We had heard about an Android 2.3 running smart-phone from Indian consumer electronics maker Olive to be launched today. And like clock-work, we have in front of us, the OliveSmart V-S300. Unveiled in a partnership with Indian telco Aircel, this phone can proudly boast itself as being the first Android phone to feature the current-latest version 2.3 of the OS (codenamed Gingerbread).
The V-S300 has a 4.1-inch 800 x 480 pixel display and has a sleek, yet familiar 9.9mm thin design. How familiar? We'd bet that the OliveSmart V-S300 is a re-branded Huawei IDEOS X6 -- a phone that was expected to launch in the country mid-January this year.
Whatever the case, you'll be glad to know of the meaty internals it has -- a Snapdragon MSM8255 1GHz processor coupled with an Adreno 205 graphics chip and 512MB RAM. What does this mean for you? It means that you should get quite a speedy performance from your phone.
The phone is also touted to be the first HSPA+ phone, an evolutionary version of 3G that s being (wrongly) branded as 4G in countries like the US by mobile operators there. This will allow download speeds of up to 14.4 Mbps, and while we aren t sure about Aircel, but Tata Docomo does support HSPA+ and offers download speeds of up to 21.1 Mbps.
Multimedia-wise, the OliveSmart V-S300 is well-equipped with a 5 mega-pixel auto-focus camera at the back, and a video-call camera at the front. It shoots 720p HD video at a smooth 30 frames per second, and can also output HD video to a bigger screen thanks to an HDMI port on-board. Let s hope the 1400 mAh battery is able to serve enough juice to power all these intensive functions.
The OliveSmart V-S300 sells for a fantastic Rs. 20,000 price tag which is very well justified, given what you're getting in return. Now only if this handset does well in reality as it does on paper, I'll be left with no choice but to make amends to our next Best rated Android phones list.
