croma
Latest
Apple's first stores in India open next month
It's kind of bonkers that Apple doesn't already have a retail presence in India, a country with some 1.25 billion people, but that's the world we live in. For a little bit longer anyway. Cupertino's working to address this by partnering with Tata (yes, them) to put Apple shops inside several Croma stores in the region, according to The Times of India. The current plan is to open by next month's Diwali festival of lights. The Times also reports that because Apple hasn't set up shop on its own because it's been unable meet a mandatory ruling regarding "local-sourcing norms" for a foreign investment in retail.
Amazon launches India Kindle Store, swap rupees for good reads
Indian consumers haven't been cut off from Amazon's world of e-book goodies, but their experience is about to get a lot more native with the launch of a local Kindle Store. The prices of over a million books are now available in rupees, and if you're in need of hardware, the latest bare-bones Kindle can now be found in-store at Croma for Rs. 6,999. That E Ink Pearl screen comes at a premium, however, as there are more than a few budget-friendly tablets available in the country which support the Kindle app. The best news is probably reserved for fledgling writers, who now have access to Kindle Direct Publishing to showcase their work and hopefully net some purchases.
Olive Pad VT100 brings a voice-capable, 7-inch Android tablet to India's airwaves
Ha, and you thought Dell's Streak was pushing the boundaries of what's acceptable to hold to one's ear. In a bid to make even the xpPhone look diminutive, Olive Telecom has just announced India's first 3.5G Android (2.1 for now) tablet in the Olive Pad VT100. This 7-inch slate is said to boast an 800 x 480 resolution on a capacitive touchpanel, not to mention Bluetooth, WiFi, an SD card slot, 512MB of internal memory (plus 512MB ROM), a 3.5mm audio jack, 3 megapixel camera, mini USB socket and a 3,240mAh battery. There's also a mysterious front facing camera for video calls, and sure enough, this thing actually supports voice, which may very well make it the largest smartphone to launch in 2010. If all goes well, it'll seep out in India next month, with a price of around Rs.20000 to Rs.25000, or $425 to $530 in terms of Greenbacks. We wouldn't get our hopes up for an immediate launch in North America, but word on the street has it that Russia and Europe could see this bad boy in the not-too-distant future. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
