Zen launches 7-inch budget ICS tablet, UltraTab A700 3G for Rs. 9,499

Zen Mobile has announced the UltraTab A700 3G in the Indian market priced at Rs. 9,499. It is a 7-inch Android 4.0 ICS tablet with the ability to make calls, supporting 3G data and voice calling via a SIM card. The company has tied up with online retailer Homeshop18.

The Zen UltraTab boasts of a 1.2GHz Cortex A8 processor, 512MB of RAM, a 3,000mAh battery, as well as 4GB built-in storage expandable up to 32GB via a microSD card. The Zen UltraTab A700 3G has a 1.3MP camera for video chat and weighs 345 grams. The tablet has an array of connectivity options including 3G, 2G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, host USB and microUSB.

Recently, Zen announced the UltraTab A900 that is powered by a 1.5GHz processor, coupled with 512MB of DDR3 RAM. The 9-inch display is bizarrely quite low-res, negating the size advantage, at 800x480 pixels. Other features of the Zen UltraTab A900 include Wi-Fi connectivity, 3G connectivity via USB dongle, microUSB slot with USB On-The-Go, 1.3MP camera, 4GB built-in storage, 32GB microSD card support, 3.5mm headphone jack, and a 4,000 mAh battery.

We also had a chance to take a close look at the Zen UltraTab A100. You can read our in-depth review of the Zen UltraTab A100 here.

If you are in the market to pick up a budget tablet, we suggest you take a look at our top 10 budget tabletshere before making your purchase decision.

HTC One X+

The HTC One X+ is clearly what the One X should have been in the first place. On a rather interesting note, the One X+ pips the Samsung Galaxy S III in most of the system performance benchmarks. But the pricing of the device is a bit of a downer. The price of Rs. 40,190 that HTC has shared with us makes the Galaxy S III a bit more attractive, since it is currently retailing for considerably less money, at around Rs. 36,000.

Nokia unveils Lumia 505 with Windows Phone 7.8, 8-megapixel camera

Nokia has unveiled the Windows Phone 7.8-running Lumia 505 in Mexico.

The Nokia Lumia 505 sports a 3.7-inch 480x800 display, 4GB internal storage and a paltry 256MB RAM. There's no word yet on the processor inside the Lumia 505. The standout spec of this otherwise modest smartphone is perhaps its 8-megapixel camera that is also capable of recording 640x480 video at 30fps. There's no front camera on the Lumia 505.

Nokia claims 7.2 hours of talk time and 600 hours of standby time (both over 3G) from the 1300mAh battery that the Lumia 505 sports.

As mentioned earlier, the phone runs Windows Phone 7.8, which is essentially Windows Phone 7.5 with some new features thrown in. This includes a new start screen UI with resizable live tiles, as found in Windows Phone 8. Windows Phone 7.8 also doubles the number of theme and accent colours to 20 and adds other new lock screen features: the option to automatically display the Bing Picture of the Day plus the 'A1B2C3' PIN/password challenge to prevent accidental device wipes on phones connected to Exchange accounts.

There's no word yet on price or availability of the Nokia Lumia 505 yet, or anything regarding Nokia's plans to launch this smartphone in markets outside Mexico.

Nokia Lumia 505 specifications

• 3.7-inch 480x800 display
• 4GB internal storage
• 256MB RAM
• 8-megapixel rear camera
• 7.2 hours talk time, 600 hours standby (both over 3G)
• Windows Phone 7.8
• 1300mAh battery
• 118.1mm x 61.2mm x 11.3mm
• 131 grams

Apple sells 2m iPhones in China in 3 days

Apple says it sold more than two million iPhone 5s in China in their first three days of availability, setting a record for that market.
The iPhone 5, which launched in China on Friday, will be available in more than 100 countries by the end of December.
The phone first went on sale on September 21 in nine countries, including the US and Australia, with more than five million sold in the first three days.

That also set a record, but it only beat last year's iPhone 4S launch by a small margin, falling short of some analysts' expectations.
Apple shares hit an all-time high of $US705.07 that day, but in the months since the stock has plunged about 28 per cent.
On Sunday, Citi analyst Glen Yeung cut his rating for the company to "Neutral" from "Buy", questioning the strength of iPhone 5 demand and saying it's unlikely Apple shares will rally any time soon.
Apple Inc shares fell $US6.85 to $US502.94 in premarket trading on Monday.