Monday 17 October 2011

Google prepping a new online music store to rival Apple, Amazon

22:48 Abdul Waheed

Google is reportedly prepping an online music store to compete with rivals such as Amazon and Apple. The search engine company is presently in talks with record companies and is expected to announce its new music store by end of this month. Google is seeking permission from the companies to sell downloads and to stream purchased music to customers' devices.

According to The New York Times, Google's online music service may arrive before Apple launches iTunes Match, a similar cloud-based music store. The New York Times quotes executives who "spoke on condition of anonymity” that the new store were likely to be linked with the Music Beta, Google's existing cloud-based music store where users can back up their tunes online and stream to their devices. The Music Beta is presently available for the US-based users only. Music Beta was launched nearly five weeks after Amazon opened a similar unlicensed service, Cloud Drive.
Unlike the Music Beta, Google's new music store will actually sell music, on the lines of Apple's iTunes Music Store and Amazon's MP3 store. Reports also suggest that Google may go ahead with its new music store without backing of any record company. The search engine company may soon enter an agreement with EMI Music Group in this regard.
Google's latest foray into entertainment indicates the company's attempts to boost its revenue and sales by maintaining the popularity of Google. The search engine company recently had a successful run with its new social networking experiment Google+.
Apple earlier this month launched iCloud, a service that allows users to store music, photos and documents online from their iDevices such as iPhone and iPad. According to reports, the iCloud may soon feature movies as well.

source:   http://www.thinkdigit.com/General/Google-prepping-a-new-online-music-store_7755.html


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NetGear launches Universal WiFi Internet Adapter, WNCE2001, for Rs. 5,600

22:40 Abdul Waheed

NetGear has launched the Universal WiFi Internet Adapter for Home Theater Devices and Gaming Consoles (WNCE2001) in India. The device will deliver Wireless-N performance of up to 300 Mbps through the Ethernet port of such devices such as Internet TVs, game consoles, Blu-ray players and more.
The first of its kind, the adapter is the supposedly the only affordable solution in a small form factor that delivers optimal Wireless-N performance and works universally with any Ethernet-enabled CE device. This saves consumers from the confusion and expense of purchasing separate WiFi USB adapters for each CE device in their home theater. The Universal WiFi Internet Adapter is powered by the USB port, avoiding the need for a long wire to the power outlet and making it more visually pleasing in the already congested home theater environment. With NetGear Push 'N' Connect technology and CD-less set-up, it is truly a plug and play experience.

NetGear Wireless Adapters are designed to deliver the maximum performance when used with wireless NetGear routers. Simple Sharing wireless adapters are ideal for sharing your wireless connection. Work and Play wireless adapters provide faster downloads for Internet gaming. High Performance wireless adapters deliver the fastest downloads for high performance Internet gaming.
Pricing and Availability
The Universal WiFi Internet Adapter for Home Theater Devices and Gaming Consoles (WNCE2001) is available with the authorized distributors at an MRP of Rs. 5,600, while being backed by two years of warranty.

source:  http://www.thinkdigit.com/Parts-Peripherals/NetGear-launches-Universal-WiFi-Internet-Adapter-WNCE2001_7762.html


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Fly Mobile launches Android 2.2-based tablet, Fly Vision for Rs. 7,299

22:37 Abdul Waheed

Fly Mobile is the latest to join the ongoing low-cost tablet war in India as it launches its first Android 2.2 Froyo OS-based tablet 'Fly Vision'. Priced aggressively at Rs. 7,299, the Fly Vision features 600 MHz Rockchip 2818 chipset processor and 256 MB of RAM.

The Fly Vision comes with a seven-inch TFT LCD touchscreen with 800x480 pixels resolution. The new Fly tablet features 1.3MP camera and a 2400mAh battery, which is rated to deliver 6 hours of continuous operation. The tablet also comes with an external storage slot that can house 16GB micro SD card. On the connectivity front, the Fly Vision supports 3G,GPRS,Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. The new tablet comes pre-loaded with standard Google apps such as Google Talk,Gmail,Google Maps and YouTube.
Other features of the Fly Vision include e-reader, video player, social web integration, 3.5-mm audio jack and a built-in speaker. Check out specs of the Fly Vision in detail here.
Fly's latest tablet is certainly going to be pitted against other low-cost tablets such as Beetel Magiq and home-grown Aakash. The Magiq is priced at Rs. 9,999, while the commercial version of Aakash costs nearly Rs. 2,999. Of late, we have seen a series of budget tablets hitting the Indian market. HCL recently launched ME X1 (Rs. 10,490), while Lenovo came up with the IdeaPad A1 (14,990).
What's your take on the new Fly Vision tablet? Let us know in the comments section below:

source:  http://www.thinkdigit.com/Tablets/Fly-Mobile-launches-Android-22-based-tablet-Fly_7758.html


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NetGear launches Universal WiFi Range Extender for Rs. 3,800

22:34 Abdul Waheed


The NetGear Universal WiFi Range Extender allows you to keep your current wireless equipment and improve coverage to eliminate "dead zones", giving you the freedom to roam anywhere in the house and access Internet without worrying about coverage.
It is compatible with wireless b/g/n routers, gateways and Internet service provider’s devices. Four Ethernet ports enable you to connect to gaming consoles, Internet TVs, and Blu-ray players.Check out its features below:
  • Compatible - Works with any wireless b/g/n router or gateway from NETGEAR and other brands
  • Secured connection - Push ‘N’ Connect using Wi-Fi Protected Setup™ (WPS) connects computers to the Extender quickly and securely, as well as security through encryption using WPA2, WPA, or WEP
  • Optimal coverage - Real-time link-rate LED locates the best placement spot to provide optimal wireless coverage
  • Easy setup - Step-by-step, graphical Installation Guide makes installation easy. No need to insert a CD or plug in Ethernet cables!
  • Signal status - Dynamic LEDs display live network connection status and signal strength between your existing network, Extender and computers (or other Internet-connected devices)
  • Versatility - Four (4) Ethernet ports allow the Extender to function as a wireless bridge to connect to home AV devices
  • NetGear Green features - Power on/off button, 80% recycled packaging
Pricing and Availability
The Universal WiFi Range Extender (WN2000RPT) is available with the authorized distributors of NetGear at an MRP of Rs. 3,800, while being backed by two years warranty.
 
View more articles from: Parts & Peripherals

source:  http://www.thinkdigit.com/Parts-Peripherals/NetGear-launches-Universal-WiFi-Range-Extender-for_7759.html


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Seagate launches GoFlex Satellite, a new mobile wireless storage device

22:31 Abdul Waheed

Seagate has launched the GoFlex Satellite in India, calling it the first battery-powered external hard drive to wirelessly extend the storage capacity of any Wi-Fi enabled mobile device. With 500GB capacity and Wi-Fi access over 802.11 b/ g/n and a rechargeable battery, the GoFlex Satellite enables users to carry a large library of media and data with them on the go, and access it wirelessly on their mobile devices without a computer.
Speaking on the launch, Seagate India's Rajesh Khurana said:
“With the growth of the tablet and iPad markets and the larger volumes of high-quality media now being consumed, there is a clear need for access to content that is not plagued with the challenges of streamed video over the Internet. The unfortunate fact is that these popular new mobile devices are hampered by their limited storage capacity while one of their primary functions is that of media consumption. With the GoFlex Satellite mobile wireless storage, we wished to create an elegant solution that provides real value to the multitude of tablet users out there by delivering a seamless connection to local storage.
No longer will a consumer feel as though it is a compromise to purchase a lower capacity tablet or iPad. With GoFlex Satellite, people will be able to carry their entire media library with them without the need for wires or the web at a fraction of the cost of adding 3G or purchasing or a higher capacity tablet.”
The GoFlex Satellite is capable connecting to up to three devices, and provides a stand-by battery life of up to 25 hours, and up to five hours of continuously streaming video. To help with extending battery life, the free GoFlex Media App provides a progressive download feature, which temporarily loads the video on to the Android device it is being streamed to, allowing the drive to go into stand-by mode. The GoFlex Media App is available for iOS devices and Android devices. Android device owners will also get the ability to access the contents of the GoFlex Satellite via the mobile device's web browser.
Also onboard is the Media Sync software, which makes grabbing media from a computer much easier. Even music and videos purchased through iTunes can be loaded to the GoFlex Satellite drive and will play on all authorized devices. For rapid loading of media content, the wireless mobile storage comes equipped with the superfast USB 3.0 cable to get files from your computer to the GoFlex Satellite drive. The USB 3.0 cable will also continue to work with USB 2.0 ports and is easily removed for portability. In addition to the USB 3.0 cable, the GoFlex Satellite drive comes complete with a car charger and a compact wall charger.
GoFlex Satellite will be available from end-October through select retailers and resellers, for a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of INR 11,500 (plus local taxes).

 
View more articles from: Storage

source:  http://www.thinkdigit.com/Storage/Seagate-launches-GoFlex-Satellite-a-new-mobile_7760.html


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eBay India reveals results of its Battle of Gadgets 2011 report

21:55 Abdul Waheed

eBay India has announced the eBay India Battle of Gadgets 2011, which ranks India’s most popular electronic gadget purchases online over a 12 month period based on an analysis of all eBay transactions. The research report showcases interesting trends of India’s Top Gadget Cities, Models & Brands across 7 popular gadget categories - Laptops, Cameras, Mobile Phones, Televisions, Gaming Consoles, Pen Drives and MP3 Players.
Mr. B. Muralikrishnan, Country Manager, eBay India, says,
“Gadgets have always been very popular on eBay India with as much as 50% of all transactions coming from the electronics category. We see a great demand for gadgets from consumers across both metros &tier II and tier III cities. We believe that the rankings of popular gadgets from eBay Battle of the Gadgets 2011 will be a useful guide to gadget shoppers across the country.”
eBay Battle of the Gadgets 2011 reveals:

Delhi is India’s Top Gadget Hub with the most Gadget purchases in the country
Delhi has topped the list of India’s top 10 gadget cities followed by IT city Bengaluru. Mumbai takes up the third position before Hyderabad and Chennai. The other cities include Pune, Kolkata, Kanchipuram, Ahmedabad and Kochi.
Sony is India’s Most Popular Gadget Brand
Sony’s multibrand portfolio & Nokia’s mobile phone dominance puts them in first & second place with Samsung, Apple, Seagate making up the Top 5 Gadget Brands. Micromax, LG, Canon, Dell &Lenovo also feature in the Top 10 list.
Top Mobile Brands
Nokia has emerged as the most popular brand in mobile phones category while Micromax and HTC take the second and third position respectively. The fourth and fifth position is ruled by Sony Ericsson and Blackberry.
Top Mobile Models
Sony Ericcson Xperia X10 is the most popular mobile model in India followed by Micromax Q1, HTC Wildfire, Blackberry Curve 8250 & Nokia E7.
Top Camera Brands
Demand from photography enthusiasts has allowed Nikon to capture the first position followed by Sony and Canon. Olympus and Fuji rank fourth and fifth, respectively.
Top Camera Models
The Nikon L22 is the most popular camera model in the country followed by Nikon S3000, Canon A495, Nikon P100 & Nikon L110.
Top Laptop Brands
Dell is the most popular brand for laptops amongst gadget lovers. Other laptop brands preferred by consumers are Acer, Sony Vaio, Lenovo and HP.
Top Laptop Models
The Dell Inspiron 15 is the country’s most popular laptop model followed by MacBook Air, Samsung N148, Samsung N150 & Acer 5742.
Top Gaming Consoles
The Microsoft Xbox is the most popular console amongst gaming enthusiasts. The Sony Playstation Portable ranks second followed by the Sony Playstation 3, SonyPlaystation 2 and the Nintendo Wii.
Top TV Brands
While Sony has leaped to the top among TV brands, Samsung and Toshiba enjoy the second and the third position, respectively. LG and VU rank fourth and fifth in the category.
Top TV Models
Sony KLV-32BX300 is India’s most popular TV Model followed by Sony KLV-40BX400, Sony KDL-32CX520, Sony KLV-32BX320& LG 22LE530.
Top Memory Device Brands
When it comes to storing data, Sandisk is the most reliable brand followed by Transcend and Seagate. Other brands in the top 5 category are Western Digital and HP.
Top MP3 Brands
Transcend keeps India hooked to portable music &has topped the list of favorite MP3 players. Apple and Sony rank second and third followed by Sandisk and Phillips in this product category.
Top MP3 Player Models
The iPod Touch is India’s most popular MP3 Player Model, followed by the iPod Nano, IPod Shuffle, Transcend MP860 & Transcend MP330.
eBay Battle of the Gadgets Methodology: eBay Battle of the Gadgets 2011 research findings were based on an analysis of all online gadget purchases by Indians on eBay between July 1, 2010 and June 30, 2011.
eBay India also revealed some other interesting stats about itself: "On an average day on eBay India, A portable storage device or pen drive sells every 4 minutes, A mobile handset sells every 5 minutes, A laptop sells every 27 minutes, A MP3 player sells every 28 minutes, A digital camera sells every 39 minutes& A video game console sells every 39 minutes."

source:  http://www.thinkdigit.com/Internet/eBay-India-reveals-results-of-its-Battle_7761.html


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Philips 42PFL6556 LED LCD TV Review

21:50 Abdul Waheed

Manufacturers often offer attractive bundles and special offers in order to lure customers and get a leg up on the competition. Philips is one such company, bundling a 3D Blu-ray player, a 42-inch LED television and a wireless keyboard in one attractive package. After the Blu-ray player, today we look at another component of the bundle - the Philips 42PFL6556 42-inch LED LCD television. Read on to find out if this television can manage to make a mark in the feverishly competitive LED LCD TV market.
Touch sensitive controls
Touch sensitive controls


Design and Build Quality
The 42PFL6556 has a glossy black bezel that is curved at all the corners. Slim is the way to survive in the cut throat LED LCD television space, and Philips has done just that with this model. Though this is not the slimmest TV we’ve seen, the bezel measures just about an inch on the sides and top, and a little over an inch at the bottom. The Philips logo is located at the bottom of the bezel, and below it is the TV’s control panel, which is unique since its buttons are touch-sensitive. Not only does this design approach reduce clutter around the bezel, but it also makes the TV look more stylish. The controls available here include volume and channel controls, the home menu, and the power on/off controls.

The connectivity ports are located at the rear, and like most televisions, they are positioned towards the left side of the TV. This way, you don’t have to reach too far back to access them. The connectors aren’t outward-facing, but rather face towards the side and down. This way, the TV can be mounted flush against the wall, with no wires coming in the way. The connections at the back include three HDMI ports, two USB ports, and single composite, component and VGA connectors.
Remote control is really light weight
Remote control is really light weight


The remote control is similar in design to that of the Philips Blu-ray player, but it is longer. Though it has more buttons, they are well spaced out. The base is not very large, but it supports the TV without any difficulty and keeps it stable. There is no wobble whatsoever when it’s place on the stand. Overall, the design and build quality of the 42PFL6556 is really good.

Features
The headlining feature of this TV is its full HD 1080p video playback support. With 1080p becoming the norm these days, and various Blu-ray titles being released at this resolution, full HD is the way to go. The TV also gives you the option to get rid of the black vertical bands that appear at the top and bottom of the screen in some movies, but it also crops out a bit of the picture on either side in the bargain.

Other highlighted features of this TV include its Pixel Plus HD image processing technology, HD Natural Motion and dynamic contrast of 8,000,000:1. This is basically marketing jargon to try and make the product stand out. When it actually comes down to it, the reproduction of colors is good, and the images appear natural. Most televisions use technology that raises the motion rate, thus making the scene look faster than it’s supposed to be. That is not the case with the 42PFL6556.
Interface is simple but easy to navigate through
Interface is simple and easy to navigate through


The interface is pretty simple and user-friendly. It has a few widgets on the screen that lay out various options and settings. These are pretty standard, such as TV, USB, Scenes, etc. The minimalistic design allows one to easily navigate between the options. It also has two USB ports, which support NTFS drives for media playback. Most televisions with media playback feature only support FAT32 drives, but with the ability to play via NTFS hard drives, one can simply connect their high capacity external drives and play back videos effortlessly.

The TV supports most video formats, including MKV, MT2S, AVI, MP4, and M4A. The interface in the folder options has a pan-style layout. The folder is to the right, while its contents line up on the left. Another interesting part of this layout is that at the extreme left, there is a preview pane that displays the thumbnail of the content.

source:  http://tech2.in.com/reviews/led-backlit/philips-42pfl6556-led-lcd-tv-review/249392


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Batman: Arkham City - Best superhero game ever!

21:47 Abdul Waheed

I admit, I’m not a huge Batman fan but I do appreciate a good licensed game when I see one because it’s such a rarity in the gaming industry. 2009’s Batman: Arkham Asylum showed us that games based on comic book superheroes can be uber awesome as long as the driving force behind them is passionate about the matter at hand. And developer Rocksteady games was nothing but passionate as they packed in a well rounded, highly polished experience allowing gamers to explore the psyche of the Dark Knight, something no game has done to date. In doing so they not only won over the affections of gamers but of die-hard Batman fans as well. With Arkham City, they’ve taken fan service to the next level expanding upon what was already a very kickass action game. Batman fan or not, Arkham City is one game you cannot afford to miss out on.
Everyone needs a hero
Everyone needs a hero


In Arkham City, the action has moved out of the confines of the Asylum into well Arkham City, a super prison of sorts that’s now the breeding ground for Gotham’s scum as well as some of Batman’s most dangerous adversaries. Dr. Hugo Strange, someone who I’m not too familiar with is now in charge of this place and it’s up to Batman to find out what his end game is. At the same time, his arch nemesis, The Joker has a few tricks up his sleeve making life even tougher for The Dark Night. Along the way he’ll encounter a ton of bad dudes from the Batman universe, some of which will probably only be familiar to hardcore fans. Thankfully the story unfolds in a manner that can be enjoyed by those who don’t know the difference between Cobblepot and Solomon Grundy.

With the move to Arkham City, gamers definitely have more freedom than before. This isn’t an open world game like GTA IV but there is a stupendous amount of content to play through. Besides the story itself, you have a ton of side quests scattered all over the map. Some could be as simple as rescuing an unfortunate soul from a beating while in the other, you could team up with a certain recurring villain to destroy an ‘X’ amount of Titan containers strewn all over the city. Side quests don’t feel like they’re thrown in forcibly to increase the game’s length as they tie in to the Batman lore in some way or another introducing quite a few surprises along the way. You also have The Riddler making his return with way more puzzles, some of which are actually quite deadly. And finally, you have the Challenge Rooms that will test your skill at both stealth and combat. Based on various maps inspired by the campaign itself, Challenge Rooms will push your skills to the limit as you take on waves of enemies to attain high scores or knock out a roomful of enemies silently in a stipulated amount of time.
Detective mode in the house
Detective mode in the house


While I definitely appreciate the change in scenery, I had a minor gripe with the game’s navigation system. Now that the game’s far bigger in scope, I found myself circling an objective for minutes before I realised an entry point. I’m not saying I want a Fable-esque bread crumb trail but keeping the quasi open world structure in mind, a mini map would have really helped. Another aspect of gameplay I didn’t particularly care for was the game’s unlock system. In Arkham Asylum you revisited parts of the island with newer gadgets and improved abilities so you could access areas you previously couldn’t. This aspect is significantly reduced in Arkham City as you begin the game with pretty much all your abilities from the first game making the unlock system pretty redundant. Nearly an hour into the game and I had most if not all the upgrades I wished to own. This made the whole aspect of levelling up less appealing to me.

source:  http://tech2.in.com/reviews/gaming/batman-arkham-city-best-superhero-game-ever/249662


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‘Enable 3G’ switch missing from iPhone 4S

21:44 Abdul Waheed

The iPhone 4S has recently been unleashed upon a few countries around the world. The handset brought with it various interesting features and upgrades. However, according to various forums as well as a report by Engadget, the latest iPhone seems to be lacking a switch that probably many users didn’t know about. The ‘Enable 3G’ switch is now missing from the newest iPhone 4S.
Something missing there!
Something missing there!


This switch is usually present in the General settings menu under the Network settings. By using this switch one can toggle between using the 3G service or not. The website contacted Apple support regarding the matter and they had no response on the issue. The need for this switch is not really required but by turning the switch on, one can access faster browsing speeds along with greater battery consumption. The site states that Verizon users are saying that this feature was not available on the iPhone 4 as well. This indicates that this is probably a carrier specific absence and may not be present through all carriers.

This looks like the only noticeable difference between what is lacking in the iPhone 4S as compared to the iPhone 4. Let us know your reactions on the fastest phone right now not having this basic feature incorporated in its feature list.

source:  http://tech2.in.com/news/smartphones/enable-3g-switch-missing-from-iphone-4s/249702


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RIM woos customers with free apps to stay on their good side

21:41 Abdul Waheed

In a bid to reach out to BlackBerry loyalists who have still stuck around with the service after the recent outage that hit the community, RIM has decided that free apps are the way to go.  Research In Motion announced today that a selection of premium apps worth a total value of more than US $100 (about Rs. 4,900) will be offered free of charge to subscribers as an expression of appreciation for their patience during the recent service disruptions.
Some freebies on the way
Some freebies on the way


“Our global network supports the communications needs of more than 70 million customers,” said RIM Co-CEO Mike Lazaridis. “We truly appreciate and value our relationship with our customers. We’ve worked hard to earn their trust over the past 12 years, and we’re committed to providing the high standard of reliability they expect, today and in the future.”



The complete selection of premium apps will become available to download at BlackBerry App World over a period of four weeks beginning Wednesday, October 19th.  The selections over this period will include the following (with more to come):

  • SIMS 3 - Electronic Arts
  • Bejeweled - Electronic Arts
  • N.O.V.A. - Gameloft
  • Texas Hold’em Poker 2 - Gameloft
  • Bubble Bash 2 - Gameloft
  • Photo Editor Ultimate - Ice Cold Apps
  • DriveSafe.ly Pro - iSpeech.org
  • iSpeech Translator Pro - iSpeech.org
  • Drive Safe.ly Enterprise - iSpeech.org
  • Nobex Radio™ Premium - Nobex
  • Shazam Encore - Shazam
  • Vlingo Plus: Virtual Assistant - Vlingo

In case these apps are not available for you on BlackBerry App World or are still showing a price, they will be made available for free over the coming weeks starting Wednesday the 19th of October and will continue to be available until December 31, 2011.

RIM’s enterprise customers will also be offered one month of free Technical Support. Current customers will be offered a complimentary one month extension of their existing Technical Support contract, and customers who do not currently have a Technical Support contract will be offered a one month trial of RIM’s BlackBerry Technical Support Services - Enhanced Support, free of charge.  Additional details about the program and information about how to register will be available at www.blackberry.com/enterpriseoffer.

“We are grateful to our loyal BlackBerry customers for their patience,” added Lazaridis. “We have apologized to our customers and we will work tirelessly to restore their confidence.  We are taking immediate and aggressive steps to help prevent something like this from happening again.”

RIM is trying its best to stay in good books with their rather extensive user base and offering up freebies is certainly one way to do it.

source:  http://tech2.in.com/news/apps/rim-woos-customers-with-free-apps-to-stay-on-their-good-side/249652


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Teaser site reveals Motorola Droid Razr ahead of schedule

21:39 Abdul Waheed

Last week we reported that Motorola had put up a teaser video indicating what their upcoming handset was about. The tagline of the video read ‘Faster. Thinner. Smarter. Stronger.’ Apart from the teaser video Motorola’s official website had a countdown clock showing the amount of time remaining for the next handset to be unveiled. No word was actually available as to which handset it was and many websites believed it to be the Droid HD. Motorola has since launched an online campaign to tease what they have scheduled for today’s launch.
It is soon going to be official
It is soon going to be official


Website Mobile Burn received two cards one of which read, “Faster. Thinner. Smarter. Stronger. Unveil the story. You've got one piece of the exclusive puzzle pieces that will unlock the first official image of Motorola's next big innovation." The second card contained a code that changed one of the 16 images on the Reveal.Motorola.com website. Mobile Burn states that the image that was revealed when the image changed was of a handset with a ‘carbon fiber battery cover and a metal (or at least silver) body.’

According to a report by Droid-Life, the puzzle seems to be cracked and the image that appeared is the Droid Razr. We have already seen image as well as specification leaks of this handset but this is the first time we get to see an official image of this uber slim smartphone. From the image we can see an HD camera at the rear that is in all probability an 8MP shooter that is capable of HD video recording. There is also a front facing camera. Apart from that we see four capacitive touch keys.

With the announcement almost upon us, all this will finally become official and we can’t wait. Let us know your reactions about this handset in the comments below.

source:  http://tech2.in.com/news/smartphones/teaser-site-reveals-motorola-droid-razr-ahead-of-schedule/249792


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Accused hacker pleads not guilty in Sony breach

21:37 Abdul Waheed

An accused member of the clandestine hacking group LulzSec pleaded not guilty on Monday to charges of taking part in an extensive computer breach of the Sony Pictures Entertainment film studio. Cody Kretsinger, 23, entered not guilty pleas to one count each of conspiracy and unauthorized impairment of a protected computer during a brief hearing in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles. U.S. Magistrate Judge Victor Kenton set a Dec. 13 trial date for Kretsinger, who spoke only in response to questions from the judge. Kenton also ordered that Kretsinger be represented by a court-appointed public defender.
Third party tries to gain access to 93,000 users' PSN IDs
It's been months since the Sony PSN hacking incident


Kretsinger faces a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison if convicted. He declined to comment to Reuters after the hearing. A nine-page federal grand jury indictment unsealed in September charges Kretsinger with obtaining confidential information from Sony Pictures' computer systems using an "SQL injection" attack against its website, a technique commonly used by hackers to steal information. Kretsinger, who went by the moniker "recursion," helped post information he and his co-conspirators stole from Sony on LulzSec's website and announced the intrusion via the hacking group's Twitter account, the indictment charges.

LulzSec, an underground group also known as Lulz Security, at the time published the names, birth dates, addresses, e-mails, phone numbers and passwords of thousands of people who had entered contests promoted by Sony. "From a single injection we accessed EVERYTHING," the hacking group said in a statement at the time. "Why do you put such faith in a company that allows itself to become open to these simple attacks." Hackers previously had accessed personal information on 77 million PlayStation Network and Qriocity accounts, the vast majority of which were users in North America and Europe, in what was then the biggest such security breach in history. Other high-profile firms targeted by cyber attacks included Lockheed Martin and Google Inc.

source:  http://tech2.in.com/news/playstation-3/accused-hacker-pleads-not-guilty-in-sony-breach/249772


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From a single hashtag, a protest circled the world

21:35 Abdul Waheed

It all started innocuously enough with a July 13 blog post urging people to #OccupyWallStreet, as though such a thing (Twitter hashtag and all) were possible. It turns out, with enough momentum and a keen sense of how to use social media, it actually is. The Occupy movement, decentralized and leaderless, has mobilized thousands of people around the world almost exclusively via the Internet.

To a large degree through Twitter, and also with platforms like Facebook and Meetup, crowds have connected and gathered. As with any movement, a spark is needed to start word spreading. SocialFlow, a social media marketing company, did an analysis for Reuters of the history of the Occupy hashtag on Twitter and the ways it spread and took root.

The first apparent mention was that July 13 blog post by activist group Adbusters (http://r.reuters.com/suc54s) but the idea was slow to get traction. The next Twitter mention was on July 20 (http://r.reuters.com/tuc54s) from a Costa Rican film producer named Francisco Guerrero, linking to a blog post on a site called Wake Up from Your Slumber that reiterated the Adbusters call to action (http://r.reuters.com/vuc54s). The site, founded in 2006 "to expose America's fraudulent monetary system and the evil of charging interest on money loaned," is a reference to the biblical verse Romans 13:11 that reads in part: "The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed."
A powerful tool to rally the masses


Guerrero's post was retweeted once and then there was silence until two July 23 tweets -- one from the Spanish user Gurzbo (http://r.reuters.com/wuc54s) and one from a retired high school chemistry teacher in Long Island, New York named Cindy tweeting as gemswinc. (http://r.reuters.com/xuc54s) Gurzbo's post was not passed along by anyone but Cindy's was, by eight people, including a Delaware-based opponent of the Federal Reserve, a vegan information rights supporter, a Washington-based environmentalist and an Alabama-based progressive blogger. Again, there was relative silence for nearly two weeks, until LazyBookworm tweeted the Occupy hashtag again on Aug. 5. (http://r.reuters.com/zuc54s) That got seven retweets, largely from a crowd of organic food supporters and poets.

The notion of Occupy Wall Street was out there but it was not gaining much attention -- until, of course, it did, suddenly and with force. Social media experts trace the expansion to hyper-local tweeters, people who cover the pulse of communities at a level of detail not even local papers can match. In New York, credit goes to the Twitter account of Newyorkist, whose more than 11,000 tweets chronicle the city in block-by-block detail. His was one of the first well-followed accounts to mention the protests in mid-September. Trendistic, which tracks hashtag trends on Twitter, shows that OccupyWallStreet first showed up in any volume around 11 p.m. on Sept. 16, the evening before the occupation of lower Manhattan's Zuccotti Park began.

Within 24 hours, the tag represented nearly 1 of every 500 uses of a hashtag. The first two weeks of the movement were slow, media coverage was slim and little happened beyond the taking of the concrete park itself. But then a demonstration on the Brooklyn Bridge prompted hundreds of arrests and the spark was ignited. On Oct. 1, #OccupyBoston started to show up on Twitter. Within a couple of weeks, #OccupyDenver and #OccupySD and others appeared. The Occupy Wall Street page on Facebook started on Sept. 19 with a YouTube video of the early protests. By Sept. 22, it reached critical mass. "Newcomers today, welcome! Feel free to post. Advertise your own pages of resistance. Network until it works," read one posting meant to inspire protests elsewhere. For young activists around the world, who grew up with the Internet and the smartphone, Facebook and Twitter have become crucial in expanding the movement. They are pioneering platforms like Vibe that lets people anonymously share text, photos and video over short distances for brief periods of time -- perfect for use at rallies.

"No one owns a (Twitter) hashtag, it has no leadership, it has no organization, it has no creed but it's quite appropriate to the architecture of the net. This is a distributed revolt," said Jeff Jarvis, a journalism professor at City University of New York and author of the well-known blog BuzzMachine. Some reports say the protesters have raised as much as $300,000 in donations to cover everything from pizza to video equipment but others put the figure much lower. The Alliance for Global Justice, which calls itself "the fiscal sponsor for Occupy Wall Street," has raised $23,200 via WePay.com.

As of Monday afternoon, Facebook listed no fewer than 125 Occupy-related pages, from New York to Tulsa and all points in between. Roughly 1 in every 500 hashtags used on Twitter on Monday, all around the world, was the movement's own #OWS. The websites keep proliferating -- We Are the 99 Percent, Parents for Occupy Wall Street and Occupy Together, even the parody Occupy Sesame Street (concerned mostly with the plight of monsters living in garbage cans). Online streaming video has also been a huge resource for the protesters, using cheap cameras and high-speed wireless Internet access. Supporters, opponents and the merely curious got the chance last Saturday to watch the Occupy Wall Street protesters decide whether to occupy a major public park, Washington Square Park, in the Greenwich Village area.

They saw warnings the police were about to arrive in riot gear and with horses, vans and buses to take away protesters if there were mass arrests. Local media reported about 10 arrests among the 3,000 or so people in the park. As the seconds to a possible confrontation ticked down, the tension led to various reactions from those watching online. "Anyone arrested is a political prisoner," said one. "Here comes Tsar Bloomberg's Cossacks," said another, in reference to New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg and the appearance of the mounted police. There were "we are watching" messages of support from cities across the United States and some who found it the best entertainment going on a Saturday night. "So much more exciting than a TV show" was one comment.

 source:  http://tech2.in.com/news/social-networking/from-a-single-hashtag-a-protest-circled-the-world/249782


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Sesame Street YouTube channel gets hacked and filled with porn

00:49 Abdul Waheed

Many people have grown up watching popular television series Sesame Street. These are the loveble animated characters that kids from the last few decades have grown to love. The series had started its YouTube channel so that kids of all ages can watch this TV show whenever they please. However as of Sunday, when viewers accessed their YouTube page, they were greeted by something other than these furry muppets.
Adult content found on Sesame Street YouTube channel
Adult content found on Sesame Street YouTube channel


According to a report by Naked Security, the Sesame Street YouTube channel was hacked; all their videos were deleted and replaced by porn. The hacked website had adult content viewable for the entire world to watch. The channels information had also been changed with a summary that read, “WHO DOESN'T LOVE PORN KIDS? RIGHT! EVERYONE LOVES IT! IM MREDXWX AND MY PARTNER MRSUICIDER91 ARE HERE TO BRING YOU MANY NICE CONTENT! PLEASE DON'T LET SESAME STREET TO GET THIS ACCOUNT BACK KIDS :( PLEASE...LET ME AND MRSUICIDER91 HAVE IT AND WE GONNA MAKE ALL THE AMERICA HAPPY!”

Google had taken the video down and the person who allegedly hacked the site had put his name on the channel’s profile as Mredxwx. However, shortly after that, the alleged hacker had denied any such activity and posted a YouTube video indicating the same. The website states that there is no word on how the website was hacked.

Let us know your reactions on Sesame Street’s YouTube channel being hacked in the comments below.

source:  http://tech2.in.com/news/general/sesame-street-youtube-channel-gets-hacked-and-filled-with-porn/249552


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Nvidia GeForce Lan recap

00:48 Abdul Waheed

Here's what went down at Nvidia's first Indian GeForce Lan.
Nvidia GeForce Lan recap
Nvidia has been organizing the GeForce Lan in the States for nearly six years now. The concept’s pretty simple; bring your own PCs to a pre-disclosed destination and game your freaking brains out for 48 hours. Now Nvidia’s turned their sights to India and at the Bandra Kurla complex in Mumbai, they held India’s very first GeForce LAN. This rather ambitious event was full of competitive gamers striving to make a name for themselves in a bunch of  multiplayer games like Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, Counter-Strike 1.6, Need for Speed: Most Wanted and FIFA. We caught up with a few Nvidia representatives at the event and they seemed pretty happy with the turnout. In fact we were told that the number of entries greatly surpassed their expectations and many gamers actually had to be turned down.
The war zone
The war zone


A sizeable chunk of the venue was relegated towards the competitive gaming zone where roughly 120 PCs were set up running some of the games mentioned above. On the opposite side, Nvidia had set up a demo zone where gamers could sample first person shooters like Battlefield: Bad Company 2 and Crysis 2 in 3D. Speaking of 3D, we were shown (behind closed doors) Batman: Arkham City in 3D running on Nvidia’s new 3D vision 2 kit and it looked freaking phenomenal. And this is coming from someone who really doesn’t care about the whole 3D gimmick.
Experience the third dimension
Experience the third dimension


But this event was not just about the games. It turns out Nvidia’s technology has been used to create certain special effects for Shahrukh Khan’s upcoming flick, Ra.One and this synergy gave birth to two Ra.One themed graphic cards, the GeForce 560 TI and the entry level, GT 520. Shahrukh Khan and the cast of Ra.One made their presence felt at the event later on in the evening to felicitate the winners but we had left by then. Here’s the list of winners and the stuff they won:

Counter Strike
Team “Never Say Die (NSD)” – Rs. 1 lakh + Alienware M11X Laptop

Call of Duty: MOdern Warfare
Team “Orange E-Sports” – Rs. 1 lakh + Alienware M11X Laptop

Need for Speed: Most Wanted
Nishant Vasudev – Rs. 10k + AW 3D monitor

Need for Speed: Most Wanted (Girls)
Roshni.N.Tasi – Rs. 10k + AW 3D monitor

FIFA
Chaitanya Vadulekar – Rs. 10k + AW 3D monitor

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (Girls)
Dipika Jerome – Rs. 10k + AW 3D monitor

At the end of the day I’d say the event was pretty successful and it looks like Nvidia may turn this into a yearly event for India as well. This goes to show that competitive gaming is really picking up some steam in our country and if companies like Nvidia continue supporting budding gamers, we definitely stand a chance in international competitions as well.
LOL WUT
LOL WUT


source: http://tech2.in.com/features/pc/nvidia-geforce-lan-recap/249452


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India will have to wait for fully functional Siri

00:45 Abdul Waheed

Excited about using Siri in India? You might have to wait a couple of months/years (depending upon where India is in Apple’s priority list) if you want to get full functionality out of the voice-recognition based assistant. As reported by TUAW, Siri currently has extremely limited usage and practicality outside the United States and the only language Wolfram Alpha (the computational knowledge engine that helps churn out the answers) currently supports is English.
Not working? (Image source: Modmyi)
Not working? (Image source: Modmyi)


Don’t expect Siri to answer how to get to the closest McDonalds from where you’re currently situated, as map directions and traffic data are not available outside the US. Apple has given a little insight about Siri’s problems outside the US and they’ve mentioned that maps and local search support will be available in additional countries in 2012. In 2012, Siri will have support for additional languages including Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Italian, and Spanish.

Apple has mentioned that Siri is currently Beta only, which pops up the question that it's roughly two years post the iPhone 4 and all Apple has come up with so far is a faster processor, a bunch of new integrated applications and features and a better camera with the exact same design? Sorry Apple, that’s definitely not impressive.

source:   http://tech2.in.com/news/smartphones/india-will-have-to-wait-for-fully-functional-siri/249512


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Friday 14 October 2011

Microsoft Officially Closes Skype Deal

22:08 Abdul Waheed

skype icon 322x2851 thumb Microsoft Officially Closes Skype DealMicrosoft has officially announced that it has completed it’s deal to acquire Skype for $8.5 billion, a deal that was announced back in May 2011.
Microsoft said that Skype will become a new business unit at Microsoft that will be headed by Tony Bates, currently the CEO of Skype. Bates will report directly to Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, said the company statement.
Skype will keep offering it’s complete line of products to millions of customers, however, in the long-term Microsoft is planning to integrate Skype with several other products to further penetrate the internet calling solution.
“Skype is a phenomenal product and brand that is loved by hundreds of millions of people around the world,” said Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer.
“We look forward to working with the Skype team to create new ways for people to stay connected to family, friends, clients and colleagues — anytime, anywhere.”, said Ballmer in the statement.
“By bringing together the best of Microsoft and the best of Skype, we are committed to empowering consumers and businesses around the globe to connect in new ways,” Bates said in a statement. “Together, we will be able to accelerate Skype’s goal to reach 1 billion users daily.”
Skype was previously sold to eBay for $2.6 billion in 2005 then acquired by an investment group led by Silver Lake in November 2009. Company was planning an IPO but before that Microsoft put forward a lucrative deal which Skype couldn’t reject.
Microsoft also released following infographic, detailing the usage of Skype.
info skype web thumb Microsoft Officially Closes Skype Deal

source: http://propakistani.pk/2011/10/14/microsoft-officially-closes-skype-deal/


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Telenor Holds Awards Ceremony for Apps Developers

22:02 Abdul Waheed

Telenor Pakistan held an awards distribution ceremony here today for winners of its Apportunity competition.
The competition invited Pakistani students and software developers to create applications (apps) in various categories. Prizes were given to developers of the most downloaded apps.
Overall, the top two apps with highest number of downloads won iPads, whereas five Category winners were given smart phones. All competition entries won Rs 5,000 worth of air time.
Speaking on the occasion, Usman Javed, Director Marketing Telenor Pakistan said:
“Apportunity is all about encouraging young Pakistanis to create apps for the global market. Given an opportunity, our app developers can compete with the best in the world.
Already the apps created by the winners have been downloaded thousands of times by people across the globe. Telenor will continue to provide opportunities to the talented youth of Pakistan to enable them to excel in their fields.”
Participants appreciated Telenor Pakistan’s efforts at promoting innovation and encouraging young talent to enable them to be recognized at the global level. The event was attended by a large number of bloggers.
The Apportunity competition consisted of 05 apps categories such as Games & Fun, Location & Presence, Health & Fitness, etc. Apps could be created for stores such as Apple’s App Store, Google’s Android Market, Nokia’s Ovi Store, and Samsung Apps; all major platforms were allowed such as Java, Symbian and Flash Lite.


source:  http://propakistani.pk/2011/10/14/telenor-holds-awards-ceremony-for-apps-developers/


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Google Goes Hard on Pakistani Websites, Bans Hundreds of Adsense Accounts!

21:54 Abdul Waheed

We are getting reports that Google Adsense accounts of at least two dozen hundreds of Pakistani publishers got banned lately, while it is assumed that there are more un-reported cases.
All publishers are apparently getting same email from Google, which is as following:
Hello,
We continually review all publishers according to our program policies (https://www.google.com/upport/adsense/bin/answer.py?answer=48182&stc=aspe-3pp-en) and Terms and Conditions (https://www.google.com/adsense/localized-terms?&stc=aspe-3tc-en ). During a recent review of your account, our specialists found that it was not in compliance with our policies.
LAYOUT ENCOURAGES ACCIDENTAL CLICKS: Publishers are not permitted to encourage users to click on Google ads in any way. This includes any implementation that may encourage accidental clicks, such as placing ads near flash games or navigation bars, or placing ads and site links extremely close together.
WEBMASTER GUIDELINES: Our program specialists regularly review sites in the AdSense program.
It is important for a site displaying AdSense to offer significant value to the end user by providing unique and relevant content, and not to place ads on sites with little to no original content. Additionally, Google ads
may not be placed on non-content-based pages.
Your site should also provide a good user experience through clear navigation and organization. Users should be able to easily click through your pages and find the information they are seeking.
Because your sites violate the spirit of our policies, we have disabled ad serving.
For more information, please review our program policies (https://www.google.com/adsense/support/as/bin/answer.py?answer=48182 ) and Google’s Webmaster Quality Guidelines (http://www.google.com/support/webmasters/bin/answer.py?answer=35769#quality).
As stated in our program policies, sites displaying Google ads should provide substantial and useful information to the user. Users should be able to easily navigate through the site to find what products, goods, or services are promised.
While reviewing your site, our team of specialists determined that it does not comply with the spirit of these guidelines.
As a result, your AdSense account has been disabled.
Additionally, as stated in our Terms and Conditions, publishers who have breached this agreement may not receive further payment. The earnings on your account will be returned to the affected advertisers. Please note that this step was taken in an effort to protect the interests of our AdWords advertisers, and to maintain the quality of the AdSense program.
Thank you for your understanding.
Sincerely,
The Google AdSense Team
We are getting this impression that Pakistani publishers are being targeted in specific. Though this mass banning isn’t unforeseen, especially when every other internet user is exploiting adsense by copying content and then adding adsense to their websites.
if you remember we had warned you about this 2 and half years ago – when we caught a group of people training general internet users to setup a blog, copy content and then earn through adsense by cross clicking each other’s ads.
This whole process has hurt legitimate bloggers too, and they are suffering because of the other’s misdeeds. This pain of getting adsense banned for a legitimate blogger can’t be expressed in words. We have undergone this pain ourselves, and fear to see it again.

source:   http://propakistani.pk/2011/10/14/google-goes-hard-on-pakistani-websites-bans-dozens-of-adsense-accounts/
 


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HCL launches new ME X1, a low-cost Android tablet for Rs. 10,490

21:42 Abdul Waheed

 
HCL Infosystems Ltd has today launched its new ME-series tablet 'X1', priced aggressively at Rs. 10,490. The new X1 ME tablet runs on Android OS 2.3 Gingerbread operating system and is powered by a 1GHz Cortex A8 processor, and 512MB of RAM.

The X1 has a seven-inch capacitive display with 800x480 pixels resolutions. It features a 2MP camera, 4GB of inbuilt storage that is expandable to 32GB via microSD. The device also supports HD video content and has a 3500 mAh battery. While the X1 ME tablet technically only supports Wi-Fi connectivity, it also has an option of 3G data connectivity via USB dongles. The X1 also supports Flash, through Adobe Flash Player 10.3.
Speaking on the occasion, Harsh Chitale, CEO, HCL Infosystems, says, “We are excited to launch our new tablet ‘The X1’, specially designed to cater to the demands of the Indian customers. The X1 ME Tablet promises to bring great value by re defining on–the-go user experience with its innovative design, display and technology. Today’s consumer doesn’t just look for a product but a complete productivity and service ecosystem around it, which led us to innovations like creating powerful content and local applications which will be backed by our nationwide support service network and 24X7 one touch customer service.”
“As a brand we are aligning ourselves with the consumer’s unmet desire to live the life he wishes for. We want our products to be one of the prime enablers to the life that our consumer aspires for and we are confident that with our expertise in the industry a device like The X1 will unleash innovative models of usage both in the B2B & B2C segments backed by customized applications.” Chitale adds.
HCL says its X1 is the only tablet to feature a PC sync option, called “ME Connect” which facilitates transfer of content to the tablet from any another computing device. The device comes pre-loaded with a number of apps such as Naukri.com and LinkedIn. 

 source:  http://www.thinkdigit.com/Tablets/HCL-launches-new-ME-X1-a-low-cost_7740.html


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Tathva' 2011 begins Oct 20; features tech quizzes, air show, and lots more

21:38 Abdul Waheed


The 2011 edition of Tathva, the annual techno-management fest organised by the National Institute of Technology, Calicut, is scheduled to be held from October 20-30. More than 40 events have been lined up for this year's fest, with a whopping Rs. 1.2 million cash prize on offer.

The Tathva event, which flagged off as a Students’ National Technical Symposium (in the year 2000), is now considered to be one of the popular techno-management fests in the country. Tathva is a platform for students from all over the nation to exhibit their knowledge and skills. A plethora of competitions which include Paper Presentation, Design Contests, Technical quizzes among many others, cover all fields of science and technology, offering one of the biggest opportunity to students to diplay their technical prowess.
A lecture series featuring the elite minds of the technical world, innovative exhibitions and informative workshops, competitive and challenging events are what awaits a participant at Tathva.
The events scheduled to be held during the Tathva include a Cloud Computing Workshop, Air Show, Dirt Race, Koder Kup and Bulls n’ Bears.
How To Apply?
Participants must register online in the Tathva site (www.tathva.org) and obtain their respective Tathva IDs to participate in the events, even the online contests. For more details, visit the official Tathva website : http://www.tathva.org. 

 source:  http://www.thinkdigit.com/General/Tathva-2011-begins-Oct-20-features-tech_7745.html


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ViewSonic outs Android 2.3 tablet 'ViewPad 10e'; ViewPad 7e on its way to India

21:35 Abdul Waheed

ViewSonic has unveiled its new Android tablet 'ViewPad 10e', which is scheduled to be launched in the UK next month. ViewSonic's ViewPad 10e has a 9.7-inch display with 1024x768 resolution, similar to the TouchPad and iPad 2. The ViewPad 10e runs on Android 2.3 Gingerbread operating system instead of the tablet-specific Android HoneyComb OS. Besides, it is powered by a single-core 1GHz Cortex A8 processor and 512MB of RAM.

The most notable feature of the new ViewSonic table is its thickness, which is just 9.1 mm. The ViewPad 10e comes with a 4GB of storage, expandable up to 32GB through microSD. The tablet also features a 1.3MP front-facing camera. On the connectivity front, the ViewPad 10e offers Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 3.0, mini USB and a mini HDMI connector for up to 720p output. Though there's no official word on the pricing of the new tablet, multiple reports suggest it is going to be a budget tablet.
Meanwhile, the Mobile Indian reports that ViewSonic is going to soon launch its Android 2.3-based tablet ViewPad 7e in India. Moreover, the new tablet will be priced below Rs. 10,000. ViewSonic has already made its way into the budget tablet segment with the ViewPad 7, which is available for nearly Rs. 15,000.
The ViewPad 7e is not listed on ViewSonic's India-centric website. However, we found the specs of the upcoming tablet on its global site, which states the ViewPad 7e is a seven-inch Android 2.3 Gingerbread tablet, powered by 1GHz ARM A8 processor and 512MB of RAM. The ViewPad 7e comes with a 4GB of inbuilt storage, extendable up to 32GB through microSD. The tablet also features a 0.3MP front-facing camera and 3MP rear camera. For connectivity, it has Bluetooth 2.1 and Wi-Fi. Check out the detailed specs of the ViewPad 7e here.

source:  http://www.thinkdigit.com/Tablets/ViewSonic-outs-Android-23-tablet-ViewPad-10e_7741.html


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Samsung to launch Android 4.0-based Nexus Prime on October 19

21:31 Abdul Waheed

Samsung is going to launch the first Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich-based smartphone at an event in Hong Kong, scheduled to be held on October 19. Samsung was initially slated to launch the Samsung Nexus Prime, a.k.a. Galaxy Nexus at an event in San Diago on October 11 but later the company decided to postpone the event, as a mark of respect to Apple's co-founder Steve Jobs, who passed away recently.
Without divulging the official name of the new smartphone, Samsung issued a statement saying, "We are unpacking our new Android phone in concurrence with Google."
Following are the rumored specs of the Galaxy Nexus Prime:
  • Display: 720 x 1280 pixels, 4.65 inches (~316 ppi pixel density)
  • CPU: Dual-core 1.5GHz Cortex-A9 CPU, Samsung Exynos chipset
  • Battery: Li-Ion 2050 mAh
  • Camera: 5 MP, 2592x1936 pixels, autofocus, LED flash, 1080p video recording at 30fps
  • Features: Document and Image Editor, LTE connectivity, three-axis gyro sensor
The rumored price of the next Samsung phone is $750.

Moreover, it is the first smartphone to feature Ice Cream Sandwich incarnation of Google's Android operating system. The Ice Cream Sandwich is promised to combine the tablet and smartphone oriented operating systems. Check out our previous coverage on the long-awaited Samsung smartphone here.
Samsung's new flagship product comes days after the launch of the iPhone 4S, which has seen an overwhelming response in the US. The comparison between forthcoming Samsung smartphone and the iPhone 4S is inevitable. Lets wait and watch, which one of them creates a lasting impact.

source:   http://www.thinkdigit.com/Mobiles-PDAs/Samsung-to-launch-Android-40-based-Nexus-Prime_7743.html


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Apple iOS 5 - First Impressions

21:25 Abdul Waheed

The much-awaited Apple iOS 5 has finally landed on our shining Apple devices. However, the big question is - is it worth the update? Let's find out.

The update process
First off, before you get the iOS 5 update, you will have to ensure that your iPhone, iPad or iPod is updated to the iOS 4.3.5 first. If you have done the update earlier, then no need to worry. If not, then be ready to walk down that longer path. Two important things you need to keep in mind here. First, if you are updating to the iOS 4.3.5, then the phone’s data will not be erased. However, before starting the iOS 5 download you will have to backup the data completely. This update will completely remove all data from the device.
The download size is about 700MB, and you will have to leave the device connected to iTunes during that entire process.
How it looks
We downloaded the update on an iPod Touch (4th gen), and here are some screenshots. Our conclusion about this update can be found after the images below:
The UI hasn’t been changed at all. Just some new apps have been added – Reminders, Newsstand, YouTube and Messages.


&
The Newsstand app allows you to download magazines and newspapers in the “e” format. By the way, the Newsstand app is completely different from the iBooks app. That can still be downloaded separately from the App Store, and transfer the PDFs to that.


A very slightly tweaked setting options. We can see Twitter there!


Voila! This is the Over The Air (OTA) updates which iOS 5 has introduced.


iTunes Wi-Fi sync is here as well.
The iCloud settings can be tweaked anytime. You either set up the iCloud account when the device starts for the first time post the update by logging in with your email ID or do it sometime later. iCloud offers 5GB of free storage space, with data synced automatically over Wi-Fi.
The Reminders app offers multiple ways of setting reminders.
What we think
The iOS 5 update isn't a major update in terms of UI tweaks. However, it brings the addition of new features like iCloud, iTunes Wi-Fi sync, Newsstand and the ability to tweak images on the device itself. Critically, the device performance hasn’t slowed down at all. Is the update worth it? Yes. We think you should update, but be sure to backup all the phone’s data first – contacts, messages, mails etc.

source:  http://www.thinkdigit.com/Software/Apple-iOS-5--First-Impressions_7746.html


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KDE celebrates its 15th birthday

21:21 Abdul Waheed

Yes, 15 years ago today KDE was born, originally as "Kool Desktop Environment," then "K Desktop Environment", then after a number of confusing changes to what KDE means and stands for, we have simply KDE.
KDE is now a community of people who dedicate their efforts to creating a better Linux desktop environment for all users. While the community celebrates today, they have had a number of big releases just recently, Plasma Active One , which just released a few days back on 9th, and ownCloud 2, which released on 11 th.
Plasma Active One is the first release of KDE's Plasma Active shell that aims to make KDE tablet-ready. It is a rather large project that aims not just to create a KDE UI that works on tablets but to create a better way of interacting with touch-based devices.

Not only is the workspace optimized for touch-based operation on a tablet device, but even KDE applications are being rewritten to work better on a tablet device. Obviously this is a huge task, but Plasma Active One already shows great progress.
Plasma Active introduces the concept of activities to tablets, where a set of tasks or applications + data can be bundled together. A vacation activity for example might include bookmarks to websites about travel, Wikipedia pages of the places you wish to visit, the Marble app for maps, your calendar app etc. while a work activity could consist of the documents related to your work, email client etc. You can create as many activities as you wish and switch between them.
This is in addition to the usual multitasking, where multiple apps can be open at once, in different activities. This is clearly an OS for those who want a content creation device rather than just a consumption device.
Remember that this is just the release of Plasma Active One, and Plasma Active Two and Three and so on, are still to follow with even more enhancements.
The other release by KDE, ownCloud 2 is their second major release of the cloud platform that aims to be an open source replacement to the plethora of popular web services available today. Rather than let third parties have control over where you data is located and how you can access it, ownCloud aims to be an open source replacement that offers similar features in a decentralized manner.
ownCloud allows one to access their data from regular file managers with support for WebDAV support, share files with others, stream your music to your browser or media player, and much more. It is a regular PHP application that can work with MySQL / SQLite, and can be hosted at any compatible hosting site, or even your own computer.
Congratulations to the KDE developer and community for their brilliant work and dedication to these brilliant projects.

source:  http://www.thinkdigit.com/Features/KDE-celebrates-its-15th-birthday_7748.html


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RAGE - Flawed but Fun

21:14 Abdul Waheed

Most gamers have a profound sense of respect for id Software since it is this Texan game development studio that popularized and nurtured the first person shooter genre with iconic games like Doom, Quake and Wolfenstein. After Doom 3 in 2004, id has been working hard on returning to their first person roots with RAGE, a shooter that’s been nearly seven years in the making. Is it worth the wait? Will it cement id once again as the undisputed kings of this genre? Read on to find out.

As you boot RAGE up for the first time, comparisons with games like Fallout 3 and Borderlands that share similar post-apocalyptic scenarios will be inevitable. However RAGE is very much a linear fare that merely presents the illusion of being an open world game. In the near future, an asteroid the size of Texas (lol?) crashes against the planet, tearing it to shreds. While most of humanity perished in this calamity, a select few were sent into a cryogenic state so they could emerge from this incident and start rebuilding society. You are one such survivor but instead of waking up in the company of your frozen friends, you find out that everyone you knew is dead.
In the face.... in the FAAAACE
In the face.... in the FAAAACE


As soon as you leave your Ark, you get attacked by a mutant within seconds firmly establishing the fact that the brown stuff has hit the fan and in case you didn’t get the euphemism, this means the Wasteland is a highly dangerous place. You get rescued by a good Samaritan only to learn that he had an ulterior motive in helping you out since you can handle yourself with a weapon. From then on begins nearly ten hours of fetch quests that culminate in one of the most abrupt video game endings ever. Yes, a riveting plot is definitely not one of RAGE’s strong points.

RAGE’s game world is divided into various hubs from where you pick up quests, sell loot, upgrade weapons and so on. While this sort of mission structure will be familiar to anyone who’s played an RPG, it gets real annoying when you’re made to go back to the same areas over and over again. What’s worse is that I can never take on say five or ten quests, head into the Wasteland, complete them all and return. No, I have to take on one, finish it, head back and only then can I pick up the other one. Thankfully the game sports a quick travel mechanic so travelling back to base isn’t a problem. If you’re the more adventurous kind, you could drive your buggy around the Wasteland taking on bandits but like I said earlier, this isn’t an RPG nor is it an open world game so don’t go expecting dynamic events to kick in.
Boo!
Boo!


Vehicular combat is surprisingly quite enjoyable as it takes its cues from games like Mario Kart or Blur. You can strap on a bunch of weapons like rockets, mini-guns and mines to your ride so taking out the opposition is never really a problem. If you’re the competitive kind, you can also indulge in a bit of racing through some of the hubs as well. Win races and you could unlock cooler parts for your ride but since racing is really not all that important in the game, there’s little motivation to spruce your ride up. And don’t get attached to one car because certain missions will require you to ditch in favour of a tougher set of wheels

 source: http://tech2.in.com/reviews/pc/rage-flawed-but-fun/248302


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