inch screen just like the Grand, but it does better by offering a higher 540 x 960 resolution and an IPS panel in lieu of standard TFT. The colours are fairly punchy but not very vibrant or sharp. Sunlight legibility is not very good either. The screen tends to get washed out quite a bit, making it really difficult to use. The phone runs on a heavily skinned version of Jelly Bean 4.1.1. Despite this, the phone is very quick and snappy with no lag. You’ll notice minor slowdowns once in a while, but it’s nothing drastic. Just like the S880, the skin will take some getting used to, but once you do, it’s extremely functional and there are shortcuts for literally everything.

Very simple user interface

For starters, we have a whole bunch of toggle switches in the notification bar,. The homescreen widget gives you quick access to most used apps, you can easily close running apps to free up some RAM and all of this is presented in a very novice-friendly manner. We really liked the theme and the way the icons and menu are designed. The S890 is powered by a MediaTek MT6577T, which is a dual-core SoC running at 1.2GHz. The CPU is fairly powerful for handling media up to 720p as well as popular apps. The PowerVR SGX531 GPU is not too powerful, however, as it returned a low NenaMark 2 score of just 24fps. Despite this, games like Temple run 2 and Subway Surfers run just fine. 

Media 
Media playback is handled via the stock player, which supports MP3 and FLAC. Audio quality is good, provided you have a decent pair of IEMs. The speaker volume is not too bad either as alerts and notifications can be heard even in a noisy environment. FM radio is also present.

Decent media playback

The video player supports MKV, AVI, MOV and MP4 formats, but only up to 720p. Full HD 1080p files show up but don’t play. Audio through the rear speaker is fairly loud and is clearly audible. You get 4GB of internal memory along with the ability to expand it up to 32GB via a microSD card slot. 

Connectivity 
The S890 is a tri-band GSM phone with dual-band 3G support for the first SIM. Apart from this, we have Wi-Fi and Bluetooth to complete the connectivity suite. There’s no option for video-out or NFC. Web browsing is handled well with the stock browser and there’s plenty of screen real estate. Websites are handled well through the stock browser, although text is not as sharp as we would have liked it to be.

Large screen is good for browsing

Lenovo has also added a custom power saving feature in the form of profiles. Depending on your usage scenarios, the battery profile is automatically selected and you can even set your own custom profile. There’s an app called Installation Package, which lets you manage APKs. You also get miscellaneous apps like a flashlight, Chrome and UC Browser. 

Camera 
The camera has been bumped up to an 8MP sensor and we also get an LED flash. Lenovo has added plenty of scene modes and options to tweak. You can adjust the metering, white balance, anti-flicker, guidelines etc. Scene modes include panorama, smile shot, HDR and auto. Picture quality is pretty good for outdoor shots in day light. Indoor shots are pretty decent as well, but due to the lack lustre display, it doesn’t look very good. Video recording maxes out at 720p.

Plenty of features to play around with

Captures good deatil

Battery life
The 2250 mAh battery managed to last through 2 hours of calls, 2 hours of video, 2 hours of audio and 2 hours of YouTube streaming over Wi-Fi with 24 percent of battery still remaining. 

Verdict and Price in India 
The price tag of Rs 20,899 puts it directly in competition with the Grand, which also retails for the same. Between the two, we’d still recommend the Galaxy Grand over the S890. The Lenovo may seem to have an edge by boasting of an IPS display but the fact is, it’s not very good in real world conditions. Other features are very similar to Samsung’s offering, but the Grand pulls ahead by offering more onboard storage, dual-band Wi-Fi, GLONASS, 1080p video recording and playback, better front camera and will likely get updates more frequently as compared to the S890.

SPECIFICATIONS

Display
Form Factor	Bar
Screen Type	IPS LCD Capacitive Touchscreen
Screen Size	5.0 inches
Screen Resolution	540 x 960
Number of Colours	16M
Processor
Processor	Dual-Core Cortex-A9
Speed	1.2 GHz
Memory
Internal Memory	4GB, 1GB RAM
Extendable Memory	microSD, up to 32GB
Camera Features
Sensor Resolution	8MP, 3264 x 2448 pixels
Front facing camera	0.3MP
General Features
OS	Android
Version	4.1 (Jelly Bean)
FM Radio	Yes
Bluetooth Features	Yes
Dual Sim Support	Yes
Messaging	SMS(threaded view), MMS, Email, Push Mail, IM, RSS
GPS	Yes, with A-GPS support
USB Connector	Yes
Available Colours	Black, Blue, White
Carrier Networks
2G	GSM 900 / 1800 / 1900
3G	HSDPA 900 / 2100
Data
GPRS	Yes
EGPRS or EDGE	EDGE
WiFi	802.11 b/g/n
Body
Dimensions	143 x 74.2 x 9.3 mm
Weight(grams)	176
Sound
Media Player	Music formats: MP3, WAV, WMA, eAAC+ - Video formats: MP4, WMV, H.264, H.263
Alert Tone	Vibration; MP3, WAV
Speakerphone	Yes
Audio connector	3.5 mm
Battery
Type	Li-Ion
Capacity(mAh)	2250
Talk Time with Standard Battery (Minutes)	Up to 17.5 hrs
Standby Time with Standard Battery (Hours)	Up to 13 days
Miscellaneous Features
Built in Applications	Google Search - Maps - Gmail - YouTube - Calendar - Google Talk
After Sales Service
Warranty Period	1 Year

what color says about you

Next

Yellow

"Bright sunshine yellow has the same high energy as you do when you set your mind on a goal," color expert Kate Smith says. "A unique mix of several bold colors says that you make you own rules — and you inspire others with how you experience life fully," color expert Kate Smith says. This media room in a Malibu house designed by Todd Nickey and Amy Kehoe has the same high energy feel, it's a happy riot of color — the walls are saturated with Sun Porch byBenjamin Moore.

Blue

"As tried and true blue, you bring a no-nonsense attitude to most endeavors, and your strong belief in the things you undertake is often the key to their success," Smith says. Blue was also the favorite color of designer Lee Ann Thornton's clients – the color launched the palette in this Old Greenwich, Connecticut, living room.

Light Green

"Celadon indicates that you are a good listener, have genuine compassion, and allow others to express their hopes and fears," Smith says. In this Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, dining room with light green accents, designer Laura Church Wilmerding added oomph with Osborne & Little's Jangala Rose wallpaper. Dining room chairs from Classic Imported Design look ethereal in Nina Campbell's Deauville.

Pink

If you're drawn to bright pink, you're "maybe a bit tempestuous, someone who seeks out new experiences and surroundings," Smith says. "Easily bored by the mundane, they live life with a willingness to put themselves 'out there.'" Pink adds a big punch in this Los Angeles, California, room designed by Windsor Smith, the walls are painted are painted Benjamin Moore's Pink Begonia, with Decorators White on the trim.

Brown

If you love rich browns in your decor, you "take your obligations seriously, are industrious, and value the respect of those close to you," Smith says. Chocolaty brown grass cloth — Sisal in Sable from Clarence House — adds intimacy in the dining room of an Old Greenwich, Connecticut, house designed by Lee Ann Thornton.

Black

Dare to go with dramatic black? You're "elegant, comfortable with formality, complex, a bit mysterious," Smith says. "Precise in your thinking you quickly understand concepts, connect ideas, and envision ways to make things happen." In a Houston house with Georgian bones and siren allure, the drama begins in a foyer swathed in Phillip Jeffries's Lacquered Walls in Eyeliner — a long-lasting vinyl that mimics lacquer and "fools everyone," designer Rob Southern says.

Bright Green

Bright green lovers are "someone who exudes positive energy and a 'we can make it happen' philosophy," Smith says. "With a discerning sensibility and an innate desire to put others at ease, this person is a natural when it comes to social endeavors." Designer Allison Paladino glazed thePalm Beach sunroom walls bright green to capture the light and painted the woodwork white to calm it down.

Electric Blue

"Electric blue reveals you as a dynamic personality," Smith says. In the dining room of this Malibu house, designers Todd Nickey and Amy Kehoe painted Lambert's Blue by Pratt & Lambert.

sorce:housebeautiful.com

BlackBerry Q10 – A Specifications Review

BlackBerry's latest offering the Q10 is expected to be available in the first week of May in many markets across the world. In a world of full-touch smartphone the Q10 is a hybrid of sorts as it comes with a touchscreen and a physical QWERTY keyboard. While we await the arrival of our test unit, here’s a preliminary breakdown of the specifications of the Q10 and how it stacks up against the competition.

OS – BlackBerry 10
BlackBerry has been pinning its hopes on BB 10, which is a complete overhaul and built from scratch. BlackBerry Hub can be accessed anytime with a simple swipe to view your conversations while BlackBerry Balance lets you manage your personal and professional lives separately. The new BBM Video comes across similar to FaceTime. The Screen Share feature allows sharing the view from your camera, documents, photos, etc. BlackBerry has been quick enough to offer thefirst update, bringing major improvements in browser, battery life and third-party apps. The update was announced for Z10 users and the device can get the update over-the-air. It is likely that the Q10 will also be getting this in the near future. 

Cellular network – Quad-band GSM and 3G support
Just like the Z10, the Q10 offers a full quad-band GSM and 3G support. Its US version is said to support LTE, while it is unclear yet for the rest of the world.

Q10 has a physical keyboard as well as a touchscreen

Display and keyboard
Owing to the physical keyboard, the Q10 has a smaller 3.1-inch Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen. It features a resolution of 720 x 720 pixels, which takes the total pixel count all the way up to 328 ppi. Though less than Z10, which has 355 ppi, the pixel density is quite at par with several other popular smartphones.  We aren’t sure if it has any scratch resistant coating, as there’s no mention of one.

The inclusion of the keyboard gives it more of a traditional look, something BlackBerry fans could be possibly missing. It reminds you of the Bold 9900 but has a straight row keys without any trackpad/menu button whatsoever.  The keys appear to be slightly bigger, which should be convenient and comfortable for typing.

Form factor and weight – 10.4 mm thick and weighs 136 g
The dimensions and weight fall within the limits of what we consider comfortable while holding a smartphone. However, at 10.4 mm, the device could be a tad bulky. The design would instantly remind you of BlackBerry’s legacy of devices sporting a physical keyboard.

Wi-Fi – Dual-band, 802.11 a/b/g/n
The Q10 supports the 802.11 draft a/b/g/n and features dual-band support. On the connectivity front, the Q10 keeps up with the other high-end devices.

SoC– TI-OMAP 4470 or Qualcomm MSM8960
The Q10 is powered by a dual-core 1.5GHz CPU and depending on the region, you’ll either get the TI-OMAP or a Qualcomm chipset. In terms of power, both should be similar in performance. The chipset is also accompanied by the same 2GB RAM we saw on the Z10, which should help in delivering a smooth user experience.

Storage – 16GB with room for expansion up to 64GB
16G GB on-board memory is quite decent. It also has the ability to expand it further up to 64GB via a microSD card.

Will the Q10 be priced more than Z10 in India?

NFC – Yes
Like most smartphones today, the Q10 will feature NFC to communicate with BlackBerry and other devices.

Primary Camera – 8MP sensor with f/2.2 aperture
With the new BB10 devices, BlackBerry has considerably improved on the camera front, and even let go its fixation with fixed focus cameras. The Q10 comes with an 8MP auto-focus BSI sensor, so one can expect better low light performance. It has a decent 5-element lens and large aperture of f/2.2, so one can expect very good depth of field in macro shots. The Q10 supports full HD video recording, while the new Time Shift feature lets you change elements in an image once you’ve captured it.

Front camera – 2MP
The 2MP front camera of the Q10 supports 720p video recording. It is also said to come with support for image stabilisation (for still image and video capture) and 2x digital zoom.

Sensors – Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Proximity, Compass
These are the usual sensors we find in most of the smartphones these days. On the Q10, they can be used  in conjunction with the BlackBerry Maps application.

GPS
The Q10 doesn’t seem to have GLONASS, so you’ll have to make do with GPS with A-GPS.

Battery – Li-Ion 2100 mAh
The battery is pretty decent at 2100 mAh, and better than the Z10’s 1800 mAh. We feel the battery should easily squeeze through a day; however, we’ll know for sure once we have the handset with us.

The bottom line
The Q10 is definitely a huge improvement over the company’s previous keyboard-laden flagship. However, considering the all-touch smartphone era, we wonder how many people would be willing to buy a hybrid. The key to BlackBerry is to getting the pricing right, which currently is higher than the Z10. 

The Asus Fonepad or the Nexus 7, which one to buy?

When Asus launched the Fonepad today for Rs 15,999 they threw a fresh conundrum at consumers. Should they buy the FonePad or go for the Google Nexus 7 3G tablet that Asus launched a couple of weeks ago?

Spec-for-spec there isn’t too much separating the two but the devil, as always, is in the details. Both tablets are pretty similar in terms of dimensions and thickness and weigh nearly the same. Even when it comes to screen resolution both have a 7-inch WXGA display with a resolution of 1280x800 pixels. The LED IPS panel on the devices should also ensure great viewing angles. The Nexus 7 also has Gorilla Glass protection for the screen which the Fonepad lacks. 

Asus Nexus 7

When it comes to storage the Asus Fonepad has only 8 GB of onboard storage, while the Nexus 7 has 32 GB. The good bit is that the Asus tab allows you to expand the storage to 32 GB via a microSD card. That would mean that the Asus Fonepad will end up with more usable memory than the Nexus 7. The Asus Fonepad also scores over the Nexus 7 because it has a 3 MP rear camera which the Nexus 7 does not have. Both tablets have a similar 1.2 MP front-facing camera and can record 720p videos.

The biggest difference between the two is the chipset powering them. The Asus runs on Atom Z2420, a hyper-threaded, single core CPU which is able to generate appreciable performance as we have seen with the XOLO X500. The Nexus 7 on the other hand packs in a lot thanks to the Nvidia Tegra 3 SoC onboard. This chipset boasts of four Cortex-A9 CPUs running at 1.2GHz along with a twelve-core GeForce GPU.  The Nexus 7 and the Asus Fonepad have 1 GB of RAM to run those apps. 

The Asus Fonepad  - a smartphone and a tablet

The Asus Fonepad doesn’t run the latest version of Jelly Bean unlike the Nexus 7 and considering the Nexus is a Google device it will receive Android updates way before the Fonepad. It is also worth noting that the Nexus 7 has a marginally bigger battery and so should last longer than the Fonepad. On the other hand the Fonepad does have GLONASS, which the Nexus 7 does not and so could be a slightly better travel companion. We can assume that neither device will hold any advantage over the other in terms of 3G calling etc.

But the conundrum does resolve itself when you weigh in all the factors and the prices of these devices. The Asus Fonepad is listed at Rs 15,999, while the 32GB Nexus 7 3G is retailing at Rs 21,990. The difference is quite substantial and that coupled with the better camera on Fonepad should make the latest hybrid from Asus a better buy.

Acer Iconia Tab B1 Review

In the now rather vast array of tablet devices to be found in the Indian market, manufacturers need to be sure that what they’ve got to offer isn’t identical to what’s already out there. They’ve also got to struggle to keep the price just right for the consumer while offering at least some USP that stands out in the crowd. The Iconia Tab B1 is one of these devices that could be just another face in the crowd or not. We’re here to tell you just where it stands. Read on. 

Form Factor

Out of the box, the B1 looks quite generic. It’s not like one can do too much with a rectangular display. However, to funk up the device a bit, a blue border tone has been added around the tablet. Aesthetically it does nothing for the device but it does add a little colour to an otherwise stale-looking form. It’s 11.3mm in depth making it quite a slim tablet and weighing in at 320g, it’s not too hard on the muscles either. A very manageable device. 

Acer Iconia B1

A micro USB port is located at the bottom of the B1 with a power/sleep button on the upper end of the right side followed by the volume rocker. The earphone socket is located at the top. A little compartment at the bottom near the USB port can be pried open to reveal a well-concealed MicroSD card slot. It also looked like there’s space for possibly a SIM card as well in a variant of this model. A forward facing VGA camera is placed on the upper right side of the front panel above the 7.0-inch display (600 x 1024 pixels). The panel used for the display isn’t quite at par with most others in its class. Viewing angles aren’t too good and there seems to be an unusually high reflective glaze evident making colours on dark surfaces stand out a little too much. 

Acer Iconia B1

Features and Performance

The Acer Iconia B1 runs on a 1.2 GHz Dual Core processor with 512MB of RAM and 8GB of internal storage. Android Jelly Bean (4.1) is the OS version du jour and manages to keep functionality relatively smooth for most part. The 512MB RAM doesn’t quite help too much when it comes to playing games with high graphics or full HD videos. The UI is stock Jelly Bean with no additions or frills. Nenamark 2 scores showcased a maximum rate of 20.4FPS. AnTuTu scores came up to 6498 and Linpak’s Single Thread run gave us a score of 38 MFLOPS and a Multi Thread run went up to 60 (average scores).

Acer Iconia B1

Media

The B1’s audio player is quite good. It ships without a set of earphones so you’ll have to invest in a set of your own. However, we tested the audio with our in-house pair and found the overall quality to be better than average. While it isn’t quite loud, the audio engine makes a decent impression. If you invest in a really good set of earphones or headphones, you’ll be assured of a pretty good audio experience. The Google Play Music player does offer a few presets, Bass Boost, 3D slider, Reverb options and a 5 channel graphic EQ setting you can use to personalise the audio output. It makes a difference naturally and will enhance the audio. HD videos even with MX player had issues with playback via Software encoding as well. Videos had too much framing. Regular video files were ok but colours seemed a little bleak and saturated due to the display. 

Acer Iconia B1

Connectivity

When it comes to connectivity options the Iconia B1 is decently equipped. For Internet connectivity the B1 offers just Wi-Fi. Other connectivity includes Bluetooth 4.0 with A2DP and USB for PC interfacing and charging. GPS for Google Maps or other third party apps is also part of the B1’s make up. USB OTG is absent. All expected Google-associated apps are on board and that includes YouTube, Navigation, Google Movies, Play Store, Gtalk, Currents, Gmail etc. 

Misc. Features
Aside from the standard apps that come stock with all handsets and tablets these days, Acer has also added their Acer Cloud app for online back ups. You simply need to create an ID or use one you already have and that's it.

Acer Iconia B1

Camera

The forward facing VGA camera was not too bad as far as tablet cameras go. The only setting it offers is White Balance and exposure control. 

Battery

The 2170 mAh battery on board the Iconia B1 ran through our tech2 Tablet Loop Test that consisted of 2-hours of video, 2-hours of audio and 2 hours of video streaming with enough battery remaining for ten more minutes of video playback. 

The Bottom Line

The price tag on the Acer Iconia Tab B1 is Rs 9000, which makes it a little too high-priced for what it has to offer. Other than a decent audio player that will require a further investment upward of Rs 650, the tablet is quite minimal in the features department. There are other devices in the range that have similar features with slighter higher specifications that are also cheaper, although they might not be made by an international brand like Acer. But as is, the B1 isn’t the best choice for this budget.

• SPECIFICATIONS

Screen
Screen Size(Inches)	7
Screen Resolution (pixels)	1024 x 600
Screen Type	WSVGA Capacitive Multitouch Screen
Memory
Internal Storage	8GB, 512MB RAM
External Memory Type	Micro SD
Upgradeable Upto	32GB
Camera
Front facing camera	0.3MP
Sound
Speaker	Yes
Audio connector	3.5mm
Connectivity
Bluetooth	Yes
Bluetooth (Version)	4.0
Wi-Fi	Yes
WiFi (802.11b/g/n)	802.11 b/g/n
USB	Yes
Software
OS	Android
Version	4.1 (Jelly Bean)
Hardware
Processor	Dual Core Mediatek MT 8317T
Speed	1.2 GHz
GPS
GPS	Yes
A-GPS	Yes
Battery
Type	Li-Ion
Capacity	2710 mAH
Dimensions
Weight (g)	320
After Sales Service
Warranty	1 Year