Micromax to launch Ninja A89 with dual core processor

The phone has 4 inch display, 1 GHz dual core processor and Android 4.0 operating system.

Micromax has announced another smartphone under its Ninja series. The new Ninja A89 is the first Dual Core processor based phone in this sub brand of Micromax.

The Dual SIM Micromax A89 Ninja comes with a 1 GHz dual-core Mediatek MT6577 processor accompanied by 512 MB of RAM. It sports a 4-inch screen with WVGA display. The smartphone comes with 2 GB of internal storage, which can be expanded to up to 32 GB through a micro SD card. It runs on Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) operating system.

It packs in 1450 mAh battery, which Micromax claims will deliver four hours of talktime and 170 hours of standby time. It has a 3-megapixel rear camera but has no flash.

Just like most other Micromax smartphones, it comes pre-loaded with apps such as Hook up, M! live, M! store, M! Zone+, Fruit devil and Darkman.

Two exciting thing about this phone is Android 4.0 OS and Dual Core Mediatek processor which makes it a very exciting product for budget conscious buyers.

The only crucial feature that is missing is the front camera. Apart from that it has 3G, WiFi, Bluetooth and USB connectivity features. The phone also comes with GPS support.

There is no indication on pricing yet, however it is expected to be priced below Rs 7,500 price range.

WP 7.8 update now available for Nokia Lumia phones

The WP 7.8 upgrade brings a whole lot new feature & looks for older WP 7.5 based devices starting today.

Nokia has finally rolled out the Windows Phone 7.8 upgrade for its older Lumia smartphones including Nokia Lumia 510, 610, 710, 800 and the Lumia 900. The upgrade has been rolled out throughout the globe but unlocked phones will get it first, followed by operator locked handsets as the later has to customize the update for better performance.

To check for the update, connect your phone to the computer via Zune for PC, or the Windows Phone app for Mac and follow the onscreen instructions to get the upgrade.

The Windows Phone 7.8 upgrade brings nice user interface related changes to the devices and will try to give the older devices a new Windows Phone 8 like look and feel. Among the features that the new OS will bring include a new Start screen, the sharing of the calendar using the function Club and access to key services and content Microsoft, including Xbox Music Store library that can be enjoyed by Zune and Xbox SmartGlass.

Along with major system updates, there has been a stream of exciting new features introduced to Nokia Lumia devices specifically. These include Internet sharing (WiFi hotspot), Bluetooth file sharing, imaging enhancements like Camera Extras, and the release of apps such as Contact Share, Play To and Nokia City Lens that will be made available within the upgrade itself.

Google's mulling multiple LED flash lights for mobiles

In a bid to improve the lighting on Mobile device Google has filed for a multi point Flash system.

Mobile phone cameras have always been regarded as more much useful than pocket cameras but their utility is reduced considerably in low light conditions. Use of flash though solves this problem to an extent but it too has its own limitations as use of flash can increase the size of the device while LED flash is only useful for limited illumination.

Now Google is planning to change it once and for all its upcoming devices with a new concept of having multiple LED flash lights as compared to 1 or 2 flash lights seen in most devices these days. Google has filed for a patent on this new technology that allows the device maker to place several powerful LED flashlights in a circle around the camera on the device.

With the use of multiple flash lights in a circle around the camera allows the camera to get better and even illumination on the subject by projecting light from different angles. This would be useful for both close up as well as distant shots where in different permutations and combination in the lights algorithm can allow the sensor to capture better and brightly lit shots.

And with the use of LED flash, the manufacturers also do not have to make many alterations to the design giving them the ability to continue making devices which today are getting slimmer by the day.

Full touchscreen BlackBerry Z10, Qwerty BlackBerry Q10 unveiled

BlackBerry has formally announced the two smartphones with BlackBerry 10 operating system.

BlackBerry, formerly known as RIM, has announced two new smartphones - BlackBerry Z10 and BlackBerry Q10. Both new BlackBerry 10 operating system running smartphones carry distinct set of features but same design philosophy packed together. The BlackBerry Z10 is an all touchscreen smartphone whereas the BlackBerry Q10 brings touchscreen and the Qwerty keyboard richness in one package. BlackBerry has promised to make the new smartphones available in major markets in the coming weeks.

Very few details are unknown about the all touch offering BlackBerry Z10 smartphone since it has been reported so many times. The BlackBerry Z10 features 4.2-inch LCD touchscreen display packing 1280x768 pixel resolution natively. It's the first time a BlackBerry smartphone offers 356 pixels per inch and the touchscreen supports up to 4 points of multi-touch.

Inside the 9mm chassis of the handset, rests a dual-core 1.5 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Plus MSM8960 mobile processor paired with 2 GB RAM and 16 GB on-board storage by default. Of course, out of that 16 GB some would be reserved for the system and updates. Thankfully there is a Hot Swappable memory card slot to accommodate a higher density micro SD Card.

At the rear, BlackBerry has packed 8 megapixel camera with auto focus, LED Flash and 5X digital zoom. This camera can be used to capture high quality images and also record full 1080p HD videos. BlackBerry Z10 also features a 2 megapixel front facing camera with 3X digital zoom and 720p HD video recording ability.

BlackBerry has enabled the Z10 to support LTE networks, quad-band HSPA+">HSPA+ and tri-band GSM networks for telephony. Apart from that, the BlackBerry Z10 packs dual-band WiFi (802.11 a/b/g/n 2.4 GHz / 5 GHz), Bluetooth 4.0 Low Energy, Accelerometer, Proximity Sensor, Gyroscope, Magnetometer, Ambient Light Sensor and Near Field Communication chip. There is also a micro HDMI out port along with micro USB port.

The BlackBerry Z10 offers better location locking with Assisted, Autonomous and Simultaneous GPS module. BlackBerry Z10 packs a 1800 mAh battery that promises talk time of up to 10 hours and standby time of up to 305 hours on 3G network. This smartphone promises audio playback for up to 60 hours and video playback for up to 11 hours.

The BlackBerry 10 OS bearing BlackBerry Q10 smartphone features a physical Qwerty keyboard along with a touchscreen display. The BlackBerry Q10 features a 3.1-inch Super Amoled touchscreen display that packs 720x720 pixel resolution natively. Besides offering a 328 pixels per inch pixel density, the screen also supports multi-touch and under it rests a four row Qwerty keyboard. This keyboard is exactly like the on-screen keyboard in the BlackBerry Z10. On top of the key rows rests a silver strip that makes the keyboard look like guitar's fret board.

The BlackBerry Q10 is about 10.3 mm thick and weights 139 grams. This smartphone has a dual-core 1.5 GHz Texas Instruments OMAP 4470 mobile processor inside paired with 2 GB RAM and 16 GB on-board storage. There is also a hot swappable memory card slot that can accommodate up to 32 GB micro SD card.

The rear part of BlackBerry Q10 flaunts the same 8 megapixel Auto Focus camera and LED flash as the one used in BlackBerry Z10. With capability to record full 1080p HD videos, the Q10's camera promises high quality imaging. There is a 2 megapixel camera in the front capable of 720p HD video recording and 3X digital zoom.

BlackBerry Q10 will support quad-band GSM networks and packs the same dual-band WiFi network (2.4 Ghz and 5 GHz) along with Bluetooth 4.0. BlackBerry has packed sensors such as accelerometer, Gyroscope, Proximity, Compass and also the GPS module with A-GPS support. BlackBerry has packed 1800 mAh battery to offer talk time of 10 hours over 3G networks.

Both BlackBerry smartphones pack BlackBerry Maps powered by TomTom. The BlackBerry 10 OS has been optimised to support variety of lossless audio and video formats. By default, both smartphones support the DivX and XviD video formats along with the WAV and FLAC lossless audio formats.

BlackBerry aims to make the BlackBerry Z10 available in white and black colours in the USA by March this year and the BlackBerry Q10 in black colour is expected to be launched in the April.

Pantech launches world's biggest HD display mobile

The phablet comes with a quad core processor, and a full HD display bigger battery.

Korean device manufacturer, Pantech has announced the launch of the Pantech Vega No 6 phablet for the international market. The Pantech Vega No 6 is world's biggest full HD display bearing Android Smartphone featuring a massive 5.9 inch display.

The Pantech Vega No 6 houses a Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro quad core processor running at 1.5 GHz on Google Android's Jelly Bean operating system. The operating system has been accented with Pantech's Flux user interface that sits on top of it. There is 2 GB of RAM to make things fluid along with 32 GB of internal storage as well.

The device features a 13 megapixel rear camera that the company claims offers near SLR quality and power while keeping things pocket able. Along with that the camera is capable of recording full HD visuals at whole 1080p resolution. There is a 2 megapixel front facing camera as well for video calling.

The Pantech Vega No 6 will be made available for retail availability in the month of February in South Korea. There is no word on its availability elsewhere.

PHP Image Workshop: A Powerful PHP Class To Help You Perform Various Image Tasks

While working with images, web developers often need to type up long lines of code to execute simple functions such as creating image thumbnails and pasting watermarks on images. Here to help by making the coding process easier is a tool called PHP Image Workshop.

PHP Image Workshop is a powerful PHP class that uses the GD library to make it easier for web developers to work with images. The class is for simple image tasks such as creating thumbnails and placing thumbnails. More complex tasks are also supported such as plural superpositions and setting image positions.

An object of this PHP class can be treated as an image layer, a group of layers, and a document, depending on how you use it. Basically the object is a background layer which is transparent by default and sublayers which are empty by default. When you are done working with your layers, you simply merge them executing a single method.

Features:

• A user-friendly developer tool.
• Works as a PHP class.
• Lets you perform image tasks.
• Has objects that are groups of image layers.

Check out PHP Image Workshop @ http://phpimageworkshop.com

SMS Faker: Show Fake SMS Conversations On Your iPhone

SMS Faker lets you trick people by showing them fake SMS conversations displayed on your iPhone, iPod touch or iPad. To try it yourself, download the free app from the App store. Once you have it on your iPhone, open the app and enter a fake name (ex: John, see below) into a conversation and click “Save”.

By default, iPhone received messages appear on a grey background and sent messages appear on a green background, but you can change it before you enter the fake name. To write a fake “sent” message you have to type in a message (as you do normally when you send a message on the iPhone) and press “Send”. To write a fake “received” message you have to press the Camera button to the left of the text field.

Features:

• Show fake SMS conversations on your iPhone.
• Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch or iPad.
• Available in 21 languages.
• Free app.

Check out Sms Faker @ http://itunes.apple.com/app/sms-faker-with-bluetooth/id532881774?ls=1&mt=8

ZTE to launch 5.7-inch Grand Memo at MWC next month

ZTE has started sending out Mobile World Congress press invites and the company reveals that it will be launching two new smartphones at this mobile event. These smartphones are Grand Memo and Grand Mozilla (a Firefox OS powered smartphone).

The company showcased the Grand Memo at an event in Hong Kong earlier today. ZTE Grand Memo features a 5.7-inch 720p display, 1.7GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro processor, 13MP rear camera and Android 4.1.2.

More details are expected to be revealed at the Mobile World Congress.

The Grand Memo will join ZTE Grand S, a high-end smartphone, which was announced at CES, as the Chinese manufacturer looks to move into high and mid-range segment.

“We would like to raise the percentage of mid- to high-range smartphones. That’s the direction we’re heading,” Lv Qianhao, head of ZTE’s handset strategy, told Reuters at the Grand Memo event in Hong Kong.

“ZTE expects to ship more than 50 million smartphones in 2013, exceeding its earlier forecast, and sees smartphones making up 70 percent of overall consumer device sales this year,” Lv added.

YouTube may charge for videos

If reports are to believed, YouTube may start the services today itself.

Google's video sharing and streaming service, YouTube is reportedly mulling to charge people for watching videos on the website.

Although the subscription model is yet to be decided by the company, it is being believed that the company will follow different models across various channels for revenue earnings. For instance, for periodicals, there can be a monthly subscription model where in users will have to pay up a monthly or even a yearly fee for accessing content.

Also possible is the 'pay per view' model where in users can see the content they like and pay only if they like it without having to pay up an upfront fee.

The subscription model is likely to be adopted for online service to begin things with but will eventually be made available for mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets.

YouTube today is a popular source of entertainment for mobile devices and Google can certainly not overlook this opportunity especially since Android is deeply integrated with YouTube.

If all goes well by the subscriptions service can be expected to be up and running within this year itself. YouTtube has reportedly reached out to a small group of channel producers and asked them to submit applications to create channels that users would have to pay to access.

Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 (WiFi) prebooking starts; price Rs 13,900

The WiFi only tablet comes with Android Jelly Bean operating system.

Samsung's WiFi only Galaxy Tab 2 has been on sale through unofficial channels for quite some time but Samsung has now officially kick-started the pre-booking of the tablet for the Indian market. It comes with the same hardware specifications as the older Galaxy Tab 2 P 310.

The price of the tablet has been kept reasonably low at Rs 13,900 but you can get a pre-booking gift as well which we think is a complementary flip cover for the device. The delivery date is stated as first week of February this year.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 P311 comes with a powerful 1 GHz processor along with 1 GB RAM and 16 GB internal storage which can be further complimented to another 32 GB through a micro SD memory card. The 3G SIM module is not present in the device but the tablet has WiFi as well as Bluetooth connectivity. Note that its USB port does not support 3G dongle.

The good news is that the tablet comes preinstalled with Android's latest Jelly Bean 4.1 operating system which will be coming soon to the Galaxy Tab P310 as well. Along with that the Galaxy Tab 2 P311 has the TouchWiz interface for making navigation easier.

There is a 3 megapixel fixed focus camera at the rear for taking pictures and recording videos and in the front there is a VGA camera for supplementing video calling.

Micromax A89 Ninja spotted on Micromax website

Micromax’s plans to launch 30 smartphones this year are clearly not unfounded, as day by day company is introducing a new smartphone. At this pace, company will launch 30 smartphones in six months itself. The latest smartphone to join company’s portfolio is Micromax A89 Ninja. Currently listed on Micromax’s website, it will be available in the coming days.

Micromax A89 Ninja packs a 1GHz dual-core Mediatek MT6577 processor, Android 4.0, 4-inch WVGA display, dual-SIM connectivity and 1450 mAh battery.  On the imaging front, the A89 Ninja comes with 3MP rear camera.

There is no word on the pricing right now, but we expect it to go on sale around INR 7K.

Micromax A89 Nija specs

Android 4.0
3G/Bluetooth/Wi-Fi/USB
1450 mAh battery
3 MP rear camera
4-inch 480*800(WVGA) display
1GHz Mediatek MT6577(Dual core) processor
512MB RAM
2GB internal storage with microSD card slot
Preloaded apps: Hook up,M! live,M! store,M! Zone+,Fruit devil,Darkman

Micromax A65 Smarty 4.3 now available for INR 4,999

Micromax A65 Smarty 4.3 dual-SIM Android phone, which was recently spotted on Micromax website, is now available via online retailers like Flipkart and Saholic.  Priced at INR 4,999, the smartphone packs a big 4.3-inch display and Android 2.3.

Other features of this Android phone include 1GHz processor, 2MP rear camera with fixed focus and LED flash as well as VGa front camera. The Smarty 4.3 also comes with 190 MB of usable internal storage, microSD card slot, and 1350 mAh battery.


At this price, the Micromax A65 certainly looks interesting for anyone planning to buy a big screen smartphone in under INR 5K budget. On the downside, there is no 3G support on the phone and both the SIM cards only accept 2G cards.

The Smarty 4.3 also comes pre-loaded with the usual set of Micromax apps like Hookup, M!Zone , M!Store as well other apps like Cricket Fever, Whatsapp and Facebook.

Micromax had recently revealed at the A116 Canvas HD smartphone launch event that it plans to launch 30 smartphones this year in the country and it has already started the flooding the market with almost a smartphone launch every week.

HTC Butterfly launched in India for Rs 45,990

The HTC Butterfly is powered by a quad-core processor and has 2 GB RAM.

HTC has launched its 5 inch Android smartphone - the Butterfly - in India for Rs 45,990.

The HTC Butterfly is based on Android 4.1 and has a full HD 5 inch display with a super resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels which translates to 441 pixels per inch, against Apple iPhone 5's 326 ppi pixel density. HTC has used the third generation Super LCD display clubbed with Corning Gorilla Glass 2 technology to create a slimmer and stronger touchscreen display in the Butterfly.

The HTC Butterfly is powered by a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 mobile processor running at 1.5 GHz along with Adreno 320 graphics chip. To power it up, HTC has chosen Google Android 4.1 Jelly Bean operating system and the HTC Sense 4+ user interface.

The smartphone carries 2 GB of RAM (again an industry first move) for smooth performance and has 16 GB of integrated memory (11 GB is available for users though) which can be further upped by 32 GB through a micro SD card.

HTC has used an 8 megapixel camera with image stabilisation, auto focus, LED flash, and a backside illumination sensor along with HTC's own Image chip. Its 8 megapixel rear camera, which comes with f/2.0 aperture and 8mm lens, is capable of clicking great quality images even in low luminance. The camera can also be used to record full 1080p HD videos and one can also capture 6 megapixel photos while recording the video simultaneously.

In the front there is a 2.1 megapixel camera also capable of recording full 1080p videos at 30 frames per second. HTC has packed a 2020 mAh battery in this smartphone which comes with Beats audio enhancement too.

Agastaya: Remotely Access & Retrieve Data From Your Android Phone

Have you ever tried finding your phone by calling it, only to remember that your phone is on Silent? At times like these, one wishes to be able to perform numerous little functions on the phone remotely like exiting the phone from Silent mode. Here to let you do this and many other such tasks remotely on your phone is an app called Agastaya.

Agastaya is a free to use phone application that lets you perform numerous useful tasks on your phone remotely. The app helps you access and retrieve data from your phone. For example, you can get contact information, call logs, phone IMEI number, SIM number, and SMS logs from your phone remotely. You can also change your phone’s profile e.g. exit it from the Silent mode by sending a text on it so you can call the phone, hear it ring, and find it; conversely, you can set your phone to Silent mode.

Features:

• A user-friendly phone application
• Compatible with Android phones
• Lets you remotely access and retrieve phone data such as call logs and SMS logs
• Lets you remotely change phone profile

Check out Agastaya @ https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.bombil.agastya&hl=en

BirdHerd: Easy Twitter Management For Groups, Teams, & Brands

Sometimes managing a Twitter account which covers an entire group of people isn’t easy, especially when everyone has something they’d like to do with said Twitter account. You could share the username and password of the Twitter account among the members of the group, but that becomes a security hazard. Other methods of managing can become impractical, could ruin time-sensitive tweets, put all the work on a single member, and more. Preferably, you’ll want multiple people having secure access to execute different actions on the group’s account.

BirdHerd allows you to do this by creating an account based on the Twitter account in question and adding authorized users who are allowed to post tweets, send direct messages, follow other Twitter accounts, and more. Authorized users can then interact with the group’s Twitter account by sending direct messages from their own Twitter accounts to the group’s account. BirdHerd will then recognize the direct messages sent and will react accordingly.

Features:

• Control a common Twitter account via authorized users’ Twitter accounts.
• Post, message, follow, and more.
• Free and simple to use.

Check out BirdHerd @ http://birdherd.com/

Yodiz: An Incredibly Robust Team Management Solution

Do you manage a team of developers? Are you looking for a way to streamline managing them? Yodiz is an incredibly robust solution for managing all of your teams tasks and tracking their progress. If you are sick of long email threads and are looking for a way to make sure everyone stays on task and meeting their goals, Yodiz is worth checking out. Best of all, it’s free to use for up to five people. There are pay plans for organizations that need more than five users.

Yodiz has a feature set that is geared for developers. It makes it easy to find out what everyone is doing at all times and whether they are meeting their goals. They even have methods in place for you to see where you could use improvement. Managers can even check recent activity that looks almost like a Facebook News Feed. This allows them to see exactly what everyone has done recently and get a good feel for the organization as a whole.

There are so many cool things in Yodiz such as a scrum board, charts and graphs, a backlog, a planning board and the list goes on and on. For a team of developers, this is a great way to keep everyone focused and on task.

Features:

• Team management for developers
• Manage a team of up to five for free
• Track your goals and to-do lists
• Scrum board, backlog, planning board and more
• Charts and graphs to check progress

Find Yodiz @ www.yodiz.com

sony may be working on a mid-range smartphone that actually improves on some specs of the Xperia T. Last year, the Sony C530X (codenamed HuaShan) would have found itself branded as a flagship phone, but in the age of quad-core phones, the two Krait cores in the C530X are second in the pecking order. However, Sony is not skimming on many features in the HuaShan, despite the mid-range lineage. A screenshot of the Android software information page shows the phone running Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean—the same version the flagship Xperia Z will launch with. German website USP Forum has leaked some images that show the mid-range droid with a rather plain-looking, matte steel-gray back. sonyxperiac530x The smartphone also carries forward the design language used in the Xperia Z, with the slightly-rounded corners, an unbroken front panel and a big metallic Power/Lock key. A translucent strip runs along the bottom of the device on both the front and the back and looks like Sony’s take on the notification LED. This is not the first sign of the HuaShan. Earlier, results from GLBenchmark hinted at a 720p display that had a resolution of 1184 X 720, excluding on-screen buttons. More importantly, the benchmark scores revealed the chipset to be Qualcomm MSM8960T, which indicates a dual-core Krait CPU, each core clocked at 1.7GHz, and a Adreno 320 GPU. It also brings support for LTE connectivity. An image uploaded to Picasa last year pointed to a 5 megapixel sensor, though whether this is the maximum resolution is not known. c5303huashan Sony announced the Xperia Z and ZL at CES 2013. They both feature 5-inch, 1080p HD displays (1920 x 1080), 2GB of RAM, a 13.1 megapixel rear camera and a 2.2 megapixel front-facing camera, 4G LTE support, and a 1.5GHz Snapdragon S4 Pro quad-core processor. Other specs include 16GB of onboard storage space with a microSD card slot. However, the ZL doesn’t have the waterproof and dustproof casing of the Xperia Z. The two phones will be launched in different markets, but it is not known which regions will get which variant. The HuaShan is not the only one in Sony’s 2013 arsenal. Picture evidence found on Picasa points to another Sony Android smartphone in the works—the low-end C210X. The model listed is the C2105, which will feature a 1GHz dual-core Snapdragon processor—either the MSM8227 or the MSM8627—along with Adreno 305 graphics and a FWVGA (480 x 854) screen. The handset too will run Android 4.1.2 out of the box. It looks like Sony is preparing a full complement of devices to be released at next month’s Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

sony may be working on a mid-range smartphone that actually improves on some specs of the Xperia T. Last year, the Sony C530X (codenamed HuaShan) would have found itself branded as a flagship phone, but in the age of quad-core phones, the two Krait cores in the C530X are second in the pecking order.

However, Sony is not skimming on many features in the HuaShan, despite the mid-range lineage. A screenshot of the Android software information page shows the phone running Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean—the same version the flagship Xperia Z will launch with. German website USP Forum has leaked some images that show the mid-range droid with a rather plain-looking, matte steel-gray back.

The smartphone also carries forward the design language used in the Xperia Z, with the slightly-rounded corners, an unbroken front panel and a big metallic Power/Lock key. A translucent strip runs along the bottom of the device on both the front and the back and looks like Sony’s take on the notification LED.

This is not the first sign of the HuaShan. Earlier, results from GLBenchmark hinted at a 720p display that had a resolution of 1184 X 720, excluding on-screen buttons. More importantly, the benchmark scores revealed the chipset to be Qualcomm MSM8960T, which indicates a dual-core Krait CPU, each core clocked at 1.7GHz, and a Adreno 320 GPU. It also brings support for LTE connectivity. An image uploaded to Picasa last year pointed to a 5 megapixel sensor, though whether this is the maximum resolution is not known.

Sony announced the Xperia Z and ZL at CES 2013. They both feature 5-inch, 1080p HD displays (1920 x 1080), 2GB of RAM, a 13.1 megapixel rear camera and a 2.2 megapixel front-facing camera, 4G LTE support, and a 1.5GHz Snapdragon S4 Pro quad-core processor. Other specs include 16GB of onboard storage space with a microSD card slot. However, the ZL doesn’t have the waterproof and dustproof casing of the Xperia Z. The two phones will be launched in different markets, but it is not known which regions will get which variant.

The HuaShan is not the only one in Sony’s 2013 arsenal. Picture evidence found on Picasa points to another Sony Android smartphone in the works—the low-end C210X. The model listed is the C2105, which will feature a 1GHz dual-core Snapdragon processor—either the MSM8227 or the MSM8627—along with Adreno 305 graphics and a FWVGA (480 x 854) screen. The handset too will run Android 4.1.2 out of the box. It looks like Sony is preparing a full complement of devices to be released at next month’s Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

Swiftkey Flow beta updated; brings support for Hindi, Hinglish

Swiftkey has released yet another update for its beta-only Flow keyboard. Available now for downloading pleasure from its website in both phone and tablet version, the keyboard get several new features in the current update.

Swiftkey Flow now supports easier corrections, new languages and more. Check out the full change-log below.

Download Swiftkey Flow beta

• Predictions (and Flow) now on in most places (exceptions: e-mail fields, passwords, anywhere where the app doesn’t behave itself with SK, fields offering their own corrections on Android versions <= 2.2)
• Easier corrections – just tap on the word and SwiftKey will offer you 3 possibilities
• New languages: Thai, Vietnamese, Bosnian, Albanian, Javan, Sundanese (plus those added in 3.1)
• Features from SwiftKey 3.1: Berry theme, split layout in landscape on phones, Armenian, Azerbaijani, Georgian, Hindi, Hinglish, Irish, Macedonian, Spanish (Latin America) and Tagalog
• New layouts for Hindi and Russian
• Ukrainian landscape layout fixed
• Backspacing on to the final word of a multi word prediction (Flow through space) will now give better alternatives
• Typing style now inferred rather than a setting
• Long press delete accelerates after the first word

First Ubuntu smartphone won't have an app store: Canonical

Canonical's product manager Richard Collins noted that the intention is not to have an application store at the launch of the first Ubuntu smartphone.

Upcoming Ubuntu operating system based smartphones will not have access to any application store as is the case with Android, Windows 8, BlackBerry and iOS devices.

Richard Collins, product manager for Ubuntu Mobile, told Engadget in an interview that the intention is not to have an application store full of ready-made applications that are there to download. This was in context to the first Ubuntu mobile operating system based smartphone.

So basically the Ubuntu for phones bearing entry level smartphones may not have a mobile app store on day one but will come with ample pre-installed apps that would be ready to use.

Earlier this month, Canonical announced the Ubuntu operating system for phones targeting the entry-level smartphones. Yet another Ubuntu mobile OS arrived after the last year's launch of Ubuntu for smartphones. Now the technology industry, community and consumers await the first ever Ubuntu running smartphone due anytime this year.

Ubuntu for phones is aimed to scale up even for the high-end smartphones and the company is purely focused on delivering cutting edge mobile operating system. Now there are no fixed dates or details on when can we expect first Ubuntu smartphone. However, we do expect the company to show off a prototype at the upcoming Mobile World Congess 2013.

Samsung to make Music Hub available for all Android devices

Samsung is also planning to offer the service in more countries.

Samsung is all set to make available its Music Hub service for all Android devices including non-Samsung devices.

TJ Kang, senior vice president, Samsung Media Services, told The Next Web that the company
has plans to expand its availability beyond the company's own hardware.

But the bigger news is that Samsung is now planning to expand the services of the Music Hub beyond six countries at present.

Samsung Music Hub is a cloud-based service that combines user's own library with cloud based streaming, radio and song discovery features. The Music hub combines online radio, streaming services and cloud storage services all in one package.

With the addition of newer devices to the support list, the Samsung Music Hub service is expected to get substantial growth and number of users as well. At present, similar services are being offered by Amazon and Google as well.

BlackBerry Z10 price leaked

Carphone Warehouse database screenshot points that the upcoming BlackBerry Z10 smartphone is likely to launch for Rs.41,500 ($755 approx).

RIM going to introduce its all touch BlackBerry Z10 smartphone along with BlackBerry X10, based on its latest Blackberry10 Operating system tomorrow.

While enough leaks have shown how exactly the phones look like, mystery shrouds around the prices. Meanwhile, Engadget was tipped with a screenshot product database of the popular British online retailer - Carphone Warehouse. This screenshot also included the expected pricing of the BlackBerry Z10 smartphone.

RIM is aiming at the high-end smartphone market with its first BlackBerry Z10 smartphone on January 30. The BlackBerry Z10 will feature 4.2-inch LCD touchscreen display with 1280x768 pixel resolution. It will be powered by a dual-core 1.5 GHz mobile processor with 2 GB RAM. At the back will be 8 megapixel camera with capability to record full HD video. The phone will pack 16 GB storage and micro SD card slot to add a memory card. This smartphone will come with BlackBerry 10 OS and will be offered in White and Black Colours.

The Carphone Warehouse's product database listed the White BlackBerry Z10 smartphone for GBP 480 which equals to about Rs. 41,470 in Indian denominations. Most likely it will be priced around US $ 750 in the US region and these are the rates for SIM-free (Contract-free) smartphone.

We take this information with a grain of salt and based on the specifications paced by RIM, we expect bit of surprise with the price of BlackBerry 10 OS based devices. We shall anxiously wait for the formal announcement from RIM.

Apple iOS 6.1 update now available

Apple has quietly released the iOS 6.1 update that brings capability to buy movie tickets, iTunes Match update, and LTE support for more carriers.

Apple has announced the release of the iOS 6.1 software update for iPhone, iPod touch and iPad devices. The new iOS 6.1 software update packs several improvements and tweaks for three different lines of iOS devices. The software update is now available for download via iTunes Desktop program or over-the-air.

The new iOS 6.1 software update is an incremental one, packing few features and several enhancement tweaks under the hood. New software update adds Long Term Evolution network support for over 30 different mobile operators.

The iTunes Match subscribers will be able to download the songs individually from the iCloud. US based users can use Siri to purchase movie tickets powered by Fandango.

i-os

However the new update doesn't have much for the Indian iPhone users, as we do not have FD LTE network in the country. And even movie ticket purchase feature is limited to USA.

New iOS 6.1 software update can be downloaded over the air while the iOS device is connected to Wi-Fi or mobile data network. Alternatively, using iTunes on Mac or PC will also download the full update.

The new iOS 6.1 software update is compatible with the iPhone 5, iPhone 4S, iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, iPad (third and fourth generation), iPad mini, iPad 2 and iPod touch (fourth and fifth generation).

Google bringing 3D Maps to India, starting with New Delhi

After launching free turn-by-turn voice navigation last year, Google is now planning to release its 3D maps for the Indian cities this year. The first city to get the 3D buildings in their maps seems to be Delhi. Going through the Maps app on an Android smartphone this morning, we spotted some colonies in the city already showing 3D maps.

As the work is still in progress, we could only find a handful of New Delhi colonies showing 3D maps, but it is certainly an indication of the upcoming 3D Maps.

Originally announced in December 2010 as a part of Google Maps 5.0, the 3D buildings support is currently available in over 100 cities globally right now (as per Google listing).

Google uses vector graphics to dynamically draw the map on your device as you use it, allowing you to interact with it in many ways including tilting and rotating the 3D maps.

There is no word on when we are to see the actual launch of 3D maps in Delhi or India, but given that 3D building have already starting to appear, it should not take more than a few weeks.

If you spot 3D buildings in any other Indian city maps on your Android device, do let us know in comments.

Update: As some of our readers pointed, 3D buildings have also started to appear in Mumbai and Bengaluru.

Spice launches Mi530 for Rs 14K with 5 MP front camera

This comes with a 5.3 inch display, making it the largest smartphone of Spice.

Spice Mobility has announced its most premium, called Spice Mi-530, for Rs 13,999. The handset, which boasts a 5.3 inch display, is also the largest smartphone of Spice and comes with an 5 megapixel front camera, making it the best front camera among smartphones.

Spice Mi-530 is a dual-SIM (3G+3G) smartphone with a 5.3 inch IPS display which promises wider viewing angle and comes with qHD (960 x 540) resolution. The phone is powered by a 1.2 GHz dual core processor along with a very healthy 1 GB RAM and 16 GB built in memory, which can be expanded further to 32 GB through a micro SD card. However, the handset has Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich operating system and not the latest Android 4.1 Jelly Bean OS.

Spice Mi-530 boasts an 8 megapixel autofocus camera with dual-LED flash. Surprisingly, it has a 5 megapixel front camera which if true is the highest resolution for a front camera on any mobile phone available in the country. The camera can be used for both video chatting (for which it is over powerful) as well as for self-portrait images for which it makes sense.

The handset comes with 3G/ HSPA+">HSPA, WiFi, Bluetooth 4.0, and a micro USB port. It has also a Li-Polymer battery with 2550 mAh rating that claims to provide four hours and 12 minutes of talk time.

Spice has also used Dual mic with noise suppression technology which should offer better call quality. Another unique thing with this phone is that both the SIM cards will support 3G connectivity which is not the case with most dual SIM phones.

While Rs 13,999 price is not too high in itself, but given that Micromax Canvas HD with quad core processor and HD display is round the corner for less than Rs 15,000, Spice will need to bring bigger price difference between the two phones.

The success of this otherwise feature rich phone will depend on how customers look at it in comparison to Micromax Canvas HD A116. Spice Mi-530 does have slight advantage of a bigger display and little bit lower price.

Spice brings 4 inch Mi435 for Rs 7,499

It has Android ICS, 1 GHz processor and 512 MB RAM.

Spice Mobility has launched a new dual-SIM phone with a 4 inch capacitive touch display with 800x480 pixel resolution and Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich operating system. It has a 1 GHz processor and 512 MB RAM.

The Spice Mi435 boasts a 5 megapixel main camera with fixed focus, CMOS sensor, 5x digital zoom, and video recording features. Besides, it has a 0.3 megapixel front camera for video chatting.

On connectivity front, the Spice Mi435 has GPRS, 3G, Bluetooth, WiFi, and a micro USB port. The Spice smartphone has 2 GB user storage, music player, FM radio, A-GPS, 1500 mAh battery, and 32 GB expandable memory.

The phone will be available from today for Rs 7,499 from Spice's online retail arm Saholic.com. The phone competes with Micromax Ninja 4 but has a bigger camera, more RAM than the former. Unlike Ninja 4, the Spice Mi435 also features proximity sensor but is a bit expansive than the Micromax handset.

Smartphone with Sailfish OS coming soon to India

Zopo is planning to launch Sailfish operating system based phones in India.

Sailfish operating system, which is based on Nokia's abandoned Meego operating system and claims to have great multitasking capability, will soon be introduced in India. A spokesperson of Zopo Mobile, a Chinese player which recently entered India, said to The Mobile Indian, "The company is working on a Sailfish operating system based handset and will soon introduce it in the market." The operating system is said to provide better multitasking than existing smartphones.

While unveiling the software development kit, the company said that the operating system features effortless multitasking, allowing users to switch between running applications directly from the home screen, ending a call or pausing a song without having to enter the application. You can have a look at how the operating system will work in this video.

Another unique feature of Sailfish is the removal of elements that often take up some of your smartphone screen's real-estate. Instead of displaying the battery life and signal indicators, the developer has moved them to the lockscreen, allowing you to maximise the screen space.

The new platform will work with most Android applications and therefore there will be no dearth of applications on it. The OS also works on the QT application development framework of Nokia (which is used for developing apps for the Symbian platform). While the Zopo spokesperson did not elaborate on the phone's specifications, it is expected to get very high end specifications, and is likely to feature ST-Ericsson's latest NovaThor platform (CPU), and probably a quad core version of the platform that was announced recently. Sailfish operating system is based on Meego operating system, which was jointly developed by Nokia, Intel and Linux, and was later abandoned by Nokia in favour of Windows Phone OS. The operating system was resurrected by erstwhile Nokia employees who were working on Meego.

They have formed an independent Finnish software development company Jolla and recently showcased the operating system, which is meant to be used on a wide range of devices including smartphones, tablets, smart televisions and even automobiles. The OS will not just compete with well established OSs like Android, iOS, Windows Phone, and BlackBerry, but also with developing operating systems like Firefox, Tizen and Ubuntu. Unlike Tizen, Firefox, and Ubuntu, Jolla's Sailfish is focused on the premium segment aimed more at the people who would buy an Apple device rather than low end Android, and therefore the pricing of this handset is expected to be in the mid range Android category, only because Zopo itself is a low cost brand.

Huawei to launch MediaQ M310, a quad-core set-top box, for $80

Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei is not just eying smartphone market with its cool new devices, but also seems to planning to join the Android set-top party as well. A device dubbed as Huawei MediaQ M310 has come to light, and is reportedly going to be launched in the coming three months for around $80.

This Android powered set-top box is not a Google TV product, but packs Android as the operating system with Huawei’s own TV-specific UI atop. This is clearly not the first product in this segment, but it is certainly showing a big trend among Chinese manufacturers, who are launching affordable Android powered TV boxes every day.

The Huawei MediaQ M310 features HiSilicon K3V2 ARM Cortex-A9 quad-core processor, Vivante GC4000 graphics, 1GB RAM, 4GB internal storage with microSD card slot, HDMI input /output, two USB 2.0 ports, SPDIF audio, and a 3.5mm audio jack. The box also supports Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.0.

The device also comes with something called Huawei multi-screen (Pushing, mirroring), allowing users to mirror their smartphone content to their television using the set-top box.

Company is also making a more powerful set top box with specs like 2GB RAM, 8GB internal storage, 2 Ethernet ports, a DVB digital TV receiver, and 2x 3.5? HDD bays for NAS applications.

micromax-smarty-4-3-a65-front Everyone wants a bigger display and why should budget smartphone buyers be left behind, that seems to be the philosophy of Micromax this season. After introducing a budget quad-core phablet, company is now going to launch a sub-INR 5,000, 4.3-inch Android smartphone – A65 Smarty 4.3. Spotted on Micromax’s official website (http://www.micromaxinfo.com/mobiles/smartphones/smarty/A65) as well as Flipkart, the A65 Smarty 4.3 (http://www.flipkart.com/micromax-smarty-4-3-a65/p/itmdhfrrnjvvdtbn?affid=INGaurav) is expected to be announced in the coming days. The smartphone has been priced at INR 4,999. The A65 features Android 2.3, dual-SIM connectivity, 1GHz processor, 2MP rear camera, front camera, and 4.3-inch WVGA 800x480p display. The smartphone also packs 190MB of internal storage, microSD card slot and 1350 mAh battery. The RAM inside the smartphone is not clear right now, the Micromax website shows 4GB, which is clearly an error. On the downside, there is no 3G support. micromax-smarty-4-3-a65-back The smartphone also comes pre-loaded with the usual set of Micromax apps like Hookup, M!Zone , M!Store as well other apps like Cricket Fever, Whatsapp and Facebook. It was just a day ago that we had reported about the availability of A54 Smarty 3.5 and now there is another Smarty series smartphone.

Everyone wants a bigger display and why should budget smartphone buyers be left behind, that seems to be the philosophy of Micromax this season. After introducing a budget quad-core phablet, company is now going to launch a sub-INR 5,000, 4.3-inch Android smartphone – A65 Smarty 4.3.

Spotted on Micromax’s official website as well as Flipkart, the A65 Smarty 4.3 is expected to be announced in the coming days. The smartphone has been priced at INR 4,999.

The A65 features Android 2.3, dual-SIM connectivity, 1GHz processor, 2MP rear camera, front camera, and 4.3-inch WVGA 800x480p display. The smartphone also packs 190MB of internal storage, microSD card slot and 1350 mAh battery. The RAM inside the smartphone is not clear right now, the Micromax website shows 4GB, which is clearly an error. On the downside, there is no 3G support.

The smartphone also comes pre-loaded with the usual set of Micromax apps like Hookup, M!Zone , M!Store as well other apps like Cricket Fever, Whatsapp and Facebook.

It was just a day ago that we had reported about the availability of A54 Smarty 3.5 and now there is another Smarty series smartphone.

Not making any cheap BlackBerry: RIM

RIM is to launch six devices with its new BlackBerry operating system this year.

Categorically denouncing reports, Research In Motion has said that it is not making any cheap BlackBerry phones.

"Our phones are 'aspirational' products. If you reduce prices too much, you may gain volumes but may lose the value your products have. We are not going to be meant for everyone," RIM's India managing director, Sunil Dutt was quoted as saying by The Times of India.

It is to be remembered that the Canadian company is set to launch its new BlackBerry 10 operating system on January 30. Also RIM's chief marketing officer, Frank Boulben has confirmed that the company is set to launch six BlackBerry devices in this year.

Also, it was reported that, the company is planning to launch entry level handsets to help people enjoy the BlackBerry 10 operating system.

Karbonn S1 Titanium dual-SIM phone launched for INR 10,990

As we reported few days ago, Karbonn has now officially launched S1 Titanium Android smartphone. Company has priced this dual-SIM smartphone at just INR 10,990 and it can be booked exclusively at Karbonn’s official website.

Karbonn S1 Titanium is the company’s first smartphone with a 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon quad-core processor on-board. It also features a 4.5-inch qHD 960x540p display, 1GB RAM, 4GB of internal storage, and Android 4.1 Jelly Bean.

On the imaging front, you will get a VGA front camera and 5MP rear camera with LED flash. The dual-SIM slot supports one 3G and one 2G GSM SIM card and the usual connectivity options like Bluetooth and Wi-Fi are present.

“We are extremely proud to be the first brand to bring smartphones enabled by the powerful and power efficient Qualcomm Snapdragon quad-core CPU processor into the country. This move reiterates our commitment to enable cutting-edge technological innovations to our consumers and is an endeavour towards providing the best in mobile technology to them,” Shashin Devsare, Executive Director, Karbonn Mobiles said.

Karbonn S1 Titanium key specs:

• 4.5-inch multi-touch qHD display
• Adreno 203 GPU with 1.2GHz quad-core CPU
• 3G
• 1GB RAM
• 5MP rear camera, front camera
• 1600 mAh battery
• microSD card slot
• Android 4.1 Jelly Bean

Micromax launches Smarty A54 for Rs 4,659

The new Micromax Smarty A54 comes with a 3.5 inch display and 1 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor.

Indian mobile phone brand, Micromax has announced the launch of its latest low cost Android smartphone, the Smarty A54. The Micromax Smarty A54 comes as an affordable upgrade to the cheaper Micromax Smarty A25 with a bigger 3.5 inch display while being priced just right at Rs 4,659. The device is aimed at new Android adopters and youngsters who need the best value for the money spent and the Micromax Smarty A54 does it very well.

The Micromax Smarty A54 is a dual Sim (GSM+GSM) based smartphone and features a bigger 3.5 inch LCD display having a 320 x 480 pixel resolution based display. The device is powered by Google Android Gingerbread 2.3 operating system that runs on Qualcomm Snapdragon 7225AA processor running at 1GHz.

The device features 256 MB of RAM and 130 MB internal storage that can be further expanded by another 32 GB with the help of Micro SD memory cards.

The Micromax Smarty A54 is equipped with a 3 megapixel camera for occasional snapping, that comes complete with video recording capabilities as well at 240 x 320 pixel resolution at 30 frames per second.

Smarty A54 also comes with Bluetooth and WiFi for wireless connectivity along with a 1300 mAh battery pack that promises up to 4 hours of talk time between charges. The Micromax Smarty A54 also comes with FM radio and integrated audio video player for entertainment on the go along with the proximity sensor, which was missing in the cheaper Micromax Smarty A25.

The device is available from stores like Infibeam as of now and soon will be made available across all the other stores online as well as offline.

Samsung announces Galaxy Xcover 2, a rugged Android smartphone for explorers

Samsung has officially revealed its new rugged Android smartphone Galaxy Xcover 2 today. Similar to its predecessor Samsung Galaxy Xcover, the Xcover 2 is also optimized to endure against the most rugged outdoor conditions.

Although the Korean manufacturer has not revealed the availability or pricing details right now, a previous leak had suggested that Xcover 2 would be available starting next month.

Samsung Galaxy Xcover 2 packs 1GHz dual-core processor, Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, and 4-inch WVGA 800x480p display. The smartphone also features 5MP rear camera with auto-focus, LED flash, VGA front camera, 1GB RAM and 4GB of user memory. On the battery front, you will get a 1700 mAh battery.

Company claims that t Xcover 2 is perfect for explorers and it is water resistant to a depth of one meter for up to 30 minutes (IP67 Certified). You can even take photos under water with the direct camera key.

Apart from the usual Touchwiz app, the Galaxy Xcover 2 will also come pre-installed with Cardio Trainer Pro workout app.

Samsung Galaxy Xcover2 key specs:

• Network support: HSPA 14.4/5.76
• Processor: 1 GHz dual-core
• Display: 4.0-inch WVGA(480 x 800) TFT
• OS: Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean)
• Camera: Rear- 5-megapixel auto focus camera with LED flash/ Front- VGA camera
• Music Player with SoundAlive
• 3.5mm Ear Jack
• Ruggedized Features: IP67 Certified, Battery cover lock, Strap holder
• GPS, A-GPS, Glonass
• Connectivity: Bluetooth  4.0, USB 2.0, WiFi
• Sensor: Accelerometer, Digital Compass, Proximity
• Memory: 4GB User memory ? 1GB (RAM), microSD (up to 32GB)
• Dimension: 130.5 x 67.7 x 12 mm, 148.5 g
• Battery: Li-ion 1,700mAh

Timetastic: Easily Manage Your Staff’s Holidays & Leaves Online

If you have multiple employees working under you, you realize that when they request holidays and leaves, managing schedules becomes difficult. You could maintain physical calendars with approved holidays and leaves marked, but employees would be unable to use the calendar to request leaves. Here to help is a wonderful online web service called Timetastic.

Timetastic is an excellent web service that helps you manage employee holidays and leaves. You can setup an online Timetastic account and then share it with your employees. Staff members can be added by specifying their name, email address, and number of leaves in a year.

You can setup your working days i.e. which days of the week your company works, and also specify the type of holidays your employees can request e.g. maternity, paternity, meeting, sick leave, etc. Employees can visit the calendar and request leaves by indicating the starting and ending dates; they can also indicate if the dates they mentioned are full or half leaves, along with mentioning their leave type.

Managers can look at the calendar and check out holidays dates conveniently and plan work accordingly. Simple blue highlighting is used to indicate holidays; a box highlighted half means a half day. You can setup different departments for your company with each having a different holiday structure; you can view an overall calendar of holidays or view a department-wise calendar.

Timetastic is currently in its beta stage and already working on smartphone applications. The developers are working on iPhone, Android, and Windows Phone applications which will let employees and employees use Timetastic conveniently.

With its ease of use of visually appealing interface, Timetastic seems to be a web service that will soon become a very popular holiday and leave management tool.

Features:

• A user-friendly web service
• Lets you plan employee leaves and holidays
• Lets you invite employees to jointly view calendars
• Will be offering phone apps soon

Check out Timetastic @ https://www.timetastic.co.uk/

Folder iChanger: Change Icons Of Your Folders [Windows]

After using Windows for many years, day in and day out, you might get a little tired of seeing the same old icons. Or maybe you want different icons for better visual organization?  No matter the reason, if you want to change your folder icons, how do you do so? That isn’t easy to answer and even then, where will you get acceptable, quality replacement icons to exchange them with?

Folder iChanger can make all of this a lot easier for you. This program is simply an interface which lets you choose which icon you’d like to replace the original with. Folder iChanger is easy to open via the right-click menu on whatever folder you’d like to change the icon.

It is also very flexible in that you can export icons from different sources to add to Folder iChanger’s collection, which is already preloaded with a decent number of good icons. You can even export icons from executable files into Folder iChanger, which is pretty astonishing.

Features:

• Change the icon of any folder.
• Easily accessible via the right-click menu.
• Export icons from numerous sources, including executable files.

Check out Folder iChanger @ http://www.mohaned-b.com/FolderiChanger/Default.aspx

MyShelf: Store Notes For Easy Access Without The Cloud

If you regularly frequent the Internet, you’ve probably heard of Evernote, a cloud-based note-saving service which many people enjoy. However, some things that you’ll want to save may be pretty personal, and you don’t want to push that data into the cloud where you don’t have outright ownership of it. If this is an issue for you, you’ll need to have an application that will be just as effective but save everything locally so only you have the data.

MyShelf is an application which lets you store all your “notes, pictures, links, text snippets of any kind” in a visually appealing fashion. The program is available for all major platforms, including Android, iOS, and Windows. Mac OS X and Linux are also supported via Java.

The main selling point for this app is that it stores everything locally and doesn’t use the cloud to store and synchronize. With the app, you’re welcome to use your own methods of synchronization which do not use the cloud if you need that functionality, but otherwise each device’s “shelved” items won’t appear on another’s.

Features:

• Works on all major platforms.
• Own your data — no cloud functionality.
• Visually appealing.

Check out MyShelf @ http://www.encomit.de/myshelf/index.html

Easy Flat Share: Find & Share A Place To Live

Are you currently in possession of some extra room in your house or apartment? Are you looking for a new place to live and you do not want to pay full price? Easy Flat Share is an easy to use website for listing your extra rooms or finding someone who is looking for roommates. This can be a great way for both parties to save some money by sharing space instead of getting their own places.

With this website you can find places to live all over the world. The list of counties available is quite extensive, so no matter where you are looking to move, you should be able to find something. You can search by major metropolitan area and limit by minimum and maximum price. This allows you to find a place to live that is in your price range.

Once you narrow down your search to a location, you can look at the results and see if any of them fit in with what you need. Most listings feature detailed descriptions of the kinds of people the owner is looking to live with. Many also have pictures to give you an idea of what the house looks like.

Features:

• Find roommates all over the world.
• Search by location, minimum and maximum price.
• View photos and descriptions of the places.
• List your places quickly and easily.

Find Easy Flat Share @ easyflatshare.com

Wickr: Send Text Messages That Self Destruct (iPhone)

When you are sending sensitive messages which you do not want shared with anybody, you do not want there to be any record of the message. One way to achieve this would be to have your messages expire after a time limit. Here to help you do that is a phone app called Wickr.

Wickr is a free to use smartphone application iOS devices. The app is sized at nearly 17 MB and is compatible with iPod Touch, iPhone, and iPad devices that are running iOS version 5.0 or later. Users of the app can add each other as contacts. Messages through Wickr can be sent to other users of the app only. You can send regular messages or multimedia messages and they will be encrypted during transmission.

For multimedia messages, all metadata is removed to ensure your privacy. You can also set for how long the message will be viewable – after that time has passed, the message will be deleted.

Features:

• A user-friendly phone app.
• Compatible with iOS devices.
• Lets you securely send encrypted text and multimedia messages.
• Lets you set an expiration time for the message.

Check out Wickr @ www.mywickr.com

Sentry Vision Security: A Free Webcam Based Home Security System [Windows]

Whether if it’s to check for intruders, check how your teenager at home is doing, or anything else, having quick and easy access to a webcam feed in your house is truly helpful. The power of knowing what’s going on can give you real peace of mind. However, setting up professional webcam-based systems can be a pain, especially when it comes to your wallet. The choice, then, is obvious – get a solution like Sentry Vision Security.

This program for Windows can do everything you’ll possibly want out of a simple home security system. There’s plenty it can do, such as motion detection, motion alerts via SMS or email, motion alarm, hidden mode, auto-startup during Windows login, time stamps, multiple camera support, video recordings with sound, broadcast video stream online with smartphone compatibility, remote control with SMS and email commands, and a scheduler.
The program’s interface is small and easy to use, and configuration is pretty straightforward. If you have a webcam or two that you could use, this program is well worth a try.

Features:

• Motion detection/alerts/alarm.
• Hidden mode and auto-startup.
• Multiple camera support.
• Video records with optional sound.
• Broadcast video online with smartphone compatibility.
• Remote control with SMS and email commands.

Check out Sentry Vision Security @ http://www.tnlsoftsolutions.com/index.php

Flick Widgets: Control Your Android Phone With a Flick Of The Wrist

Flick Widgets is an Android app that makes your Android smartphone obey your commands at the flick of your wrist, taking advantage of the phone’s built-in accelerometer. You simply flick your device left, right, front or back and it brings up a widget on the screen.

Currently only two widgets are available – a volume control menu and a contact list but more widgets are promised in the future including a toggle widget for WiFi and Bluetooth, Bookmarks widget, app shortcuts widget and others. In the app’s settings you can configure the flick sensitivity and widgets to be shown depending on a flick direction.

Features:

• App for Android.
• Display widgets on the screen with a flick of your wrist.
• Flick in 4 different directions to bring up widgets – left, right, front or back.
• Currently available widgets – a volume control menu and a contact list.
• Configure flick sensitivity in the settings.
• Free, ad-supported.

Check out Flick Widgets @ https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.wiseappsdev.android.flickwidgets

Acer announces Liquid E1, a Jelly Bean Android with 4.5-inch display

Taiwanese manufacturer Acer, which has been a little silent on the smartphone front, has announced a new mid-range Android smartphone. Dubbed as Liquid E1, the smartphone is part of company’s Liquid series of Android smartphones and runs on Jelly Bean.

Acer Liquid E1 also packs a 1GHz dual-core processor, 4.5-inch qHD display, 1GB RAM, 5MP rear camera and front camera. The smartphones also features 1760 mAh battery, 4GB of internal storage, FM Radio and the usual connectivity options.

There is no word on when are going to see the availability of Liquid E1 or how much it is going to be priced.

Acer Iconia B1 tablet now available in Singapore

In related news, Acer has recently launched its entry-level Android tablet Iconia B1 in the Singapore market.  Priced at S$199, the tablet features a 7-inch 1024x600p display, 1.2GHz dual-core processor, 512MB RAM, front camera and Android 4.1.

It is the same tablet, which was launched in India a few days ago at INR 7,999.

FLV Crunch: Convert FLV Videos To Popular Video Files (OS X)

FLV is one of the most popular video containers online. With some browser tricks, you can download streaming video from popular websites as FLV files. However, these files do not work well with tablets and smartphones, if at all. If you prefer the common MP4 or AVI files then you can convert your downloaded FLV with FLV Crunch.

FLV Crunch, which is only available for OS X, has a straight and simple UI. It basically asks you to add the files you want to convert, after which you can select the frame rates, bit rate, and output format. It also supports batch processing so that you can add as many files as necessary.

You can crop your videos during the conversion process, and even choose a preset resolution. One useful feature allows you to set an action once the conversion process is done. You can choose between bounce dock icon, beep, quit, sleep, and display alert – making it very useful if you have to leave your computer alone.

Although it is being advertised as an FLV converter, it also accepts a bunch of input files including MPEG, M4A, 3GP, Quick Time, FLAC, and more. FLV Crunch’s simple controls and robust conversion is a great candidate to be your primary video conversion tool for your Mac.

Features:

• Convert FLV videos to various other video formats.
• Change the video size during conversion
• Convert video files in batches
• Quick conversions available using presets

Check out FLV Crunch @ http://flvcrunch.awardspace.us

Micromax A54 Smarty 3.5 now available online for INR 4,659

Micromax has silently released yet another Android smartphone in the Indian market. Part of company’s Smarty series, the A54 Smart 3.5 is now available both online and in brick and mortar stores for INR 4,659.

Powered by Android 2.3.5, the A54 comes with 1 GHz Qualcomm 7225AA processor, 3.5-inch HVGA display, dual-SIM connectivity, 3MP rear camera with fixed focus, 3G, 256MB RAM, 1300 mAh battery, and 130MB of internal storage. The smartphone also comes pre-loaded with the usual set of Micromax apps like Hookup, M!Zone , M!Store.

With the launch of Smarty 3.5, Micromax now has five phones in its Smarty series including A68, A65, A25, and A30 and overall company is currently selling over 15 Android smartphones in the country.

Micromax has been quite aggressive on the smartphone front in the last few months and has been specially successful in the phablet segment. It had recently announced a new 5-inch smartphone A116 Canvas HD, which will go on sale in the first week of February.

Synclib: Sync & Share Files Across Different Devices

Synclib is a useful service that lets you sync and share your files (photos, music, videos) across different devices. Once you have it installed, you can access your files from anywhere – your browser, desktop or your iPhone.

To try out Synclib, first sign up for an account on their website. Then download and install the software on your computer, add default folders to Synclib library that you want to sync and share with others. From here on, Synclib takes care of the rest. Once you make changes to your library files, all the changes will be automatically detected and synced across your connected devices.

Sign in to sync and share files

Synclib desktop interface

Features:

• Automatically syncs your files accross different devices where it is installed.
• Requires Internet Explorer 7 or higher to run.
• Access files from any computer or mobile device (iOS app available for iPhone, iPad and iPod).
• Share files with friends from Facebook, Twitter or by email.
• Search your files inside the program.
• Added files are private by default, you control what to share.

Check out Synclib @ www.synclib.com

Samsung Galaxy S III mini available for Rs 17,750

While Samsung hasn’t launched its low-end Galaxy device, the Galaxy S III mini, in India, we have learned that the smartphone is indeed available here through the grey market. Grey market vendors are quoting a price of Rs 17,750 for the handset.

The S III mini looks like a smaller version of the record breaking Galaxy S III. While the device was launched back in October 2012, it never made it to India. A representative from Samsung didn't comment on the possible launch of the Galaxy S III mini in India.

Here are some of the specifications of the Samsung Galaxy S III mini:
4-inch Super AMOLED display with a WVGA resolution of 480 x 800 pixels
3G, EDGE/GPRS, Wi-Fi with Wi-Fi Direct, Wi-Fi Hotspot, DLNA support
GPS with A-GPS and GLONASS
Bluetooth 4.0 with A2DP, LE, EDR, NFC
5 megapixel camera with AF, LED flash, BSI sensor and 720p HD video recording
VGA front facing camera for video chat
16/32GB internal memory expandable up to 32GB via microSD

Apart from the above mentioned features, this handset comes loaded with sensors for accelerometer, gyro, proximity and compass.  The brand has used a 1500mAh battery on this smartphone and this should be sufficient given the specifications of the device. As far as the size of this handset goes, the Galaxy S III mini measures 121.6 x 63 x 9.9 mm and weighs in at 111.5 g.

The size of the display has been discussed much, as 4-inch is not exactly small, but in comparison to the Samsung Galaxy S III, this handset could be much easier to handle. The handset is heavily based on the Galaxy S III and this feature translates to the design of this latest model as well.

As far as the technical specifications of the handset go, the Galaxy S III mini is powered by a dual core 1GHz NovaThor U8420 processor and comes equipped with 1GB RAM. As for the OS, the phone comes with Google’s latest Android operating system 4.1 Jelly Bean.