Monday 7 April 2014

Seven must-have gadgets for every frequent traveller

4/07/2014 11:15:00 pm TECHNOLOGY No comments

Seven must-have gadgets for every frequent traveller

Technology has sure made our lives simpler, but deciding which gadgets to pack on your travels knowing you'll be carrying your smartphone, tablet, and (if it's a work trip) your laptop, can be quite a challenge, in this age of strict baggage allowances. Here's our pick of gadgets that are small and light enough to carried almost anywhere.

1) Universal adapter
If you are a frequent international traveller, you understand the importance of having a universal adapter in your travel kit. While basic adapters like this one cost around Rs. 300, these days you can buy ones with multiple USB ports like the Ultra World Travel Charger with Dual USB, so you don't need to carry a charger for your phone/ tablet separately.

2) Wi-Fi Router and Ethernet cable
Many hotels across the world provide wired Internet access for free, but charge for access via Wi-Fi, often on a per-device basis. You could be a sucker and pay the extra charges, or you could go prepared by carrying a Wi-Fi router of your own, setup and ready to just plugin. The author still carries a first-generation Airport Express on his travels, and loves it, largely because it can be directly plugged into the wall. (Yes, you can do that with the current Airport Express as well, but it's not as elegant.)

You could go for something cheaper like the TP-Link TL-WR702N 150 Mbps Wireless N Nano Router, which has a small footprint and won't hurt your pocket either. Though most hotels will happily give you an Ethernet cable without charge, it doesn't hurt to carry one of your own, as they don't take too much space, especially if you can find a retractable one.

3) Extension board
If there's one thing the author has learnt on his travels, it's that the hotels never have nearly enough power points - and if they do, they are hidden under the bed, or on the other side of the room - why would I want to charge my phone next to the TV, WHY?!! Carrying an extension board fixes all this, giving you multiple power sockets (that are of the same style as your 'home' country, eliminating the need for several power adapters) wherever you want them in the room.

We recommend going for the cheap circular boards with retractable wire that you'll find at your neighbourhood shop. If you prefer having a brand attached to everything you buy, consider one of Belkin's many offerings.

4) Noise-cancelling headphones
If it seems you spend half your life in flights or at airport terminals, investing in good noise-cancelling headphones is a wise choice. Our preferred ones are the Bose in-ear noise cancelling headphones or if you are on a tighter budget the Quietcomfort 15 Acoustic Noise Cancelling Headphones are available for half as much from Amazon.

Go for headphones that come with an in-flight adapter or invest in one separately, so you don't have to use the crummy headphones the airline provides the next time you happen to find something tolerable on the in-flight entertainment system.

5) E-book reader
Throw away the dead-tree edition of your books and purchase an e-book reader to carry hundreds of books with you wherever you go with seemingly endless battery life, making it the perfect companion for those long delays at the airport.

Pick up the current-generation Amazon Kindle Paperwhite if you want the latest-greatest, or choose between various offerings by Amazon and Kobo, depending upon your budget.

6) Entertainment on the go
If reading isn't your thing and you are the kind who carries all your movies and TV shows on your mobile device, wouldn't it be great to enjoy them on the 40-inch LCD that your hotel room has? Carry an Apple TV with you and you can do just that. This experience is not limited to owners of iOS devices, as third-party apps available on the Play Store let Android devices benefit from the convenience of AirPlay.

Or you could also look at something like the Amkette Evo TV, which can connect to your phone using DLNA, if you are on a budget. Google's Chromecast is another not-too-expensive option, though it's not available in India yet.

While most hotels will have a HDMI cable (you can use the one the set-top box is connected to), carry one of your own retractable ones preferred) just to be safe.

7. Battery bank
The smartest of gadgets are nothing but dumb bricks without power. While many planes, trains, and even buses now have power sockets that can be used to charge your gizmos, there's nothing like having a portable battery bank at hand, especially if you have a long day on the road, or a week or two in the wilderness.

Choose from various capacities - a couple of thousand mAh that will charge your phone once, to 20000mAh monsters that have standby time of weeks and will charge your device several times over.

Bonus tip
If you fly quite often, ditch your 15-inch laptop and opt for something lighter like the 11-inch MacBook Air. Not only does that mean you are lugging around less weight (those kilograms add up very quickly), laptops this size (and smaller, of course) without a hard disk-drive will save you a lot of time and effort at airport security as you don't need to take them out of the bag.

The author can personally verify having left his Air inside the cabin baggage without any incident at various airports (including the major ones in India). Of course, if you can ditch your laptop entirely in favour of a tablet (it's not as difficult as you think), your life becomes even simpler. Logitech has a great range of keyboards for tablets which can help on that front.

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Printerest: How India is warming up to the world of 3D printing

4/07/2014 11:14:00 pm TECHNOLOGY No comments

Printerest: How India is warming up to the world of 3D printing

Walking through the Asaf Ali road, till the New Delhi Stock Exchange building, the cacophony is unmissable. Running up a flight of stairs in the building adjacent to the New Delhi Stock Exchange one reaches a large hall owned by Stirring Minds, which is home to a 3D printing workshop on a hot Saturday morning. Abhinav Singhal, Pranav Prakash, Shirsendu 'Troy' Karmakar and Shantanu Raghav, the founders of 3D Printing start-up Solidry are cheerfully working on setting up the workshop paraphernalia, getting the 3D prints organised and assembling a 3D printer. A gaggle of enthusiasts curiously peer over with noisy whispers as Karmakar continues to work on assembling the printer mopping his forehead occasionally. A few noisy minutes later after things are in place the workshop begins. From explaining 3D printing, to demonstrating how an object is created to answering questions to predicting its use in the real world, the workshop provides an in depth introduction to the concept. And it ends with the promise of meeting again to instruct people on how to build do-it-yourself 3D printers within the house.

Solidry, which was started by the 20-something engineers with full time jobs at places like LinkedIn andSlideShare, is just the tip of a very fascinating iceberg. At the workshop, they created (and showed the rest of us how to create) objects that range from a 'batarang', to pen stands, and from card holders, to plastic jewellery all using biodegradable plastic.

There are definitely problems for mass adoption, such as the time taken for a simple print. Solidry is a startup and they work with limited tools and resources, and printing a bracelet that was 15mm high and 5mm thick took around one and a half hours. The same was true in the case of our 'batarang'. Also the finishing is something that has to be meticulous too. The technology is steadily improving though; "we are currently working with plastics like ABS, Polycarbonate PVA, rubber like materials called TPU, Ninja Flex amongst others. Once we are able to build a printer that can utilise multi-materials, it opens up a wide new range of possibilities," says Prakash.

Explaining their enthusiasm about the process Karmakar says, "We got hooked onto the concept when we first heard about it during our engineering days. We wanted to purchase a 3D printer, but it was not cost effective. As a result we decided to build it all ourselves. That was the inception of Solidry, in June, 2013. We are focussing not only on popularising 3D printing but also in creating customised products for people and retailing them." Karmakar and his team currently work with various plastics and metals. They offer users the freedom to upload their own designs, and create, hand finish and deliver it to them across India. In addition, they are also trying to enter into the manufacturing space wherein they could both create products on order and also retail their own designs.

Extruding a print
3D printing involves extruding plastic filaments, slowly playing them in layers to build 3D objects. At the Solidry workshop, while Singhal works away at explaining the real world uses of 3D printing in the field of medicine, the home made printer works away religiously at extruding hot white plastic in a concentric pattern on a flatbed. At one end of the extruder is the hopper for feeding the white plastic line, which has a diameter of 1.75 mm. Like other normal printers it too is connected to a laptop nearby where the design parameters have been keyed in using software called Slic3r. The extruder works along three axes - X,Y,Z - to create the final finished product. The Slic3r tool enables users to convert their digital designs, and wireframes into a model that can be accepted by the printer for printing. Once the material is fed into the hopper it is continuously drawn into the heater where it melts at 155 degree celsius following which the extruder nozzle points it at the base and the plastic is added in successive layers according to the design imprinted.

Raghav, who is the youngest member of the group, explains that it works against the current industry manufacturing processes of subtractive manufacturing. "When we use CNC based manufacturing the focus is usually on cutting the design out from the stock material. That involves a lot of wastage. Additive manufacturing basically is adding the material on a set design, which leads to virtually zero wastage."

Singhal, who is currently working in developing 3D prints in the field of bio-medicine also says that the designs can help replicate bone structures, create organ implants, and others. "It becomes important to consider this during times of surgery. For instance if a body part has to be created or an implant fitted it takes time to create the same. There might be inaccuracies and also it involves a second surgery to insert it which increases complications. A lot of these issues can be solved using parts created from 3D printing," he says.

There are interesting possibilities for the future. In India 3D printing is still at a domestic hobbyist use which has limited its reach as of now. But there are a wide range of possibilities. Singhal points out that with its unique challenges India provides a vast landscape for research and innovation in this field. "It should get better from here on," he says with a smile.

The road ahead
The Dutch firm, Dus Architects, are in the process of creating what would possibly be the world's first 3D printed house. Using materials that are completely recyclable (all one needs to do is reheat it to use it), it involves significantly reduced transports cost and also reduction in pollution. In a report by the Guardian, the 3D house could be a very scaleable model on which modern day cities of the future can be built.

(Also see: 'Kamermaker' 3D printer used to build Amsterdam canal house)

Houses are one aspect, points out Prakash, who says, "Imagine if we could create food. Pizzas are already being created in outer space in complete vaccum. If we find a way to print out say rotis, rice and dal, we could print out edible meals. It won't reduce our problems completely as far as food goes, but it will help open up a new sector or a new technology that can improve lives in rural India. While for us as a startup these are too big things to dream about, but it can happen in the future."

(Also see: Researchers 3D-print working loudspeaker with new multi-material method)

Currently major firms across the globe, that make 3D printers include the likes of Prusa Mendel,MendelMax, Huxley, Tantillus, Ultimaker, Makerbot, Lulzbot AO-100, TAZ, MakerGear M2, Rostock, Mach3, Bukobot amongst others. A major issue that prompted the team at Solidry to rethink their strategies was because these companies charged an arm and a leg for their products. "Look at this printer," Karmakar says, pointing at a transparent green plexiglass 3D printer, "It came in three days ago, and it cost over Rs. 3 lakhs. And it is so fragile that we are yet to set it up and get it to work on optimum level. In fact the printers we use work on the 3 axes, but now we are trying to build a printer working on the delta axes (at 45-degrees to the X,Y,Z axes) that will reduce the time taken to create products by almost 25 percent." It is something that needs to be given serious thought.

iOS 7 bug reportedly allows Find My iPhone to be disabled without password

4/07/2014 11:13:00 pm TECHNOLOGY No comments

iOS 7 bug reportedly allows Find My iPhone to be disabled without password

As a security feature, requiring people to enter the password of their Apple ID before disabling Find My iPhone is a helpful move, as it means that someone can't just steal your phone and disable the only methods available to find it. However, a new report on 9to5mac shows that this is actually pretty easy to circumvent.

As shown in the video below, the tipster to the site goes through a step by step process of disabling Find My iPhone and then deleting an iCloud account.

The whole process seems really simple, and apparently just needs access to the phone's settings menu. Once in, you can go to iCloud settings, and then simultaneously disable Find My iPhone and tap "delete account". When you're asked for the password, reboot the device and you can repeat the process, and remove the account. This means that someone with access to the phone can create a new account on your device, and you've got no means to track it.

While the iOS 7 bug will likely be patched out by Apple soon, it highlights the importance of putting a passcode on your phone, or if you have an iPhone 5s, using the TouchID sensor to unlock the phone. These are very basic security measures everyone should take, but would still be more than enough to completely stop an exploit like this in its tracks.

Apple released iOS version 7.0.6 as a patch to provide 'a fix for SSL connection verification', a bug that possibly left email and other encrypted communication open to hacking if the user was connected to an unsecured Wi-Fi network.

The strongest case yet for a bigger iPhone 6... made by Apple itself

4/07/2014 11:13:00 pm TECHNOLOGY 1 comment

The strongest case yet for a bigger iPhone 6... made by Apple itself

One of the fallouts of Apple's seemingly endless legal battle with Samsung - which is in round two (or round we-have-lost-count, depending upon how you look at it) - has been the wealth of otherwise confidential documents and emails becoming available in the public domain, thanks to the discovery process. The latest document - an internal Apple presentation titled FY'14 Planning Offsite - gives the clearest indication yet that Apple is ready to offer an iPhone with a display bigger than the 4-inch screen seen on the iPhone 5, iPhone 5c, and iPhone 5s.

The slide (pictured above) notes that the between 2011 and 2012, the overall smartphone market grew by 228 million units. Out of these, the slide adds, a majority of the growth (159 million units) came from smartphones carrying a sub-$300 price tag, while the 'over-$300, display bigger than 4-inches' segment accounted for a growth of 91 million units. Sales of smartphones in the 'over-$300, 4-inches or less' segment actually shrank by 22 million units between the two years, the slide notes.

It's worth pointing out that all of Apple's smartphone offerings till date, lie in the last segment, the one that actually reduced in size. As is clear from Apple's own documents, to remain competitive in the smartphone market, Apple has two choices - one is to make a sub-$300 smartphone, and the second is to make an iPhone that is bigger than anything it's built till date, while maintaining its ~$650 price tag.

Based on everything Apple has done till date, it's safe to say Apple has no interest in slugging it out in the sub-$300 segment, and it will instead focus its energies on building a bigger iPhone. This internal slide further underlines the chatter we've been hearing about the iPhone 6 coming in 4.7- and 5.5-inch screen sizes.

Apple Fy 14 Planning

Samsung Galaxy S5's anti-theft features praised

4/07/2014 11:10:00 pm TECHNOLOGY No comments

Samsung Galaxy S5's anti-theft features praised

A move by Samsung to include free anti-theft features on its Galaxy S5 smartphones sold by Verizon Wireless and U.S. Cellular won praise on Friday by two U.S. members of an international coalition aimed at combating robberies involving smartphones.

The new features allow Samsung Galaxy S5 users to track devices and require the owner's account information to reset the phone. The features, Find My Mobile, and Reactivation Lock, will come installed in the phones but must be activated by users.

"The decision ... to provide Samsung's Find My Mobile and Reactivation Lock features on Galaxy S5 smartphones and to allow those features to be activated for free is a step forward in our effort to ensure the industry makes effective theft deterrents available on every smartphone sold in America," New York's attorney general, Eric Schneiderman, and San Francisco's district attorney, George Gascon, said in a statement.

(Also see: Samsung Galaxy S5: 10 big new features)

Schneiderman and Gascon, along with London Mayor Boris Johnson, are co-chairs of the coalition Secure Our Smartphone Initiative.

They said, however, that they remain "concerned that consumers will need to opt in to the system, thereby limiting the ubiquity and effectiveness of the solution."

Both Schneiderman and Gascon have criticized the cellphone industry for what they say is a perceived unwillingness to solve an escalating theft problem.

Schneiderman has publicly supported bills currently in the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate that would require a kill switch to be installed in every smartphone manufactured in the United States. The switch would prevent the phone from being re-activated in the black market.

In 2012, 1.6 million Americans were victimized for their smartphones, according to Schneiderman's office.

© Thomson Reuters 2014

Samsung Galaxy S5

Display

5.10-inch

Processor

1.9GHz

Front Camera

2.1-megapixel

Resolution

1080x1920 pixels

RAM

2GB

OS

Android 4.4.2

Storage

16GB

Rear Camera

16-megapixel

Battery capacity

2800mAh

See full Samsung Galaxy S5 specifications

Flipkart introduces exchange scheme on Moto G purchase, offers Rs. 2,000 discount

4/07/2014 11:09:00 pm TECHNOLOGY No comments

Flipkart introduces exchange scheme on Moto G purchase, offers Rs. 2,000 discount

If you wish to exchange your existing phone for a Moto G, you might just be in luck.

Flipkart, the exclusive online partner of Motorola, has introduced new 'exchange your old phone' offer under which customers can get Rs. 2,000 discount on the purchase of the Moto G smartphone in exchange of select old phones. With the exchange offer, the Rs. 12,499 (8GB) and Rs. 13,999 (16GB) price tags on the Moto G get reduced to Rs. 10,499 and Rs. 11,999 respectively.

Some popular phones that can be used for the exchange offer for buying the Moto G includes theBlackBerry Curve 9320, Nokia Lumia 920, Nokia Lumia 520, Samsung Galaxy S III, Samsung Galaxy S4 mini, Sony Xperia Z1, Sony Xperia Z Ultra, Micromax Canvas 4, Micromax Canvas Doodle 2, HTC 8X, and HTC One S. The list also includes the Apple iPhone 5 and iPhone 4S. Consumers can check their old phone's eligibility on the Moto G listing on Flipkart. The online retailer also notes that consumers will be charged Rs. 50 for picking up the old phone, which would differ according to the location.

Flipkart has laid a few conditions for the 'exchange your old phone' offer for the Moto G. The old phone that you wish to exchange should be in a working condition.

In February, Motorola launched the Moto G dual-SIM phone in 8GB and 16GB storage variants at Rs. 12,499 and Rs. 13,999 respectively.

Within few weeks after the successful launch of budget smartphone Moto G (Review) in the country, the former Google-owned company unveiled the Moto X, also exclusively available via Flipkart.

Motorola Moto G

Rs. 12499

Design
Display
Software
Performance
Battery life
Camera
Value for money

Good
Excellent pricing
Runs Android 4.4.2, the most recent version
Decent specs for the price

Bad
Non-expandable storage
Average camera performance

Read detailed Motorola Moto G review

India scrambles to avert court summons for Samsung boss: Reports

4/07/2014 11:08:00 pm TECHNOLOGY No comments

India scrambles to avert court summons for Samsung boss: Reports

India's government is scrambling to prevent the boss of South Korea's Samsung Electronics from being forced to appear in an Indian court on criminal charges over a $1.4-million payment dispute, reports said Friday.

The Supreme Court ordered Lee Kun-Hee, South Korea's richest man, to appear in a local court within six weeks to answer fraud and other criminal charges stemming from the dispute or face arrest if he steps onto Indian soil.

New Delhi-based JCE Consultancy alleges Samsung "cheated" the Indian company out of $1.4 million by failing to pay a bill dating from a 2001-02 transaction and names Lee as among the accused.

The case has been dragging through India's notoriously slow legal system since it was initially filed in 2005.

The Indian government fears the legal case against Samsung could aggravate bilateral commercial ties already strained by delays involving a giant South Korean steel project in India.

"It (the situation) is very unfortunate in our view. Samsung is a major player in India and we want them to continue to expand and invest in the country," Amitabh Kant, secretary in India's industrial policy department, told the Economic Times newspaper.

The external affairs and commerce ministries are discussing ways to resolve the matter amicably by approaching the Supreme Court with alternative options, the media reports said, quoting senior government officials.

"The Supreme Court order may have an adverse impact on India's manufacturing and investment climate. We will explore how best we can ensure that India's investment climate is not affected," Kant added said.

The government fears the summons to Lee, who has an estimated net worth of $11.2 billion, could prove another blow to South Korean giant Posco's steel project in the impoverished eastern state of Orissa, the reports said.

The $12-billion Posco project the biggest foreign investment in India has become emblematic of difficulties facing overseas companies in starting up businesses in India.

The project has yet to start work since being announced nine years ago, after being dogged by environmental, regulatory and land acquisition issues.

The Business Standard newspaper quoted a senior unnamed Indian government official as saying Seoul has "threatened to stop all investments coming into India".

Samsung said in a statement Wednesday that Lee had no connection with the case, which the company said involved a "multi-million dollar fraud scheme" perpetrated against a Dubai subsidiary.

In its ruling, the Supreme Court made no comment on the merits of the case.

Indian courts have a history of summoning top executives who are deemed responsible for alleged offences because of their seniority in their firms.

Samsung Gear Fit, Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo now officially available in India

4/07/2014 11:07:00 pm TECHNOLOGY No comments

Samsung Gear Fit, Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo now officially available in India

The Samsung Gear Fit fitness band, alongside the Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo smartwatches, is now officially available online in India, ahead of the wearable devices' announced April 11 release date.

The Samsung Gear Fit and Gear 2 Neo are listed carrying an identical price tag of Rs. 15,450, lower than the official launch price of Rs. 15,900. The Samsung Gear 2, which is the successor to the company's first smartwatch, has been listed at Rs. 21,550, thought it was also launched at a higher price of Rs. 21,900.

As of now, there is no word on the lower price tag of the three Samsung wearables, but we can expect this to be a limited period offer for the first few consumers. The official Samsung store notes that the Gear Fit, Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo will be delivered in three to five business days.

Notably, Samsung launched the Gear Fit, Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo, alongside the flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S5 in late March for the Indian market.

Samsung globally showcased the new wearable devices at the Samsung unPacked 5 event during MWC 2014, where it also showcased the Galaxy S5, Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo.

Samsung's Gear Fit is the "world's first" wearable device with a curved Super AMOLED touch display and is a fitness band.

The Samsung Gear Fit is smaller and lighter than the Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo smartwatches, and is focused on health. It features a 1.84-inch Super AMOLED display with a 432 x 128 pixel resolution. The Gear Fit comes with a pedometer, heart rate monitor, and a sleep monitor. Other built-in functions include a fitness app, exercise mode, stopwatch, timer, schedule, smart relay, media controller. Additionally, the users will get active notification alerts for SMS, calls, e-mail and apps on the Gear Fit.

A 210mAh battery powers the Samsung Gear Fit, which gives a typical usage of 3 to 4 days and up to 5 days with low usage. The device measures in at 23.4 x 57.4 x 11.95 mm (body only) and weighs 27 grams.

The Samsung Gear 2 on the other hand, features a 1.63-inch Super AMOLED display, a 2-megapixel autofocus camera and sports a metal body. The Gear 2 comes is dust and water resistant (IP67 certified). Other features include accelerometer, gyroscope, heart rate sensor, IrLED and Bluetooth 4.0 LE.

The new Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo will have a heart rate sensor, a pedometer and various tools to measure exercise, sleep and stress levels. Notably, the Samsung Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo are based on Tizen OS, instead of Android.

The Samsung Gear 2 Neo, much like Gear 2 features a 1.63-inch Super AMOLED display. Although does not come with a camera. It is dust and water resistant (IP67 certified) and includes accelerometer, gyroscope, heart rate sensor and various tools to measure exercise, sleep and stress levels. The company rates that with typical use the Gear 2 Neo can last up to 6 days and also comes with Bluetooth 4.0 LE.

Lava Iris Pro 20 with 4.7-inch qHD display launched at Rs. 13,999

4/07/2014 11:06:00 pm TECHNOLOGY No comments

Lava Iris Pro 20 with 4.7-inch qHD display launched at Rs. 13,999

Lava, expanding its Iris Pro series, has launched Iris Pro 20 smartphone at Rs. 13,999. The domestic handset maker has announced that the Lava Iris Pro 20 will be available soon across various online and physical stores.

Notably, the Iris Pro 20 joins the Lava's Iris Pro 30, which was launched in January.

The Lava Iris Pro 20, much like the Iris Pro 30, is a dual-SIM (GSM+GSM) device and supports one regular SIM size, alongside one Micro-SIM. It runs dated Android 4.2 Jelly Bean, with no word on a software update.

It comes with a 5-inch (540x960 pixels) qHD IPS display and OGS (One Glass Solution). The Lava Iris Pro 20 is powered by a 1.2GHz quad-core processor (unspecified chipset) with 1GB of RAM.

The Iris Pro 20 comes with 4GB of inbuilt storage, which is further expandable up to 32GB via microSD. It sports an 8-megapixel rear camera with dual LED flash, while there is a secondary 0.3-megapixel front-facing camera.

On the connectivity front, the Iris Pro 20 includes GPRS/EDGE, 3G, Wi-Fi, Micro-USB, and Bluetooth. The smartphone packs a 2000mAh battery, which according to the company can deliver up to 7.5 hours of talktime and up to 400 hours of standby time. The Iris Pro 20 measures 138x67.5x7.7mm and weighs 120 grams. It is available in Dark Blue colour.

Commenting on the launch, Hari Om Rai, Chairman and Managing Director, Lava International Ltd said, "With the tremendous response that we received after the launch of Iris Pro 30, we are now launching another product in this series to address similar needs at a different price point. The premiumness of Iris Pro 20 extends itself beautifully from Iris Pro 30 and we believe that the product will deliver an unmatched experience to consumers who want a combination of exquisite beauty and unmatched functionality."

Earlier, Lava launched the Iris 550Q at a price of Rs. 13,000. The Android 4.2 Jelly Bean-based Lava Iris 550Q phablet will be available in Black colour variant. The company has claimed that the new phablet is upgradable via FOTA (firmware over the air).

Mobiles launched in April 2014