#Samsung, #LG may set up chip making units in #India

NEW DELHI: South Korean multinational conglomerates Samsung and LG are considering setting up units to manufacture electronic chips in India, following the government's clearance to build two such semiconductor units. 

Republic of Korea's Ambassador to India Joon-gyu Lee at a recent event said the Indian government wants to get companies like Samsung and LG, which manufacture semiconductors, to start this operation here as well. 

"The companies (LG and Samsung) are considering the Indian request. The problem is Indian style of slow processes," Lee said. 

No comments were received from the companies. Last week, the Cabinet approved setting up of two semiconductor units entailing total investments of Rs 63,410 crore. One unit would be set up by a consortium led by Jaiprakash Associates and the other by Hindustan Semiconductor Manufacturing Corporation (HSMC). 

In September, the Cabinet had given in-principle nod to the projects. 

India does not have a semiconductor plant yet. Semiconductor, or electronic chip, is the main hardware component that is key to the functioning of devices such as mobiles and computers as well as hi-tech defence equipment. 

These components are vital for cybersecurity too as they can used to manipulate functions in a product or for spying purposes. 

China already has a wide lead over India as it has about 100 facilities. Demand for electronic products in India is expected to rise about 10 times to reach $400 billion by 2020. 

As per market research firm Gartner, Samsung was among top 5 semiconductor companies in terms of revenue in 2012. 

The worldwide semiconductor foundry market totaled $34.6 billion in 2012. Samsung was ranked 5th with market share of 3.7% at revenue of $1,295 million. 

Israel-based Tower Jazz and US-based IBM, which are investing in India as part of the Jaiprakash Associates led consortium, were ranked 6th and 7th in terms of revenue in global market, as per Gartner. 

The consortium led by HSMC has ST Microelectronics and Silterra as partners. 

Details pertaining to LG's semiconductor business could not be ascertained. 

India has announced it would provide 25% subsidy on capital expenditure and tax reimbursement under Modified Special Incentive Package Scheme Policy and exemption of basic customs duty for non-covered capital items for companies setting up semiconductor plant(s). 

In addition, investing companies will be eligible for 200% deduction on expenditure on research and development under Section 35 (2AB) of the Income Tax (IT) Act and investment-linked deductions under Section 35AD of the IT Act. 

The government will also provide interest free loan of approximately Rs 5,124 crore to each facility.

Ref - TOI

#Google starts selling Nexus 5, new Nexus 7 in India

Finally, you can buy Nexus 5, the official Google Android phone, and the newNexus 7 with FullHD screen in India. The two devices are now available on Google's Play store for Indian consumers.

The 16GB model of Nexus 5 sells for Rs 28,999 while the 32GB model costs Rs 32,999. The Wi-Fi version of Nexus 7 costs Rs 20,999 for the unit with 16GB internal stoarge and Rs 23,999 for the unit with 32GB internal storage. 

The 32GB unit of Nexus 7 is also available with support for LTE (cellular data connection). The LTE version costs Rs 27,999.
Nexus 5 will also go on sale in retail stores across India from today. However, in retail stores the device has been priced at Rs 29,999 for 16GB model and Rs 33,999 for 32GB model. The price is Rs 1,000 higher because of added retail-related costs.

To buy from Play store, a consumer has to use a credit card registered with the Google Play store. The two models of Nexus 5 and Nexus 7 (32GB) will ship immediately. the Nexus 7 (16GB) will ship after November 26.

The availability of the availability of Nexus 5 in brick and mortar shops may not be as good as what is possible for Samsung devices but sources said that it will be much better than what was the case with Nexus 4.

Nexus 5, which is made by LG, has high-end hardware but is sold at a much cheaper price compared to other high-end phones like LG G2 and Galaxy Note III because it is a low-margin product for Google. The device is powered by a 2.26 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 quad-core processor. It has 2GB RAM, a 4.9-inch screen with 1080P resolution, 16GB or 32GB internal storage, an 8MP primary camera with optical image stabilization, a 1.3MP front camera and a 2300 mAh battery. It weighs around 130 grams. It is powered by Android 4.4 aka Kitkat, which is the latest version of Android.

The Nexus 7 tablet is also priced very aggressively. It is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro, a quad-core processor running at 1.5 GHz. It has 16GB or 32GB internal storage, 2GB RAM, a 7-inch screen with FullHD resolution, 3950 mAh battery, a 5MP primary camera and a 1.2MP front camera with fixed focus. The device weighs around 290 grams.

While the hardware in both Nexus 5 and Nexus 7 is best-in-class, the real appeal of these devices lies in the software inside them. Like all Nexus devices, Nexus 5 and nexus 7 are powered by the unmodified version of Android. They come with the default user interface unlike other Android devices that ship with a user interface and software features modified by device manufacturers.

Nexus devices are also official Google devices and the Android operating system is fine-tuned to run well on them. This makes Nexus 5 and Nexus 7 fastest Android devices in the market even though they may lack some software or hardware features compared to more expensive phones and tablets.

Nexus 5 and the new Nexus 7 tablets are also guaranteed regular updates for at least 18 months without delay whenever Google implements new features in Android. The same updates reach other Android devices with a delay because those devices are serviced by their manufacturers and not by Google, which controls the development of Android.

#Google Nexus 5 vs. Nexus 4: What's changed

Google and LG finally unveiled the much-awaited new Nexus smartphone, the Nexus 5 with significant changes - they have made the smartphone more powerful, apart from lighter and thinner. The Nexus 5 is also meant to be the platform lead device for Android 4.4 KitKat, showcasing the potential of the new OS. Here is how the Nexus 5 squares up against the Nexus 4, its predecessor, and platform lead device for Android 4.2 Jelly Bean.

Display
Google and LG have decided offer a bigger display with the Nexus 5. It features a 4.95-inch full-HD (1080x1920 pixel) IPS+ LCD display which boasts a pixel density of 445ppi, and comes with Corning Gorilla Glass 3. On the other hand, the Nexus 4 sports a 4.7-inch HD (768x1280 pixels) IPS+ LCD display with a pixel density of 320ppi, and Corning Gorilla Glass 2. We've yet to get our hands on the Nexus 5, and for now, can't take a call on which display is better for now (in terms of viewing angles, colour accuracry, brightness and contrast), with both featuring the same display technology.

Camera
The Nexus 5 sports an 8-megapixel rear camera with OIS, a new addition to Nexus smartphone line-up. It also houses a 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera. On the camera front, the Nexus 4 was criticised for its relative average camera performance. However, Google has now acknowledged the issue and has introduced the optical image stabilisation (OIS) feature in the Nexus 5's camera, which should ensure sharper images and video. The rest of the imaging optics appears to be the same as the Nexus 4, with the same 8-megapixel sized rear camera, and 1.3-megapixel front camera. In addition, the camera app was also updated with Android 4.4 KitKat (which will make its way to the Nexus 4), with Photo Sphere for Panorama 360 degree shots; HDR+ mode for burst shots which automatically chooses the best shot.

Hardware
The Nexus 5 is powered by top-of-the-line 2.3GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor, which is coupled with the Adreno 330 GPU. Its predecessor, the Nexus 4, is powered by 1.5GHz quad-core Krait Snapdragon processor with Adreno 320 GPU.

It seems for the Nexus 5, Google and LG decided to stick with the flagship tradition and chose the Qualcomm's latest processor, available on nearly all the recently launched flagship smartphones like the Samsung Galaxy Note 3, LG G2 and Sony Xperia Z1.

There is an upgrade in the battery department as well; the Nexus 5 comes with 2300mAh battery which the manufacturer claims can deliver up to 17 hours of talktime (3G) and a standby time of up to 300 hours (3G). Nexus 4 came with a 2100mAh battery, which was rated to deliver up to 15 hours of talktime (3G), and 390 hours of standby time (3G).

Notably, the Nexus 5 does not feature expandable storage with a microSD card slot, once again knocking the smartphone off a potential purchase list for some users - the lack of microSD card support was perhaps the biggest omission the Nexus 4 was criticized for.

Design
The Nexus 5 at 8.59mm is definitely slimmer than the Nexus 4, which is 9.1mm thick. It is also lighter at 130 grams, compared to the Nexus 4's 139 grams. The overall design has been also re-worked and instead of the glass back seen on Nexus 4, the Nexus 5 comes with a Nexus 7 (2013) tablet style-panel, featuring a matte finish and prominent Nexus branding.

Connectivity options
Connectivity options on the Nexus 5 have also seen an upgrade with the much-requested addition of LTE network support. The Nexus 4 had been criticised heavily for not including support. The Nexus 5 brings dual-band Wi-Fi 802.11 ac as well. Not many other changes have been made on the Nexus 5 on the connectivity front.

The Nexus 5 also features Android Beam, an NFC enabled feature which lets users share digital details with just a tap of smartphone. Other connectivity features included are wireless charging support, and Bluetooth 4.0, which are also available on the Nexus 4. T

Software
Google's new Nexus smartphone is the first device to run Android 4.4 KitKat out-of-the-box and is definitely an improved version of the Jelly Bean. The Nexus 4 will be receiving the update soon as well, and will have all the same features - so, only the preloaded aspect is different. The new features include a smart dialler, and Google-powered Caller ID. KitKat also brings the ability to wake the smartphone by just saying 'OK Google', a feature which was earlier seen on Moto X.

Google also claims that the Android 4.4 KitKat can now optimise memory and improve touchscreen response for better multitasking. Android 4.4 also bring some new features such as Hangouts app now can show messages and MMS; new immersive mode, offers full screen while reading, watching or playing, on swiping the edges offers navigation bar and status bar; native printing from Android, offers users an option to print documents, images and web pages from a device.

Price
Nexus 5 is priced at $349 for the 16GB variant while the 32GB model costs at $399. In India, the Nexus 5 has been priced at Rs. 28,999 for the 16GB model while the 32GB variant is listed for Rs. 32,999.

On the other hand, the Nexus 4 16GB was launched at $349 in October 2012, and received a $100 price cut in August 2013. For the Indian pricing, the Nexus 4 16GB was launched at Rs. 25,999 in May.

Overall
Those considering upgrading from the Nexus 4 to the Nexus 5 will get a better-specced device that will deliver much faster performance, new Android 4.4 KitKat software out-of-the-box, improved camera, upgraded battery and LTE support (though not for India).

Once again, like the Nexus 4, the Nexus 5 is a great deal for those looking for a value for money performance Android smartphone - just the Snapdragon 800 chipset at this price is a steal.

The Nexus 5 has now been listed on the Indian Google Play store with a pricing of Rs. 28,999, while the Nexus 4 has been removed from the store completely, though we expect online retailers to continue listing it for a while, without a price drop.

LG sells 10 million 4G-enabled smartphones

 LG Electronics said that it has sold more than 10 million smartphones based on the high-speed long-term evolution (LTE) technology.


LG's global LTE smartphone sales topped the 10 million mark last week as the company made an aggressive push into the fast- growing fourth-generation (4G) market, according to an e-mailed statement. 

The result came as the LTE smartphone market is expected to grow rapidly. According to Strategic Analytics, global shipments of LTE smartphones are forecast to increase to 275 million units this year, reported Xinhua. 

The company rolled out its LTE smartphones last year in around 10 countries such as the US, Germany, Japan and South Korea. LG planned to launch its Optimus G smartphone in about 50 nations by the end of this month. 

"Aggressive pushing forward with 4G LTE technology allows LG to satisfy the needs of consumers and is a huge factor in our growing success in global LTE smartphone sales," said Park Jong-seok, president and chief executive of LG's mobile communications division. 

LG Optimus G review: Samsung Galaxy S III, beware

NEW DELHI: LG, the world's third largest phone-maker, has launched its flagship phone Optimus G in India. This smartphone is the inspiration for Google Nexus 4 and has done exceedingly well on various parameters. But it faces fierce competition from rivals like Samsung Galaxy S III and HTC One X, which have been around for quite some time and have some loyal following in the market. So, does LG Optimus Ghave what it takes to beat these proven performers and does it deserve a price tag of Rs 30,000 plus? Let's check it out... 

Hardware: 

LG Optimus G features a 4.7-inch True HD-IPS Plus display with 318ppi pixel density and 1280x768p resolution. It is powered by a 1.5GHz quad-core Snapdragon S4 processor that is supported by 2GB RAM and comes with 32GB internal storage but NO microSD card support. Connectivity features in the Indian version of the phone include NFC, 3G, 2G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0 and microUSB 2.0. 

The front panel has three capacitive keys below the display, while the LG logo, sensors and secondary camera are located on top. On the right is the Power/Lock key and volume rocker as well as sim-card tray are on the left. The bottom has the mic and microUSB port and the top houses the earphone jack. The back has the 13MP camera with LED flash, speaker grille and the LG logo. 

The box comes with a pin that is used to eject the sim-card tray. Without this pin, we resorted to objects like safety pins and board pins and found it quite hard to open the tray. The back panel is non-user removable and encases a 2,100mAh Li-Po battery. 

Design: 

The all-new LG Optimus G is a compact smartphone that fits easily into the palm, despite its sizeable display. In fact, it is about the same size as Samsung Galaxy S II in spite of the noticeable display in screen real estate. The phone appears solid and is easy to grip due to the glass-covered rear. The back panel has a diamond patterned texture beneath the glass that shimmers in light in accordance with the viewing angle. Despite all the good things about the design of the phone, it appears quite industrial and does not evoke much excitement. 

Software: 

The Indian version of LG Optimus G is powered by Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean) straight out of the box, unlike the international version that has Ice Cream Sandwich. The software is layered with Optimus UI that adds some nifty functionalities, such as QSlide, orientation change on home screens, Quick Translator, Safety Care, SmartShare etc. The cool Home Screen transition effect is also something we liked. 

One feature we would like to talk about is QSlide. It consists of apps that can be accessed directly from the Notifications Bar and hover over the screen, just like Pop Up Play video player in Samsung phones. Here you get apps like Video Player, Memo, Calculator, Calendar and Internet Browser, while more can be downloaded from the Google Play. In Notifications Bar, you also get quick access to 14 commonly used features, including Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, mobile data and silent mode. 

If you have an artistic bent of mind, you would probably like QuickMemo; let us illustrate it with an example. If you are browsing the web and find something interesting, you can highlight that part on the screen with QuickMemo and save as well as share it. You can choose various colours, resize the area you wish to edit and even suspend the task and resume it later. 

The phone has a feature called Eco Mode that optimises the CPU performance to enhance its battery life, claims LG. Another battery-saving feature is Power Saver, which kicks in when the battery reaches 30% of its capacity and turns off Wi-Fi as well as mobile data and lowers brightness of the display, among other things. Apps other than the Google Suite that come preloaded on LG Optimus G are Polaris Office 4, Task Manager, Video Editor, Video Wiz, Tasks, Notebook, Remote Call Service (for remote diagnosis of the phone in case of some problems), Quick Translator, Dictionary, File Share and Application Manager. 

Performance: 

LG Optimus G has a blazingly fast processor that carries out all the tasks effortlessly. It also delivers a stellar performance on benchmark evaluations; on AnTuTu compound test, our unit notched up a score of 18296. This is higher than the 16301 score of Samsung Galaxy S III and 14022 of HTC One X, its two chief rivals in India. On Vellamo benchmark test, LG Optimus G once again did better than the two phones. This phone is the fastest in its league right now and does better than Google Nexus 4 as well. 

Camera, Music and Videos: 

The 13MP camera of LG Optimus G is a paper tiger and not up to the mark. Despite the high resolution sensor, the images suffer from noise indoors and in low-light conditions. However, photos taken from up close are good and will please consumers. The camera has some cool features; you can just say Cheese and it will take a picture. TimeCatch will take several photos of the object you are focussing at in a burst, and then you can select the best one, a la Nokia Lumia. Optimus G did not deliver images with sufficient details and true colours that are expected from a 13MP unit, but it does render decent white balance to them. However, we felt that the 8MP units of Samsung Galaxy S III and HTC One X also delivered similar photo quality. 

The music player of the phone is quite basic and offers essential functionalities, but nothing too exciting. The audio output was good and the video player ran videos in popular formats without any glitches. You can zoom while playing and recording videos with Optimus G. 

Daily usage: 

During our review of LG Optimus G, we were quite happy with its performance and especially impressed by its snappy processor. The add-ons by LG (like QSlide and QuickMemo) added to the functionality of the phone. The size of the phone and viewing angles as well as contrast were good too. However, the sunlight legibility of the phone was disappointing and the camera - in spite of being good - did not impress us because of a 13MP sensor with 8MP performance. Battery easily lasted around 13hours with a mix of gaming, internet browsing, voice and video calling, messaging etc when Eco Mode and Power Saver were turned on. 

Rivals: 

The chief rivals of LG Optimus G are Samsung Galaxy S III and HTC One X. The former has enjoyed a great run in all markets including India, whereas the latter is equally potent despite not-so-impressive sales. The biggest advantage that Optimus G has over the two is its processor, which is the chart topper in this segment. The software customisations of Galaxy S III are better, but Optimus G has enough to offer as well. 

Last words: 

LG Optimus G is a powerful phone that will serve buyers well, but they may have to compromise with poor screen legibility and industrial looks with this phone. It will certainly be the best buy for those who do not want to be identified with the crowd of people touting Samsung's current flagship. Moreover, buyers will never feel they are missing out on anything with this phone. The fact that it is the inspiration for Google Nexus 4 speaks volumes for LG's new smartphone as well. However, LG has a lot of catching up to do in terms of market strategy if it wants to beat Galaxy S III sales. 



What we like: 

Powerful processor
Compact size
Good battery life 

What we don't like: 

Poor sunlight legibility
Average camera performance
Industrial looks 

Price: Rs 30,990 

Key specs: 

Display: 4.7-inch True HD-IPS Plus touchscreen with 318ppi pixel density, 1280x768p resolution;
Operating system: Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean) with Optimus UI;
Processor & RAM: 1.5GHz Krait processor & 2GB RAM;
Storage: 32GB in-built memory;
Connectivity: 2G, 3G, Wi-Fi, NFC, Bluetooth 4.0, microUSB 2.0;
Camera: 13MP camera with LED flash on the back and 1.3MP unit in front; and
Battery: 2,100mAh Li-Po

LG Acquires WebOS From HP For Its Televisions

LG is acquiring WebOS, the once promising mobile operating system, from HP in a deal that includes software, engineering talent, and licenses, reports CNET.

LG is acquiring WebOS from Hewlett-Packard, with the intention to use the operating system not for its mobile phones, but in its smart televisions. With the deal, LG obtains the source code for WebOS, related documentation, engineering talent, and related WebOS Web sites. LG also gets HP licenses for use with its WebOS products, and patents HP obtained from Palm. The financial terms of the deal weren't disclosed.

"It creates a new path for LG to offer an intuitive user experience and Internet services across a range of consumer electronics devices," said Skott Ahn, President and CTO of LG Electronics.

LG says it will continue to support Palm users.