Can’t afford to put the primal growl of a Ducati 1198R Corse superbike in your garage? Well, consider this the consolation prize: the Italian motorcycle firm has teamed up with Videocon in India to release the V6200 candybar, a rather rugged-looking little beast that features an integrated compass, thermometer, barometer, altimeter, pedometer (thanks to an accelerometer, naturally), GPS, and a UV meter — in other words, every kind of sensor you could possibly want, and then some. It’s got a 2 megapixel camera with dual LED flash and comes bundled with a 4GB memory card, perfect for storing shots of your epic motorbike adventure from Mumbai to New Delhi. If you happen to be in the country, you can apparently find it for around Rs. 9,000 — roughly $200 — which is a good deal (okay, a great deal) less than an actual Ducati. Follow the break for the press release.

[Thanks, Manav]

Continue reading Videocon’s Ducati-branded V6200 handset probably isn’t as awesome as the real thing

Videocon’s Ducati-branded V6200 handset probably isn’t as awesome as the real thing originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Wed, 08 Dec 2010 15:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We still associate whiz-bang screen technologies like IPS, Super LCD, and Super AMOLED with high-end devices, but an Indian company we’ll admit we’ve never heard of — Lava Mobile — is looking to change that. Its Rs. 5,499 (about $123) A10 handset features a 3-inch IPS display with a claimed 178-degree viewing angle paired with a 3.2 megapixel camera, storage expansion up to 16GB, an orientation sensor, mapping capability (though GPS isn’t actually mentioned), and a Yamaha-sourced sound system paired with a 3.5mm headphone jack that may or may not sound any better than your average handset. It tops out with EDGE data — but 3G services are just now starting to come online on a wide scale in India, so that won’t be a downgrade for most users. Not the specs we’re looking for, but mark our words, manufacturers: we’re expecting high-tech displays on everything now. Follow the break for the press release.

Continue reading Lava Mobile’s A10 for India proves IPS displays don’t have to be pricey

Lava Mobile’s A10 for India proves IPS displays don’t have to be pricey originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Tue, 07 Dec 2010 22:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It might be all Japanese to you now, but Sharp’s autostereoscopic 3D is coming to a smartphone near you next year. The tech will debut next month on the Softbank-bound Galapagos 003SH and 005SH Android handsets, but now Sharp has confirmed its intention to also bring it Stateside as well as to two of the world’s most populous nations in China and India. It’s not yet exactly clear what handsets those markets will be getting, but if you’re looking for further signs of Sharp’s expanding international ambition, the company’s reported to also be contemplating extending its e-reading tablet platform out to the US and China. Taken alongside Panasonic’s recently announced plans to start selling Android smartphones globally in 2012, this does suggest we might soon be watching a neat little resurgence from our buddies from the land of the rising sun.

Sharp plans 3D smartphones for US, China and India in 2011 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 17 Nov 2010 03:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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[Thanks, Pradeep]

Dell intros XCD28 and XCD35 Android phones for India originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 11 Nov 2010 14:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It’s not every day that you hear about an autostereoscopic 3D cellphone launching let alone for less than $100 (Rs. 4,299)… off contract. But that’s exactly what Spice Mobility just announced in India. The M-67 3D phone features a 2.36-inch 240×320 pixel display with dedicated 3D shortcut key letting users switch between 2D and 3D viewing modes for the UI, images, and video. Unfortunately, this dual-SIM phone is only equipped with a 2D camera, not one of those 3D jobbies being cooked up by Sharp. We’re guessing that at this price the viewing experience doesn’t approach the Nintendo 3DS, but it’s certainly a harbinger of things to come.

[Thanks, Jay]

The 3D cellphone lands in India for $97, no glasses required originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 25 Oct 2010 06:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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This comes out as news of iPhone exclusivity arrangements are ending in both Germany and The Netherlands. In Germany, Deutsche Telekom loses its exclusive now that both O2 and Vodafone will be offering Apple’s finest before the holidays. In Holland, T-Mobile just lost its exclusive arrangement as both KPN and Vodafone have announced plans to carry the iPhone — no specific dates were mentioned though, like Germany, in time for the holidays is a pretty good guess.

CDMA iPhone rumored for India as exclusivities end in Germany and Holland originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 13 Oct 2010 04:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It was facing an August 31st deadline before India banned BlackBerry service in the country, but it looks like RIM has now managed to avoid that scenario — at least for a little while. According to India’s Ministry of Home Affairs, “RIM have made certain proposals for lawful access by law enforcement agencies and these would be operationalized immediately,” and that “the feasibility of the solutions offered would be assessed thereafter.” Details are still a bit light beyond that, but India’s assessment will apparently come after 60 days, and there’s still no guarantee that we won’t end up back at square one at that point. Interestingly, India is also still raising complaints about Gmail and Skype, with it now saying that it wants Google and Skype to set up servers in the country that would give it greater monitoring capabilities.

RIM averts BlackBerry ban in India… for now originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 30 Aug 2010 12:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Lava Mobile’s B5 Alpha touts groundbreaking ABCDE keyboard originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Sat, 21 Aug 2010 10:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It already kicked off this process in India a while back, but it looks like Nokia is finally ready to bring its faltering Comes with Music brand and service under the reign of the Ovi mothership on a more global scale — or in markets where Comes with Music has launched, anyhow — now that UK customers have started getting the news. There doesn’t seem to be word yet on exactly how this is going to work, but it would make sense to see Nokia structure this the same way Microsoft does with Zune — Ovi Music for a la carte purchases, Ovi Music Unlimited if you want to pony up a monthly fee (or, if they keep the original Comes with Music model, you pay more for the phone upfront). Seeing how the service still hasn’t launched in the US, this would be a good opportunity, it seems — particularly with the N8 launch around the corner.

Nokia now Comes With Music morphing into Ovi Music Unlimited everywhere originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Mon, 16 Aug 2010 18:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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There were reports as late as this morning that RIM was remaining “defiant” over the looming (and recurring) BlackBerry ban in India and not willing to cut any “special deals,” but it looks like that may not be the case after all — Reuters is reporting that RIM has assured India that it will provide a “technical solution” sometime next week. That’s presumably similar to the arrangement RIM recently worked out with Saudi Arabia, but India still isn’t making any final decisions just yet, with a government source simply saying that its “technical team will evaluate if it works.” Somewhat curiously, the source also mentioned that India had “concerns” about Gmail and Skype, but didn’t offer any further details.

For its part, RIM has issued a customer update that outlines the four main principles that govern the capabilities it provides to carriers for “lawful access purposes.” Head on past the break for the complete statement.

Continue reading RIM reportedly working with India to avoid BlackBerry ban

RIM reportedly working with India to avoid BlackBerry ban originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 13 Aug 2010 12:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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