OliveSmart V-S300 India's First Android Gingerbread phone

 

At last the Olive Telecom has made its debut in India by launching OliveSmart V-S300.This is the country's first HSPA+ smartphone and it will be the first Android Gingerbread phone to hit India. What's more, Olive also touts this phone as being the world s fastest Android.

The phone features Qualcomm's second generation 1 Ghz Snapdragon processor,Adreno 205 graphics engine which results in better 3D performance, gaming and HD video recording and playback . The phone built with 2 camer's, 5-MP camera at the back and a VGA front facing camera for video chats.

Apart from usual connectivity options like bluetooth and all,the phone also features Wi-Fi hotspot capabilities.
The phone is going to hit the Indian market by the end of March and will cost below Rs 20,000.


Olive joined hands with Aircel

Who will be providing their apps store, which will be an addition to the pre installed Android marketplace. Aircel has also released special data plans for the device, which includes free 9GB of data for prepaid customers to be used within 3 months. But, these plans may not be available for customers in Delhi and Mumbai as Aircel does not have a license to provide 3G services in these circles. They have licenses for AP, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kolkata, Kerala, Punjab, UP (East), West Bengal, Bihar, Orissa, Assam, North East and J&K.

We have been lucky enough to get our hands on an engineering sample of the OliveSmart V-S300, which was running Android 2.2 (Froyo). We also managed to get our hands on the Samsung Nexus S which is currently the only device running on Android 2.3 Gingerbread. We suggest that you take this comparison with a touch of salt as we still do not have the final product from Olive in our hands.

DESIGN

Looks wise the Nexus S is definitely a head turner with its sleek curvy lines and comfortable form factor. It s an easy on the hands and comfortable to use. On the flip side the OliveSmart is a large rectangular device and has a candy bar form factor, which looks quite mundane. Inspite of its size it s quite slim but its large rectangular shape makes it uncomfortable for daily usage.
One must commend Olive for stepping up the build quality but the Samsung Nexus S still takes the cake!

FEATURES

Now both the devices boast of heavy-duty horsepower. The OliveSmart V-S300 boasts of Qualcomm s latest Snapdragon processor, which also comes along with the Adreno 205 graphics chip. Olive has called the OliveSmart the fastest Android device on the planet. The Nexus S is no slouch as the latest ARM cortex A8 processor powers it. Both the processors are clocked at a speed of 1GHz. Therefore, processor battle remains even Steven s.
The OliveSmart V-S300 boasts of a large 4.1 LCD display, which has a resolution of 800x480. Again the Nexus S comes out in front with vibrant SuperAMOLED display.
The OliveSmart V-S300 comes with an onboard 5-megapixel camera, which also shoots HD video at 720p resolution. The Nexus S also comes with a 5-megapixel camera but does not shoot HD video. Both phones come with front facing VGA cameras.
The Nexus S also comes with a NFC (Near Field Communication chip). This may enable monetary transactions using your phone, instead of a credit card that you use currently.
Both the devices come with Wi-Fi hotspot capabilities. Again HSPA+ is also a feature prevalent in both the devices.
Both devices also feature noise cancellation for clearer audio but the OliveSmart V-S300 features Clear HD voice capabilities.

PRICING

Now come the major difference. Olive has announced the V-S300 will cost less than Rs. 20,000. The Samsung Nexus S currently does not have a official India launch date but it is currently available in the US for around $525 which comes about to be Rs 24,000.

Verdict:

We have finally begun to see an initiative for technology to come to India faster than expected. Even though the Nexus S is the flagship device for Gingerbread, it hasn t made its debut in India. Will Olive be the pioneer to bring gingerbread to our sweet tooth or will we see more love from the Mobile World Congress that starts on St. Valentine s Day!