Apple iPad Mini vs Google Nexus 7

Power :

The iPad Mini is powered by Apple’s A5 dual-core chipset which promises to be plenty fast enough to run all your favourite games and apps. The device also features 16, 32 or 64GB of storage, though, being an Apple product, you won’t find support for micro SD cards here, so use that internal space wisely.

The Nexus 7 is driven by an NVIDIA Tegra 3 chipset which consists of a quad-core 1.3GHz Cortex-A9 CPU and a ULP GeForce GPU that’s able handle any game you throw at it. The device also sports 1GB RAM and comes in 8 and 16GB flavours, and we’re expecting a 32GB version to drop soon too, giving you a nice extra option.

The device doesn’t offer support for micro SD cards though so, like the iPad Mini, you’ll have to be picky with your content.

Display :

The Google Nexus 7 is fronted by a 7-inch LED-backlit IPS LCD which operates at 800 x 1280 and offers a pixel density of 216PPI.

The screen is bright and vibrant, and offers some of the best viewing angles around, but if you plan on using the device outdoors on a sunny day you’ll likely be disappointed.

The iPad Mini sports a 7.9-inch LED-backilit IPS display which operates at a resolution of 768 x 1024 and offers a pixel density of 163PPI. The screen looked superb in Apple’s demonstrations, as you would expect, and we’re looking forward to doing some testing of our own, but expectations are high with this one.

Software :

Google’s Nexus 7 runs on Android 4.1 AKA Jelly Bean, and the most recent iteration of the company’s mobile platform is by far the most comprehensive.

It’s fast, offers unbeatably smooth graphical performance thanks to Google’s ‘Project Butter’ initiative and expands on the new UI first seen in Ice Cream Sandwich to offer users automatically resizing widgets, great new notifications system and the spookily accurate Google Now enhanced search solution and a ton more to boot.

In addition to the core functionality of the OS being taken up a notch, users can also still make use of the Google Play Store for all their app, game and media downloads, and the selection is great.

The iPad Mini runs on version 6.0 of Apple’s ageing iOS platform. The software is (still) remarkably easy to pick up, with intuitive gestures and menus throughout, and also looks polished and pleasing, but the lack of widgets, real-time information and customisation options set it back against Google’s platform.

Fortunately it isn’t all bad though, because iOS gives users access to Apple’s App Store, which is chock full of great apps and games, and you’ll also find iTunes too, for your media needs.

Form :

Apple iPad Mini - 200 x 134.7 x 7.2mm, 308g

Google Nexus 7 - 198.5 x 120 x 10.5mm, 340g

The iPad Mini is a thin, light, well designed device which looks every inch the Apple product. Its lines are clean and the device looks to be ergonomically sound, which is more than can be said for many tablets.

The device is priced competitively and only time will tell if Apple has had to cut any hardware corners for the privilege of rivaling the Nexus 7 on that front.

The Nexus 7 is small, light and easy on the eye, and remarkably well built considering its bargain basement RRP, in fact you’ll find very little to complain about in Google’s joint venture with ASUS – the device simply checks all the boxes.

Camera :

We’re dealing with tablets here, so photographic prowess isn’t exactly top priority. That said, it’s nice to have the ability to snap the odd image and Google’s Nexus 7 obliges by offering a very simple 1.2-megapixel front-facing camera which is more than adequate for video calling and casual use.

If you want to make use of the camera you’ll have to take to the Google Play Store and download some third-party software to enable it though – and we have no idea why. Answers on a postcard please.

The iPad Mini features a 5-megapixel primary camera and a VGA front-facing camera which, like the Nexus 7, is fine for FaceTime and Skype use but doesn’t offer much more beyond that.

Apple Introduces iPad mini Smart Covers For $39

Apple updated its website to let us know that the Smart Cover would also be available for the newly announced 7.9 inch iPad mini.

The iPad mini Smart Cover is largely similar to the larger iPad Smart Cover with the same magnetic attaching and hinging mechanism, except that it seems to be available only in polyurethane, as opposed to the larger Smart Cover which comes in both, polyurethane and leather.

Another difference between the two covers is the absence of metal in the hinge of the iPad mini Smart Cover. This lets the entire color wrap around the edge of the device, maintaining uniformity all across the front, while the back remains exposed.

The iPad mini Smart Cover is available in six colors – pink, green, blue, light gray, dark gray and (PRODUCT) RED.

The covers aren’t on sale yet, and will presumably be available for pre-order on October 26 along with the iPad mini.

iPad Mini Features, Release Date & Price Announced

After several years of rumors and speculations, Apple has finally unveiled the smaller and cheaper version of the full-sized iPad called iPad Mini to compete with cheaper Android based tablets like Google Nexus 7 and Amazon Kindle Fire.

iPad mini features a 7.9-inch screen with 1024x768 resolution, front and back facing camera, powered by Apple's dual-core processor and support for 4G LTE networks.

Design/Form Factor:

iPad mini looks exactly like the smaller sibling of the third generation iPad with the aluminum casing, but it's more beautiful with the diamond cut edges and sleek metallic finishes.

As rumored, the smaller iPad comes with thinner bezels along the sides in portrait mode like the iPod touch. It is 23 percent thinner and 53 percent lighter than the full-sized iPad. It is only 7.2 mm thick, whereas as iPad 3 is 9.4mm thick.

It also weighs only 308 grams, making it significantly lighter than iPad 3, which weighs 652 g.

Display:

iPad mini comes with a 7.9-inch display with 1024x768 resolution, not that much smaller than the full-sized iPad's 9.7-inch display. As expected, the smaller iPad doesn't come with Retina Display. It comes with a pixel density of 163 ppi, the same pixel density as the original iPhone.

It has the same resolution as the iPad 2, so you will be able to use all the apps that are available for the original and 2nd generation iPad.

Processor:

iPad mini is powered by the dual-core A5 chip, which powers iPad 2 and the fifth generation iPod touch and not iPad 3's A5X chip or iPad 4's A6X chip.

Camera:

iPad mini comes with front and back facing camera. The back-facing iSight camera is a 5-megapixel camera and the front-facing FaceTime camera is an HD camera, which will allow users to take 1.2-megapixel photos and record 720p HD videos.

Battery Life:

iPad mini comes with the same battery life as the full-sized iPad, which is amazing. It offers up to 10 hours of surfing the web on Wi-Fi, watching video, or listening to music.

Ultrafast Wireless:

iPad mini will also support 4G LTE networks around the world. It also supports HSPA+ and DC-HSDPA. It can also connect to Wi-Fi networks on 2.4ghz and 5ghz on 802.11n.

Lightning Connector:

As expected, iPad mini comes with Apple's new Lightning connector like the iPhone 5, 5th generation iPod touch and 7th generation iPod nano.

Siri:

iPad mini comes with Siri - Apple's personal assistant feature.

Storage Capacities:

iPad mini will be available in 16GB, 32GB and 64GB storage capacities.

Colors:

It will be available in two colors: Black & Slate and White & Silver.

Pricing:

iPad mini will be available for $329 for the 16GB model, $429 for the 32GB model and $529 for the 64GB model.

Apple is also offering 4G LTE versions of the iPad for a premium of $130.

Availability:

It will be available for pre-order on Friday, October 26th in the US, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Korea, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, UK.

Aircel offers iPhone 3GS at Rs. 9,999

 Postpaid customers of Aircel will now be able to purchase the iPhone 3GS at a special price of Rs. 9,999. The deal is attached to an Aircel postpaid plan that costs Rs. 3,000 for a full year, and gives you 2GB of data every month, with speeds dialed down to 128 kbps once the FUP limit has been reached. Aircel is also throwing in 6 months of unlimited 2G data in areas where 2G plans are available, along with 1000 local and STD minutes along with 2500 local and national SMSes.

The deal is particularly attractive as the cost of owning the handset even with the postpaid plan is cheaper than the 4G iPod Touch. Apple's latest portable media player starts at Rs. 13,000 for the 8GB version, and sports improved specs over the 3GS, with a 720p camera and high pixel density screen.


While the 3GS has seen support for over four firmware updates, its specs aren't competitive to be priced as a mid-range smartphone in 2012. With a 600 MHz processor and a HVGA resolution screen, and a single 3 megapixel camera on the back, it should certainly dent Android's stronghold in the sub 10k category. The price cut should certainly be a welcome sight for Aircel customers, and should trigger other competitors like Airtel to revise their prices as well.

Apple iPad mini Claims Its First Victim

After the 7.85-inch tablet ships, everyone expects a bloodbath. However the Apple iPad mini’s first victim won’t be the Kindle Fire HD, Nexus 7, Microsoft Surface or even RIM Playbook, though everyone of those products are certainly threatened. In fact, Apple very well might kill off one of its own in order to reduce product confusion.

Do you remember the iPod mini? When Apple killed it in September 2005, after less than nine months of life, the iPod mini was the company’s best-selling MP3 player — people were shocked.

However, it was replaced by the iPod nano, which went on to become an worldwide best seller, and Apple has dominated the MP3/media player market ever since.

That said, AppleInsider quotes Evercore Partners’ Rob Cihra as saying the iPad mini’s first victim will be the iPad 2. Fundamentally, the analyst believes Apple will terminate their $399 tablet, which by all accounts continues to sell very well, to maintain “clearer product tiers.”

However, even if the iPad 2 is discontinued, Apple will still offer plenty of low-cost tablet choices — 16 configurations (white or black, wifi only or wifi + 3G in 8, 16, 32 or 64 GB capacities) are expected when the iPad mini ships on Friday, November 2 — with pricing starting at $249.

Of course, sometime between the Apple iPad mini’s ship date and Christmas, look for dozens of crappy little name brand and so-called “whitebox” Android tablets to be (mercifully) killed off. RIM Playbook? Yeah, it’s almost certainly dead, too…

iPhone 5 Key Specifications

Apple execs including Tim Cook and Phil Shiller unveiled the star of the day, marking one of the historic event of the year. Anyways, lets dig into the smartphone and see what Apple has done for its new No.1 smartphone device                           

Design :

As expected, the new iPhone comes with a new two-tone design as suggested by numerous leaks before. Despite of new colour scheme used in the design, the smartphone resembles the iPhone 4/4s. The phone is 18% thinner than its predecessor and 20% lighter as well.

The iPhone 5 is slightly taller with its screen measuring 4 inches diagonally, comes with a resolution of 1136 x 640 resolution, 16:9 aspect ratio and 326 PPI (Retina Display), 44% more color saturation and integrated touch, which explains its thinness.

Processor/GPU/RAM :-

The RAM remains the same (1GB), GPU and CPU (A15 architecture) are said to be twice as powerful than the iPhone 4S.

Wireless :-

The iPhone 5 supports GSM, CDMA, LTE and a wide range of other wireless technologies.

1.GSM model A1428*: UMTS/HSPA+/DC-HSDPA (850, 900, 1900, 2100 MHz); GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz); LTE (Bands 4 and 17)
2.CDMA model A1429*: CDMA EV-DO Rev. A and Rev. B (800, 1900, 2100 MHz); UMTS/HSPA+/DC-HSDPA (850, 900, 1900, 2100 MHz); GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz); LTE (Bands 1, 3, 5, 13, 25)
3.GSM model A1429*: UMTS/HSPA+/DC-HSDPA (850, 900, 1900, 2100 MHz); GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz); LTE (Bands 1, 3, 5)
4.802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi (802.11n 2.4GHz and 5GHz)
5.Bluetooth 4.0 wireless technology.

Camera :-

The iPhone 5′s iSight still uses an 8MP sensor, but the system has been upgraded, as has the FaceTime camera with HD capabilities:
1.8-megapixel iSight camera
2.1080p HD video recording at up to 30 frames per second with audio
3.FaceTime HD camera takes 1.2MP photos and 720p HD video\

 Battery Timings:-

Despite the fact that it has a larger display and LTE, Apple says the iPhone 5 still has great battery life (Remember last time when Apple made such promise?):
1.Built-in rechargeable lithium-ion battery
2.Talk time: Up to 8 hours on 3G
3.Charging via USB to computer system or power adapter
4.Standby time: Up to 225 hours
5.Internet use: Up to 8 hours on 3G, up to 8 hours on LTE, up to 10 hours on Wi-Fi
6.Video playback: Up to 10 hours
7.Audio playback: Up to 40 hours

Pricing :-

As usual, the iPhone 5 comes in both black and white, as well as three different storage options. And the price points are the same as well (remember, these prices are subsidized and require at least a two-year carrier contract):
1.16GB iPhone 5 is $199
2.32GB iPhone 5 is $299
3.64GB iPhone 5 is$399

Release Date :-

As expected, the iPhone 5 will soon be available in stores. Starting with September 14, you’ll be able to pre-order it in the USA, Canada UK, France and Germany Australia, Japan, Hong Kong and Singapore. The device will hit 100 countries by December and will be carried by 240 mobile operators.