Tata Docomo, Dell tie up to offer mobile broadband bundled with laptops

Tata Docomo, the unified telecom brand of Tata Teleservices Limited, and Dell have announced a partnership to launch a bundled broadband offer for customers in India. Under this alliance, customers buying Dell laptops will get a Tata Photon Plus post-paid connection at a special price, ensuring connectivity across India while using the laptop.

Commenting on the announcement, Deepak Gulati, Executive President, Mobility Business Division, Tata Teleservices Limited, said: “Through this partnership, customers will enjoy Dell’s high-performance and cutting-edge products, along with DOCOMO’s trusted and seamless connectivity through the Photon Plus device, ensuring an unmatched browsing experience”.

Commenting on the tie-up, Mahesh Bhalla, Executive Director and General Manager, Consumer, Dell India, said, “This alliance helps us in enabling our customers to pursue their passion through technology, and allow them to have an always connected lifestyle with ubiquitous Internet connectivity”.

The offer entitles customers purchasing a Dell laptop to a Tata Photon Plus mobile broadband (CDMA) connection at a special price, with the first month of usage absolutely free. The partnership will be subsequently extended to include Tata Docomo’s 3G products as well. Customers will also get benefits such as choosing their own personalised usage limits. Dell offers this bundle to laptops buyers in 150 major towns and cities across India.

The partnership will leverage tools to simplify the customer acquisition process for both users and channel partners. A dedicated customer care wing will address customer requests and queries, cutting down on lead times, and resulting in a better after-sales experience.

BSNL, WishTel to launch ‘IRA ICON’ 3G tablet for Rs 10,500

WishTel, a manufacturer of tablet PCs, netbooks and mobility solutions in association with India’s largest PSU Telco operator BSNL will be announcing the launch of an 'ultra-mobile and durable' tablet PC, the IRA ICON, on October 1, celebrated as BSNL Day. WishTel’s latest generation of the ICON-series of tablet PCs delivers an optimized experience in Voice (using 3G GSM and VOIP Technologies), Video (using 3G video conferencing and Mobile TV applications) and Data, providing a good experience in mobility, durability and connectivity that mobile professionals require across key vertical markets.

The Triple Play 7-inch tablet PC, IRA ICON is an 800 x 480 pixel capacitive multi-touch screen that runs on Android 4.0. It’s powered by a 1.2 GHz processor and 1GB of RAM. It features a built-in 3G SIM from BSNL as well. The IRA ICON supports calling, features 3G, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity and also comes with built-in stereo speakers and a microphone.

Speaking of the partnership with WishTel, R.K Upadhyay, Chief Managing Director of BSNL said, “The 7-inch Triple Play tablet PC has been designed to best suit the needs of  avid tech – savy youngsters, business environments, multi-tasking homemakers and the student fraternity alike. The BSNL Value added services like Video streaming, Mobile TV and various other applications under BSNL LIVE shall be extended to our valued customers in an increased screen at a very affordable price.”

“WishTel has been recognized as one of the front runners in the field of manufacturing cost efficient handheld and portable computing devices for the vast Indian market. With our partnership with India’s largest PSU telco operator, BSNL for the launch of IRA ICON Triple Play tablet, WishTel continues to offer enhanced technologies that help Android business users experience the performance and productivity offered by tablet PCs. It is tailored to the needs of business users in markets that depend on high performance mobile workforces” says Milind Shah, WishTel’s CEO.

The IRA ICON is slim and weighs less than half a kilo and is designed to be durable and sustain the mobile environment. It comes bundled with BSNL’s 3G SIM and free 3G data of 2GB for two months. Customers can avail of the 3G data plans of BSNL or the specially-designed tablet plans.

The device comes with ports for USB, SD Card, audio and HD video to simplify the use of industry standard peripheral solutions. It has a 0.3 MP front web camera and 2.0MP rear-facing camera to support image capture, video conferencing and collaboration. The Triple Play Tablet PC comes pre-loaded with many applications that include Wish Learning, Wish Studio, Wish TV, Wish News, Wish video calling, and many more apps. The tablet comes engineered with a 4,000mAh battery, which can give users browsing time of approximately 4-5 hours. The tablet PC has an internal storage of 4GB (expandable to 32GB - MicroSD).

The IRA ICON Triple Play tablet PC will be available from early next month at a highly competitive price of Rs.10,500, through a national network of value-added resellers and distributors of BSNL and WishTel.

InFoto: A Handy Infographics Generator App for Android

If you have an Android smartphone and are looking for a free infographic generator, then this must be your lucky day. InFoto Free is an application for Android that allows users to create stylish and elegant looking infographics in a matter of time.

Well, as the name of the app clearly indicates, InFoto Free allows users to create infographic regarding their Android camera app and their photography related habits. For example: favorite time in the day to take photos, favorite orientation (landscape or vertical), percentage of photos you captured with flash, etc.

Using the application is pretty quick and easy. All a user needs to do is run the application and generate the share-able info-graphics regarding the photography related habits in a matter of second. All the data is scanned from your mobile and converted into a visually appealing infographic, which you can also share with your friends on social networking websites.

Feature:

• Simple and easy to use
• Create infographics on Android
• Requires Android 2.0.1 and up

Check out InFoto Free @ https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=mariusSoft.InFotoFree

Smart Referer: Disable Referral Links Except On The Same Domain

When you click on links on a webpage to be taken to a new website, your destination website is told which site you came from. This information is used to serve you custom webpages or articles based on the site you were previously on. This can compromise your internet privacy and served you biased content. Here to help prevent this is a tool called Smart Referer.

Smart Referer is a free to use browser tool that helps disable referral links. The tool comes as a browser add-on for Mozilla Firefox. When you install the add-on, all referral links are disabled except for the ones that are on the same domain as your destination website. This simple action helps protect your online anonymity.

Features:

• A user-friendly browser tool.
• Compatible with Mozilla Firefox.
• Blocks referral links.
• Allows same-domain referral links.

Check out Smart Referer @ addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/smart-referer

Tweekaboo: Organize Memories Of Your Child’s Moments & Share With Your Family

Couples typically start taking pictures and recording memories of their children’s milestones when they get pregnant. They also start sharing those memories with their contacts using online social networks. But most couples want to share those images only with their family members or close friends. However, for this, you need a service dedicated to sharing your child’s memories with your close contacts. Furthermore, you need this service to be easy to use and accessible as most memories of your child will be captured through your smartphone. Here to be that service is Tweekaboo.

Tweekaboo is a free to use web service that offers you a private social network to share your child’s memories and organize them. You can use the network to save photos and videos on the cloud and share them with close friends and family that can be invited to the network. You can then begin uploading videos and pictures of your child’s milestones to the network and begin sharing them with the people you invited earlier.

You can add tags to each memory you add which makes it easier to find them later. You can keep private diaries to record things about your child that only you and your partner can see. To help you quickly upload things that you capture through your smartphone, Tweekaboo offers an iOS application compatible with iPod Touch, iPhone, and iPad running iOS 5.0 or later. The iOS app lets you save texts, photos, and videos from your iPhone directly to your private Tweekaboo timeline.

Overall, Tweekaboo is an excellent application for pregnant couples or parents whose babies are still young. But parents who are looking for an easy way to record the memories of their slightly older children will find this web service to be equally helpful.

Features:

• A user-friendly web service.
• Lets you record and organize your child’s memories – photos and videos.
• Offers an iOS application.
• Lets you maintain an online diary for your child’s memories.

Check out Tweekaboo @ http://itunes.apple.com/app/tweekaboo/id440682407?mt=8

SeeMail: Add Audio To The Pictures You Share

When you share an image with your friends online, you are not able to communicate the emotions associated with that image. What would really help is if you were talking on the phone with your friends while they checked your photos. While that might not be a practical solution, a viable solution is offered by a tool called “SeeMail.”

SeeMail is a free to use iOS application that lets you add audio to images you share with your friends. The app is sized at 4.4 MB and compatible with iPod Touch, iPhone, and iPad running version 5.0 or later of iOS. The app lets you add a recording with the images you share making it more fun to share photos with friends and making it more helpful for realtors and businessman to explain pictures to prospective clients.

People who view pictures in your SeeMail network can also leave comments on them.

Features:

• A user-friendly phone app.
• Compatible with iOS devices.
• Lets you add audio with pictures you share.
• Lets photo viewers add comments to images.

Check out SeeMail @ www.seemail.com

2D to 3D Video Converter: Convert You Regular Videos to 3D Videos

3D video technology makes viewing videos a more fun experience by providing depth to objects that can be viewed through special 3D glasses. Most 3D videos you find have been 3D from the beginning; but what if you want to convert one of your existing videos to 3D? The answer to that is a simple tool called “2D to 3D Video Converter.”

2D to 3D Video Converter is a wonderful desktop application for Windows computers. The app is sized at nearly 17 MB and requires Windows XP with Service Pack 2, Windows Vista, and Windows 7. The application lets you convert regular videos into a 3D view that can be seen from your 3D glasses. Supported input and output video formats include mp4, wmv, bluray, and many more. You can get the application for a 7 day free trial or purchase its license which is currently available for $14.95.

Features:

• A user friendly desktop app
• Compatible with Windows
• Converts 2D videos to 3D videos
• Supports a wide range of video formats

Check out 2D to 3D Video Converter @
http://www.axaramedia.com/VideoSolutions/2Dto3DConverter/

Foursquare brings back friends nearby feature

Now get to know which of your friends are near you in a jiffy with the Foursquare Friends Nearby feature.

Foursquare, the popular location sharing application for mobile devices, has added a lot of new functionality to its application for smartphones.

And the latest announcement is the re addition of the Friends Nearby feature for the Android application of Foursquare. It had removed the functionality form the Android application sometime back. Besides, the new Android Foursquare app comes with an improved user interface also which makes switching between Friends Nearby and other features a breeze.

With the update, both the Android as well as iOS Foursquare apps have got a new functionality that would enable users to get check in suggestions form the application allowing them to check in to their favourite place much faster and without having to search for the place.

Place near user's location will be highlighted by the application and the same can be selected by the users to check in to the place easily.

Updated applications for Foursquare can be located at the Google Play Store as well as the iTunes application Store.

Google unveils new location identifier app

Google has released new Field Trip app that provides information about places around the user's location by pulling data from several online services.

Google has released new app, called Field Trip, which works like a virtual tour guide for the Android based devices. The Field Trip app offers information about the places and things around the user's current location. Optimised for the smartphones only, the Field Trip app offers the users to select and subscribe from the different information feeds categories such as historic places and events, lifestyle, food, drinks and fun, cool and unique, and so on.

The Field Trip apps pulls data from several online listing services and maps it around the user's location. At this moment, Field Trip app is available only for Android devices while its iOS version is in development.

The Field Trip app pulls in data from online services like Thrillist, Food Network, Zagat and Eater for places to enjoy wine and dine. US based company, Arcadia will help with the historical information about the different places and add bit of local lore to it. Similarly, more service providers will offer great variety of information for the users to check out what's new and happening around his/her location.

The app requires active GPS connection and keeps running in the background to determine your location. When the user is on the move, it pushes notifications about the places worth checking out around.

At this moment, the Field Trip works only for the US region. If there are enough location and local information providing services out there in India, maybe we shall get to enjoy it over here too. You won't have to waste your time sitting in the park and you can learn more about the local areas and places in any city.

Try out the Field Trip app from the Google Play Store.

Leaked BlackBerry 10 promo hints Qwerty smartphone in the anvil

Enthusiast video maker uploaded a BlackBerry 10 promo video that includes a new Qwerty smartphone.

RIM recently showed the new BlackBerry 10 build at the BlackBerry Jam 2012 Conference and promised to release first device early 2013. While RIM is still developing the BlackBerry 10 and handsets, a promo video gives a sneak peak to future devices.

CrackBerry spotted the promo video on Vimeo which was later pulled down. It is difficult at this moment to judge whether it was a fan-made or authentic video.

The promotional video about BlackBerry 10 OS hints at a new N-series device. There is one full touch screen device and another is touchscreen-Qwerty hybrid device - just like BlackBerry Bold Touch 9900. Out of these two devices, one has a full touchscreen display. The video showed simplistic navigation and integration of other services such as Twitter inside the BlackBerry 10 OS.

Along with the full touchscreen devices, there is a mockup of a Qwerty keyboard bearing BlackBerry smartphone with BlackBerry 10 OS on it. This device has a large touchscreen display and just below it is a four row Qwerty keyboard. Though it is a mockup, the design certainly is interesting. If it stands true, RIM will finally drop its famous trackball and optical trackpad from its Qwerty smartphones.

Tim Cook apologises for iOS 6 Maps, suggests alternatives

Apple has been facing a lot of criticism about its new Maps app in the latest version of iOS. The company decided to forego the use of Google Maps in favour of an app that was developed in-house. The app is receiving many complaints due to the high level of inaccuracies. Recently, according to The Verge, CEO of Apple Tim Cook had issued an apology to users of iOS 6, and suggested alternatives to the Maps app till Apple fixes it.

In his statement, Tim Cook said, "We are extremely sorry for the frustration this has caused our customers and we are doing everything we can to make Maps better...While we're improving Maps, you can try alternatives by downloading map apps from the App Store like Bing, MapQuest and Waze, or use Google or Nokia maps by going to their websites and creating an icon on your home screen to their web app".

Apple had released a statement to AllThingsD regarding the complaints that the company was facing for the new Maps app that was included in the iOS 6 update. According to the statement, “We are excited to offer this service with innovative new features like Flyover and Siri integration, and free turn by turn navigation. We launched this new map service knowing that it is a major initiative and we are just getting started with it. We are continuously improving it, and as Maps is a cloud-based solution, the more people use it, the better it will get. We’re also working with developers to integrate some of the amazing transit apps in the App Store into iOS Maps. We appreciate all of the customer feedback and are working hard to make the customer experience even better.”

Features of iOS 6 were unveiled during the Apple event earlier this month. One of the biggest changes to the operating system is the new Maps app. The new Maps app has a built-in search for local points of interest, with over 100 million possible suggestions. Other features of the Maps app include navigation, routing, 3D maps, satellite imagery – that wraps around the 3D maps – and the ability to get directions directly through Siri.

Nokia reveals price of Nokia Lumia 920 and 820

The phones have been put up for prebooking in Russia and Germany.

Finnish handset maker, Nokia has finally revealed the prices of its new Windows 8 based smartphones - the Lumia 920 and the Lumia 820. The smartphones have been put up for pre-order in Russia, where one has to shell out 24,990 rubles or Rs 43,000 approximately for the Lumia 920 while the Lumia 820 costs 19,990 rubles which in Indian currency is equivalent to Rs 34,000.

Nokia had unveiled the Nokia Lumia 920 and Lumia 820 Widows 8 based smartphones earlier this month. Though Nokia has still not announced the availability or the prices of the handsets in India, it can be safely assumed that here the smartphones would cost Rs 2,000 - 3,000 more than their price in Russia thanks to added taxes and duties.

Nokia's Lumia 920 will face stiff competition from the likes of Samsung Galaxy SIII and the iPhone 4S. Though it has lower hardware specifications than the Galaxy SIII, but with the added advantage of PureView technology and Nokia's very own application such as the Nokia Maps and Nokia City lens, the Lumia 920 will have a slight edge over the Samsung smartphone.

Also against iPhone 4S which has been upgraded to iOS 6, Lumia 920 has advantages like a full fledged mapping application.

Although the Nokia Lumia 920 and 820 both come as a nice feature rich offering form the company but the price of the devices will certainly stop many customers from choosing the devices out rightly. Even if the price is lowered then also adoption of the new Windows 8 operating system, especially considering the past experiences of Windows mobile operating systems, will be a bigger question to answer.

New apps and games on Day 3 of Google Play sale

Another day passes, and with that another set of apps and games become available at a discount at the ongoing Google Play Store sale. Google kicked off the sale in celebration of 25 billion downloads from Google Play. Top apps in the Google Play Store are being sold at 25 cents (around Rs 13).

The new games and apps available on Google Play at the discounted price are: Amazing Alex, TuneIn Radio, Temple Run: Brave, HD Widgets, PicSay Pro – Photo Editor, Monsters Ate My Condo, Flick Golf!, ezPDF Reader PDF Annotate Form, Kids ABC Letters, Rebuild, Zombie Smash, mSecure – Password Manager, Mass Effect Infiltration and Dragon, Fly! Full. You can buy the apps here.

The games and apps available yesterday on the Google Play sale were: Cut the Rope: Experiments, doubleTwist Alarm Clock, World of Goo, Sketchbook Mobile, FIFA 12 by EA Sports, Paper Camera, Shark Dash, Going to Bed Book-Boynton, Flick Nations Rugby, Dungeon Village, Mini Motor Racing, Color & Draw for kids phone ed, and Color & Draw for kids HD.

It was recently revealed that India’s inclusion in the official list of countries where developers could register as certified Google Checkout Merchants was short lived. Pluggd.in’s Ashish Sinha writes, “So for India based Android app developers, things are back to what it was earlier – i.e. you cannot sell paid apps in the Play store (some workaround here). We have asked Google to update us on the final status (or was it some drunken employee updating the support page?). For sure, Google needs to revisit this strategy. If not, Microsoft is going to snatch away these Android app developers with a better integrated strategy (it’s already happening)”.

Earlier, Indian developers needed to go to a country where Google Checkout merchants are allowed, such as the US, and register a local bank account in the name of a US resident in order to sell apps on the Google Play Store. With reports about India featuring on that list, it did seem as if troubles were over. Now, however, things stand the way they were.

Smartphone apps are serious business, though developers of Android apps were left in limbo. In India, developers were only allowed to publish free apps, and this had limited the potential for innovative apps because of lack of incentive.

Reports quoted P R Rajendran, Director of Next Wave Multimedia, a Chennai based company as saying, “We have lived with this condition for some time now where we literally run two companies, and are subject to dual taxation". He added further that, "This is a welcome move on the part of Google”. Rajendran's company has published more than ten apps on both Apple iTunes and Google Play.

Amazon Electronics Trade-In: Trade Your Old Electronics Online For Gift Cards & Other Electronics

When it comes to electronics, such as cellphones, newer models are launched every month. This is why almost everybody has a few slightly older electronic items – ones they wish to get replaced by newer ones. Here to help you do that is Amazon’s new program called Electronic Trade-in.

Amazon Electronics Trade-in is Amazon’s new program that lets you trade the electronics items you own for gift cards or other electronics. The site has created a list of electronic devices that it accepts for trade. These items include iPad, iPhone, BlackBerry Bold, Kindle, Nikon digital camera, and numerous other electronic gadgets people use. Each item has specific trade-in conditions that can be seen on its page.

Once you send in your items to Amazon, a gift card is given to you within 2 business days of receipt and verification of your items. You can use the gift cards to buy other stuff from Amazon.

Features:

• A user-friendly service.
• Lets you trade-in your old electronics.
• Provides a list of electronics it accepts.
• Gives you Amazon gift cards that can be used to buy other products from the site.

Check out Amazon Electronics Trade-in @ www.amazon.com/Electronics-Trade-In/b?ie=UTF8&node=2226766011

Chockadoc: A Wonderful Resource For Watching Free Documentaries

Documentary films are highly informational and entertaining, provided you find the topic being covered interesting. If you are a fan of documentaries, then undoubtedly you try to watch as many of them as you can online. Here to offer you a collection of thousands of free interesting documentaries is a service called Chockadoc.

Chockadoc is a free to use web service that provides you with thousands of free documentaries. The site lets you browse documentaries categorically, search for them by name, or browse their image thumbnails on the homepage.

When you find a documentary you like, simply click on it and be taken to its Chockadoc page. There you will find the documentary video along with an accompanying description. You can also leave a comment on the documentary’s page and interact with others who have seen the documentary.

Features:

• A user friendly web service.
• Offers you thousands of documentaries.
• Documentaries cover a wide variety of topics.
• You can leave comments on documentaries.

Check out Chockadoc @ www.chockadoc.com

KidLogger: Monitor Activity On Your Computer Via Keystrokes & Screen Captures

If you have bought your young child a computer, it is best to monitor their computer activity and stay updated with what the computer is being used for. Here to help you thoroughly monitor what your computer is used for is a desktop app called KidLogger.

KidLogger is a desktop application compatible with Windows and Mac OS. There are also phone versions for Android and Symbian. The app monitors computer / phone activity such as key strokes thereby performing a full keylogging function. Other features include capturing the active window every few minutes and taking a screenshot of Skype video calls. You can set a password for the application and ensure only you have access to the logged data.

Usually such a thorough monitoring application comes with a hefty price tag, but KidLogger is absolutely free.

Features:

• A user friendly desktop and phone app.
• Has versions for Windows, Mac, Android, and Symbian.
• Logs key strokes of device.
• Can take timely screenshot of active window.
• Can password protect data.

Check out KidLogger @ www.kidlogger.net

Sibal gifts Aakash 2 tablet to Narendra Modi

Two units of the upgraded version of the Aakash tablet have been gifted to Gujarat CM, Narendra Modi by Kapil Sibal, as reported by the Times of India. In one of our earlier reports it had been elaborated upon that the Gujarat CM may well be among the first ones to receive the widely reported tablet, after a certain remark on the tablet did not go down too well with Sibal.

Sibal sent the tablets to Modi with a request to keep education away from politics. Sibal, in his letter to Modi, expressed his disappointment over the latter’s views on the Aakash tablet, "Education is a collaborative venture beyond the pale of politics and we need to work together in the best interests of the children of the country".

Early this month, reports had emerged about Modi taking a dig at India’s low-cost dream tablet - the brainchild of the Communications and IT Minister, Kapil Sibal. It all happened when, as part of its campaigning ahead of the Assembly elections, Congress announced that it would distribute free laptops to students if they were voted to power. Critical of this, Modi took a dig at Congress and said, "Kash [If only] this Aakash tablet could land on earth, then the lie [promise of free laptops] they [Congress] are spreading now would hold some weight". Modi went on to accuse the Centre of 'dragging its feet' in distributing Aakash tablets. Modi asserted that the Centre failed to deliver on its much-hyped commitment.

The Aakash 2 is a significant upgrade over the original Aakash tablet. The initial version of the tablet had a 7-inch resistive touchscreen, which struggled to respond to touch. It ran Android v2.2 on a 366MHz processor, based on an older ARM architecture. The Aakash 2 tablet is likely to be replaced by a successor, which will have a dual-core Cortex - A9 processor by the end of this year.

Just this week it had been reported that Datawind has started supplying units of Aakash 2 to IIT Bombay. In a statement, the company revealed that an October launch of the tablet is likely. Datawind CEO Suneet Singh Tuli told PTI, “Supplies are on to IIT Bombay. In the next few weeks, it should be launched. I do not have the exact date, but HRD Minister [Kapil Sibal] has said he wants to launch on the anniversary date which is October 5”. However, Tuli added that the launch would depend on Sibal’s schedule. While refusing to disclose any further, Tuli added that the supplies to IIT Bombay had begun a month and a half ago.  

In June this year, Sibal had announced that 100,000 units of the Aakash 2 tablet would be provided to engineering colleges, deliveries for which were expected to begin last month. Sibal said, "That was the dream and I, as minister for Human Resource Development, asked myself the question can I provide a tablet to the students throughout the country that costs a reasonable amount so that all children can afford it and yet is able to deliver through the best technology, the vast information available on the net to them sitting wherever they are. We have realised a dream that was germinated a few years ago. We have been able to tell the world that through our frugal innovation system we can conquer the world and that's exactly what we need to do for India as a country".

iPhone 5 becomes cheaper as grey market prices drop

After the recent revelation of the price of the iPhone 5 in the grey market, its prices have gone down, according to our sources. Apple’s latest offering was originally priced at Rs 1 lakh for the 64 GB model. The newer prices of the iPhone 5 are: Rs 62,000 for the 16 GB version, Rs 77,500 for the 32 GB version, and Rs 92,500 for the 64 GB version. Our sources state that these prices are variable and will change everyday.

Earlier this week, some stores in the grey market had announced their pricing for Apple’s latest smartphone, and the prices are as high as Apple’s other devices. The 16 GB version was available in the grey market for approximately Rs 76,000, the 32GB version for Rs 85,000, and the 64GB version of the iPhone 5 is available at Rs 1,00,000.

According to an earlier report, the iPhone 5 is easier to repair than its older siblings – the iPhone 4 and the iPhone 4S. As per a guide published by iFixit, the biggest issues with manually repairing an iPhone 5 are Apple’s proprietary screws used to keep the device together, and many intricate parts located near the dock that make fixing individual parts dicey. All things considered, the iPhone 5’s front-to-back construction makes accessing the insides of the device very easy, as the screen is the first thing to come out when disassembling the phone.

It was recently revealed that the iPhone 5 runs on a triple-core GPU. The device runs on a custom-made dual-core ARM processor that runs at a clock speed of 1GHz. The GPU uses a triple-core with a higher clock speed, so that the phone can achieve double the graphical capabilities of the A5 processor. The processor is most likely a PowerVR SGX 543MP3. The A5 processor that powers the iPhone 4S, iPad 2 and the fifth generation iPod Touch had a PowerVR SGX 543MP2 GPU.

On the software side of things, the iPhone 5 was recently jailbroken by developer Grant Paul, a.k.a., Chpwn. Paul had recently tweeted a screenshot of an iPhone 5 with the Cydia app installed. The Cydia app is its own app store that allows users to buy and download apps. These apps would otherwise not be hosted on Apple's own App Store, as many of the apps require permission to use the root features of the device -- permissions which aren't possible to give with a device that hasn't been jailbroken.

Here is a quick look at the highlighted features of the iPhone 5:
4-inch, 326ppi Retina display at 1136 x 640 pixels
GPRS, EDGE, EV-DO, HSPA, HSPA+, DC-HSDPA, LTE and Wi-Fi
GPS
Bluetooth
8 megapixel camera with 1080p HD recording, 720p front-facing camera
16GB, 32GB and 64GB versions

Made entirely out of aluminium and glass, the iPhone 5 weighs merely 112 grams, is 20 percent lighter than the iPhone 4S, and is the thinnest iPhone yet at 7.6mm thick. Apple has chosen to debut iOS 6 with the iPhone 5 and the new OS includes Apple's own Maps app, an updated version of Siri and lots more. Overall, the new iPhone has been upgraded in almost all respects.

Images, full specs of Galaxy Music phones leaked

A German website, Telekom Presse managed to leak images, and a comprehensive specifications sheet of two Galaxy Music phones that Samsung has in the offing -- Galaxy Music and its dual-SIM variant, Galaxy Music Duos.

As their names suggest, the two phones aim to cater to the needs of the music-loving segment. This is probably why at first look one cannot miss the prominent speakers at the top and the bottom of the phones. Galaxy Music and Galaxy Music Duos both weigh 107 grams.

Both phones support the audio formats: MP3, OGG, ACC, ACC+, eACC+, AMR-NB, AMR-WB, WAV, MID, IMY, FLAC, WMA.

Both phones run on Android v4.1 (Ice Cream Sandwich), and are powered by a Cortex A9 processor clocked at 850MHz. In addition, the phones are fuelled by a 1300mAh battery. The Galaxy Music and Galaxy Music Duos phones feature Samsung’s TouchWiz UI. A loosely translated bit from the German site reveals that the phone may later receive the coveted Jelly Bean upgrade. In our recent report listing the Samsung devices slated for a Jelly Bean upgrade, there was indeed a mention of an “unknown device, the Galaxy Music”. That was perhaps the very first time this phone was mentioned.

Here’s a quick look at the specifications of the two phones:
Galaxy Music DUOS
3.0-inch LCD display with a resolution of 320 x 240 pixels
3G, EDGE/GPRS, Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi direct
GPS, GLONASS
USB 2.0 (Micro)
3MP camera
Stereo FM Radio with RDS, FM antenna
4GB internal memory+4GB iNAND, microSD expandable up to 32GB

Galaxy Music
3.0-inch LCD display with a resolution of 320 x 240 pixels
3G, EDGE/GPRS, Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi direct
GPS, GLONASS
USB 2.0 (Micro)
3MP camera
Stereo FM Radio with RDS, FM antenna
4GB internal memory+4GB iNAND, microSD expandable up to 32GB

Other music-enhancing features of the two phones are two SoundAlive extensions, Music Square, and Smart Volume. The Galaxy Music and Galaxy Music Duos both come with Music Hub, which the German site calls “...a full service portal for streaming music, downloads, playlists, recommendations and sharing”.

Other pre-installed applications include ChatON, Google Talk and Google+. Both phones offer Google Maps for navigation. There is no telling the pricing and the availability of the phones yet.

Samsung officially launched the successor of its Galaxy Note phablet, the Galaxy Note II in India yesterday. The much-hyped phablet will be available for Rs 39,900. The Galaxy Note II can be purchased on a 9-month, zero-percent EMI from Samsung's official stores.

Facebook starts gifting service

When Facebook bought Karma, a gift giving start-up in May, this year, the social networking giant’s plans to get into the space of gift giving, became a little more clear. Facebook is now beginning its first steps in that direction by rolling out ‘Gifts’. This new service means that now users can send real-life gifts to their friends by picking one from what is available, be it good ol’ chocolates, socks, coffee or any of the other goodies. The way this works is that; if it is your friend’s birthday tomorrow, you’ll spot a “give her a gift” link, and will be able to see a gift icon with the name of the friend and photo. Once you click on the icon, you will be able to spot the gifts that you could present to your friends for their special day - be it a Starbucks gift card, cupcakes or a ‘you can never wrong with’ teddy bear. .

The recipient of the gift will then receive a notification on Facebook, asking them to enter the shipping address for the designated gift. Interestingly here, in a few instances, the recipients of the gifts will be able to pick and choose the flavour and size of the cupcakes or a different style of socks. Users, if they wish to can also exchange the original gifts with something else of their choice.

The icon will show up on the right side of a user’s page, where he has notifications for friends' birthdays, weddings and other life events showing up.

Users have the option of paying for their gifts using either,  Visa, Mastercard, American Express or Discover branded credit or debit card. Once a user makes the payment, he will be sent a receipt within 24 hours and his payment info will be saved for future purchases.

So apart from the social networking i.e. staying in touch with old pals, making new friends, connecting with them more frequently, Facebook's making it more 'physical'. Gifts are after all worth a thousand words.

Clearly, Facebook is trying its hands at an entirely new domain and this comes after its Karma buyout. Karma aimed to make gift giving a little more convenient. The service had a 'storefront' on their app through which users could select the gift that they would like to give to a friend. They tied up with vendors, like Spotify, Gund and MOMA for its selection of gifts, adding variety to its offering.

At the time of its acquisition, a post on Karma’s blog read, "We’re thrilled to announce that Karma has been acquired by Facebook. The service that Karma provides will continue to operate in full force. By combining the incredible passion of our community with Facebook’s platform we can delight users in new and meaningful ways."

Facebook Gifts is currently available to a subset of the service’s U.S.-based customers only, and will be gradually rolled out to others as the idea of real-life gifting on Facebook takes off. In addition to being able to click on the “Gifts” icon on the pages of their Facebook’s friends, users will also be able to do so on their Android phones. That being said, iPhone and iPad versions are to follow.

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Google & Asus working on a $99 variant of Nexus 7 tablet

Google is reportedly working with Asus to launch an ultra-cheap $99 variant of Nexus 7 tablet. The Jelly Bean tablet, which has been dubbed as the best Android tablet right now by many, is currently sold for $199 in the United States and similar prices in other countries, but a $99 version, if real, would simply be too good.

Digitimes, which is reporting the above news, isn’t a very credible source, but still worthy of mention.

According to Digitimes, Google is currently working on two new versions of Nexus 7 tablet, which will be thinner than the existing tablet and use touchscreen panels made by Taiwan-based panel maker HannStar Display.

One of the models will be priced at $199 while the other will be priced just $$99, and both models are expected to hit markets by the end of 2012, added Digitimes.

Given the upcoming 7.85-inch Apple iPad, Google wants to be ready with its full arsenal and with the three Nexus 7 tablets, the portfolio indeed looks good.

There is no word on the specs of the tablets, but given the price cut, we suspect, we won’t see Tegra 3 quad-core processor in the $99 version and RAM also might be decreased to just 512MB.

The current Nexus 7 tablet features Android 4.1.1, quad-core processor, 1GB RAM, 8/16GB of internal storage, Wi-Fi connectivity, GPS and a front camera.

We have also heard rumours of a 3G variant of the tablet to be in works, and the $199 version might be the same, with current Wi-Fi variant getting a price cut to $149.

LG Optimus Vu 2 officially announced

The much awaited smartphone-tablet hybrid LG Optimus 2 arrives with a 5 inch IPS 720p HD display, dual core Qualcomm processor, and Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich.

LG has finally announced the second generation smartphone-tablet hybrid device-Optimus Vu 2. The new Optimus Vu 2 features a 5 inch True HD IPS panel display and will house a dual core Qualcomm mobile processor. Packing 2 GB of RAM to run Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich it will also support Voice over LTE. The Optimus Vu 2 will be made available in a couple of months from now.

While Samsung has recently announced its second generation Samsung Galaxy Note for the masses, the Korean giant also follows the league. LG has announced the new Optimus Vu 2 smartphone-tablet hybrid device for the masses.

The new LG Optimus Vu 2 has a 5 inch IPS display with 1024 x 768 pixel resolution natively and it has 4:3 aspect ratio. Under the hood rests a dual core 1.5 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM8960 mobile chipset coupled with 2 GB of RAM. With such a configuration the Optimus Vu 2 can easily run Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich along with the new user experience dubbed UX Dagger.

At the back it has an 8 megapixel camera with LED flash that is capable of recording full HD video. There is also a 1.3 megapixel camera in the front for video chats and calling.

The Optimus Vu 2 has a new user interface and a bunch of new features along with the QMemo feature that allows taking quick notes anywhere on the interface. The Optimus Vu 2 has a QRemote feature that basically turns the phone into a remote to control electrical appliances at home. This is basically an infrared sensor that controls home electronics.

There is also a splitscreen function offering a QSlide feature that lets the user watch a movie and talk to friends on IM on the same large screen by accommodating both apps in two individual windows. The camera makes the best of the QTranslator function that is powered by optical character recognition technology to read and translate up to 44 languages. It will also come with a stylus dubbed as One Key to make the best of the large screen estate.

LG Optimus Vu 2 is set to compete with the freshly announced Samsung Galaxy Note II, priced at Rs 39,900 in India.

YouTube app for Android gets an update

Google has updated the YouTube app with a new Watch experience and also lets the user queue videos to YouTube TV.

Google has pushed out a new update for its official YouTube app on Android. The new update for YouTube App extends the user interface to Android 2.2 Froyo and Android 2.3 Gingerbread devices.

Besides that, the YouTube update brings a new Watch experience for all Android updates.

The new YouTube app update can be downloaded from Google Play store.

Google Play services available for manual download

Devices with Android 2.2 and above can download these services from the Google Play Store.

Google has rolled out the new Google Play Service for devices running Android version 2.2 and above. These services will allow applications available on Google Play store to easily integrate with other Google services such as Google+, allowing them to take the full benefit of integrated services.

The Google Play Service has components and a relevant client APIs (Application Programming Interface) for OAuth 2.0 authentication, Google+ sign-in, and Google+1 button. It has been rolled out for unlocked devices first and will be made available to operator locked devices later.

It is available on Google Play store as well so one need not to wait.

OAtuh 2.0 has been included in the Google Play Service package, and will allow applications to access Google+ applications seamlessly. Once an application is given permission for access, the app will continue to access Google services while keeping security up.

Tunlr: Stream Netflix, Hulu & Other Video Streaming Sites From Outside The United States

People outside the United States often come across online videos that are viewable only from within the US. This is very frustrating when you need to watch such online videos. Thankfully, there is a solution to this problem, called Tunlr.

Tunlr is a free to use service that helps people outside the US stream online videos meant only for US audiences. Using Tunlr, you will be able to view videos from Netflix, Hulu, and various other online video streaming sites that are restricted in non-US countries. Since it does not require any software installation or account registrations, Tunlr is an extremely quick service to get started.

All a user has to do is access their network card’s properties and change the primary DNS IP address and secondary DNS IP address to Tunlr’s specifications. This simple modification can be applied to networks cards running on any operating system thereby making Tunlr compatible with computers as well as smartphones.

Features:

• A user-friendly web service.
• Lets you stream videos meant for US audiences only.
• Works by changing your network card’s DNS entries.
• Compatible with computers as well as smartphones.

Check out Tunlr @ www.tunlr.net

Qualcomm unveils quad-core processor for entry-level phones

Qualcomm has announced two more Snapdragon S4 Play family mobile processors with improved features for the entry-level smartphones.

Qualcomm has announced two new quad-core mobile processors meant specifically for the entry-level smartphones. The new quad-core Qualcomm mobile processors - MSM8225Q and MSM5625Q - belong to the Snapdragon S4 Play family.

The new Snapdragon S4 Play MSM8225Q has an integrated UMTS (GSM) modem while the MSM8625Q has integrated multimode (UMTS/CDMA) modem. These new processors are expected to be available in the first half of the next year and we can expect the smartphones with these processors by second half of next year.

Till now, only the high-end smartphones were blessed with quad-core mobile processors. However, Qualcomm plans to give the taste of the quad-core mobile processors to the mid-range devices. Qualcomm refers to these devices as the entry-level smartphones and as of now, there is no clarity on the ideal price of such entry-level smartphones.

The new Snapdragon S4 Play mobile processors are the upgraded variants of the existing quad-core processors of Qualcomm, namely MSM8255 and MSM8625.

The new MSM8225Q and MSM8625Q have higher memory bus bandwidth by supporting the LPDDR2 memory type. It also offers 720p HD videos recording and playback flawlessly. Besides that, both new S4 Play mobile processors offer Bluetooth 4.0, WiFi, and FM connectivity.

This means that by next year end, the 720p HD recording-playback will be de facto for the mid-range devices and will also offer bunch of other features currently limited for the high-end devices only.

It is only by the second half of the next year we shall get to see mid-range devices with quad-core mobile processors inside.

Micromax launches Funbook Infinity for Rs 6,699

The new 7 inch tablet from Micromax comes with Hindi movies, Rowdy Rathore and Tees Maar Khan preloaded.

Micromax has launched yet another version of its 7 inch Funbook tablet, called Micromax Funbook Infinity (P275), for Rs 6,699.

This time around Micromax has added a 2 megapixel rear camera in Funbook Infinity which was missing in the earlier version of Funbook. Apart from that Fubook Infinity has 4000mAH battery as compared to 2800mAH in its predecessor.

With this launch Micromax has three 7 inch and a 10 inch tablet in the Funbook tablet range. The Micromax Infinity (P275) which runs on Android 4.0.4 is powered by a 1.2 GHz Cortex A8 processor.

Micromax has also continued its partnership with McGraw Hill, Everonn, Pearson,Vriti, BigFilx, Zenga, Hangama and IndiaGames for educational and entertainment content for Funbook Infinity.

The tablet plays videos in a wide range of formats such as AVI, MPEG, MKV, RMVB, MP4, MOV, VOB, DAT, FLV and 3GP. The new Funbook infinity comes with a free pen drive.

On the entertainment side Micromax Infinity will come pre loaded with two hindi movie- Akshay Kumar starter Tees Maar Khan and Rowdy Rathore.

Angry Birds makers to launch a new game today

Now it's the turn of pigs to take revenge on birds who attacked them with slingshots in Angry Birds.

Rovio Entertainment, the makers of popular mobile game - the Angry Birds, will launch another game today. The new game, named as Bad Piggies, will feature pigs who now will strike back at the birds who attacked them with slingshots in Angry Birds.

In Bad Piggies, instead of shooting with a slingshot, players build vehicles that help the characters get the birds' eggs.

The company said it is hoping the new game would breathe additional life into its brand.

"We see Bad Piggies as a long-term brand-building exercise. In three years from now, we want to see Angry Birds and Bad Piggies as strong vibrant brands out there," said Petri Jarvilehto, head of gaming at Rovio.

Rovio was founded in 2003 and became a global phenomenon after it launched Angry Birds for Apple's iPhone in late 2009. The Angry Birds helped Rovio's sales jump 10-fold to USD 100 million last year. However, later it launched the Amazing Alex, which could not match that success of Angry Birds.

Rovio is also expanding into merchandising, modeling its long-term strategy on Walt Disney by selling a range of stuffed and other toys, as well as branded playground equipment. Last year, some 30 per cent of turnover for Rovio came from items itself.

Nokia improves Life service with web interface

The new service called Life+ is a web based service while the Nokia Life which is a SMS based service which will continue to be available.

Nokia has launched a new version of the widely-used Nokia Life service. Unlike the SMS based Nokia Life, the new Nokia Life+ is a free web application and like the predecessor it provides information on education, health and infotainment topics to Nokia mobile phone users. Nokia Life+ is supported by the Nokia Asha 308 and Nokia Asha 309 smartphones alongside a wide range of Nokia mobile phones.

Nokia claims that more than 76 million people have used the original Nokia Life service that works across a range of basic and feature phones without the need for a data connection.

The new Nokia Life+ web application builds on this success by providing better web-based service through the new Nokia Xpress Browser, which is claimed to compresses Internet data up to 90 per cent, resulting in more efficient web browsing.

"People in developing economies need better access to information on the Internet that has relevance and value to their daily lives beyond entertainment. Nokia Life+ will serve as a bridge as people graduate from a primarily text-based mobile experience towards richer, web-based usage," explained Jawahar Kanjilal, vice president and global head of Nokia Life.

Nokia Life+ is now available in 18 countries which doesn't include India. It can be downloaded from Nokia Store or from the Xpress Browser. Probably, in India the service will be available once the Nokia Asha 308 and 309 becomes available, as the service debuts on these two phones as inbuilt feature. Nokia, however, has in a press release said that the local versions of Nokia Life+ will be available in India, China and Indonesia later this year, providing consumers with a more localised content.

Life+ is currently available only in English with two services 'Life Skills' and 'Live Healthy' and Nokia has promised more services in coming months. Life Skills is aimed at younger consumers, providing content on how to develop interpersonal skills, build self-confidence, acquire financial literacy and prepare for a job.

Live Healthy offers consumers and their families a range of tips and trivia touching upon nutrition, hygiene, staying fit and prevention of common illnesses.

Nokia Life+ content comes from content providers like Reader's Digest, Foundation for Social Change, FKUGM, Detik.com, Cita Cinta, GADIS, Gamatechno, Sygma, Ayahbunda, Madison Research, EnableM, Sina and iMedia.

Google Play store offering premium apps for Rs 14

As the Google Play app store celebrates its 25 billion app downloads, the store is offering premium applications for a specially discounted price of 25 cents or Rs 14 only.

To mark its 25th billion applications download mark, Google has announced a new offer for Android users. Under the offer, Google is offering premium games and applications which otherwise would cost more than Rs 100 for just Rs 14.

All the applications under this promotion are highly downloaded premium price application which will now be available for download and there are no hidden conditions or terms to comply with in order to get the applications.

All the applications will be available for download at this special price for the next four days, including today. The list of applications includes applications and games both. The apps that have been included in this promotion include Angry Birds Space, Office suite pro, Race game Granny Smith, Gameloft's Asphalt 7 and more such popular games and applications.

The apps that have been made available also include some regions or country specific apps as well so the offering might differ from region to regions in term.

Users can download these applications under this time limited offer by accessing the Google Play android application store directly or can also follow this link for the same.

Instagram update brings support for iPhone 5, iOS 6

Instagram has not offered support for live filters on the iPhone 5 and plans to eventually remove that feature to provide better experience.

Popular image sharing service Instagram has released a new update for its iOS app. The new Instagram 3.1 app for iOS has been updated to be compatible with iPhone 5 and iOS 6 software update.

Instagram app for the iOS and Android platform offers custom image filters and capability to share edited images with a large community of users. The developers have updated the application to support the freshly released iOS 6 software update for the Apple products.

The new Instagram brings compatibility support for the iOS 6 as well as the new iPhone 5. Apparently, the iOS platform users enjoyed the Live Filters that gave them an edge over the Instagram for Android users. However, the Live Filters are currently not supported on the iPhone 5 and eventually will be discontinued in future update of the app.

Apart from that, the new update brings a new 'registration' to pull in more users on board. The app now has also better password recovery options.

Instagram has promised to release the 3.1 version for the Google Android based devices soon.

Get iPhone 5 in India for Rs 71,995 on Friday

The unlocked Apple iPhone 5 with manufacturer warranty will be shipped free across India for those customers who book the device.

A relatively unknown Bangalore-based online shopping store, Bhaap.com, will sell the latest Apple iPhone 5 in India for Rs 71,000 for just one day on 28 September. The deal, which is perhaps the cheapest in India currently, will commence from 10 AM tomorrow.

A spokesperson of Baap.com said that the unlocked Apple iPhone 5 with manufacturer warranty will be shipped free across India for those customers who book the device. However, information about how users will procure nano SIM was not shared. Currently, service providers are not providing nano SIMs in India.

Apple has unveiled the iPhone 5, the thinnest and lightest among iPhones, last week at an event in San Francisco, USA. It is a completely redesigned gadget from Apples's portfolio with a new 4-inch Retina display, an Apple-designed A6 processor and the latest iOS 6 operation system.

In USA, Apple had made iPhone5 available to consumers at the same price as its predecessor iPhone 4S; the 16, 32 and 64 GB versions of iPhone 5 are available for $199, $299 and $399 respectively.