No matter whether you are a leisure traveller or a daily commuter, just one wrong turn can make your day go awry, especially if you are on a really tight schedule. Carrying a GPS device for navigation is not always possible and in fact quite old-fashioned too when you have a latest Android device in your hands. Most of the smartphones come with GPS reciever inbuilt nowadays, so using one for navigation is a natural extension of one's functionality anyway. Though there are detractors too, who still view smartphone navigation apps with suspicion, still trusting their good old GPS device over smartphones. Searching Android market for navigational apps throws dozens of options at you. So, we tried to analyse some of the best navigation apps available for Android devices out there.
Google Maps Navigation (Free)
Google Maps is among the top free navigation apps available for Android today. Backed by terabytes of data Google maps have been generating for quite a few years now, Google navigation app is naturally become incredibly accurate. 3D navigation, the new buzzword among navigation apps which enables you to navigate though the maze of roads by generating a 3D map of the route was first implemented by Google Maps only. The application comes preinstalled on most of the Android devices as part of Google App suite. Top features include live traffic data, location bookmarks, satellite view, search along route and Google's killer Street View.
Navfree (Free)
Navfree is another free navigation app available on Android Market offering turn-by-turn directions, spoken and on-screen instructions, offline map use and address search and live search via Google and Microsoft Bing, among many other features.
Maps can be downloaded for free from Navfree storea and the data is stored in your device itself, making the app useful in areas with limited data connectivity. The app has a huge fanbase already with more than 4,00,000 downloads. Other features of Navfee include live map display, user friendly interface, fast routing engine and destination and PoI search.
Waze (Free)
Waze is a unique navigation app which gels social networking with navigation, making it a fun filled experience. The app lets you post the roadside events giving other Waze users heads up about waht to expect on the route real-time, saving you precious time and burns less fuel, with latter more important nowadays given rising fuel cost and rising global warming!
Waze is as interactive as you want it to be - by simply driving with the app open on your phone, you passively contribute traffic and other road data. For example, the app can calculate the vehicle speed and automatically detects traffic jams if the vehicle is moving very slowly for prolonged periods. You can also post your comment on Facebook and Twitter directly from the app interface.
Sygic: GPS navigation (paid)
Sygic is a premium navigation app available on Android Market to download for free (With 7 day trial). The app is around 6 MB download and after installing it, users must download the maps, which are stored on SD card for offline usage. The app comes with strong navigation features like 3D view, real-time traffic updates, dynamic lane guidance, speed limit display and audio warningand lets you save routes frequently used by you.
NDrive (paid)
NDrive is another paid navigation app for Android. The USP of NDrive is its lightning fast route calculation times and clean UI, which for slower phones. The app is powered by latest maps from NAVTEQ and NDrive, professionally enhanced routing algorithms makes route calculation and navigation a breeze. Other features include real time traffic, Facebook sharing and Foursquare check-in, streaming weather, and more.
Hence, Spice has introduced its latest warrior in Android lineup, the Spice Mi-280 to further bolster its ranks. And specs wise, we aren't complaining either! The dual-SIM device has a 2.8 inch capacitive touchscreen, runs on Android Gingerbread v2.3.4, 3.2 MP camera and 3G and WiFi etc. So, lets start with complete specification sheet of this baby!
Pros
· Dual-band GSM and single band 3G support
· Dual GSM (2G+3G) network support; Dual standby
· 7.2 Mbps HSDPA, 5.76 Mbps HSUPA support
· 2.8" TFT LCD capacitive touchscreen
· 650MHz ARM 11 processor; Mediatek MT6573 chipset
· Android OS v2.3.4 (Gingerbread)
· 3.2MP camera, front camera
· DVD quality videos@25fps video
· MicroSD slot (up to 32GB)
· Wi-Fi
· GPS with A-GPS
· MicroUSB port (charging)
· Bluetooth v2.1 with EDR
· Standard 3.5 mm audio jack
· FM radio
· SpiceGang and tons of other apps
· Accelerometer and proximity sensor
· Battery 1000 mAh Li-ion
Cons
· No flash for camera
· Plasticky build
Looknfeel
Small enough to fit snugly in your palm, the Mi-280 bears essentially a utilitarian design, focused on people who find navigating through touchscreen uncomfortable. The phone chassis is entirely made of plastic. The front panel of device carries 2.8 inch TFT capacitive touchscreen. Below it are four capacitive buttons for Home, Menu, Back and Search. Other than these, two hard buttons for call and end have also been provided, along with a five way navigation key, to make navigation easier.
No extra control buttons have been provided on side spines, save a volume rocker on left side, as majority of the functions can be accessed from the hard keys given on the front panel itself. A microUSB port and 3.5mm audio jack have been placed on top for ease of access.
Turn the phone around and you have a 3.2MP camera without flash on the upper half on the device, expecting one on an Android phone this cheap would be a wishful thinking anyway!
The TFT LCD display works like a charm and the colour in the images appear quite lively. Using the device outdoors is not a problem as screen legibility in sunlight is good too. A 1000 mAh Li-ion battery could be found under the battery cover. SIM and microSD card slots are not hot-swappable as you'll have to remove the battery to access the slots.
OSandUIandApps
Mi-280 runs on Android Gingerbreadv2.3.4, which is a rarity when it comes to entry level smartphones. The UI has been revamped to suit the small screen. The UI animations are extremely smooth, mainly due to the power-packed Mediatek MT6573 chipset, which bundles a 650MHz processor to handle the device operations. The home screen features stock Android launcher, with three virtual buttons for accessing dialler, menu and Internet browser. You can add further widgets and application shortcuts by long pressing the homescreen.
No need for powertool widget too as shortcuts for WiFi, Bluetooth, Data connection and Airplane mode can be accessed from notification menu itself. As the handset supports dual GSM networks, you can manually set default SIM for calling, messaging and data access manually from the settings menu. There is a unified SMS inbox and call list but the calls and messages are colour-coded, to help you segregate them according to numbers with ease.
Display settings like wallpapers and widgets can be accessed from long pressing the homescreen, that’s Android default by the way. Live wallpapers are supported; a few stock types come preinstalled. We tried to run some heavy stuff by downloading some live wallpapers from Android Market and even those ran with élan.
Rest of the UI is also largely Android default with little customisation, which I guess is to keep off the unnecessary load on the device. Tapping on the menu key on the homescreen takes you to the menu. You can browse through the menu by swiping vertically across the screen.
Coming to applications, the Mi-280 comes with usual Spice App suite preloaded, which includes Yahoo messenger, BSE/NSE stock news, Facebook, Ibibo farms, ibibo and Opera browser, Rail Yatra, Spice Gang, JustDial etc. For your SNS needs, Facebook and Ebuddy also come preinstalled. Further applications can be downloaded from Android Market. You can also install third party apps from your SD card by enabling it from app settings menu.
To access Google app suite and Android Market, you must have a Google account ID with you. In case you don't have one, you can make it during the signup process itself.
Utility apps include calendar, calculator, stopwatch, timer, Alarm and voice recorder.
Spice Mi-280 is a dual SIM standby phone and can support two GSM (one 2G and one 3G) networks. To make calls, you need to press the dialler button at the bottom of the homescreen to open the call menu. The dialpad opens by default, with contact list in the background. You can go back to homescreen anytime during a call by pressing the back key. The active call menu can be retrieved again from the notifications bar. Proximity sensor is also there to turn off the screen during call to save battery charge.
Coming to messaging, SMS and MMS are listed as threads in the menu. To send a new SMS, you just need to tap the compose message button provided on the top of SMS menu. Adding Multimedia content like pictures, videos or sound clips automatically turns SMS into an MMS.
The handset is 3G enabled with HSDPA/HSUPA speeds of up to 7.2Mbps/ 5.76Mbits, making internet browsing a very engaging experience. You can also hook on to a WiFi network as WiFi connectivity is also supported. Other connectivity options include Bluetooth microUSB port for charging/USB tethering.
Multimedia
Spice Mi-280 comes armed with a 3.2MP auto focus camera with maximum image resolution of 2048x1536 pixels and 8X zoom. Here are some sample shots we took during our review.
Videos are recorded in high quality DVD resolution (720x480 pixels) at 25fps. The samples shot during the review came out to be very nice, though slight pixilation was found while recording at maximum zoom.
The 3.5mm audio jack is also there, so you can use your own headsets with the device. FM radio can only be started after plugging in the headphone as its wire acts as antenna. The reception is good and Mi-280 managed to scan nine FM stations with good audio clarity.
Verdict
How many dual SIM entry level Android handsets are out there in the market? The answer is very few. Barring iBall ANDi 6000 and a few earlier models of Spice, the handset we believe, should not face any competition from anybody. None of the MNC's are also coming up with dual SIM Android running devices anytime soon. So, till then, the Spice Mi-280, with its sleek design and snappy performance is but an obvious choice.
Mi-410 is the latest addition to Spice’s Android family. The phone runs on 1GHz Qualcomm’s Snapdragon processor, which delivers better speed while browsing, reduces buffering time while streaming (provided your network speed is good), and enhances the gaming experience. What actually makes the handset stand out from the other Android sisters from Spice is its increased screen size (4.1 inch) and increased screen resolution (800x480px). Its capacitive touchscreen delivers smooth navigation and better touch response.
The operating system being Android 2.2 Froyo, offers great flexibility to its users. You can have your device personalized to a great extent by downloading most suitable applications from Android Market. The homescreen customization with widgets makes accessing your favorite apps with just one or two clicks! (Though it’s a universal feature of all Android phones).
The device comes with quadband 2G and 3G connectivity. You can have more economic and convenient browsing on this device using its Wi-Fi connectivity, while like any other good phone; it comes with GPRS, EDGE, Bluetooth 3.0 and USB 2.0 as well.
Spice has done a good job by incorporating a 5MP camera in this device. It comes with an LED flash and has features such as autofocus and CMOS sensor to ensure better quality of pictures. The 3D view of the gallery is another interesting feature on this device that actually makes pictures look real! A secondary camera (VGA) is given on the front side of the device to enable video calling.
The device has an onboard memory of 2GB, while it can be expanded up to 32GB by inserting microSD card. The device - intended for both business and multimedia use – offers considerable space for storage.
Having GPS with A-GPS and Google Maps, the device is a real helper in your day-to-day life. The eCompass app of the device ensures that the map is auto-oriented towards north, so that you can find directions more easily.
Featuring a good music player, FM radio, social networking apps and push email, it’s a great phone to keep you entertained and connected!
Below are the steps of updating Spice Mi 410to latest version ofAndroid2.3. This phone is sold under various names in different regions as Cherry Mobile Magnum HD A400 (philippines), SpiceCSL Mi 410 – Slim (india), WellcoM A99 (thailand) and CSL Blueberry Mi 410. The phone is originally Huawei Ideos X6.
