Gongkai phone sells for $12

Ever thought of paying as little as $12 (amounts to approximately Rs 650) for a fully-functional phone? Well, we came across the Gongkai phone, which now makes it possible. It's a complete quad-band GSM phone featuring an OLED display, Bluetooth and MP3 playback. It has only basic features, but that's what one could expect at that price. The phone is a great option if you are going on a short trip/vacation or during the monsoon when people don't want to carry their expensive smartphones. Moreover, at $12, the phone is unlocked and contract-free; it also comes with a protective silicone sleeve. A basic phone for $12 (Image credit: bunnie studios) After a teardown, bunnie studios reveals that the low price of the phone is possible due to several factors. The entire case snaps together and there are no screws holding the phone together. There are almost no connections inside and all components, such as the battery and display, are soldered directly to the board. There is a flipping switch that helps hard-disconnect the battery. Further, the battery also has no secondary protection circuit. Despite its slacky built, the phone features a backlit keypad and decorative lights around the edge. It equips the Mediatek MT6250DA chip and a Vanchip VC5276. The CPU clocks at 260MHz, 32-bit. The MT6250 chip is said to sell for less than $2 when bought in bulk. Apparently, the production price of the phone goes below $10.  Last year, we came across the M2 phone from a Chinese handset manufacturer going by the name Ken Xin Da. The phone priced at Rs 1,200 was amongst the tiniest phones one could find in the market. It came with a dual-SIM, dual-standby option, rated talktime of 240 minutes and bundled a 2GB memory card. Affordable tablets and phones are a boon for developing nations like India. In fact, we’ve had our tryst with the Aakash tablet project. We’ve seen this cheapest tablet in the world face a lot of ups and downs. One shouldn't expect superior quality or performance from Gongkai either (considering its price). The price of the device is as low as ordering a highly-loaded large pizza or a nifty pair of earphones. A sub-Rs 1,000 phone could be a great initiative for India, especially as we are looking to connect remote and isolated regions of the country.

Nikon launches new cameras in Coolpix line-up

Nikon has expanded its Coolpix line-up with new cameras. The point-and -shoot cameras have automatic features and are aimed towards making photography more accessible. The cameras feature high-definition video recording and automatic capture and are available in different colours. Alongside the camera, Nikon has launched a new ad campaign, dubbed "Simply Wow". Speaking at the launch, Hiroshi Takashina, Managing Director, Nikon India, said, “Nikon, once again brings excitement to camera industry by rolling out new products and a new campaign which strives to make a strong connect with the consumers. With this launch, Nikon reiterates its commitment to offer products with stylish designs, vibrant colours that are equipped with easy functionality to capture precious moments of life. We really wanted to show consumers what is possible with the new Coolpix series and emphasize the outstanding picture quality it can deliver. We recognize that today’s consumer is looking for technological superiority and it is showcased through the new Coolpix range.” The launch consists of 17 new cameras with 69 colour variants along with Coolpix A. Coolpix A is the first compact digital camera in the line-up to be equipped with a DX-format CMOS sensor. The company claims that its capabilities are comparable to those of a digital SLR camera. It is equipped with an exclusively designed wide-angle 18.5 mm, f/2.8 fixed focal length NIKKOR lens. One of the new members of Nikon's Coolpix A line-up The Coolpix P-series models include the Coolpix P520 and Coolpix P330. The Coolpix P520 is equipped with a 42x optical zoom NIKKOR lens that is capable of super-telephoto shooting at the equivalent of a 1000 mm focal length. The Coolpix P330 comes with an effective pixel count of 12.2 million pixels and a large 1/1.7-inch backside illumination CMOS sensor, which enables high sensitivities and less noise. The S series includes nine new models (Coolpix S9500, S9400, S6500, S5200, S4400, S3500, S3400, S2700 and S31) that are equipped with features like Wi-Fi compatibility and built-in GPS. The Coolpix L-Series comprises of four models (Coolpix L820, L320, L28 and L27) with features including a high-powered optical zoom to automatic shooting functions that makes taking dazzling pictures easy. The new camera in the AW series is the Coolpix AW110, which is an outdoor camera built with waterproof resistance to a depth of 18 m. It comes equipped with Wi-Fi, built-in GPS and world map and is shock-proof upto 6.6 feet. All of the newly-launched cameras are now available in stores. The Coolpix A is priced at Rs 54,950. The price of the P series cameras range from Rs 16,950 to Rs 24,950. The S series camera prices range from Rs 5,950 to Rs 18,950. The L series cameras are priced between Rs 4,990 to Rs 15,450. The Aw series camerea is priced at Rs 16,950. With the new additions, the Coolpix line-up now has 22 different models to choose from.