A year after the launch of the One Touch Hero, Alcatel has introduced its successor - the One Touch Hero 2 - at the ongoing IFA 2014 event. Priced at EUR 350 (roughly Rs. 27,400), the phablet is now available to buy in Europe. The company has not detailed global availability as of yet.

The Android 4.4 KitKat-based Alcatel Touch Hero 2 features a 6-inch full-HD (1080x1920 pixels) IPS display with One Glass Solution (OGS) and Dragontrail Glass. The smartphone is powered by a 2GHz octa-core MediaTek MT6592 processor coupled with 2GB of RAM.

The phablet sports a 13.1-megapixel autofocus rear camera with LED flash, and also houses a 5-megapixel front-facing camera. The One Touch Hero 2 camera features optical image and video stabilisation, and such software features as extended panorama; touch focus; HDR, and burst mode. The smartphone bears 16GB of inbuilt storage which is further expandable via microSD card (up to 32GB).

Connectivity options on the Alcatel One Touch Hero 2 include 3G; 4G; Bluetooth 4.0; Micro-USB 2.0; GPS/ A-GPS, and Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n with Direct functionality. The handset is currently available only in Dark Gray colour variant. It measures 160.5x81.6x7.9mm, and packs a 3100mAh battery that is rated to deliver up to 10 hours of talk time and up to 380 hours of standby time on 3G network.

The Alcatel One Touch Hero 2 comes with a stylus and supports the MagicFlip LED case, which is said to be similar to the HTC Dot View. The case also acts as a virtual DJ mixing deck, as per the company website.

Alcatel One Touch Hero 2

• KEY SPECS
• 
  

Display

6.00-inch

Processor

2GHz

Front Camera

 5-megapixel

Resolution

 1080x1920 pixels

RAM

 2GB

OS

 Android 4.4

Storage

16GB

Rear Camera

13.1-megapixel

Battery capacity

3100mAh

See full Alcatel One Touch Hero 2 specifications

Huawei at its pre-IFA 2014 event on Thursday has launched a new phablet - the Ascend Mate 7. The company said that it will be releasing the Huawei Ascend Mate 7 in 30 markets during this quarter, starting with countries like China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Spain, and the UK. The 16GB variant will be priced at EUR 499 (approximately Rs. 39,000), while the 32GB variant is priced at EUR 599 (approximately Rs. 47,000).

Huawei has put in a fingerprint scanner at the back of Ascend Mate, similar to HTC One Max. The company says that it can support up to five sets of different fingerprints, in regular and guest modes.

The single-SIM Ascend Mate 7 runs Android 4.4 KitKat with EMUI 3.0 skinned on top. It features a 6-inch full-HD (1080x1920 pixels) IPS display that offers 368ppi with Corning Gorilla Glass 3.

The Ascend Mate 7 features an octa-core (1.8GHz A15 + 1.3GHz A7) Kirin 925 SoC with Mali T628 GPU. While the 16GB variant will come with 2GB of RAM, the 32GB variant will pack 3GB of RAM. The internal storage can also be expanded via microSD card (up to 32GB).

The phablet packs a 13-megapixel (f/2.0) camera with Sony's fourth-generation BSI sensor and LED flash, while there is a 5-megapixel front-facing camera also onboard the Ascend Mate 7.

Connectivity options on the Ascend Mate 7 include Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NFC, GPRS/ EDGE, GPS/ A-GPS, 3G and 4G LTE Cat 6 connectivity. It packs a massive 4100mAh Li-Polymer battery. The Ascend Mate 7 measures at 157x81x7.9mm and weighs 185 grams.

The Ascend Mate 7 will be available in three colour options - Obsidian black, Moonlight silver, and Amber gold.

Huawei Ascend Mate 7

• KEY SPECS
• 
  

Display

6.00-inch

Processor

1.3GHz

Front Camera

 5-megapixel

Resolution

 1080x1920 pixels

RAM

 2GB

OS

 Android 4.4

Storage

16GB

Rear Camera

13-megapixel

Battery capacity

4100mAh

See full Huawei Ascend Mate 7 specifications

Xiaomi might be making headlines in India for its smartphones, the Mi 3 and Redmi 1S, but the Chinese manufacturer products aren't just limited to handsets.

After introducing the Mi Flip Cover and Mi Screen Protector Guard for the Mi 3 smartphone, as well as two new power banks, the company has now launched the new Mi In-the-ear Headset (Piston Design) on Flipkart, priced at Rs. 999.

The Mi In-the-ear Headset (Piston Design) reportedly went on sale earlier this week; though the device went 'out of stock' within few hours according to FoneArena.

The Mi In-the-ear Headset (Piston Design) (ZBW4122IN) is a wired device and comes with a built-in microphone. The company claims that cable is made of braided Kevlar cord and also comes with a beryllium alloy diaphragm. The headset supports double damping system and the listing claims that it can even filter unwanted sounds.

(Also see: Xiaomi Mi 3 Review | Pictures)

Last month, Xiaomi released the Mi Flip Cover and Mi Screen Protector Guardaccessories for the Mi 3 smartphone priced at Rs. 559 and Rs. 179 respectively.

The company had also released new Mi 5200mAh Power Bank, priced at Rs. 799 and Mi 10400mAh Power Bank, priced at Rs. 999. Both the power banks feature textured anodised aluminium casings that are water and corrosion resistant, and can sustain a weight pressure of up to 50kgs. The two power banks also feature indicator lights, and both a Micro-USB and USB port.

Xiaomi's new Redmi 1S went on sale earlier on Tuesday and it shared several characteristics from Mi 3 sales. The first Xiaomi Redmi 1S (Review | Pictures) flash sale on saw 40,000 units of the budget smartphone going out of stock on Flipkart in 4.2 seconds.

Lenovo on Friday announced that its S5000 tablet will be available in India. The Chinese manufacturer has tied up with Amazon.in for the launch and said the tablet will be available in India exclusively via the e-commerce giant from Friday.

Although Lenovo had unveiled the tablet at IFA 2013 in Berlin, it has arrived in India only now. The S5000 tablet has a 7-inch IPS display with a resolution of 1280x800 pixels. It weighs 246 grams and is powered by a 1.2GHz quad-core MediaTek 8389 processor coupled with 1GB of RAM.

This S5000 has a 5-megapixel rear camera and a 1.6-megapixel front camera. The tablet runs on the now-dated Android 4.2 Jelly Bean. Lenovo has promised that the tablet will be updated to Android 4.3 Jelly Bean however.

The Lenovo S5000 comes with a 3450mAh battery, which is rated to last for over 8 hours of Wi-Fi Web browsing. Featuring 16GB of built-in storage, the S5000 offers Wi-Fi, 3G, Bluetooth and USB OTG connectivity options.

Rohit Midha, Director, Tablet Business Unit, Lenovo India, said, "In keeping with our commitment to design, the S5000 represents a new league of Tablets that are ultra-sleek and ultra-slim. Partnering with a trusted, global e-commerce giant like Amazon, will make our products more accessible and easier to purchase."

Amazon India's Director Category Management, Samir Kumar, said, "We are excited to be the partner of choice for Lenovo and introduce our customers to the new Lenovo S5000 Tablet close to the festive season. This aligns with our vision of offering customers in India the widest selection at low prices, fast and reliable delivery and a trustworthy shopping experience."