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.

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.

Google Wallet is first off the mark — Now What?

At this time, it is just a pilot run in which two cities and some retailers are participating, but if it succeeds, the potential is huge.

Like every other new idea, Google Wallet also has attracted its fair share of detractors who don't think the service will succeed. This is obvious as in case of any new service as most people don't know how it works, and how it may go on to succeed.

Many companies were thinking of using mobiles for making payments, but with Google Wallet, Google turned out to be the first company to make a major move on it. 

Xperia Arc, Play get Android update

Sony Ericsson rolls out first update for Xperia play and Xperia arc fixes bugs, adds Facebook Inside and updates the core system to Android version 2.3.3.

Sony Ericsson has officially announced the launch of its first update for the users of Xperia Play and Xperia Arc smartphones, which will now be upgraded to Android Gingerbread version 2.3.3.

Besides, they will also get the recently launched feature 'Facebook inside Xperia' that was introduced during the launch of the new range of Xperia Mini's. The feature allows users to share, like and connect on Facebook in a faster and easier way that is not possible through an application or through website. 

42% users in India access Facebook on mobile: Survey

In India, Facebook is used by 42 per cent of mobile users but only accounts for 27 per cent of all page views in the country.

Social networking is the most preferred activity of a majority of mobile users around the world who surf internet on their handsets, a survey has revealed. And, Facebook has come as a clear leader among all the social networking sites.

In India, Facebook is used by 42 per cent of mobile users but only accounts for 27 per cent of all page views in the country. Facebook is also the second most popular site visited by Opera Mini users from India according to the 'State of the Mobile Web' report conducted by Opera Software. 

Acer Iconia — a tablet with a difference

The device has come with several new innovations, especially the use of second screen which can be used as virtual keyboard, that too in several languages.

In this world where new technology is being produced and discarded at a rapid pace, Acer has some time back come out with a tablet named as Iconia Tab A500, a product which really stands apart from the rest for many different things it allows the users to do.

The makers call this Android 3.0 based tablet a 'touchbook' simply because there is no keyboard in the device. It has a screen on the normal place with another one where the usual keyboard is placed in other devices. 

Airtel's new service offers free Facebook

Airtel mobile customers can now update their Facebook status for free and enjoy additional activities for only 1 rupee per day without activating data services.

To cash in on the popularity of Facebook, Bharti airtel has announced that starting from May 17, its customers in India can simply dial *325# (and "*fbk#" for non-qwerty mobile handsets) to access Facebook, without even subscribing to data plans.

While Airtel customers can update their Facebook status through this service free of cost, Rs 1 per day will be applicable for accessing the full feature application that includes viewing news feeds, commenting on or liking news feed stories, posting on friends' walls, confirming friend requests, viewing notifications, and finding as well as adding friends.

Now recollecting memories more fun with Retrollecting app

The app helps you create your own mash-up of photos, tweets, and status updates about a holiday or an outing to the bar, and share it with your friends through Facebook and Twitter.

A new application, which will help you create your own mash-up of photos, tweets, and status updates, has been launched. The application is called Retrollect and is available free of cost on both Android and iPhone app stores.

Retrollect lets you assemble the highlights of your experiences and create a visual mash-up of that. All you need to do is to grab your photos, tweets, or the status updates that give a play-by-play of the event, which can be a holiday or outing with friends, and then build your very own Retrollect disc to showcase your experience.

You can send recommendations to your friends by creating a disc about your experience, or simply relive those moments whenever you wish to. You can also share your discs on Facebook or Twitter right from the app.

The bad part, according to some users, is that the app seems to be created for iOS and simply ported to the Android, but then its free and there is harm in trying whether you use on iOS or Andorid platform.

Sify joins hand with PlanetRadiocity

Listeners will be able to hear Bollywood and Indian Pop music 24x7, with uninterrupted streaming and Facebook applications.

Sify Technologies, a player in enterprise and consumer internet services in India, has recently partnered with the FM radio station Radio City 91.1 FM, by integrating PlanetRadiocity's web radio to launch radio on Sify.

This tie-up will enable visitors of Sify.com to enjoy Bollywood, Indian Pop, and other genres of music 24x7. Through this partnership, Sify will be targetting the young mobile youth, mainly young professionals and 'next generation' listeners.

Radio city is aiming to increase its web radio's listenership base on the global front with this deal.

The content broadcast on radio on Sify will be different from the terrestrial programming of Radio City 91.1 FM. Listeners of the radio on Sify will experience uninterrupted streaming where visitors will be able to listen to their favourite songs without buffering at an internet speed as low as even 128 Kbps. In addition to this, visitors of this site can select songs from a given list and dedicate it to friends and family. Moreover, users can also post their comments via e-mail or their Facebook account which will eventually get published on their Facebook walls.

Microsoft to buy Skype, claim reports

The possibilities of Windows Phone and Skype complementing each other might be endless, with the use of Skype on Windows phones to making video calls with Kinect received on mobile devices or vice versa.

On the backdrop of reports of Google and Facebook partnering with Skype, reports have now claimed that Microsoft intends to buy the VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) company for close to $8 billion.

Wall Street Journal has said this in a recent report citing its own sources, which in a way confirms the rumours earlier published by GigaOm.

The Microsoft-Skype deal would be a big push for the Windows based smartphones. The possibility of making free calls using Skype on Windows Phones may prove to be tempting for many users, though phone to phone VoIP calls are not allowed in India yet. Only those calls which originate from computers are allowed in India right now.

Another interesting possibility for users may be use of Kinect, another Microsoft product which helps in making video calls, in combination with Skype. The Kinect-Skype combine would enable users to talk to their friends and family through high quality video calls using their televisions. These calls may originate from TV sets and end up on devices such as iPhone, iPad, Android, and of course Windows Phone 7 phones. The reverse may also be possible.

Skype was founded in 2003 and was later bought by eBay in 2005, which then sold its stake to a private investment group. Even earlier, Microsoft has revealed that Skype would soon be available on Windows Phone 7 devices. So one thing's for sure, the interest from the company is already there.

HTC Chacha, Salsa FB phones get June 26 shipping date on Amazon

Amazon UK today started taking preorders for HTC’s Chacha and Salsa Android phones, which come with dedicated Facebook Button. Seller has listed a June 26 delivery date for both the devices.

Made for Facebook junkies, these smartphones were announced at Mobile World Congress earlier this year. While Chacha sports a portrait QWERTY keyboard, Salsa will have full touchscreen display.

Amazon UK has priced HTC Salsa at GBP 320 [INR 23,385], while Chacha is being sold for GBP 250 [INR 18,270].

HTC Chacha Features:

• Physical QWERTY keyboard
• Dual cameras including a 5-megapixel color camera with auto focus and LED flash and a VGA front-facing camera
• 2.6-inch display with 480 x 320 resolution
• Android 2.3 with HTC Sense

HTC Salsa Features:

• 5-megapixel rear camera with VGA forward-facing camera
• 3.4-inch display with 480 x 320 resolution
• Android 2.3 with HTC Sense

Nokia partners with Hungama.com

As part of this association, Hungama and Nokia aim to involve KKR fans across the world to be a part of the IPL cricket action, loaded with more fun and entertainment.

While watching your favourite team hitting the ground, why not have some fun with music! Hungama.com in association with Nokia, the principal sponsor of the IPL team Kolkata Knight Riders presents Hungama MyPlay, a music application on Facebook. The application allows you to send in your dedications to the entire team or individual players, to cheer them. Besides playing the latest music one can also dedicate music tracks to their friends on the Facebook list. As part of this association, Hungama and Nokia aim to involve KKR fans across the world to be a part of the IPL cricket action, loaded with more fun and entertainment. 

Speaking on this initiative, Siddhartha Roy, COO, Hungama Digital Media said, “Social networks have become the most preffered medium to connect with not only friends, but also our favourite film or sports personalities. People are not just interacting over the web but also sharing their preferences in music, movies, sport etc. People live their passion on Facebook, and Nokia gives its consumers and KKR fans another channel to display their passion via the Hungama MyPlay Application. Facebook users can now dedicate their favourite music tracks by using the ‘dedicate’ feature of Hungama MyPlay application to their chosen KKR players.”

Speaking on the occasion, Viral Oza, Director – Marketing, Nokia India, said, “Nokia is excited to associate with Hungama to get even closer to cricket and KKR fans this IPL season. We are confident that fans will find the Hungama MyPlay app on Nokia extremely entertaining. The app brings two of India’s biggest passions together - Bollywood and Cricket – and allows fans to express their love for the team. The thrust of our IPL campaign this season is centered on taking the stress off the KKR team, and we believe that the app is a fantastic stress buster.”

MyPlay will feature more than 4,50,000 music tracks from latest Bollywood releases, regional content in languages such as Marathi, Gujarati, Punjabi, Bhojpuri, Kannada, Bengali, Tamil & Telugu. The application will enable users to listen to their favourite songs via live streaming, to dedicate songs to the team KKR players or friends on Facebook, create and share playlists. MyPlay also allows users to synch their existing playlist on Hungama.com with the Facebook application. For using the appilcation existing Hungama.com users can simply login to Facebook and use their Hungama ID to enjoy the application. Non Hungama users can use the URL http://apps.facebook.com/hungama_myplay to access the application.

DigiMo announces new mobile payment solution

DigiMo a mobile payment system provider announced on Thursday the completion of its development of a new platform providing the first true mobile payment solution. The solution requires no hardware or software modification at either the Point-Of-Sale (POS) or mobile device such as cell phone, tablet computer, smart phone, etc. It is ready for immediate deployment worldwide.

Consumers simply register for the service online, supply their preferred billing method and phone number, receive a PIN, and pay quickly and easily at any participating retailer.

The service is designed for online giants, credit card companies and mobile operators who want to launch a wide-scale mobile payment service at multiple retailers without requiring POS integration at each one.

RIM Launches BlackBerry Style 9670 CDMA Smartphone

RIM the Makers of BlackBerry Smartphone announced the launch of the BlackBerry Style 9670 smartphone for the CDMA customers in India .The new smartphone comes in a elegant compact flip design along with dual high-resolution displays and a full-QWERTY keypad. One of its amazing feature is the powerful new BlackBerry 6 operating system.The smartphone also features a full-QWERTY BlackBerry keypad that makes messaging, email and real-time chats with BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) pretty easy.

It also comes along with many advanced features, which includes a 5MP camera with flash and it also supports video recording, built in GPS for location based apps and geo tagging, Wi-Fi for faster connectivity to internet, extended data coverage and an expandable memory card slot for up to 32GB of additional memory storage.

This comes with an optical trackpad for fluid navigation and a couple of large displays, an external screen which helps quickly viewing messages, notifications and a high-resolution internal screen that makes watching videos and Web browsing a pleasure.The new BlackBerry 6 OS retains the trusted and familiar features of the BlackBerry brand.

It also has a 512MB flash memory, along with an 8GB microSD / SDHC memory card.This smartphone also comes with 4.5-hour talktime along with a standby time of 10.5 days.In addition to the preinstalled applications for accessing the YouTube, BBM, Facebook, Twitter and MySpace, the BlackBerry Style offers enhanced multimedia capabilities, including a redesigned media application for a richer experience with music, pictures and videos.

Social networking site Facebook users cross 25 million mark in India

NEW DELHI: The number of Facebook users in India has crossed the 25-million base mark, the social networking site said Thursday.

"Facebook currently has 25 million users in India," said David Fischer, vice president advertising and global operations, Facebook at an interactive advertising and digital marketing exibition, Ad-tech here.

Facebook has almost become the most popular for active interent users in the recent past in India, leaving behind other social networking sites such as Orkut and Twitter .

"We are also looking forward to building strong relationship with India's strong network of developers and entrepreneurs who are increasingly harnessing Facebook to create unique sharing experiences on the social web," said the company.

The 25-million and growing Facebook users in India range from business people and students to public figures and institutions, including Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, the Delhi Traffic Police and bollywood perfectionist Aamir Khan.

From January, Municipal Corporation of Delhi has also started using Facebook for users to post problems for immediate action on areas like sanitation and garbage cleaning.

India has over 100 million users. Though the figure is hardly 10 percent of the total Indian population of 1.21 billion, it still puts India at the number three position in the world largest internet users list.