Aakash Tablet

With the Aakash tablet, the Indian government aims to bridge gap between the rural India and the ongoing technology boom. The government will provide the tablet at a subsidised price of Rs. 1,730 to the students. The retail version, UbiSlate, will be available at Rs. 2,999. The ultra low cost of the device has been grabbing the eyeballs worldwide. Let’s have a look at the specs offered by the Aakash tablet.

The Aakash is a seven-inch tablet, running Android 2.2 Froyo operating system. It has a seven-inch 800x400 resistive touchscreen and is powered by 366 MHz + HD video co-processor. The tablet comes with a 2GB of storage memory, which can be extended up to 32GB via microSD. It has a 256 MB RAM. The device supports document formats: DOC, DOCX, PPT, PPTX, XLS, XLSX, ODT, ODP and can run PDF viewer, Text editor. It has a 2,100 mAh battery which is promised to give 3 hours of backup depending upon usage. For connectivity, the device supports Wi-Fi and can connect a datacard for 3G and GPRS. 

Motorola DROID RAZR Review

Introduction:

At one point not too long ago, high-end Android powered smartphones were considered to be a rarity in the landscape, but in the last couple of years alone, it seems we've been inundated by them – to the point that the market was over-saturated. In fact, it seemed like every month (even weeks), some kind of high-end device was being announced or launched, which made it very difficult for consumers to separate the great from the greatest. Looking back at it now, there's no arguing that we've been jaded by it all, since our expectations have become rather cutthroat in what is perceived to be a game changing device.

Combining two of the most memorable brand names in phone history, the Motorola DROID RAZR is bent on establishing itself as the poster child of tomorrow's next-generation Android smartphone selection. On one hand, it follows in the same stylistic manner that made people fall in love with the original Motorola RAZR from back in the day – thanks to its insane razor thin profile construction. Meanwhile, it doesn't skimp out from what we've seen already in the past, considering that it's packed to the brim with some cutting-edge technology to make it one drool-worthy smartphone – like its 4G LTE connectivity, Super AMOLED display, and dual-core processor.

Packing all of that hardware, and some additional software functionality from Motorola, it's priced at $299.99 with a two-year contract – thus, potentially making it one justified price point. Knowing that some other respectable handsets are on the horizon, namely the Samsung Galaxy Nexus and HTC Rezound, we're curious to see how the Motorola DROID RAZR is going to set the bar. Let's not waste anymore time and dive right in!

The package contains: 

• Motorola DROID RAZR
• microUSB cable
• Wall Charger
• Getting Started Guide
• Product Safety & Warranty Information

This is the review of the Verizon-bound DROID RAZR. The European version is called “Motorola RAZR” and is identical, except for the fact that it is a GSM+UMTS phone, instead of CDMA+LTE. 

Design:

Game changing! That perfectly sums up the overall design of the Motorola DROID RAZR seeing that it flaunts one of the most compelling handset designs in recent memory. We're not kidding about that, because going forward, all other smartphones have to live up to its mark.

Aesthetically, it combines the designs of the Motorola DROID X series and the PHOTON 4G, but it's able to dramatically separate itself from them thanks to its remarkable razor thin construction. Right off the bat, we're mesmerized by its 0.28" (7.1mm) thickness – making it the thinnest smartphone on the market. However, it's not uniform because of the hump towards the top where the camera sensors are placed. Regardless of that, it's an incredible engineering masterpiece to behold considering that it packs 4G LTE connectivity. And to complement its svelte appearance, it's by far one of the lightest smart phones in its size category.

The Motorola DROID RAZR is constructed out of the finest materials out there

You can compare the Motorola DROID RAZR with many other phones using our Size Visualization Tool.

For something so thin, some would probably envision it to be frail, but there's nothing to be worried about because it's constructed out of the finest materials out there. Specifically, it's internally strengthened by its stainless steel chassis, which is further supplemented by its KEVLAR fiber back cover for reinforcement and water repellent nanocoating to absorb some levels of liquid splashes - though, it's not completely waterproof. Tell you the truth, this is easily the most solidly built device we've seen put out of Motorola's camp. So yeah, it's a modern marvel in every way!

It's not the first time we're seeing a 4.3" qHD (540 x 960) display with Gorilla Glass on a Motorola smartphone, that's because we've seen it done already on the DROID BIONIC and DROID X2, but what's new is the fact that it features a Super AMOLED panel instead of a traditional LCD one. Granted that it utilizes the PenTile matrix arrangement, it's more than capable of producing distinctive details to make even fine text more than visible to the eye. However, its pixel density of 256 ppi is way behind those of the upcoming GALAXY Nexus and HTC Rezound, which clock at 316 and 342 ppi, respectively.

Viewing angles of the Motorola DROID RAZR

Not surprisingly, we're captivated by the polarizing and saturated colors it's able to produce. Throw in its high contrast ratio, deep black color production, and wide viewing angles, it's well equipped in providing plenty of visual treats to our eyes. Still, we find ourselves covering the display with our hand in outdoor conditions. 

Typically for an Android 2.3.x phone, we find the same set of capacitive Android buttons sitting beneath its display – with the microphone situated very close to the home button. Meanwhile, the front-facing 1.3-megapixel camera and narrow earpiece are all located directly above the display. Furthermore, to profoundly exhibit its premium taste, the Motorola name is etched into the diamond-cut aluminum accent.

	Android buttons	Front-facing camera

On the left side of the phone sits a plastic flap that hides away the handset’s microSIM card slot and microSD card slot – the latter of which is preoccupied by a 16GB microSD card.

microSIM card slot and microSD card slot on the left

Rather than finding the dedicated power button on the top side of the phone, like most other recent devices, this time around it's positioned on the right edge along with the volume rocker. Between the two, the power button is slightly more raised versus the flat feel of the volume rocker – still, they exhibit a good response when they're pressed.

The top edge of the phone claims home to the handset's 3.5 mm headset jack, microUSB port, and microHDMI port. To think that they're all there is indeed impressive for device that's razor thin!

Bottom edge	3.5mm jack, microUSB and microHDMI ports on top	Power button and volume key on the right

Finally, the 8-megapixel auto-focus camera with LED flash and the speakerphone grill are all stuffed into the handset's hump, which forms the slight bulge that we've been accustomed to seeing since the original Motorola DROID X. In order to retain its slim appearance, Motorola has opted to keep its battery shut out from the world – essentially requiring you to send it away to get it replaced.

Back		Camera with flash and speaker grill

HTC Sensation XE Review

Introduction:

The restless HTC has recently been branching out its smartphones, trying to fill market niches it feels are underserved, like female-oriented handsets, or phones with an enhanced audio experience. For the latter it entered into cooperation with Beats by Dr Dre, and decided to leverage the audio brand's know-how with theHTC Sensation XE, an upgrade to its flagship Android handset.

We say upgrade since the HTC Sensation XE is the same phone with minor changes:  new color scheme,the 3rd generation dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon chipset is pumped to its maximum 1.5GHz, and a beefier battery  compensates for that might.

The Beats Audio colaboration is meant to set the Sensation XE apart as a smartphone audio king. Did it succeed in creating the best smartphone for music lovers? Read on to find out…

In the box:

• HTC Sensation XE handset
• Beats Audio in-ear headphones
• Beats Audio headphones pouch
• Replacement buds of different sizes
• Wall charger
• MicroUSB cable
• Warranty and user guide leaflets

Beats Audio in-ear headphones and their pouch

The HTC Sensation XE hasn't been announced for any US carrier and you can only get it SIM-free for now. It's compatible with the AT&T network, and you can use it on T-Mobile without 3G connectivity.
 

Design:

HTC brushed the Sensation XE with red accents to emphasize this is a different handset than the standardSensation (4G). 

The earspeaker grill, the camera ring, and the capacitive buttons are all red, and so is the Beats Audio logo on the back, making the whole set appear cool and informal, what the Beats brand stands for. 

HTC brushed the Sensation XE with red accents to emphasize this is a different handset than the standard Sensation

You can compare the HTC Sensation XE with many other phones using our Size Visualization Tool.

The back is done in two pieces of excellent quality soft-touch plastic, separated diagonally by a brushed aluminum strip in mahogany.

This metal strip is a part of the unibody aluminum chassis,  with curved recessed glass over the 4.3” LCD display with 540x960 pixels of resolution, that protects it from scratching when facing down.  A typical HTC high-quality build. 

The screen is bright enough outside, with excellent viewing angles, and very good 256ppi pixel density, achieved with the traditional RGB matrix, as opposed to the PenTile arrangement of some Motorola qHD displays, for example. Text appears crisp and the colors are vivid. One advantage of the Super LCD tech of the screen is that it is usually very well calibrated and white appears almost spot on (~6500K), instead of cold blueish like on Super AMOLED displays.

The HTC Sensation XE has a 4.3” LCD display with 540x960 pixels of resolution

Volume key and microUSB port (left)	Power key and 3.5mm jack (top)	Right edge	Bottom side

Well, let’s flip the phone over and see what we have on the back to set it apart in the audio department. In short - nothing but the Beats logo. We have the same slightly protruding circular camera module of the 8MP shooter next to the speaker at the phone’s rear, and five dots piercing the soft-touch plastic, for various microphone and noise-cancellation purposes.

The Beats logo	The rear camera	The battery compartment