Reliance Communications to offer Windows Mobile services

For the launch, the company is offering data download of 200MB for just Rs 95 per month exclusively to Reliance Mobile customers

Reliance Communications and Microsoft have entered into a strategic partnership to offer Windows Mobile solution on Reliance's wireless network. According to the agreement, Microsoft will offer its productivity solutions to Reliance customers including push email support, chat, photo-sharing, content back-up and other applications.

The company will offer Microsoft's Windows Mobile solution as part of its post-paid and pre-paid offerings on its networks.

Get extra ipad storage with Kingston Wi-Drive

Access your files over Wi-Fi on the pocket-friendly Wi-Drive that allows streaming multimedia, PDFs and more files.

Kingston has come up with a new device that can be used by the Apple iPad, iPhone and iPod touch owners as an additional portable storage space, and has been dubbed as Wi-Drive.

The new Kingston Wi-Drive is available in 16GB and 32GB storage options and will allow users to access data wirelessly using iPhone (3G and higher), iPod touch (3rd Gen and higher) and iPad.

Indians will have to wait till June end to buy this additional storage for their iOS devices. At present, Wi-Drive is available outside India for $130 (Rs 5850 approximately) and $175 (Rs 7875 approximately).

Nokia unveils C2-00, X1-01 dual SIM phones

Both mobile handsets offer Nokia's unique Easy Swap function for smarter multiple SIM management, largest in category expandable memory capabilities (32GB for Nokia C2-00) and enhanced music capabilities.

Nokia has launched the C2-00 and X1-01 dual SIM phones for the Indian market.

Unveiling the new phones, Vipul Sabharwal, director sales, Nokia India, said, "We are very proud to present Nokia C2-00 and Nokia X1-01 that meet stringent quality standards and have set new benchmarks in the mobile internet and music space in the entry level dual SIM category."

Both devices come with Nokia's innovative services including Nokia Life Tools which provide consumers with a wide range of information covering healthcare, agriculture, education and entertainment.

BlackBerry Playbook Update 1.05

Good news for all the BlackBerry playbook users as the New update brings in a lot of upgrades and some much needed improvements.

Research In Motion has announced yet another update for its BlackBerry Playbook devices, named as V1.05.

Aimed at adding more functionality to the devices apart from fixing some bugs, the update comes as a welcome summer gift for the BlackBerry Playbook users. With this update, the Playbook also takes a giant step towards social networking. The Facebook app, for BlackBerry PlayBook tablet, has been updated to include video uploading, message deletion, Search enhancements and more.

iBUZZ introduces new handset, the i4242 Video BUZZ

The i4242 is equipped with a 1500mAh battery, sound speaker with 20*30mm audio amplifier, opera mini browser, stereo Bluetooth, privacy protection, 1.3 MP camera, and auto call recording feature. It supports MP3/MP4 and 3GP at 30 frames per second.

iBUZZ Mobiles has announced a new mobile phone, i4242 Video BUZZ, which will be available in India from June this year for Rs 2,999.

The i4242 is equipped with a 1500mAh battery, sound speaker with 20*30mm audio amplifier, opera mini browser, stereo Bluetooth, privacy protection, 1.3 MP camera, and auto call recording feature. It supports MP3/MP4 and 3GP at 30 frames per second.

It comes with a 2.2 inch screen that produces images at 176 x 144 pixels and is capable of displaying 262K colours.

For people on the move, the i4242 (Video BUZZ) offers various exceptional features including mobile tracking facility. This phone not only has wireless telescopic FM but also offers schedule FM recording for song lovers which enable them to record their favorite songs while playing live on FM.

Snapdeal goes truly mobile

Snapdeal.com is offering a discount on mobile phone services. Its users do not need to carry print outs to avail the offer or discount.

 Snapdeal.com, one of India's popular discount and deal websites, has announced the introduction of a voucher of phone service. The new service allows users of snapdeal.com to avail deals bought from the website without having to carry a print out of the deal. The transaction is carried out through the SMS message that the customer gets on the registered mobile number after buying a deal.

As compared to the earlier process, which involved a physical voucher having to be carried around to avail the offer, the user now just needs to show the shop attendant the SMS, or the email containing the voucher number if he is using a GPRS connected phone.

Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1: A worthy opponent for iPad 2

The Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 runs on the latest version of Honeycomb, the Android 3.1, and is slightly thinner than iPad 2. The 3G version of the tablet, will however, come later this year.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 is a keenly awaited tablet, which is set to enter the market within one week in some stores, though officially it will be launched by the company only on June 17. While, the 3G version of the tablet will arrive in the market later this year.

The tab is set to challenge the supposedly indomitable Apple iPad 2, which is being currently sold from thousands of retail stores and about 300 Apple stores across the world.

As the name itself suggests, the tablet has a 10.1 inch capacitive touchscreen besides a 1 GHz dual core processor, storage options (of 16GB, 32GB or 64GB), a 3 megapixel back facing and a 2 megapixel front facing camera and much more. The latest Honeycomb (Android 3.1) operating system powers the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1.

Moreover, the Samsung tablet is said to be thinner than iPad 2 by 0.2 mm. Thus, going by the features, the Galaxy Tab 10.1 does seem a worthy opponent for iPad 2.

However, the Apple tablet has its own share of advantages and despite arrival of several contenders, which came with better specs, it continues to hold on to its market share. Third party support is one of the biggest advantages of Apple, which means there are numerous additional features available for Apple products which are not made by Apple, but are still an inseparable part of the experience. Despite coming from the same family, in terms of additional add ons, Apple does provide choice to the users — a good sticking point.

While talking about choice, it'll be convenient for users if we took the example of chat facility. There are more chat options for Samsung Galaxy Tab users whereas Apple has FaceTime. But the iOS devices offer apps like Skype, whereas the Android apps are mostly designed for smaller screens. The iOS devices also provide access to numerous apps, and the Android apps numbers do not match up.

The iPad 2 also faces threat from Toshiba which is set to launch it tablet, named as Thrive, within a month or two. To create the hype, Toshiba has chosen to poke fun at the iPad 2, though it remains to be seen how this strategy pans out in the real world.

 

Ban on SMS pushing J&K users towards internet enabled mobiles: Report

Last year, the state government had banned SMS services on pre-paid users. Now, only the post-paid users could send SMSes to fellow post-paid numbers.

After the ban on the use of prepaid Short Message Service (SMS), more users in Jammu and Kashmir are now preferring internet enabled mobile phones as they could now use social networking sites such as Facebook to spread their words, according to a website.

Last year, the state government had banned SMS services on pre-paid connections. Now, only the post-paid users could send SMSes to fellow post-paid numbers.

The push towards mobile games

At a time when most of the handset makers are offering similar features to their users, the companies are looking at mobile gaming to differentiate themselves.

Even the hardcore gamers have started converting towards the mobile games — partly due to sheer need, after all the consoles cannot be carried everywhere, and second, the mobile gaming segment is being taken seriously by even the handset makers.

It's good to be a part of the market which is being pampered by the mobile companies, right?

Sony Ericsson has launched a dedicated gaming phone, called Xperia Play, which has dedicated slide out keys for gaming. Since users are also able to make calls on the same device, gaming turns out to be an added bonus.

Hungama brings mobile file-sharing app Huuked

Huuked is a software application for mobile phones that allows users an easy way to share your pictures, videos and other files of any size.

Huuked is a software application for mobile phones that allows users an easy way to share your pictures, videos and other files of any size.

Hungama, a mobile and digital entertainment company, has partnered with Finnish applications developer Huuked Labs to bring a mobile file-sharing software application for Symbian Series 60 and Java enabled handsets, named as Huuked. 

S Tel brings new self-recharge plan

Subscribers will now be able enjoy a plethora of S Tel products at lower denominations with validity of 1 day.

S Tel has launched a new self-recharge concept for its subscribers, enabling them to choose a plan of their choice to match their budget everyday through a simple product activation code and recharge by themselves anywhere.

Subscribers will now be able enjoy a plethora of S Tel products at lower denominations with validity of 1 day.

The subscriber can simply type *123*# to avail product benefit. The recharge amount would be deducted from core balance and the product benefit would be activated. Customers can log on to www.stel.in for more details. 

Apple unveils cloud storage service

Apple's much awaited cloud based storage service for devices gets official and gives users 5GB of online space except songs, apps and photo stream too.

Apple, the makers of iPhone, has unveiled the much awaited cloud based storage and syncing service for its devices. With this, Apple comes in direct competition with other cloud service providers that have recently joined this league such as the Google and Amazon and not to forget the countless other third party service providers as well.

Contrary to earlier expectations that it will provide 2GB of storage space to its users over the cloud as being offered by the Amazon, Apple has offered 5GB of storage space to each user. Of course this storage space will be shared across all Apple devices, such as iPhones and iMacs, owned by a single user.

Sony to launch PlaySation Vita in India by year end

The new playsation portable handheld game console of Sony, named as PSVita, comes with integrated 3G telephony capabilities.

Sony has unveiled its new generation portable handheld game console, named as PlaySation Vita, at the Annual Electronics expo E3 2011 in Los Angeles. It will be available in India either by the end of this year or by early 2012 and this time Sony is not in mood for delaying the device as it has happened with many devices in the past.

The Vita gets quite a few upgrades over the older PSP but the biggest one remains the inclusion of 3G connectivity that will allow this device to access High speed telephony based data while on the Go. 

Apple iOS 5 features showdown

Several features have been allegedly "inspired" from existing ones on other platforms and third-party applications available on App Store. 

At the Worldwide Developers Conference 2011, Apple executives gave a sneak peek into the upcoming iOS 5 update that is scheduled to arrive later this year. The iOS 5 update boasts 200 new features and 1,500 new application programming interfaces (APIs) to support the iPad 2, iPad, iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, and iPod touch 3rd and 4th generations. Several new features were demonstrated on stage and many found those features similar to ones offered by other mobile operating systems.

Android continues to suffer from malware

Despite removing several malicious applications researchers find nefarious DroidKungFu malware that can take control of the device and even turn it into a bot.

A few days ago we reported that Google had removed more than two dozen malicious applications from Android Market. This number now turns out to be far from sufficient.

According to North Carolina State University researchers, assistant professor Xuxian Jiang, and Ph.D. student Yajin Zhou, a new malware called DroidKungFu has been found in certain apps being circulated outside Android Market. DroidKungFu malware possesses advanced techniques that make it capable of bypassing mobile anti-virus software and also enable it to install a backdoor that allows the hacker to take complete control of the device.

Tata Docomo introduces 3G WiFi hub

The device offers uninterrupted connectivity for specific WiFi devices like laptops, tablets, gaming consoles and WiFi-enabled televisions.

Tata Docomo, the GSM brand of Tata Teleservices, today launched its 3G WiFi hub that enables multiple users and devices to share wireless Internet access and stay connected on the go.

The device offers uninterrupted connectivity for specific WiFi devices like laptops, tablets, gaming consoles and WiFi-enabled televisions.

The device offers dual-mode internet connectivity to users via Tata Docomo's 3G GSM network and Tata Photon Plus on the CDMA platform - one technology at a time - offering speeds of up to 7.2 Mbps.

Airtel's mobile wallet service in Delhi

The mobile wallet service allows customers to use their mobile phones to make payments - without the hassle of carrying cash or change.

Bharti Airtel, through its wholly owned subsidiary Airtel M Commerce Services Limited, today launched its mobile wallet service for its customers in Delhi, Noida, Ghaziabad and Faridabad.

The service, named as Airtel Money, offers customers with an efficient alternative to cash transactions.

Airtel has partnerships with over 2,200 merchants in Delhi NCR including utility providers like NDPL, BSES Yamuna, BSES Rajdhani, Indraprastha Gas, LIC and organized retailers such as Easy Day, Chalchitra, Yo China, Costa Coffee, Hair n Shanti, DT Cinemas, Fun Cinemas among others as well as local chemists and grocery stores. These merchants will accept payments via Airtel Money.

Customers using Airtel Money will also be able to avail exclusive discounts and attractive offers at various merchant outlets in the market and save money as they shop.

Free cross-platform messengers for smartphones

Sending text messages, sharing multimedia and staying connected with friends who use a different operating system from your own is easily done with the apps we've picked.

Research In Motion's BlackBerry smartphones have become quite popular in India in recent months. While the dispute between RIM and the Government of India persists, BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) has become a popular application that keeps the majority of BlackBerry owners busy, texting their contacts, friends and relatives.

The primary reason for BBM's popularity is that it is integrated with the BlackBerry operating system and is a light-weight app that is economical in its consumption of resources. Users can send and receive text, photos, audio and video, and can receive real-time delivery confirmations. BBM's chief purpose is that it enables people to converse with their contacts live at minimal cost.

Samsung rolls out Gingerbread update for Indian Galaxy S users

Next in line is Android Gingerbread update for Galaxy Tab & other family smartphones - Gio, Fit, mini & Galaxy S LCD.

Samsung had begun rolling out Android 2.3 Gingerbread update for its Galaxy S GT-I9000 smartphone earlier this month in several regions. However, due to some bug with the update, Google stopped this roll out process. Most Gingerbread updates rolled out for the Galaxy S via forums and other sites have problems related to battery life and WiFi connectivity etc.

From today onward Galaxy S users in India are getting the Android 2.3.3 Gingerbread update through Samsung Kies desktop software. Nitish Kumar, IT infrastructure professional and Galaxy S owner, shared via Twitter the image of Kies, showing the new Gingerbread build for Galaxy S GT-I9000 devices.

Apple working on SIM-free iPhone 4S

Apple is working on an improved version of iPhone 4, which has an identical form factor. The device will be branded iPhone 4S, similar to iPhone 3GS.

Apple may come out with an updated version of the iPhone 4 in June this year, which could have a SIM-less design and 8 megapixel camera.

Japanese Mac focused blog MacOtakara, cited one of its sources as saying that Apple is working on the improved version of iPhone 4, which has the same form factor, and that it will be branded iPhone 4S, just like iPhone 3GS.

HTC Play : exclusive store for games

The recent patent indicates HTC's interest towards making an exclusive store just for games that too not just for different smartphones but for multiple OS's also

Taiwan based handset maker, HTC Corporation may soon come out with an exclusive game store for users. HTC has filed a trademark with the US patent and trademark office on May 24 relating to a service known as the HTC Play. Although no official comment has come from HTC yet but it is expected that HTC Play will be a unique, one of a kind service related to video games or gaming.

HTC in the past has also revealed some information about its services related to a dedicated audio service.

SmartAR: New augmented reality tech from Sony

Although augmented reality has yet to hit big time, there are numerous popular apps such as Wikitude and Augmented Car Finder which use augmented reality to provide real world benefits to users.

Smart AR is the new augmented reality technology from Sony which can be integrated into future mobile devices. Akhibara News reports that the SmartAR technology will be able to follow multiple objects at the same time. In simpler terms, augmented reality is the method of integrating virtual objects into the real world view as seen on the screens of mobile devices.

Windows Phone 7 Marketplace coming soon

Users can browse the full app catalogue on the marketplace, look at the app screenshots, and read app reviews as well. They can also share their favourite apps through Facebook, Twitter and through emails.

Windows Phone 7 has got yet another boost from Microsoft which will soon be coming up with the web based version of its app store for the platform.

The web based Windows Phone 7 Marketplace is likely to be released along with the Mango update of the smartphone operating system from Microsoft. The WP7 application store is likely to be built along the lines of Apple's iTunes store and the Android Marketplace. The marketplace will allow the users to browse app screenshots, complete catalogue of the apps and app reviews.

Must-have accessories for smartphones

These accessories not only help protect your precious gadgets but also help you in times of need. Here we have five must-have gadgets for every smartphone user.

Smartphones are fast taking over the legacy created by feature phones. By the end of 2012 many feature phone users would have migrated to using smartphones owing to falling smartphone prices. Further, because they are becoming cheaper, and because of the improved hardware - multi core processors, dedicated graphics cards etc - that these devices have, smartphones are increasingly being used by lay users for entertainment, internet browsing etc. and aren't restricted for official purposes alone.