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The Sony HDR-CX220E camcorder can capture still images in 8.9MP resolution and can record Full HD (1080p) videos. This camcorder is light weight, comes with Exmor R CMOS sensor and is priced at Rs. 19,700.

CX220E Box Pack

You get a free camcorder bag and a 4GB SONY SDHC (class 4) memory card. Inside the box there is the CX220E camcorder, battery, charger, USB extension cable, HDMI cable and user manual.

Design

The Sony HDR-CX220E is light weight (178 grams). It is comfortable to hold. There is no power on /off button, just open the LCD and the camcorder will switch on. In some specific mode you can record as well as capture still images.

The record button is near the battery, easily accessible. The still camera button and the ZOOM button are on the top. The lens cover is built in, there is a slider to open / close the lens. There is built in microphone and no option to connect external mic. There is a DC in jack to charge the camcorder or you can use the built in USB cable. Other features included are HDMI out jack, multi USB terminal and grip belt that also houses the small built in USB cable (see image).

The 2.7 inch Wide LCD screen looks okay also it is not a touch screen and there are two buttons. The first one is 4 directional for navigation + press to select. The second button is the play button for viewing the images / videos. The LCD screen is not of a very good quality and I am already seeing two live pixels though very tiny and hardly noticeable when using the camera but I can see them when switching on the camcorder or with black background.

Performance

The HDR-CX220E camcorder comes with 29.8mm wide angle lens with 32X zoom. It does have the steady shot option. The auto focus is fast and really good. The still camera quality is okay but the videos are excellent, good enough in low light condition. There is no flash option.

There are different shooting modes from high quality AVCHD to MP4 formats. The videos are smoother, sharper and good even in low light environment (Low Lux) thanks to the Exmor CMOS sensor.

This Sony camcorder can track faces (face detection) and supports Dolby digital stereo. There is wind noise reduction option that reduces wind noise and also built in Mic zoom – you zoom close to the subject and the audio perspective changes accordingly.

You can switch to manual modes but it’s much simpler using the auto mode as navigation on the non-touch type screen is not that comfortable. In record mode there are different options the highest quality i.e. 1080p video – 1080p @50i on a 4GB card will record up to 21 minutes and about 1 hour 18 minutes of recording in 720p recording MP4 format. In the highest mode you cannot capture images when recording video, in lower modes you can.

Battery

The Battery NP-FV30 is 500 mAh that gives a usage time of approx 1 hour 48 minutes. The battery does drain off quickly, for better backup switch to max power saving mode and if possible switch off the beep sound. You can expect a backup time of around 1:20 to 1:30 minutes.

Sony HDR-CX220E review

Buy this only if you want to use it as a camcorder (for shooting videos), not for still photography. The still photos are okay, not so impressive. Video quality is very good. High quality takes a lot of space, so you might want to invest in high capacity storage card. Overall it is a very good Full HD camcorder for under Rs. 20,000. Sony HDR-PJ380E is another model for Rs. 38,950 it comes with a built in projector.

Samsung has announced the Samsung WB110 compact point and shoot camera with 26x optical zoom and with wide angle lens (22.3mm). This camera can shoot still images in 20.2MP resolution and can also record 720p videos.

The WB110 comes with a 3 inch LCD screen with HVGA resolution (480×320 pixels). The ISO can be manually set to a max 3200. There is a built in flash that will pop up when required. This is a professional looking compact camera with a near about DSLR feel.

There is full Auto mode called smart auto mode (with ability to switch to movie / still image mode), live panorama and other features like split shot, special filters and magic frame. The Samsung WB110 power source is via 4 AA removable batteries.

The Sony CyberShot lens style camera has been launched in India for under Rs. 25,000. The Sony CyberShot QX10 is the cheapest version for Rs. 12,990 and the Sony CyberShot QX100 comes for Rs. 24,990.

These are lens attachments for smartphones. It’s like converting your smartphone into a professional digital camera, the lens top is attached with the smartphone and the smartphone screen is used as the view finder.

This device makes use of NFC or Wi-Fi for communicating with the handset via special software. The Sony CyberShot QX10 comes with EXMOR RCMOS Sensors with 18.2 megapixel resolution with 10x optical zoom and image stabilization. The QX10 is priced at Rs. 12,990.

Huawei today launched a quad core tablet for Rs. 24,990 in India. The Huawei MediaPad 10 what they call sports a 10.1 inch IPS screen with HD display running the Jelly Bean 4.1 OS. This tablet can be pre-ordered from Flipkart and it does come with built in 3G SIM slot.

The Huawei MediaPad 10 is 9.9 mm thick and weight is 640 grams. This tab comes powered by 1.2 GHz Cortex-A9 Quad Core (Hisilicon K3V2) with 16 cores GPU. It runs on the Jelly Bean 4.1 with 1GB RAM and 16GB internal storage.

The 10.1 inch screen of capacitive nature supports 1280×800 pixels resolution with 10 point multi touch. There is a front 0.3MP camera and a rear 3MP. It’s a fixed focus camera. As mentioned there is built in SIM slot that supports 3G SIM. In addition there is Wi-Fi, GPS, Bluetooth, micro USB and 3.5mm audio jack.

The battery is 6000 mAh Li-po that gives standby time of about 600 hours and video playback time / internet browsing time of up to 8 hours.

Huawei MediaPad 10 key features and specifications

Built in SIM slot. (micro SIM I guess).

Quad core Cortex A9 1.2 GHz Hisilicon K3V2 + 16 core GPU.

Android 4.1 Jelly Bean.

1GB RAM, 16GB storage and micro SD card slot (32GB).

10.1 inch capacitive touchscreen with 1280×800 pixels resolution (16M colours ~ 149.45).

3MP FF primary camera + 0.3 MP FF secondary camera. Full HD playback and HD recording supported.

3G (42mbps), 2G, Wi-Fi (b/g/n), Bluetooth 3, 3.5 mm audio jack, micro USB and GPS.

Sensors: Light and Accelerometer.

Li-po 6000 mAh battery with up to 8 hours of usage time.

Price Rs. 24,990 (via Flipkart).

The Karbonn smart A34 HD tablet with dual SIM slot is now available for Rs. 7,290. This 7 inch tablet runs on the Android 4.0 OS and comes powered by 1GHz cortex A9 single core processor.

Tablets with built in SIM slot and phone functionality are not that popular. It does sound exciting until you purchase it. Many of the users who have bought tablet with phone functionality have at some point of time moved to smartphones as it is more convenient specially when making or receiving a call.

The Karbonn A34 HD sports a 7 inch screen with 1024×600 pixels resolution. The ICS OS runs on this tablet with 512MB RAM and 4GB storage. There is a rear camera of 2MP resolution and a front VGA camera. The key attraction is the dual SIM option; however do note that 3G is not supported. You can connect an external 3G dongle if you need 3G accesses, but via the SIM slot only the 2G network (EDGE) is available.

Other features are Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS (needs confirmation), micro USB port and 3.5mm audio jack. The battery is of a standard 3000 mAh capacity. The Karbonn A34 tablet with 800×480 pixels resolution is available for Rs. 6,999 on Flipkart and the Karbonn A34 with HD screen resolution comes for a price tag of Rs. 7,290 on Infibeam.

has launched another 3G calling tablet called the Swipe MTV Slate for a price tag of Rs. 14,999. This tablet comes with single SIM slot and a 7.8 inch screen.

The MTV Slate runs on the Jelly Bean 4.2.2 OS with on-board 1GB RAM and 8GB storage. There is a single SIM slot – 3G / 2G supported with voice call functionality. Additional storage can be added via the Micro SD slot (up to 32GB). This tab is loaded with quad core processor (MT6589 MTK8389) clocked at 1.2GHz (cortex A7) coupled with PowerVR SGX 544MP GPU.

The IPS touch screen is 7.85 inches with 1024×768 pixels resolution. This tab also comes with dual cameras. There is a VGA camera on the front and a 5 megapixel camera on the rear. The Swipe MTV Slate Tablet is 8.4mm thick and weight is 400 grams. There is built in FM receiver and full HD playback is supported.

Other features are 3G, 2G, Wi-Fi (b/g/n), Bluetooth 4.0, probably GPS (needs confirmation) and OTG support. Battery is of 3200 mAh (li-ion) capacity which seems too less for the size.

Kindle Fire HDX tablets will be more powerful and lighter than its predecessor. Amazon announced the Kindle Fire HDX 7 and Kindle Fire HDX 8.9 tablets with a price tag of $229 and $379 respectively. The 8.9 inch tablets also come in 4G LTE variant for $479.

The Kindle Fire HD tablet prices had already dropped a few days back, that was an indication of new arrival’s. These tablets run on Fire OS 3.0 Mojito with new features, platform updates from time to time and access to Amazon exclusive services.

The Kindle Fire HDX 7 sports a 7 inch screen with 1920×1200 pixels resolution i.e. 323 ppi. It is powered by 2.2GHz quad core processor. The 7 inch version may also come with optional 4G which will cost more.

The 7 inch Fire HDX supports Wi-Fi, comes with front facing HD camera, optional 16/32/64GB storage space, Dolby audio and dual stereo speakers. This tab is 9mm thick and weighs 303 grams for Wi-Fi version and 311 grams for 4G version. On a full charge the tab gives 11 hours of usage and up to 17 hours when reading. The price is $229.

Amazon Kindle Fire HDX 8.9 too is powered by quad core processor clocked at 2.2GHz. It houses a 8.9 inch screen with 2560×1600 pixels resolution (339 ppi). Other features are Wi-Fi, optional 4G, optional 16/32/64 GB storage, Dolby audio / Dual stereo speakers, front HD camera and 8MP rear camera. On a full charge this 8.9 inch tab gives 12 hours usage and 18 hours of reading.

The Micromax Canvas Tab P650 is here to compete with the Samsung Galaxy Tab. The P650 is loaded with 1.2GHz quad core processor running 4.2 Jelly Bean OS with 1GB RAM and 16GB storage. This tablet is priced at under Rs. 16,500 is it worth it, find out.

Box Pack

The box looks attractive and is quite heavy. The Sar value is mentioned on the box – 1.00 W/[email protected] head and 1.49 W/[email protected] body. Inside you will find the tablet attached with a good quality snap cover. Other accessories included are power adapter, data cable, earphone and warranty statement / user manual.

Design, Display and OS

The Micromax Canvas Tab P650 tablet weight is 448 grams without snap cover, the weight with snap cover is over 500 grams (585 grams). Tab is 9.55mm thick. The P650 has got curved edges and available in blue and white (sliver) colors. The one that I used for the review is shiny silver color with matte finish and the snap cover is white color.

The snap cover is something that you might have seen with the Apple iPad. You can fold it and use it as a stand, check the review video. The cover comes with a plastic case – the tablet is clipped in. Volume rockers are placed on the right side along with micro USB port and a single SIM slot that houses a normal SIM. This tablet supports 3G with phone functionality. The power button, 3.5mm audio jack and micro USB port is placed on the top.

There is no dedicated buttons on the front panel, when you power on the tablet you will get the onscreen buttons. There is in call speaker and front camera of 2MP resolution. The Build quality and finishing is very good, though the tab feels a bit heavy.

The Micromax Canvas Tab P650 runs on Android 4.2.1 and sports an 8 inch screen with 1024×658 pixels with 16M colors, but because of the absence of dedicated navigation buttons the usable screen resolution is 976×768 pixels.

There are accelerometer, orientation and magnetic sensors. The magnetic sensor is indeed present and may sound weird as most of the Micromax handsets never come with this particular sensor.

Memory, Storage and OS

RAM is 1GB of which 650 MB is available and of the 16GB storage 1.73 GB is allocated for apps (1.59GB free) and 10.95GB as USB storage (it’s a tab and hence they used the word USB storage instead of phone storage). There is micro SD card slot that supports 32GB card. You can install / move apps on external storage. I tried connecting a pen drive using OTG cable, and it doesn’t work. OTG not supported.

Performance and Benchmark

The Canvas Tab P650 is powered by quad core cortex A7 MT8389 chipset clocked at 1.2GHz with PowerVR SGX 544 MP GPU. The performance is smooth without any lags.

Benchmark scores

Quadrant Benchmark: 4052.

Antutu Benchmark : 13274.

Vellamo Benchmark : HTML5 – 1497, Metal – 503.

Nenamark2 : 51.2fps.

Epic Citadel Benchmark: 59.1 in high performance and 27.0 in ultra high quality mode.

Multi Touch : 5 point.

OTG is not supported.

The scores are a little better than as seen on Samsung Galaxy Tab 3.

Camera and Entertainment

The rear auto focus camera is 5MP resolution without LED flash. Still image long shots are okay and close ups are good. The camera can record videos in 1080p resolution at 30fps the video quality is also good. There is a 2MP front camera, its fixed focus. Check out the samples and video at the end.

Gaming

I tried Dead Trigger in high graphics mode and Asphalt 7, both these games worked smoothly without any issues. The games got installed on the external SD card. I then tried the MC4 (Modern combat 4) that unfortunately did not work.

Others

There is built in 3G, you can use the handset as a phone, either via Bluetooth, earphone or simply place the in-call speaker near the ear and talk (this might look odd cause of the size). 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth worked well. I did not get the time to check the GPS, but I think you should get a lock within 30 seconds easily. Speaker volume is much louder and clear.

Battery

The 4800 mAh Li-ion battery gives a talk-time of up to 10 hours and usage time of up to 5 hours. I played some games for about 16 minutes and battery level dropped to 6% and temp rose by 2 degrees, the max temp was 35 degrees.

Micromax Canvas Tab P650 review (verdict)

The MMX Canvas Tab competes with Samsung Galaxy tab. If you compare it with the Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 (T211) (with 8GB and 3G), there is much more that the P650 is offering, the price is near about the same. It will be interesting to see what Xolo Tegra Note will be priced at.

Of course Canvas Tab P650 is a better option specs wise but brand wise Samsung still rules. Nevertheless Canvas Tab is a good option with snap cover.

Lava mobiles has launched their first dual SIM tablet Lava E-Tab IVORY, that runs on Android 4.1 OS and supports 3G with voice calling. The E-Tab IVORY is priced at Rs. 10,199 and will hit the stores with few days.

The Lava E-Tab IVORY comes powered by MediaTek dual core processor with PowerVR SGX 531 Ultra GPU. The SGX 531 Ultra GPU is clocked at 500 MHz that should be good enough for gaming and overall performance.

The IVORY E-Tab sports a 7 inch screen with 1024×600 pixels resolution. You can use two SIM cards. 3G including voice call facility is supported. This tab comes with dual cameras of 2MP resolution that is placed on the rear and a 0.3 MP (VGA) resolution placed on the front.

Lava E-Tab IVORY is 10.8mm thick. Tabet also includes Wi-Fi, GPS and Bluetooth. Android 4.1 jelly Bean comes loaded with 4GB internal storage and 1GB RAM + MicroSD card support. The battery of 3000 mAh seems too less for this specification, however Lava has mentioned that the battery backup is about 5 hours on a full charge

The IVORY Tab with dual SIM and 3G support coming soon for Rs. 10,199.

Simmtronics has launched dual SIM Xpad Freedom a 7.8 inch tablet that comes powered by 1.2GHz quad core processor, supports 3G and runs on Android 4.2 OS. This tablet is listed on Flipkart without a price tag. The Xpad Freedom is expected to be priced under Rs. 14,000.

The Simmtronics Xpad Freedom sports a 7.8 inch capacitive IPS touch screen playing around with a resolution of 1024×768 pixels. This tab houses dual SIM slot and supports 3G / 2G with voice calling. Xpad freedom runs on Android Jelly Bean 4.2.2 with 1GB DDR3 RAM and 8Gigs of internals storage. There is micro SD card slot that can add additional storage of up to 32GB.

This tab is powered by quad core processor clocked at 1.2GHz with PowerVR SGX 544MP GPU. The tab also comes with dual camera – 2MP on the font (secondary camera) and 5MP on the rear (Primary camera).

The specifications mentioned on the Flipkart site are not clear, we are not sure if the tab supports Bluetooth and GPS. Other included features are Wi-Fi and 3G/2G. Battery looks good with a 5000 mAh capacity and as per the company it will give 5 hours of browsing and up to 6 hours of video playback on a full charge.

The Simmtronics Xpad Freedom could be priced at under Rs. 14,000.