Wednesday 30 November 2011

Aakash makers announce contest for app developers.

Datawind, the makers of what's being touted as the world's most affordable tablet, yet - Aakash and that of Ubislate, the commercial version of Aakash, have announced a contest for enthusiastic students across the country. A report in Times of India confirms that the contest, will see students from across the country build apps, which if found impressive will find their way to the commercial version of Aakash - Ubislate, which is scheduled for a launch, next year.


The report quotes Suneet Singh Tuli, Chief Executive of Datawind, as saying that students, who's apps will be selected to feature on Ubislate will earn royalties off the usage of the app, thus making this contest a money spinner for them, in addition to being encouraging. In addition to this, the report also reveals that 5 best entries to this contest will receive a lakh rupees. The report further suggests that Ubislate makers have also finalized a deal with Nasscom, as a part of which they will distribute as many as 200 tablets across several NGOs in the country.

Interestingly, Nasscom have on their part, too announced a contest, wherein 10 NGOs across the country will have a chance of winning 20 tablets, each. This new age computing device, the report states will aid the NGOs in improving their operations and programme implementation.

MS Office likely to come to the iPad in 2012.

Microsoft’s hard at work getting their Windows 8 platform ready in time for desktops and tablets to use it in next two years. Their Office suite is definitely going to be there, but Windows 8 isn’t the only platform it maybe built for. A report by The Daily states that the Office suite might make its way to iPads, too. Microsoft is well aware of the dominance of the iPad in the tablet and it’ll be sometime before Microsoft is able to take a bite of that share. So, it makes sense to develop apps and software for the tablet. An Office suite for the Mac OS X (Lion) is already expected next year, but an iPad version is also likely to follow.


This is not the first Microsoft app to be developed for the iPad – there are others like Bing that have existed for sometime now. Office is Microsoft’s next biggest product after Windows 8 that’s being developed, at the moment. MS Office 15 for Windows and Mac is expected to hit markets sometime at the end of 2012. The iPad version, if it is true, may make an appearance before that. A beta of Office 15 is expected to be shown sometime in January 2012, after Microsoft shows it off at CES early in the month.

Tata DOCOMO announces SMS-based contest, cars and bikes up for grabs.

Tata DOCOMO launched, what they refer to as the largest SMS-based contests in the country, titled ‘Jeet Ki Ghanti Kabhi Bhi Baj Sakti Hai’. This campaign will gives customers across all circles, except for Delhi and Jammu and Kashmir a chance to win a Chevrolet Beat Car every day, a Yamaha YBR 125 bike every hour and Rs. 1 crore worth talktime across 28 days. The contest is open to all Tata DOCOMO CDMA and GSM pre-paid and post-paid mobile customers till 25 December, 2011. Tata DOCOMO claims that this is the only consumer promotion where there is no linkage with a purchase. It is designed to reward existing Tata DOCOMO CDMA and GSM customers for having faith in their network.

To participate in this contest, Tata DOCOMO users will have to SMS TICKET to 52121, which is a toll-free number and will receive an alpha-numeric code that will make them eligible to participate in the day’s lucky draw. Users of the brand can register every day and get assured ‘More Than Full Talk-Time’ benefits through a special recharge offer during the promotional period.

The official press release states that, there will be one winner every hour, with the draw starting from 10 am to 5 pm and will be able to win a new Yamaha YBR 125 bike. Also, chosen through a Grand Lucky Draw, one lucky customer will drive home in a Chevrolet Beat, every day through the duration of this promotional offer. There are a lot of prizes up for grabs over the 28 days of the contest, which include 28 cars and 224 bikes, apart from the free talktime prizes.

They also claim that both CDMA and GSM pre-paid participants in the rest of Maharashtra circle can avail the assured benefit of more than full talk-time by recharging their mobile numbers with the RC of Rs.150, wherein they will get the talktime of Rs. 160.

Google redesigns the Navigation Bar.

Google gives its products a facelift throughout the year, be it their Maps, News, Search function or Translate. When Google's popular mail function, Gmail got a major facelift, it became the talk of the town. And, if you thought that Google was done with the makeover session for now, you may have to rethink. According to an official post on Google Official Blog, Google bar for swift navigation is the latest to have got a makeover.


Basically, the horizontal black bar at the top of the page has been replaced by links to the services in the new drop-down style. The drop-down Google menu is nestled under the Google logo alongside the Search bar and Google tools.

The blog states, “We’ll show you a list of links and you can access additional services by hovering over the “More” link at the bottom of the list. Click on what you want, and you’re off.” Gmail has begun rolling out this new navigation bar design. They plan to offer a simple and intuitive interface across Google products with these changes. Check out the video below to know more.

How to Reduce Spam, Junk Mail, and Unwanted Phone Calls.

Spam: it’s a nasty thing that you can’t elude, no matter what you do. Of course, I’m talking about unwanted emails and, more generally, unwanted junk mail and phone calls that come our way in overwhelming quantities every day. Somehow or in some way, you’ll get spam. If you’re careless, you’ll get a lot more than you will by using some preventative measure to reduce and almost completely eliminate it. This guide is for not only email spam, but unwanted email and phone calls, too.

companies are easily able to get your personal information such as name, phone number, and email address. They then use any combination of the above to bombard you with advertisements. This can get annoying and downright frustrating when you get it constantly.

Email spam is the most common spam because it costs virtually nothing to send an email to a mass mailing list. A paper ad, on the other hand, has to be mailed out and its paper, printing, and stamp must be paid for in each instance. The best way to fight email spam is by filters within your email client; this isn’t a 100% foolproof way to block spam, but you’ll get most everything with it.

Most online email providers have their own spam filters, which can be modified; many learn by your tagging of spam email. These services usually have settings that can be changed when preventing email spam. From the super locked down to almost wide open, you can adjust these settings to be just how you like. I’ve had great spam filtering by Google’s Gmail and it catches the big and small stuff. Keep in mind that most modern, paid anti-virus suites have a spam email filter setting that plugs into your desktop email client that can be of some use.

Junk mail sent through the good, old-fashioned Post Office is another heavy-hitting form of advertisement that can get on your nerves. Sometimes these pieces of mail look like something official and are a scam in reality. To cut down on this physical form of spam filling up your real-life mailbox, you can use a service called DMAChoice.

One way of cutting down on your influx of junk mail is to make sure you know where you’re giving out your mailing address. Part of preventing it in the first place is making sure that you don’t share it anywhere online unless you trust the person, site, or service to whom you’re giving such information. Most reputable sites have clear restrictions about giving out your data and will tell you so.

Phone calls are getting less common, but can still be a hassle at times. I once got a phone call trying to make me install a piece of malware on my computer because the person on the other end claimed to be from the computer company. Thankfully there is a government-regulated organization called the National Do Not Call Registry that watches out for you and removes your number from calling lists.

As a general rule of thumb, unless you know exactly who is calling, then you should never give out any personal information or credit card numbers. Even if the person calling claims to be from your bank or credit card company, they should never ask for any personal information over the phone.

If you don’t want to give out your personal email address, consider one-use email addresses or separate email addresses specifically designated for signing up with services. The best spam filter or blocker is you: Know what is happening and that you understand it.

Why Your Business Should Care More About Tumblr Than Google+.

When Google+ was first introduced, social media managers for small and big brands alike were instantly worried about how they would incorporate the management of yet another social network into their time and financial budget. Social media is often part of a larger marketing team, which allocates resources across multiple people and campaigns beyond just Facebook and Twitter, which — it may surprise you — are not 100% free for business use. While consumers may only be leveraging one or two social platforms to keep in touch with friends or family, businesses and brands must realize that their consumers are scattered across each and every one of these brands. While the majority are likely on Facebook, it is possible that a large portion of your consumers utilize another social network — and perhaps a social network that you as a business or brand has yet to adopt as part of your marketing campaign. Some brands try to cover the bases with Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and sometimes a blog. But you’re likely missing another critical social network.

Think this platform is Google+? It could be. Google’s newest attempt at developing a social network recently saw its third best week in terms of traffic. However, to fight SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act), Tumblr noted that over 87,834 calls were placed to representatives, and the average call lasted 53 seconds (the longest was 31 minutes). Tumblr said a total of 1,293 total hours were spent talking to representatives. It’s also been found that Tumblr users spend more time on the site per day, on average, than Twitter users.

A general rule for social media mangers is to go where your audience is. If you’re in charge of social media marketing for a business, it is debatable whether or not you have an audience at Google+. If you don’t know if you have an audience on Google+ — or you definitely know you don’t — you probably do at Tumblr, as there are currently over 35,693,396 total blogs on the blogging platform. However, just as Tumblr users utilize Tumblr much differently than other blogging platforms, brands and businesses will need to as well. Just look at how the New York Times is using Tumblr (and yes, those posts do get commented on or reblogged over 600 times)!

Is Tumblr your brand’s answer to finding the holy grail of missing customers or clients, thereby achieving such success that your entire team can retire before most even get married? Probably not, but utilizing a platform with an active and passionate user base that is ready to share interesting ideas is likely in your best interests. However, before you and/or your marketing team devote resources to another social platform, be sure to consider your strategy and consider your competition. Not only should you ask how are they using Tumblr, but how you want to use it, too.

Do you represent a business using Tumblr, or do you use it personally? What do you think of this microblogging platform as a place for brands? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

Tuesday 29 November 2011

Toyota unveils new concept car - smartphone on wheels.

Toyota Motor Corporation showcased a new concept vehicle at the 42nd Tokyo Motor Show 2011. The vehicle, dubbed the Toyota Fun-Vii, comes with a host of personalized functions. For starters, it can display content on the interior and the exterior of the car. So, for instance, the whole vehicle body can be used as a display space. There are customization options, too and users can change the body colour and display content, based on their preferences, hence making the entire vehicle a hub or a terminal for displaying messages and other information.


The vehicle has an update function that ensures that the software version for the car always stays up to date. The Fun-Vii can connect with surrounding vehicles and infrastructure, allowing it to detect other potentially hazardous vehicles, for example, vehicles in blind spots - in advance; or to link up with friends who are driving nearby. The operation of the Fun-Vii is not limited to the inside of the vehicle, itself, with a portion of the vehicle's functions accessible remotely via a smartphone or any other mobile communication device.

The smartphone car is able to seat three persons and for now is just a concept. However, it’ll be interesting to see how much of this technology can be implemented in real life.

Airtel launches radio app, iRadio.

Airtel digital TV, the DTH service by Bharti Airtel announced the launch of an app, iRadio. The app consists of 21 radio channels that are available to users at no cost. According to Airtel, "iRadio is yet another compelling reiteration of DTH's clear advantage over analogue systems in offering unique non-channel content across genres like education, music, movies, farming and lifestyle." All Airtel digital TV customers can access the application by clicking the iTV button on their remotes. Customers also have the option to select an AIR channel and have it play in the background.


The 21 audio channels in iRadio include FM Gold, FM Gold Mumbai, FM Rainbow, FM Rainbow Bangalore, FM Rainbow Chennai, Radio Kashmir, Gyanvani Radio, AIR Hindi, AIR Punjabi, AIR Tamil, AIR Telugu, AIR Bangla, AIR Gujarati, AIR Urdu, AIR Marathi, AIR Kannada, AIR Oriya, AIR Malayalam, AIR Assamese, AIR Ragam, and AIR North-East.

Airtel is additionally offering five other applications which are:

iFasal: provides farmers with real-time access to crop prices, prevalent agri-input prices of seeds, pesticides, weather information and localized farming advisory in Hindi.

iGoodlife: provides content on lifestyle, cooking, health, home and family.

iDarshan: showcases live aartis every morning and evening, devotional songs, debates, discussions, pravachans, satsangs, discourses, travel episodes from shrines across the country and pilgrimage information, at your home.

iLearn: tutorial for children ranging from classes 1 to 5.

iAstro: provides detailed forecast for the day as per both, astrology and numerology.

To receive these applications from Airtel, customers need to dial 12150.

RIM to bring Mobile Fusion security tool for iOS and Android.

BlackBerry has been struggling to keep up with the ever-demanding mobile terrain with competitors dishing out the best of iOS, Android and Windows platforms. BlackBerry devices have been preferred by corporate and government agencies for years, but these devices are being replaced by Android and iOS smartphones. RIM has decided to offer its new security tool to other mobile devices, including the ones running on iOS and Android. The company will launch the Mobile Fusion in the first quarter, a device management software that enables corporate IT staff to set and monitor apps, passwords and software for other devices, reports Reuters.


This tool allows the company to remotely lock and also wipe off data from a lost/stolen device. "We will take full advantage of whatever security capabilities are provided by the core operating system. We're not going to hold that back in any way, shape or form," said Alan Panezic, RIM's Vice President for enterprise product management.

The Mobile Fusion will sit behind the corporate firewalls of BlackBerry Enterprise Servers (BES). However, the price of the new software, which is said to be ‘competitive’ isn’t disclosed, yet. There are other small companies such as Good Technology, MobileIron and BoxTone offering the service.

"This will definitely rattle some cages" among smaller companies, filling a niche by securing and managing iPhones and other non-BlackBerry devices for corporations, Forrester analyst Christian Kane said.

Facebook getting ready to launch IPO in 2012.

Facebook, the world's largest Internet social network, is preparing for a initial public stock offering next year, according to a source familiar with the matter. Facebook is exploring raising $10 billion, the Wall Street Journal said on Monday. It hopes the offering will value the company at more than $100 billion, according to WSJ, which first reported the story.

Facebook's Chief Financial Officer, David Ebersman, had discussed a public float with Silicon Valley bankers but founder and Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg had not decided on any terms and his plans could change, the Journal said. The social network, which now claims more than 800 million members after seven years of explosive growth, has not selected bankers to manage what would be a very closely watched IPO. But it had drafted an internal prospectus and was ready at any moment to pull the IPO trigger, the Journal cited people familiar with the matter as saying. At $100 billion valuation, the company started by Zuckerberg in a Harvard dorm room would have double the valuation of Hewlett-Packard, the Journal said.

A formal S-1 filing could come before the end of the year, though nothing was decided, the newspaper added. A Facebook representative declined to comment. Silicon Valley start-ups have this year begun to test investor appetite for a new wave of dotcoms. If it does debut in 2012, Facebook's IPO would dwarf that of any other dotcom waiting to go public. "Farmville" creator Zynga has filed for an IPO of up to $1 billion. In November, daily deals service Groupon debuted with much fanfare, only to plunge below its IPO price within weeks.

LinkedIn and Pandora are now also trading significantly below the levels their stocks reached during their public debuts earlier this year. Facebook has become one of the world's most popular Web destinations, challenging established companies such as Google Inc and Yahoo Inc for consumers' online time and for advertising dollars.


Facebook does not disclose its financial results, but a source familiar with the situation told Reuters earlier this year that the company's revenue in the first six months of 2011 doubled year-on-year to $1.6 billion. Eric Feng, a former partner at venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers who now runs social-networking site Erly.com, said that the cash Facebook will get in an IPO would allow them to make more acquisitions and refine or work on new projects, such as a rumored-Facebook phone or a netbook.

Having tradeable stock will also allow Facebook to attract more engineering talent who might have been more attracted to the company in earlier days when it was growing faster but now perhaps might be attracted to other companies. "It'll be a powerful bullet for them," said Feng. Investors have been increasingly eager to buy shares of Facebook and other fast-growing but privately-held Internet social networking companies on special, secondary-market exchanges.

Facebook said in January that it will exceed 500 shareholders this year, and that in accordance with SEC regulations, it will file public financial reports no later than April 30, 2012.

Reuters.

Control your Android phone from PC over the air


Busy spending time on your PC rather than looking at your phone, then you should install Airdroid to control your Android smartphone directly from PC. There are several other apps available for the same task but the number of features and the interface of Airdroid make it worth installing.

You will be able to transfer files, install apps, un-install apps, read/write SMS, manage contacts and a lot directly from your web browser. Airdroid controls your phone via WiFi, you can even use the ad-hoc WiFi network.

How to use Airdroid

Install Airdroid using the apk given below or directly from Android Market.
Connect your phone and your PC to the same WiFi network (you can also create an WiFi network via Connectify or Intel My WiFi using your laptop’s WiFi hardware).
Open Airdroid app on your phone. Enter the IP address given on Airdroid on Chrome/Firefox on your PC and then enter PIN when asked. You are ready to control your phone via PC.


App Walk-through:



App Description from Android Market:

AirDroid is a fast, free app that lets you wirelessly manage & control your Android device from a web browser over-the-air.


Enjoy below features after installation from the comfort of your favorite web browser on desktop or other devices:
Files: Transfer files between Android devices and computers. Cut, copy, paste, search, rename or delete files on the SD card.
SMS: Read, send, forward or delete SMS messages.
Applications: Install, uninstall, backup, search apps and do batch processing.
Photos: Preview, delete, import, export, set as wallpaper and photos slide show from desktop.
Contacts: Group, search, create contacts, check and delete call logs.
Ringtones: Search, preview, import, export, delete and customize ringtones for phone calls, notifications and alarms.
Music: Play, search, import, export, delete, or set as phone call, notification and alarm ringtones.

AirDroid also comes with the following inbuilt features:

Device Status: Real-time ROM, SD Card, Battery, CPU and RAM status report & monitor with charts to demonstrate available/used/total resources, and one-tap memory boost.
Tasks Manager: Kill or uninstall running apps, batch operation supported.

Download AirDroid Android App from Android Market | Direct APK link

HTC Ville's the slimmest HTC smartphone at 8mm.

Earlier this month, it was reported that HTC had a new handset in the works, which is scheduled for a debut at the Mobile World Congress (MWC), next year. The upcoming handset is reportedly known as the HTC Ville and it will be the thinnest smartphone from HTC measuring at 8mm thin uniformly, unlike the Motorola RAZR, which features the bump. According to a report by Phandroid, the upcoming Droid will feature a metal unibody design and could be one of the first smartphones to feature Qualcomm’s Snapdragon S4 platform.


Here is a quick look at the specifications of the HTC Ville:

1.> Android Ice Cream Sandwich with HTC Sense UI 4.0
2.> 4.3-inch qHD Super AMOLED display
3.> 1.5GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon Series 4 processor
4.> 8MP rear camera with a back-illuminated sensor that supports 1080p video capture
5.> Beats audio
6.> HSPA+
7.> 1650mAh battery

The handset will not feature NFC capabilities. If announced at MWC in February, the handset could possibly hit shelves by April. It appears that all manufacturers are jumping onto the thin bandwagon and judging by the looks of this handset, it seems that this is 'the' handset to look out for.

Monday 28 November 2011

Google gifts Apple's Steve Wozniak a Samsung Galaxy Nexus.

Just recently, Apple's co-founder, Steve Wozniak tweeted about having looked out for a Samsung Galaxy Nexus smartphone and then not finding it, probably because it wasn't available, yet, confirms a report in The Telegraph. That stated, and before he knew it, Google had already gifted him the smartphone. Wozniak, on his visit to a Google campus received the first phone running Google's Ice Cream Sandwich operating system.

Wozniak's affection towards the Android platform isn't unknown. Reportedly in November 2010, although Wozniak claims to have been misquoted on this one, he told a Dutch publication, De Telegraaf that Google’s Android mobile operating system was better than Apple’s equivalent, iOS. Wozniak later cleared the air, stating he was misquoted and that he would "never" say that Android was better than iOS.

The report further suggests that while Wozniak did not deny the popularity of the platform, he stated that every app he tried on Android was a better experience on the iPhone. It has also been reported that Wozniak also purchased the Nexus One, the same day as it launched.

Google warns about rogue anti-virus apps in Android Marketplace.

Don’t be in a haste to install just any anti-virus program from the Android Marketplace, as it may be a Trojan that will mess up your phone. In the past four months, malicious software attacks have risen by 472 percent on Android smartphones and according to Google, there are plenty of rogue apps parading around as legit software. Some attacks include using up the EDGE or 3G data in the background, while others send SMS to premium numbers, fattening up your monthly bill.

It’s easy to fall prey to such apps, as they cleverly disguise themselves by posting fake user reviews and high ratings, which would tempt an unsuspecting victim to download the app. Chris DiBona, Google's open-source programs manager stated in a blog post, “No major cell phone has a 'virus' problem in the traditional sense that Windows and some Mac machines have seen. Virus companies are playing on your fears to try to sell you bulls***protection software for Android.” The Android Marketplace is now the most popular platform for downloading apps beating the iPhone and iPad. But unlike the apps in Apple’s Appstore, which go through stringent checks, nothing as such exists for Android, which gives hackers a field day.

Honestly, anti-virus software are not needed on mobiles, just as long as you don’t download random apps you should be just fine.

Vodafone, HDFC bring 'm-paisa' to Rajasthan.

In an attempt to make the most basic of banking transactions accessible to millions across India, popular mobile service provider in India, Vodafone joined hands with private lender, HDFC Bank and launched m-paisa in Rajasthan, reports IBN Live. 'm-paisa', a mobile banking service will allow unbanked users in India to avail financial services without having to walk it out to a bank, which in this case isn't a common sight. It isn't unknown for a fact that mobile penetration in the villages in India is quite good, and m-Paisa will benefit from this very aspect.

m-paisa has been kicked off at Rajasthan and it is here that over 2,200 retailers across 320 villages and 54 towns are operational in opening HDFC Bank mobile bank accounts with Vodafone m-paisa, which makes for an impressive number. According to a statement provided by Rahul Bhagat, country head, retail liabilities, marketing and direct banking channels, HDFC Bank, "There are 6,00,000 habitations but only about 89,000 bank branches in the country, making access to banking services difficult in remote areas. We feel that Vodafone's significant distribution reach will provide customers the security of financial transaction offered by bank."

In order to avail the services of m-paisa, customers will have to complete a KYC (know your customer) form and submit it to a Vodafone authorized retail outlet and then start availing service on fulfilment of the bank's formalities by dialing *135#. The mobile banking service, which is currently in only in English will soon be released in all Indian languages, over the course of its adoption. The service, itself will slowly reach other villages, across the country, by March or April, next year.

Reasons Why Grsync Is An Awesome Syncing Tool.

Use rsync, the ultimate syncing tool, without having to install Linux or learn the command line. That’s the appeal of Grsync, a GUI version of the popular Unix/Linux command line program rsync. We pointed out Grsync over a year ago, when we showed you how to sync files on Linux with Grsync. Grsync isn’t just for Linux, though. It can run on Mac and Windows computers as well.

If you want to sync entire folders worth of content on a regular basis, but aren’t interested in Dropbox or similar clients, you really should check out Grsync. This hands-on piece of software works on almost any computer and can do almost anything. It can also do a lot more than simply sync your files.

Grsync Is Cross-Platform

Are you using Linux? Installing Grsync should be easy, then. Just find the package “grsync” in your package manager. Users of Ubuntu (and Ubuntu’s many versions) can simply click here to install grsync.

But this program isn’t just for Linux users. There are downloads for Mac and Windows as well.


Download Grsync for Windows or download Grsync for Mac (Intel only).

Note that both of these ports are unofficial, meaning they are done by different developers than the original Grsync. Both feature a similar interface to the Linux version, however, as seen above.

Grsync Includes Many Features:

We briefly explained how to use Grsync before, but it’s worth getting into a bit more detail. This program can do a lot. Let’s take a look at the main interface.


Source and destination explain themselves – the source is where your files come from and the destination is where they will end up.

The first checkbox, “Preserve Time“, can be a big deal. As you may know, your computer keeps track of when a file is created or edited. Frequently, when you’re backing up data, this time is replaced with the time of your backup; not very useful. Click this box to keep all times accurate. You can also keep the permissions identical to before, which is very useful for security purposes. The “Owner” and “Group” also pertain to permissions, if you didn’t know.

Do you want the files in your source to completely overwrite the destination? Check “Delete on Destination“.

“Windows Compatibility” is somewhat misnamed but very important if you’re syncing to a FAT32 drive; check this box to ensure no file names are too long for FAT32 drives to handle.

But Wait, There’s More:

There’s more to discover here, of course, but how interested you are will depend on how geeky you are. Don’t check anything you don’t understand.


Keeping symlinks working is important if you’ve created any, so that’s good to have around. Running a checksum is a good way to ensure the data is accurately transferred.


Are you editing files you don’t have permission for? Be sure to check “Run as superuser” to ensure everything will transfer properly. You can also execute commands before and after the sync is completed.

Want to discover what the other checkboxes do? Hover your mouse over them for a pop-up explanation.

Conclusion


I’m always happy when I find a program as useful as Grsync, and I hope you guys enjoy it too. Let me know if this guide is useful to you, and feel free to fill me in with any other tips.

Google Recommends 2-Step Process To Protect Your Account.

Most savvy Internet users probably have at one at least Google account – mainly because Google, for good or bad, crosses paths with so many other websites that it’s hard to avoid not using the services and apps it has to offer. If you use your Google sign-in ID for multiple websites, and/or sign into Google Mail from public or shared computers, you should definitely make sure the account is secure. To better protect your account, Google offers a 2-step verification process designed for your Gmail account. If you haven’t already been requested to use it, here is how it works.




Google says this optional verification procedure is designed to “protect your account even it’s stolen or cracked.” To get started, follow the instructions here, or sign into your Google account > Settings page, and under Security, click “Using 2-Step verification”. It is best to start the process on a computer you use on a regular basis so that you can also authenticate that computer as part of the process. The verification will be remembered on your computer for 30 days. You will also need a landline or mobile phone to receive a text message or phone call for the verification code.

If you’re a Android, BlackBerry, or iPhone user, you can also download a Google Authenticator app which saves you the trouble of doing the authentication process by computer and SMS message. For extra measure, Google also advises that you print backup verification codes in case your phone is lost or stolen.

Sunday 27 November 2011

eMClient: A Desktop App For Managing Emails & Chatting With Friends (For Windows)

The web interfaces of email services today usually take a few seconds to load up. Moreover messages take time to appear when you click on them. Such responsiveness issues can be overcome with the use of a good desktop email client. Here to offer you those features with many others is an excellent desktop tool called eM Client.

eM Client is a Windows desktop app which downloads your messages to your local drive and lets you easily manage and respond to them. The tool currently supports numerous email services including Gmail and Hotmail. IMAP and POP3 protocols are also supported. The free version of the app has a 2 email account restriction which can be lifted by opting for the premium version that presently costs $49.95.

Setting up the program is quite simple. You download the setup files sized at nearly 20 MB and then specify your email account details to the app. Next your messages are downloaded and your accounts appear in the left pane. Apart from emails, you can also add calendar entries and even maintain a list of contacts. Built-in instant messaging capabilities let you chat with friends from ICQ, MSN, Facebook, Yahoo, and AOL.

The center pane lists your messages. You can click on one and have it load up in the center-bottom pane.

Overall, eM Client is an excellent desktop application for people who desire a faster way to use their email services. The app will also help people who want to read their emails offline.

Features:

1.> A user-friendly desktop app.
2.> Compatible with Windows.
3.> A desktop app for emails.
4.> Supports numerous email services.
5.> Has built-in integrated messaging for popular networks.

Check out eM Client from here @ www.emclient.com

Saturday 26 November 2011

RapidDrive: Local Storage For Your Rapidshare Account.


Download services like Rapidshare could have more powerful uses compared to just hosting your large files and sharing them. You can also use those accounts to backup stuff or serve as an extra hard drive both locally and on the cloud. This implementation is now possible with Rapidshare account holders through RapidDrive. This tools lets you upload and download your files from Rapidshare to your local storage and work on your files like a folder on your hard drive.

Once you have downloaded and installed the app, you just need to log in to sync your account to the server. To upload to your Rapidshare account, just drag the files to your selected RapidDrive folder. The tool will then create a temporary folder for the upload process to run in the background. You can then check the tray menu to view the progress of your uploads and after uploading, you can also open the file from your RapidDrive.

RapidDrive is pretty limited in what it can do compared to true syncing tools like Dropbox. However, RapidDrivers offers unlimited storage and ease of use for interacting with your Rapidshare account. This tool is useful for people who need to transfer and host large files seamlessly.

Features:

1.> Store your Rapidshare files locally.
2.> Run in Javascript.
3.> Work only on Windows.
4.> Provides unlimited cloud storage.
5.> Needs Rapidshare premium account to work.


Check out Rapiddrive from here @ www.rapiddrive.net

How to Install VirtualBox in Your USB Drive and Run any Operating System.

As we walk in the year 2010, Operating systems are not machine specific anymore. Google chrome OS has launched which marks a new era in the beginning of cloud based Operating system. But sometimes the cloud can be a little difficult to maintain, especially when you prefer using a USB stick for doing your day to day tasks with the computer, taking backups, moving files and working in multiple computers like in Office, home or may be some other place.

Thus sometimes you may need an operating system that would be portable, so that you can run it from your removable drive and from any computer. So this one which lets you carry a “self made system environment” in your USB drive. And is not any operating system and it depends upon the host computer where you would be using it.

What if we could install and carry an operating system of our choice from the USB drive?
The answer: Virtual box made portable. The idea here is to install Virtualbox in your USB drive and use it to install a guest operating system. With this portable virtual disk, you can use this system in any computer you want.

How to Make VirtualBox Portable

1. To install Virtualbox in your removable drive, go to vbox and download the package (957 Kb). Choose the version 3.0 as shown below.


2. Run the set up and it will ask you for a location to unzip the files. Extract all the files to your USB drive.


3. The setup will extract all the files required to set up virtualbox in your USB drive. Now open the “Portable-Virtualbox” folder from the removable drive and double click the set up file as shown below.


4. Now you will be shown something like this


5. Select the checkboxes “Extract the files for a 32 bit system” and “Extract the files for a 64 bit system“. You can also choose to compress the files to save some precious space in your removable drive.

6. That’s it. Click the “Download Installation file for Virtualbox” button.

7. Immediately after that, you will see that the application has started downloading the setup files required to install portable Virtualbox. Wait for the download to finish. You will see a notification right in the middle of the screen and also in the system tray.


8. It would take some time to download the Virtualbox files. After the download is over, you will see a prompt as shown below


9. Now open your removable drive again and you would see a new icon named as “Virtual Box” (not to be confused with Portable Virtualbox icon). Double click it and you will see the usual Virtualbox wizard.


Complete the wizard and you are done with the installation part of portable Virtualbox in the removable drive.
Install a Portable Operating System in your Removable Drive

Now that Virtualbox is in your removable drive, you can easily create a virtual hard disk and install any operating system such as Windows XP, Windows Vista, Linux etc. Start the virtual Box program and you can create a virtual hard disk. Save this hard disk in your removable drive as you would be using it from the USB drive only.

Once you are done with the installation part you can carry the Operating system in the removable drive and use it on multiple computers. That concludes the tutorial on installing a portable operating system in your USB stick.

Advantages

There are a lot of advantages of using a portable Virtualbox hard disk and running an operating system with it. The biggest advantage is that you can run the OS on any computer which does not have virtual box installed. Another major advantage is keeping your hard disk free from virtual hard disks or you may even copy the virtual hard disk from one computer to another.

Hope you would find this software useful. What’s your take on portable Virtualbox? Do let us know through a comment.

New Startup MelonCard Helps Prevent Identity Theft.

Want to know my full name, address, phone number, relatives, age and date of birth, and my entire address history? If you have a few dollars and know a few of these details about my life, you could find out all of this — and so much more.

But don’t go searching Google just yet. With websites like Spokeo, ZabaSearch, and Radaris, any one of your friends who knows anything about you can do the same. Scared? You should be. Identity theft is a huge problem. As people’s records expand and monitoring services create more databases of personal information, the risk to your identity increases. While your information is collected without your permission, there is something you can do about it.

MelonCard, which is part of the newest batch of 500 Startups, helps you, as a consumer, protect your personal information by surfacing profiles that include your information and enabling you to quickly ask these databases to delete your profiles with one click of a button. The information in these profiles can include things like your name and address, as well as your phone number, date of birth etc. With the right combination of this information, anyone else can gain access to the rest of this information and successfully steal your identity — which includes compromising your financial information. If you ever thought losing your wallet was bad and not being able to prove that it was ever yours to begin with. MelonCard was actually inspired when the father of one of the founders of the startup had his identity stolen.

After you confirm who you are with MelonCard (there are probably dozens of people who have the same name as you), you can choose from among dozens of record and monitoring services to remove your listings. Some of these services carry a low risk, such as Archives, which serves as a place to track your family history. Other services, like ZabaSearch, carry a high risk, as premium users of that service can search for records. This feature can obviously lead to identity theft if your information were to get into the hands of the wrong person.

MelonCard offers the ability for you to remove information from eight of the worst information brokers on the Web for free. It also allows you to remove your records from nine additional information brokers with a $7/month membership that will guarantee such listings will be permanently removed. The membership also allows you to remove every listing that MelonCard finds of you in other databases, and it also ensures your data doesn’t resurface in these databases. With the membership, MelonCard will also alert you if any new information about you pops up.

MelonCard makes it incredibly easy to contact these people record services for removal without going through their individual processes. Unfortunately, these directories are designed to help the “bad guys” who want to stalk or steal information from you (and you’re probably a “good guy,” right?). Upon requesting removal from Epsilon, I was told it could take two to three months. Radaris told me that information contained on its website was sourced from at least 15 other sites — not all of which are included in MelonCard. And requesting removal from Spoke generated a customer service request. Only Archives indicated that the removal would be completely automatic.

Is the process fast and easy? No. Is it going to free you from any and all privacy concerns you ever have? No. But gaining control of your privacy on these people record and monitoring sites could make or break the difference from you completely losing control of your privacy. In a recent post on MelonCard’s blog, Geoff highlighted that one database highlighted all of the following information about users it profiled:

1.> Highest Known Level of Education
2.> Occupation
3.> Children in Household
4.> Estimated Household Income
5.> Marital Status
6.> Home Owner Status
7.> Estimated Length of Residence
8.> Estimated Home Value
9.> Home Property Type
10.> Cars in Household
11.> Vehicle New/Used
12.> Vehicle Type
13.> Likely Smartphone User
14.> Have Credit Card
15.> Have Premium Credit Card
16.> Invested Assets
17.> Likely to use Financial Services
18.> Estimated Loan to Value Ratio
19.> Politically Active
20.> Political Views
21.> Absentee Voter
22.> Likely Political Contributor
23.> Likely Contributor to Charity

Even Facebook doesn’t know this much about you (at least, you hope not). We all put a lot of information out on the Internet, but MelonCard is making it easier for us to prevent others from using that information, as a whole, to harm us.

Try out MelonCard for free, or if you really value your privacy, consider the $7/month for the membership. Do you think it will help prevent identity theft and protect your privacy? Let us know in the comments.

Unofficial Symbian Belle update available for Nokia C7.

All you Nokia C7 users out there, here is some interesting information for you in the form of an unofficial update about Symbian Belle being available. Prior to this, in an announcement, Nokia stated that Symbian Belle will soon be available for Nokia handsets, such as the X7, E7, N8, E6 and the Nokia 500. However, in their announcement, the Swedish handset manufacturer has left out the C7.

According to a post on Symbian Tweet, the website details how the upgrade for the Nokia C7 is to be flashed. Firstly, the Nokia C7 would have to have Symbian Anna running and then the handset can be updated to Belle using the Phoenix software. After this, one can view the video below to watch the online tutorial of updating the latest version 111.030.0607 of Symbian Belle OS.



As with any unofficial update, one should proceed with caution, while upgrading their handset. As of now, it appears that the Nokia C7 is not on Nokia’s radar to receive the official update. Those of you brave enough to give this a try, hit the here and let us know how it feels to have Symbian Belle running on your C7.

Friday 25 November 2011

Google+ Adds Chat With People In Your Circles.

Google is relentless when it comes to adding new features to Google+. It seems like nearly every day I see something new showing up on my Google+ profile, and today is no exception. Google+ now has a chat built right in for people in your circles. Of course, they must have you in their circles as well, otherwise that would just lead to a ridiculous amount of people spamming celebrities. It’s a feature that makes sense, considering their main competitor, Facebook, has had a chat feature for a long time.

The intriguing part about this update is that it allows users who are in each others circles to chat outside of Google+. They can chat on Gmail, iGoogle, Google Talk and Orkut. This gives users a terrific way to extend the Google+ experience, even if they are not actively on the site.

Google interactive weather results now in 34 languages.

Google had introduced interactive weather information in mobile search results, earlier this year. The search results didn’t look any different, but just by moving the slider over the next 12 hours, it would display a detailed hour-by-hour breakdown of the weather changes. In its latest post on the Google Mobile blog, the search engine giant reveals that this interactive weather information feature, which was earlier available only in English, now supports 33 more languages, including Hindi.

So, on typing weather in any language of your choice, it will display the current temperature, humidity level and wind speed. It also shows the overall forecast and weather outlook for the next few days. Overall, the feature now supports 34 languages. This weather feature is available for iOS as well as Android users.

Google Chrome to get game controller support.

Development of browsers such as Google Chrome and Firefox are going on at a ridiculous pace. A ton of features are being added to two of the most popular browsers. At the Develop conference, a game development conference that was recently held at Liverpool, Google’s Paul Kinlan spoke about a number of features being added the browser. TechCrunch reports that one of them was native support for game controllers on the browser. In addition to support for them, there would also be support for webcams and microphones. The bigger and possibly a revolutionary feature would be a protocol called WebRTC, which is meant for video and audio communications through the browser. A combination of these features would bring an OnLive-like experience to desktops running the browser.

Addition to such features would bring a whole lot of flexibility to Chromebooks that are almost entirely powered by the Chrome browser. Kinlan also mentioned an OnLive-like video and game streaming service was being worked on. There was no official launch date of when these developments will take place, but it's expected to hit sometime in the first quarter of next year. Considering Google’s habit of providing revolutionary features and services for free, the OnLive competitor may also follow the same model. At least, we hope it will.

10 Ways to Protect Your Privacy Online.

Many people are most afraid of losing control of their privacy on the Internet. Anyone with a Facebook account has experienced some level of privacy violation, whether it was several years ago when Facebook sent user data to third-party sites for marketing, or recently when Facebook added a “ticker” into the design of the website that alerted your friends of your activity in real time. Other social networks, such as Twitter, LinkedIn, and Google+ can present your information just as publicly. The Library of Congress is even archiving every public tweet sent via Twitter. These issues may not concern you, but they probably should, as anyone can use your data from social networks to sell to marketing companies, and other companies are cross-analyzing social profiles to create an eerily comprehensive profile of habits, personality, and tendencies without even knowing you personally.

Protecting your privacy is easy and only requires a common-sense approach. Some organizations, like the EFF, offer advanced tips for those who are especially tech savvy to reduce privacy invasion. Our tips are perhaps more basic — but can help prevent a huge disaster if you don’t follow them.

Stop checking in.

Whether it’s Facebook or Foursquare, many social media users love checking in at every restaurant they eat, every concert they attend and every park they pass on the commute home. We’ve discussed the danger of using location based services before, especially when you check-in to “home.” Although you may not always disclose your location, a stalker can still use your data to get an idea of your habits and general schedule. Always check in to the dog park at 5:15? Anyone who follows you on Foursquare knows where to find you — and if you share that information on Twitter publicly, anyone who knows your Twitter account knows it, too. If you just can’t quit the habit of checking into places (perhaps you are Mayor all over town and get a sweet discount at every coffee shop as a perk), consider checking in when you leave. At least then you won’t be there when your stalker shows up.

Remove any personal information from your Facebook profile.

Facebook is a great place to brag, especially about your new condo, new relationship, or new job. No matter how private your Facebook settings, inputting this information on Facebook logs it permanently into the system, and there is no promise from Facebook that the information will permanently remain private. (The recent beta test of the new Timeline for profiles unveiled this, as information I shared over five years ago became visible to the public again.) If you’re worried about people finding out too much about you, remove and/or don’t share anything personal, including your job (and employment history), your relationship status, your address, your phone number, or your birthday (or, at least, your birth year). The sum of that information can make it easier for someone to steal your identity — but without it, next to impossible. Your profile is also useless without marketing data like your location or age.

Remove connections to all apps except the ones you know you use and need to use.

Have you ever received a spammy message on Facebook or Twitter? That spam was the result of another user’s account being phished when they tried to add an app that was designed to steal access to their account. Sometimes, apps go bad, and an app that once seemed legitimate was compromised (either intentionally or otherwise) and retroactively compromised the accounts of its users. If you don’t know what apps you have connected to your social media accounts, take 10 minutes to look through them and remove any app you are unfamiliar with or don’t need anymore. This will help prevent your account from being compromised by a rogue application you previously connected.

Delete Facebook friends you have never met.

Having the most friends on Facebook is not indicative of your success or popularity. In fact, many spammers have easily maxed out their friend allotment on Facebook (which is 5,000) — but they are definitely not the most popular people on Facebook. Accepting friend requests from people you don’t know means that any information or updates you limit to friends is visible to complete strangers, who can then share this information with other complete strangers — and you don’t know what they may do with your data. It also means you may be bombarded with spam in the form of messages, IMs, and wall posts, which can make using Facebook potentially dangerous should you click on any of the included links.

Delete Twitter followers you don’t trust.

Twitter users are more prone to follow people they have never met in real life, such as celebrities and bloggers. However, Twitter is also riddled with spam and scams. Following back scammy accounts means your DM inbox will quickly be filled with spam messages which could compromise your account. It also means you may miss legitimate, important DMs from other followers.

Check and secure your Facebook privacy settings.

Do you know who can see the information you share on Facebook? While you generally shouldn’t post anything on the Internet that you wouldn’t want everyone to see (ever), you can change your privacy settings to at least add a preventive layer to who can easily see what you share on Facebook. These settings are accessible by clicking on the dropdown arrow in the blue bar and clicking on Privacy Settings. Choose a default privacy for mobile apps, and then choose the a privacy level for each category. For some options, the maximum level of privacy will limit visibility to just your friends; for others, you can choose either yourself or a list of friends (more on utilizing this feature below). Generally speaking, the less people who can see the information you share on Facebook, the better.

Create friend lists on Facebook.

As mentioned, friend lists on Facebook can be used to limit who sees information shared on Facebook. Friend lists are not new, but not many people know about the feature. By creating lists, you can choose to limit the visibility of certain aspects of your profile to specific lists in the privacy settings. You can also choose to share each status updates with specific lists. Keep in mind, though, that anyone can copy and paste your status update and share it with someone who you did not intend to see the post.

Avoid signing up for every new social network to which other tech blogs offer beta access.

Everyone loves being the first to try something new, but sometimes being a guinea pig can risk your privacy and security. There are dozens of new social networks that spring up every day, and many of them ask for email addresses, a password, and/or permission to connect to one of your other social networks. Be aware that the more you share this information, the more you put yourself at risk for your data to be compromised. If you’re really keen on winning the social 2.0 butterfly award, consider creating a unique email address and using a very different password for each new “network” you join.

Make your Twitter profile private.

The Library of Congress might be archiving every public tweet, but if your tweets are protected, your retweets and replies will not be included. Twitter users who share meaningful or personal information via Twitter may want to choose this option to increase their privacy, though as with Facebook, any user can copy or paste these updates and share them with all other Twitter users. Additionally, if a follower of a protected account has a public Twitter account and retweets a protected tweet, that content becomes public. Twitter users who choose this option should be very cautious of who they allow to follow them to prevent the loss of privacy that this option protects.

Delete your profiles from social networks.

If the privacy options baked into social networks are not enough to calm your concerns about the protection of your privacy while using Facebook, Twitter, or other platforms, consider deleting your account. The information you have already shared will be (likely) stored forever in the networks’ respective databases and continue to be sold to marketers (though the networks may never fully admit it). If you’re worried about the future of your privacy, you can try to limit who sees your information in the future — or stop sharing that information entirely by deleting your social network profiles.

RIM launches Curve 9380, Bold 9790 and Curve 9350 in India

RIM brings its new BlackBerry Curve 9380, BlackBerry Bold 9790 and CDMA-based BlackBerry Curve 9350 handsets to the Indian markets. All three smartphones employ RIM’s latest BlackBerry 7 OS. These stylish devices are aimed at offering enhanced multimedia, communications, productivity and social connectivity.

The Bold features a touch display, alongside a QWERTY keypad and is fuelled by a Marvel Tavor MG1 1 GHz processor.

A quick look at the features of the BlackBerry Bold 9790:

1.> 2.4-inch capacitive touchscreen with a 480 x 360 pixel resolution
2.> 3G, EDGE/GPRS, Wi-Fi
3.> GPS with A-GPS support
4.> Bluetooth v3.0 with A2DP and USB 2.0 (micro)
5.> 5 megapixel camera, video capture up to VGA resolution
6.> 3.5mm earphone socket
7.> Expandable memory up to 32GB

RIM shows its growing affinity towards touch-devices, as the 9380 is the first in the Curve series to be come embedded with a 3.2-inch touchscreen. It is powered by an 806 MHz processor.

A closer look at the specifications of the Curve 9380:

1.> 3.2-inch capacitive touchscreen with a 360 x 480 pixel resolution
2.> 3G, EDGE/GPRS, Wi-Fi
3.> GPS with A-GPS support
4.> Bluetooth v3.0 with A2DP and USB 2.0 (micro)
5.> 5 megapixel camera
6.> 3.5mm earphone socket
7.> Expandable memory up to 32GB

Powered by a 800MHz processor, the BlackBerry 9350 is a CDMA phone with a spec sheet almost similar to the Bold 9790. It ropes in the usual keypad which promises accurate and quick typing. The BlackBerry Curve 9380 is priced at Rs.20,990, the Bold 9790 attaches a price tag of Rs.27,490 and the Curve 9350 (CDMA) at Rs.20,990. These handsets will be available starting December 1, 2011.

Thursday 24 November 2011

Lenovo launches IdeaPad U300s Ultrabook in India.

After the Acer S3, Lenovo steps in the Ultrabook segment with the launch of the U300s. Available from all major retail outlets, the IdeaPad U300s is priced at Rs.67,900, plus taxes. The U300s is built from a single piece of aluminium that form the chassis, similar to the MacBook Air. Due to this, it has a thickness of just 14.9mm and weighs less than 1.3 kg. It also packs in some technologies like ‘Breathable Keyboard’, which uses Intel’s Advanced Cooling Technology, which allows air to flow in through the keyboard and out the sides and the rear hinge.

This design removes the need for vents on the underside of the notebook, making it ideal for long periods of use. The Lenovo Long Life Battery provides the U 300s up to 8 hours of productive use or 30 days on standby. With Lenovo RapidCharge, the battery can be charged to 50 percent capacity in just 30 minutes.

The 13.3-inch HD ready screen is LED backlit and the notebook is powered by Intel’s 2nd Generation Core i5 processor, 4GB of RAM and 128GB SSD. Along with that, we also have Bluetooth 3.0, Wi-Fi ‘n’, USB 3.0 and 2.0, HDMI, SRS Sound enhancement, Intel’s WiDi technology and finally, a 1.3MP webcam. Acer’s similarly speced Ultrabook is actually slightly cheaper, so it’s interesting to see what special Lenovo’s offering will bring to the table.

Airtel announce data plans for the iPhone 4S.

Last week, Airtel had announced the prices of the much awaited iPhone 4S for India. However, the prices announced shocked just everyone varyingly, depending on how much of an Apple fan one is. Airtel has now announced data package plans for the iPhone 4S, the 8GB iPhone 4 and the iPhone 3GS. These plans start from Rs.600 and go up to Rs.2,000.

The fact remains that one has to pay the full amount upfront and then get up to 50 percent of the amount after the contract ends. With this tariff plan, one can get 1,500 minutes, 600 SMS messages, which include local as well as national and 3GB of 3G data. Apart from the data plans, Airtel has also updated their page with the cost of the upcoming 8GB iPhone 4 and 8GB iPhone 3GS. The cost remains the same as reported earlier with the new iPhone 4 being priced at Rs.37,900, while the two year old iPhone 3GS costing Rs.20,900.

Here is a quick look at the prices of the iPhones in India:

1.> iPhone 4S 16GB – Rs.44,900
2.> iPhone 4S 32GB – Rs.50,900
3.> iPhone 4S 64 GB – Rs.57,500
4.> iPhone 4 8GB – Rs.37,900
5.> iPhone 3GS 8GB – Rs.20,900

The Apple iPhone 4S is going to be officially launched in India, tomorrow. For more information on these plans and the cost of the iPhones from Airtel, click the link here.

Samsung's New Ad Makes Fun Of Apple Fans.

Samsung's interesting new ad, while promoting it's Galaxy S II android smartphone, doesn’t spare any effort to ridicule various facets of Apple - from the faults of it's iPhone to the snobbery of it's fans. While there is no verbal mention of Apple or iPhone throughout the entire commercial, a number of insinuations abound.

The ad starts innocently enough, with a shot of people standing outside 'stores' - Apple stores anyone? - in various locations throughout the US such as New York, Boston and San Francisco. It is mentioned that it would be 9 hours before this eagerly awaited 'device' goes on sale - one of the people waiting in the queue proudly declares his fanboy credentials by saying "Guys, I'm so amped I could stay for three weeks".

The fans outside continue discussing rumours about the soon to be sold device - one of them reads off his mobile, "Uh oh, blogs are saying that battery looks sketchy". Another fan questions the phones looks - "If it looks the same, how will people know I upgraded?".

Then almost as if it was fate, the fans see individuals using an intriguing mobile device - none other than the Samsung Galaxy S II ofcourse -which piques their curiosity, with one of the fans exclaiming "WOW". The fans then ogle at this new mystery device, with its "massive" screen and the fact that it has 4G capabilities - Apple's iPhone lacks 4G connectivity.

The fans waiting in the queue are so impressed with the Samsung device that one of them says "its magnificent". Another fan deridingly mentions that is "Samsung", while yet another fan incredulously asks the Galaxy S II owner "Samsung?", still quite unable to grasp that such a product could be made by the Korean manufacturer.

A fan pompously states that I could never get a Samsung, I'm creative.", to which another fan retorts "Dude, you're a barista" - A point not lost on folks who see Apple fans as being too arrogant and blindly loyal to notice that there are other good devices other than Apple's out in the market.

The ad aptly ends with the line "The next big thing is already here".

While this ad cant possibly make relations between the 2 companies any worse, especially considering that both manufacturers are busy fighting legal battles globally around their products, it will be interesting to watch and see if and how Apple responds to Samsung's jest.

Idea Cellular launches its first self-branded Android phones in India.

Idea Blade (Left) Idea ID 280 (right)

Telecom operator Idea Cellular has launched its first self-branded Android smartphones in India today. Dubbed as Idea ID 280 and Idea Blade, these smartphones will be sold for INR 5850 and INR 7992 respectively.

As we had already reported, Idea ID 280 is a re-branded Huawei Ideos X1. On the other hand Idea Blade is a rebranded ZTE Blade, which is already selling in the market for last many months as Dell XCD35.

Telecom operator is providing an introductory offer for INR 259, which gives upto INR 3500 of 3G services and data for aforementioned smartphone buyers. This INR 259 pack gives free subscription to Idea TV for 3 months, 1 GB of data download per month for 3 months, 3G Double Dhamaka benefits for 6 months, and Talktime of Rs. 25. This special introductory offer is available for both prepaid and postpaid users.

“Idea has always innovated to support the telecom services penetration in the country. In line with this commitment, Idea has introduced affordable, yet fully loaded 3G smartphones which will now fuel the aspirations of the evolving mobile user in India. The new smartphones will further drive our existing 3G services in areas of industrial and commercial activity, centers of learning, and high potential rural hinterlands.”
- Mr. Himanshu Kapania, Managing Director, Idea Cellular

Idea ID 280 Features:

1.> Android 2.2
2.> 528MHz processor
3.> 256MB RAM
4.> 152MB Internal memory
5.> 2.8 inch capacitive display with 240 x 320 pixels resolution
6.> FM Radio
7.> 1200 mAh battery
8.> 3.2MP camera

Idea Blade Features:

1.> 3.5 inch display with 480×800 resolution
2.> 600MHz processor
3.> 3MP camera
4.> WiFi / Bluetooth / USB
5.> FM Radio
6.> 150 MB internal memory/ Up to 32GB Micro SD Card support
7.> Android 2.2
8.> Weight: 130gm | Dimensions: 116 x 56.5 x 11.8

These smartphones will soon be available at all major mobile retail stores and Idea outlets across all major cities in India.

Wednesday 23 November 2011

HTC Flyer sees massive price cut in India, down to INR 24K.


HTC has given a big price reduction to its only tablet in the Indian market ‘Flyer’. It has been retailing for around INR 36,000 since the day it was launched in the country, but the current price cut takes it down to INR 23,990. It is one massive price downfall of 12K.

We can only guess the reasons for taking this step by HTC India, but it is likely that due to the high price of INR 36K, there weren’t many sales. Flyer was also marred because of the presence of Gingerbread, when other tablets were being released with Honeycomb on-board.

We are most likely to see ICS ROMs popping up for Flyer pretty soon. HTC was also said to be working on the official Honeycomb update for the tablet. It is certainly not a bad deal at this price and you will get a 1.5GHz single core processor, 32GB internal memory with microSD card slot, Android 2.3 with HTC Sense for tablets, HTC Scribe pen input technology, 5MP rear camera, front camera, and 7 inch display.

It also comes with 3G support, 1GB RAM, 4000 mAh battery and the usual Bluetooth, GPS, and 3.5 mm jack.

Buy the HTC Flyer at INR 23,990 fron Flipkart

LG Mobile to reveal something special on 1st December.

Things have been surprisingly quiet at LG’s end off late, with no particularly ground breaking announcements, but that looks set to change on December 1, this year. It seems that the hiatus of sorts is set to end as LG has prepared something BIG for this holiday season; and according to the invite received by Engadget, the chances that LG is planning to announce their new flagship, the LG Nitro are pretty high.

It looks like the LG Nitro will run on a 1.5 GHz dual core Scorpion processor with 1GB RAM and will ship with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich.

The rumoured specs of the LG Nitro are:

1.> 4.5-inch LCD, Capacitive touchscreen with a 1280 x 720 pixel resolution
2.> 3G, LTE, EDGE/GPRS, Wi-Fi
3.> 8 Megapixel camera with LED flash, 1080p video recording
4.> 4GB inbuilt memory expandable up to 32 GB via microSD card
5.> 3.5 mm handsfree socket

Another interesting take to this news could be that LG is planning to get the new display that they are producing for the new iPhone onto their own flagship device. In any case, pricing, availability and confirmed specs of the device in question will all be figured out when the announcements come next week. Stay tuned to this space for more details.

LG makes the Optimus Net and Pro official in India.

While these phones have been in the market for sometime, LG officially announced them today. The Optimus Pro is available for Rs.9,599 and the Optimus Net is priced at Rs.10,999. Both the phones will go up against the Motorola Fire and the Fire XT.

LG Optimus PRO brings the popular combination of touch and QWERTY and features a unique “Portrait Touch Screen” of 2.8-inch display that allows user to read and write up to 16 lines as compared to 8-10 lines in the conventional landscape display screen. This supported with the ergonomic QWERTY keypad with dedicated shortcuts will enable smartphone users to multitask with ease and enhance their productivity.

Here are some of the highlights of the phone:

1.> 2.8-inch TFT capacitive touchscreen with a 240 x 320 pixel resolution
2.> 3G, EDGE/GPRS, Wi-Fi with hot spot creativity
3.> GPS with A-GPS support
4.> Bluetooth v3.0 with A2DP and USB 2.0
5.> 3.1 megapixel camera, video capture up to VGA resolution
6.> 3.5mm earphone socket
7.> Expandable memory up to 32GB

The Optimus Net takes the place of the Optimus One P500 and comes with a new Social + feature. The Social + is a unique social media aggregator, which enables smartphone users to converge the updates, events of popular social networking portals into one convenient widget on the homescreen. With automatic updates and streaming, users can multitask between updating their status while reading their friends’ social media feeds on the same screen simultaneously. You can read the review of the Optimus Net right here.

Some of the highlights of the phone include:

1.> 3.2-inch TFT capacitive touchscreen with a 320 x 480 pixel resolution
2.> 3G, EDGE/GPRS, Wi-Fi with hotspot creativity
3.> GPS with A-GPS support
4.> Bluetooth v3.0 with A2DP and USB 2.0
5.> 3.1 megapixel auto-focus camera, video capture up to VGA resolution
6.> 3.5mm earphone socket
7.> Expandable memory up to 32GB

After free email, Sabeer Bhatia introduces app for free SMS.

Sabeer Bhatia, the guy who gave us Hotmail has now trained his attention to mobile phones. Jaxtr Inc. founded by Sabeer Bhatia and Yogesh Patel, today announced the launch of JaxtrSMS, an open texting application that looks to revolutionalize the SMS market by allowing users to send free SMS. About his decision to launch a mobile application, Sabeer says, “The world is moving towards mobile phones. Today mobile opportunity is bigger than Internet. While in 2003 over 3 billion SMS were sent, the number is likely to reach 12 trillion SMS by 2015, which is huge. We want to revolutionlize this space by making SMS free.”


JaxtrSMS, which has been developed completely in India can be downloaded through an app store or directly from the website, jaxtrsms.com. It’s compatible with all mobile operating systems be it the iOS, BlackBerry, Symbian, Android, J2ME, etc. Once downloaded, the app will use your number to send SMS over the Internet. With Jaxtr you can send free SMS to other Jaxtr users as well as other mobile users across the world for free. Speaking about the app, Sabeer says, “While other IM applications are closed network, with Jaxtr you can send SMS to anyone across the world for free and it doesn’t matter whether or not they have Jaxtr account, you can send the SMS to their mobile number. Currently the UI is available only in English, but the SMS text can be sent in any language. We plan to introduce UI in other languages soon.”

While one can send SMSes for free, it will also include premium services at small cost like sending multimedia messages, archiving your SMS data, transferring data to another phone etc. Initially it will be AD free, but later there will contextual advertisement to generate revenue. After its soft launch about a month ago, the app was downloaded by thousands of users across 197 countries. After all who wouldn’t want to have the option of sending free SMS right there from their phones?

But ,make no mistake while this app though allows you to send free SMS the TRAI’s 200 SMS daily rule is applicable here as well.

Shake Screen Off: Shake Screen To Lock/Unlock Phone (Android)

If you find it inconvenient to look for the power button to lock your phone, then you may have one more app to install. Shake Screen Off is an Android app that lets you turn off the display or lock the phone just by shaking it.

Once you have Shake Screen Off installed, make sure to set the app with the behavior that you need the phone to do. You can choose between Shake Lock Screen, Shake Screen Off, Shake Lock Phone, Shake Go Sleep, BetterSleep, and more. You can also set the sensibility of the shake to make sure that your phone does not lock or turn off with the slightest shake.

Shake Screen Off is really useful if you want to turn off the display without having to reach for the power button. The idea of shaking it off before holstering it in your pocket or sleeve will make your phone much more fun to use.

Features:

1.> Android app.
2.> Shake to lock screen, turn the screen off, Shake to go sleep, and more.
3.> Adjust sensibility.
4.> Free.

Get Shake Screen Off from here @ https://market.android.com/details?id=com.droiddev.shake