Zync Z909+ The largest Number of Tablets Sold Ever in India. Sold Tablets : 9,15,76,63,5++ as seen on NDTV Gadget Guru

Zync Tablet Z909 Plus

By Zync
 

1 Year Warranty (Freebies Worth Total Rs.1347)

• Front Camera
• 7Inch (17.78cm) Inches Resistive Touch Screen Display
• Standard battery Li-Po 3000 mAh
• Music Player
• Android 2.3
• W-Fi Enabled
• 1GHz Processor
• Video Player
• Expandable Memory 32GB
• Free BigFlix movie rental subscription for one month (Gift coupon inside the box) worth Rs. 249
• Free 2-level Screen Protector worth Rs. 399
• Free Tablet Carry Lycra Pouch worth Rs. 399
• Free Earphone worth Rs. 300

SPECIFICATIONS Touch Screen Size 7Inch(17.8cm) Touch Screen Resolution 800X480 Precessor Speed 1GHz Opertaing System Android 2.3 RAM 256MB ROM(Flash) 4GB G Sensor Yes Support Flash Player 32 GUI No OSD Language English/French/German SIM CARD NO WiFi Yes 3G(inside/outside) Outside Office Software Word/Excel/PDF etc. Messanger MSN/SKYPE etc Games Yes Camera Front Audio/Video Recording Yes Video MPEG1/2/4 Audio MP3/WMA Battery 3000mAH USB(Micro/Macro) Both MRP 5990 Accessories Included in the box Lycra Pouch, Screen Guard, Earphone, Charger, User Manual, USB Cable

Product Description

A delightful combination of functionality and superior efficiency, the Zync Tablet Z909 Plus is packed with a variety of exciting features for an immersive user experience. This tablet offers a variety of business features like document viewer, Gmail and email support while the internet connectivity ensures a fast browsing speed for lag-free working even when on the move. Design Light in weight and designed to offer lasting functionality, the Zync tablet is lavished with a sleek, glossy finish. The smooth rounded corners and the slim, slender design of this tablet offer a secure grip for easy handling. The ultra compact design of this tablet easily fits in small bags and the ergonomic design ensures lasting, trouble-free functioning. Performance The 1 GHz processor of this tablet offers high speed processing and superior efficiency courtesy the fast clock speed of this processor. The 7 inch resistive touchscreen display with a wide resolution of 800x480 pixels is perfect for watching all your multimedia files in superior clarity and ensures easy legibility. The multi touch feature instantly responds to even the slightest movements for lag-free functioning. The 256 MB DDR3 memory powers a variety of processes and offers easy transition between different processes. The 4 GB internal memory offers optimum storage space and can further be expanded to up to 32 GB to fulfil your future computing needs. Connectivity An external 3G dongle support and the preinstalled HTML browser offer super fast internet access wherever you go. The USB 2.0 port is compatible with a wide range of computer operating systems for secure and speedy file sharing when connected to your PC or laptop. Using the Wi-Fi connectivity protocol you can instantly access different web sites even when on the move without the hassles of long connecting cables. Operating System Allowing easy homescreen customisation is the Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) Operating System that ensures instant access to the frequently used widgets and applications for easy processing. The flash support of this OS allows easy access to the flash content on different web pages to keep you entertained all day long. Power Management A single charge of the 3000 mAh Lithium Ion battery keeps your gadget optimally functioning by offering a long battery backup time. Other features The front camera of this tablet allows for clear video chatting and also instantly captures all your cherished memories. The inbuilt video player with the multi format support offers lag-free playback of a multitude of video files. The music player is also compliant with different types of audio files while the stereo sparkers deliver a sharp and rich audio quality for a superlative music experience.

iPad mini to come with cellular and Wi-Fi options

The Apple iPad mini was reported to available in only a Wi-Fi option, in order to keep the price of the forthcoming tablet to a minimum. A recent report indicates that the 7.85-inch tablet will now come with both Wi-Fi as well as cellular capabilities.

It appears that the Cupertino-based brand is not holding back any punches with this smaller iPad, and launching it in various storage capacities such as 8GB, 16GB, 32GB, and the top-of-the-line model at 64GB of internal storage.

Listing as seen on Mobile Geeks

As per a related report published by Engadget, “According to a proven source of Mobile Geeks, German electronics retailer Media Markt has the iPad mini in 16 flavors in its inventory system. The company's internal documentation shows the rumored tablet at 8, 16, 32 and 64GB configurations, with each offering a choice of black or white, as well as a choice of 3G or just WiFi. The retailer is listing sticker prices, too: for the WiFi-only flavor, €249 buys an 8GB model, €349 snags 16GB, €449 for 32GB and €549 scores 64GB of storage. Looking for a slab with cellular connectivity? Stack an extra €100 on each of those prices.”

Considering that the regular sized 16GB iPad is priced at $399 in the US, the iPad mini may be expect to cost approximately $250, which would roughly translate to around Rs 13,171. 

However, one should not be too hopeful of getting the tablet for this price tag. It is likely that it could be priced significantly higher, as was the case of the new iPods. The portable media player cost much more than models being sold in the US.

That being said, Apple has been losing its market share in the tablet segment to the likes of Amazon with its Kindle Fire, and Google with its Nexus 7 tablet. For Apple to stay in the run, and cater to a customer base that would want a smaller tablet, Apple would have to launch a 7-inch tablet to cement its throne as the leading tablet manufacturer. The Google Nexus 7 tablet is faring exceedingly well in the market and rumours suggest that a 3G version of the tablet may also be in the works. Apple would need to step into this segment to battle the increasing competition from other manufacturers.

Speculating on the competition at hand, while the prices of the Nexus 7 and the Kindle Fire are similar, both of which are Wi-Fi only, the Nexus 7 seems to be the device of choice as it comes with beefier hardware along with access to Android v4.1 (Jelly Bean) as well as future Android releases. However, Apple has its own iOS operating system. When it does announce the iPad mini, it will most likely launch it with iOS 6 straight out of the box.

Google rolling out update for Play store

Google is rolling out an update for its official one-stop-shop for Android apps, Google Play. The latest update to the store allows you to remove apps from the All Apps list, which records all your app downloads to date, in addition to remembering your location in lists, and new icons for notifications and installed apps. The latest version number is 3.9.16. Android Police was the first to report on the matter.

In addition, the updated Play Store remembers where you are when looking at a list, including the All Apps list as well as the My Apps list. This feature will remember your location in a list, so that whenever you click on an option in a list and go back, you’re returned right to the place where you were earlier.

What’s more, you can now multi-select apps in the All Apps list. Selecting multiple apps is done by long-pressing an app, and tapping the More apps option. You can delete apps from the lists in one go.

Google has also chosen to change the notification icon for new app updates. Notifications by Play Store are now expandable, and show more information about app updates. The icon for individual apps after they are installed no longer shows a generic icon; you now get the icon for the app in the notification after you install it.

Google recently held a massive discount sale in celebration after its Play Store recorded 25 billion app downloads. The search giant was offering top rated games and apps at discounted rates of just 25 Cents (Rs 13). The company was also promoting special collections like 25 movies you must own, 25 banned books, 25 albums that changed the world and the store's 25 top selling magazines, at special prices.

New Google Play update brings minor improvements.

However, Goole hasn’t been particularly kind to India. It was recently revealed that India’s listing in the official list of countries where developers could register as certified Google Checkout Merchants was short lived. Pluggd.in’s Ashish Sinha writes, “So for India based Android app developers, things are back to what it was earlier – i.e. you cannot sell paid apps in the Play store (some workaround here). We have asked Google to update us on the final status (or was it some drunken employee updating the support page?). For sure, Google needs to revisit this strategy. If not, Microsoft is going to snatch away these Android app developers with a better integrated strategy (it’s already happening).”

Earlier, Indian developers needed to go to a country where Google Checkout merchants are allowed, such as the US, and register a local bank account in the name of a US resident in order to sell apps on the Google Play Store. With reports about India featuring on that list, it did seem as if troubles were over. Now, however, things stand the way they were.  

Smartphone apps are serious business, though developers of Android apps were left in limbo. In India, developers were only allowed to publish free apps, and this had limited the potential for innovative apps because of lack of incentive. 

Reports quoted P R Rajendran, Director of Next Wave Multimedia, a Chennai based company as saying, “We have lived with this condition for some time now where we literally run two companies, and are subject to dual taxation". Rajendran's company was reported as having published more than ten apps on both Apple iTunes as well as Google Play.

Apple dismisses rumours of iPhone 5 India launch

It was speculated that Apple will launch the iPhone 5 in India on October 26, 2012. This news was first broken by BGR that had cited multiple sources to support it. However, a report by FirstPost now states that an Apple spokesperson FirstPost contacted said that e iPhone5 is not scheduled to launch in India yet.

As per the report, the authors at Firstpost contacted Apple asking if the launch date was accurate. They then received an email response which stated, “We have no announcement to make at the moment on a launch or price of the iPhone 5 in India. There is speculation in media and we don’t comment on speculation”.

Apple refuses to comment on the iPhone 5 launch in India

However, this response should come as no surprise. Apple has never commented on rumours or speculations the world over. So this could still mean that the iPhone 5 launch may take place on October 26, and Apple will comment on it only after it makes an official announcement.

The report by BGR states that its sources have confirmed that Apple is preparing to launch the iPhone 5 in India on the last Friday of this month, which is October 26. BGR adds that Apple will distribute the iPhone 5 in India on its own rather than rely on its carrier partners. 

Here is a quick look at the highlighted features of the iPhone 5:

• 4-inch, 326ppi Retina display at 1136 x 640 pixels,
• GPRS, EDGE, EV-DO, HSPA, HSPA+, DC-HSDPA, LTE and Wi-Fi
• GPS
• Bluetooth
• 8-megapixel camera with 1080p HD recording, 720p front-facing camera
• 16GB, 32GB and 64GB versions

Made entirely out of aluminium and glass, the iPhone 5 weighs 112 grams, and is 20 percent lighter than the iPhone 4S, and is the thinnest iPhone yet at 7.6mm. Apple has chosen to debut iOS 6 with the iPhone 5. The new OS includes Apple's own Maps app, an updated version of Siri and lots more. Overall, the new iPhone has been upgraded in almost all respects.

One of the biggest changes to iOS is the addition of Apple’s own Maps app in the place of Google Maps. The new Maps app has a built-in search for local points of interest, with over 100 million possible suggestions. Other features of the Maps app include navigation, routing, 3D maps, satellite imagery – that wraps around the 3D maps – and the ability to get directions directly through Siri. Most of the standard features of the Maps app, including satellite view, are available in almost all countries the iPhone ships to.

Siri has also been updated and new features include support for more languages, easy access to sports scores, restaurant recommendations and movie listings; Siri and Facebook-enabled apps like Photos, Safari and Maps; and Shared Photo Streams via iCloud.

Safari has also received a major update – the ability to go full screen on the device by touching the arrows on the corners. Another major feature of the new Safari app is the ability to sync tabs between the desktop and iOS versions of Safari. This new feature is called iCloud Tabs. The new Mail app has also received some updates, including the ability to mark people as VIPs and the ability to flag certain mails for follow-ups.

The handset is already selling quite freely in the grey market in India, but at a premium. According to our sources, the 16GB version of the iPhone 5 is available for Rs 58,000, the 32GB model for Rs 64,000, and the 64GB one for Rs 71,000, in the grey market.

One can expect the iPhone5 to retail at the same price at which the iPhone 4S was launched, if or when it is officially launched here.

Galaxy S III mini launched with 4-inch Super AMOLED display and NFC

It appears that Samsung has no intention of pausing their good run and has announced the Galaxy S III mini, a smaller version of the record breaking Galaxy S III smartphone, which continues to notch up outstanding sales figures. There had been rumours surrounding this handset since the past few weeks and putting all speculations to rest, Samsung has launched a handset that features all the details that were leaked in the past, which include a 4-inch screen sporting a WVGA resolution. The size of the display has been discussed much, as 4 inches is not exactly small, but in comparison to the Samsung Galaxy S III, this handset could be much easier to handle. Like previous rumours had suggested, this handset is heavily based on the Galaxy S III and this feature translates to the design of this latest model as well. As far as the technical specifications of the handset go, the Galaxy S III mini is powered by a dual core 1 GHz NovaThor U8420 processor and comes equipped with 1GB RAM. If there was any doubt about what operating system would be used in this handset since it is not exactly a high-end model, then Samsung has not held back on this front and has stated that the phone will ship with Google’s latest Android operating system 4.1 Jelly Bean. Galaxy S III mini is now official Here is a quick look at the highlighted features of this handset: 4-inch Super AMOLED display with a WVGA resolution of 480 x 800 pixels 3G, EDGE/GPRS, Wi-Fi with Wi-Fi Direct, Wi-Fi hotspot, DLNA support, NFC GPS with A-GPS and GLONASS,  USB 2.0, Bluetooth 4.0 with A2DP, LE, EDR 5MP camera with AF, LED flash, BSI sensor and 720p HD video recording VGA front facing camera for video chat 16/32GB Internal memory, all with all with expandable support up 32GB MicroSD card Apart from the above mentioned features this handset comes loaded with sensors for an accelerometer, gyro, proximity and compass.  The brand has used a 1500mAh battery on this smartphone and this should be sufficient given the specifications of the device. As far as the size of this handset goes, the Galaxy S III mini measures 121.6 x 63 x 9.9mm and weighs in at 111.5g.  Commenting on the announcement of the Galaxy S III mini, JK Shin, President and Head of IT & Mobile Communications Division at Samsung Electronics said, “The GALAXY S III introduced a new concept of smartphone that has proven hugely popular around the world. We're now delighted to bring its revolutionary design, intuitive usability and intelligence to the GALAXY S III mini in a more compact form. We continue to make every effort to provide extraordinary mobile experiences to meet a wide variety of user needs.” The Galaxy S III mini is powered by Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean), the latest version of the world's most popular smartphone operating system. Jelly Bean has fast, fluid and smooth graphics along with a new Google Search experience featuring Google Now. Commenting on the design of the handset, Samsung states that its ultra-minimal curved frame delivers a natural feel, which is also seen on its nature-inspired home screen, wallpapers and ringtones.  The Galaxy S III mini is packed with technology that the brand claims is designed to make interacting with the phone incredibly natural and intuitive. S Voice, Samsung's natural language recognition software, lets a user use their voice to unlock the phone with simple customized commands, or to play their favourite songs, turn the volume up or down, organize schedules, or automatically launch the camera to start taking photos.  The Galaxy S III mini is also capable of understanding a user’s gestures to make using their phone easier and more natural. With Smart Stay, the phone's camera tracks a user’s eyes and keeps the screen lit as long as one is looking at it. When reading a text message from a friend, Direct Call enables a user to automatically dial a call by lifting the phone to their ear and Smart Alert alerts one to missed calls or messages as soon as the user picks up their phone. Samsung claims, “Content sharing is easy and fast on the GALAXY S III mini: Its S Beam feature lets you share a 10MB music file in just two seconds by simply tapping on another S Beam-enabled device including GALAXY S III or GALAXY Note II, even without a Wi-Fi or cellular signal. The 'Buddy photo share' function also allows photos to be easily and simultaneously shared with all your friends pictured in an image directly from the camera or the photo gallery.” As far as availability is concerned there have been no concrete dates but the smartphone is expected to be launched by November. With Samsung’s market in India absolutely booming, one can expect this smartphone to launch here in the first batch. As of now there is no pricing attached to the handset, but stay tuned. With the Galaxy S III mini featuring the same size display as the iPhone 5, the competition between the two brands is just getting hotter and only time will tell which brand manages to stay on top for a sustained period of time.  Do share your thoughts on the latest smartphone from Samsung in the comments below.

NEWS / IPHONE Crazy Taxi for iOS devices out now

After the recent announcement by Sega that the cult classic Crazy Taxi would be making its way to iOS devices, Unleash The Phones has reported that the iOS version of the game is out. The port is said to be a ‘perfect’ port of the Dreamcast version of the game, and  hence will having the same features, game modes, minigames and soundtrack. An added feature is that the game allows players to create their own soundtracks by using the music stored on their iOS devices. The game is available for purchase on the App Store for $4.99 (roughly Rs 260) and is compatible with iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad running iOS version 4.3 or higher.

Sega had earlier released a trailer to announce the iOS port of Crazy Taxi. The trailer doesn’t give much information about the game except that it will feature at least one song from the original version of the game on the PlayStation 2, Sega Dreamcast, and on arcade machines. The trailer also tells us the devices that the game will be available for – iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch – and the release window for the game, which is this month.

Crazy Taxi is violently making its way to iOS devices this month

Crazy Taxi was originally released in 1999 for arcade machines back when those things were famous. The game was then ported on to Dreamcast in 2000 and PC in 2002. The game focuses on four 'extreme' cab drivers – Axel, BD Joe, Gena and Gus – each having his or her own special car and attributes, which gave the game a unique replay value in trying to get the highest scores with all four characters. The main aim of the game is to pick up random pedestrians looking for a taxi ride, and find the most exhilarating and insane route to their destination within the time limit. Insane routes meaning it didn’t matter if you went off-road, through a mall, through a picnic or even underwater. All this is done for tips, which add to your high score.

This is another in a series of re-releases of classic games by Sega, the most recent being the HD re-release of Jet Set Radio on the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC. Jet Set Radio is set in a dystopian world where street gangs are comprised of kids wearing ‘nitrium-powered’ roller blades, which allow them to achieve great amounts of speed. The main aim of the game is to take over the city by spray-painting graffiti on certain spots all over the city to ward off the other gangs, while at the same time surviving increasing escalating police action against you. Police initially starts off with trying to arrest you by themselves, but eventually, the SWAT teams are called in, along with tanks and attack choppers.

Sega has been trying to get its older intellectual property (IP) back into the limelight and this seems to be the latest attempt to do so. Last year, the company had released its latest attempt at making its brand mascot – Sonic the hedgehog – relevant again with the release of Sonic Generations. The game was met by much acclaim by critics as a return to form for the blue hedgehog after a string of unfortunate games.

Newly uncovered threats can track phones using 3G networks

Researchers from the University of Birmingham have uncovered new threats that allow third parties to track the physical presence of mobile phones operating on 3G networks.  

The research team from Birmingham that collaborated with the Technical University of Berlin explains how these vulnerabilities could be exploited to enable ordinary people to find the location of phones, and other 3G-capable devices. It has been revealed that this could enable attackers to track 3G user movements across countries, and even within office buildings -- all this without even knowing phone identities. The flaws affect the latest 3G networks, not just the older generation GSM networks.

Physical presence of phones using 3G networks being tracked (Image Credit: Getty Images) 

The team have also proposed solutions to the issue, and are cooperating with standards organisations, and network operators to promote the adoption of privacy-respecting solutions in future mobile networks.

The researchers, in the course of their study, discovered two flaws on the 3G standard, which is implemented on all mobile phones today. It was found that the IMSI paging attack compelled mobile devices to reveal the temporary identity (TMSI) in response to a static identity (IMSI) paging request. This can reveal the presence of devices in a monitored area by correlating the IMSI and TMSI.  Another attack involves the Authentication and Key Agreement (AKA) protocol of the phone. By distinguishing two different error replies from a phone, an attacker can send a message that allows him to determine if a certain phone is nearby or not.

To demonstrate the vulnerabilities, the researchers used an off-the-shelf femtocell unit that had been modified with new software created by the Berlin group. The attacks were then made by intercepting, altering and injecting 3G Layer-3 messages into the communication between the base station, and mobile phones in both directions. The research team tested the vulnerabilities on network providers including T-Mobile, Vodafone and O2, and the French SFR.

Mark Ryan, Professor in Computer Security at the University of Birmingham, who led the study, said, "The attacks could be used to track staff movements within a building. It could be used by stalkers who want to follow indiviuals, or spouses that want to track their partner's movements".

"To exploit the vulnerability, the employer would need to capture wireless data from the phone as it interacted with a normal base station.  This could happen in a different area than the monitored one. Then the employer would position their femtocell near the entrance of the building. Movements inside the building could be tracked as well by placing additional devices to cover different areas of the building," said Dr Myrto Arapinis from the University of Birmingham’s School of Computer Science. 

The team have come up with a way to fix the problem. "Our paper details modifications of the 3G protocols that we have proposed in order to overcome these vulnerabilities", Loretta Mancini from Birmingham, said.  

To fix the vulnerabilities, the researchers proposed employing new methods that prevent an attacker from being able to link different occasions when the phone is being used. Their proposed solution employs the use of public-key cryptography, a particular type of encryption that mobile operators have been refraining from using because of the difficulties in implementing it. The researchers have found that this kind of encryption needs to be deployed within their networks to thwart a privacy attack. The researchers took care to devise solutions that minimise the use of public-key cryptography in order to reduce deployment difficulties.

"The solutions we propose show that privacy friendly measures could be adopted by the next generation of mobile telephony standards while keeping low the computational and economical cost of implementing them", says Dr Eike Ritter, also part of the Birmingham team. "We are endeavouring to work with the 3G standards organisations to achieve that."

"Since we use wireless technology for all aspects of our lives, from transport tickets like London's Oyster card to wireless payment cards and door-entry fobs, there is a risk of being tracked by third parties like neighbours, family and colleagues", said Ryan. 

"Online services like those of Facebook and Google also monitor users' behaviour", said Arapinis, "and we are proposing ways in which that monitoring could be limited."

This research will be presented at the ACM conference on Computer and Communications Security in Raleigh, North Carolina on Tuesday October 16, 2012.