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Archive for February, 2011
Huawei launches Android phone at Rs 8,499
Feb 23rd
NEW DELHI: Telecom equipment manufacturer Huawei said its subsidiary Huawei Devices has launched Android-based smartphone, IDEOS, at a price of Rs 8,499 in the country.
The smartphone offers multiple ways to access the Internet and comes pre-loaded with a range of social networking, email and useful services like Google Talk, Google Maps, YouTube and GMail, the company said in a statement.
Android is a software for mobile devices that includes an operating system, middleware and key applications.
“Innovation and premium experiences shouldn’t be restricted to high-priced devices. We believe that IDEOS will redefine the Internet experience for Indian youth,” Huawei Devices Marketing Director Anand Narang said.
IDEOS is available in multiple cities across India from Aircel, Tata DOCOMO stores.
Are you always high on music?
Feb 23rd
MTV Micromax Psych is the phone you need. Checkout the MTV VJs in action !
Inverter AC by Sharp
Feb 21st
Summer is ON. Let’s try to bring out the latest trends in ACs.
Inverter AC’s by Sharp
Sharp Air Conditioners use the latest Direct Inverter Technology which is preferred the world over. All ACs sold in Japan and over 50% in Americas use this technology. It’s a new initiative by Sharp in India. These ACs runs on the economically friendly R410 gas, while most ACs in India still use R22 gas, which is likely to be phased out by Jan 1, 2013.
Here is the comparison – TCO in 5 Years
| Normal vs. Inverter – TCO in 5 Years | ||
| BANGALORE | NORMAL | INVERTER |
| Price – AC(1 Ton) | 25,090.00 | 40,900.00 |
| Running Cost (5 Years) | 121,329.00 | 60,301.00 |
| TOTAL | 146,419.00 | 101,201.00 |
| *Running cost based on 10 Hrs. usage per day for 10 Months | SAVINGS (INR) | |
| 45,218.00 | ||
For more details, you can visit http://www.sbsil.com
Google One Pass – New Payment System by Google
Feb 17th
Google Inc. is undercutting rival Apple Inc. with an online payment system that lets publishers keep more of the fees charged for reading their digital editions.
Google CEO Eric Schmidt unveiled the one-stop payment service, called One Pass, at Berlin’s Humboldt University on Wednesday. Three German publishers, including the nation’s leading Axel Springer AG, already have signed up.
Besides Germany, One Pass is available to publishers in Canada, France, Italy, the UK and the US Google said Media General Inc., publisher of the Richmond Times-Dispatch, and Rust Communications, owner of the Southeast Missourian, plan to use One Pass.
The announcement came a day after Apple rolled out a long-awaited subscription service for applications designed for its iPhone and iPad. Apple is demanding a 30 percent cut of all subscriptions sold on those mobile apps while Google is charging 10 percent.
“We aren’t in this to make money. Google makes money in other ways,” Schmidt said. “We are trying to get money to people who are producing high-quality content.”
Google makes most of its money from digital ads, including some that appear alongside online stories from newspapers and magazines.
The strategy has turned Google into one of the world’s most profitable companies, fostering resentment among some publishers, which believe the Internet search engine has prospered by showing excerpts of newspaper and magazine stories.
Most of the Web content has been given away during the past 15 years, but more publishers already have started or are planning to impose fees to access content digitally.
Google’s one-stop payment service is similar to one that debuted last year from a group led by Steve Brill, founder of Court TV and American Lawyer.
Google will give publishers some of the personal information that it collects about their subscribers. By contrast, Apple isn’t sharing that data with publishers unless subscribers give their explicit approval. Publishers say they need to know who their readers are to help sell advertising and for other marketing purposes.
Schmidt also announced that Google was funding a Berlin-based institute in conjunction with Humboldt University. It would examine the evolution of the Internet and its impact on society.
Google has clashed repeatedly with German authorities over data privacy issues and been forced to tweak some of its services to satisfy strict regulations here.
Schmidt underlined the importance of allowing users the “choice” of how much private information they want to share and stressed the importance of the new foundation as a place to discuss such issues.
Explore Sony Xperia Arc, Pro and play
Feb 16th
SONY XPERIA ARC
8.1 MP Camera, 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPRS, EDGE, USB
This 117g phone has a Standard battery, Li-Po 1500 mAh. It has added features likeLED-backlit LCD, capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors display with a resolution of ,4.2 inches. The 8.1 MP Camera with LED focus, Touch focus, image stabilization, geo-tagging, face and smile detection. The phone has Expandable Memory up to 32GB using a microSD card. This phone comes in Midnight Blue , Misty Silver color with additional features like Digital compass, HDMI port, Active noise cancellation with dedicated mic, TrackID music recognition, NeoReader barcode scanner, Google Search, Maps, Gmail, YouTube, Calendar, Google Talk, Facebook and Twitter integration, Document viewer, Adobe Flash 10.1 Voice memo commands, Predictive text input.
SONY XPERIA PLAY – The World’s First PlayStation Certified Smartphone
5 MP Camera, Bluetooth, 3G, GPRS, EDGE, USB, dual camera
This 175g phone has a Standard battery, Li-Po 1500 mAh. It has added features likeLED-backlit LCD, capacitive touchscreen and dual camera, 16M colors display with a resolution of 4 inches with QWERTY keyboard, Touch sensitive gaming controls, PSP like gaming buttons, celerometer sensor for UI auto-rotate, Proximity sensor for auto turn-off, Multi-touch input method, Timescape UI. The 5.1 MP Camera with LED focus, Touch focus, image stabilization, geo-tagging, face and smile detection. The phone has Expandable Memory up to 32GB using a microSD card. This phone comes in Black , White color with additional features like SNS integration, Type & Send feature, HDMI port, TrackID music recognition, Organizer, Office Suite Pro document viewer/editor, Adobe Flash 10.1 support, Voice/dial/commands, Predictive text input.
8.1 MP Camera, Bluetooth, 3G, GPRS, EDGE, USB, dual camera
This 140g phone has a Standard battery, Li-Po 1500 mAh. It has added features likeLED-backlit LCD, capacitive touchscreen and dual camera, 16M colors display with a resolution of 3.7inches with QWERTY keyboard, Scratch-resistant surface, Accelerometer sensor for auto-rotate, Multi-touch input method, Sony Mobile BRAVIA Engine, Proximity sensor for auto turn-off, Timescape UI. The 8.1 MP Camera with LED focus, Touch focus, image stabilization, geo-tagging, face and smile detection. The phone has Expandable Memory up to 32GB using a microSD card. This phone comes in Black , Silver , Red color with additional features like SNS integration, Type & Send feature, HDMI port, TrackID music recognition, Organizer, Office Suite Pro document viewer/editor, Adobe Flash 10.1 support, Voice /dial/commands, Predictive text input.
Declare your LPG Connection details online
Feb 15th
The last date for declaration of your LPG connection is 19th Feb 2011 according to Govt. of Karnataka.
You would have learned that there is a huge queue in the Gas agency/distributer to furnish the documents. Even if you manage to allot time & waste couple of hours in queue, you will be taken for surprise. When you furnish the necessary documents (Copy of Ration Card, Electricity Bill, Copy of LPG card, in case if you don’t have a ration card, you need to furnish the copy of Photo ID card such as PAN card or Voters ID) to your gas agency, they will collect the documents from you and drop it in the box next to them. They will not provide any acknowledgement to you. We need to depend on them assuming that they will enter your details correct in Food, Civil supplies website maintained by the Government.
To avoid this hassle and get the acknowledgement,
Visit http://web5.kar.nic.in/fcslpg/main.aspx
After filling the necessary details you will receive the acknowledgement as shown above.
Instructions to fill the form online : http://web5.kar.nic.in/fcslpg/Instructions.htm
FAQ: http://web5.kar.nic.in/fcslpg/faq2.htm
Samsung launches Galaxy S II
Feb 14th
Samsung has launched a second tablet computer real rival to Apple’s iPad.
BARCELONA: Samsung has launched a second tablet computer with a bigger screen and more processing power than the original Galaxy Tab that is seen as the only real rival to Apple’s iPad.
The Galaxy Tab 10.1 is intended to be a multimedia hub for afficionados of games, electronic books and social media, with a 10.1 inch (25.7 centimetre) screen, dual surround-sound speakers, and front- and rear-facing cameras.
The tablet, with two core processors to better handle media, is based on the latest Google Android platform, Honeycomb — which has been optimised for tablets.
It will be sold by Vodafone in more than 20 countries before being released to other carriers.
Samsung, now the world’s second-biggest phone maker after Nokia, also launched a new premium smartphone, the ultra-slim Galaxy S II, designed around hubs for social networking, reading, games and music.
South Korean electronics giant Samsung, whose telecoms division accounted for nearly half its profit last quarter, has sold around 10 million Galaxy S smartphones since its June 2010 debut, and 2 million Galaxy tablets.
“If I were (chief executive) Stephen Elop heading up Nokia, I would be looking over my shoulder at Samsung and feeling extremely nervous,” said Ben Wood, lead analyst at telecoms research firm CCS Insight.
Samsung also announced a range of enterprise services compatible with its two new devices, to address some of the security concerns that have held Android phones back from a serious challenge to Research in Motion’s BlackBerry.
Take a look on Samsung Galaxy S II hands-on :
Beware of Valentine’s Day virus
Feb 14th
Technology experts have warned internet users to be alert against computer viruses based on the Valentine’s Day theme.
BEIJING: Technology experts in China have warned internet users to be alert against computer viruses based on the Valentine’s Day theme.
The China National Computer Virus Emergency Response Centre issued a circular warning computer users not to open spam mail with Valentine’s Day messages in the subject line.
Such mails may contain worms like “Worm_ Blebla.B”, “VBS_ILoveyou” and “Vbs_Valentin.A”, according to China Daily.
The centre has warned online shoppers to be careful when ordering Valentine’s Day items as some pop-up advertisements may be bogus and cause computer problems.
Worms were also spreading through internet forums and online chatting tools, it said.
Apple planning cheaper, smaller iPhone
Feb 11th
SAN FRANCISCO: Apple Inc is working on new versions of the iPhone that are aimed at slowing the advance of competing handsets based on Google Inc’s Android software, according to people who have been briefed on the plans.
One version would be cheaper and smaller than the most recent iPhone, said a person who has seen a prototype and asked not to be identified because the plans haven’t been made public. Apple also is developing technology that makes it easier to use the iPhone on multiple wireless networks, two people said.
Chief Executive Officer Steve Jobs, who remains involved in strategic decisions while on medical leave, aims to narrow the price gap that has made phones running Android more popular than iPhones. Google’s share of the global smartphone market more than tripled to 32.9 per cent in the fourth quarter, eclipsing Apple’s 16 per cent, according to Canalys.
Apple has considered selling the new iPhone for about $200, without obligating users to sign a two-year service contract, said the person who has seen it. Android phones sell for a range of prices at AT&T Inc, Verizon Wireless and other carriers, and typically come with agreements that include a fee for broken contracts. The iPhone 4, sold in the US by AT&T and Verizon Wireless, costs $200 to $300 with a contract.
Natalie Kerris, a spokeswoman for Apple, declined to comment.
Smaller, cheaper While Apple has aimed to unveil the device near mid-year, the introduction may be delayed or scrapped, the person said. Few Apple employees know the details of the project, the person said. Apple often works on products that don’t get released.
The prototype was about one-third smaller than the iPhone 4, said the person, who saw it last year. Apple can sell it at a low price mainly because the smartphone will use a processor, display and other components similar to those used in the current model, rather than pricier, more advanced parts that will be in the next iPhone, the person said.
Component prices typically drop over time. Apple is also working on a so-called dual-mode phone, two people said. This device would be able to work with the world’s two main wireless standards — the global system for mobile communications, used by AT&T and overseas carriers such as Vodafone Group Plc, and code division multiple access, used by Verizon Wireless. It isn’t known whether Apple intended to include this capability in the cheaper iPhone.
Universal SIM
Apple is working on a technology called a Universal SIM, which would let iPhone users toggle between GSM networks without having to switch the so-called SIM cards that associate a phone with a network, according to one person. This would help cut the cost of distributing and managing millions of SIM cards.
The new features could also give Apple an advantage over mobile carriers in influencing customers. The device would be affordable without a carrier subsidy, so buyers wouldn’t need to agree to terms, such as termination fees, that carriers demand in exchange for subsidising the cost of the phone.
Apple has also worked on redesigned iPhone software that would let customers choose a network and configure their device on their own, without relying on a store clerk or representative of a carrier, according to the person.
Margin pressure possible
Down-market moves by Apple are not unprecedented. In 2004, when sales of the original $299-plus iPod were still rising, the company introduced the $249 iPod Mini. In 2005, when the iPod mini was still a bestseller, Jobs discontinued it in favour of the cheaper iPod Nano. Apple began selling the last version of the iPhone, the 3GS, for just $49 in January — though it required a two-year contract.
Price cuts and the absence of a carrier subsidy may put Apple’s margins under pressure, even as component prices decline. Still, Google’s Android operating system may suffer if Apple makes the iPhone more versatile and affordable.
The Google-backed operating system benefitted when Apple wasn’t available from Verizon Wireless. Verizon Wireless has begun selling the iPhone today.
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