Micromax to offer Windows Phone smartphones later this year

Domestic handset maker Micromax has
partnered with Microsoft to offer
Windows Phone 8.1-powered
smartphones in the country.

The deal -
that was announced on Wednesday at
Microsoft's Build 2014 conference in
San Francisco - is expected to
intensify competition in the
smartphone space in India.

Microsoft Executive VP (Operating
Systems) Terry Myerson on Wednesday
said: "We are thrilled to welcome 11
new Windows Phone partners since
Mobile World Congress in February,
with the addition of Micromax and
Prestigio just announced today".
Delhi-based Micromax's revenues were
Rs. 3,168 crores for the financial
year 2012-13 and it expects to clock
revenues of $1 billion for the last
fiscal-ended March 2014. The mobile
manufacturer is expected to release
its first Windows Phone smartphone
later this year.

Micromax, which is the second largest
smartphone player in India, held about
16 percent market share in Q4 2013,
according to IDC data. Some its top-
selling models were the entry level
smartphones like A35 Bolt and A67.
Besides, the software giant has also
announced that it will offer its
Windows operating system free to
smartphone and tablet makers (for
devices with screen-sizes less than 9-
inches), a move that will help the firm
compete with Google's Android and
Apple's iOS in the fiercely competitive
smart devices market.
This offering also enables hardware
partners to provide their customers a
one-year subscription to Office 365 .

The move, though surprising, will led
to a fiercer competition in the
smartphone and tablets space,
especially in the backdrop of its plans
to acquire the handset business of
Finnish phone maker Nokia for $7.2
billion.

Microsoft's third CEO, Satya Nadella,
since his appointment in February
has been emphasising the company's
focus on mobile and cloud.

Micromax Bling 3 A86 with Android 4.1 available online for Rs. 9,599

Micromax has released the new
smartphone under its Bling smartphone
product-line, the Bling 3 A86 at a
price point of Rs. 9,599 through online
retailers. The Indian handset vendor
has not launched the device officially
but the device is available on online
retailers like Snapdeal and Infibeam.
The handset was listed on Flipkart with
the coming soon tag, last week and the
said listing has still not been updated
with a price tag.
The Micromax Bling 3 A86 features a
4-inch capacitive touch display and
comes with dimensions of
65.5x128.5x11.4mm. It is a dual-SIM
(GSM+GSM) device that runs Android
4.1 Jelly Bean and is powered by 1GHz
dual-core processor. The Bling 3 A86
sports a 5-megapixel rear camera and
a 0.3-megapixel front camera. There is
no mention of the internal storage but
it comes with expandable storage of up
to 32GB. Connectivity options include
Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, 3G, GPRS, EDGE and
GPS. It comes with Micromax's own apps
and content stores such as M! Zone
and M! Live. It also supports FM Radio.
The Micromax Bling 3 A86 also features
Swarovski Zirconia diamonds and
follows the same design language that
we've seen in previously launched Bling
devices. The device will be the fourth
device launched under the Bling range
of phones that includes the original
Bling , Android powered Bling 2 and
Bling X44.
Earlier this month, Micromax launched
its much-awaited flagship smartphone,
the Canvas 4 in India for Rs. 17,999. It
comes with a 5.0-inch HD (720x1280)
display and is powered by a 1.2GHz
quad-core processor alongside 1GB
RAM and 16GB internal storage. The
Micromax Canvas 4 comes with a 13-
megapixel rear camera and 5-megapixel
front camera. It runs Android 4.2.1
Jelly Bean. Connectivity options include
Wi-Fi, GPS, Bluetooth and Micro-USB.
Canvas 4 is powered by a 2,000mAH
battery.
Micromax Bling 3 A86 key specifications
4-inch capacitive display
1GHz dual-core processor
Expandable up to 32GB via microSD
card
5-megapixel rear camera
VGA front camera
1,600mAh battery
Dual SIM (GSM+GSM)
Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean)

Canvas 4 spotted in White as purported image of Micromax's upcoming smartphone leaks

Micromax Canvas 4 is set to be
officially unveiled next week, when
pre-bookings for the smartphone open
on June 28. Ahead of the launch,
Twitter user @MMXNewscaster has
shared an image that it claims is the
Micromax Canvas 4 in White avatar.
While the leaked image reveals a
phone that looks rather similar to
Samsung's phones, there's one thing
that stands out - the lack of a physical
home button. Yes, if the leaked image
is real, it looks like Canvas 4 will ship
without a physical home button. That
would indeed fit in nicely with the
"What's next?" theme that Micromax
teased
on its Facebook page earlier this
week.
Other than that it looks like a very
familiar design, with the volume
rocker on the left, and what should be
the power button, on the right. A
camera and two sensors/ noise
cancelling mics can also be seen at
the front.
The only thing we know for sure so far
is the the Micromax Canvas 4 will
come with a 13-megapixel camera,
since that bit is apparent in the teaser
videos that Micromax posted last
week
. Pre-bookings open June 28, as
mentioned earlier.
Another interesting bit that is official,
is the "Can life be endless?" line that
Micromax is using to tease the
Canvas 4. The line obviously seems
like a reference to the battery life, and
one wonders if one of the highlights of
the Canvas 4 will be a big battery.
Micromax will likely need that big
battery, give the Canvas 4 is said to
sport a full-HD display. We've seen
two full-HD budget smartphones
launched already in the Indian market,
in the form of Wickedleak Wammy
Passion Z and the Lemon A4 . While
the Wammy Passion Z costs Rs.
14,990 , the recently launched Lemon
A4 carries a price tag of Rs. 17,999

Given the price of these phones, it is
possible for Micromax's next flagship
to have a full-HD display and still be
priced in the sub-Rs. 20,000 segment,
company's preferred playground. For
people eagerly awaiting price and full
specs of the Canvas 4, June 28 can't
come soon enough.

Micromax Canvas 4

Indian smartphone manufacturer Micromax has released a teaser of its upcoming handset called Canvas 4. The company has posted two teaser videos of the device on its official YouTube channel. The videos, with tagline "Can Life Be Endless," show a smartphone with a sleek body and 13MP camera.

Expected to be an update to the popular Canvas HD smartphone, the upcoming Micromax Canvas 4 is speculated to have an eight-core processor, like Samsung Galaxy S4. The YouTube channel of Micromax states that pre-bookings for the device will start from June 28.

Micromax in January said that it will launch a total of 30 smartphones this year. Since then, it has rolled out devices like Canvas HD, Canvas 3D, Canvas Music, Bolt A35 and Canvas Viva.