Q: I want to buy a mobile for under Rs 13,000. I have shortlisted the Nokia C5-03, Samsung Galaxy Y, Samsung ACE, Sony Ericsson Xperia Mini and Xloud. But I am confused about which one to buy. I need Android (Gingerbread), 3G, at least a 3.5 mp camera, battery backup of 6-8 hours, GPRS , GPS, maps, Wi-Fi , Bluetooth and a 3.5-inch touch screen. And, is Android more prone to virus threats? - Preethi, on email
G&G: If you want to go for Android, you will have to choose between Sony Ericsson and Samsung as Nokia doesn't have phones on the operating system. Also, of the handsets mentioned, we suggest you go for the Sony Ericsson Xperia Mini as it is a good device with almost all the features you mentioned. Only, instead of a 3.5-inch display, it has a 3-inch display. Other features include 5MP camera, 1GHz processor and 1200mAh battery. Do check out Xperia Mini Pro with a keypad if you like to use it. As for virus threats, Android phones do tend to get affected and you will have to be a bit careful while accepting Bluetooth transfers, opening unknown links and downloading apps. The best protection is to instal an anti-virus software on the phone.
Q: I am going to buy a tablet costing below Rs 15,000. I read the April issue of G&G, which left me confused between the Lenovo Ideapad A1 and the BlackBerry Playbook 16 GB. Kindly help me. - Aman Gupta , on email
G&G: BlackBerry Playbook is a fine piece of hardware as is the Lenovo tablet. If you use a BlackBerry smartphone, your Playbook can become an extension to the device. Also, with Playbook 2.0 you can use it as a stand-alone tablet. On the other hand, the Lenovo runs on Android operating system v2.3, not the latest OS. At the moment you will get more apps for the Lenovo than the BlackBerry. So, your choice is between two OSes.
Q: Is there an Android tablet with the same specifications as the BlackBerry Playbook, that is with a 1 GHz dual-core processor with 1GB RAM and costing up to Rs 15,000? - Dilip PMK, on email
G&G: No. The Playbook is the best tablet at this price. All tablets with dual-core processor on Android are priced above Rs 25,000.
Q: My uncle wants to buy a dual SIM phone with Android, up to 800Mhz processor, good camera and touchscreen. His budget is Rs 9,000.Please suggest an affordable phone. - Harsh Khanna , on email
G&G: You can consider the iBall Andi 2, which is a dual-SIM phone with 800MHz processor, Android v2.2, 3MP camera for Rs 9,999.
Q: I'm a student and planning to buy an Android smartphone. My budget is around Rs 9,000. Please suggest a phone with good display and powerful processor.- Shoaib Khan
G&G: You really don't have too many options for Rs 9,000 Android smartphone. Also, the phones in this price band do not normally have the best processors and displays. Your best bets are the Samsung Galaxy Y, HTC Explorer and the LG Optimus Net.
Q: I'm in a bit of a dilemma. I need a good laptop for college and have zeroed on the Macbook Pro 15 inch, the Alienware M14X and a couple of Ultrabooks, ranging from the Dell XPS 13 to the HP Folio and the Acer S3. My basic requirements are gaming, a good battery, music and movies, MS Office and portability. The machine must also stay cool on continuous usage. Please guide me in making a good choice. - Suprotik Das, on email
G&G: You should just buy a good Ultrabook. The Dell XPS 13, HP Folio and Acer which you have shortlisted fit the bill. You can also use an Ultrabook for serious gaming as they come with integrated HD cards. The other features that you need, especially the cooling, are standard in Ultrabooks. Just choose the device which has the price that fits your budget.
Q: Out of the two new phones expected to be launched in India soon, Sony Xperia S and the HTC One S, which one should I buy? Or is the Samsung Galaxy S2 still a better option? Kritin Kapoor, on email
G&G: I think you should go for HTC One S as it runs 1.5GHz dualcore processor and is paired with 1GB RAM. While the specifications of the Xperia S are similar, it will run on Android 2.3, upgradable to v4.0, whereas HTC One S will come with Android v4.0 onboard. It doesn't make sense to go for Samsung Galaxy SII when newer phones with the latest version of the operating system are just round the corner.
