Spice Pinnacle PRO & FLY F45s: Android gets a local touch

Domestic brands remain top choice among Indias cost-conscious,yet tech-savvy mobile phone users.

Domestic brands remain a top choice among Indias cost-conscious,yet tech-savvy mobile phone users. Here are two Android handsets that are fast,good-looking and can match up to more expensive rivals in terms of features and performance

Googles Android operating system for mobile phones might be relatively new,but its growth has been progressing quite rapidly. Every day more than one million new Android devices are activated worldwide. The pace of acceptance of Android phones in India has taken everyone by surprise too. Androids openness has made it a favourite for consumers and developers alike,driving strong growth in app consumption. Android users download more than 1.5 billion apps and games from Google Play each month. Not only that,these phones are thinner,bigger and prettier. Recently,we received two new mobile phones from homegrown handset makers,running Googles innovative mobile platform. I spent some time with both the devices. Read on to find out about their performance and features.

Spice Stellar Pinnacle Pro

The all new Stellar Pinnacle Pro Mi 535 from S Mobility is a 1.2 GHz quad core processor based dual SIM phone. Riding on the success of Stellar Pinnacle Mi 530,this enhanced version with Jelly Bean 4.2 features a 13.46 cm qHD IPS display and supports high definition video recording and play. Turn it on and youll be impressed by the full high definition display. It is probably among the best-looking phones I have seen from the Spice stable.

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Pinnacle Pro presents itself in a sleek body,elegant contours and an impressive stylish design. This comes with 1 GB RAM and 16 GB ROM which is expandable up to 32 GB through a micro SD card and is powered by a 2550mAh Li-ion-Polymer battery. In my test-run,its fast quad-core processor zipped through all the multitasking,plus its big battery managed an entire day of call usage,rather heavy internet browsing (streaming movies from YouTube) and video recording.

Stellar Pinnacle Pro Mi-535 promises superior user-interface and features like high definition video recording and play,USB OTG,Pop-up play; Flip to Mute; Intelligent Answer; Direct Call; Gesture Screen Lock; Hi Connect; Boot Acceleration & Power Saving Mode similar to Stellar Pinnacle Mi 530. Wi-Fi tethering ensures full time connectivity for social media buffs.

Amazingly,folks at Spice have added a 5 megapixel front camera with wide angle view,enabling group video chats. Stellar Pinnacle Pro Mi 535 also brings your digital world to life with its impressive 8 megapixel auto focus rear camera along with Panorama mode. The high camera application in Pinnacle Pro is an advanced tool which provides quick access to various camera modes like Panorama,HDR,and Smile detection.

Stellar Pinacle Pro

* Display: 13.46 cm QHD IPS display

* Processor: 1.2 GHz quad core processor

* Operating system: Android Jelly Bean 4.2

* Camera: 5 MP (front); 8 MP (rear)

* HD video recording & play

* 16 GB ROM + 1 GB RAM

* Expandable memory upto 32 GB

Estimated street price:Rs14,990

Fly F45s

Fly Digital Devices-developed Fly F45s is a good phone when it comes to features and quality. This telecom venture from New Delhi-based SAR Group has already won the hearts of millions of consumers with the Luminous brand of inverters. It is now trying to establish itself in the mobile handset market.

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The Fly F45s runs on a 1.2 GHz processor and is layered with the Android Jelly Bean 4.1. The Fly phone is aimed at consumers looking for fast processing multitasking capabilities. It features an 4.5 inch qHD IPS display. It includes includes 12 megapixel rear camera with Flash and 3 megapixel front camera along with 2050 mAh battery support,Bluetooth 3.0,proximity and gravity sensors,Wi-Fi and advanced 3.5 mm audio jack. With its expandable memory up to 32 GB,the user can store all that they want in their phone and make it a media hub!

In my test-run,the phones battery lasted for around eight hours. But if you are watching movies,the battery will be get completely discharged in about three hours. Given its price,which I feel is quite attractive for the features it offers,the phone is a decent device to purchase. It will help users in fast browsing,downloading attachments and watching steaming videos with excellent quality. In my view,all those who desire a phone that gives them a complete range of services will definitely enjoy this user-friendly new product of Fly,available in the market at R11,500.

FLY F45s

* Display: 11.43 cm QHD IPS display

* Processor: 1.2 GHz processor

* Operating system: Android Jelly Bean 4.1

* Camera: 12.0 MP rear camera; 3.0 front camera

* Battery: 2050 mAh Battery

* Connectivity: Bluetooth 3.0,Wi-Fi,GPRS/EDGE

* Sensors: Proximity,gravity sensor

Estimated street price: Rs11,500