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5.3-inch Spice Stellar Pinnacle Mi-530 hits India with a piquant 5MP front-facing camera
The large phone juggernaut rolls on with word on yet another contender raising its head in India, this time from the Spice stable. While the headline-grabbing 5-megapixel front camera may not be a world first, the Stellar Pinnacle Mi-530 rocks some decent specs for its Rs 13,999 ($260) asking price. The 5.3-inch qHD (960 x 540) IPS display hides a 1.2GHz dual-core chip, 1GB of RAM, 16GB storage, a microSD slot, dual-SIM support and an 8-megapixel rear snapper, all powered by a beefy 2,550mAh battery. We'd have preferred a more recent version of Mountain View's mobile OS instead of the Android 4.0 that the smartphone ships with, but it does attempt to spice up the offering with a bunch of software tricks, including Popup Play and Direct Call. Hardly ground-breaking, but hey, at least self-portrait addicts can indulge themselves without their hands tied.
Spice Mobile's Popkorn handset touts built-in projector, 1080p unlikely
We're big fans of new kit splashing down close to home, but there's a certain intrigue attached to handsets hailing from faraway locales. So when a loyal reader tipped us off to Spice Mobile's M-9000 Popkorn, a candybar phone from India featuring a built-in projector, we understandably took notice. Originating from the land of saffron for 6,900 rupees (approximately $158), its showcase feature allows users to project broadcast television onto the wall -- not exactly an ideal TV replacement, but it'd do in a pinch. Additionally, designers integrated live and scheduled recording of FM radio for those who'd rather listen in. Conversely, the M-9000 is a woefully dated phone, held back in the ages of analog TV, GPRS and Edge networks. No specs were noted on the projector's resolution, though given an internal 2.4-inch display at 320 x 240, we speculate its splay is one only Mr. Blurrycam could appreciate. Much like India itself, the Popkorn is an apt representation of the past and future, held together as one. Perhaps that's why we feel such fond sentiment for this little guy -- check out Spice's entire portfolio at the source. [Thanks, Akash]
Spice S940 brings out the student in all of us
Before you ask -- no, this candybar isn't specially equipped to help you cheat on tests, it's actually helpful for studying. Imagine that, right? The Spice S940 reportedly comes loaded with the ability to make / receive calls, take snapshots with its two megapixel camera, tune into FM radio, play back multimedia files and access an online portal that provides preparation for the CAT, IIT and a few other professional exams. Moreover, the "email2sms" feature beams your emails to you by way of text message, and the included "friend finder" is sure to go over well with the social networking fanatics. And hey, Rs 5,999 ($122) ain't bad for a digital study guide.
India's Spice Mobile spices things up with X-1 gaming phone
Unlike the Bell X-1, the first aircraft to break the sound barrier, the Spice X-1 isn't going to break any speed records limping along with a quaint little GPRS chipset. After the initial bout of browsing withdrawal, though, the average user might be able to settle in, enjoy the phone's rather comprehensive gaming facilities, and forget about data connectivity altogether (that's not us, necessarily, but we imagine those people must exist somewhere). The phone ships with a dedicated gaming controller that can be snapped on and used when trying to blast your foes away on the standard numeric pad just isn't cutting it, and the touted surround sound and stereo Bluetooth should help give it some street cred, too. It can be had for 8,899 rupees (about $212), which isn't bad considering the feature set; just don't expect the bundled Opera Mobile to take you very far.[Via Unwired View]