Karbonn launches full HD Titanium X for Rs 18,490; partners txtWeb for SMS-based apps

After launching a below Rs 15,000 smartphone (Titanium S7) targeted at the mid-price range smartphone segment last month, home grown handset manufacturer Karbonn has now taken the fight to Micromax with one of its costliest offerings till date. Christened Titanium X, the smartphone offers more than decent specifications and is available for a price of Rs 18,490. Here is a look at the specifications of the device.

The smartphone sports a 5 inch full HD IPS capacitive touchscreen display (1920x1080 pixels resolution) and runs on the Android 4.2 Jelly Bean operating system. It is powered by a 1.5 GHz quad-Core processor and has 1 GB of RAM. The internal memory of the device is 16GB, which can be further expanded up to 32GB with a microSD card.

In terms of camera, this one boasts of a 13MP auto focus rear camera with dual Flash that can also record full high definition videos (1080p) at 30 frames per second, and a 5MP front facing camera (which also has Flash) for video calling. The camera also comes with a number of features like face detection, smile detection, zero shutter delay, panorama shots, and Video Trim Feature. On the connectivity front, the device has Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, 3G, and a microSD slot. The smartphone measures 143.9 mm x 70.5 mm x 9.9 mm and weighs 143 gm.

Karbonn has provided a 2,300 mAh battery in the device that it claims will provide up to 6 hours of talk time and 10 days of stand-by time. The device also comes with GPS (with A-GPS support), but no FM radio. The device has a unibody design and the company has also provided Near Field Communication (NFC) in the device.

Additional features include Intelligent answer mode- to attend calls just by taking phone near your ear for any incoming call; Direct call- to directly call using phonebook or SMS without physically pressing call buttons; Flip to mute- enables users to mute unwanted calls by simply flipping the phone; and Shake to answer- to simply shake while a call is coming in to answer it.

Partnership with txtWeb

The company has also entered into a license and distribution agreement with txtWeb, a text-based app platform from Intuit Inc. to make available a range of apps via the txtWeb app platform on Karbonn phones.

As part of the agreement, Karbonn phone users will have access to information ranging from academic content, social networking, sports, breaking news, financial tools, games and more, through a simple SMS at 50 paise per query, or Rs 1 per day for unlimited queries on subscription.

"Today, users are looking at unique aggregated services, products, and applications that are available at an affordable price. Karbonn is looking at providing simple-to-use VAS services, in-house, or through third party developers. The Intuit partnership is poised to bring forth innovations by complying with all regulatory guidelines," said Devendra Prasad, head VAS, Karbonn Mobiles.