Android smartphone alternatives

Samsung Galaxy Nexus

Have the flagship device that shows off Google’s latest operating system, Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich.  The Galaxy Nexus has a tear drop design, is really large but fits well in one’s hands. The device is powered by a dual-core 1.2GHz Cortex-A9 processor and has 1GB of RAM. The device has 16GB internal memory but no expandable memory card slot, which is a downer. It has a 5MP rear shooter with the ability to shoot video in 1080p and a 1.3MP front facing camera.

The device was expected to launch in India sometime in March; but we are still waiting for an official release date. The device, however, has found space at some local stores.

The details of the display are as follows:

• Screen Size: 4.65-inches
• Screen Type: Super AMOLED
• Screen Resolution: 1280x720
• Pixel Density: 316

price:  Rs. 30,000 approx.

HTC One X

The device boasts of a quad-core Nvidia Tegra 3 processor clocked at 1.5GHz and a ULP GeForce GPU. The device runs on Android 4.0 ICS straight out of the box and is surprisingly light at 130gms. The device has 32GB (26GB available to the user) storage and 1 GB of RAM, but no expandable storage.

The details of the display are as follows:

• Screen Size: 4.7-inch
• Screen Type: Super IPS LCD2 capacitive touchscreen
• Screen Resolution: 1280x720
• Pixel Density: 312

 

Price: Rs. 37,899 approx.

Sony XPERIA S

Recently launched in India, the device runs on a dual-core Qualcomm MSM8260 Snapdragon processor clocked at 1.5 GHz and has the Adreno 220 GPU. The device has 32GB internal storage with no expandable options and 1GB of RAM. The device runs Android v2.3 Gingerbread platform but is upgradable to Android 4.0 ICS.

The details of the display are as follows:

• Screen Size: 4.3-inches
• Screen Type: LED-backlit LCD
• Screen Resolution: 1280x720
• Pixel Density: 342

price: Rs. 32,549 approx.

Samsung Galaxy Note

The largest and heaviest device on our list the Samsung Galaxy Note weighs 178gms.

the Galaxy Note is powered by a dual-core 1.4GHz ARM Cortex-A9 processor and Mali-400MP GPU. The device currently runs Android 2.3 Gingerbread OS but will be upgraded to Android 4.0 ICS. The device also comes with an S Pen Stylus that can be used with a variety of utility apps.

The details of the display are as follows:

• Screen Size: 5.3-inch
• Screen Type: Super AMOLED
• Screen Resolution: 1280x800
• Pixel Density: 285

price: Rs. 32,700 approx.

LG Nitro HD

The device hasn’t yet hit  the Indian shores. The LG Nitro HD is a slim and light device weighing in at 127gms. The Nitro HD is powered by a dual-core 1.5GHz Scorpion processor and Adreno 220 GPU. The device has an 8MP rear snapper with the ability to shoot video in 1080p HD. It currently runs Android 2.3 Gingerbread but will be updated to Android 4.0 ICS.

The LG Nitro HD has 1GB of RAM and 4GB internal storage, expandable to 32GB via a microSD card.

 

The details of the display are as follows:

• Screen Size: 4.5-inches
• Screen Type: AH-IPS LCD
• Screen Resolution: 1280x720
• Pixel Density: 326

Motorola to shut down its Zumo Drive

Motorola is going to shut down its cloud storage service – Zumo Drive, as the company gears up to launch an improved cloud storage service called MotoCast.

The new Motorola cloud service, MotoCast, is likely to provide instant access to users’ PC content from their smartphones, tablets or another PC. MotoCast will also allow users to stream their own music, videos, photos and files.

Zumo Drive is available for a variety of platforms including Android, iOS, Windows and Linux. Zumo Drive users enjoy 2GB of free cloud storage. 

According to reports, Motorola has begun notifying its users regarding closure of Zumo Drive services. Motorola has asked users to take a back up of data as Zumo Drive shuts down next month. To download Motorola’s new cloud storage service, users need to visit www. Mymotocast.com.

Earlier, HTC had also announced closing its cloud storage service HTC Sense. The company has given users until April 30 to keep hold of their data as the company has decided to delete them.

Explaining reason behind the move, HTC said the htcsense.com is "undergoing a renovation". "Until the new services are ready, features previously available on HTCSense.com will be shutting down," a letter on the site said. However, HTC also promises to keep users updated about the launch of “new and improved” cloud storage service.