Micromax unveils smartphone that pays users to watch ads; Samsung Galaxy Grand 2 launched for Rs 22,999

Homegrown handset and tablet manufacturer Micromax has announced the launch of Micromax MAd, a unique application designed for users who love ads, which will come pre-loaded on its latest smartphone MAd A94. In addition, Samsung has also launched the successor to the Galaxy Grand smartphone in the Indian market. Christened Galaxy Grand 2, the device brings a number of upgrades to its predecessor including an HD display, quad-core processor, and improved battery, among others. The company has priced the device at Rs 22,999.

Here is a look at the specifications of the devices.

Micromax MAd A94 for Rs 8,490

With a simple 4 step process, Micromax's advertising application MAd will allow users to watch advertisements and earn points from every advertisement they view, which can then be converted into rupees. The application will be supported across all GSM telecom operators and works for both prepaid and postpaid customers. With one time registration, the service will work for all opted-in subscribers, and the money will eventually be credited into their postpaid/pre-paid accounts.

"We aim to create a medium to interact, engage, entertain and connect with the consumers by lending them our ears to voice their areas of interest, preferences and incentivising it for them through reward. This service would provide an engagement communication channel for the brands to break away from the clutter. It will also prove to be significant for mobile eco-systems by solving the problem of average revenue per user (ARPU), and contributing to the overall profitability," said Rahul Sharma, co-founder, Micromax.

The smartphone sports a 4.5 inch full touch screen and runs on the Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean operating system. It is powered by a 1.2 GHz quad core processor and has 512MB of RAM. MAd A94 has dual 5MP autofocus camera's (one at the rear and one in the front) that can also record videos. On the connectivity front, it has Bluetooth 4.0 and Wi-Fi and the company has provided an 1,800 mAh battery, which it claims will provide up to 5 hours of talk time and 150 hours of stand by time.

Other than the MAd application, the smartphone also comes with M!Live portal to download unlimited games, videos, wallpapers and music; BBM and Hike for instant messaging; Spuul to watch free movies; Kingsoft Office to read, write and edit attachments on-the-go; and Opera Mini browser for net surfing.

Galaxy Grand 2 for Rs 22,999

Galaxy Grand 2 has a 5.25 inch HD TFT multi-touch capacitive touchscreen display (1280×720 pixel resolution) and runs on the Android 4.3 Jelly Bean operating system. The large screen offers 'Multi Window', which offers better multitasking by enabling users to run one application in two windows at the same time. The handset has a 1.2GHz quad-core processor and comes with 1.5 GB of RAM. The internal memory of the device is 8 GB, which can be further expanded up to 64GB with a microSD card.

On the camera front, the smartphone has an 8-megapixel autofocus rear camera with LED Flash, and a 1.9MP front-facing camera for video calling. As for connectivity, the device has Bluetooth 4.0, Wi-Fi and 3G, and comes with a microSD card slot and a USB 2.0 port. It is powered by a 2,600 mAh battery that the company claims will provide up to 10 hours of video playback and 17 hours of calling. The specifications of the phablet are 146.8mm x 75.3mm x 8.9 mm, and its weight is 163gm. This one is also has dual-SIM functionality (GSM + GSM with dual standby option), and comes with GPS.

In addition, the device comes with a number of additional features like Story Album- enables users to organise pictures by timeline, and create and print albums from your device; S Translator- a translation service that provides instantaneous translations; S Travel- provides guides and travel information; Sound & Shot- records up to nine seconds of audio with your photos; Samsung Hub- a content service that provides access to music, videos, games and more; Group Play- for listening music, sharing documents or playing games together; and Samsung Link- connects your devices so you can access photos, music, videos and documents from multiple locations.

In terms of competition, the device will face off against the likes of Sony Xperia S (Rs 25,000), BlackBerry Z10 (Rs 24,999), Google Nexus 4 (Rs 24,575), HTC Desire 601 (Rs 23,990), Huawei Ascend P6 (Rs 25,499), and Lenovo Vibe X (Rs 25,999), among others.