Tech Weekly #3 – Fujifilm Instax Mini 9, Asus Power Master, iVoomi RnD, Intex ELYT e7, Samsung J7 Max & Pro

Fujifilm Instax Mini 9 Instant Camera released in India

Fujifilm Instax Mini 9 is an instant camera that takes and prints photos at click on a button. Priced at INR 5,999/- the Mini 9 looks similar to Mini 8 and is available in pink, green, blue, white and sky blue colors. This stylish, compact camera is the perfect tool for parties, festivals, events and days out, allowing users to capture more fun in retro prints with a simple point and shoot motion. There is a new selfie mirror that is close to the lens so that you do not have to guess and say ‘damn’ after out of focus image is printed. There is automatic exposure measurement to get perfect portraits. The Instax Mini 9 can print photos on a 62mm x 46mm cards. Key specifications include 2 element lens, 1/60 sec shutter speed, manual exposure control, around 90 second film developing time, flash. Mini 9 runson two AA size batteries. that can take 100 shots. Head to this page for more details on Fujifilm Instax Mini 9.

ASUS release PowerMaster solution for ZenFone 3 Max series in India

Thanks to the success of ASUS ZenFone 3 Series of smartphones, ASUS has pushed a software update to these phones that brings much better battery life extending features. PowerMaste application will now provide intelligent ways of charging, reducing energy consumption on unnecessary apps, and allows the users to enjoy stronger battery performance, decreases the loss of capacity from the usual 15% to an incredible 7%. The application also allows users to select among five different battery modes, select start up applications that are really necessary, two smart switches that help conserve power. Other features include Temperature protection, short circuit protection etc. The upgrade is available across Zenfone 3 Max series through an FOTA update that has already been rolled out to the users. The PowerMaster app will also be available for the older version of the Zenfone Max series.

Here is the list of features in Power Manager application:

1. Reverse Charging : Reverse Charging feature  allows charging of other USB Devices with an OTG cable
2. Scan and optimize : provides a list of suggested optimizations that improves battery life
3. Auto start manager : customization of the Start-up apps that the users really need.
4. Battery modes : Performance mode, Normal mode, Power Saving mode, Super Saving mode and Custom battery modes
5. Smart Switches : Switch by Battery Level and Switch by Schedule.
6. Performance Boost : boosts battery backup by clearing all the background apps after an extended session.
7. PowerSafe : Temperature Protection, Short Circuit Protection, Reset Protection, I/O Over-Voltage & Over-Current Protection, Battery TCO Protection, and Charger Protection
8. Last Longer : host of options that allow the users to achieve maximum battery savings per charge
9. Battery Usage statistics : takes the users to the Android Battery Usage information that shows detailed battery usage statistics per charge

Commenting on the launch of PowerMaster solution, Peter Chang, Region Head – South Asia & Country Manager for ASUS India said, “A smartphone’s utility is no longer limited to making calls or sending messages. Today, it is an active companion, a go-to device for clicking pictures or shooting videos, and also one’s entertainment respite. Considering its multifarious uses, a strong battery with the potential to help the smartphone carry forth these functions, is non-negotiable. With the PowerMaster app, users can now not only extend the battery’s life, but also benefit from the different technologies provided to increase the smartphone’s overall efficiency.”

iVOOMi Plans to Invest 250 Cr. in India for R & D centre and Product Development

iVOOMi has announced plans to invest 250 crore rupees in Indian market, thanks to the success of their entry level smartphone series in India. The company focuses on strengthening its foothold in the market through strategic alliances with technology and retail giants. In first phase, company will be investing in futuristic technologies and then invest to increase retail presence across Tier 2,3,4 towns in India. In second phase of investment, iVOOMi will focus on setting up R&D facilities and expand manufacturing capacity within India. 60 percent of the total investment will be made towards R&D system in China in order to accelerate an end to end product development for the India market. The company is closely working with technology giants like Qualcomm, MediaTek, Spreadtrum, Intel, Samsung, Galaxycore, OmniVision, Asahi, DragonTail, BnK, in order to develop future-ready products for Smart users across Tier – 2, 3, 4 towns of the country.

Mr. Ashwin Bhandari, CEO said, “We are glad to announce our investment plans for the highly competitive Indian market. With the significantly rising penetration of the iVOOMi smartphones, our mission is to establish iVOOMi as the most preferred Smartphones brand for the entry level Smartphone users. And we are predominantly focusing on delivering disruptive features and ultimate user experience to our users at a nominal cost.”

iVOOMi, holds a wide range of product portfolio spread across 5 categories with over 350 SKUs selling across 30 countries. Apart from Smartphones, the company also plans to introduce 3 new product categories including Smart Devices, Smart Accessories and Personal Care electronics this year in India.

Intex ELYT e7 is the new budget smarthone from Indian electronics brand

Intex ELYT E7, priced at Rs.7,999/- is the new budget Android smartphone from Indian electronics brand. The ELYT E7 is powered by quad core MediaTek processor, has 3GB of RAM and runs Android 7.0 Nougat out of the box. There is a 13mp rear camera with LED flash and a 5mp front facing selfie camera. There is a huge 4020mAh battery lithium polymer battery that should offer really long battery life. THe display is 5.2″ in size and has 720p resolution. Other features include back mounted fingerprint reader, 32GB onboard storage, microSD card slot, support for 21 regional languages, 8.7mm thickness.
Commenting on the launch of ELYT e7, Ms. Nidhi Markanday, Director & Business Head, Intex Technologies said, “With ELYT e7, Intex has unveiled its latest tech marvel for year 2017, a symbol of style, strength, technology and performance for the ubiquitous users and the market. We constantly work towards providing all in one featured aspired by consumer packed in one device at pocket-friendly prices. We always strive to make our products a customer delight. We have further enriched our diverse product portfolio to stay ahead in time and made our offerings the best of all for our discerning consumers.”

Commenting on the partnership, Mr. Noor Patel, Director Category Management, Amazon India, said “Reiterating our long-term commitment with Intex, we are delighted to offer our customers exclusive access to the rich 4G-Volte Smartphone ELYT e7. Customers across the country can now enjoy fast and reliable delivery of Intex’s new smartphone ELYT e7 at their doorstep. Smartphones are one of the fastest growing product lines and have repeatedly been one of the top selling categories on Amazon.in.”

Samsung Launches Galaxy J7 Max, Galaxy J7 Pro with Samsung Pay and Industry-first Social Camera

Samsung Galaxy J7 Max and Galaxy J7 Pro will be the new entrants in J series in India. Galaxy J7 Max and Galaxy J7 Pro will be offered to consumers at a price of INR 17,900 and INR 20,900, respectively in Black and Gold colours. Galaxy J7 Max will be available across retail stores starting June 20, 2017 while Galaxy J7 Pro will hit the stores mid-July onwards. The new J series models come with features like Ultra Data Saving, S Bike Mode, S Power planning etc. Galaxy J7 Max, powered by a 1.6 GHz Octa-core processor, a 3,300mAH battery and 4GB of RAM makes multi-tasking seamless. Galaxy J7 Pro comes with a 1.6 Octa-core Exynos processor with 3GB of RAM and a 3,600mAH battery. The recently-launched Samsung Pay will be available on Galaxy J7 Pro while Galaxy J7 Max comes with Samsung Pay Mini. Both the phones have 13mp front facing camera and 13mp rear camera. Both the cameras are designed to get as much detail possible in low light conditions.

“Samsung J series holds leadership position in the mass-mid segment smartphone market and continues to witness a healthy demand from Indian customers. At Samsung, we listen to our consumers and bring out meaningful innovations that help enhance people’s lives. Considering the increasing market demand in the mid segment, we have launched two new models, Galaxy J7 Max and Galaxy J7 Pro. The superior specifications along with disruptive innovations of Samsung Pay and Social Camera on these devices will further consolidate our leadership position,” said Mr. Sumit Walia, Director, Mobile Business, Samsung India.

EPSON grabs lead in InkJet printer market from HP, with 42.9% share

According to IDC, thanks to 26.5% year over year growth in InkJet sales, EPSON managed to overtake HP to become largest InkJet printer maker in the world. There is also notable shift towards InkTank printers as it is easier and cheaper to maintain this type of printers. Coming to market share, EPSON had 42.9% share, HP came in second with 39.4% of share. Another notable fact is that for the first time in six quarters, printer market registered growth in shipments.

“We are extremely delighted to have achieved the No. 1 spot in the Inkjet printer market by volume. A continuous focus on creating customer value has helped Epson gain huge market acceptance within a short period, culminating in market leadership in the Inkjet printer category. Epson were the pioneers and the first to launch InkTank printers in India. Since then Epson’s InkTank Printers have been embraced by cost and quality conscious consumers across segments, be it home usage for children’s project reports, commercial usage in print and copy shops or office usage for black and colour printing. We have a built a huge amount of trust and faith in this product and the very fact that we have sold over 1.7 Million InkTank printers in India is a testimony to that fact”, said Mr. Samba Moorthy, Vice President-Sales & Marketing, Epson India.

iBall announces Slim 10.1” Elan 4G2 Tablet with a massive 7000 mAh battery, priced at just Rs. 13,999/-

iBall Slide ELan 4G2 tablet, priced at Rs. 13,999/- is now avialble at all leading retail stores across India. Powered by Quad core processor, the iBall Slide Elan 4G2 comes with a HD 10.1″ display. The  downside is that the tablet comes with Android 6.0 Marshmallow pre-loaded. Coming in gold color, the iBall Slide Elan 4G2 is only 10.4mm thick and weighs 575 grams. For those who love using tablet as a phone or as internet device, the Elan 4G2 supports 4G VoLTE SIM cards. The 7000mAh battery should give pretty good battery life so that you can have marathon movie sessions. There is 2GB of RAM, 16GB built in storage. Users can expand storage using a microSD card (only up to 32GB).  There is a 5mp rear camera with LED flash and a 2mp front facing camera. Others specs include USB OTG, support f0r 9 regional system languages, 21 language keyboard etc.

Nokia bring Android smartphones to India

Nokia mobiles with Android, finally will be available in India. After years of wait, Nokia is back and now it is handled by HMD. Nokia 3, 5 and 6 have been launched in India at competitive price. Not embracing Android has been a fatal mistake for Android and it was phased out and got lost in the competition. Finally, Nokia decided to make it comeback with Android. Nokia has introduced three models which have basic to entry level features. Nokia is not playing the hardware specifications card. Nokia is going to stand by its core values, which are sturdy build quality, reliable customer service and loyal customer base. Go to this page for details of the mobiles that have been launched in India

Nubia Z17 Mini released in India

Nubia, the brand name may be relatively a new entity in the Indian market, but it was a subsidiary of ZTE. Nubia has been quite successful in the Indian market with its mobiles like Z11 Mini S. Nubia has introduced a number of mobiles in the market and now they have the Z17 Mini in India. Z17 Mini bring in style, performance and imaging capability to the table. It is priced at Rs 19999 and here is our review.