LG Optimus L3 Dual now available for Rs 8,299

LG had announced its L-series range of Android smartphones last month but it missed mentioning a dual-SIM version of the L3, which is now available on Flipkart for Rs 8,299. The Optimus L3 Dual, as the smartphone is called, boasts features similar to what most sub-Rs 10,000 Android smartphones offer these days.

Aakash 2 will be available to students for $21

It seems that Datawind will be making the next generation of the Aakash tablet, called the Aakash 2, for the Ministry of Human Resource Development (HRD). Relations had soured between the two parties after the failure of the first generation Aakash tablet but it seems the two have buried the hatchet. NYT’s India Ink, which got access to the device, reports it will be available for for Rs 1,132 or $21 for students of 20,000 colleges and 416 Universities. Datawind will also retail it in the market under its Ubislate brand for Rs 3,499 and Rs 4,299.

Karbonn announces Jelly Bean upgrade for Smart Tab 1

Karbonn has announced the Jelly Bean update for its Smart Tab 1 tablet. The company says all retail packages will now ship with Jelly Bean and the existing customer base will receive an update to Jelly Bean from Android 4.0.3. Last month when Google unveiled the Nexus 7 with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean on it, chances were that not many would beat its $199 mark price. Of course, we always knew that our local Indian OEMs will beat that price, but the fact that Karbonn has managed to put together a Jelly Bean ROM so fast for its existing tablet is quite impressive.

Sony Xperia SL leaked, dons a 1.7GHz dual-core chip

Over the past few days we have seen a number of Sony leaks. Perhaps the most prominent one was the Xperia Mint. Today another device, the Xperia SL has been leaked if a report from ePrice is to be believed. Taking into account its looks and nomenclature, one gather this could be an upgraded version of the Xperia S that was released in April. The image posted in the report suggests multiple new colors and a faster Qualcomm S3 dual-core processor clocked at a smooth 1.7GHz.

Ice Cream Sandwich comes to Samsung GALAXY Tab 10.1 and 7.0 Plus in the U.K. only

Android 4.0 has made its way to a pair of Samsung tablets, the Samsung GALAXY Tab 10.1 and the Samsung GALAXY 7.0 Plus. You might recognize the former as being the subject of a preliminary injunction in the U.S. which brings up another point about this update. It is only for those units inside the U.K. Not that U.S. owners of these two tablets won't ever get to taste Ice Cream Sandwich, it's just that it might take a bit longer than for the overseas machines.

RIM looked at switching to Android before deciding on BlackBerry 10

RIM almost became another Android handset manufacturer according to RIM CEO Thorsten Heins. In the end, the company decided to take its chances with BlackBerry 10. The QNX based OS has been delayed and is expected to launch sometime early next year. Heins remains bullish on BlackBerry and points out that if you add sales of the all BlackBerry devices together, it would be as though RIM had a single device with 45 million in sales last year. That might be an overly optimistic way of looking at sales considering that RIM is laying off employees nearly in half from the 20,000 it once employed, and the company's stock has declined from a peak of over $140 5 years ago to $7.50.

Mophie Duo and Mini powerstations aim to keep your devices juiced while on the go

As we’re all too familiar with nowadays, battery life continues to be a constant issue amongst our modern devices – simply, it doesn’t seem adequate enough to keep up with the evolving hardware. Of course, we’ve seen it resolved in the Motorola DROID RAZR MAXX, but then again, they merely stuffed a beefy 3,300 mAh battery inside of it.

Supposed iPhone 5 screen demoed on video: taller, thinner

One thing you can’t complain about is iPhone news, rumors and legal twists. And here is another one that looks very legitimate. ETrade Supply got their hands on the glass lens of the new iPhone and it is just what we heard it would be - a 4-inch panel with the front camera moved to the center just above the earpiece.